Hermione Seeks Help

The following day, Saturday, Hogsmeade Village Visiting Day.

After gathering in the common room, the young Slytherin wizards set off in a large group towards Hogsmeade Village.

Skylar finally met the legendary Madam Rosmerta. She was indeed very well-preserved, still possessing a captivating charm. However, she was undeniably quite old—she had been working in bars since the Marauder era, making her older than Narcissa. Skylar couldn't fathom why Ron would have a crush on her. Did he have a mother complex?

(Note: People's Publishing House did not specifically translate Marauder. Fans generally translate it as "plunderers," which is incorrect. This organization's nature is to roam around and violate school rules, not to be robbers! This book translates it as "Marauder.")

Butterbeer isn't exclusive to the Three Broomsticks; it's sold in almost every bar. However, the Butterbeer here is truly unique—not too oily, and even a bit refreshing. Skylar, quite knowledgeable about herbs and Potions, guessed that it contained Moon-dew Herb.

Moon-dew Herb is a flowering plant native to Scotland. Its flowers only bloom under sufficient moonlight (usually when the moon is full and cloudless), and it is one of the ingredients in Invigoration Draught and sleeping Potions.

(Note: There are many types of Sleeping Potions, which are generally used to help with sleep. In the 16th century, the Potions genius Zygmunt Bucky replaced Moon-dew Herb with artemisia to create the prototype of the most powerful Sleeping Potions, "Draught of Living Death". This Potions was so powerful that it could even be used to play dead, which is why the use of Moon-dew Herb gradually decreased.)

Interestingly, it was Cliodna, a medieval Ireland woman, who discovered the magical properties of Moon-dew Herb. Therefore, generally only wizards with a deep understanding of True magical culture would use Moon-dew Herb in their daily lives and diets. Skylar observed Madam Rosmerta with great interest; did this beautiful woman, who was only briefly mentioned in the original work, also have a hidden identity?

The group returned from their fun at the Three Broomsticks. Draco, along with Goyle and Crabbe, wanted to go on an adventure to the Shrieking Shack; the others were off to buy candy or prank supplies. Skylar knew that Draco would encounter Ron and the invisible Harry at the Shrieking Shack, which would trigger a plot development, so he made an excuse that he had important business to attend to and left the group alone.

After disguising himself, Skylar went to the post office in Hogsmeade Village, chose an owl with anti-tracking capabilities, and anonymously mailed a letter of complaint to Professor Snape. In the letter, he reported seeing Harry sneak out of Hogsmeade Village, then rush back to the castle, cast an Invisible Phantom Charm on himself, and hid near the One-Eyed Witch Statue on the fourth floor, waiting for the plot to begin.

The subsequent plot unfolded exactly as described in the original work.

Harry used his invisibility to play a prank on Draco and his trio, but when he accidentally tripped Crabbe's foot hooked the Invisibility Cloak, tearing it off and revealing a head floating in mid-air, scaring Draco half to death.

Knowing he had been exposed, Harry hurriedly made his way back to the castle through the Secret Passage in the Honeydukes's cellar. He barely managed to crawl out from behind the One-Eyed Witch Statue, and just as the witch's hunchback closed, Snape happened to arrive to search the place and dragged Harry to his office.

After the two left, Skylar made sure no one else was around, then immediately walked to the statue of the One-Eyed Witch, whispered "Dissendium," and gently tapped the statue with his wand. The statue's hunchback opened, revealing a narrow entrance. Inside was a narrow, low dirt passage, winding and twisting like a giant rabbit hole.

Skylar's purpose in coming here was to find the Cloak of Invisibility that Harry had hidden here. Although the Invisibility Cloak was invisible and colorless, and the magical fluctuations it emitted were concealed enough to deceive his Magic Eye, this did not pose a problem for him.

Skylar released Silver Fang from the Suitcase Space, letting it use its sense of smell to follow Harry's scent and retrace the route Harry had taken.

The clever Silver Fang quickly understood its master's meaning and led Skylar to a dark corner, using gestures to indicate that the smell was strongest there. After Skylar searched for a while, he finally found the Cloak of Invisibility and secretly put it into his Suitcase Space and took it away.

[Cloak of Invisibility Acquired!]

Having learned from previous experiences, Skylar was certain that this operation was flawless— Dumbledore had absolutely no idea of the Secret Passage's existence beforehand, the best proof being that even after Black's two intrusions, he still hadn't had Filch specifically monitor the Secret Passage. And Nicolas Flamel, the only one who could use Divination to locate Skylar, had already bid farewell to him in a letter a Skylar earlier, officially welcoming his death.

Nico maintained his consistently low profile, even holding his funeral in secrecy, so few people knew of his death. The majority of his estate was donated to Beauxbatons, his alma mater, with only a small portion left to his descendants scattered around the world.

Even Skylar, who could only be considered a nominal disciple, received a book. The book had no name on the cover and was locked with a special alchemical lock. Neither the Unlocking Charm nor the Universal Lockpick could open it. The only way to unlock it was for Skylar to improve his alchemy skills. Consider it the final test from the teacher to the student!

Nico was considered Skylar's mentor, and although Skylar couldn't help feeling sad, he understood that it was Nico's own choice. In this respect, Nico, who chose death with free will, had already conquered death and met the requirements for the title of "Master of Death." Therefore, Skylar could only offer his blessings from afar, wishing him a smooth journey after his death.

(Note: After a wizard dies, they do not return to nothingness, but first enter Limbo, and then enter Afterlife; People's Publishing House did not translate these two terms. Does anyone know how other fanfiction authors translate them? The Taiwanese Crown Publishing House does have them, translating the former as "Limbo" and the latter as "Afterlife")

The problem now is that although Skylar has obtained the Cloak of Invisibility, he cannot use it openly, otherwise Dumbledore could easily find out. Skylar's plan is to study the alchemical principles behind the Cloak of Invisibility in order to improve his Supreme Robe, giving it an invisibility and concealment effect no less than that of the Cloak of Invisibility.

