Eleonora

After hopping and jumping around for quite a while, Hermione finally managed to convince Professor Sprout that she really was not hurt.

The lesson continued, and Professor Sprout specifically gave Hermione's group a new Firethorn Bush.

Having learned from before, Hermione simply did not touch it this time. She crouched nearby, watching Parvati carefully trim the Firethorn Bush's secondary leaves. As she watched, her thoughts drifted away again.

It had been a little over a week ago, on a Saturday morning. After breakfast as usual, she had invited Bell to go to the Library with her to do homework. Unexpectedly, Bell had refused her invitation and gone back into the trunk.

After that, she did not see Bell again for the entire day. He had not even come out for lunch or dinner.

The next time she saw Bell was the following morning. Even though she was not as observant as Bell and Shanna, she could still tell at a glance that Bell's mental state had deteriorated noticeably.

Seeing that, she gave up on going to the Library to prepare for class and invited Bell to take a walk outside the castle to clear his mind.

But Bell had refused her once again.

Watching Bell's retreating figure disappear into that laboratory, Hermione felt deeply worried.

"Shanna, why don't you talk Bell into stopping?"

Hermione turned to look at the equally worried Shanna. She remembered that, on several previous occasions when Bell had become absorbed in magical experiments, Shanna had been the one to make sure he ate and rested properly. Why was Shanna staying silent this time?

"Because this time is different from before."

After glancing at Hermione, Shanna turned and walked over to a nearby patch of grass, where she began reading a magic book with the others. As