Crisis After the Joy!

Hermione screamed first, and a thought immediately popped into her head: This must be Sean's prank!

The fear and panic of leaving the ground made it difficult for her to adjust. The girl even decided fifteen seconds after takeoff that she would extend the time she didn't talk to Sean from one day to a week!

Hermione, who had dealt with Sean's pets many times, wasn't afraid of Buckbeak. She could only instinctively feel panicked, after all, suddenly flying into the sky wasn't exactly a surprise, and her Quidditch riding wasn't exactly good either.

Her first sensation was discomfort; Buckbeak's wings flapped constantly around her, feathers and muscles rubbing against her thighs. Moreover, the Hippogriff's flight was rapid and much more turbulent than Flying Broomstick, and Hermione was constantly worried that she would fall off if she wasn't careful.

"Sean! I'm going to kill you! Ah—"

With a swoop, she instinctively gripped Buckbeak's feathers. The Hippogriff shuddered uncomfortably, but continued to soar for Sean's sake.

After a while, Hermione's fear of flying had subsided considerably, and her body began to adapt to the rhythm of Buckbeak's flapping wings. She tried to open her eyes—which was not easy, as the Hippogriff much faster than she had imagined.

A strong wind howled, and Hermione, whose eyes were watering from the gusts of air, finally opened them a little wider.

Her vision was slightly blurred, but a scene she had never seen before appeared before her.

Hogwarts Castle was clearly and completely visible in her view, its towering towers reaching into the clouds, yet seemingly within reach. The weathered and majestic castle surrounded buildings imbued with historical charm, its long corridors and courtyards creating a breathtakingly beautiful sight from above.

Hogwarts Castle extends outwards, with a cobblestone path leading to the school gates and tall iron gates. Hermione felt she could even see the warthog's head hanging on them.

Beneath her lay the tranquil, deep Black Lake; to her left, she could see the three-way intersection leading to the Forbidden Forest; and to her right, an endless expanse of mountains and jungles.

At first glance, the mountains seem to be draped in a green Wizard Robes, with lush green leaves layered together, eventually merging into the boundless sky.

Hermione's adventurous spirit was suddenly ignited, and she suddenly felt that flying was not a scary thing anymore; she even wanted to shout.

The girl glanced back and saw that her classmates at the edge of the Forbidden Forest had become tiny dots, with Hagrid's large black dot standing out. Beside him was a familiar figure that she couldn't quite make out.

"Hmph." Hermione wrinkled her nose reproachfully. "It must have been you who did this..."

However, after confirming that no one could see her clearly, Hermione opened her arms wide, her smile widening, and finally couldn't help but shout.

"Whoa whoa--"

She felt all the pent-up frustration in her heart vanish in an instant.

The Buckbeak beneath her seemed to sense her joy, and after a long cry, it began a rapid dive.

Hermione was no longer afraid; in fact, she was looking forward to seeing what Buckbeak would do.

The Hippogriff glided swiftly down, its hooves lightly skimming the surface of the lake. The cool water splashed against Hermione's body, and the girl let out a series of silvery, cheerful laughs.

"Hey, Buckbeak, where are you taking me?" Hermione asked loudly, patting the hippogriff's head as it noticed the Hippogriff wasn't heading back.

"Screech—" Buckbeak let out a long cry.

As the lake widened, Hermione discovered that Buckbeak had led her to the edge of the Black Lake, where there were layered mountains and cliffs.

"We should go back—hmm? Where is that?" Hermione was about to urge Buckbeak back when a wide open meadow suddenly appeared before her.

This meadow is like a hidden paradise on the cliff, with vast expanses of pale pink flowers in full bloom.

"So beautiful..." Hermione murmured to herself, then slid off Buckbeak, who had already landed.

The flowers and grasses were swaying gently in the breeze from the lake. Even though they covered the whole mountain, the fragrance was not strong; it was just like soft clouds brushing against her nose.

"Is this the secret location that Sean discovered..." Hermione thought to herself, then a smile slowly spread across her face.

Buckbeak trotted around slowly twice on all fours, then walked up to Hermione with two pretty pink bouquets in his mouth.

