That thing was so big, so big that just one glance at it made people feel cold all over, trembling uncontrollably.
It kept coming up from the water and then submerging again, its dark green scales glimmering with a ghostly cold light in the twilight, making it clear even from the distant castle how enormous it was, like a giant whale going berserk in the water.
A thick tail broke through the water surface, slapped down with a splash, and the monster sank back into the water, only to emerge suddenly again.
When it leaped back out of the water and fell again, a surging wave crashed toward the castle with overwhelming force.
“What kind of monster is that?” Padma asked, gripping the window frame tightly, her voice trembling. “The flood… Is it caused by it?”
“It’s the Water-Seeking Beast, or you can call it Avek.”
A voice with the resonance of an echo came from behind them, and everyone turned around, seeing Madam Grey coming through the wall, floating in mid-air.
Her nearly transparent face was expressionless, her eyes fixed intently on the boiling surface of the water outside.
“…Avek?” Michael repeated the unfamiliar term.
Hermione’s eyes brightened slightly, then furrowed in thought.
She felt as if she had heard that name somewhere but couldn’t quite recall it.
Madam Grey’s voice seemed to float from far away as she spoke:
“Avek was here long before Hogwarts was established, before I was born. It had ravaged this land taking it as its own territory.”
“The four founders trekked over mountains and rivers and defeated Avek, sealing it within a cave at the bottom of the lake, and then the school was established.”
She cast a sweeping, ethereal glance over the surrounding mountains and vegetation, over the tall towers of the castle, as if witnessing the process of them being built from nothing.
Then she gazed at the pale faces that looked up at her and said:
“It has slept in this lake for many, many years. I thought it would never wake up… But now, it has awakened.”
Professor Flitwick squeezed to the window, standing on the sill to look outside, feeling that even one of the Water-Seeking Beast’s eyeballs was bigger than he was.
“Madam Grey, do you know why Avek suddenly woke up?” he asked.
Michael gave his headmaster a surprised look, then looked at Madam Grey again.
It was the first time he discovered that Professor Flitwick spoke to the academy’s ghost with such politeness, even with a bit of reverence.
Madam Grey contemplated and said slowly, “Certain elements between heaven and earth are changing, certain ancient existences are awakening… But the fact that it awoke with such anger, perhaps something has provoked him.”
“Who would do such a thing?” Ron muttered, “Crazy? Provoking a… a monster the size of a mountain?”
“Hahaha, I know who it is!” a sharp voice came from the ceiling.
Everyone looked up as Professor McGonagall hurriedly entered the classroom, frowning: “Peeves, what do you know?”
“Haha… Peeves knows everything! Mr. Peeves knows it all!”
Peeves dangled upside down from the ceiling, his legs sunk in, his head down, his body swaying like a pendulum.
His wide mouth grinned proudly as he laughed:
“It’s that woman from the Ministry of Magic—Terra Lewis! She wanted to find the strongest, hidden creature in the school, and I led her there!”
“You led her there?!” The Fat Friar emerged, his round face full of shock and anger: “Peeves, how could you do that? You know this could kill people!”
Facing his roar, Peeves just made a face, sticking his tongue out long, nonchalantly saying:
“This is so much fun! Seeing her scared like that, it’s very amusing! Peeves has never had so much fun!”
Headless Nick also emerged from beneath everyone’s feet, speaking angrily: “Peeves, you’ve gone too far, this is fooling with people’s lives!”
Peeves was not at all afraid of them. He walked upside down on the ceiling, flailing his arms as he laughed even louder:
“Knowing I did it on purpose, what can you do to me? Haha! If something is going to wake anyway, for Peeves to have a bit of fun, where is the harm! Hahaha…”
He was laughing triumphantly when he pouted and made a loud puffing sound, suddenly shook with fear as he turned to find the Bloody Baron staring at him expressionlessly, quickly floating towards him.
Peeves shrieked and vanished from the ceiling in an instant.
The Bloody Baron gave chase.
“Let’s go!” Nick said, cradling his precariously held head angrily: “This time we absolutely must not let Peeves off easily! He must be taught a profound lesson!”
“Exactly!” The Fat Friar immediately followed, saying: “After Dumbledore returns, I will definitely complain about him!”
“It’s rare that even you don’t want to give him another chance…”
The ghosts’ conversation quickly faded into the walls, disappearing from everyone’s hearing.
Padma snapped back to reality, realizing that Madam Grey was also gone.
“Where did Madam Grey go?” she asked, “We still don’t know how the four founders defeated that creature back then!”
No one could answer that question.
Just now, everyone was distracted by Peeves, so no one noticed when Madam Grey left. But the professors didn’t seem inclined to track down the mysterious ghost either.
In the flood, the enormous creature leaped high from the water again, a low roar echoing across the lake, causing the windows to buzz.
The rising waves crashed against the castle, the walls seemed to tremble slightly.
“We can’t continue like this.” Professor Sprout clutched her apron tightly, her face tense: “As long as that beast remains, the flood won’t stop. It will keep pounding the castle until…”
She didn’t finish, just gripped her magic wand tightly.
Professor McGonagall turned around and looked at the students in the classroom and those crowded in the corridor.
Her gaze swept over the young faces, seeing the tears of fear in their terrified eyes, the colorless lips trembling, witnessing them clutching each other’s hands tightly, trying to draw a bit of courage from each other.
“Prefects and student council presidents,” she spoke, looking at the students who stepped forward, “you are responsible for ensuring everyone’s safety here, not missing a single person!”
The leading two presidents swallowed and nodded forcefully: “Yes, Professor.”
“If the flood continues to rise, take everyone to the Astronomical Tower.” Professor McGonagall added, “That tower is the highest point in Hogwarts; the stone walls are indestructible, they will surely keep you safe.”
“Understood, Professor.” The student council president responded.
Professor McGonagall nodded and said no more, turning and striding toward the other end of the corridor.
Professor Flitwick followed, Professor Sprout followed, naturally Snape wouldn’t fall behind, then Madam Pince, Professor Burbage, Hagrid, Professor Sinistra…
One by one, the professors emerged from the crowd, emerged from different classrooms, following behind the emerald green robe.
At the other end of the corridor, the open walkway, Madam Hooch was already waiting there, beside her were all the Flying Broomsticks used for flying lessons in school.