bacchusnovels Chapter 372 I really want to drink honey water
Chapter 372 I really want to drink honey water
Chapter 372 (Bonus Chapter) I really want to drink honey water
Hermione pushed open the door and walked into Professor Phillips' office with Daphne.
Sean was sitting behind his desk, holding an open scroll of parchment, seemingly reading.
Hearing the door open, he looked up, his gaze sweeping over Hermione and Daphne, lingering for a moment before revealing a meaningful smile.
"Miss Granger, Miss Greengrass," Sean stood up and gestured, "Please have a seat, I've been waiting for you."
Hermione nodded somewhat awkwardly, pulled her robes tighter, and sat down, trying to avoid revealing any details of her dress.
Daphne, on the other hand, seemed much more composed. When she sat down, her gaze was calm, carrying the elegance and confidence typical of pure-blood families.
Of course, even this couldn't erase the impression she left on Sean's mind.
Just thinking about that night, when Daphne was slumped in her chair, her face flushed, and she was uttering broken syllables from time to time, made Sean's mouth go dry.
I really want to drink honey water.
"Professor," Hermione began nervously, "we've come to discuss Buckbeak's case. You mentioned before that you might have some information that could help us?"
Sean put down the parchment in his hand and his gaze slowly fell on Hermione.
He didn't answer immediately, but instead tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic tapping sound.
"Indeed, I have some interesting clues," he finally spoke, his tone still calm, "but before we begin, I want to ask one thing—are you truly prepared?"
Hermione nodded, though she still felt uneasy, she knew she couldn't back down.
She was willing to try anything for Buckbeak.
Sean's eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone became serious: "Very well, since you are prepared, I will first give you a rundown of the Ministry of Magic's trial process, as well as the possibilities we can utilize."
He tapped the table lightly with his wand, and a parchment slowly appeared, filled with a summary of complex trial procedures and regulations, along with several keywords marked with magic.
He placed the parchment in front of the two men and said, "The Ministry of Magic's hearing process is rigorous and cumbersome, but that doesn't mean it's flawless. Especially in cases involving magical creatures, loopholes are more likely to appear due to procedural issues or insufficient evidence."
Hermione immediately sat up straight, her eyes fixed on the parchment, completely absorbed in the moment.
She pulled out a quill pen and a leather notebook from somewhere, ready to record any important information.
“First,” Sean pointed to the first line on the paper, “the trial committee needs to make a decision based on the existing evidence. That is to say, every document in the case file could affect the outcome. If we can find contradictions in the original records, or if some evidence was submitted based on false assumptions, then we may be able to request a retrial.”
“But Professor,” Hermione asked, frowning, “how can we access these original documents? They should be kept in the Ministry of Magic’s archives, which students have no right to view.”
“That’s true,” Sean nodded slightly, a smile playing on his lips. “But you’re not ordinary students. And… with the right help, it’s not impossible.”
Daphne raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly realizing what he meant by "help," but she didn't interrupt.
Sean continued, "Secondly, the list of members of the trial committee is crucial. Some of these individuals may have a conflict of interest with Lucius Malfoy. We need to find out if there was any communication or hints between them, which could serve as a starting point for us to question the fairness of the verdict."
Hermione quickly jotted it down in her notebook and began to think of possible solutions in her mind.
“Finally,” Sean’s gaze swept between the two men, “the hearing allows the parties involved to submit additional evidence or witness testimonies. If you can find witnesses favorable to Buckbeak, or prove that he did not act maliciously in the alleged attack, that would be crucial to turning the tide.”
Hermione gripped her pen tightly and nodded confidently: "We can start with Hagrid; he knows Buckbeak's behavior best. He'll definitely be able to provide more details!"
2
“Hagrid is an option,” Sean nodded, “but his testimony alone isn’t enough. You need more substantial support, such as a magical biologist who can provide expert advice, or a witness who has personally seen Buckbeak interacting amicably with humans.”
He paused, his tone softening slightly: "Your task is twofold. First, find a way to access the original transcript of this hearing in the Ministry of Magic's archives, especially the parts unfavorable to Buckbeak. Second, gather as much supporting evidence as possible, whether from academia or personal testimonies."
"But—how do we get into the archives?" Hermione couldn't help but ask, her voice tinged with anxiety.
Sean placed his hands clasped on the table and said slowly, "This is exactly where I'm going to tell you. The Ministry of Magic's archives are heavily guarded, and ordinary people can't easily enter, but..."
"Fortunately, I have some old friends at the Ministry of Magic who are willing to offer some support in this matter."
However, given my prominent reputation, I cannot appear in person; otherwise, it would only attract unnecessary trouble.
Hermione frowned slightly. "So, you mean we need to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic covertly?"
“That’s right,” Sean nodded, his tone calm but with a hint of anticipation. “This will be a risky mission, but it’s also the only way to find the key evidence.”
As he spoke, he took a roll of parchment from a drawer beside the table and handed it to Hermione and Daphne. "This is a map of the Ministry of Magic's archives, along with some key entrance and exit markers. My friends have marked relatively safe routes for you, as well as a few blind spots where you can stop briefly."
