Hogwarts Summoning Guide

"I haven't figured out the third Dark Lord yet, but the Spellbreakers Association is not to be underestimated. If not handled properly, it could lead to a war between Muggles and wizards..."

Dumbledore paced back and forth, saying, "Tell me all this, and what do you want me to do?"

"The matter of Gracoa and the Spellbreakers is not urgent right now. We need to deal with Voldemort's crisis first. I have intelligence indicating that he will send a servant, perhaps Barty Crouch Jr., to infiltrate Hogwarts. I will investigate all the faculty members who have the right to participate in the preparations for the Goblet of Fire!" Bai Lin said.

"Go ahead, but don't use methods they'll find too offensive... this is a huge undertaking..."

Over the course of the night, Bai Lin compiled a large list of "suspects," including almost all the professors and staff. Even Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were on the list. Of course, he quickly ruled out Dumbledore; if Barty Jr. had managed to get his hands on him, the Death Eaters could have stormed in.

Bai Lin had no better option than to attend various professors' classes under the guise of auditing, hoping to observe and analyze them. He thought this was a rare opportunity to return to his student days, but after two days, Bai Lin felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Perhaps only Professor Flitwick's spell lessons could allow him to review what he had learned and gain something from it.

Snape's Potions class was completely beyond Bai Lin's knowledge; he couldn't understand it at all. Pomona's Herbalism class was the same. But Bai Lin still had to observe the two of them for a while longer because Polyjuice Potion was not a simple potion. To be able to perfectly prepare a potion and still fool so many acquaintances, Barty's potion-making skills must be quite excellent.

Incidentally, Professor Trelawney's divination class was a real fatigue bombardment for Bai Lin. As soon as she started talking, Bai Lin felt his eyelids become unusually heavy, reminding him of his advanced mathematics class in his previous life. He had a feeling that if he ever developed insomnia, the first thing he would think of was the hypnotic effect of the divination class on him.

The schedule for the Triwizard Tournament has been posted on the notice board in the Great Hall. The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive at Hogwarts on October 30.

It seemed that Bai Lin still had plenty of time, but he couldn't relax at all. Voldemort and Gracchus were like two mountains weighing on his mind, preventing him from relaxing. His tension was also noticed by some of the students.

That day, during the midday break, Bai Lin was rubbing his temples in the lounge, feeling somewhat helpless and unsure of what to do. He had initially hoped the Marauder's Map would be helpful, but after circling the castle more than a dozen times, he hadn't found a single suspicious name. Of course, the Marauder's Map was merely a creation of the mischievous quartet from their student days, and its magical power was limited; it might not be able to detect all disguises. It was just another of Bai Lin's investigative methods that had proven ineffective.

Suddenly, as Bai Lin was lost in thought, a pair of soft, fair hands covered his eyes. He thought it was You Qian joking with him. After spending time together, this sweet girl had become very close to Bai Lin, and there was a strange sense of dependence between them. Sometimes, Bai Lin almost mistook her for a younger version of Catherine, and he almost hugged her several times, but he always managed to hold back.

Bai Lin chuckled and nudged You Qian with his head, thinking she would gracefully step aside. But he startled the girl behind him. (A preference for fantasy novels? Click to enter your exclusive library!) Because Bai Lin had already rested his head on her chest.

Bai Lin quickly stood up and saw that it was Hermione. Hermione's face was flushed, and her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was a little angry. Hermione, a fourth-year student, had already reached puberty and was a young woman. In the original story, at this time, she was already a pen pal of Krum, the star Seeker of the Bulgarian team, and had a brief relationship with him during her fourth year.

Bai Lin coughed awkwardly twice and said, "Uh, it's Hermione. Is something wrong? I thought it was Harry..." Of course, he couldn't say it was Yu Qian, lest the situation become even more awkward.

Hermione pursed her lips, glanced around to make sure no one else was in the lounge, and then casually said, "Professor, I've noticed you've been acting very strange lately! If you're really looking for someone who's acting strange, maybe that person is yourself!"

Bai Lin was taken aback, then couldn't help but chuckle. Had he really made it that obvious?

Hermione continued, "If you have any plans, why don't you tell me? Maybe I can help!"

Bai Lin remembered that in the original book, Hermione should have been busy advocating for the rights of house-elves at this time, but perhaps due to the butterfly effect, although Dobby returned to the Hogwarts kitchen to help, Hermione's attention was clearly not on this.

Bai Lin said, "You're a really clever girl... Yes, that's right. I'm looking for someone who infiltrated the castle using a compound potion. He could be anyone in the castle, but I think he'll disguise himself as someone with access to the preparations for the Triwizard Tournament in order to advance his next move..."

"I see. No wonder you attend all our classes... You're observing every professor... But if I may be so bold, I haven't found any professor to be anything strange... except Professor Trelawney..." Hermione said, frowning.

Bai Lin rested his chin on his hand and leaned on the desk, saying, "That's right, isn't that what I'm worried about? It shouldn't be Professor Trelawney. She won't be involved in the competition preparations, nor will she have access to the key items... I even suspect she won't leave the building during the entire competition..."

Hermione also found a chair and sat down, resting her chin on her hand like Bai Lin, lost in thought, recalling everyone she had seen in the castle.

Suddenly, Hermione jumped off her chair, excitedly exclaiming, "I remember now! There's someone who's acting very strangely!"

Bai Lin was startled and quickly went over to ask, "Who?"

"Filch!" Hermione said seriously.

Ten minutes later, the two of them found Filch in the garden outside the castle. The tall, thin old man, who usually had an angry face and stared intently at the students, was picking flowers in the garden. There were already more than a dozen roses of various colors in the crook of his left arm.

Filch wasn't wearing the iconic khaki trench coat that Bai Lin remembered him for (it seemed like all his clothes were incredibly old), but rather a decent brown hunting outfit with a light-colored shirt underneath, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine. Most incredibly, his expression didn't show any of his usual anger or "hatred," but rather a slight smile.

"Hermione, you saw it right. Either he was switched, or he got his head caught in a door!" Bai Lin concluded.

"Follow him... Professor!" Hermione said.