bacchusnovels Chapter 362 The Strange Hermione
Chapter 362 The Strange Hermione
Chapter 362 The Strange Hermione
Harry breathed a sigh of relief after walking through the long corridor and making sure no one was around, then prepared to rush back to the Gryffindor Tower.
However, as he rounded the last corner, he suddenly bumped into Hermione.
But Hermione looked completely different from usual, which was very strange.
Her hair was messy, with a few curls sticking to her cheeks, and white, milky liquid hanging from the corners of her lips. Her school robe was loosely draped over her shoulders, with several buttons fastened incorrectly, revealing a wrinkled shirt underneath.
To Harry's surprise, she looked extremely anxious, with a furrowed brow and bloodshot eyes, as if she hadn't slept for days and nights.
"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry asked tentatively, a hint of worry in his heart.
Hermione glanced at him slightly, as if she had just noticed his presence.
There was a hint of confusion in her eyes, and then she forced a smile, but it looked very strained no matter how you looked at it.
"Harry!" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I...I'm fine, it's just...I just have some things to take care of lately."
Harry looked at him carefully, knowing she was holding back something.
He wanted to ask more, but Hermione suddenly grabbed his wrist, her eyes pleading.
"Harry, please don't ask me, and don't tell anyone you saw me," Hermione whispered, her voice tinged with a hint of panic.
Harry hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. "Okay... but let me know if you need any help."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, her voice trembled slightly, and then she said in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, "Thank you, Harry."
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed that Hermione seemed to be holding something in her hand.
A...little note?
As soon as Hermione finished speaking, she quickly walked down another corridor and disappeared into the shadows without looking back.
Harry watched her retreating figure, his heart filled with doubt and unease.
He recalled Filch's earlier mention of "Hogsmeade," and a vague, uneasy suspicion began to form in his mind.
Will Hermione get into some kind of trouble?
She clearly seemed to be hiding something from everyone.
Perhaps... asking Sofia might provide the answer.
He'd felt Hermione was acting strangely from the start of the semester until now.
Harry suppressed his worries and quickened his pace toward the Gryffindor Tower, intending to tell Ron about it.
As a result, near the corner of the corridor close to the Gryffindor common room, he bumped into someone again.
Harry rubbed his slightly sore forehead, looked up, and realized that he had bumped into Hermione again.
This time, she had changed her entire outfit.
She was wearing her wizarding robes, which she probably didn't change more than a few times a month (Harry suspected she had several identical wizarding robes), but they were much neater and cleaner than before.
If I had to find a common thread, it would be the same anxiety she had shown just now.
Before Harry could say anything, Hermione pulled a letter out of her pocket and spoke with trembling lips.
"Harry... Hagrid lost the case, Buckbeak is going to be executed."
"Where did this letter come from?"
At this point, Harry forgot his previous doubts and hurriedly said...
"Hagrid—Hagrid sent it," Hermione said, holding up the letter.
Harry took the letter; the parchment was damp, and in some places the ink was blurred and difficult to read because of large teardrops.
Dear Hermione:
We lost the case.
I was granted permission to take it back to Hogwarts.
The execution date is to be determined.
Buckbeak loves London.
I will never forget all the help you all gave me and Buckbeek.
—Hagrid.
"They can't do that!" Harry exclaimed indignantly. "Absolutely not! Buckbeak is in no danger at all!"
"It was Malfoy's father who forced the committee to make that decision," Hermione said softly, wiping away her tears. "You know what kind of person he is. Those old men on the committee are so muddle-headed and cowardly, they're terrified."
"However... we can still appeal; there will always be an opportunity."
"But..." Hermione paused suddenly, took a deep breath, "But... I see no hope... Maybe nothing can be changed."
Harry clutched the letter tightly, a surge of intense anger and helplessness welling up inside him.
He couldn't accept this ending, especially considering the fate that Buckbeak was about to face.
