I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

Although no one said it outright, she sensed that the professor named Aatrox seemed to favor her too much... However, apart from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, the Transfiguration professor, Minerva McGonagall, also treated her this way.

Marietta said that both professors wanted Cho Chang to be their successor.

Cho Chang knew perfectly well that Professor McGonagall favored her because of the dubious "Animagus," while Professor Aatrox favored her because of her ability to learn the "secret teachings."

Compared to Professor McGonagall's favor, Cho Chang actually preferred Professor Aatrox, whom she had met once before, because only she knew that this so-called "Animagus" was not her own talent, but the result of a bizarre encounter.

Strange encounters are unrepeatable and cannot be prayed for; moreover, who knows whether the next encounter will be auspicious or inauspicious?

Qiu Zhang's parents often said: "Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise."

This saying means that misfortune and fortune are interdependent and can transform into each other. Nothing is impossible, and nothing is permanent. Strong friendships can become fragile under the influence of time and interests, and former enemies may become reliance under various conditions.

For example, after Qiu Zhang became the first to master the secret technique, the attitudes of his classmates changed. Some became closer to him, while others became more distant. They tried to hide their attitudes, but actions speak louder than words.

The spirit of Ravenclaw is wisdom, but wisdom can sometimes easily breed folly. Self-righteous cleverness is more repulsive than undisguised stupidity.

Qiu Zhang disliked their behavior, but could understand it.

So, who can guarantee that Minerva McGonagall's attitude will change after she learns that she is not an Animagus?

Even if she is a fair and impartial vice principal, the students and faculty around her may change their attitudes due to changes in objective facts.

During her vacation, she learned transfiguration spells and knew she had no talent for it, except for an Animagus whose authenticity was unknown.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Qiu Zhang maintained a normal attitude towards Minerva McGonagall, neither being close nor distant.

But Professor Aatrox was different.

First of all, Cho Chang knew that he was her benefactor, who had waived all her expenses for seven years at Hogwarts and provided her with a lifetime of free accommodations in Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. Therefore, she was already labeled as his benefactor and naturally sided with him.

From this perspective, they are closer.

Secondly, it lies in "secret transmission".

Cho Chang had a hunch that the "secret teachings" imparted by this Defense Against the Dark Arts professor were not limited to just one or two techniques, but rather constituted a system far larger and more sophisticated than the spell system.

Qiu Zhang wasn't the only one with this idea, but she was the only one who could quickly master the secret technique.

"It's not just a disarming spell."

Qiu Zhang could vaguely sense that he would thrive in this system.

She suddenly had a strange feeling: she seemed more suited to those secret arts than to spells and wands; she shouldn't have been born into this world, but should have merged into that ray of bright light, constantly climbing towards a higher realm...

Just as she was about to reach a certain level, a sudden wail pulled her back to reality.

The gray-black mist had filled the bedroom without anyone noticing. Cho Chang quickly pulled her wand from under her pillow and held it in her hand, her left hand ready to cast a disarming spell. She carefully pushed aside the fluttering curtains.

A gust of wind swept in from the window, which had been opened at some unknown time, tearing apart the thick gray fog.

A peculiar chill lingered around him. Qiu Zhang took a deep breath and felt as if his throat had been cut by a knife.

She cautiously approached Marietta's bedside, which was undoubtedly unusual, and the other three people in the dormitory did not react at all. How could this be?

Cho Chang's wand finally touched the transparent veil, and she was overjoyed, eagerly waving her arm.

The thick fog dissipated along with the curtains, revealing Marietta lying on the bed, her face ashen, her skin covered with a layer of pale frost, cold to the touch.

But she did not die; when she breathed, the gray mist that filled the bedroom was exhaled through her mouth and nose.

Following the same method, Qiu Zhang found that all three people in the dormitory were in the same state, occasionally twitching, as if they were trapped in some inescapable nightmare.

What kind of magic spell can resolve the current situation?

Qiu Zhang found that she had absolutely no idea how to deal with this situation, so she decided to seek help from a professor.

So, who should we go to?

Is it Felix Flitwick, the headmaster of Ravenclaw, or Dumbledore, the seemingly omnipotent headmaster, or Snape, the Potions Master?

Qiu Zhang let out a long breath. At this moment, apart from Li Lin pretending to be "Professor Aatrox", she had no other wizard names in her mind.

"I hope you can hold on..."

After quickly putting on a few clothes and donning a wizard's robe, Qiu Zhang pushed open the door... then his expression changed, and he quickly returned to his dormitory.

The corridor outside the door was filled with a fog even thicker than that inside the dormitory, and a more severe cold lingered in the air. A harsh silence pressed down from the surrounding sky, clinging to everything around them.

Qiu Zhang noticed that the sounds of her opening and closing the door were completely swallowed up; the silence almost froze her thoughts.

