Hermione was surprised. When she knocked on Professor Breen's office door on the third floor of the main castle, she found that he already had visitors.
And they were precisely the "culprits" behind her recent conflict with Ron.
Professor Breen sat behind his desk, his fingers interlaced against his abdomen, calmly watching Malfoy, Parkinson, Nott, and the Greengrass Sisters—the Slytherin students who attended his physical education class.
"Ah, you arrived quickly, Miss Granger—"
Seeing Hermione's flushed cheeks and heavy breathing, Professor Breen raised a hand.
"Please wait a moment first—"
Hermione nodded awkwardly, pressing her lips together as she walked toward the sofa.
As she passed the display case, Hermione could not help but cast it a curious glance.
The exhibits in Professor Breen's display case, which was somewhat famous among the students, had increased considerably.
That was hardly surprising. With the new school year beginning, some students were bound to try taking advantage of the chaos to see whether they could sneak dangerous items into the school.
Yet among all the strange and unusual exhibits, the most eye-catching was still the grapevine cane from Vitia Criona.
Hermione gave the cane a swift, slightly awed glance before sitting upright on the sofa.
Malfoy and the others also gave Hermione a few indifferent looks, then lost interest in her.
The atmosphere was somewhat stifling.
Even the cool autumn breeze pouring through the window and the sound of waves rolling through the forest could not dispel the strange oppression in the office.
There were several documents on the desk, some concerning school affairs and others routine notices from the Ministry of Magic. Amosta flipped through them casually, then gathered them neatly and tossed them aside once he saw that there was nothing particularly important.
Smack—
The sound of the documents striking the