Harry was caught in the middle, unsure of who to advise first.
Deep down, he was on Ron's side, but both he and Hermione were very strong-willed people, and once Hermione had a fight, it was difficult for them to make up in a few months.
Ron, on the other hand, is quick to react and quick to dissipate his emotions. He is good at reflecting on himself and is happy to apologize. From this perspective, Ron is more like the glue that holds the three of them together.
Ron was furious about Scabbers. Surprisingly, he, who was usually the first to back down, did not lower his head. Instead, he would make sarcastic remarks every time he saw Hermione carrying the cat. This caused the conflict between the two, which had been dormant for a semester, to finally erupt.
Harry was in a complete mess.
With final exams approaching and the last Hogsmeade Week just around the corner, Ron lay on his bed, his eyes glazed over. " Hogsmeade Week is coming, Harry. Let them have their fun, while we can spend the whole day in the library preparing for our final exams."
Harry, wanting to mediate, suggested, "We can go to Hermione and ask for her notes; that would be much more efficient."
"Impossible. Its bones Scabbers; I cannot let its heart grow cold."
Harry pushed up his glasses and sat down next to Ron. "So you're just going to continue like this? Just keep giving Hermione the cold shoulder? And when someone asks a hundred years from now, you'll say the reason you broke up was because of a rat whose cause of death remains unknown?"
Ron remained silent.
Harry pressed his advantage. "And we can't go to the library on weekends because Madam Pince is also attending Hogsmeade Week. Only first and second year students can rest and study at the tables, and they can't even borrow a book."
The final Hogsmeade Week was essentially a year-end sale for merchants, who brought out all their stockpiled goods to sell at significantly lower prices than usual. Even Lorne's Magic Mobile Phone Shop offered a rebate service, giving away five minutes of free playtime for every game of Street Wizard Fighter won or every mythical beast caught in the Suitcase Beasts.
" Harry, maybe we..."
" Ron, maybe..."
After a brief silence, they both spoke in unison, "The secret passage behind the hunchbacked statue of the One-Eyed Witch!"
Their voices were amplified with excitement, causing Neville, who had suddenly entered, to pause in surprise. "You're skipping school? If Snape catches you, he'll put you in detention for the entire semester. I advise you not to do this; the holidays are almost here, aren't they?"
Ron, however, patted Neville on the shoulder nonchalantly. "Don't worry, Neville, Snape can't catch both of us."
Neville said speechlessly, "Your hands still smell like gall."
Knowing he was bad at talking and couldn't persuade the two, Neville sought out Hermione, who was most likely to stop them, and revealed their entire plan to skip Hogsmeade Week.
Hermione, who hadn't spoken to Ron in a long time, took the initiative to approach the two of them.
"Hey Hermione, is there anything you want? Ron and I have saved up some pocket money."
Harry is still trying his best to salvage their relationship. He just convinced Ron to contribute half the money to buy Hermione a gift during Hogsmeade Week, believing that even without an apology, Hermione would understand their intentions.
Hermione ignored her. "I heard from Neville that you're going to Hogsmeade? You're grounded, and if you get caught again, you could face expulsion. Besides, Sirius is still at large. You can't—"
"You can't break the rules, right?" Ron looked at Hermione, who was stern and lecturing him incessantly, and couldn't help but feel annoyed. "Don't forget that Crookshanks bears at least half the responsibility for us not being able to go to Hogsmeade."
"Besides, we've broken so many school rules we could compile a whole new set of rules, and now you're telling us to follow the rules? Isn't that like crossing the river and burning the bridge?"
Hermione composed herself. "I didn't mean that. I'm just worried you guys will get expelled."
Harry quickly interjected, "I can wear the Invisibility Cloak."
Ron scoffed, "Expelled just for going to Hogsmeade? I've never heard of such a rule."
The two parted on bad terms again, with Harry completely siding with Ron this time, because he also wanted to go to Hogsmeade one last time.
"Hey guys, don't be late," Dean, having gotten up early because today was the last Hogsmeade Week and he needed to get there early to secure a spot. "I'm off!"
What excites him even more is that he has saved enough money to buy a Magic Mobile Phone, and he believes he won't be staying home all summer.
Neville jumped up and quickly put on the new sweater his mother had bought him. Such brightly colored clothes were rarely seen on him before, because Augusta herself valued order highly and was rigid and strict with Neville.
"Wait for me, Dean!" Neville ran out without even putting on his shoes properly, grabbing his coat.
Seamus was fast asleep in the dormitory. Harry and Ron exchanged a knowing glance and smiled knowingly.
"Perhaps we should make a move too, Harry."
That's exactly what I was thinking.
Unlike the others who walked briskly, Harry and Ron walked extremely carefully and slowly. To avoid attracting attention, they even tucked several books under their arms, a trick Harry had learned from Director Lorne —if they were going to put on a show, they had to go all the way.
They pretended to go to the fourth floor of the castle, but actually put on Invisibility Cloak at the top of the stairs and went directly to the third-floor corridor, where they arrived in front of the statue of the One-Eyed Witch with a hunchback.
Harry drew his wand, looked around, and then, mimicking Fred, cast a spell. " Dissendium!"
The secret passage to Hogsmeade immediately appeared before them. They stuffed the book into the passage and quickly crawled inside.
A moment later, the statue closed automatically, and everything returned to calm.
Harry crouched low, his heart pounding and his adrenaline surging. It wasn't the first time he'd broken school rules, but this was the first time he'd done so blatantly and recklessly.
Even if they arrived at Hogsmeade, they wouldn't be able to participate in any activities. If the Slytherin saw them, they would definitely report to Snape. They could only stand at a distance and observe while wearing Invisibility Cloak, or wait until no one was around before making any moves.
Magic Mobile Phone Shop...
Harry wanted to go too, but the store was too crowded. The Invisibility Cloak could only block their view, but it couldn't prevent them from bumping into each other.
Hermione ran into Neville on the way, and she joined them with Ginny. Dean was making a small splash among the classmates with his workshop, couldn't help but tease Hermione, "Mr. Dean, are we fortunate enough to travel with you?"
Dean, equally humorous, said, "Hopefully I won't see a second ' Travels with Trolls ' tomorrow."
A group of people gathered at the entrance of the Magic Mobile Phone store, laughing heartily. It was not yet eight o'clock in the morning, and Lorne had not yet opened the store.
Ron watched silently from beneath his Invisibility Cloak: "The happiness is theirs; I have nothing."
Harry comforted him, "You still have me."
Ron remained in good spirits. "Perhaps you can look forward to the third ' Travels with Trolls,' by the great Ron Weasley."
Harry chuckled and playfully punched Ron in the chest, who arched his back dramatically but accidentally bumped into a tree branch behind him.
Amidst the surging crowd, no one noticed this place except Hermione, who glanced thoughtfully in the direction Harry was.