The Return to Hogwarts

"We know the clothing store owner well, and she gave us a discount, so it only cost us a few dozen gallons--"

At the crucial moment, Hermione, without batting an eye, said that she had anticipated the dress wouldn't be cheap.

Harry thought Hermione's answer was perfect, but for some reason, Fleur burst out laughing after hearing it. The suspicion on her beautiful face disappeared, and she even happily reached out to take the gift from Harry's hand, which caused her cloak to slip to the ground.

Harry blushed instantly at just one glance and quickly looked away, not daring to look again. However, Fleur herself leaned in and gently kissed his cheek, and Harry immediately felt a burning sensation where Fleur had kissed him!

Then, Fleur wanted to kiss Hermione.

"Oh, don't do that!"

Startled, Hermione jumped back, staring at Fleur in horror.

"All right--"

Furong smiled and shrugged. She picked up her cloak from the ground and covered herself up again.

"Thank you, I accept your apology."

Fleur, carrying the gift box, walked briskly up the golden spiral staircase, but before entering the carriage, she suddenly turned back and smiled at the astonished Harry, saying...

"Please also thank Mr. Blaine for me--"

Chapter 600 The Secret Talk That Was Caught in the Act

2023-11-17

Fleur closed the carriage door, while Harry, still clutching the spot where Fleur had just kissed him, stared in astonishment at the golden wands crossed in a cross on the door, remaining stunned for a long time.

"Humph!"

"what happened?"

Suddenly, Harry heard Hermione huff angrily. He turned his head and looked at her blankly.

"Unforgettable, isn't it?"

Hermione looked sullen; she glared at the carriage with a sarcastic tone.

"If you can't bear to, you can knock on the door and ask if she'd like to kiss your other cheek too!"

"Oh--"

Harry, regaining his senses, blushed and felt wronged. It wasn't his request, and besides, who could react to Fleur's sudden appearance?

"Should we go see Professor Blaine again?"

Girls' minds are really strange, Harry thought with a sigh, but he wisely didn't continue the conversation. Now that his relationship with Ron was at an impasse, he cherished his friendship with Hermione even more, so he clumsily changed the subject.

"Why?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Go back and tell Professor Blaine we’ve done our job—” Harry said matter-of-factly. “Besides, Fleur asked us to convey her thanks to Professor Blaine.”

Before he could finish speaking, Harry knew he was in trouble. He angrily blamed himself for bringing up Fleur again, even though he couldn't figure out what Fleur had done to offend Hermione. Hermione, after muttering "hopeless" under her breath, stormed off to the castle.

For Harry, the way back was more difficult than the way there, because an angry Hermione refused to walk alongside him, and he had to hold up the Invisibility Cloak for both of them. So, he was seen stumbling and running forward, struggling to hold up the Invisibility Cloak behind Hermione.

However, just as they stepped into the glow emanating from the castle's still-lit rooms, Harry accidentally stepped into a puddle, suddenly lost his balance, let out a scream, and fell forward, knocking Hermione to the ground as well.

"Who's there?"

Before the two could even gasp, a cold, sharp voice suddenly came from the left side of the marble steps, behind a diamond-shaped edge of the castle. Instinctively, Harry and Hermione immediately curled up into a ball, letting the Invisibility Cloak completely cover their bodies, and then covered their mouths, not daring to make a sound.

Professor Blaine has made it clear that if they are caught by other professors and prefects, he will not help them out!

"Who's eavesdropping there!"

A milky white light suddenly shone from behind the angular building, illuminating a sinister face. However, before they could see the face, Harry and Hermione had already identified who was hiding there by the voice. The owner of the voice was none other than the Hogwarts staff member whom Harry hated the most.

Severus Snape!

Harry and Hermione exchanged a horrified glance as they watched Snape, wand pointed forward and looking on warily. Although the wet, slippery grass and mud on the ground were icy cold, they dared not make a sound, instead curling themselves up even smaller.

"Don't try to fool me, I've already seen you!"

Snape approached slowly, raising his wand and waving it around, trying to figure out who had made the commotion.

Harry saw through Snape's bluff. Indeed, his invisibility cloak was not perfect, and he had encountered people who could see through its disguise. But thankfully, Snape did not have that ability.

"Stop looking, Severus—"

At that moment, a voice that rang out again from the darkness nearly made Harry and Hermione jump.

It was Igor Karkarov, the principal of Durmstrang!

His silver fur robe gleamed in the firelight streaming into the hallway, but his expression betrayed his impatience.

"Perhaps it was just a fox that ran out of the forest and accidentally broke its leg—"

Karkaroff walked up behind Snape and said.

Harry noticed Snape's lips twitch noticeably. He squinted and paced back and forth on the lawn, trying to find the source of the noise. But perhaps Harry's bad luck had finally turned around, because Snape never came toward him and Hermione. Otherwise, he would have noticed their footprints on the lawn.

