bacchusnovels Chapter 373 Admit it, Miss Granger
Chapter 373 Admit it, Miss Granger
Chapter 373 Admit it, Miss Granger
Hermione froze on the spot, took a deep breath, and calmed herself down.
The silence in the office made her even more bewildered, while Sean continued to organize the parchment with his head down, seemingly oblivious to her embarrassment.
"Miss Granger?" Sean suddenly looked up and asked, "Is there anything else?"
Hermione snapped back to reality, her blush deepening.
She tightened the hem of her robe, lowered her head slightly, and stammered, "N-nothing, I just wanted to confirm—our mission arrangements."
Sean tidied up the stack of parchment and placed it in the second drawer on the left side of his desk. "If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask, and I'll do my best to answer."
Hermione's throat tightened slightly as she tried to appear calm, but her mind was filled with Daphne's parting hints.
She bit her lower lip and tentatively asked, "Professor, I just want to know—how confident are you about the expected outcome of this operation?"
Sean leaned back in his chair, scrutinized her for a few seconds, and smiled slightly: "Miss Granger, I have great confidence in your abilities. Although this operation carries some risk, the probability of success is very high if we proceed according to plan."
Hermione nodded, but showed no intention of leaving.
She lowered her head and thought for a while, then finally mustered up her courage and said, "Professor, are you really willing to go to so much for us? I appreciate your help, but I don't want you to take any risks because of it."
Sean's smile widened slightly, his tone remaining calm: "Miss Granger, sometimes, for the sake of justice..."
We must take the risk. Moreover, this isn't just for you; it's also about correcting mistakes. The Ministry of Magic isn't always impartial, and I simply hope that creatures like Buckbeak receive the justice they deserve.
Hermione's gaze trembled slightly as she once again sensed the deeper meaning in Sean's words.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around her robe, a gesture that successfully caught Sean's attention.
"Miss Granger...why do you seem a little nervous?" Sean joked. "Is there something else you're wondering about?"
Hermione took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Professor, I do have some questions."
Sean raised an eyebrow slightly, gesturing for her to continue: "Please speak."
Hermione paused, her mind racing, before finally mustering her courage and slowly unbuttoning the collar of her robe, letting it slip off her shoulder to reveal the form-fitting dress Daphne had chosen for her.
Under the lights, the dress's cut perfectly outlined her slender figure. She lowered her head, not daring to look directly at Sean's self-glow, her cheeks instantly burning red.
"Professor, I just—" her voice trembled slightly, but she continued, "want to confirm whether you are truly willing to go to such lengths for this operation, even if it means potentially getting yourself into trouble."
Sean's gaze fell on her, his expression remaining unchanged for a moment.
He paused for a few seconds, his tone still calm: "Miss Granger, I thought we had already discussed this issue. This operation is for the sake of justice, and the risks to my reputation are already within my acceptable range."
Hermione looked up to meet his gaze, trying to catch a glimpse of his emotions, but Sean's expression remained calm, and she could not detect any trace of pretense.
This left her momentarily at a loss as to how to proceed.
"Are you sure you have no other motive?" Hermione asked tentatively, her voice almost pleading.
Sean smiled slightly and said calmly, "Miss Granger, you seem to have some doubts about my motives. But I want to tell you that the essence of this matter has nothing to do with your efforts. I just hope that there can be a little more justice in this world."
As Hermione listened to him, her fingers unconsciously tightened around the hem of her dress, her heart filled with conflict.
She didn't know whether to trust him or continue with Daphne's plan.
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione finally bowed deeply, her voice tinged with apology. "I—I am very grateful for your support."
Sean nodded, but he clearly noticed Hermione's unease and exhaustion.
Her movements as she tightened her dress, her slightly uneasy expression, and the faint blush on her face all indicated that this girl had recently experienced a lot of stress.
As a qualified professor, he shouldn't put such immense pressure on this well-behaved girl.
Yes, he needs to help her.
So Sean thought for a moment and said with great concern.
"Ms. Granger, it's clear you've been carrying a lot lately. Your studies, cases, and projects have left you exhausted. I admire your efforts, but excessive pressure isn't good for you."
Hermione paused, looked up at Sean, somewhat at a loss for words: "Professor, I—"
Sean waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to say anything more.
He stood up, walked to Hermione's side, and said gently, "Come, sit down. Let me help you relax. Relaxing will help your thinking."
Hermione's eyes widened, caught off guard by his suggestion: "Professor, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Sean smiled slightly, his tone relaxed: "Don't worry, it's just a simple relaxation technique. Trust me, as a professor, I've seen too many students fail to perform properly due to excessive nervousness. You've done very well, but I'd like to see you relax even more."
Hermione hesitated for a moment, but Sean's attitude was so frank that she found it hard to refuse.
She finally nodded and obediently sat down in the chair next to her.
Upon seeing Hermione's approval, Sean immediately gave her a genuine smile.
"Let's begin. First, I want you to take a deep breath and then exhale slowly."
Hermione did as she was told, inhaling a breath of fresh air and slowly exhaling, feeling her muscles gradually relax.
Sean stood behind her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
Hermione felt Sean's fingers trace along her shoulder blade; the warm touch sent a jolt through her body.
It made her shudder involuntarily.
Sean seemed to sense her reaction and whispered reassuringly, "Relax, Miss Granger. It's just a simple massage. I'll massage every acupoint on your body to relieve your fatigue."
Hermione blushed and nodded silently. Sean's fingers slipped inside her shirt and gently pressed on her spine.
"Miss Granger, I think you've misunderstood me. I was just trying to help you relax. I'm sorry if it made you feel uncomfortable," Sean said earnestly.
Hermione looked at Sean suspiciously, feeling that he was lying.
