Uh-Oh, Her Cover's Blown

Although Hermione had been seething with rage, practically wanting to chop Fudge and Umbridge into pieces and feed them to Fluffy, Hermione quickly calmed down once she turned and walked away, out of earshot of their foul language.

Feeling the pull of his robes being tugged, Loren turned around and saw Hermione looking hesitant.

Hermione opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I... I have some questions about the Animagus to ask Professor McGonagall. You can continue your tour; I'll be going now."

After saying that, she turned to leave.

"You do seem to have a problem..." Loren reached out and tugged at her robe, asking suspiciously, "Aren't we reviewing what we learned last semester? What new problem do you have?"

Hermione stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Loren, Loren was also looking at her, his eyes seeming to say—

Something's wrong with you. You're acting very strangely.

Hermione blinked rapidly, trying to come up with a question to answer. But she wasn't good at lying, so she simply gave up on making up an excuse, grabbed her clothes and twisted them a few times, managing to break free from Loren's grasp.

"Oh, never mind that. I just have questions for Professor McGonagall."

"Hey, no... you're acting weird today." Loren reached out and grabbed her clothes again, not wanting her to leave.

Hermione decided not to fight him anymore, and with a heavy heart, she pushed Loren backward until they were backed against the wall of the stone tunnel. The little Witch pressed down hard a few times, as if trying to embed him into the wall so he couldn't catch up.

The series of large movements stunned him, leaving him bewildered. Hermione then withdrew her hand, and with a seemingly serious expression, instructed him, "Stay put and don't ask any questions."

He turned his head and muttered under his breath, "Nagging..."

Loren watched the girl's retreating figure, tilted his head, and was filled with questions.

Some of the younger wizards around them noticed them and began to cast teasing glances. Loren thought for a moment, then decided not to pursue the matter further; after all, everyone has their little secrets.

He turned and disappeared into the crowd watching the snakeskin.

The outer circle consisted of young wizards watching, while the inner circle held Ministry of Magic officials taking measurements and collecting evidence. Professor Snape was also present. Snape paced slowly around the snakeskin, monitoring the Ministry of Magic officials to prevent them from stealing Hogwarts ' property.

With nothing else to do, Loren stayed close to Professor Snape, and the two spoke in hushed tones.

"Greedy and insatiable, that Cornelius Fudge is no different from Pure-blood Families." Snape warned the Ministry of Magic officials with his eyes while introducing him with a disdainful tone.

"In 1990, after the previous Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnore, resigned, Barty Crouch, who was the most prestigious at the time, lost his chance to run because of his Death Eater son, Dumbledore senile, refused to serve as Minister for Magic. The lucky Cornelius Fudge thus took over."

"1990? That means he'd only been in office for a few years."

"That's the most ridiculous thing." Snape's lips curled into a mocking smile. "When he first took office, he could only rely on Dumbledore's support to keep the Ministry of Magic running. He had to write to Dumbledore for advice on everything. Some people gave him a nickname— Dumbledore's echo."

Loren couldn't help but chuckle. What Fudge mean by being young and having to consult Dumbledore on politics? Now that he's powerful enough, we must be wary of Dumbledore rebelling.

"Later, the Pure-blood Families kept praising him, and he now felt that he was fully capable of being the minister, and he had no intention of giving up power in the short term."

"That's just how Dumbledore is, always doing unnecessary things. If he hadn't chosen Fudge..."

Upon seeing a Ministry of Magic employee trying to cut a large piece of snakeskin, Snape cast a spell that burst forth with light.

It had no real power; it was merely a warning to the Ministry of Magic employee not to tamper with it.

The junior employee gave an embarrassed smile, then buried his head and continued taking measurements, obediently following the standard sampling method and ensuring that each sample was no larger than the size of a fingernail.

"Greedy." Snape sneered. "I've already given them a chest of Snake Scale, a chest of flesh and blood, and a chest of snake bones, and they still want to take the whole snakeskin back to the Ministry of Magic."

"Can the school refuse?" Loren asked.

"Ha, of course. Otherwise, what do you think Professor McGonagall has been doing all this time? Even the Board of Governors has no right to interfere with the school's decisions now."

Their conversation gradually became dull, turning to topics like the application of the Sectumsempra and the exploration of the medicinal value of the Basilisk Materials...

Meanwhile, Hermione arrived at the Transfiguration professor's office. When she pushed open the door, Professor McGonagall was replying to a student's parent's letter.

There was a whole stack of envelopes piled up together; it was impossible for Hermione not to see them.

