bacchusnovels Chapter 321 A Busy Night
Chapter 321 A Busy Night
Chapter 321 A Busy Night (Part 2)
Harry was almost asleep.
But with his mind preoccupied, he was a light sleeper and was easily awakened by the slightest noise.
Therefore, he cannot pretend not to know when two people walk past him in a row.
When he opened his eyes and saw Hermione's figure disappear before his eyes, Harry hesitated for only two seconds before making his decision to follow her and see what was going on!
He quickly climbed out of his sleeping bag, moving as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing Ron or the other students who were still fast asleep.
Harry's heart began to race involuntarily, both from nervousness and from an overwhelming sense of curiosity.
He carefully pushed open the auditorium door and quickly chased after them.
As Harry walked down the dimly lit corridor, his heart pounded almost in sync with his footsteps. He stared intently at Hermione until she stopped at a familiar doorway—Professor Phillips' office.
Just as he was about to approach further, he noticed Hermione pressed against the door, seemingly eavesdropping on the conversation inside.
After a moment, her body stiffened slightly, and she raised her hand several times as if to knock on the door, but hesitated to move. Through the dim light, Harry could see the complex expression on Hermione's face—her eyes were filled with confusion, shock, and even a hint of unbelievable sadness.
What on earth happened?!
Ten minutes ago.
Hermione crouched down outside Sean's office, eavesdropping on the conversation inside.
"Why are you here, darling?" Sean's gentle voice came through the crack in the door.
That one title alone caused Hermione's mind to go completely blank.
"Darling"?! Sean actually called Sophia that?
Hermione could hardly believe her ears.
Her eyes widened, and she froze on the spot.
The affectionate nickname echoed in her mind. She had never heard Sean speak to anyone in such a tone. Her mind began to race, trying to understand the meaning behind it all.
Even if they are relatives, this word seems too intimate.
The conversation inside continued, but Hermione's thoughts were in complete disarray.
She couldn't concentrate on hearing anything else because her mind was constantly racing with various possible interpretations.
Each explanation only made her more confused and uneasy.
"Give me a kiss." These sweet words suddenly broke Hermione's train of thought.
This time, her heart felt as if it had been struck a heavy blow. A kiss?!
Hermione felt a rush of heat to her cheeks, her blood coursing through her body. She froze, unable to move, her legs weakening, almost unable to support her weight. What exactly is the relationship between Sean and Sophia?
Hermione forced herself to understand, but the panic and unease in her heart became increasingly difficult to control.
Why?
Don't ask why, just kiss me.
"All right."
A soft laugh came from inside the door, gentle and indulgent, and it sounded perfectly natural.
But it is precisely this overly natural intimacy that makes Hermione even more incredible.
She took a step back after kneeling down, almost tripping over herself.
Hearing the sudden noise from outside the door, and looking at Sophia in front of him, who was smiling and pointing at his delicate face asking for a kiss, Sean's mind raced.
He understood what was happening outside almost without even thinking.
The next second, he raised his hand, and a silencing spell silently enveloped the entire office, isolating the sounds inside from the outside world.
"Hermione's outside, isn't she?" Sean's tone carried a hint of understanding.
Sofia shrugged slightly, her smile remaining on her face, as if it were no big deal. "Yes," she nodded, saying lightly, "she came with me."
Sean sighed helplessly, walked to the window, looked outside through the dim light, and did not try to open the door or do anything else.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" After a while, Sean finally spoke, shaking his head slightly with a hint of helplessness.
"Oh, Daddy, don't be angry." Sophia smiled sweetly. "I just think it would be better for you and Hermione to face these things and resolve them face-to-face as soon as possible."
Sean rubbed his temples helplessly.
This wasn't the first time he'd witnessed his daughter's "matchmaking intentions."
Sofia's intentions were no secret, but this time, her direct actions clearly complicated matters.
However, Sean quickly reconsidered and realized it wasn't a big deal. After all, their conversation had just begun, and they hadn't done anything "out of line" yet; Hermione probably hadn't heard much.
Feeling a little more relaxed, Sean began to reflect on whether his conversation had been appropriate.
Just as he was lost in thought, Sophia suddenly broke the silence.
"She was here just now, wasn't she?"
Sean paused, frowning. "Who?"
"It's Aunt Luna," Sofia said with a smile.
"How did you know?"
Sofia shrugged, still smiling calmly. "I can smell her scent here—that faint, lavender fragrance."
As she spoke, she took a deep sniff of the office air, tilting her head slightly. "She—she wouldn't be here to reduce the number of harassing snakes for you, would she?"
Sean's face flushed slightly when he heard his daughter's teasing.
He coughed lightly. "Luna just came to talk to me about some things related to life, nothing special."
But Sofia clearly had no intention of letting him off the hook so easily. She blinked and said in an innocent tone, "Oh,"
Dad, are you sure? Lavender has a really... unique charm!