Hermione took the bouquet and asked softly, "Did that guy make you do this?"

Buckbeak tilted its head and thought for a moment. Sean had asked him to bring the girl in front of him here, and then find two of the prettiest flowers to pick for her—it didn't know if they were pretty or not, it just felt that these two flowers were close together, so there was no need to look around anymore.

She wouldn't think the flowers aren't pretty enough, would she? That has nothing to do with me Hippogriff...

Buckbeak nodded, indicating that Sean had indeed instructed him to do so.

Hermione's face flushed slightly, and her eyebrows formed delicate, charming crescent shapes.

She looked down at the bouquet of flowers in her eyes, her gaze sparkling, and suddenly a beautiful smile bloomed on her face.

She recognized the flower in her hand: Evening Primrose.

Flower language: Silent love.

"Never mind... I'll let him go this time... "Hermione thought to herself.

"Damn, why did it take so long? Did Buckbeak catch some fish and eat them all by himself?" Sean thought helplessly as he gazed into the distance at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

That flower field was the place he discovered when he and the Basilisk reached an agreement. He didn't know anything about flowers and plants, but he was quite interested in man-eating flowers.

However, although I don't know what kind of colorful flowers there are, it looks very pretty, and girls should all like it, right? After this trip, Hermione shouldn't be angry with me anymore, right?

"I'm such a genius..." Sean raised his head with a hint of pride.

We just hope they can come back soon. There's only one Hippogriff, Buckbeak. If they don't come back soon, the students won't have any classes.

However, Sean's slight worries were immediately wiped away by another problem.

"All students, outdoor class is over. Return to the castle and assemble in the dining hall! Hagrid, please take them back. I need to go to the Quidditch Pitch again—" A figure appeared from the path and shouted to everyone.

That's Professor McGonagall.

What's going on...? Sean looked over in confusion and saw that Professor McGonagall looked anxious, not even noticing that her hair had come undone slightly.

"Professor," Hagrid's hoarse voice boomed, "What's going on? One student hasn't returned yet. Should I wait for her here?"

"What?!" Upon hearing this news, Professor McGonagall immediately rushed over anxiously.

"What happened?! Students have entered the Forbidden Forest?!" She gripped her wand tightly.

Just as Hagrid was about to answer, Sean immediately interrupted.

It's against school rules to let Hippogriff carry students, and Hagrid shouldn't be made the scapegoat.

"Professor, it's Hermione. Today we're learning about Hippogriff. Um, I made a decision on my own: let that guy take Hermione up in the sky and fly around a couple of times..."

"Mr. Wallop!" Professor McGonagall glared at him, then her expression became even more anxious. "Where did it fly off to?"

"Um, it should be around the edge of Black Lake," Sean pointed in the direction.

Professor McGonagall was horrified. "Oh my god... quick, quick, think of something, get Miss Granger back right away!"

"What happened?" Although he was puzzled, Sean could tell that something was definitely wrong.

While directing Hagrid to find the professor Professor McGonagall quickly explained, "Anyway, I'll tell you all about it later—there's been an escape from Azkaban!"

"What?" The sudden news stunned Sean.

Professor McGonagall's face was serious and anxious. "Not only Azkaban, but Soul-Devouring Tower in France, the Mountain Prison in the America, and even the prison at the headquarters of the Wizarding United Guard have experienced large-scale prison breaks. This must be an organized, large-scale terrorist operation!"

"After the Azkaban escape, Minister Crouch immediately ordered the pursuit of the prisoners and the protection of important locations. The Dementor from Azkaban have been mobilized in large numbers, and Hogwarts is also a place that needs to be checked and protected!"

Sean's pupils contracted slightly; this news was completely unexpected.

Professor McGonagall was so anxious... Sean's eyes widened in shock.

He took an anxious step forward. "The Dementor are here? Where are they stationed?"

Professor McGonagall, panting, said, "The orders were given very quickly! The Dementor are almost at the school. With Professor Dumbledore there, they dare not approach the school grounds, but the border is their main outpost!"