Having spent so much time with Loren, Hermione had developed a more easygoing personality. Seeing Professor McGonagall put down her quill, she couldn't help but ask, "Reply to the letters? Headmaster Dumbledore also said he would reply to the students' parents. So many parents write to us every semester?"

Professor McGonagall's breathing quickened visibly, and she suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, "Dumbledore? A reply?"

"He has given me all the letters he has written to students' parents, as long as they are not specifically addressed to him."

Hermione shrank back, her intuition telling her she shouldn't continue this topic.

After scolding Dumbledore for a while, Professor McGonagall calmed down. She still had a good impression of the little Witch: "What can I do for you, Miss Granger?"

Hermione lowered her head, fidgeted with the hem of her robe, and whispered, "Professor, I want to learn Apparition."

"Apparition?!"

The word made Professor McGonagall laugh in anger. Her nostrils flared as she exhaled heavily. "How could you possibly think I agreed to let you break the Ministry of Magic's rules and disregard the dangers of this spell, allowing a young wizard to practice Apparition on his own before the age of 17?"

Hermione's anger immediately suppressed her remaining courage. If it were any other professor, she might have argued her case, but this was Professor McGonagall, the Professor McGonagall she respected most.

Oh no, Loren killed us!

Hermione hung her head, staring intently at her shoes, and stammered, "But, but... I..."

"It must have been Mr. Morgan who inspired you, right?"

Hermione looked up abruptly, staring at her incredulously.

How could Professor McGonagall know that?

That makes sense, how could Professor McGonagall not know...

Professor McGonagall glared and said somewhat angrily, "Filius has been deceived. He was misled by Morgan's words and believes that I asked Morgan to come to him to learn Apparition."

"Huh?" Hermione's mouth dropped open.

She found it absurd, yet also felt that it was something Loren was capable of doing.

"But... why... why..." Hermione stammered, unable to finish her sentence.

"Because of Dumbledore, after he learned of this, he asked me and Filius to let it go. At Dumbledore's insistence, we did not pursue Loren's wrongdoing."

Professor McGonagall had a terrible headache when it came to the two mischievous kids, one old and one young. One was incredibly audacious, and the other helped the audacious one clean up his messes.

Hermione asked hesitantly, "Then, can I still learn Apparition?"

Professor McGonagall didn't answer her, but stared straight at the little Witch until Hermione got the answer from Professor McGonagall's eyes.

"Oh," Hermione replied listlessly; her plan had been aborted before it even began.

Professor McGonagall truly adored the little Witch. She sighed and comforted her, "Don't worry, when you're old enough, there will be special Apparition Teaching Class. You'll learn in just a few weeks."

"Professor McGonagall, I have something else to do." Hermione had no choice but to temporarily abandon Apparition and focus on another matter.

"You say."

"I want to see Headmaster Dumbledore. I have something important to tell him," Hermione replied.

Professor McGonagall looked at her suspiciously. It was no wonder McGonagall was suspicious; anyone who had overheard the conversation would have assumed that Hermione was going to Dumbledore for special privileges to learn Apparition.

"Hermione, listen, Morgan is a very special case. Apparition is not a spell you should be using right now. Be patient, don't rush, you have plenty of time," Professor McGonagall tried to reassure her.

Hermione almost laughed, "Professor, it's not Apparition, it's something else, about the new Professor Black."

"Professor Black? Is there something wrong with him?" Professor McGonagall asked, puzzled.

Hermione avoided Professor McGonagall's gaze and said cautiously, "I... I can't say yet. I want to tell Headmaster Dumbledore first."

Professor McGonagall nodded without saying much. Although she was also curious, she was happy to give the headmaster something to do since she could simply pass the task to Dumbledore.

After leaving the office with Hermione, the two went to the Third Floor corridor, quietly turned a corner, and stopped in front of an extremely ugly stone monster.

Hermione heard Professor McGonagall say the command "Fruit Jelly Ball," and the monster in front of her suddenly came to life, jumping to the side. The wall behind the monster split in two, revealing a spiral staircase with steps that went up like an escalator.

Hermione had heard Loren mention it before, but this was the first time she had walked this path with Professor McGonagall. The two ascended the spiral staircase, spiraling higher and higher, until they arrived at a Winky oak door.

Hermione knew where she had been taken; it must be where Dumbledore lived.

Professor McGonagall picked up the Brass Door Knocker knocker shaped like Griffin and knocked. The door opened silently, and they went inside.

