bacchusnovels Chapter 342 You don't need to endure it anymore, Sophia
Chapter 342 You don't need to endure it anymore, Sophia
Chapter 342 You don't need to endure it anymore, Sophia
He pulled hard on the fishing rod, trying to pull the mysterious creature out of the water.
The lake water churned violently, resisting his pull.
Just as everyone held their breath, a huge figure leaped out of the water, swiftly skimming across the lake and splashing water everywhere.
"Wow! What is it?" Ron almost jumped up, his eyes flashing with excitement and fear.
Ha pulled the fishing rod up with all his might, holding his breath and staring intently at the water's surface. The creature emerged, its body resembling a giant silver fish, its back shimmering with a captivating light. But compared to the smaller fish from before, it was much larger.
Its long tail swayed in the water, as if it were desperately struggling to escape back to the bottom of the lake.
Hermione's eyes widened instantly: "It's a crystal fish!" She was very familiar with these creatures and quickly explained, "They're very rare; they usually appear in magical creature reserves!"
"A crystal fish? That sounds like something that only appears in textbooks!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes filled with envy.
Harry, you're so lucky!
Harry's heart raced; he was both excited and a little nervous.
He observed the fish carefully. Although it was struggling, it did not show any aggression. Instead, it gave him a mysterious and elegant feeling.
"I have to put it back," Harry decided, a strange sense of respect growing within him for the crystal fish.
He carefully began to loosen the fishing line, allowing the crystal fish to return to the lake.
"Quick, look!" Sofia pointed to the splashing water, her eyes brimming with excitement. "It's going to jump!"
As Harry slowly loosened the fishing line, the crystal fish gracefully tumbled in the air before leaping into the water, leaving ripples on the surface. The light and shadow shimmered in the sunlight, creating a dreamlike spectacle.
"So beautiful!" Hermione couldn't help but exclaim.
"This fishing trip was a wonderful surprise," Harry said with a smile, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.
"I want to try again!" Ron said excitedly, seizing the opportunity with his fishing rod. "This time I'm going to catch something bigger!"
Ron, Hermione, and Harry had a great time at the lake, but eventually they had to say goodbye to Sophia and leave the Black Lake for various reasons.
As they left, the noisy lakeside returned to tranquility, leaving Sofia alone to sit quietly and continue her leisurely fishing.
The lake surface rippled slightly, and occasionally a cold wind blew by, causing slight ripples on the water. The air was filled with the tranquility of winter.
Sofia sat alone on the large rock, her hands firmly gripping the fishing rod, her gaze still intently fixed on the lake.
A cold wind gently brushed her hair as she occasionally shook her fishing rod, seemingly waiting for something.
Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance, breaking the silence of the lakeside.
Sofia did not turn around, but continued to gaze quietly at the lake.
A moment later, a slender arm was placed on her shoulder.
She glanced at the lake, where two familiar figures were reflected on the calm water.
Sofia's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile.
She... waited for it.
Daphne stood to the side with her arms crossed, looking at Sophia with a curious expression: "You can actually enjoy fishing in this cold weather?"
Sofia smiled slightly, not putting down her fishing rod, and continued to focus on her fishing. "Fishing is so much fun, especially in a mysterious place like Black Lake. Who knows what will bite next?"
Penelope and Daphne approached. Penelope put one hand in her pocket and sat down gently next to Sofia, stroking her fingers, which were stiff from the cold, with her other hand: "In this cold weather, I don't think you can catch anything special while fishing."
Sofia smiled, a hint of mystery in her eyes: "Oh, you'll be surprised."
"Really?" Daphne raised her eyebrows, clearly skeptical. "What else could it be besides squid and a lake monster?"
Sofia didn't speak; all she got in response was a gust of cold wind.
Daphne wasn't annoyed that Sophia didn't speak, and sat down on the other side of Sophia.
Now, she and Penelope had completely surrounded Sofia.
"You came all this way to see me, you must have something to say, right?" Sophia suddenly asked.
Penelope and Daphne exchanged a glance and tacitly discussed their opinions. In the end, Daphne was the one who broke the silence first.
"You're very clever; you saw through our intentions right away." Daphne moved closer and lowered her head slightly.
"I've been thinking about the relationship between Professor Phillips and you—it's a bit too complicated," Daphne said softly, lowering her voice as if she didn't want anyone to hear. "You seem to be related, but is the truth really that simple?"
Sofia's expression remained unchanged, her gaze fixed calmly on the lake.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Daphne continued, her tone laced with sarcasm and speculation: "Let me guess, you and Professor Phillips aren't actually related by blood, are you? He just has some leverage over you, forcing you to submit to his control and compromise with—your body."
Sofia's hand paused slightly, but quickly regained its composure, and she still did not turn her head.
Although her face remained expressionless, a sense of tension seemed to permeate the air.
Daphne clearly noticed Sophia's subtle reaction, a smug smile appearing on her face: "You don't have to deny it, I can see it. Hermione's attitude says it all—she's been acting strangely distant towards you lately."
"You two used to be so close, but ever since that day—it's like everything changed."
Something must have happened that night.
"You know, Hermione wouldn't treat you like this unless she noticed something was wrong."
Penelope nodded slightly in agreement: "Hermione does have some special feelings for you. I didn't think much of it at first, but now it seems she may have sensed something we don't fully understand yet."
Daphne moved closer, lowered her voice, and her tone became sharper: "That scumbag Phillips is very good at disguising himself, but people like him will always show their true colors in the shadows. We can probably guess what he's trying to achieve by using you. But the question is, Sophia, are you willing to let this continue?"
Sofia remained silent, the fishing rod swaying gently in her hand, the water still as calm as a mirror.
Her expression was as calm as a lake.
