OBS Chapter 193 Surveillance
Chapter 193 Surveillance
Chapter 193 Surveillance
Over the next few days, Lynch's raven clone carefully blended into the Hogwarts background, becoming a silent and vigilant ghost in the sky above the castle.
It hovers atop tower spires, glides through castle corridors, or briefly rests on those weathered gargoyle statues.
Its sharp gaze remained fixed on the first-year girl with fiery red hair—Ginny Weasley.
Most of the time, Ginny Weasley behaved no differently than any other first-year student who had just entered Hogwarts, still somewhat bewildered, shy, and uneasy.
Like an autumn leaf swept away by a torrent, she followed her Gryffindor classmates, hurrying through the castle's moving staircases and echoing corridors to attend one surprising and challenging class after another.
In Professor Binns's sleep-inducing History of Magic class, she, like many other students, would nod her head and eventually drift off to sleep, her head resting on the open book. In Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class, she would be overjoyed to successfully turn a match into a needle.
During meals in the bustling auditorium, she usually sat quietly at the long table, a few seats away from her brother Ron, who always ate with great relish.
She would participate in discussions about Quidditch or homework, but only in hushed conversations with those around her.
She seemed to be completely in her own little world, an introverted and quiet world befitting her age and personality.
After Harry unexpectedly revealed his Parseltongue talent at the Dueling Club, the already pervasive atmosphere of panic and suspicion on campus intensified.
In this atmosphere, Dumbledore's rules were reinstated, and students stayed in groups when going out.
Ginny was no exception.
She always walked closely with the girls of Gryffindor Tower, whether on the way to the greenhouse for herb class or on the way back to the common room in the evening.
Her low profile and her reliance on group activities can be easily interpreted, in the current climate of anxiety, as the most natural reaction of an introverted girl to the tense situation.
She was like a timid little blade of grass in the shadow of a castle, trying her best not to attract any extra attention.
However, certain moments that clashed with this everyday scene on campus eventually caught the crow's attention.
For example, that time after Potions class.
In the air filled with the scents of herbs and strange creature specimens, Ginny and her friends were making their way back to the tower.
Like most students these days, their conversation inevitably circled back to the recent attacks and the mysterious "Slytherin Heir".
"My mother wrote to me yesterday," a Muggle-born girl named Katie Bell said, her voice filled with undisguised worry as she clutched her Potions textbook tightly. "She said that if things get worse at Hogwarts, she might—she might have to consider taking me home."
"Don't be silly, Kitty!" a round-faced boy tried to sound brave, waving his arms, but his voice lacked conviction. "Dumbledore's here! Hogwarts is the safest place in England!"
"But—" another girl whispered, as if afraid the walls would hear, "Even Harry Potter—you all know he can talk to snakes, everyone saw it that day. Some people say—some people say he might be—"
The moment the topic was brought up, Crow noticed that Ginny, who had been walking with her head slightly lowered, stiffened almost imperceptibly.
She didn't join the discussion, nor did she ask questions or express her fear like the other curious and scared students. Instead, she lowered her head even further, quietly adjusted her steps, and landed at the edge of the crowd, as if she wanted to escape the conversation immediately.
Her silence went unnoticed by her classmates, but it seemed particularly jarring to Lin Qi. It wasn't just simple fear; it was more like an act of avoidance...
Another time, it happened in the Gryffindor common room after nightfall.
The roaring fire in the fireplace dispelled the chill of the castle night, but it could not dispel the gloom that hung over the students' hearts.
Percy Weasley, wearing a gleaming prefect's badge, stood on the stairs, warning everyone to remain calm and not spread unverified rumors in a tone that seemed out of place for his age, emphasizing that the Hogwarts professors were capable of handling everything.
However, in his lengthy, bureaucratic speech, he inevitably repeated the "Slytherin legacy," the "potential threat," and the "extreme emphasis on school safety."
Ginny was curled up in a sturdy armchair near the window, away from the crowd.
She held an open book titled "A Beginner's Guide to Metamorphosis" in her hands, seemingly trying to isolate herself from the outside world's disturbances.
The crow perched silently outside the window. Through the condensed glass, it was clear that her gaze was not focused on the letters and illustrations on the pages of the book, but rather on the flickering flames of the fireplace in front of her, lost in thought and vacant.
When Percy emphasized in an unusually strong tone that "any unusual situation, no matter how minor, must be reported to the professor immediately and unconditionally, or to me," Ginny's body trembled violently, as if struck by an invisible, cold electric current.
She instinctively clutched the thick guide to transformation tightly, almost defensively, to her chest, the edge of the book pressing against her chin, leaving a faint red mark.
At that moment, she didn't seem to be protecting a textbook, but rather she was tightly grasping a fragile shield.
Of course, these extraordinary moments are always fleeting.
When Percy finished his lecture and the atmosphere in the lounge became a little more relaxed; when her friends finished discussing the attack and turned to Quidditch, Ginny would always slowly pull herself back to reality.
She would respond to her female companion's teasing about Professor Lockhart's hairstyle, reintegrate into her surroundings, and revert to her quiet, slightly timid, and caring Weasley little sister role.
Her actions also seem to be beyond reproach.
She was no longer found wandering alone in a secluded corridor, as she had been the previous nights.
Her life followed a routine of classroom-auditorium-common room, perfectly embodying the image of a student who had received strict warnings and was particularly careful about her safety during this special period.
Her several chance encounters with Harry—perhaps not entirely coincidental, but at least on the surface—were merely the nervousness, shyness, and awkwardness that an ordinary little girl would feel when meeting a school celebrity.
However, for Lynch, the chain of evidence is gradually becoming more complete.
Ginny Weasley's subconscious avoidance of the topic of locked rooms and her occasional panicked expressions—these subtle anomalies, overlooked by those around her, gradually led Lynch to add her name to the list of suspects.
Ultimately, another piece of evidence came from Reggie.
This week's top picks:
The Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe, Marvel Magic Case Files, Rebirth of Harry Potter, The Taste of Hogwarts, During her time at Hogwarts, when Percy finished his sermon and the atmosphere in the common room became a little more relaxed; when her friends finished discussing the attack and turned to Quidditch, Ginny would always slowly pull herself back to reality.
She would respond to her female companion's teasing about Professor Lockhart's hairstyle, reintegrate into her surroundings, and revert to her quiet, slightly timid, and caring Weasley little sister role.
Her actions also seem to be beyond reproach.
She was no longer found wandering alone in a secluded corridor, as she had been the previous nights.
Her life followed a routine of classroom-auditorium-common room, perfectly embodying the image of a student who had received strict warnings and was particularly careful about her safety during this special period.
Her several chance encounters with Harry—perhaps not entirely accidental, but at least on the surface—were merely the nervousness, shyness, and awkwardness that an ordinary little girl would feel when meeting a school celebrity.
However, for Lynch, the chain of evidence is gradually becoming more complete.
Ginny Weasley's subconscious avoidance of the topic of locked rooms and her occasional panicked expressions—these subtle anomalies, overlooked by those around her, gradually led Lynch to add her name to the list of suspects.
Ultimately, another piece of evidence came from Reggie.