However, the professor's actions did relieve her; the situation just now had gone too far.
She looked closely at Sean's sincere eyes, finally sighed, and nodded in agreement.
Sean immediately hugged Hermione to express his gratitude.
He cupped Hermione's face in his hands and placed a tender kiss on her lips.
Hermione was shocked to hear this, and then angrily pushed Sean away.
She never expected that the professor, who usually seemed so refined, would say such a thing!
This is absolutely outrageous!
"Professor, how can you say that to me! You were the one who started it, and now you're blaming me! You're a complete scumbag!" Hermione said angrily.
Sean shrugged dismissively, then grabbed Hermione's shoulders again and pulled her back into his arms. "My little witch, don't be angry. I'm just stating the facts. If you really didn't have any feelings for me, why did you dress like this to come see me? Do you think we can just interact like this just because we have a simple teacher-student relationship?"
P？
Hermione was speechless after hearing Sean's words, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
Indeed, wasn't she dressed like this precisely to carry out Daphne's plan and seduce Professor Phillips?
Now that Sean has directly exposed this truth, she has no way to refute it for the time being.
Seeing Hermione's complicated expression, Sean lowered his head and kissed her lips again.
This action also stirred up Hermione's memories.
In countless nights and countless dreams, wasn't she hoping that Professor Phillips would use such methods against her?
But now that her dream has come true...: What could possibly make her unhappy?
A moment later, the kiss ended, and their lips parted.
Hermione's eyes were already misty with tears, and a complex emotion flashed across her slightly trembling eyelashes.
She whispered, "But you already have Professor Tonks, it's impossible for us."
Sean suddenly looked up, his brows furrowing slightly, his eyes full of doubt: "How do you know about me and Professor Tonks? I haven't told anyone about this."
Hermione froze, her face flushing red with embarrassment. She stammered as she tried to answer, but found herself completely at a loss for words.
"I—I—" she struggled to organize her thoughts, but couldn't manage to utter a word.
You can't exactly tell Professor Phillips that the person he had close contact with last time was himself, disguised as Tonks after drinking Polyjuice Potion, can you?
"Miss Granger?" Sean's voice rang out like a death knell. "How did you find out about this?"
Hermione's mind was in a mess, her face flushed red, and she could only whisper, "I...I just heard about it!"
But Sean had no intention of letting Hermione off the hook.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze lingering on Hermione's face for a moment, then he stood up thoughtfully, slowly walked to the window, and muttered to himself, "I've heard about it—but nobody knows anything about it. Except me and Tonks?"
He paused, his expression becoming focused, as if recalling something, "But last time—Tonks' behavior was indeed a bit strange."
Upon hearing this, Hermione slumped in her chair, stiff as a statue.
She tried to forget the memory of that day, but Sean's voice kept tugging at her remaining sanity, pulling her into a vortex of memories.
"Yes." Sean turned around, his tone lower, yet carrying a hint of understanding. "That day, 'Tonks' behavior was definitely off. Her tone, her movements, and—the details."
His gaze then fell on Hermione, whose clothes were disheveled, and he continued, "Although Polyjuice Potion can mimic appearances,..."
But some things can't be learned—like expressions and habits.
Hermione froze, her lips trembling slightly, but she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
Sean sighed softly, as if talking to himself, but with a hint of mockery in his tone: "I found it strange at the time. Tonks is usually quick-witted and sharp, but that day her reaction was rather clumsy. And... she never likes wearing that color; it's something she explicitly stated—'too dull.' Yet she wore it that day."
At this point, Sean's voice gradually lowered, carrying a hint of meaningful laughter: "I originally thought it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing for her. But now that I think about it, perhaps what I was facing that day wasn't Tonks herself."
Hermione's face turned bright red, and her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her chest.
She looked up at Sean and found him staring intently at her, like a beast closing in on its prey.
"Miss Granger," Sean approached her slowly, his voice unhurried yet filled with pressure, "shouldn't you explain why you know about me and Tonks, even—so much about our 'interactions'?"
Hermione's mind was in chaos. She tried desperately to come up with an explanation that would extricate her from the situation, but the more flustered she became, the less she could say.
She stammered, "No, no, that's not it, Professor! I... I just—I overheard something about you and Professor Tonks, I absolutely didn't mean anything by it!"
Sean raised an eyebrow, somewhat incredulously, and asked, "Heard it by chance? That's quite an interesting explanation, Miss Granger. But my question is—who told you? This has never been made public, how do you know so much detail?"
Hermione's face flushed even more, her hands gripping the hem of her robes tightly, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness: "Professor, it really was just... just a coincidence! I didn't..."
"So it's you, admit it, Miss Granger." Sean suddenly interrupted her, slowly approaching Hermione, his gaze fixed on her, the oppressive aura like an invisible net. "Miss Granger, haven't you been harboring some inappropriate thoughts about me all along?"
Hermione's eyes widened, and she shook her head frantically, denying it repeatedly: "No, no! Professor, you've misunderstood! That day I was just..."
"Oh? Is that so?" Sean's voice held a hint of amusement. "But you just said that the Tonks you saw that day wasn't you."
Hermione was on the verge of tears, her voice almost pleading, "Professor, I really didn't! You've misunderstood!"
Sean smiled slightly, his expression calm and unfathomable: "Alright, I can trust you this once. But on one condition—if you're willing to repeat what you did when you impersonated Tonks last time, I'll let you go and won't pursue the matter further."
Hermione's face instantly drained of color. She opened her mouth, wanting to refuse, but looking at Sean's meaningful gaze, she found herself unable to even muster the courage to refuse.
Her mind was in chaos, filled with shame and panic, and she didn't know how to deal with the situation.
The tension in the air grew stronger, Hermione's breathing quickened, and she struggled with how to make a choice.
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