"Safe!" Ron gasped in relief, his face still pale. He had been scared out of his wits.
"How can the school allow such a dangerous creature to roam freely? This is insane!" Harry exclaimed, his voice tinged with frustration.
Lin Mei, however, remained calm. He glanced at the wooden door they had just shut and said, "We should leave—fast. The noise you guys made was enough to alert half the castle. A professor could already be on their way."
Just as he was about to consider sneaking inside, a voice—calm yet powerful—echoed in his mind.
Dumbledore.
The revelation hit Lin Mei like a bolt of lightning.
The Resurrection Stone wasn't here.
It was a trap.
Dumbledore had been aware of everything from the beginning, using this "bait" to lure out those with ill intentions—especially Voldemort. The old man had been watching this place closely all along, playing a long and meticulous game.
Lin Mei exhaled, pushing down his thoughts. Now wasn't the time.
"Come on," he said, leading Harry, Ron, and Hermione back to the Gryffindor common room.
After the chaos of the previous night, things settled down quickly. Halloween arrived in a blink.
Lin Mei's final class of the day was Professor Flitwick's Charms lesson, his personal favorite.
In this class, first-year students were introduced to fundamental spells—nothing too advanced, mostly practical ones used for everyday life.
Unlocking Charms, Levitation Spells, Repairing Charms, Lumos…
Of course, outside of the curriculum, students often exchanged mischievous jinxes and tricks. Lin Mei, too, dabbled in a few, experimenting with minor hexes for fun.
"Mr. Lin Mei! Since you've mastered the Levitation Charm, why don't you demonstrate it for the class?"
At the front of the room, Professor Flitwick beamed at him.
Lin Mei sighed but complied. He was used to this by now.
Ever since Professor Flitwick discovered his talent—not just in spellcasting but in understanding the evolution of magical patterns—Lin Mei had become Flitwick's star pupil.
In fact, Flitwick often lamented to Professor McGonagall, saying he had "discovered a hidden gem in Gryffindor when he should've been in Ravenclaw!"
Not that Flitwick was the only one.
Both Snape and Professor Sprout had expressed similar regrets, each hoping Lin Mei belonged to their House instead.
Lin Mei stood up, flicked his wand effortlessly, and spoke the incantation:
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
A white feather floated gracefully into the air, spinning with perfect control.
Professor Flitwick clapped enthusiastically. "Excellent! Absolutely flawless! Five points to Gryffindor!"
The Ravenclaw students groaned internally.
"Here we go again…"
Ever since Lin Mei displayed his extraordinary learning ability, it felt like he was single-handedly racking up House points for Gryffindor every lesson.
Lin Mei simply smiled and returned to his seat, keeping a low profile.
In front of him lay an old tome, "A Collection of Ancient Magic Patterns," a gift from Professor Flitwick.
Technically, first-years weren't allowed to access such advanced material—this book was meant for senior students.
But Lin Mei had already mastered all first-year spells within a short span, even outperforming older students. He couldn't be moved up a year, so the professors turned a blind eye, allowing him to study more advanced subjects independently.
As he flipped through the pages, a faint ink fragrance drifted from the parchment.
Each pattern carried a deep, arcane power—not just symbols, but relics of ancient magical history.
However, some forbidden patterns were marked with strict warnings from Professor Flitwick.
"Never attempt to carve these unless under a professor's supervision."
Lin Mei understood the caution.
Magic patterns weren't just words on a page. The moment they were inscribed, they became active. Some held immense destructive power.
Lin Mei traced his fingers over a particularly intricate design, deep in thought.
Magic was far more complex than textbooks ever revealed.
And he was only scratching the surface.
The energy unleashed by these ancient magic patterns was powerful enough to destroy everything in an instant.
Because of this, the book "A Collection of Ancient Magic Patterns" in Lin Mei's hands had been enchanted by Professor Flitwick for safety reasons.
As Lin Mei studied the book, he realized that the deeper he went, the more dangerous the magic patterns became.
To prevent Lin Mei from recklessly learning everything at once—and possibly blowing up all of Hogwarts—Professor Flitwick had placed a magical restriction on the book.
The later pages were completely sealed. No matter how much Lin Mei tried, he couldn't flip beyond a certain point.
For now, he could only study the patterns at the front.
Yet, even these beginner-level inscriptions were immensely valuable.
Lin Mei was certain that once he had fully mastered them, he would be able to defeat opponents far stronger than himself—rendering them powerless before they could even react.
He enjoyed his lesson in peace, but the same couldn't be said for Hermione and Ron.
The two of them were bickering over the Levitation Charm.
Hermione, ever the perfectionist, had flawlessly mastered the spell—just like Lin Mei.
Ron, on the other hand, struggled with his pronunciation, and his feather refused to levitate.
After class, Ron, clearly frustrated, mocked Hermione's precise way of speaking and snidely remarked that it was no wonder she had no friends.
His words did not go unnoticed.
Hermione, usually confident, was visibly hurt. Though she didn't say anything, the proud and brilliant girl was now brimming with quiet resentment.
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