0204 Aftermath

Crack! 

A silver snake of lightning slashed through the sky, tearing apart the darkness that enveloped the world. The wind howled like a wild beast and the waves roared like thunder, slamming against the cliff with enormous and furious force. The earth shook, and even the Hogwarts castle, standing on the high cliff, trembled slightly. The windows rattled, the portraits swayed, and the candles flickered.

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid hugged his little red umbrella in his arms and rushed into the dark woods. He had to help the creatures that lived there, from the centaurs to the unicorns to Aragog's clan. The terrible weather might endanger them all. He hoped that none of them had been struck by lightning or crushed by falling trees. 

"Oh, This is dreadful, I haven't seen such a storm in years!" 

In the castle hall, Professor Sprout held her ragged hat tightly and ran into the thunderstorm. She had to protect her greenhouse from the wind and the waves. Her precious plants could not withstand such a violent attack. She knew that some of them were very sensitive to temperature and humidity, and could not survive the harsh conditions outside. 

The world was gloomy and stormy, but Hogwarts castle was still standing. 

Thanks to Professor Watson's excellent performance, the hospital wing was once again full of patients. 

"I don't remember when I offended you, Bryan!" 

Madam Pomfrey snapped as she smeared some white paste on Ron's back. She then hurried to the girl's area, separated by curtains. On the way, she saw Bryan wandering around, his smile betraying his guilt. She glared at him and said. 

"Don't be too serious, madam–" 

Bryan scratched the back of his head and said awkwardly. He wanted to explain his actions, but Madam Pomfrey had no time to chat. She lifted the curtain and went straight into the girl's area. 

Oliver Wood, who got the news, stood in front of Harry's bed. Harry had woken up, but his face was wrapped in white gauze. Wood looked at him with despair and pleaded with Bryan, 

"Is there any possibility, professor?" 

Wood turned his face and asked, "Since Malfoy can use his arm as an excuse, professor, is there any possibility that the Gryffindor team can also change the time of the match?" 

"Woo!" Harry couldn't speak because of the gauze, and could only nod desperately. 

"Oh, sorry, Mr. Wood–" Bryan pursed his lips and said regretfully, "You have to ask Professor McGonagall, I don't have the final say." 

He was not in charge of the Quidditch schedule, and he did not want to interfere with the other professor's decisions. 

Looking at the innocent faced Professor Watson, to be honest, for a moment, Harry, who was 'tearful', even thought that Professor Watson was deliberately making trouble before the Quidditch match!

Tuk-Tuk-Tuk...

"Tell me, Bryan!" 

The crisp and urgent footsteps overwhelmed the young wizards who were blocked outside the hospital wing. They had no classes in the afternoon and couldn't go out to have fun because of the heavy rain, so they came to the hospital wing to watch the 'fun'. The students in the crowd automatically separated, and Professor McGonagall walked in quickly. When she identified who the 'white head' was, her lips thinned into a tight line and her eyes flashed with anger as she glared at Bryan with a piercing gaze, 

"How much did Severus give you, to make you harm Gryffindor's seeker!" 

Cough cough! 

'How did you know about our private deal, Professor McGonagall?' 

Bryan thought to himself, but he did not dare to say it out loud. He knew that Professor McGonagall was very protective of her students, especially Harry.

"Don't worry, professor–" Bryan explained, his smile fading. "Most of the young wizards just suffered some minor injuries, they just need to apply some Aloe-vera gel and take a hot water bath, and they will be able to bounce around. It's just that Mr. Longbottom's injury is a bit more serious." 

He pointed to Neville, who was lying on a bed next to Harry, with his arm bandaged. 

"Longbottom?" Professor McGonagall immediately looked for him in the crowd, and then gasped when she saw the faint blood stain on the white gauze on Neville's arm. Neville had taken sleeping pills and fallen asleep. 

She came to Neville's side in panic and asked, "What happened to this child, Bryan, don't tell me he fought with that monster you brought again?" 

"That's the truth–" Bryan said with a wry smile, "Mr. Longbottom always seems to think that fists are better than wands when he encounters a crisis–" 

Professor McGonagall's anger and worry subsided after inspecting the situation for a while. As Bryan had said, most of the Slytherin and Gryffindor students only drank some cold swamp water. So to avoid catching a cold, Madam Pomfrey had given them a few sips of her special tonic potions that warmed their bodies and cleared their throats, and sent them back to their dormitories. The hospital wing didn't have enough beds to accommodate them all, so only those who were hit by water arrows, or injured like Neville who had tangled with the hinkypunk, stayed there to rest.

"Well, since that's the case–" Professor McGonagall's breathing slowed down and she looked at Wood and Harry with a stern but sympathetic expression. 

"Although I can agree to postpone your match with Hufflepuff, I think Gryffindor students should be brave, Wood. I still hope you can do your best in tomorrow's match." 

She knew that the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff was very important for the house cup, but she did not want to see her students lose their spirit.

At Hogwarts, the great Albus Dumbledore's appearance was an indicator of whether something was serious or not. 

Since Bryan hadn't caused a big mess, and there were still a lot of things to deal with, Professor McGonagall left with a sullen face. Bryan told her that, In the race Gryffindor had defeated Slytherin in the final round, and won the victory in his 'practical' class, and got a reward of thirty points which didn't make Professor McGonagall feel much better. 

"Then, please rest well here–" 

Bryan rubbed his stomach that had already protested. He hadn't eaten lunch to accommodate these young wizards. He smiled and continued, 

"Professor Lupin is not feeling well. I have to go back to the office to take care of him–" 

He smiled happily, ignoring the 'angry but dare not speak' 'glare' of the young wizards who blamed him for their misfortune. 

Suddenly, he saw a head sticking out from behind the curtain of the girls' ward. It looked hesitantly at his side. Bryan raised his eyebrows and turned his head. He saw Harry, who knew nothing, and Ron, who had already noticed but pretended to be stupid. 

"Still quarreling?" He walked to Ron's bed and said gently, after thinking for a while. 

"Oh, you know, professor–" Ron's tone was calmer than before, but he was still full of resentment when he mentioned it. 

"It was clearly that her cat killed Scabbers, but she never came to apologize!"

Ron's rat had died in a strange way. Bryan didn't think it was the smart big ginger cat that had killed Scabbers. On the night of the Halloween dinner, Bryan had sensed that Crookshanks had appeared in the Shrieking Shack for a while. Considering the distance between Hogwarts and the Shrieking Shack and the time of the dinner, it shouldn't have had enough time to commit the crime. But Bryan didn't bother to clear the cat's innocence. 

He smiled slightly and said, after listening to Ron's grumbling complaint, 

"Ron, life is a one-way road. You can't go back and undo what you said or did. I've seen many people suffer from regret and pain for a long time because of their impulsive actions. I don't want you three to make the same mistakes."

He saw Ron blink and seem to realize something. Bryan pursed his lips and walked out of the hospital wing leisurely. 

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