He continued, "They will also take you to the outskirts of the Ministry of Magic at the agreed time to ensure you can enter the building. After that, you will have to find the target documents one by one on your own and leave as soon as possible."
Hermione looked at the complex markings on the parchment, feeling both nervous and eager to try.
She took a deep breath and asked, "Professor, what if we are discovered? The Ministry of Magic must have guards and anti-intrusion magical defenses."
Sean smiled, leaned back in his chair, and said calmly, "Miss Granger, that's a very wise question. But the answer may be simpler than you think."
He paused for a moment, then said, "I remember Mr. Potter has a very special item that you might be able to borrow from him."
Hermione paused, then her eyes widened. "The Invisibility Cloak? You mean we'll use it to cover our actions in the archives?"
“That’s right,” Sean nodded. “The Invisibility Cloak allows you to hide from the Ministry of Magic’s patrols and general detection spells. While it can’t deal with the most advanced detection magic, in places like the archives, the guards are usually more concerned with preventing forced entry than with invisible targets.”
Hermione lowered her head slightly and began to think quickly.
She knew of Harry's Invisibility Cloak, of course; that magical item had helped them accomplish incredible adventures many times.
It is indeed the most effective option at present.
But the thought of how to bring it up with Harry made her frown.
"But how are we going to explain this to Harry?" Hermione asked in a low voice, a hint of hesitation in her tone.
Sean shook his head. "That's what you need to consider, Miss Granger. Harry isn't easy to persuade, but if anyone can convince him of the significance of action, it's you."
He paused, his tone growing even more somber: "There will be fewer staff at the Ministry of Magic on weekends; this is your only chance. My friend will be waiting for you at Hogsmeade three days from now. If you decide to go, I will arrange everything."
"How should we arrange it?" Hermione looked up and asked softly.
Sean smiled slightly, his gaze resolute: "I can get Mr. Filch to cooperate, using the pretext of 'locking you up,' to keep you out of Hogwarts Castle all night. This is the limit of what I can do for you—I will do my best to cover your actions, but you will need to complete the task yourself."
This statement is clearly a lie.
The best he could do was write a letter to Lucius right now to get him to drop the charges against Buckbeak... or do nothing and wait for Harry and the others to use the Time-Turner to rescue Buckbeak themselves in a few days.
In short, the limit of what he could do was definitely not to take advantage of the situation like this.
However, if we expand on this sentence and complete it as "This is the limit of how much I can take advantage of a crisis," then the sentence seems to make sense.
Hermione gently bit her lower lip, her mind racing as she weighed the feasibility of the matter.
A moment later, she had made her decision.
"Understood, Professor," Hermione nodded. "We'll be prepared."
Sean smiled with satisfaction: "Very good, I believe in you. This is a difficult task, but if anyone succeeds, it will be you."
Hermione bowed slightly and said gratefully to Sean, "Thank you, Professor. Your help is crucial to us." She then carefully put the parchment into her bag and prepared to leave.
Sean also got up and went to another corner of the office, putting back the book about the Ministry of Magic laws that he had just taken out.
However, just as Hermione turned around, Daphne suddenly reached out and gently grabbed her wrist.
Hermione paused for a moment, then turned to look at Daphne, only to find the other woman staring at her with a complicated expression.
Daphne then leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't rush off, Hermione. The plan isn't fully underway yet; you still have a mission."
"A mission?" Hermione looked at her, puzzled, and asked in a low voice.
Daphne glanced down, her gaze sweeping suggestively over Hermione's robes.
Her eyes held a meaningful look, and a slight smile played on her lips as she whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "You know what to do—make him reveal his true colors. Don't forget, this is our plan."
Hermione's face immediately turned bright red, and she froze completely.
She understood what Daphne was implying, but her rationality and shyness made it impossible for her to accept the proposal.
She shook her head, glanced warily at Sean who was still tidying the bookshelf, and muttered, "Daphne, this is too much..."
Daphne remained unmoved. She smiled gently, patted Hermione on the shoulder, then straightened up and said in a relaxed tone, "Oh, Professor, I just remembered I have some things to take care of, so I might have to leave first. Hermione will stay and sort out the details, right?"
She turned to look at Hermione with a strongly suggestive look in her eyes.
Hermione froze on the spot, her mouth slightly agape, unsure how to retort.
Sean raised his head, raised his eyebrows slightly, but didn't say anything, just nodded: "Of course, you can arrange it yourselves."
+
Daphne then stood up and gracefully bid farewell to Sean: "Thank you for your guidance, Professor. I'm sure Hermione won't let you down."
After saying that, she gently pushed open the office door, turned around and left.
The moment the door closed, Hermione felt as if he had been left in the center of a rapidly turbulent vortex.
She stood there hesitantly, unsure of what to do next.
Hermione's rational mind told her that this was not appropriate, but Daphne's insistence made her waver a little.
After all, she had promised Daphne that she would test Professor Phillips.
The office fell silent. Only Sean was busy organizing the documents on his desk, seemingly unaware of Hermione's struggle.
A subtle tension filled the air; Hermione's heart pounded faster, and the blush on her face grew more pronounced.