Neville frowned and pursed his lips, as if he had heard something that confirmed his suspicions.
Hugo reacted even more strongly. He pushed up his glasses and raised his voice by half a tone. " Forbidden Forest! Forbidden Forest again! He must be plotting something in the Forbidden Forest!"
Herman looked at Hugo's confident expression and opened his mouth, wanting to say a few words on behalf of Quirrell.
But when he thought of the cave in the Forbidden Forest, the Vampire elder Hagrid kept, and the fact that Grief was still being watched over by the professors Gori shifts, none of these things were suitable to be said.
Although everyone knows about Vampire now, the fact that the Forbidden Forest keeps Vampire elders is still a secret. No professor has ever mentioned it to their students, and Herman doesn't feel he has the right to tell Neville and his two companions the truth.
But if she didn't say anything, Herman felt a little guilty seeing Hugo and Neville's expressions, as if they were already convinced that Quirrell was plotting something in the Forbidden Forest.
After all, he knew that Quirrell went to the Forbidden Forest simply to keep watch with Professor Malin, to guard the Vampire elder that Hagrid kept as a Hagrid, and that there was no ulterior motive involved.
He hesitated, wondering whether he should say something, whether to defend Quirrell, or simply change the subject.
In that brief moment, the sound of footsteps drifted over from not far away on the wind.
The footsteps were unhurried, making a soft rustling sound on the grass, with a steady and even rhythm, carrying a composure that was not typical of students.
Herman instinctively looked up in the direction the sound came from, and Neville and the other two also turned around at the same time.
At the edge of the thicket on the side of Black Lake, a figure is emerging from the direction of the Forbidden Forest.
The deep blue robe gleamed with a calm luster in the afternoon light, its hem swaying gently with each step, catching a few tiny fallen leaves and bits of grass.
Her hair was neatly styled in a bun, with a few loose strands of hair being lifted by the wind and then falling back down, clinging to her ears.
It's Professor Malin.
Neville, Hugo, and Ron reacted almost simultaneously upon recognizing the dark blue robe. The three of them took a step back as if they had been pushed from the front, and then moved neatly behind Herman.
Neville stood to Herman's left, Hugo to his right, and Ron huddled between them, slightly behind.
The three people huddled together, like three squirrels hiding behind a tree trunk.
Herman glanced back at the three men and immediately understood what was going on. The three of them had sneaked out, while he had come out through legitimate channels and felt no pressure at all.
He stood still, waiting for Marlene to approach.
Marlene walked quickly and reached the group in just a few steps.
Her gaze first swept across Herman's face, then landed on the three dusty figures behind him.
Neville was trying to hide himself as small as possible, Hugo shifted her weight to her other leg as if she were ready to run away at any moment, Ron clutched her handkerchief to her chest, staring down at the tips of her shoes.
Marlene looked at the three of them, her tone not exactly stern, but rather calm with a hint of scrutiny. "What are you doing out of the castle? Herman, I heard from Professor Quirrell that you're going to find Hagrid. What about the rest of you?"
Neville opened his mouth, but the sound got stuck in his throat, and his expression resembled that of an old computer running at high speed but running out of memory.
His lips moved twice, producing only indistinct breathy sounds; he couldn't utter a single complete word.
Hugo wasn't much better off. He pushed up his glasses, then pushed them up again, pushing the frames on his nose up twice, as if this action could help him squeeze out some inspiration.
Ron lowered her head, her neck turning red again.
Herman silently sighed to himself, "Not everyone is Harry; they can't just spout nonsense like that."
Harry Quinn can lie without batting an eye, without even blinking – that's talent.
These three kids in front of me are so bad at even making up an excuse; they must be good kids who don't usually do anything wrong.
However, Herman also knew that if Neville continued to speak at this point, he would probably say something useless like "We came to the lake to enjoy the scenery" or "We were just passing by."
Herman picked up the conversation, speaking as casually as if it were just a casual remark, "We were also going to see Hagrid! We just came from Hagrid's place."
After he finished speaking, he turned his head to look at Neville, then at Hugo, and finally his gaze fell on Ron.
He didn't give any signals, because that would be too obvious, but he slowed down his voice a little, giving the three of them time to react.
Neville paused for a moment, then, as if struck by a sudden realization, nodded quickly. "Yes, we're looking for Hagrid! We're looking for Hagrid too!"
Hugo echoed, nodding even faster Neville: "Yes, find Hagrid. We want to ask him about Fantastic Beasts."
Herman felt this excuse sounded strangely familiar.
Ron didn't speak, but she nodded vigorously, her hand holding the handkerchief swaying up and down twice.
Marlene's gaze swept back and forth across the three faces, without asking any further questions.
"Then come back to the castle with me." As she said this, she had already turned halfway around, facing the direction of the castle, the hem of her dark blue robe swirling in an arc with her movement.
Herman didn't hesitate and immediately followed.
But after taking two steps, he heard a different sound behind him. Neville's footsteps didn't follow; instead, they sounded like he was retreating.
He glanced back and saw that Neville and Hugo's expressions had completely changed.
Neville's lips were pressed into a thin line, while Hugo's expression looked like she had swallowed a live toad.
Ron hadn't reacted yet, standing there looking left and right at the two of them, not understanding why they weren't leaving.
Herman understood instantly.
These three didn't come out through official channels. Filch is still guarding the gate. If they follow Marlene back to the castle like this, Filch only needs to ask "When did you leave?" when they meet at the gate, and everything will be exposed.
Neville had clearly considered this as well.
His eyes darted around quickly, then he seemed to have been struck by a light, and suddenly spoke, his voice a chord higher than usual. "Um, Professor!"
Marlene stopped and turned to look at him.
Neville took a deep breath and continued quickly, "I remembered I left something with Hagrid. Let's go to Hagrid's again, and then go back later."
As he finished speaking, he reached out and grabbed Hugo's sleeve, and with his other hand he tugged at Ron's arm. The three of them turned around at the same time, as if they were tied together by the same rope, and ran towards Hagrid's Hut.
Marlene watched the three figures run away, her lips twitching slightly as if she wanted to say something.