Daphne grew increasingly smug, feeling she was close to the truth: "You don't have to endure it anymore, Sophia."
"If you are willing to cooperate with us, we can work together to expose Phillips' hypocrisy and reveal his true colors to the public."
"By then, we will have enough evidence to send him to Azkaban. He will no longer be able to threaten you, and you will be free from his control."
Penelope chimed in softly, "We just want you to stop being manipulated by him. You always seem so independent and intelligent, but in reality, you're just being used by him."
Sofia remained seated on the rock, her hands firmly gripping the fishing rod, her gaze still fixed on the lake.
She let Daphne and Penelope finish speaking, seemingly savoring their words.
The cold wind continued to blow, ruffling her hair, but her expression remained calm, unmoved by their words.
Just as Daphne was becoming increasingly smug, as if she had already taken control of the situation, Sophia suddenly sighed softly, then slowly spoke, her voice unexpectedly decisive.
"Okay," she agreed readily.
This brief response, like a cold stone, instantly shattered Daphne's smugness.
Her eyes widened in shock at Sofia's decisiveness.
"You said yes?" Daphne tried to make sure she heard it, finding it hard to believe that Sophia had agreed to their plan so readily.
Sofia finally looked away from the lake and turned to Daphne. "Yes, I agreed. If you think Phillips is a hypocrite and a threat, I'll go with you to send him to Azkaban."
Daphne frowned slightly, a hint of unease flashing in her eyes.
She instinctively felt that something was wrong, but couldn't quite put her finger on why.
In fact, Daphne was caught off guard by Sophia's actions. She had not expected Sophia to agree to her proposal so easily, so she prepared a series of persuasion strategies, and even more questioning and coercion to make Sophia give in.
Penelope clearly sensed the subtle shift in the atmosphere and tried to ease the tension, saying softly, "Sofia, we're not forcing you to do anything, we just—"
Before Penelope could finish speaking, Sofia suddenly turned around and asked crisply, "When are we going to meet?"
Daphne and Penelope exchanged a glance, somewhat surprised by her immediate reaction.
Daphne composed herself and replied, "Three in the morning, no one will notice us at that time."
Sofia nodded slightly, without saying anything more.
"Okay," she replied simply, then stood up, gently shook off the snow, and put away her fishing rod.
Daphne and Penelope watched her movements quietly, waiting for her next reaction.
But Sofia didn't say another word. She packed up her fishing rod, turned her back to them, and walked away towards the distance of the lake.
The cold wind whistled through her robes, gently ruffling her hair as she walked further and further away.
Daphne watched her retreating figure and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Do you really think she'll help us?"
"Maybe," Penelope murmured to herself.
For some reason, she kept her hands in her pockets all afternoon.
Is it too cold?
Or... is there something inside?
In the evening, Wood, who had somehow received some kind of message, suddenly returned to Hogwarts via Floo Powder and went back to the common room, where he called Harry outside.
"How have you been these past few days?" he began, but before Harry could answer, he had already sat down and lowered his voice, saying, "You know, Harry, I've been thinking about this ever since the last match, and I haven't had a moment's rest these past few days. If the Dementors show up again in the next match—I mean, we can't let you hear this—" Wood suddenly stopped, a look of embarrassment on his face.
Harry quickly chimed in, "I'm working on it. Professor Phillips said he'd teach me how to fend off the Dementors. We should be able to start training next week; he said he'd have time after Christmas."
"Ah," Wood's face brightened immediately, "That's good. Harry, I really don't want to lose such a great Seeker like you. By the way, I heard—"
"What did you hear?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"I heard you received a new broom today?" Wood said sheepishly.
"It's a fire crossbow bolt," Ron suddenly interjected.
Wood's contribution to making it possible for him to know that Harry had bought the Firebolt while he was celebrating Christmas, thousands of miles away, was truly remarkable.
"A fire crossbow bolt? No! Really? One—it really is a fire crossbow bolt?" Wood's eyes lit up instantly.
"Don't get excited, Oliver," Harry said somberly. "It's been confiscated and is being examined."
Wood's excitement instantly turned to confusion: "Confiscated? Why?"
"Because some people think it might be under a spell," Harry replied somberly. "Sirius Black is after me, and Professor McGonagall suspects he gave me the broom."
Wood waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned: "But how could Black possibly buy a fire bolt? Hasn't he been on the run? The whole country is searching for him! How could he possibly walk right into a Quidditch shop?"
Want to buy a flying broomstick?
"I know," Harry sighed, "but Professor McGonagall insists on opening it up to examine it."
Wood's face gradually turned pale, as if he couldn't comprehend the blow: "Is she really going to dismantle a fire bolt?"
This is the ultimate flying broomstick!
Harry nodded, but then his expression relaxed slightly: "Well, thankfully, Professor Phillips stopped me. He promised to return the Firebolt to me next week if there are no problems."
Wood breathed a sigh of relief, a glimmer of hope appearing on his face: "Professor Phillips? He's a true hero in a pinch! You know, if we could use this broom, Gryffindor's chances of winning would be practically guaranteed."
Harry smiled slightly. Although he was still anxious about the Firebolt, Wood's enthusiasm and unwavering faith in Quidditch made him feel a little more at ease.
"We'll just have to wait," Harry said. "Once everything passes the checks, I'll be able to use it in the next game."
"Great!" Wood exclaimed excitedly, his eyes brimming with anticipation. "Believe me, Harry, this broom will absolutely sweep the field. We'll definitely win the Quidditch Cup!"
Before Harry could even react, Wood had already stood up impatiently and strode downstairs.
"Wait for me!" Wood called back. "I'm going to find Professor Phillips right now and help him check the brooms!"
Before he finished speaking, his footsteps had already disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
Harry watched Wood's departing figure, feeling both amused and slightly helpless.