bacchusnovels Chapter 456 Hermione and Selena's Hostility
Chapter 456 Hermione and Selena's Hostility
Chapter 456 Hermione and Selena's Hostility
Looking at Selena standing in front of him, Sean felt a little strange.
"What are you doing here?" he asked calmly.
Selena smiled slightly, showing no displeasure at Sean's somewhat distant tone, and said softly, "I'll do it."
Just as she was getting ready to say something, there was a knock on the door.
Boom, boom, boom.
Sean shifted his gaze from Selena to the doorway.
He frowned slightly, feeling a little impatient, but still stood up, walked over, and opened the door.
"Hermione?" Sean looked at Hermione standing outside the door, somewhat surprised.
However, this unexpected incident quickly subsided when she thought of Selena.
Hermione nodded, her gaze shifting from Sean to Selena, her eyes filled with obvious wariness.
Ignoring the somewhat awkward atmosphere in the office, she simply said, "Professor Phillips, I need to speak with you."
Sean glanced at Selena, who had somehow appeared beside him, and then at Hermione, who was staring intently at Selena. Although he didn't think letting Hermione in was a good idea, he felt that keeping her out would have even more serious consequences. So, he stepped back a little and gestured for her to come in: "Of course, Hermione, come in."
Hermione entered the office, completely ignoring Selena's presence, and immediately sat down. "Professor, may we discuss the issue of elf rights? I'd like to show you some materials I've recently compiled."
Before Sean could even speak, Selena interrupted her without any politeness.
"Of course not! Don't you understand the principle of first come, first served? That's incredibly rude!"
"Unlike some people, I didn't sneak up on Professor Phillips, not daring to reveal my purpose—"
"At least I'm straightforward in my actions, unlike some people who need to put on a show wherever they go—"
Sudden Yuan.
The argument broke out abruptly.
Without the slightest warning.
There might have been signs, but Sean was unwilling to admit it.
If he wasn't mistaken, only two or three hours had passed since Selena arrived at Hogwarts as Durmstrang's representative. How could the two of them have developed such a strong animosity in just two or three hours?
Perhaps only Ron and Harry, who were talking in the Gryffindor common room, would know the truth.
The two witnessed the entire process as Krum and Hermione questioned Professor Phillips.
However, clarifying the root cause of the problem at this point will not change the current situation.
but-
The person who walked into the office next took the argument to a rather dramatic turn.
Hearing the arguing coming from the senior's office, Tonks curiously pushed open the door and saw Miss Granger and a student dressed as Durmstrang arguing.
She stood at the doorway, paused for a moment, then walked over to Sean and instinctively linked her arm with his.
"What happened?"
"fine."
"Then come to my place. I have a question I don't understand, about—" What?"
"The outfit you ordered for me last time, today happens to be Halloween..."
Seeing that Hermione and Selena's argument seemed to have no end in sight, Sean nodded with satisfaction and took Tonks' arm as they walked out the door.
He even thoughtfully closed the door for the two of them.
He has important business to attend to tonight.
The next day.
Hermione woke up very late.
When she opened her eyes, sunlight was already streaming into the bedroom through the curtains.
The lingering memory in my mind is still the fierce argument I had with Selena last night.
I remember how hard she worked to win a "one-sided" victory in the argument, but it took a lot of effort from her, leaving her feeling completely overwhelmed and exhausted.
After Selena left with a cold laugh, she looked at the empty office and finally remembered where she was and what she had just done.
Professor Phillips had vanished. She barely thought about anything else, simply dragging her heavy body back to her dormitory, collapsing onto her bed, and falling into a deep sleep with almost no reaction.
She knew that recent events were becoming increasingly difficult for her to bear.
The house-elves, the complicated relationship between Professor Phillips and Professor Tonks, and all sorts of trivial troubles left her very exhausted.
Clearly... that incident didn't happen.
Even after one problem is solved, new problems always arise.
As a result, her temper became increasingly irritable and difficult to control. Of course, last night's argument was also inextricably linked to Selena. For some reason, she always felt that there was something wrong with Selena and couldn't stand her.
These days, Hermione feels like she's constantly being pulled in different directions, caught in a dilemma.
What I truly want to do—to fight for better treatment for the little elves and promote the improvement of their rights—always seems to conflict with the surrounding environment and interpersonal relationships.
Everything was exhausting for her, and she began to doubt whether she could still hold onto her original ideas.
Fortunately, today is Saturday, so there are no classes.
On Saturdays, students usually eat breakfast very late.
However, when Hermione left the dormitory and looked at the empty common room, she realized that they must have gone to see the Goblet of Fire.
As Hermione walked into the foyer, she saw the thin golden thread encircling the Goblet of Fire. The goblet sat quietly on the stool, emitting a faint blue-white flame that danced gently in the air.
The students around were watching it intently in twos and threes. Some stood very close, as if investigating something, while others ate their bread and whispered among themselves, discussing various speculations about the three-way battle.
Hermione's gaze swept quickly across the crowd, and she finally spotted Harry and Ron.
They stood beside the Goblet of Fire, their eyes fixed on it, seemingly waiting for something.
"Has anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third-grade girl next to him eagerly.
"Yes, all of Durmstrang's representatives have already submitted their applications," she replied, "but we haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts sign up yet."
"Someone must have slipped their name in while we were sleeping last night," Harry said with a laugh. "If it were me, I would have done the same—I wouldn't want anyone to see it. It would be so embarrassing if the cup were crumpled up and thrown out!"
Just then, a burst of laughter came from behind.
Harry turned around and saw Fred, George, and Lee Jordan hurrying down the stairs. The three of them looked extremely excited, their eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
According to them, they drank an anti-aging drug.
