Chapter 1036
Bad News
Chapter 1036 Bad News
The sun had not yet risen when a noisy commotion arose on the long table in Hogwarts Great Hall in the morning.
In winter, the sunrise is always late. The pitch-black night, like a thick velvet, still shrouds the castle. A few restless stars blink, as if trying to capture the last glimpse of the scenery before dawn.
Warm, dim light shone from the windows throughout the castle, and steaming vapors mingled with the aroma of freshly baked bread, with figures flitting about in front of the windows.
The ceiling of the auditorium was magically transformed into a clear winter night sky, twinkling with soft starlight, which complemented the holly and mistletoe wreaths hanging on the walls.
The four long tables in the college were already packed with students, even more so than during regular classes. No one complained about getting up early; laughter, conversation, and the soft clinking of cutlery against plates filled the air.
Colorful cannons occasionally exploded in a corner, scattering a shower of glittering confetti, or a strangely shaped hat would pop out, eliciting a small cheer.
Some people even used shapeshifting gummies to transform into animals, jumping onto tables and dancing around, making everyone laugh.
This is the students' last morning at Hogwarts this year. After breakfast, they will board the train to go home.
Therefore, the professors watched this scene with tolerance, without reprimanding or deducting points for the student's misbehavior. Even Snape simply stared at the bacon on his plate with a dark expression, silently enduring it.
"...Then, Professor Trelawney looked up from her pile of tea leaves and exclaimed in horror, 'My dear, I see it! A black light! An ominous black light is enveloping you!'"
Michael leaned forward, resting his elbows on the jar of pumpkin juice, and nimbly twirled a thin cookie stick between his fingers.
He perfectly imitated Professor Trelawney's mysterious yet terrified tone, immediately attracting the attention of nearby students.
"And then?" Qiu Zhang, sitting across the long table, couldn't help but ask.
"Terry was terrified, spending the entire class flipping through his book trying to figure out what the black light meant. But if he had looked up and taken a closer look, he would have discovered the truth..."
Michael paused deliberately for a few seconds, took a sip of the pumpkin juice, and then slowly said, under Terry Boot's glare:
"That black light... was actually because Professor Trelawney's glasses lenses got blackened by the kerosene lamp when she was dozing off with her head down..."
"Ha ha ha ha……"
The surrounding students were all laughing so hard they were doubled over, but Terry Boot glared angrily at Michael and demanded:
"You found out, but you didn't tell me the truth all this time? I even thought I had a terminal illness and went to the school hospital to see Mrs. Pomfrey!"
This caused even the students who hadn't been laughing to burst out laughing, their bodies trembling violently, tears welling up in their eyes, and Luna, who was not far away, almost sliding off her chair.
Michael raised his eyebrows smugly and turned to share his thoughts with Wade, only to find that his friend's face was devoid of smiles, displaying an unusually somber expression that clashed with the cheerful atmosphere around them.
"Hey!" Michael nudged Wade with his elbow and said in a low voice, "We're about to go home, and you seem to be in an even worse mood than the past two days?"
At this point, Michael suddenly became alert: "Has something happened recently again?"
Wade's gaze seemed to finally return from a distant place. He looked at the potatoes he had poked and messed up on his plate, casually pushed them aside, and remained silent for a few seconds. Without mentioning the questions he had been pondering, he simply said softly, "I received news... Professor Abigail has passed away."
"what?!"
Michael's smile froze on his face, and his voice unconsciously rose a little, attracting the attention of several classmates nearby.
He immediately lowered his voice and asked in shock, "Is it really Professor Abigail? Professor Sera Abigail? Is the information confirmed? Could it be... that someone has made a mistake?"
Although the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors changed several times, with six in less than five years, apart from the first two being somewhat unreliable, the later professors were all well-liked by the students.
Among them, Sera Abigail, the only woman, is very beautiful and has a very unique teaching style. She is also the first capable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor they encounter after the stuttering Bachiro and the smiling Lockhart. She even protected everyone on the train...
In short, even though students were often "beaten up" while she was around, everyone missed her after she left.
Michael was no exception.
Therefore, when he received a positive reply from Wade, he was completely stunned.
"What...what happened?" Michael said incredulously. "She's so amazing, and so young...how...how did this happen?"
Seeing the shock in his friend's eyes, Wade hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "I heard... she chose to sacrifice herself in order to fight against the dark wizard."
Michael opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
A mixture of astonishment, admiration, and a dull sadness seemed to form a huge lump in his chest, making his nose sting and almost bring tears to his eyes.
“Merlin…” Michael finally murmured, his shoulders slumping. “This…this is just like something she would do…”
"Wade, any plans for the holidays?" Terry Boots, a few people away, leaned over and asked, "By the way, that Lilliput adventure game, could you get a priority spot or something? It feels like wizards all over the world are flocking to London for the holidays, the wait for a number is just too long!"
“Terry!” Michael interrupted him, his expression unusually serious. He shook his head and said in a low voice, “Stop messing around! Wade is in a bad mood right now.”
"In a bad mood?" Terry paused, raised his eyebrows in surprise, and looked at Michael, asking, "What's wrong with you now? You were just making fun of me, but now you're acting like you've lost a bag of Galleons."
Michael's expression darkened, and he said in a low voice, "Professor Abigail, she..."
The news spread quietly, like ripples on the water.
Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor...
The laughter that had been rising and falling around the long table, like golden, full waves of wheat, suddenly subsided as if swept away by an invisible north wind, its waves falling silent and finally abruptly cut off.
Some people put down the Daily Prophet, some dropped their silver forks, and some sentimental girls couldn't help but let out a suppressed sob.
(End of this chapter)