Seven Is a Magical Number

Harry looked completely bewildered.

No, haven't we already asked everything? Why are you keeping me here?

However, to Harry's surprise, after Katie left, Dumbledore pulled a package out of under the table for him.

"Here," said Dumbledore, "This is Veratia brought you; it's all sorts of snacks from around the world."

"Why didn't Veratia mention this?" Harry asked, taking the package with interest.

"She said she had a surprise for you," Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "I think Veratia still treats you like a child—"

Harry glanced at Dumbledore but didn't say anything.

He thought, "Being a child is fine, it's not something shameful."

"Thanks." Harry didn't forget to thank Dumbledore. He picked up the package, put it in his wallet, and planned to take a closer look at it when he got back to his dormitory.

He had no intention of opening it here; in case there were any sweets—it wouldn't be good not to share them with Dumbledore, but if he did share them with Dumbledore ...

This embryo, it's a gift from Veratia! It's for me!

Regarding food guarding...

The Gryffindor Common Room was now a sea of cheers, and when Harry rushed Common Room, the party was in full swing.

When people saw him enter, they erupted in applause and cheers, and the congratulatory crowd quickly surrounded him.

The Creevey brothers wanted to write an extremely detailed match analysis, and he barely managed to get rid of them.

Then a large group of girls surrounded him. No matter what boring things he said, they laughed loudly and kept winking at him. It took him a lot of effort to get away.

"Women, huh?" Neville chuckled from the side, looking somewhat drunk—but he hadn't been drinking; he was simply captivated by the scene.

"Women." Harry shook his head helplessly.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry looked up but didn't see Hermione. He could only see Ron in the center of the field, receiving cheers from the crowd.

"Hermione doesn't seem to be here," Neville said, looking around. "Nobody knows where she went—"

Harry shook his head helplessly at the two of them.

Not far away, Ginny was also dancing excitedly with Dean Thomas. Ron seemed completely unaware of what was happening, otherwise he would have given her a lecture if he had seen them.

Hermione didn't arrive until halfway through the party.

"Where did you go?" Harry asked curiously.

"It's nothing," Hermione said, shaking her head, her expression somewhat indifferent.

Harry frowned.

Just then, Ron also came over.

"Hey buddy," he said, first punching Harry on the shoulder, then looking at Hermione's back. "What's wrong with Hermione?"

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "Did you upset him again?"

"I didn't!" Ron cried out, utterly aggrieved. "Seriously, man, I have no idea what happened—I was just looking for her a moment ago."

"Then I suggest you go after them and ask them," Harry said to Ron.

"Good idea."

Ron smiled and nodded at Harry, then ran to Hermione's side, only to find that Hermione completely ignored him.

Ron wasn't discouraged, but instead blocked Hermione's path.

To everyone's surprise, Hermione suddenly drew her wand and pointed it at Ron.

"Hey, hey—" Ron raised his hands. "Isn't this going too far? Hermione? We haven't even had a fight, why are you doing this?"

"Epelliarmus (Disarming Charm)!"

A red light suddenly appeared, disarming Hermione's wand and sending it flying into the air.

Then, the wand spun and flew into Harry's hand.

Just then, the previously noisy Gryffindor Common Room suddenly fell silent.

"Something's not right." Harry walked over, his wand still pointed at Hermione.

"Harry?" Ron instinctively chose to believe Harry, rushing behind Harry and asking with a hint of unease, "Something's not right? You mean... something's not right like Katie's?"

"I'm not sure," Harry said, extending his wand forward, and a blue light spread in all directions.

Then, he discovered a crimson glow in Hermione's arms.

He bound Hermione with Charms, then said to Lavender, who was standing nearby, "Lavender, help me get that thing out of Hermione's arms—wait, use this."

He stopped Lavender, who was about to make a move, and handed her a specially made clip.

This clamp was originally made by Dumbledore to retrieve Voldemort's Horcrux.

Lavender stepped forward, fiddled with Hermione's clothes for a while, and pulled out a black gem.

This time, Harry didn't choose to attack the gem. Instead, he took the clip from Lavender and examined the gem carefully.

Hermione groaned softly, then clutched her forehead, asking in confusion, "What happened to me? Where am I?"

"You were in the Gryffindor Common Room," Ron said, scratching his head. "You were acting strangely, like you were possessed. You woke up—I mean, you really woke up—after Lavender took a black gem out of your pocket."

"Oh my god, how could this happen—" Hermione said, clutching her chest, her voice filled with dismay.

"Where did you get this gem?" Harry asked Hermione, turning to her.

"I—" Hermione frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "After the match just ended, I went to the edge of the Forbidden Forest —actually, I was planning to go to Professor Scamander's tent, but I found this black gem on the way. I just remember picking it up, and I don't remember anything after that."

Ron's expression turned serious.

"You mean this thing you found on the edge of the Forbidden Forest?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded.

"I have to go out for a bit." Harry quickly stood up, put the gem in his wallet, and then said to Ron, "Ron, you and Seamus go to the Headmaster's Office and talk to Dumbledore about this. Lavender, you and Parvati take Hermione to Madam Pomfrey's Hospital Wing to check if there's anything wrong with her."

"Okay!" they said, standing up.

After leaving the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry used his Revealing Charm to walk forward and check his surroundings. After confirming that the castle was clean, he went down the steps to the edge of the Forbidden Forest to check.

