bacchusnovels Chapter 314 Good Fortune Shines Brightly
Chapter 314 Good Fortune Shines Brightly
Chapter 314 Good Fortune Shines Brightly
"Merlin's socks, Professor McGonagall is so old-fashioned—"
To cheer Harry up, Ron said a lot of nasty things to Professor McGonagall.
As a friend, he is competent.
Hermione was furious. She was about to say something, but Sophia secretly tugged at her hem, so Hermione stopped arguing.
For some reason, Hermione listens to Sophia very much.
It was as if it were a matter of course, as if she had done these things countless times.
She felt so close to Sofia that she couldn't refuse her request.
Or perhaps... she saw the same eyes as Sean in Sophia's face, so much so that she would agree to any request Sophia made without really understanding why.
However, the above is merely Hermione's speculation, and she has no idea why.
As Hermione was pondering this, she suddenly noticed that the camera that originally belonged to Professor Phillips was now placed around Sophia's neck.
These past few days, almost every classmate has been happily discussing Hogsmeade, while Harry can only listen.
"There's still a banquet," Ron said, trying to cheer Harry up. "You know, the Halloween banquet is held at night."
"Yeah," Harry said sullenly, "that's great."
Just as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were discussing in hushed tones, a familiar, cold laugh suddenly came from behind them, carrying a disgusting sarcasm.
"Oh, look, Potter can't even go to Hogsmeade." Draco Malfoy emerged from the shadows, his usual sneer on his face, accompanied by the tall, clumsy Crabbe and Goyle. "How pathetic." He deliberately drew out his words, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Hogsmeade is the most anticipated activity for all the students. What are these orphans who can't get their signatures?"
Harry's face flushed instantly; he clenched his fists but didn't respond. Ron, however, was the first to react. He glared angrily at Malfoy and retorted without hesitation, "Shut up, Malfoy! It's better than buying friends with your parents' money!"
Malfoy's sneer deepened, a malicious glint in his eyes. "Well said, Weasley. Too bad you can only make a living with your mouth. I bet you'll go to Hogsmeade for a butterbeer but can't afford a single thing at Zonko's Joke Shop, right?"
Ron's face flushed red, and he seemed ready to pounce on Malfoy at any moment. Just then, Hermione quickly pulled him back.
Sophia calmly said from the side, "Ron, ignore him. He's just trying to make you angry."
1
Malfoy glanced at Sophia, a look of disdain on his face. "Oh, another loyal follower of Potter?"
It seems the drama here has never changed.
Sofia, however, showed no intention of indulging Malfoy—although in the future, Aunt Narcissa and Aunt Bella still bought her plenty of food.
She pulled a wand from her robes and, to Malfoy's dismay, aimed it at him.
Malfoy's sneer froze on his face, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected Sofia to respond to him so quickly and decisively.
Crabbe and Gore were also stunned, standing there, not knowing what to do next.
This scene created a tense atmosphere in the air.
"Oh, you still want to fight?" Malfoy tried to regain his composure, but his voice no longer carried the confidence he had shown earlier. He had clearly underestimated Sofia's reaction.
He wouldn't be afraid if any of Potter, Hermione, or Ron did such a thing; he might even sneer at them—"Do you dare lay a hand on me?"
But when facing Sofia, he didn't have that much confidence.
First, let's consider whether Professor Phillips would favor her if he knew about this. Just considering that she's Professor Phillips's relative, her dueling skills are definitely not bad, at least... better than Ron's. She wouldn't use the Snot Curse on herself.
When faced with an enemy they cannot defeat, Malfoy, being a Slytherin and inheriting the excellent academic traditions of Slytherin, is able to maintain basic rationality.
Just as tensions were about to rise, Hermione suddenly stretched out her arm, standing between Sophia and Malfoy, her voice tinged with urgency: "Ignore him, Sophia, it's not worth it."
Sophia paused for a moment, her wand still gripped in her hand, her calm expression unchanged. Her gaze was fixed on Malfoy, weighing her next move.
But Hermione's hand gently touched her arm, as if making a silent plea.
At that moment, Sophia seemed to hesitate for a moment, then obediently put her wand away—listening to her mother's words.
"Say what you will, Malfoy," Sofia's voice was calm and cold. "We have more important things to do." Malfoy remained standing there, though he tried to maintain a cold smile, but he didn't say another word.
"Don't pull out your wand so easily next time," Hermione whispered to Sophia. "We don't want things to get worse."
It wasn't until the four little ones left that Malfoy remembered the next steps.
He curled his lip in disdain and added coldly, "Such an obedient little follower. Perhaps Potter should pray that Hogsmeade will have a signed permission form next time."
Harry was heavy-hearted on the way back.
No matter what Ron said, Malfoy's sarcasm still stuck in his heart like a thorn.