The spacious, round, beautiful room was filled with all sorts of amusing little noises. On the table sat many strange little silver objects, spinning and emitting wisps of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of the former male and female principals, each gently snoring in their respective frames.

The Sorting Hat on the shelf, Fawkes the Phoenix Gilded Perch —while Hermione was looking around the Headmaster's office, Professor McGonagall exchanged a few words with Dumbledore and then left.

After what seemed like an eternity, Hermione finally came to her senses and noticed Dumbledore sitting behind the table, smiling at her. He showed no trace of the disappointment she had felt while talking to Cornelius Fudge in the Chamber of Secrets.

This was Hermione's first time alone with Dumbledore. Although they had talked several times in the ward, Hermione was still a little nervous.

Dumbledore gestured for Hermione to sit down, picked up the teapot on the table and poured her some tea, his voice tinged with amusement. "You're different from Loren. When he first came here, the first thing he noticed was me, not the furnishings in the room."

There was a strange hint of jealousy in the old man's tone. Hermione paused for a moment. Was Headmaster Dumbledore blaming her for not looking at him first...?

Without realizing it, Hermione felt much less reserved. She subconsciously took the teacup Dumbledore offered and took a small sip.

Sweet!?

Take another sip.

It's not only sweet, but so sweet it's almost cloying.

"Excuse me, should I ask what you would like to drink first?"

Noticing the surprise in her eyes, Dumbledore kindly asked, "I also have juice, milk, black tea, Butterbeer..."

"That's enough, that's enough," Hermione quickly stopped her. She was there to discuss business, not to have afternoon tea.

"The secret to this is to use plenty of sugar cubes and honey." Dumbledore winked at her. "Loren likes it too. Looks like I'm not so old that I've lost touch with the tastes of young people, am I?"

Hermione nodded reluctantly.

Thinking of Loren's mysterious behavior and his secret with Dumbledore, Hermione asked curiously, "When was the first time Loren came here?"

"Well, it must have been the first night after the Sorting Ceremony that he noticed Wormtail Peter —that is, Scabbers the rat—as suspicious," Dumbledore replied.

Earlier than she thought... Hermione felt that Dumbledore easier to talk to than she had imagined, and she tentatively asked another question, "What were you and Loren talking about that day at Hagrid's Hut?"

Feeling that the question was a bit too much, Hermione quickly added, "If you can't say, or if it needs to be kept secret, then you don't have to tell me."

Dumbledore smiled and began rummaging through drawers for candy, "Don't be so nervous, it's not a secret. If you ask me, if Loren were here, he would tell you too."

He pulled out a box of Cockroach Clusters, thought for a moment, and then switched to the Licorice Wands. Dumbledore opened the box and handed the candy to Hermione: "To research a way to deal with the Basilisk's eyes."

Hermione's hand trembled violently as she took the candy, staring at Dumbledore in shock. "What!?"

Several Licorice Wands spilled out and broke on the table.

"You, you... Loren, you knew all along, knew about the Basilisk?!" Hermione's lips trembled.

Dumbledore picked up the Licorice Wands from the table, put it in his mouth and crunched it, quietly waiting for Hermione to process the news.

Telling Hermione about the relevant matters was a conclusion he reached after careful consideration.

Fearing that Loren might be manipulated by Voldemort and lured into a dark abyss, using magical items comparable to holy artifacts for the wrong reasons, including the Sorcerer's Stone.

Using Miss Granger to win Loren's heart is the best way.

Dumbledore was very willing to believe in the goodness in Loren's heart and the beautiful light hidden in his soul. But his disappointment with Fudge and with his own initial choice made him want to be more cautious.

"The Basilisk's gaze was too dangerous. I was looking for a way to preserve the petrifying Magic Power in the Basilisk's gaze while removing the life-stealing Magic Power."

No wonder, no wonder all the victims were coincidentally petrified.

Visit Filch, inquire about Moaning Myrtle, and prepare Polyjuice Potion...

Countless scenes of investigating with Loren flashed through his mind, finally settling on—

It was her first Duel Club event. She had just finished a hand-to-hand fight with Millicent. As Loren straightened his magic robe, he asked, "Are you sure you pulled hair from her head? You can't have made a mistake, can you?"

Is there no mistake...?

Is there no mistake...?

Hermione screamed internally... He knew, he knew everything, he had known all along!

A mixture of shyness and anger momentarily blinded Hermione; all she wanted to do was beat him up, really beat him up.

Beside him, Dumbledore snapped a Licorice Wands in half with a deft bite, looking utterly relaxed.