Hermione is going to encounter Dementor... Sean didn't have time to ask any more questions and ran straight towards the Black Lake.

"Wallerup, where are you going!" Professor McGonagall shouted from behind him.

"Hermione, Hermione is on the edge."

"Then what use are you! Come back now! Dementor have no feelings, and their nature cannot understand explanations or pleas for mercy! Come back now, and I will go and bring Miss Granger back!" Professor McGonagall shouted anxiously.

I know that Dementor don't distinguish between good and bad, or between the innocent and the guilty, which is why I have to go quickly!

Sean didn't even turn his head. "It's too late, Professor."

Hermione went to the place closest to the Hogwarts border!

He now only regretted not having taken more intensive Flying Class back then, and for always lending out the Nimbus 2001 that Sirius had given him; now he had nowhere to use it even if he wanted to.

Amidst everyone's worried gazes, Sean quickly ran to the Black Lake, then pulled out his wand and began casting Explosion Charm on the lake's surface.

Huge splashes of water rose from the lake surface, and fish were occasionally blasted onto the ground.

At the same time, Sean cast a Sonorus Charm on himself, and a strange, horse-neighing sound came from his mouth, echoing across the entire lake.

"Come quick, buddy, if you don't come soon I'm going to use the Flying Charm..." Sean cried out anxiously in his heart.

"What's wrong with Sean..." The students looked at each other in confusion.

"Granger flew too far, what can he do now..." one student said.

Harry and his friends were also looking at Sean anxiously, "If only we had Flying Broomstick..."

"Hurry up, buddy, you must still be here. Didn't I have the Basilisk bring you a lot of food last time?" Sean shouted in a high-pitched, drawn-out, strange voice while staring intently at the lake.

Suddenly, more bubbles surged up from the lake water that had been bombarded by the Explosion Charm, and a dark shadow was rising from the lakeside, its shadow growing larger and larger.

"They're here!" Sean's eyes lit up.

"Wallerup, Wallerup, come back!" Professor McGonagall was running over, carrying her robes.

Just as everyone was wondering, suddenly, a huge splash of water shot into the sky with a loud 'whoosh' from the gradually calming lake surface!

"What is this..." Professor McGonagall stopped and took out her wand.

To the students' horror, an enormous monster appeared on the lake. It seemed to rise rapidly to the surface and then leap up, crashing heavily onto the lake and creating a huge wave.

It was a huge, horse-shaped monster covered in long seaweed and with round, black eyes. Its snow-white front teeth were terrifying given its enormous size. In the chaos, some girls even screamed in terror.

Only Hagrid suddenly remembered his experience of being turned into a flail and spun around in the sky dozens of times.

"The Grindylow!" Harry and Malfoy exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

"What are you looking at!" The two glared at each other simultaneously.

"Neigh—" the Grindylow let out a loud, excited cry.

Sean straddled it and immediately ordered, "Quick, over there, as fast as you can, buddy."

With another long cry, the Grindylow plunged into the water without hesitation and swam quickly in the direction Sean pointed!

Sean, who had been holding his breath for a while, immediately closed his eyes, and the icy lake water enveloped him.

The enormous, abnormal Grindylow in the Black Lake possessed a swimming speed as terrifying as its normal-sized counterparts. Sean could only feel the icy water constantly brushing against his body, and he also felt seaweed, debris, or small fish bumping into him.

With a "splash," the Grindylow -Grindylow leaped gracefully out of the water. Sean didn't even open his eyes before taking a deep breath and diving back into the lake, swimming rapidly.

Although the Black Lake was enormous, Sean was not far from Hermione, and the Grindylow was extremely diligent; in just three breaths, the Grindylow brought back the message.

We're almost at the lake.

Sean tugged at the other's seaweed-like mane, signaling it to float to the surface.

The Grindylow slowed down and then leaped out of the water again. Sean vigorously wiped the lake water off his face and looked ahead.

The lake water seemed to suddenly turn cold, and even the air he inhaled stung Sean's lungs.

The scene before him made his breathing suddenly become heavy.

Rotting skeletons draped in black robes floated in the air, closing in on Buckbeak and Hermione in the clearing!