The three of them were very cautious, probably afraid of being seen running to Slytherin from Gryffindor.
However, by this time, the Slytherin table was almost empty. Of course, there were still some who hadn't had enough to eat and were still battling with their dinner. For example, Crabbe and Goyle were still sitting at the other end of the table, engrossed in a plate of pudding that had been brought over from some other table, completely oblivious to what was happening around them.
Using Crabbe and Goyle's massive bodies as cover, Neville and his two companions moved swiftly along the edge of the long table, like three rabbits preparing to cross an open area.
When Neville approached Herman, his breathing was faster than usual, and his expression was a mixture of tension and excitement.
" Herman!" His voice was low but rapid, "You recognize him, don't you! That Vampire!"
Herman looked at Neville's face, which seemed to say, "I knew you'd recognized me," and then at Hugo and Ron behind him. The two of them had the same expression, and Hugo even nodded.
"I recognize him," Herman said.
Upon hearing this answer, Neville seemed to receive some kind of confirmation, and leaned even closer. "He's the one from the train! The Vampire who said he was looking for some Child of Prophecy and attacked our carriage! I absolutely cannot mistake him!"
Hugo added from the side, her voice equally low but her pace even faster than Neville's. "And when he was sitting on the platform just now, he kept looking at Neville. I think he definitely hasn't given up and is still thinking about catching Neville."
Okay, the main character in the world is Neville, so it's reasonable for everyone to feel like they're watching Neville. If the Gori hadn't been speaking directly to me in my mind, I would have thought it was Neville, or at least Harry.
Let the little guy continue to be the main character; it's better than me being the main character. Being the center of attention isn't a good thing, especially now that his arm has been modified, which is a serious violation of the Ministry of Magic's regulations.
"Yes, I recognize him. Neville, you'd better be careful lately!"
Upon hearing Herman's words, Neville quickly added, " Herman, we have to do something. That Vampire is in the school right now; he could do anything at any moment."
"What for?" Herman interrupted him. " Dumbledore let him in, and Professor McGonagall couldn't stop him. What do you think we can do?"
Neville opened his mouth, unsure how to answer.
Hugo thought for a moment, then adjusted her glasses. "We can monitor him. Observe his patterns of behavior, see where he usually goes, who he contacts, and figure out what his purpose is."
"Aren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on Professor Quirrell?" Herman retorted.
Upon hearing this, Neville's expression changed. He realized that he seemed to be monitoring too many professors, and that they weren't there to teach, but rather to check on the discipline of the teaching staff.
Herman looked at Neville's face and sighed inwardly. "Kid, you know it's not easy being the protagonist now."
"Don't overthink it," Herman said finally, trying to keep his tone even. "Since Dumbledore dared to let him into the castle, he must have made arrangements. There's no point in us worrying about it."
Hugo suddenly said, "By the way, I noticed that in the Gori, the character was walking with Quirrell. Could it be that they already knew each other?"
Upon hearing Hugo's reasoning, Herman quickly defended Professor Quirrell, saying, "It should just be that Dumbledore arranged for Professor Quirrell to watch over him; after all, he assigned Gori as a teaching assistant for Dark Magic Defence Class!"
At this point, Herman realized that now that Dark Magic Defence Class had teaching assistants, he could be freed up and no longer have to be a teaching aid in class.
Although actual combat greatly improved his spellcasting ability, it was also incredibly painful.
But clearly Herman's explanation had no effect whatsoever; the trio didn't listen at all.
Hugo continued to speculate, "Could it be that the Vampire attacked the train in the first place because Quirrell was on the train, and he acted as an inside man, which allowed them to attack the train so accurately? Wasn't the train's whereabouts supposed to be kept secret?"
Hey, have you entered autistic mode? You're not listening to anything I say anymore.
The train was kept secret from Muggles and had a Muggle-repelling charm on it, which had no effect on wizards. Otherwise, Ron and Harry wouldn't have been able to chase the train in their cars in the original books!
And even Quirrell following a car is considered wrong? They're just looking for a pretext to condemn him.
However, the trio had already entered reasoning mode again and were not listening to any other explanations. Harry, not wanting to let things get out of hand, added.
"Judging from how the professors left the stage just now, it's highly likely that only Professor Quirrell was responsible for watching it. The other professors didn't even give Gori a second glance, showing complete trust in Professor Quirrell. If they're in cahoots, that would be interesting."
Upon hearing Harry's reminder, Neville's expression immediately changed, and he said, "No, we still need to keep an eye on Quirrell and that Vampire!"
Without waiting for Herman's reply, she hurriedly took Ron and Hugo and ran away.
"Well, poor Professor Quirrell not only has to watch over the Vampire, but also the little wizards!" Herman complained helplessly.
Draco watched the three walk away, then looked at Herman, opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately just shook her head, picked up her bag, and said, "Let's go back to the dorm."
Herman followed her toward the common room, glancing back at the podium as they rounded the corner of the corridor.
Dumbledore was still sitting there, his wine glass empty, his white beard gleaming faintly in the candlelight.
The old man happened to be looking in that direction, and his gaze met Herman's in mid-air.
Dumbledore smiled faintly, then looked away.
Herman's alarm bells rang loudly, "Damn it, did that old bastard in the Gori reveal everything?!"
On the way back to her dorm, Herman kept thinking about Dumbledore's smile.
The smile was very slight; the corners of his mouth merely lifted slightly, and even his beard barely moved.
But it was precisely because it was so light that Herman became increasingly uneasy.
If Dumbledore laughed, Herman would only assume that someone had told him a joke.
It's precisely this ambiguous, knowing smile that's about to fade away, like someone lightly tapping a chessboard with their finger, as if telling you they're about to checkmate you, that your pieces are doomed, but they're in no hurry to make a move, just playing with your mind.
Herman's boots stomped on the stone floor, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.
Draco walked beside him, muttering under her breath about Vampire becoming a professor. Her voice was partially absorbed by the corridor walls, and by the time it reached Herman's ears, it was half muffled.
Herman didn't reply; his attention was completely absorbed in the tangled mess in his mind.
What exactly did Dumbledore know?