bacchusnovels Chapter 361 Can you guess what it is?
Chapter 361 Can you guess what it is?
Chapter 361 Can you guess what it is?
Next, they went to Joko Widodo's shop, which was packed with students.
Harry had to be very careful to avoid stepping on someone and causing a panic.
There were plenty of materials there for pranks and magic tricks, enough to satisfy Fred and George's wildest ideas.
Harry whispered to Ron what he wanted to buy and then gave him some gold coins from under his Invisibility Cloak.
When they left Jokowi, their wallets were much lighter than when they arrived, but each of their pockets was stuffed with dung bombs, biscuits, and frog egg soap.
Each person also has a teacup for biting their nose.
The weather was lovely, with a cool breeze, and neither of them wanted to stay indoors, so they walked past the Three Broomsticks pub and climbed the hill to see the Screaming Shack, the most famous haunted house in England.
It was slightly taller than the other houses in the village, and looked rather unsightly during the day. The windows were all sealed, and the garden was overgrown with weeds.
"Even the ghosts of Hogwarts dare to go near there," Ron said.
They leaned against the fence, looking up at the dilapidated shack. "I asked Nick, who's almost headless, and he heard a bunch of really brutish guys live there, and nobody can get in. Fred and George tried too, but all the entrances are sealed off now."
Harry was feeling hot from climbing the mountain and was about to take off his Invisibility Cloak to get some fresh air when he suddenly heard a sound nearby.
Someone is walking towards the shed from the other side of the mountain.
A moment later, Malfoy appeared, followed by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy was speaking.
"My dad should be sending the owl soon; I need to go to court and say that I can't use this arm for three months—"
Crabbe and Gore grinned foolishly.
"I really wish I could hear that big idiot defend himself—'It's harmless, really—' That hippogriff is doomed."
Malfoy suddenly spotted Ron, a malicious smile spreading across his pale face.
"What are you doing here, Weasley?"
Malfoy looked up at the dilapidated shack behind Ron.
"You'd probably love living here, Weasley? Dreaming of having your own bedroom? I heard your whole family is crammed into one room—is that true?"
Harry grabbed Ron by the back of his robe to prevent him from lunging at Malfoy.
"Leave it to me," he whispered to Ron.
This was such a great opportunity that Harry quietly circled behind Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle and grabbed a handful of mud from the roadside.
“We were talking about your friend Hagrid,” Malfoy said to Ron. “What do you think he’ll say before the Committee deals with the dangerous creatures? Will he cry? When they cut down that hippogriff—”
Snapped!
Malfoy's head drooped abruptly, his pale blond hair covered in mud, which dripped down his face.
"What—?"
Ron laughed so hard he almost fell over, grabbing the fence to keep from tripping. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle spun around, looking around in alarm, Malfoy frantically trying to wipe the mud off his hair.
"What was that just now? Who did it?"
"Haunted places are common here, aren't they?" Ron said casually, as if he were talking about the weather.
Crabbe and Goyle looked somewhat frightened; their muscular builds offered no comfort at this moment. Malfoy anxiously scanned the empty surroundings.
Harry quietly walked to the other side of the path, where there was a particularly dirty puddle, filled with foul-smelling green sludge.
Snapped!
This time it was Crabbe and Goyle's turn to get splashed. The two were furious and jumped around, desperately trying to wipe the mud off their faces.
"It's coming from over there!" Malfoy wiped his face, staring intently at a spot about six feet to Harry's left.
Crabbe stumbled over, stretching out his arms and groping like a zombie.
Harry easily dodged it, picked up a twig, and threw it at Crabbe's back. Crabbe was startled and spun around, but only saw Ron. He then angrily pounced on him.
At that moment, Harry gently stretched out his leg, and Crabbe tripped and fell to the ground, his shoe tip catching on Harry's Invisibility Cloak.
Harry felt a pulling force, and the Invisibility Cloak slipped off his face.
For a brief moment, Malfoy stared at Harry in disbelief.
"Ahhh!" he screamed, pointing at Harry, before running quickly down the hill, Crabbe and Goyle close behind.
Harry put the Invisibility Cloak back on, but it was too late.
"Harry!" Ron came running after him, his eyes filled with anxiety. "Run! If Malfoy tells anyone about this—you'd better get back to the castle right away!"