He turned his head and saw Hermione still with tears in her eyes, her shoulders trembling slightly, and she looked like she was about to collapse.
Just then, Harry heard hurried footsteps, turned around, and saw Ron and Sophia rushing over.
They had clearly heard what had happened, and their faces were full of anxiety.
"The news of Hagrid's defeat has spread, we just heard it too," Ron said breathlessly. "We have to do something! We can't let them execute Buckbeak like this!"
"Yes, Harry." Sophia frowned and looked at him seriously. "There are still a few days left, but we can't just sit here and wait to die. Maybe there's still a chance to save Buckbeak."
Harry frowned, his mind racing.
Despite their lack of power and influence with the Ministry of Magic, he still didn't want to give up any opportunity.
"We will succeed!" Sophia raised her arms and said again, "Hermione, I will help—" "Oh, Sophia!" Hermione choked up, rushed forward and hugged Sophia's neck tightly, bursting into tears.
Sofia seemed a little flustered and patted her head helplessly.
Finally, Hermione wiped away her tears and left.
Since "Blake" broke into the castle for the second time, the school's security measures have become much stricter.
The four little ones can no longer sneak out at night to visit Hagrid.
After all, an invisibility cloak can only accommodate three people at most—that was when they were first-year students, small and not fully developed.
Therefore, they could only exchange a few words with Hagrid during the class on protecting magical creatures.
Hagrid seemed quite taken aback by the verdict.
"It's all my fault, I'm so tongue-tied," Hagrid said tearfully. "They were all sitting there in their black robes, and my notes kept falling down. I forgot all the dates you helped me look up, Hermione. Then Lucius Malfoy stood up, said a few words, and the committee did as he said—"
"We can appeal!" Ron said excitedly. "Don't give up, we'll definitely find a way!"
As they walked back to the castle with the rest of the class, a burst of laughter came from ahead—Malfoy was walking with Crabbe and Goyle, turning back every now and then to laugh mockingly.
“It’s no use, Ron,” Hagrid said sadly, stopping at the steps outside the castle. “The committee is all controlled by Lucius Malfoy. All I want now is for Bick to have a happy life for the rest of his days, that’s what I owe him—”
Hagrid covered his face and strode quickly toward his hut.
"Look at him, all crying and wailing!"
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle stood inside the castle gates, listening with disdain.
"Have you ever seen such a pathetic fellow?" Malfoy said with a sneer. "And he's our teacher!"
Harry and Ron rushed at Malfoy in anger, but Hermione was faster than them—"Slap!" She slapped Malfoy with all her might, making him stumble and fall to his knees.
Everyone present was stunned, and Hermione even raised her hand, ready to hit again.
"How dare you call Hagrid a pathetic wretch, you despicable—vicious—"
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, trying to grab her hand, but Hermione shook him off.
"Let go, Ron!"
Hermione drew her wand, and Malfoy took a step back in alarm. Crabbe and Goyle stood beside him, looking puzzled and at a loss.
"Let's go!" Malfoy muttered, and in less than a moment, the three of them had hurriedly escaped into the passageway leading to the underground classroom.
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed again, his voice filled with shock and admiration.
"Harry," Hermione said angrily after calming down, "you'd better teach him a lesson in the Quidditch final! I really can't stand it if Slytherin wins!"
"It's time for Charms class," Ron said, still staring at Hermione with a look of surprise. "Let's go."
The three of them quickly ran up the marble stairs and headed toward Professor Flitwick's classroom.
"You're late, children!" Professor Flitwick said with a hint of reproach as Harry pushed open the classroom door. "Come in quickly, wands up. Today we're going to test the Happy Charm. The class is already divided into pairs—"
Harry and Ron quickly walked to a desk at the back of the classroom and hurriedly took their textbooks and wands out of their bags. Ron subconsciously looked back around.
"Where's Hermione?" he asked in a low voice.
Harry looked around but didn't see Hermione.
However, he clearly remembered that Hermione was right behind him before he entered the classroom.
