Chapter 154: Poor Peter Pettigrew

Just a few minutes later, Buckbeak calmed down, lowered its head meekly, and nuzzled against the chest of Ma Jun, who was already standing on solid ground, to show its submission!

"Wow! Clap, clap..."

The students, having witnessed a fine show, burst into continuous applause.

"Professor, you're amazing!"

Ma Jun smiled and nodded at everyone. Catching sight of Hermione, Ma Jun noticed that she too wore an excited expression, yet a faint trace of wariness flickered in the depths of her eyes.

Had he not already felt that something was slightly amiss with Hermione, even Ma Jun might not have been able to detect that hidden emotion.

"Alright! That's all for today's class!" With matters having reached this point, Hagrid announced the end of the lesson; he certainly wouldn't dare let Buckbeak make friends with this bunch of hot-headed youngsters again.

As the students left one by one, Hagrid stroked Buckbeak—who was paying him very little attention—with a helpless expression. "Professor Ma Jun, thank you so much today. If it weren't for you, Draco would definitely have been hurt. Just imagine, having a student injured right in the very first class, my career as a professor..."

Hagrid looked thoroughly dejected.

"Don't worry, everything is fine now, isn't it?" Ma Jun comforted him with a smile, patting Buckbeak on the head. "However, I would advise you that in your future classes, it's best not to let them come into contact with such dangerous creatures. You know, for students, creatures like this pose a genuine threat to their lives! Unlike you, Hagrid!"

"I will!" Hagrid nodded. "Perhaps I can find some interesting herbivores to introduce to them instead!"

"That would be for the best!" said Ma Jun. "Hagrid, I have a request, though I hardly know how to phrase it. I was wondering... might I be allowed to keep Buckbeak? I've grown rather fond of it!"

"Ah..." Hagrid was momentarily stunned, looking at the way Buckbeak clung dependently to Ma Jun. "W—well, alright!"

"Thank you ever so much!" Ma Jun said happily. "The Ministry of Magic doesn't prohibit the raising of such creatures. I'll leave it in your care as a boarder for now and take it back during the holidays. Rest assured, I'll take very good care of it! You know, I'm quite fond of magical creatures myself!"

***

Successfully acquiring a fierce magical creature put Ma Jun in a rather pleasant mood. Although it could not be brought back to the main plane, as long as he conquered this world and gained the ability to enter and leave at will, that would be quite satisfactory.

Peaceful days gradually drifted by, and the Christmas holidays were fast approaching.

For the third-year students, this was a cause for great excitement, as they would finally be permitted to visit Hogsmeade.

In truth, there was nothing particularly extraordinary about the place, but owing to the unknown, everyone imagined that all sorts of amusing things awaited them in the small village.

Human beings were often like this, always yearning for things they had yet to attain while turning a blind eye to the life right before their eyes!

The students braved the heavy snow, lining up in preparation to depart for Hogsmeade.

"Professor Ma Jun, you know about Sirius Black..." Having learned that Ma Jun was to accompany Harry to Hogsmeade, Professor McGonagall pulled Ma Jun aside with a solemn expression and lowered her voice. "At a time like this, letting Harry go to Hogsmeade is dangerous!"

"Rest assured, with me here, Harry's safety is guaranteed!" Ma Jun said with absolute confidence. He glanced not far away at Harry, who was waiting for him with a nervous look on his face, then let his gaze drift to the pet resting in Ron's hands beside Harry. He smiled and continued, "If Black intends to ambush Harry, then let him come! I shall certainly capture him!"

"Very well, if you insist," Professor McGonagall arched an eyebrow. "Perhaps, as you say, drawing him out is not a bad idea. Catching him sooner rather than later will spare the students from living in constant fear."

"I shall do so," Ma Jun said with a smile, then scanned the surroundings for a moment before dropping his voice even lower. "How goes that matter... is there any good news from Professor Snape?"

Professor McGonagall also leaned in mysteriously toward Ma Jun. "Lucius informed Professor Snape not long ago that the man has been found! That snake is by his side as well. Everything is in place, waiting only for the final showdown."

Ma Jun nodded, his voice returning to its normal, booming volume as he said cheerfully, "Very well then, Professor McGonagall, I shall bring Harry back safe and sound!"