"Goodbye." Harry didn't say anything more and ran along the path towards Hogsmeade.
Will Malfoy believe what he saw?
Will others believe him?
Nobody knows about the Invisibility Cloak—except Dumbledore.
Harry's heart sank—if Malfoy really went to tell on him, Dumbledore would definitely find out the truth—
Harry returned to Honeyduke, quietly descended into the cellar, stepped across the cold stone floor, and slipped through the hidden trapdoor.
He tucked the Invisibility Cloak under his arm and ran at full speed through the dark tunnel. Malfoy would surely get there first—but how long would it take him to find his teacher?
Harry was panting heavily, a dull pain shooting through his ribs, but he dared not slow down even a little, until he reached the stone slide before stopping.
He had to hide the Invisibility Cloak well; if Malfoy really told the teacher, this precious garment would probably have nowhere to be hidden.
He tucked the invisibility cloak into a dark corner and began to climb laboriously, his hands soaked with sweat, making it difficult to grip the edge of the slide.
Finally, Harry climbed into the witch statue's hunchback, tapped it a few times, poked his head out, and slid out with his whole body.
The hunchback automatically closed behind him.
Harry had just slipped out from behind the statue when he heard hurried footsteps approaching and Snape appeared before him.
He strode over, his black robes billowing behind him, and stopped in front of Harry.
"I see," he said coldly.
A suppressed smugness gleamed in Snape's eyes. Harry tried to appear innocent, despite being sweaty and his hands covered in mud, so he quickly stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"Come with me, Potter," Snape commanded.
Harry followed Snape downstairs with his head down, secretly wiping his hands inside his robes when Snape wasn't looking. They walked down the stone steps leading to the dungeon classrooms and finally entered Snape's office.
Harry had only been here once before, and that time he got into big trouble.
After that, Snape added several more sticky, horrible things in large glass bottles to the shelf behind his desk, where they gleamed coldly in the firelight, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
"Sit down," Snape said coldly.
Harry sat down as instructed, but Snape remained standing.
"Malfoy came to me just now and told me a strange story, Potter," Snape said coldly.
Harry remained silent.
"He said he saw Weasley near the Screaming Shack—he seemed to be alone."
Harry remained silent.
"Malfoy said that while he was talking to Weasley, a lump of mud suddenly hit him on the back of the head. What do you think happened?"
Harry tried his best to show a hint of surprise.
"I don't know, Professor."
Snape's gaze was like a piercing needle, fixed on Harry, as if trying to pierce through him with his eyes. Harry desperately tried not to blink, as if he were facing a hippogriff head-on.
"Then, Malfoy saw something strange. Can you guess what it was, Potter?"
"I can't guess," Harry replied, trying to feign curiosity.
"It's your head, Potter, floating in mid-air."
A long silence followed.
"Perhaps he should go see Madam Pomfrey," Harry said calmly, "if he's having those kinds of hallucinations—"
"Malfoy isn't hallucinating!" Snape roared, leaning over and placing his hands on the armrests of Harry's seat, his face almost touching Harry's. "If your head is in Hogsmeade, your body must be there too."
"I've been in the Gryffindor tower the whole time," Harry replied, trying to appear calm, "as you just said, 'Can anyone prove it?'"
Harry remained silent, while Snape's thin lips twisted into a sinister smile.
“Very well,” he said, straightening up and sneering, “The Minister of Magic, the entire school, everyone is working hard to protect the famous Harry Potter from Sirius Black. And the famous Harry Potter chooses to take the risk, making everyone else worry about his safety! The famous Harry Potter can do whatever he wants, without caring about the consequences.”
Harry remained silent, knowing that Snape was deliberately provoking him to force him to tell the truth, but he wouldn't fall for it. Snape had no evidence—at least not yet.
"You're just like your father, Potter," Snape said suddenly, a glint of coldness in his eyes. "He was just as arrogant. He thought he was superior to everyone else because of his little talent in Quidditch. You two are so alike, parading around with a bunch of followers."
“My dad isn’t a megalomaniac,” Harry blurted out. “Neither am I.”
"Your father doesn't really respect the rules either," Snape retorted, his thin face full of malice. "In his eyes, rules are only for 'ordinary people,' not for the Quidditch champion. His head is practically swollen—"
"Shut up!"
Harry jumped to his feet, a surge of anger rising within him, more intense than he had been since the last night at Privet Drive.
