The Return to Hogwarts

Lupin grabbed the parchment and rushed downstairs, and Harry knew what he was going to do.

When Professor Lupin rushed downstairs, Harry wanted to follow, but then he heard hurried footsteps coming from the far end of the corridor. This forced Harry to press himself against the window and wait anxiously for the person to pass by.

It's Professor Snape!

Snape's faster walking speed than usual caused his robes to billow like a cloak, and Harry could even feel the chill emanating from him as he passed by.

Even if Harry didn't want to, he had to admit one thing: without Snape, they wouldn't have been able to escape the werewolves' clutches tonight.

How exactly did Snape find out?

When Snape's hurried footsteps subsided, Harry, who had nearly suffocated, gasped for breath a few times, then asked impatiently,

"He didn't have a map of the live points, and I've been wondering how he realized something was wrong."

"Is that even a question, Harry!"

Having gone through so much, Hermione was more agitated than usual, and she said somewhat impatiently,

“That direction leads to Professor Blaine’s office. Professor Snape discovered it through those magical lenses. He must have seen us chasing something, and then he saw Professor Lupin leave the office, sensed something was wrong, and then followed us. Well, let me think, what should we do now?”

Hermione frowned in thought, while Harry was thinking about the person who had saved them from the Dementors.

Who is he?

Harry remained silent, hoping in his heart that the answer was as he had guessed, but reason told him that it was impossible.

"--If you're unsure what to do, just keep going down the same old path."

Hermione muttered absentmindedly, then suddenly had an idea. She grabbed Harry and ran downstairs.

They walked along the straight path through the campus without taking any detours or wasting any time, so when they arrived at the pumpkin patch next to Hagrid's house, their time group had not yet appeared.

They had just crouched among the tangled pumpkin vines at the edge of the Forbidden Forest when Malfoy appeared without any warning, and Scabbers perched on his head.

"Banban--"

Harry gasped and tried to scramble to his feet to grab the rat, but Hermione pounced on his back and pinned him down.

"Don't you understand, Harry? We're breaking one of the most important rules of magic right now. If anyone sees us, we're doomed!"

Hermione forced out the sound through clenched teeth.

“Only Hagrid and Sirius—” Harry said somewhat reluctantly.

Hermione didn't say anything more, because Sirius had already spotted Malfoy and Scabbers. Just as Hagrid had said, Sirius went berserk in a rage. His size increased instantly, and under the watchful eye of Hagrid, who had come out of the room after hearing the commotion, he charged at Malfoy without regard for anything else.

Seeing this, Malfoy turned around, mounted his flying broom, and disappeared into the abyss-like Forbidden Forest without looking back.

"Look!"

Hermione said, holding her breath.

"We are coming."

That's exactly what happened. At this time, they were attracted by Ya Ya's barking and ran over from the path leading to the school gate.

They had all experienced what happened next; there wasn't much to see, Harry said wistfully.

"Peter has run away and hasn't shown up all night. If we can't find him, then Sirius—"

"Not necessarily, Harry—"

The damp earth and dew clinging to the vines made Hermione a little uncomfortable. She adjusted her crawling position, gazing at Hagrid and the others struggling to break into the Forbidden Forest, and slowly said,

"Do you remember the Avada Kedavra curse that suddenly appeared in the Forbidden Forest?"

The name of the spell seemed to have a special magic about it. When its name appeared in the pumpkin patch, Harry felt an invisible chill touch his skin, causing him to shiver for no reason.

He had never heard of this curse before, but when Hermione mentioned it, he immediately thought of the green light that had caused his scar to ache that night.

"You think Peter did it?"

"That's obviously the case--"

Hermione said quickly,

"I suspect Peter's original plan was to lure Sirius into the Forbidden Forest. Think about it, if he were alone, he would definitely die at the hands of the werewolves."

"I just didn't expect us to show up later. Professor Lupin and Professor Snape were essentially drawn there by us. By a twist of fate, so many people learned the truth about what happened back then. This must have surprised Peter, but as long as Sirius died there, everything would be sealed."

By surrendering to Voldemort, causing the deaths of his parents, and having infiltrated the Weasley family and Ron's inner circle for so long, Harry is now plotting to kill Sirius Black. To be honest, apart from Voldemort, Harry has never hated anyone to this extent.

Even the chilly night winds blowing across the highlands couldn't extinguish the flame in Harry's heart.

The struggle beneath the pumpkin finally came to a conclusion, and Hagrid led them into the Forbidden Forest, where they were met with a thrilling war.

Just after they left, under the soothing moonlight, an exceptionally weak Lu Ping appeared, panting heavily. He asked Ya Ya for directions and rushed into the forbidden forest.

