The snow outside hadn't melted completely overnight, and the upside-down ice on the window eaves had only shrunk slightly from yesterday. Fred and George had made a big fuss in the common room with enchanted snowballs last night, honorably starting their Christmas holidays in the confinement room, and missing the chance to break the icicles with their magic and let them fall on the heads of the Slytherin students.

Of course, it also avoided the fate of being expelled from school for causing serious injuries, so it is not a bad thing.

Ron didn't have much interest in walking, which seemed to him to be too boring for an old man with glasses and a cane, let alone in such a cold weather.

Unfortunately, his thoughts didn't have the power to decide what to do next, and a spirited Neil grabbed Harry with one hand and the other, and almost dragged the two of them out under the open hallway.

"So, how's it going, Mr. Potter?"

It was so cold outside the castle that Harry tried to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the howling cold wind poured in, as if he had been smashed into his mouth by a cold fist, and he coughed loudly.

"Ahem! It's not good......" he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, "We've been looking for clues about Nicol Lemay. Hermione has been to the library at least twenty times in the last half month, and we ...... Uh, helped a bit, but still didn't find anything. ”

When he said the words "helped somewhat", he and Ron behind him looked at each other in unison, obviously guilty of this. From this, it is not difficult for Neil to imagine the contribution of the three in the investigation. And he was sure that Miss Granger had instructed the two of them before she left to continue to consult the library's collection during the holidays, and that the two men had no intention of doing it seriously as it stands.

To his surprise, Miss Granger had been in the library for half a month like crazy, and had not found any mention of Nicol Lemay - which was strange as it sounded, since the latter was undoubtedly a master of alchemy, who appeared in various books on the subject, and was wanted by the Office of Mysteries for years for his possession of the gold standard technology......

He guessed that this might be due to a dead end in mindset - when you hear that a person has just deposited his important belongings at Hogwarts, it's natural to assume that he belongs to the current era. But in fact, if Neil remembers correctly, Nicol Lemay, a literal immortal, has not been in the public eye for centuries, and if you only look for celebrities who have appeared in the last hundred years, it is indeed very likely that such a light will be darkened.

Incidentally, Nicol Lemay himself has long since disappeared, but his image often appears on the trading wizard card on the back of the Chocolate Frog box, and is as rare as Albus Dumbledore. If Hermione hadn't been so disciplined and never wasted her time and money on toys and snacks, she would have figured this out.

But then again, Mr. Ron Weasley, who never misses a chance to eat chocolate frogs and has even saved up several Nicol Lemay cards at home, also says that he has no impression of the name, so maybe things can't be generalized......

In any case, this is a happy miscalculation for Neil. He took the initiative to move in the direction of the upwind outlet, blocking some of the cold wind blowing for the two who were already shivering. This move immediately won a lot of favor, and Harry and Ron, who were so cold that they could barely think, forgot for a moment who had suggested that everyone go out for a walk in this weather.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, may I give a little advice?" He asked softly.

"Of course."

"You're completely in the wrong direction - tell me, Mr. Potter, do you think you should focus on the owner or the thief in order to solve a theft?"

"You mean......" Harry cupped his chin thoughtfully.

"That's right." Neil nodded, "Shouldn't you waste too much time on that Aimei or Lemei, how about investigating those more intuitive suspects?" ”

"You mean Snape?" Ron subconsciously shouted, and the sound shook the snow on the roof falling down, so frightened that he quickly lowered his voice, "Are you crazy?" We can't do it......"

"No, no, no, no, I didn't mean that, Mr. Weasley." Neil interrupted in the same voice, "Come on, use your brain—no, it's not for you to shake your head, is there something wrong with my statement?" ”

He beckoned the two of them to come closer, his face full of earnest concern - Mephistopheles who tricked Faust into selling his soul would not necessarily have another expression: "Listen, we all know how unrealistic it is to follow Professor Snape 24 hours a day, he is a clever and skilled wizard, more cunning than a wild dog whose leg has been broken, and he is not the only one who is suspected...... Maybe. But we — you guys, to be exact, also have the advantage that you already know where the theft is going to be before it happens, don't you? It's like a well-meaning thief who sent a warning letter in advance. ”

"You mean, we just need to keep an eye on the entrance to the penalty area......"

"That sounds a lot easier, doesn't it?" Neil blinked, and said meaningfully, "Of course, if you have no extra energy to release, you might as well think about this more deeply. Let's say someone has already suffered a loss in front of Lou Wei – it's called Lou Wei, right, and if he plans to come back next time, what will he do in advance...... Oh, I seem to be talking too much. ”

The frowning look was deliberately made no matter how you look at it, but Harry, who had been inspired by his words, interpreted it in a kind direction.

"Thanks, Neil." He nodded and said, "We'll talk to Hermione when she gets back." Anyway, what you say is very helpful. ”

"It couldn't be better if you could say that." A casual smile appeared on Neil's face, "Alright, let's go back to the common room - I don't know what the three of us think, we actually stood outside stupidly and froze for a long time in this kind of ghost weather!" ”

I really don't know.

……

The Gryffindor common room, with its gold and red tones, feels extra warm in the cold weather. There were only a few students in the huge lounge, but the fire in the fireplace was blazing, and it looked very luxurious.

Harry and Ron took advantage of this without any mental burden, picking themselves a good spot near the fireplace and sitting down comfortably - first-year students usually don't have access to such a nice place, which is one of the blessings that Christmas brings.

Instead of sitting down, Neil leaned over the stone fireplace and watched them play chess with amusement.

According to his observations, the popular board game called "Wizard Chess" is exactly the wizarding version of chess, and the main difference is not in the rules, but in the fact that the enchanted chess pieces will constantly yell at the players during the game, trying to demonstrate their unique tactical understanding - it may sound cool, but it is maddening to have to endure a dozen different voices in your head for a long time with each move.

Wizards are casual at this point, disdainful of Muggle history, culture, and technology, and unhesitant to plagiarize when needed.

Neil is only a rough game of chess and is not familiar with any advanced tactics, but even a layman like him can see that the chessboard is now completely one-sided. Harry's pawns were defeated in various positions, and the king fell into the siege of his opponents in an instant.

"Well done, Mr. Weasley." He couldn't help but whisper, "I didn't even know you had this ability." ”

Ron shyly touched his nose, "Nothing big - do you want a round, Neil?" ”

Neil was going to shirk it, but by this time Harry had already stood up and made way for him, so he could only nod helplessly: "Okay, just one game...... I'm a complete newbie, Mr. Weasley, let's stop there, okay? ”

……

……

"Why can your soldiers walk ten steps in a row!?"

"Seriously, I don't know, Mr. Weasley...... This thing doesn't seem to be at all obedient, are you sure it hasn't had a similar problem before? ”

"I've never heard of it...... Hey! Let them stop! Hell, don't patronize and laugh Harry, come and help stop them, I borrowed this set of pieces! If you break it, Seamus will skin me! ”