Capítulo 52: Chapter 52: The Second Test
A mere three days before the much-anticipated Christmas holiday break, fate graced Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with an extraordinary transformation. From the heavens above, an enchanting flurry of snow cascaded down with fervor, blanketing the revered castle in an opulent tapestry of winter's finest.
Within the blink of an eye, the grand architecture of the school was concealed beneath a shroud of pure white, as if a magical painter had sought to capture its majesty on a canvas of snowflakes. As the sun dipped beyond the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow on the frozen landscape, students emerged from their hallowed halls, their hearts fluttering with childlike excitement. They stepped into a world where imagination and reality intertwined, where dreams and reality merged, and the very essence of the season's magic seemed to dance before their eyes.
However, the trio of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger found themselves uncharacteristically unmoved by the wintery euphoria outside. Instead, they opted for solace within the confines of an empty classroom, their expressions glazed over as they gazed upon the snow-induced frenzy.
Originally, Harry and Ron had felt a surge of joy as they realized a unique prediction made by their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Sherlock Forester, had come to pass. Invigorated by the unexpected snowfall, they shared Hermione's raised eyebrows and skeptical stare, despite initially dismissing her disbelief.
"Could it possibly be that the snowfall has nothing to do with Professor Forester?" wondered Hermione, attempting to inject some reason into the conversation. "After all, snow around Christmas time is a normal occurrence. Perhaps it's just a delayed onset this year?"
Hermione struggled to wrap her head around the situation, as neither her years of acquaintance with the science of the muggle world nor her stint at the magical institution of Hogwarts prepared her for an individual with the uncanny ability to manipulate weather patterns through mere words. This line of thinking naturally left Harry and Ron baffled.
"Oh come on, Hermione," Harry voiced, his hands stretched out before him. "You keep chucking up all of Professor Foresters predictions up to mere coincidences, even though this time we set out to set a specific challenge, which we agreed would prove or disprove my theory."
"But if you are still finding it impossible to believe," He added, "then why don't we just repeat the experiment? I just don't know how many predictions it will take to finally convince you."
Upon hearing Harry's proposed plan, an undeniable spark of excitement ignited in Ron. Having observed all of Sherlock's predictions become reality, the prospect of conducting yet another test piqued their interest.
"I agree with Harry" responded Ron eagerly, "we could indeed test him again, since he's still here at the castle."
Hermione agreed reluctantly to the proposed plan. She was still struggling to reconcile with the current peculiar circumstances. A failed prediction could potentially justify all these misfortunes as nothing more than an uncanny string of coincidences, thus dispelling the idea of Forester's unusual talent.
With a certain stealth to their stride, the trio carefully navigated their way to the chambers of the notorious harbinger of misfortune, Professor Forester. After excited whispers and hurried consultation on their strategy, they chose Ron as their (un)lucky envoy in this unexpected experiment.
Standing tall outside the office, Ron cleared his throat, adjusted his robe and, bolstered by a newfound courage, he lightly rapped on the academic sanctum of Sherlock Forester.
"Come in."
Upon entering, Ron found Sherlock, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, immersed in grading papers of the seventh-year students. Sherlock evidently appeared confused by the sudden interruption.
"What could you possibly want now?"
Before Ron could even utter a word in response, Professor Forester began to eye Ron suspiciously. Catching his bearings quickly, Ron effortlessly rambled off his rehearsed plea.
"Professor, in my recent attempt at completing some homework, I stumbled upon a rather complicated factor regarding a Boggart. I'm afraid I've not been quite clear about our lessons on the subject. Could you help explain it to me again?"
Sherlock's penetrating gaze bored into him, putting his courage to test. Ron, however, met his eyes without hesitation, and in the face of such scrutiny, nodded his head in earnest.
"What aspect of it is troubling you?"
Unable to read Ron's thoughts despite finding his behavior undoubtedly suspicious, Sherlock could hardly discern the true motive behind Ron's question. Presented with a seemingly sincere request for academic guidance, he felt duty-bound to clarify the subject matter.
"So considering that a Boggart possesses virtually no tangible offensive qualities and can only incite fear in people, what does it actually feed on?"
This query was carefully formulated by Hermione to seem as normal as possible. It revolved around a subject that had been skimmed over in the class at best, ensuring it did not sound completely left field.
Sherlock began explaining the concept diligently, while Ron afforded him the politeness of undivided attention. Once the professor had finished, Ron expressed his gratitude in a humble manner.
"Thank you, Professor," he concluded with thoughtfulness in his words, "If Mr. Filch doesn't come to bother me later, I suppose I might finish this homework rather quickly."
Sherlock gave him a queer look. "Assuming you keep within the school's rules, why would Mr. Filch even bother you?"
Upon hearing Sherlock's words, Ron found it difficult to hide his delight.
"Are you suggesting that Mr. Filch won't be bothering me until Christmas?"
Sherlock, who had already resumed his task of grading papers, answered Ron without peeling his gaze away from his task. "Unless you've committed a transgression, there is no reason for you to worry about Mr. Filch. Despite his somewhat erratic behavior, his actions are primarily rule-based."
Joy bubbling within him, Ron thanked Sherlock, bid him farewell, and scurried out of the office. This left Sherlock shaking his head bewilderedly; he returned to his grading duties while also keeping an eye on Neville's location on his prized Marauder's Map.
Overwhelmed by his triumph, Ron rejoined Harry and Hermione who were anxiously awaiting his return in the nearby corridor.
"Professor Forester mentioned that, provided I haven't broken any school rules, Mr Filch won't bother me until Christmas!" cooed an ecstatic Ron.
Hermione, sporting her signature serious expression, added, "This could be just the scenario we need to establish whether what's happening relates directly to Professor Forester's words or not. Under ordinary conditions, Ron shouldn't be bothered by Filch if he hasn't contravened any rules."
Surprisingly enough, despite the implication of a looming punishment by Filch if Sherlock Forester's prediction proved to be true, Ron barely managed to suppress his excitement.
"Absolutely, we haven't broken any school rules recently. There's no viable reason for Filch to bother me!"
With this shared understanding, Harry and Ron leisurely strolled towards the Gryffindor common room, allowing time to pass and observe the results of their unorthodox experiment. Christmas was the self-imposed timeline to verify the success or failure of their test.
However, in a sudden comical twist of fate, they had barely ascended the staircase leading to the Gryffindor Tower when they found themselves face to face with an indignant Mr. Filch. His fish-like eyes bulged in anger, blocking their path with a palpable fury.
Estado de energía semanal
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