bacchusnovels Chapter 214 Extra: Miss Granger's Forced Smile
Chapter 214 Extra: Miss Granger's Forced Smile
Chapter 214 Extra: Miss Granger's Forced Smile
Where...is this?
Hermione slowly opened her eyes. The scene before her was blurry and unfamiliar, as if she were struggling to emerge from a deep dream.
Before this, she had never felt that opening her eyes was such a difficult thing.
"You're awake," Mrs. Pomfrey said gently, standing by the bed with a small bottle filled with medicine in her hand.
Hermione strained to focus her gaze and was finally able to make out the Hogwarts school nurse.
"Mrs. Pomfrey, I... how did I get here?" Hermione's voice was a little hoarse. She tried to recall what had happened before, but her head felt like it was being pricked with needles, and her memory was still blank.
"Oh, poor child," Mrs. Pomfrey said softly. "You encountered that basilisk at the door of the washroom and were petrified. Luckily, someone found you in time."
Hermione then recalled those large, cloudy yellow eyes from her memory, and even now, she still felt a lingering fear.
But... how did Madam Pomfrey know it was a basilisk?
Could it be that...?
Madam Pomfrey keenly noticed the doubt in Hermione's eyes. She smiled gently and took the initiative to explain, "Don't worry, Miss Granger. Just now, Headmaster Phillips has caught the mastermind behind the Chamber of Secrets incident. Now, the whole school is safe."
"Who is it?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
“It’s Lockhart,” Madam Pomfrey said, shaking her head with obvious regret. “It’s strange, isn’t it? I never expected it to be him. He always seemed so popular. Who knew he was the heir to the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin?”
"It's Professor Lockhart!" Hermione exclaimed, covering her mouth. Then, as if catching a key phrase from Madam Pomfrey's words, she hurriedly asked, "You...you mean...Headmaster Phillips?"
"Yes," Madam Pomfrey replied matter-of-factly, nodding as she explained to Hermione, "After you were petrified, the Board of Trustees removed Dumbledore from his position as Headmaster, and then Phillips was appointed as Acting Headmaster."
Mrs. Pomfrey recalled, "When Dumbledore left, we all thought the school would descend into chaos, but Phillips did a fantastic job..."
"
Hermione was stunned.
She listened to Mrs. Pomfrey's account with extreme shock.
The reason she believed the dream was a dream was that Professor Sean could not possibly become the principal.
And now.
It seems that the impossible has actually become a reality.
Hermione felt a sense of disorientation she had never experienced before. She tried to sort out her thoughts, but inevitably, she recalled the events and details that occurred in her "dream".
If...:...those are all true.
Doesn't that mean...?
Seeing Hermione standing there in a daze, Madam Pomfrey assumed she hadn't yet accepted the news that Lockhart was the murderer, so she comforted her, "Miss Granger, if you're feeling unwell, I have a few bottles of soothing medicine here; perhaps it can help ease your distress."
As she spoke, Mrs. Pomfrey placed the small medicine bottle on the table beside her, then turned around and began rummaging through the cupboard behind her.
Hermione, however, remained motionless.
It wasn't until Madam Pomfrey handed her the remedy that she snapped out of her daze. "Phil, oh, Madam Pomfrey, thank you, I really do. I have something to do, see you next time." With that, she hurriedly ran outside, unable to wait to get back to the Gryffindor common room to find Harry and Ron and find out what had happened these past few days.
But... just as she left, she saw a little boy lying on the bed opposite hers.
Is that Ron? Maybe she's seeing things.
When Hermione rushed into the Gryffindor common room, she was surprised to find it had turned into a sea of jubilation.
Laughter and cheers rose and fell, almost lifting the roof off. Colorful ribbons hung from the ceiling, swaying gently in the breeze, adding a touch of fantasy to the joyful atmosphere.
Almost everyone was dressed in all sorts of pajamas, partying wildly in the common room. Some wore funny hats, some had colorful paint on their faces, and others were waving flaming wands.
Yes, the last one she was referring to specifically was the Weasley brothers.
Fred and George, riding flying broomsticks, nimbly weaved through the air, wielding fire-breathing wands that flew about, eliciting screams and laughter from those around them.
"Hermione, you're back!" Lavender, who was leaning against the window drinking milk, greeted Hermione with delight as she suddenly emerged from the doorway.
"What are you doing...?" Hermione hesitated. She had never seen such a noisy scene before, especially in the Gryffindor common room late at night. This was clearly unbelievable to her.
"We're celebrating," Lavender replied cheerfully. "By the way, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, how about Harry?"
"Him?" Lavender pointed to the small, thin figure surrounded by people in the center of the room next to the sofa. "Look, there he is."
Harry noticed Hermione as she entered, so he squeezed through the crowd to greet her, "Hermione, you're back! How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"
"I'm fine." This was the third time she had answered this question; it seemed that every young wizard who came out of the infirmary received this treatment in the first few days.
Seeing Harry's lonely figure, Hermione couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why isn't Ron with you?"
R
"Him?" Harry touched his slightly messy hair, a little embarrassed. Just now, several upperclassmen, led by the Weasley brothers, had ruffled his hair, making it look a bit oily now. "He... was hit by Lockhart's Oblivion Charm and should be in the infirmary receiving treatment from Madam Pomfrey. Didn't you see him when you came out of the infirmary?"
"Woolen cloth"
Sure enough, that familiar figure was Ron.
Hermione awkwardly changed the subject, "Can you tell me what happened while I was gone?"
"sure."
So Harry and Hermione went to a corner near the window, where it was relatively quiet.
Harry took a deep breath and began to speak slowly.
In fact, this is the third time he has said it today.
What struck him as odd was that when he finally finished speaking, Hermione was still looking at him, seemingly deep in thought.
"What's wrong, Hermione?"
Hermione snapped out of her reverie and asked the question that was most on her mind at that moment.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Actually, I wanted to ask...:"
"What do you want to ask?" Harry asked, somewhat puzzled.
"During this period of time in the Duel Club, has Professor Tonks been interacting with Cho Chang...?"
"So you knew about this too," Harry said, suddenly realizing. "Lavender must have told you, right? Cho Chang was so cool back then, she forced Professor Tonks to use Smoke Screen... When will I be able to..."
Hermione couldn't hear what Harry said after that.
She froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, as if her whole being was frozen in that moment. What she thought was an illusory dream was a fantasy she had unconsciously woven.
But now, all the evidence points to an undeniable fact—that all of this really happened.
"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry asked with some concern, looking at Hermione who was sitting by the window, gazing blankly at the scenery outside.
Hermione has remained in this state ever since that night when he told her the story of what had happened over the past few days.
Even after receiving news the next day that the final exams had been canceled, it didn't change anything. (He had initially thought she would be furious upon hearing the news.)
This made Harry wonder several times if he had said something wrong.
But upon closer reflection, he didn't say anything at all.
"Hermione, would you like a couple of toffee candies?" Ron said, taking out the toffee candies he had been carrying in his pocket and placing them on the small table in front of him.
Hermione snapped out of her daze, shook her head, and forced a smile, saying, "No, I'm fine."
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, a hint of worry flashing in their eyes.
Ron wanted to say something, but just then the sound of a train whistling through the air came from behind him.
So he swallowed his words back, simply patted Hermione's shoulder lightly, and said nothing more.
The scenery outside the window changed slowly as the train moved, gradually transitioning from the bustling platform to the tranquil fields and the endless mountains in the distance.
The Hogwarts Express carried their individual thoughts back to their long-lost hometown.
Yes, summer vacation has begun.