"That's enough, Sophia!" Sean rubbed his forehead helplessly, his voice slightly more serious. "Stop making wild guesses."
Okay?
The daughter was clearly pleased with her father's reaction, covering her mouth and chuckling softly, without asking any further questions.
Sean breathed a sigh of relief, but he knew that things were far from over—Hermione was definitely still outside.
"You'd better go to sleep and not cause me any more trouble," Sean said, while mentally planning how to respond to any questions Hermione might ask in the future.
"Alright, alright, I won't bother you anymore." Sophia waved with a smile and walked lightly towards the door. Just as she was about to open it, she turned back playfully and said, "But you'd better explain things to Hermione's mother soon!"
"Wait a minute—"
Sean suddenly called out to Sophia, who was about to leave, as a crucial question flashed through his mind.
Do you know who disguised themselves as Black and broke into the Gryffindor common room?
Sophia stopped opening the door, turned her head slightly, raised her eyebrows, and seemed somewhat surprised by Sean's question.
Her cunning eyes gleamed with an unfathomable light in the dim light.
"Before Dad left, he specifically told me not to tell you about this, but," she deliberately dragged out her words, as if considering whether to continue, then her smile deepened, and she said softly, "this person is right beside you."
Sean frowned, vaguely sensing that things weren't so simple; every word Sophia said seemed to have a hidden meaning.
He felt a chill run down his spine, realizing she wasn't joking.
"Beside me?" Sean repeated involuntarily, his voice filled with doubt and a hint of wariness.
Sophia smiled smugly and nodded slightly. "Yes, if you think about it carefully, you'll definitely be able to guess." She winked playfully at Sean, then gently pushed open the door. "However, I can't say any more. You'd better think it through yourself."
After saying that, she disappeared lightly into the shadows of the corridor, leaving Sean standing there alone, with more questions surfacing in his mind.
Hermione cautiously pressed herself against the door, holding her breath, trying to continue eavesdropping on the conversation inside the office.
However, suddenly, the sounds inside stopped abruptly.
She froze, a sense of unease rising within her.
Why did it suddenly become quiet? Did they spot her, or did their conversation end?
Her heart began to race, and her fingers involuntarily tightened around her robe.
Just as Hermione was hesitating for those few minutes about whether to continue waiting, the door clicked softly. Hermione was startled and instinctively shrank back behind the statue next to her, her heart almost stopping.
The door—opened!
Sofia pushed open a door and walked out with a relaxed expression.
After deliberately closing the door, she spoke to Hermione, who was standing nervously behind the statue, "Hermione, what are you doing here?"
Hermione's face flushed instantly. She quickly stood up straight and stepped out from behind the statue, trying to hide her panic. "I... I was just passing by."
Sofia's lips curled up slightly. "Just passing by? What a coincidence, so late at night."
Hermione was even more embarrassed, avoiding Sophia's gaze completely, and could only manage a forced smile, "Yes,"
What a coincidence.
Seeing Hermione's embarrassed expression, Sophia's smile widened, but she didn't continue teasing. Instead, she said in a relaxed tone, "Let's go, Hermione, let's hurry back to the Great Hall to sleep, or we'll be discovered later."
Hermes gave Sophia a grateful look and nodded.
She still had many doubts and anxieties in her heart, but she didn't know how to express them at the moment. Sofia's "understanding" made her feel relieved.
The two walked silently down the corridor back to the chapel, the air thick with unspoken tension and awkwardness.
Hermione kept her head down, thinking about what she had just overheard outside Sean's office, and worrying about whether these things would affect their relationship.
As they approached the entrance to the auditorium, a familiar figure suddenly emerged from the shadows.
It's Harry.
"Harry?" Hermione asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Harry looked up at them, his lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed the words back.
His gaze darted between Hermione and Sophia, clearly wanting to ask Hermione something, especially about her recent visit to Professor Sean's office.
"I—it's nothing," Harry finally said in a low voice, sounding somewhat hesitant.
Hermione noticed his odd behavior and frowned slightly. "Harry, just say what you have to say."
1
Harry opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to ask the question that was on his mind—what had Hermione heard? And why did she look so shocked just now?
He knew the question was too direct and rash, because Sophia was watching.
"I just—couldn't fall asleep, so I came out for a walk."
Sophia seemed to sense their thoughts, and smiled gently, breaking the awkward atmosphere. "Harry, let's go back to the Great Hall and rest. We definitely have a lot to do tomorrow."
Harry nodded, forcing a smile, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.
He and Hermione walked back to the Great Hall together, but Hermione's thoughts were still immersed in the conversation they had just had. Each of the three of them had their own thoughts, but none of them spoke up.
Back in the auditorium, the three of them crawled into their sleeping bags.
After Hermione lay down, Sophia's words and the fragments she had heard still lingered in her mind, while Harry stared silently at the ceiling, troubled by what Hermione had just experienced.
Only Ron was fast asleep, even snoring—completely unaware that his three friends were unusually busy that night.