The normal route was blocked, so she could no longer cross the corridor to find Li Lin.

Qiu Zhang pouted. Things had come to this point, so they had no choice but to resort to drastic measures.

—I hope I won't be held responsible later.

Qiu Zhang came to the window that had been opened, closed her eyes, and a beautiful, colorless starlight rose from her palm, enveloping her whole body.

A second later, the swan, draped in starlight, flew out of Ravenclaw's tower, circled in the cold wind of Hogwarts, and then flew towards the seventh floor of the castle.

121 Deng Deng Winter

Severus Snape was a man of principle; at least he could distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of a situation.

After being thoroughly beaten by Li Lin for his lack of martial ethics, he never argued with Li Lin again—Master Li wouldn't be lenient with someone who repeatedly provoked him.

One embarrassing experience is enough.

"So... what exactly did you want to talk to me about in the middle of the night?"

In the headmaster's office, Snape, with his greasy hair, slowly raised his hands, wrapped his cloak tighter, and then crossed his arms and spoke.

"If there's nothing else, I still have a potion to brew, so I'll head back now, Albus."

Dumbledore raised his hand to signal Snape to calm down, then went back behind his desk and took something out of a drawer.

Snape looked over in surprise.

"What it is?"

Dumbledore smiled and said, "You know... Voldemort is not dead. He is always ready to make a comeback."

“Of course.” Snape’s spirits lifted at the words, a deep hatred flashing in his eyes. He knew Voldemort was not dead; he must be lurking somewhere, ready to destroy Lily’s son at any moment.

Regarding the massacre of the Crouch family, Snape did not believe it was Voldemort's doing; the Dark Mark on the inside of Crouch's arm was not hot... so it could only have been the work of a mad Death Eater.

As if he had thought of something, Snape's eyes slowly changed: "...So, you found the trail of the mysterious man, or do you know his exact location?"

Dumbledore showed no embarrassment: "Unfortunately, it's not any of the ones you're talking about."

Snape's face darkened.

Almost done.

"However, I think you probably don't know that Voldemort created seven Horcruxes in his pursuit of immortality."

"Dumbledore said calmly, then watched with satisfaction as Snape's face began to turn pale."

He remembered that he had roughly the same expression when he first heard the news...

"Hordeals... or seven of them? This madman." Snape gasped for breath, and his arms, which had been crossed over his chest, involuntarily dropped.

As a former Death Eater who was well-versed in dark magic and its defenses, Snape naturally knew what Horcruxes were.

But to create seven Horcruxes? Voldemort must be really not afraid that his soul might not be able to withstand the process and he would explode into pieces.

Which seven?

Hearing this news greatly disturbed Snape, who was eager to know the exact location of the Horcruxes.

“This is one of them.” Dumbledore placed the crown on the table, watching Snape’s gaze gradually harden, then smiled with satisfaction.

However, after recalling Li Lin's attitude, Dumbledore's lips curled into a smile again.

No one can resist the Ravenclaw crown, except for Lee Lin.

“Ravenclaw’s… crown?” Snape took a few deep breaths, closed his eyes, and decided not to look at the seemingly magical crown. “It seems that it wasn’t lost, but rather stolen and made into a Horcrux. In that case, I guess Gryffindor’s sword, Hufflepuff’s cup, and Slytherin’s locket have all become that person’s Horcruxes.”

“I must correct you, Severus.” Dumbledore tapped his fingers on the back of his hand. “Gryffindor’s sword is still where it belongs.”

Dumbledore knew that Gryffindor's sword was still hidden in the Sorting Hat, waiting for the hero to pull it out.

Li Lin also tried to find the Gryffindor sword, but it was clear that he was not the hero the sword recognized.

Snape's expression changed once more: "So, you came to me to find the next Horcrux..."

The Potions Master paced back and forth in his office, stroking his chin. After a moment, he turned and quickly walked to his desk, staring at Dumbledore.

"You... know about the checkpoint guarding that Horcrux? Voldemort set a potion-related trap there?"

“You’re always so clever, Severus,” Dumbledore exclaimed. “But I can only go to that place once, otherwise Voldemort will surely sense it, so I must prepare in advance.”

"I understand." Snape nodded, without further hesitation, and his gaze towards the crown showed no lingering affection.

He knew Voldemort's character well enough to know that he would stop at nothing to weaken any who covet him, even his own followers and cultists.

Since there are traps involving potions in the levels guarding the Horcruxes, they must be some kind of potion that makes life worse than death.

“I’ll go back and prepare the antidote and the first-aid potion,” Snape said simply. “I’ll need about a week.”

“I’ll give you two weeks to prepare.” Dumbledore nodded. “We have plenty of time.”

Snape said nothing more. He opened the door to the headmaster's office, but did not step out.

A moment later he stepped back, exposing the view outside the corridor to Dumbledore.