After searching for about half an hour, Dumbledore arrived. "You've come at the right time, Professor," Harry said, looking up at Dumbledore. "I suspect the Death Eater randomly dropped similar gems along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. To prevent the students from picking them up, I think it would be best to investigate further."

The professors gradually arrived, and after listening to Harry's account, they joined the investigation team.

It wasn't a complete loss; a black gem was found not far from Hagrid's Hut, and three more were found at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"What exactly is this thing?" Professor McGonagall frowned as she looked at the jet-black gem. "I can sense this evil power, but..."

"This must be a creation of Dark Arts," Harry said. "We don't know the exact mechanism yet, but the attack on Katie Bell a few days ago was caused by a gem like this."

"Such a thing actually happened?" Professor Flitwick leaned back tactically.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "The Death Eater are everywhere, and this gem is enchanted with a seductive Charms —thankfully we found it in time, or Hermione would have been in danger."

"This matter must be widely communicated to all students," Dumbledore said immediately. "We need to ensure the students' safety!"

After returning to the castle, Harry went to the Headmaster's Office again.

On the table between him and Dumbledore were four black gems arranged neatly.

"My suggestion is," Harry said to Dumbledore, "To send these things to the Ministry of Magic and let them examine them to see what they are. Of course, we could give two to the British Ministry of Magic and the other two to the European Ministry of Magic. What do you think?"

"Excellent suggestion, I accept it." Dumbledore rubbed his temples and said, "By the way, you should be prepared, we suspect the American Ministry of Magic has sided with Voldemort."

"What?" Harry was surprised that Dumbledore would say such a thing.

"The fact that the American Ministry of Magic has been delaying our entry to apprehend Voldemort can only mean one thing—they have sided with Voldemort. There is no other explanation," Dumbledore said. "The International Confederation of Wizards intends to put pressure on the American Ministry of Magic at its next general assembly. If they refuse us entry again, then it will be considered that they have sided with Voldemort."

"And then?" Harry asked.

"Of course, we'll force our way in," Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "We'll always find a way."

When he returned to his dorm, Hermione was already sitting Ron the Common Room waiting for him, along with Hermione.

"How are you?" the two asked with concern as they approached.

"Found them, there are four in total, five if you include Hermione's," Harry said, rubbing his eyes.

However, Hermione frowned.

"No, Harry," she said. "Think about it, how many Horcrux did Voldemort have in total?"

"Seven," Harry said without hesitation. "If you include me—seven is a magical number—wait, you mean more than just these five gems?"

"To be precise, there are six," Hermione said. "Don't forget, Katie also received a gem before, right?"

Harry nodded and took out the Crystal Ball.

"Looks like I won't be getting any sleep tonight," he said, yawning.

"Are you going to call Dumbledore?" Ron asked curiously.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "It concerns the school, so even if there's a possibility, we can't let our guard down."

After saying that, he dialed Dumbledore's number and told him about Dumbledore 'Hermione guess.

Sure enough, Dumbledore frowned.

He accepted this view.

"How about this," Dumbledore said after a moment's thought, "Have the Prefect and chairs lead the students into the Great Hall, just like Sirius did when he came to Hogwarts three years ago."

Ron and Hermione were the first to receive the order. They knocked on all the students' doors and led the sleepy-eyed students into the Great Hall.

After quite a while, students from the other three colleges finally arrived.

"The faculty and I will conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told the students. At this point, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick closed all the doors of the Great Hall. "For your own safety, I think you may have to spend the night here. I require the Prefect to stand guard at the entrance to the Great Hall, and the student council presidents and student leaders to remain inside to manage the Great Hall —report to me immediately if anything happens."

Professor Dumbledore paused at this point.

"Find a ghost to deliver a message to me."

With that, he waved his wand and conjured hundreds of sleeping bags, which he placed in the center of the Great Hall.

Harry walked to the center of the field and cast the Revealing Charm.

Great, all the students present are safe.

"Is everyone here?" Dumbledore Harry had used Charms.

"The Slytherin are all here!" Draco announced first.

"Ravenclaw are all here too!" Padma replied.

"Gryffindor here!" Hermione said.

"The Hufflepuff are all here!" Hannah said. Since all four houses were present, it meant that at least the last gem was not among these students.

This is a good thing, Harry thought, at least it means no classmates have been harmed. Dumbledore turned and left the Great Hall, and Harry followed him.

Then, a murmur of whispers arose in the Great Hall.

The students who had experienced something similar before hadn't graduated yet. They excitedly recounted the events to their classmates—how Sirius had escaped and how the school had conducted a thorough search. "Everyone, get into your sleeping bags!" Hermione shouted. "No talking! Lights out in ten minutes, everyone be quiet!"

"That's cool," Neville whispered to Seamus. "I wonder what Harry went off to do. Was he also helping with the investigation with the professors?"

"It should be," Seamus replied, "But it feels like going back to the old days, doesn't it?"

"But nobody wants to go back to those days," said a Ravenclaw classmate standing next to him.

"God knows what happened," a Hufflepuff student said anxiously. "Do you know? Would you mind telling us?"

"Lights out now!" Hermione reminded them. "Alright, no more whispering, let's go to sleep!"

All the candles went out immediately.

The Great Hall became completely dark, and the students' voices fell silent.

It just shrank because Seamus and Neville were still telling the other students from the academy, who were unaware of what had happened that day.