The next day, after lunch, as Skylar was leaving the Great Hall, he ran into Hermione was waiting for him in the corridor.

"Hagrid lost his case, Buckbeak is going to be executed..." Hermione's face was terribly pale, she held a letter in her hand, her lips trembling uncontrollably, "Malfoy, can you help it?"

Skylar was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but say, "Why did you think of looking for me? You know, I'm a Malfoy, after all!"

Hermione didn't really know why she thought of going to Skylar; she just had a strange intuition that Skylar could help her—well, actually, Hermione couldn't think of anyone else who could help her.

Her choice differed from the original story. Firstly, after her conversation with Skylar, she understood how much political influence lay behind a seemingly simple case of Hippogriff attack. Secondly, Harry and Ron's performance was far worse than in the books— Harry was no longer the youngest Seeker in history, nor the hero who killed the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets; Ron was even worse, not only missing his glorious moment of defeating the Troll, but also revealing his pettiness and jealousy throughout the semester...

Conversely, Skylar, who was in Slytherin with whom she had a subtle rivalry, had little contact with her, and their few conversations ended somewhat unhappily due to their differing ideologies.

However, she clearly remembered that in her first year Skylar set aside his prejudices and went to the girls' restroom to rescue her from the Troll; in her second year, he risked his life to enter the Chamber of Secrets alone to save Ginny; this semester, he disregarded past grievances and saved Harry from falling from a great height on the field; and recently, he generously offered himself as her assistant at the Charms Exchange Meeting, selflessly sharing his experience of learning the Patronus Charm with students from other houses.

Most importantly, Skylar himself came from one of the most powerful Pure-blood families, and he was always so calm and mature in his dealings with people, giving people a sense of trustworthiness.

Aside from their differing allegiances, Hermione couldn't find any other reason to dislike him. In fact, she could even vaguely sense that she probably had a considerable fondness for this handsome young man. The reason she came to see him this time, besides for Hagrid and Buckbeak, was also perhaps to take this opportunity to have more contact with Skylar.

When Hermione heard Skylar's question and was stammering, Skylar noticed her embarrassment and, without waiting for her answer, smiled slightly and said, "Actually, it's not a big deal at all. Have you ever thought about it? There's actually a very simple and direct way to save Buckbeak."

"W-What do you mean?" Hermione asked, startled.

"It means—" Skylar shrugged, speaking quite naturally, "Just hide it, don't let anyone find it, isn't that enough?"

"Is that really possible?" Hermione asked in surprise. "I mean, can we really hide it so well that no one else can find it?"

"Of course, it's not that difficult..." Skylar comforted her. "If you're willing to consider me a friend, then leave this to me! Just tell Hagrid beforehand. Remember, don't betray me; just say you figured out how to hide Buckbeak yourself."

Hermione nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Malfoy, thank you for helping me. I'm so sorry for what I said to you that night..."

Skylar raised an eyebrow and said with an exaggerated expression, "Miss Granger, that day you called me a despicable, shameless, vile, and hateful Malfoy, it really broke my heart! If you truly consider me a friend, then don't call me Malfoy anymore!"

Hermione was immediately amused and stopped crying while laughing. Then, blushing, she stammered, "Then... then can I call you Skylar from now on?"

"Of course, but so you won't take advantage of me, I'll call you Hermione from now on, okay?"

Seeing Hermione nod, Skylar said, "Alright, Hermione, let's end our conversation here. I have class later. Leave Hagrid's matter to me; you don't need to worry about it anymore."

Skylar didn't consider himself a soft-hearted or virtuous person, but he was still a man of his word. Since he had promised Hermione, he would do his best to keep it. Besides, he hadn't lost anything in helping Hermione; he was just a little sorry for Blaise. Thinking that Blaise had just treated him to drinks that morning, Skylar felt a little embarrassed and could only secretly apologize in his heart.

Skylar's Suitcase Space is still empty. Occasionally, he lets Silver Fang roam around inside, but Silver Fang can only be considered a visitor, not a permanent resident of the Suitcase Space. Skylar plans to go and kidnap Buckbeak that very night, making it the first permanent resident of his Suitcase Space.

(Please call me Pokémon, oh no, Master of Pokémon Collection!)

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and events unfolded in ways Skylar hadn't anticipated.

That night, the sky was almost cloudless, and a round, bright moon hung in the sky, its soft light casting a bluish glow over the entire Hogwarts Castle.

When Skylar was planning to kidnap Buckbeak from Hagrid's Hut, he spotted a black dog at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, not far from the Whomping Willow.

"He really can't stay still for a moment..." Skylar scratched his head, then chased after him. However, he couldn't reveal himself in front of Black right now, so he could only follow at a distance, barely managing not to completely lose him.

Then he discovered an unusual truth— Black seemed to be chasing Scabbers?

Following Scabbers? Now?

A bad feeling arose in Skylar's heart. This was the first time since his rebirth that he had witnessed the plot deviate significantly from the original story.

In the original story, Scabbers didn't appear that early. What was it planning to do?

Skylar was about to hurry after them when a wolf howl suddenly rang out from the castle. The howl, filled with pain and madness, shattered the quiet night sky.

"What?" Skylar, who was running quickly toward the cottage, suddenly paused. He stopped and looked back at a window on the third floor of the castle. Not far from him on the lawn, Black in his Animagus form also turned around, his pair of jet-black dog eyes fixed on Hogwarts Castle.

To the astonishment of the two men, a muscular, hairy figure emerged from the window, its every detail clearly visible in the exceptionally bright moonlight, even from a distance.