"Stop wasting time, Severus, what did you call me here for?"

"Kakalov said impatiently again."

Hermione blinked. From Karkaroff's words, she realized that Professor Snape had extended the invitation first, and that's why the two of them were meeting here. But how did these two know each other, and how were they so familiar that Professor Snape was willing to let Durmstrang's headmaster call him by his given name?

The moment doubt arose in her heart, Hermione's expression changed. She suddenly realized a possibility—Sirius had told her today that Durmstrang's headmaster was a Death Eater, and there had always been some bad rumors surrounding Professor Snape himself.

Unable to find any clues, Snape seemed to resign himself to his fate. He extinguished the light of his wand and straightened up to face Karkaroff.

“I have something to ask you, Igor. For the sake of our past friendship, I hope you will tell me the truth. You know that lies cannot stand up to me.”

"What do you want to know?"

Harry strained his ears, trying to overcome the whistling wind. He was just as curious about the question, but when he actually heard Snape ask it, he was so surprised that his heart skipped a beat. He looked at Hermione and saw that she was equally astonished.

"Hermione Granger, that silly little girl who was chosen as the second champion of Hogwarts, Igor, did you do this?"

Harry was so eager to know the answer that he couldn't help but look up at Karkaroff, who was facing them, in the dim firelight. What he saw was a face with an absurd expression.

"Is this a joke, Severus?"

Karkaroff opened his mouth in an extremely exaggerated manner.

"You're doubting me? That's ridiculous. I put that little brat's name in the Goblet of Fire. Why? Why would I do that? To create more competition for myself?"

Snape remained unmoved, his eyes sharpening.

"Don't you think Blaine and Moody's arguments were interesting when we were discussing this issue that night?"

It's clear that Karkaroff had given considerable thought to Blaine and Moody's deductions; he didn't find Snape's question abrupt. However, he still fiercely defended himself.

"That's absolutely stupid, Severus, incredibly stupid!"

Karkaroff paced angrily in front of Snape, then suddenly stopped, glaring at Snape furiously.

"You actually think I would do that?"

Perhaps realizing his reputation might not be so good, Karkaroff abandoned his original explanation and changed his wording.

“I stayed with my students that night, Severus, they can testify for me!”

"You must have taken a break from work, didn't you?" Snape said coldly, "and then stopped by the castle for a stroll?"

Harry had never felt Snape so assertive before. Even with Snape's back to him, Harry could feel Snape's sharp gaze as he pressed Durmstrang's headmaster, trying to break down his defenses. But at the same time, a sense of confusion arose in Harry's mind.

Judging from these questions, Snape was indeed not the murderer who persecuted Hermione, but why was he so keen to investigate this matter? Was it on the orders of Professor Blaine or Professor Dumbledore? Because they knew that Snape and the headmaster of Durmstrang had both served Voldemort and had an unusual relationship, so they ordered him to inquire.

Karkarov was so angry he almost laughed.

"Has the comfortable life at Hogwarts made you lose your former sharpness, Severus? What am I supposed to do, just swagger into the hall and drop in the name of a little girl I've never seen before?"

"Of course you wouldn't wear your own face, Igor—"

Snape stepped forward, staring intently into Karkaroff's eyes. The cold, sharp light emanating from his own eyes even made Karkaroff instinctively look away.

"There's a strange coincidence. On the very night you and Beauxbatons arrived at Hogwarts, something went missing from my storeroom: unicorn powder and African tree snake skin. You know what these are for, right, Igor? Of course, they do take a while to brew, but if you plan ahead, there are ways to speed things up."

Chapter 601 Discovered

2023-11-18

Karkarov stared in astonishment, speechless for a moment.

Powdered horn of a two-horned beast, skin of an African tree snake. Harry blinked, not having trouble guessing that this was an ingredient for a potion, and the name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. So he lowered his head a little and looked at Hermione in confusion.

"Compound decoction--"

Hermione looked equally surprised. She realized what Harry was wondering, so she mouthed the answer to him.

The two exchanged a silent glance, both noticing the astonishment in each other's eyes. This was a possibility they had never considered: Polyjuice Potion. It was indeed a good idea to conceal their identities, and it was certainly not difficult to carry out. All they had to do was secretly take a lock of hair from an upperclassman at Hogwarts during a meal in the Great Hall, and they could legitimately approach the Goblet of Fire and put Hermione's name into it!

So, could it have been Karkaroff? If so, why did he specifically choose Hermione?

The two people lying on the ground subconsciously slowed their breathing.

"I see."

Karkaroff shut his mouth, glaring angrily at Snape.

"You've come to test me, haven't you, Severus? Who sent you to do this, Dumbledore or Blaine? You must have already told them your guesses, right? They're investigating this. No, no, that doesn't matter, Severus. You're completely at their service now?"