Sleeping Potion Turned into Bewitching Potion

Hermione regretted agreeing to help the two of them, but since she had agreed, she would not go back on her word.

What did it take to abduct Abei? Someone familiar, a chicken leg, and a sleeping potion.

Now that all three conditions had been met, Hermione was still somewhat uneasy, but Harry and Ron were brimming with confidence, certain that they would succeed this time.

By dinnertime, students from all four Houses gradually gathered around the four Long Tables in the Great Hall.

As usual, Aaron set down his pet cat and calmly enjoyed his meal.

At the Gryffindor table, Ron exchanged a glance with Harry, then gave Hermione a subtle look: It was her turn. If she missed this chance, she would have to wait until next time.

Hermione hesitated for a moment, but she still rose and walked over to Aaron.

Before she could figure out how to begin, Aaron spoke first. "Hermione, what did you need me for?"

"Well... aren't the Final Exams coming up? I've been under a lot of pressure, so I wanted to borrow Abei for a while." Hermione said awkwardly. "This little guy is especially warm to hold. He helps people relax."

Abei immediately lifted his proud dragon head, looking as though praise would not make him happy.

Yet the hat on his head mysteriously rose by a centimeter, betraying his secret delight.

"You're under pressure?" Draco, seated across from Aaron, could no longer stand it. "Are you kidding? I'm the one under pressure! If my father finds out I lost to you, who knows how badly he'll punish me!"

"Then work harder! As long as your Grades aren't lower than mine, that'll be enough." Hermione said haughtily. She did not have nearly as much patience for Malfoy.

"I..." Draco faltered. He knew how wide the gap between him and Hermione, the top student, was. But even if he lost, he could not lose face. He could not lose in momentum. "I'll prove it to you."

"I'll be watching." Hermione turned to Aaron. "Can I borrow Abei for one night?"

Aaron hesitated. If he had been holding a cat, he would definitely have lent it to her, but this was a damn dragon!

Generally speaking, girls had little resistance to Abei, but if she noticed the wings beneath his clothes, that would be a real problem.

"If you can't, then forget it. I won't make things difficult for you." Hermione said, sounding wronged, though no one noticed the relief hidden beneath that grievance.

As long as Aaron refused, Harry and Ron's plan would fail, and she would not have to go against her conscience and abduct a cat.

"It's not that you can't." Aaron said. "But you have to promise me that you'll take good care of him. And make sure no one else touches him, much less takes off his clothes."

"So he sleeps in clothes at night?" Hermione asked in confusion.

Abei's face immediately showed grievance. Although the clothes Jeans had specially made for him were stretchy and breathable enough to be used as pajamas, over the past few months, he had only been able to take them off when changing clothes. It was enough to make any dragon sigh.

"More or less." Aaron rubbed Abei's head. "He's especially sensitive to cold."

"I see. All right! I promise I'll take good care of him." Hermione said firmly. As for the rest, she could not guarantee it. She could only hope Harry and Ron's plan went smoothly and that nothing went wrong.

"Good. After dinner, I'll hand him over to you."

Hermione nodded and headed back to the Gryffindor table, not wanting Aaron to see the conflicted look on her face.

"You're really going to lend him to her?" Draco asked suspiciously. Aaron usually treated Abei like a treasure and would not even let others touch him, yet now he was lending him out just like that.

"I keep my word." Aaron shrugged. "Besides, it's not that big a deal, is it? If you wanted to borrow him, I could lend him to you too."

"Really?" Excitement appeared on Draco's face. Just as he was about to say something, Abei, who had been waiting placidly to be fed, suddenly bared his teeth, leaving Draco thoroughly embarrassed.

"Forget it. I'm not a girl who needs cute things to comfort me when I'm under pressure. I have my own ways of venting." Draco said sullenly. Then he turned to Crabbe and Goyle, who were stuffing themselves nearby. "You two, come take a walk outside with me after dinner."

"No problem, boss." Crabbe replied through a mouthful of food.

