Candidates for the Heir

"If it were me, I'd never spend three Galleons on a pair of headphones, even if they had magical powers!"

After muttering that, Ron turned to Hermione, his eyes darting about. Relying on the miraculous effects of the Shark-Fin Headphones, he... started picking her apart.

A busybody, always meddling, always lecturing people, spouting heaps of dull rules at the drop of a hat, wanting everyone else to spend all day in the library just like her...

Hermione pressed her lips together, clenched her little fist, and landed a punch on a certain someone!

"Hermione Granger, what are you doing?"

Ron rubbed his chest and demanded an answer angrily.

Hermione took off the headphones and pushed them back into Luo Bin's hand. "Ron, you were asking for it. I couldn't hear you, but your expressions and gestures told me everything. You weren't saying... anything nice!"

"I wasn't bad-mouthing you! I was acting out a story. Ask Harry if you don't believe me!"

Ron hadn't told Hermione to ask Luo Bin because he wasn't sure whether Luo Bin would lie to her for his sake.

Harry adjusted his glasses. "Hermione, Ron... really did deserve that punch. Anyway, with the Shark-Fin Headphones, my claim about hearing a strange voice is more believable now. Should we tell the professors?"

"Hmm... I suggest we don't keep it a secret, at least not from Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape. Otherwise, their suspicions will make them send someone to keep an eye on us!" Luo Bin said.

"No, I suggest keeping it secret for now until we've figured out where the voice comes from. Otherwise, everyone will still see you as... Harry, do you understand what I mean?"

An ominous monster?

Harry understood that feeling all too well!

Before receiving his Hogwarts acceptance letter, he hadn't understood