He paid no attention to Snape's face, stiff with anger, or the dangerous glint in his dark eyes.
"What did you just say to me, Potter?"
"Shut up! Don't you dare insult my father!" Harry roared. "I know the truth! Dumbledore told me that you wouldn't be standing here today if my father hadn't saved you!"
Snape's face turned deathly pale, like spoiled milk.
"Did the headmaster tell you the circumstances under which your father saved me?" he asked in a low voice. "Or did he think those details were inappropriate for the distinguished Harry Potter?"
Harry bit his lip.
He knew nothing of the situation at the time and was unwilling to admit it—but Snape seemed to have seen through his thoughts.
“I don’t want you to have any false illusions about your father, Potter,” Snape said, a twisted and horrifying smile spreading across his face. “Are you fantasizing about some heroic deeds? Well, let me tell you the truth—your holy father and his friends devised a ‘funny’ prank that nearly killed me. If he hadn’t chickened out at the last minute, I would be dead. If his prank had succeeded, he would have been expelled from Hogwarts.”
Snape flashed his jagged, yellow teeth, a smile that sent chills down one's spine.
"Turn your pockets out, Potter!" he suddenly snapped.
Harry remained motionless, his ears ringing.
"Find it out, or we'll go find the principal! Hurry up, take your pockets out!"
Harry felt a chill run through him, so he slowly pulled out the bag of magic supplies he had bought from Zoko and the Marauder's Map.
Snape picked up Zonko's bag.
"Ron gave it to me," Harry said, hoping he could speak to Ron before Snape saw him. "He brought it back from Hogsmeade last time—"
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the office. Filch suddenly pushed open the door and entered, carrying a dim oil lamp in his hand. When he saw Harry and Snape, a look of schadenfreude appeared in his eyes.
"Ah, Professor Snape!" Filch's voice carried a hint of smugness. "I just heard that someone is playing a prank in Hogsmeade."
The students were terrified. I thought, "It really is Potter again."
Snape gave Filch a cold, wary look, then continued to focus his attention on Harry.
"Argus, you've come at the perfect time," Snape said, his voice laced with undisguised sarcasm. "We're just beginning to uncover Harry's..."
Potter's secret. It seems his friends have also given him some unspoken "gifts," helping him continue his misbehavior. Close the door, don't let anyone in.
Filch nodded, closed the door, and stood in the doorway observing Harry and Snape, a barely perceptible emotion flashing in his eyes.
Snape waved his hand impatiently and continued to examine Harry's bag.
He stared at the map with icy eyes and muttered, "These little things are incredibly boring, but I should have known sooner, Potter."
This is just your style—sneaky and secretive.
"I—I didn't—" Harry tried to stay calm, his mind racing as he thought of how to get out of there.
Now, the two people he hates most at Hogwarts have met and are standing together, plotting how to deal with him—this is not a good thing for him.
"Professor—" Filch stepped forward as if he had suddenly thought of something and slowly said, "I heard that there has been some minor trouble at Hogsmeade. Perhaps you should go and take a look, so that things don't escalate."
Snape was displeased by Filch's interruption. He gave him a cold, wary look and said impatiently, "Hogsmeade is none of my business, Argus. Let me handle what's in front of me."
He turned his gaze back to Harry, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "You think your little tricks can fool me, Potter?"
Filch, however, persisted in his persuasion, "Professor, I think this kid is just carrying some harmless magic props. Shouldn't we go check out something more important?"
Snape narrowed his eyes slightly, considering the weight of those words. He looked up and glared at Filch, seemingly wondering why Filch was so insistent on getting rid of him.
However, after a brief hesitation, he finally reluctantly let go, tossing Zonko's bag to Harry and saying coldly, "Get out."
Potter, you got lucky this time, but I won't let you off the hook next time.
Harry was overjoyed. Holding the bag and map, he quickly stood up, lowered his head, and hurried out of the office.
Just as the door closed, he heard Filch deliberately lower his voice and say, "Professor, there are some things about Hogsmeade that might interest you. I can tell you more details." Harry hurried away, inwardly thanking Merlin for the luck he had been given.
He ran through the corridor, and only after confirming it was safe did he rush toward the Gryffindor Tower, only to encounter Hermione on the way.
A Hermione who looks very strange....