Everyone was expecting them to cast their names, but unexpectedly, instead of succeeding, long white beards sprouted on their faces, making them look extremely comical. The surrounding students couldn't help but burst into laughter, while Fred and George looked at each other awkwardly, and Lee Jordan laughed so hard he could hardly breathe.
"Now, I can forget about getting a GG for myself again," George muttered to himself.
Reminded by others, the three sheepishly headed towards the medical room.
Because it's Halloween, the auditorium's decorations have undergone significant changes—
Countless live bats flew around on the enchanted ceiling, and hundreds of pumpkins carved with facial features grinned in every corner, as if welcoming the arrival of this day.
Harry led the way to Dean and Seamus, who were discussing which Hogwarts students over the age of seventeen might participate in the Triwizard Tournament.
"Someone said Warrington got up early this morning and put his name in," Dean told Harry. "That big guy from Slytherin, who looks like a sloth."
Harry, who had faced Warrington in Quidditch, shook his head in disgust upon hearing this. "We can't let a Slytherin student be our champion!"
"The Hufflepuff classmates are all talking about Diggory," Seamus said dismissively. "But I think he probably wouldn't risk his good looks."
"Listen!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed.
Loud cheers erupted from the lobby outside.
Everyone turned around, and Angelina Jensen walked into the Great Hall with a slightly embarrassed smile on her face—she was a tall, dark-skinned girl, the Chaser of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Angelina walked over to them, sat down, and said, "Wow, I did it! I submitted my name!"
"You're kidding, right!" Ron said, very surprised.
"So, are you seventeen yet?" Harry asked.
"Of course, didn't you see this beard?" Ron teased.
"It was my birthday last week," Angelina replied with a smile.
"Ah, I'm so glad Gryffindor finally has someone participating!" Hermione said with a smile. "I truly hope you succeed, Angelina!"
"Thank you, Hermione." Angelina smiled slightly, looking at Hermione with gratitude.
"Yeah, I'd rather it be you than that pretty boy Diggory," Seamus interjected, drawing angry glares from several Hufflepuff students passing by their table.
"So what shall we do today?" Ron asked, turning to Harry and Hermione.
By this time, they had finished breakfast and were preparing to leave the auditorium.
"Of course, it's domesticated—"
Before Hermione could finish explaining her plan, Harry suddenly pointed to the door.
"Look, Ron, that's your new friend—"
Ron turned his head and saw Durmstrang students filing out, led by Karkaroff.
In the crowd, he immediately noticed the tall girl who had asked for directions last night, walking at the front with Krum.
Selena seemed to notice him, smiled slightly, and walked gracefully toward them.
She gracefully stopped in front of Ron, her gaze casually sweeping over Hermione and Harry before settling on Ron. "Good morning, Ron."
Ron blushed instantly when she locked his gaze on him, and stammered, "Good morning, Selena."
Selena's smile brightened even more. "I heard you were also interested in participating last night. I wonder if you've already cast your name in the Goblet of Fire?"
Hermione noticed Ron's increasingly tense expression and her face darkened. She interjected, "Ron was just joking, Selena. The Goblet of Fire isn't something we can just get involved in, especially not this way." Her words grew sterner. "However, if you really want to communicate with us, Selena, I think you'd better learn about the rules of Hogwarts."
Selena looked up at Hermione, seemingly "surprised," but then smiled faintly and said in a relaxed tone, "Oh, I remember your name is Miss Granger, is that right? I think you're being overly sensitive. After all, we're both at Hogwarts now; communicating is natural, isn't it?"
Ron remained flustered, standing there with a flushed face, not daring to look up.
Just then, Beauxbatons' students came in through the front door from the field.
Kakarov greeted Mrs. Maxim and then huddled together to talk.
"I believe, Mrs. Maxim, that this selection process will be much fairer," he said, looking at the Goblet of Fire in the distance. "Regardless of these young men, we must ensure the fairness of the competition; the selection of the Goblet of Fire must be absolutely impartial."
Mrs. Maxim raised her eyes, glanced at Karkarov, and slowly replied, "Yes, Professor Karkarov, I completely agree."
"Every student should participate under fair conditions." Her tone was calm, her lips slightly pursed. "However, these young people seem a bit impatient." She smiled slightly, "Especially—"
Karkaroff tilted his head slightly, looking at the Goblet of Fire, a slight smile playing on his lips: "It seems they need a reminder that the Goblet of Fire is no joke."
Mrs. Maxim nodded, her gaze never leaving the Goblet of Fire: "Of course, Professor Karkaroff. Each chosen one represents not only himself, but also their school."
A slight smile appeared on Karkaroff's face. "I do hope we'll see some true 'warriors.'"
After the two exchanged pleasantries (sarcastically), those surrounding the Goblet of Fire retreated, and Selena returned to her team—which successfully saved Ron from his awkward situation.
The young wizards from the two schools lined up in two separate teams under the direction of their respective principals.
One by one, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's students crossed the age line and threw their parchments into the blue and white flames.
Whenever a name is thrown into the flames, the flames quickly turn red, followed by sparks.
"What do you think will happen to those who weren't chosen?" Ron whispered to Harry as Selena and Fleur tossed their notes into the Goblet of Fire. "Will they go back to their own schools, or stay here and watch the game?"
"I don't know," Harry answered softly, his eyes still fixed on the Goblet of Fire. "I guess they'll stay—Mr. Karkaroff and Mrs. Maxim are going to be referees here, aren't they?"
As all eyes were fixed on the Goblet of Fire, a figure with a limp was quietly moving into the auditorium.
His single eye swept across the air, then suddenly fixed on the elegant figure eating at the teachers' table—last night's memories pierced his temple like an ice pick, then exploded violently in his ears.
"Extremely painful!"