"Thank you, Sophia," Harry said softly after a long while, with a hint of gratitude in his voice.
Sophia smiled faintly and replied gently, "You're welcome, Harry. What Malfoy said isn't important; what matters is how you react."
Ron was still grumbling indignantly, "Why does he always have to provoke us? He just can't stand to see us doing well."
“That’s just the kind of person he is, Ron,” Hermione interjected, her emotions calming down a bit. “Instead of dwelling on him, we should think about how to make Harry stop being sad.”
The Halloween feast was indeed nice, but Harry knew in his heart that it would have been even more wonderful if he could have spent a day at Hogsmeade like the others before attending the feast.
No matter how much his friends tried to comfort him, his mood did not improve.
Dean Thomas made a bold suggestion to forge Uncle Vernon's handwriting to sign the form, but Harry had already confessed to Professor McGonagall that he hadn't signed it, so this approach wouldn't work.
Ron half-jokingly suggested sneaking out using the Invisibility Cloak, but Hermione immediately rejected the idea, reminding them that Dumbledore had warned them that Dementors could see through Invisibility Cloaks.
Percy's attempts to comfort him were futile; in fact, they were more like adding fuel to the fire.
"They rave about Hogsmeade, but let me tell you, Harry, it's really not that great," Percy said seriously. "The candy shop is nice, and the candy is delicious—but it's a bit pricey."
"Joko's joke shop is dangerous. It's just full of rotten eggs and other toys, and blood packs that spurt blood when you press them. There's nothing interesting inside—"
"As for the Screaming Shack, despite the mysterious rumors, it's nothing special. It's just a place where you can hear eerie screams all the time—you didn't miss anything."
After Percy's comforting words, Harry became even more eager to go to Hogsmeade.
On the morning before Halloween, Harry woke up with his classmates and went downstairs for breakfast, feeling extremely depressed.
But he tried his best to act as usual.
"We'll bring you lots of sweets from Honeydukes," Hermione comforted him gently.
"That's right, bring back a whole bunch," Ron added. He and Hermione had finally forgotten about the argument that had started at Crookshanks, and now they were only thinking about how to make Harry feel better.
"Don't worry, Harry, I'll take some fun pictures of you." Sophia shook the camera hanging around her neck.
"Don't worry about me," Harry said, feigning nonchalance as he tried to hide his disappointment. "See you at the party. Have fun."
Harry accompanied them to the foyer, where the caretaker, Filch, stood by the door, his eyes fixed on the long list in his hand, meticulously checking each student's name to ensure that no one who shouldn't have left had slipped away.
"Stuck here, Potter?" Malfoy's voice came from the ranks. He stood there with Crabbe and Goyle, a mocking smile on their faces. "Afraid to face the Dementors?"
Harry didn't respond to Malfoy, but simply turned and walked up the marble stairs, through the empty corridor, and silently returned to the Gryffindor Tower.
"Password?" the plump woman asked with sleepy eyes.
"Good luck," Harry said weakly.
The portrait slowly popped open, and Harry slipped into the common room. It was filled with chattering first and second-year students.
Several upperclassmen sat lazily in the corner, clearly having been to Hogsmeade many times and long since lost interest in the place.
"Harry! Harry! Hey, Harry!"
An excited voice came from Colin Creevey, a second-year student who idolized Harry and never missed an opportunity to speak with him.
"You didn't go to Hogsmeade, Harry? Why? Hey—" Colin turned to his friends, almost jumping for joy. "Why don't you sit with us, Harry!"
"Well—no, thank you, Colin." Harry forced a smile, but he really didn't have the energy to face the group of classmates staring at the scar on his forehead. "I—I have to go to the library; I have some homework to do."
Harry had no choice but to turn around and leave the common room, heading down the familiar staircase.
"Why did you wake me up again?" the fat lady complained angrily at his retreating back.
Harry wandered aimlessly toward the library, but halfway there he changed his mind.
He didn't want to do his homework at all, and no amount of homework could improve his mood.
He turned around, intending to find a quiet place to space out, but unexpectedly bumped into Filch.
Filch, having clearly just seen off the last group of students heading to Hogsmeade, wore his usual somber expression. When he saw Harry, he gave a displeased sneer: "What, Potter, not qualified to go to Hogsmeade?"
Harry suppressed his anger and said in a low voice, "Yes, I didn't sign it."
Filch sneered, his eyes full of schadenfreude: "That's good. At least Hogwarts has a problem student who's staying put in the castle."
Harry, not wanting to hear Filch's sarcastic remarks any longer, quickly made an excuse: "I have to go to the library, Filch."
"Wait a minute—" Filch's voice came from behind, followed immediately by another, completely different voice from afar: "Harry!"