"That's strange," Harry said, somewhat bewildered. "Maybe she went to the bathroom?"
But Hermione still didn't appear even after the bell rang for the end of get out of class.
"She really needs a happiness charm," Ron remarked.
Thanks to the spell, the students in the classroom all grinned and walked towards the cafeteria to enjoy their lunch, completely satisfied.
Hermione still hadn't shown up at lunchtime.
After they finished the apple pie, the effects of the Happy Charm gradually wore off, and Harry and Ron began to worry.
"Would Malfoy do anything to her?" Ron wondered anxiously as they hurried up the stairs toward the Gryffindor Tower.
They passed the statue of the monstrous security guard, gave the day's password "Playboy," squeezed through the portrait's opening, and entered the common lounge.
Hermione was fast asleep, her head resting on an open arithmetic and divination textbook, while Sophia next to her was putting something into her ear.
Upon seeing Harry and Ron arrive, Sophia casually stuffed the items she had just taken back into her robes and, in doing so, poked Hermione awake.
"Ah, what's wrong?" Hermione opened her eyes abruptly, looking around in surprise, seemingly a little confused. "Are we going to class? What class is it?"
"Divination class, but there are still twenty minutes left," Harry said. "Hermione, why aren't you in Charms class?"
"What?" Hermione's eyes widened, her voice filled with regret. "Oh no! I completely forgot to go to Charms class!"
"How could you forget?" Harry asked, puzzled. "You were right next to us at the classroom door!"
"I can't believe it!" Hermione exclaimed. "Is Professor Flitwick angry? Oh, it's all Malfoy's fault. I was so preoccupied with him that I completely forgot about the lesson!"
"You know what, Hermione?" Ron looked down at the thick book that Hermione was using as a pillow, "I think you're about to collapse. You have just too much to do."
"No, I won't break down!" Hermione said, brushing her hair away from her face and frantically searching for her bag. "It was just a small mistake! I need to hurry and apologize to Professor Flitwick. See you in get out of class!"
Twenty minutes later, Hermione met them at the bottom of the ladder leading to Professor Trelawney's classroom, her face filled with deep regret.
"I can't believe I missed the Happiness Charm! I bet it'll be on the exam. Professor Flitwick even hinted at it!" she said dejectedly.
The three of them climbed the ladder together and entered the dim and stuffy top-floor classroom.
Each small table has a crystal ball that emits a faint glow, with pearly white mist floating inside.
The four little ones sat together at a rickety table.
"I thought we wouldn't learn about crystal balls until next semester," Ron muttered to himself, glancing around nervously, afraid that Professor Trelawney might suddenly appear from the shadows.
"Don't complain," Harry whispered. "It means you've finally finished your palmistry lesson. I've had enough of the look of fear she gets every time she sees my palm."
"Hello, everyone!" That familiar, ethereal voice rang out, and Professor Trelawney emerged dramatically from the shadows as usual. Parvati and Lavender trembled slightly with excitement, their faces reflecting the milky white light of the crystal ball.
"I've decided to start teaching you about the crystal ball a little earlier," Professor Trelawney said, sitting down in front of the fireplace and looking around the classroom. "Fortune has guided me; your exams in June will involve this crystal ball, and I hope you'll have enough time to practice."
Hermione gave a dismissive snort.
"Oh, what a remarkable prophecy," she whispered. "'The Fates told her,' who set the test? It was herself! How absurd!" Her voice wasn't even slightly lowered. Harry and Ron were barely holding back their laughter.
“Crystal ball divination is an extremely profound subject,” she said softly, her voice almost dreamlike. “I don’t expect you to see anything the first time you gaze at that endless, deep sphere. We’ll start by practicing relaxing your consciousness and external eyes,”—Ron couldn’t help but chuckle, quickly stuffing his fist into his mouth to stifle the laughter—“That way, your third eye and superconsciousness will become clear. Perhaps, with a bit of luck, someone might see something before get out of class ends.”