Hermione's Secret Investigation

The sound of the candy shattering brought Hermione back to reality, and she mustered her courage to ask, "But why?"

"Why didn't they contain the Basilisk Basilisk they knew there was one in the school? Why did they let it run rampant? Why didn't they stand up and clarify things when Harry was misunderstood?"

The little Witch rattled off a string of questions, her emotions running high. She spoke until her throat was dry, then picked up her cup, gulped down the sugar water, and then frowned at the sweetness.

It's hilarious to have a sore throat but still have to force yourself to maintain a serious expression.

Dumbledore suppressed a laugh, slowly picked up the teapot again, and poured her another cup. "Black tea, it will soothe your throat."

The steam rising from the cup carries a mouthwatering aroma of tea, indicating that this is not sugar water.

I was asking such a serious question... Hermione hesitated, but her throat was sore, so she had to pick up her cup and drink the black tea.

But she glared fiercely at Dumbledore, firmly stating her position. "Don't change the subject, you must give me an explanation!"

Dumbledore's shoulders slumped slightly, his eyebrows drooping to the sides, highlighting his old age. He said in a sighing and helpless tone, "Many years ago, I witnessed Voldemort gather the forces of the Death Eater and stir up turmoil in the Wizarding World. Every day, I received news of innocent people being killed. People said I was the only one who could deal with him."

"But I can't stop him, Hermione." Dumbledore's voice was weak, even trembling.

Hermione panicked and stammered, "Headmaster, no, don't say that. We all know you are the most powerful wizard. Voldemort's only fear was you. You protected so many people back then."

Dumbledore waved his hand. "Hermione, I have never considered myself the most powerful wizard. Perhaps in my youth, I made a name for myself by relying on some insignificant talent in magic."

"But now, I am old," Dumbledore said softly. "You must be wondering, what does this have to do with the Basilisk?"

Hermione nodded with difficulty.

"Voldemort has been lying low for ten years, and his tricks are becoming more and more numerous and outrageous. Hermione, you are a smart girl, do you understand? He is coming back soon."

"Twelve years ago, Harry defeated Voldemort, which earned him the respect of many, but also incurred Voldemort's hatred and revenge. I hope he can grow up quickly and learn enough to protect himself, to resist Voldemort's persecution." Dumbledore looked at Hermione.

Many doubts that had existed before were instantly resolved under this premise. After sorting out her thoughts for a moment, Hermione realized it all. "So it was the same in the first year, you thought Harry had the right to face Voldemort, and deliberately let him learn many useful things. And this year it's the same, with the Basilisk confronting Voldemort, was this also planned?"

Hermione was a little angry, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what she was angry about.

Dumbledore frankly admitted. "Yes, Loren inadvertently revealed Harry's Parselmouth to me, and with my conscious guidance, many people have become suspicious of Harry. This is exactly what I wanted to see; mental strength is just as important as magical strength."

Hermione was still furious. She didn't think it was right to do this, "But what about Colin and Justin? They're innocent, yet they have to stay in the hospital for half a year because they were attacked by the Basilisk. That's not fair to them!"

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "I realize my mistake, and I will try my best to earn their forgiveness, whether it is Mr. Creevey. Colin Creevey or Mr. Justin Mr. Finnegan."

Hermione was speechless and sat sullenly in her chair.

Impressed by the little Witch's kindness, Dumbledore didn't let the silence continue. He took out a box of Lemon Drop from the drawer and handed it to her.

"Professor McGonagall said you came to see me because of Professor Black. Is there something wrong with him?"

"Um, Professor," Hermione composed herself, pulling her thoughts back from what had just happened, "I feel like there seems to be some kind of entanglement between Loren and Professor Black ..."

The Lemon Drop sat untouched on the table, its delicate silverware swirling and emitting wisps of white smoke.

After Hermione recounted all the signs, Dumbledore didn't think she was overthinking it... He tapped his large fingers on the table, making a dull sound.

After a long pause, Dumbledore spoke, "I will investigate this matter carefully, and I will inform you as soon as there is any progress."

Seeing that the little Witch had become much more serious after his actions, he smiled instead, "Don't worry, Hermione. I don't think Loren would cook his Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at school, would he?"

Hermione chuckled at this remark.

"I suppose today's conversation is a little secret between us, isn't it?" Dumbledore winked at her.

"Can't we even talk about the Basilisk?" Hermione asked, somewhat disappointed.