Seeing that the time was right, Hermione prepared to get up and follow them inside; there was still a long way to go to get to the place where the battle had taken place.

But at this moment, Harry suddenly stopped being in a hurry. He looked around as if he was looking for something.

"What are you daydreaming about, Harry? We need to catch up!"

"Wait a little longer, Hermione, there might be someone else following us."

Harry knew they had no time to waste, but he didn't move, his face filled with anxiety.

"Harry!"

Hermione got up first, took off her Invisibility Cloak, and stomped her feet angrily.

"It'll be ready soon, just a little longer—"

Harry also got up and looked around.

"Perhaps someone else will come."

Chapter 307 An Inappropriate Topic

2023-05-30

Harry never saw the person he was waiting for. After a disappointed sigh, he and Hermione rushed into the Forbidden Forest.

When they entered the Forbidden Forest earlier that night, they were with Hagrid, riding that magical motorcycle, but this time, when Harry and Hermione entered the Forbidden Forest alone, they didn't feel so good.

Following Sirius Black's footprints and previous memories, finding their way wasn't too difficult. However, the surrounding darkness seemed to come alive, desperately suppressing the glow of the wand and trying to devour everything. Moreover, the howling wind in the forest brought the howls of magical creatures. Even though the two had already experienced enough horrors that night, they were still terrified.

Most importantly, they overlooked one thing.

Harry and Hermione's clothes were already tattered, so when they entered the school hospital, they wore the hospital gowns that Madam Pomfrey had prepared for them. Dumbledore hadn't reminded them to change into clothes that would allow them to move around more easily before time travel.

In the dead of night in late January, the bitter cold of the Forbidden Forest was not something to be trifled with. At first, Hermione could use her magic to help them resist the cold, but as they went deeper, the depletion of their physical and magical energy, especially the mental stress, made Hermione's methods less and less effective.

After helping each other across a shallow puddle, the two teenagers stood on the bank, stamping their feet to ward off the cold.

“I’m a little envious of Ron. Madam Pomfrey said he was startled and it’s best not to wake him prematurely—”

Hermione breathed on her palms, her slender body trembling.

"Yes, he's always been lucky."

Harry bent down to remove the seaweed from his boots, then pulled Hermione by the wrist and struggled to climb the hill.

Hermione glanced at Harry's hand gripping her wrist, and a warm smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. She raised an eyebrow and suddenly said,

"Speaking of which, Harry, when I was chatting with Ginny earlier, she seemed to be asking me if you had a girl you liked!"

Harry slipped and nearly fell to the ground. When he regained his balance, he turned around in surprise and saw Hermione pursing her lips, trying not to laugh. He immediately looked embarrassed.

It's no secret that Ron's sister is madly infatuated with Harry; after all, Ginny hasn't really hidden it either.

"What did you say, Hermione?"

Harry cleared his throat, turned his head, and asked seemingly casually.

“You didn’t tell me this, Harry—”

Hermione tilted her head, scrutinizing Harry's profile, and said in a serious tone,

"Actually, besides Ginny, quite a few girls have asked about this. That's not surprising, is it? Harry, you're very popular with girls."

"Cough cough!"

For some reason, Harry suddenly pictured a dashing girl in his mind; she was a fantastic Quidditch player. And thinking of her, Harry suddenly felt that the night breeze around him was no longer cold, and even that his cheeks were steaming.

At that moment, Harry was incredibly grateful for the dark Forbidden Forest. If it were daytime, he wouldn't know how to explain his embarrassing situation to Hermione.

A few more clear, bell-like laughs came from behind. Harry had finally pulled Hermione up the small hill. He strode forward, as if trying to shake her off, but after a couple of steps, he suddenly stopped.

"And what about you, Hermione?"

Harry turned his head curiously, making a surprise return.

What kind of male wizard would you like?

So far, Harry only knows that Hermione was once obsessed with Gilderoy Lockhart, but unfortunately, that guy was just a big liar who committed unforgivable crimes.

Now, Hermione was the one with a flushed face, and she used her strong gaze to repel Harry's curious stare, ending the abrupt and untimely topic.

They hurried on their way, Harry focused solely on catching Peter, and the previous topic was quickly forgotten. But Hermione, behind him, had a gleam in her eyes.

Most third-grade boys are still preoccupied with how to make a name for themselves at school and how to turn the tide in Quidditch like Harry. However, discussing their favorite boys is actually quite common among girls.

Lavender and Parvati were very interested in this topic; in fact, it was almost a topic they talked about every night before bed. Of course, they wouldn't leave Hermione out either; Parvati had once tried to find out how close Hermione and Harry were.