Goyle, meanwhile, nodded repeatedly. A walk after dinner was perfectly reasonable!

Draco let out a long sigh. Having these two followers was truly exasperating. They were loyal, but their abilities were average at best.

On the other side, Hermione returned to her seat and was immediately met by two questioning gazes.

"Don't worry. Aaron already agreed. But you two absolutely, absolutely, absolutely have to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"That definitely won't be a problem." Harry stressed the word "definitely." "We have the Invisibility Cloak. No one will notice."

Seeing how confident the two of them were, Hermione said nothing more. She only hoped time would pass faster. The sooner this was done, the better. Every extra second was torment for her.

After dinner, people gradually left the Great Hall. There were only a dozen or so students from all four Houses left, and more than half of them were foodies.

"We're leaving first." Draco said, then dragged his two lackeys out.

Aaron nodded, then looked solemnly at Abei. "This is your first time staying over at someone else's place. Remember to behave yourself, understand?"

Abei nodded, then rubbed against Aaron's palm, showing his reluctance to part.

"Haha, all right. I trust Hermione. Nothing should happen tonight. Besides, you'll have to grow up eventually. We can't stay together forever. Think of this as getting used to it in advance."

Aaron comforted him for quite a while before carrying him toward the Gryffindor table.

At this point, aside from the leftover dishes, only five people remained at the table.

Two older students, Hermione, Harry, and Ron.

"Hermione!"

At the sudden call, Hermione trembled involuntarily before turning around sheepishly. "Sorry, I was thinking about something and didn't notice you."

"Looks like you really are under quite a bit of pressure." Aaron teased. He placed Abei in her arms. "I'll leave him with you. Just return him to me at breakfast tomorrow."

"Mm." Hermione's voice was as thin as a thread, and she did not even dare look up and meet his eyes.

"Is she all right?" Aaron frowned slightly.

"She should be... fine." Harry said. "Hermione's just a little tired. She'll be fine after she goes back and gets some sleep."

Aaron did not suspect anything. He turned and headed for the doors. Only after he left the Great Hall did Hermione finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She glared resentfully at Harry and Ron. "You'd better not involve me in this kind of thing again, or I'll absolutely cut ties with both of you."

"Got it. There won't be a next time." Ron said, pulling out a chicken leg he had deliberately saved. "I prepared something good for him."

Abei's eyes lit up at the sight of the chicken leg, but he turned to look at Hermione instead. Those large eyes made her feel somewhat guilty.

"Fine! If you want to eat it, then eat it!"

Abei instantly jumped onto the table and began gnawing on it, completely failing to notice the triumphant smiles on the faces of the two people across from him.

When Harry and Ron saw Abei's reaction, their hearts finally settled. Only they themselves knew just how difficult the past few days had been.

Abei did not eat slowly. Finishing off a chicken leg took only minutes.

Soon, a chicken bone was all that remained on the plate. Abei patted his belly in satisfaction. Just as he was about to jump back into Hermione's arms, his head began to spin and countless overlapping images filled his vision.

He unsteadily stretched out a front paw, then collapsed onto the table.

Hermione decisively picked him up and gently patted his head, full of concern. "Abei will be all right, won't he?"

"He'll be fine. I only added three drops. He should wake up after sleeping for six hours."

"Wait!" Harry frowned. "How much did you say you added?"

"Three drops of Sleeping Potion!"

"Hehe." Harry slapped his forehead. "I was worried you'd forget, so I added another three drops."

Ron: ...

Good grief. With that stack, they had turned the Sleeping Potion straight into Bewitching Potion.

"Cough, cough! Actually, it's not a big deal. One drop puts an animal to sleep for two hours. Six drops will be just enough to keep him asleep until dawn tomorrow. That gives us even more time. At worst, Hermione, you can wake him up tomorrow morning. Aaron won't be able to tell."

"That's all we can do." Hermione murmured softly. She had not wanted to take part in this plan, but since she had already boarded the pirate ship, she could only row hard for the other shore.