"It's best not to."

No, I don't want to keep it a secret. I want to beat up Loren openly and honestly... But facing Dumbledore's gaze, Hermione reluctantly agreed.

Although I learned some incredible news, it seems that all of today's plans have failed.

Hermione turned to leave listlessly when she suddenly heard Dumbledore's voice coming from behind her—

"In addition, Professor McGonagall has a lot of school affairs to attend to. I think you can take my approval slip and ask Professor Flitwick to teach you Apparition."

"Really?" Hermione looked up in surprise. "Thank you, Professor!"

After the little Witch left, Fawkes, who was preening his new feathers, looked up from under his armpits and kept making disgusted chirping noises.

"What are you saying? How can you say that to me?" Dumbledore retorted with a pained expression. "How is this deceiving a child? I haven't lied!"

In the Headmaster's office, Fawkes chirped...

Homework from the Christmas break wasn't collected immediately upon returning to school; it was collected only when the professor taught the subject. This created a time lag, giving Harry and Ron enough time to pull off a miracle.

Hogwarts Library, a corner by the window.

In his pursuit of speed, he wrote so many strokes that they resembled the claw marks of Banshee. Ron looked at his 1.5x line spacing and silently admired his own ingenuity.

Harry finished around the same time, looked up and exchanged a glance with Ron, and smiled at each other, everything understood without a word.

Having dealt with the Basilisk Incident, the two felt completely at ease and had so much fun during their Christmas holiday that they didn't touch their homework at all.

Neville poked his head out and curiously examined Ron's paper. "Care and Growth Process of Mandrake Autumn and Winter?"

Let's look at Harry's paper on the other side. "The Cultivation and Maturation Process of Mandrake in Spring and Summer?"

Finally, they saw another paper, densely written, placed between the two of them—"Analysis of the biological characteristics and functions of Mandrake".

Neville: "..."

He couldn't help but complain, "You guys split Hermione's paper in half and turned it into two other papers?!"

Harry smiled shyly.

Luna looked up from a strangely shaped book, "100 Unsolved Mysteries of the Wizarding World," sized up the two of them for a moment, and exclaimed in amazement, "What a groundbreaking idea! You should work at my dad's newspaper after you graduate. He's always worried about the content of the newspaper, and he'll definitely like you."

Upon hearing this, Ron proudly puffed out his chest, a reserved smile on his face.

Ginny's eyes stung with her silly look, and she quickly pulled Luna away. Ginny thought it was a mistake to have brought her friend along.

Neville kept shaking his head. "Be careful Professor Sprout finds out and sends you to fertilize the Mandrake and lull Mandrake to sleep."

As the image of tending to Mandrake flashed through their minds, Harry and Ron both shuddered.

Harry patted his chest, comforting himself, "What's done is done, so let it be."

Ron nodded in agreement. "That's right, that's right, anyway, it's impossible to rewrite it."

The two drew courage from each other and rallied their fighting spirit once more. "Next subject!"

Hermione watched the whole farce unfold, her eyes glued to Harry, Dumbledore's voice echoing in her mind. "... the power of the mind... the power of magic..."

The little Witch was somewhat dazed. Did Dumbledore's words have anything to do with the Harry in front of her...? She couldn't see any signs of power in him at all.

In a daze, Loren's voice seemed closer and clearer in my ears.

"Hermione, Hermione?" Loren nudged the little Witch's shoulder. "Why have you been so absent-minded these past few days? Haven't you been sleeping well at night?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Hermione replied dryly.

She wanted to confront Loren about their conversation that day and give him a good beating, but she also constantly reminded herself to keep it a secret.

Hermione struggles between two conflicting feelings, so much so that she can't concentrate on her books, and now she gets anxious whenever she sees Loren.

"By the way, why do you smell like Gillyweed essence on you? Where are you injured—"

Before Loren could finish speaking, Hermione's mind went completely blank.

Oh no! I forgot that Loren's Potions Master grades were always O, and I forgot that he has a nose even more sensitive than Fang's!

Yesterday I practiced Apparition with Professor Flitwick. The Gillyweed essence was prepared by the professor to prevent it from Splinching, but I didn't expect it could still be smelled after a day.

Hermione was so flustered she could barely speak, "No Splinching, no Splinching, just a backup..."

"What do Splinching?"