"How is it, Professor, am I allowed to go?" Seeing Ma Jun approach, Harry asked with a nervous flutter in his chest.

"No problem at all, let's go!" Ma Jun smiled, then looked over at Ron standing nearby. "Hoo, you brought Scabbers out with you—aren't you afraid he'll freeze?"

"I have to keep him with me!" Ron explained, glaring with displeasure at Hermione. "The cat she keeps always tries to eat Scabbers!"

"Crookshanks wouldn't do any such thing!" Hermione stroked the cat in her arms, her brow furrowed as she spoke each word with deliberate emphasis.

Chatting among themselves, the group set off alongside the main body of the students.

All the way there, Hermione and Ron engaged in a heated debate over whether cats would or would not eat mice.

Hermione insisted that Crookshanks would never eat Scabbers!

As he chatted with Harry along the way, Ma Jun inwardly agreed with Hermione's assessment! Because Scabbers was no mere mouse! Crookshanks was merely curious about this non-mouse that happened to bear a murine appearance, which was why it kept coming over to tease him.

Upon arriving in Hogsmeade, the students began to scatter in various directions.

Ma Jun continued to tag along with the trio.

First, they visited Honeydukes Sweetshop, purchasing an armful of delectable candies that possessed numerous magical effects when consumed.

Yet Ma Jun found this rather baffling; he simply couldn't relate to Ron's behavior, which resembled that of a little girl clutching an armful of sweets with breathless excitement.

Next, they headed to Zonko's Joke Shop, which was the students' favorite spot. It contained all sorts of amusing novelties, such as dung-flavored chocolates and candies that induced a continuous fit of hiccups upon consumption.

Ma Jun also bought a few items with a sense of lingering interest.

As they emerged from the joke shop, they ran into a group of Aurors clad in fitted wizard robes!

The one leading the group was tall and sturdily built, with an unsmiling, stern countenance. Yet upon encountering Ma Jun, he broke into a warm smile and greeted him, "Hello, Professor Ma Jun, a pleasure to see you!"

"Ah, Mr. Qian, you all seem terribly busy lately. Are you out on patrol?" Ma Jun responded with a smile.

"Indeed, on the trail of an escaped convict!" the man named Qian replied with a stern nod. "However, I shall apprehend him shortly!"

"Very well, I shan't delay you any longer!" Ma Jun noticed Mr. Qian's right hand concealed within the folds of his wizard robe making a distinct gesture. His eyes lit up, and he said cheerfully, "I'm taking the students to have a look at the Shrieking Shack; they're quite set on having an adventure!"

Bidding farewell to Mr. Qian, the group pressed on.

Ron gazed at Ma Jun with undisguised admiration. "Professor, you have so many friends. I've heard my father talk about that Mr. Qian... er, his name is rather hard to pronounce, but he's one of the most driven Aurors in the Ministry right now! My dream is to become a great Auror just like that one day!"

"Heh heh..." Ma Jun chuckled. "I thought you said your ambition was to become a professional Quidditch player?"

"Er... that was just in the past..." Ron stammered in explanation.

"Right here we are, the Shrieking Shack." As they spoke, they had reached their destination, and Ma Jun stepped into the courtyard. "There aren't any ghosts here at all! It's all just idle rumor. However, there's no way to enter the house from the outside unless one forces an opening... Hey, Ron, Scabbers seems rather panicked. What's wrong with him... Don't let him run about..."

Scabbers, who had been resting quietly in Ron's arms, was now thrashing about frantically, sending the candies in Ron's grasp spilling all over the ground.

Kind-heartedly, Ma Jun stepped forward to help, grabbing Scabbers and attempting to soothe him. "Don't worry, I'll help you take ca—ah..."

Before he could finish, he let out a sharp cry of pain, violently flinging Scabbers away. The creature crashed straight through the wooden wall of the Shrieking Shack, punching a small hole and landing inside the building.

"Oh, he bit me!" Ma Jun clamped a hand tightly over his finger, concealing the injury from view. "Ron, it's no matter. Let's hurry and fetch him back. We'll just break into this house—I take full responsibility for whatever happens!"