Meeting Loren's suspicious gaze, Hermione almost wanted to shut her mouth, but thankfully her mind worked quickly. "What do you mean by Splinching? You must have misheard me. I said Lavender bumped her head on the bed frame last night. We went with her to see Madam Pomfrey and used Gillyweed essence. That's why I'll have that scent on me."

"Really?" Loren's voice trailed off, his disbelief practically written all over his face.

His raised eyebrows made Hermione's heart pound. She grabbed his restless eyebrows and said firmly, "What's there to doubt?"

Delicate, pale fingers pressed against his face. The faint medicinal scent of the Gillyweed essence mingled with the fresh fragrance of detergent on the girl's body, deepening Loren's doubts: "But—"

"There are so many questions! Stop asking!"

"Oh."

——

The exams for the Animagus class were scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, which was also followed by a A History of Magic class.

This is the first A History of Magic class after the holidays. Second-year wizards are required to hand in their Christmas holiday homework: three three-inch parchment papers.

One by one, the students in the classroom handed in their assignments to Professor Binns's desk, but Ron sat nervously in his seat, clutching his double-spaced paper and not daring to hand it in.

Yes, he was more restrained in his Herbology paper, using only 1.5 line spacing, but when it came to Professor Binns, who seemed less lucid, he boldly used double line spacing.

The young wizards of Gryffindor all admired his courage and eagerly awaited the outcome. If Professor Binns truly didn't mind this groundbreaking achievement, they would spend half the time on their future A History of Magic assignments.

However, it takes courage to do homework like this, and it takes another kind of courage to hand it in in front of the teacher.

Clearly, Ron lacks that courage now.

Ron was surrounded by Harry, Seamus, Dean, and others, who peeked around him, constantly encouraging him and giving him courage.

"Go for it, Ron, hand it in quickly."

You are making history!

"If you succeed, your name will be engraved on the fireplace in Gryffindor, forever!"

Time slowly passed, and finally only Ron hadn't handed in his assignment. He stood up shakily, then suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of courage. He strode forward and casually spread the parchment in front of Professor Binns, placing it on top of all the assignments.

Professor Binns's perpetually expressionless ghostly face seemed to twitch slightly, and his eyes flickered with emotion.

But that was all. Ron felt relieved, let out a long sigh, and sat back down in his original seat like a hero.

The surrounding young wizards suppressed their fervent emotions, holding their voices low but excitedly shouting, "Weasley Is Our King! Weasley Is Our King!"

Hermione looked at Harry, who was leading the commotion, and only one thought came to her mind: Headmaster Dumbledore has probably entrusted the wrong person.

Loren, who sat at the same table, watched the scene unfold with great interest, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

He doesn't have any extra thoughts. No matter what subject the homework is, he always completes it to the teacher's minimum standard, without doing more or being lazy.

Except for Potions Master.

If he completes the task to the minimum standard, Snape will assume he's slacking off and will give him extra work elsewhere.

Because of Ron's stimulation, Professor Binns became more lively, but when he began to lecture, the classroom returned to its familiar hypnotic atmosphere.

Loren didn't want to listen to the lecture, and Hermione wouldn't let him sleep. Bored, he reached out to fiddle with the school badge on Hermione's robe sleeve.

Produced by Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, the official Hogwarts uniform, the quality is quite reliable. Even after being scratched by fingernails, there were no loose threads or exposed seams.

Hermione looked exasperated as she heard the occasional "click" sound.

That's how it is in the A History of Magic class; if she doesn't let Loren sleep, Loren will find something to bother her with, and he'll justify it by saying it's to keep her awake.

In class, she couldn't very well stand up and beat Loren up in front of the professor. After a few compromises, they reached an understanding.

Loren wasn't content with just deducting the school badge; he also took the opportunity to whisper sweet nothings to her, like right now.

Loren poked the school badge with his index finger. "How's your Animagus exam preparation going? Are you confident?"

Hermione listened attentively to the lesson, but didn't answer, pretending not to hear.

Loren nudged her arm again. "What did you ask Professor McGonagall the other day? Can you give me a crash course?"

Hermione listened attentively to the lesson, but didn't answer, pretending not to hear.

The next second, the fingers that had been poking her arm started poking her cheek. Her cheeks were soft and fleshy, but the fingernails were sharp.

Hermione elbowed him in the chest. "Pay attention in class, why do you have so many questions?"

Loren, feeling the pain, finally behaved himself.

Five minutes later, the sewn school badge was fastened again with a clicking sound...