The Return to Hogwarts

Every second back at Hogwarts was so pleasant. Before we knew it, the layers of clouds on the horizon had turned crimson.

At the edge of the Quidditch pitch, Hermione was panting, gently shaking her shirt collar with her fingers to let the cool breeze on the grass cool her body down as quickly as possible. It has to be said that Professor Blaine's insistence on daily exercise was justified. After lying in St. Mungo's for half a month, picking up training again felt much more tiring than before.

The rising temperature also caused Harry and Ron to sweat more than usual, their clothes sticking to their bodies, feeling like they were covered in slug slime.

"We can't eat like this."

Ron said, wrinkling his nose.

"Nobody would want to sit with us; they'd think we smelled bad."

“We can take something from the auditorium to the common room and eat while you continue to tell us about the changes in Nave,”

Harry's breathing was also more rapid than usual after his run.

“Damn it, we never even thought to ask about Neville’s family. We should have realized it sooner. Neville never mentions his parents in front of us; he only ever talks about his grandmother. Amazing, I mean Professor Blaine. He’s done another great thing quietly.”

"no problem."

Hermione said cheerfully,

“Angelina told me the password to the prefect’s bathroom. I’m going to go and take a good shower. You guys get all the papers from the past two weeks ready. I need to get rid of them as soon as possible. After that, we might be able to find half an hour to have a good chat about Neville.”

Chapter 832 Idea

2024-03-30

On the first night of an ordinary school day, the atmosphere in the Gryffindor common room was more cheerful than usual because of the return of Professor Blaine and Hermione Granger, the champion of Gryffindor.

As Harry and Ron carried a pile of homework down the spiral staircase from their dormitory to the common area, many were eagerly discussing the showdown between Professor Blaine and the group of dark wizards he had arrested who were treating Muggles with brutality—details of which were revealed in the Daily Prophet.

It was the outskirts of Berlin at night, where a golden net of fire covered the earth like a canopy, the intense flames illuminating the night sky as bright as day, visible throughout almost the entire city of Berlin.

That would definitely be a duel no less exciting than the Quidditch World Championship finals last summer—that's what many people think.

"My mom told my dad about this!"

As Harry and Ron passed Seamus, he was angrily shaking the Daily Prophet, which contained a report on the sentencing of several dark wizards convicted of serious crimes.

"He wrote to me saying that if these bad guys were in the Muggle world, they would definitely be shot for all the bad things they've done. I agree with him. Oh, look at the court's verdict, sentenced to thirty years in prison in Erskine. So, if they're lucky, these scumbags might have a chance to enjoy their retirement?!"

Before Dean across from him and Ginny, who immediately became distracted upon seeing Harry, could say anything, Seamus indignantly continued,

"I bet if Professor Blaine were to preside over the trial, he wouldn't give these scumbags another chance to see the sun!"

Harry knew that Seamus's father was a Muggle, which was why he felt a particular hatred for these dark wizards. He slowed his pace, glanced at the newspaper over Seamus's shoulder, and asked Ron with some confusion,

What is Eksta?

“I guess it’s a prison, but not as famous as Azkaban,”

Ron shrugged.

"What I'm more curious about is why Seamus's father wanted those bad guys to eat bullets. Bullets... what are those, Harry, a kind of poison?"

This was a difficult question to explain, and Harry thought for a moment before answering.

"It comes from a gun. It's a Muggle's metal wand that fires metal projectiles that are incredibly fast and can penetrate the body. If it hits a vital spot, it's fatal. Some Muggle countries use it to carry out the death penalty, but the British Muggle government has abolished this form of punishment."

"Oh!"

Ron imagined the feeling of a high-speed metal marble passing through his body, and he shuddered a few times.

"That must have hurt a lot. Muggles are really perverted. But these dark wizards certainly deserve this kind of punishment."

The sofa by the fireplace where they usually sat was occupied by two first-year wizards. Harry stopped Ron from trying to get rid of the two 'clueless' juniors, and the two of them chose a table near the girls' dormitory stairs and put their homework on it.

Harry glanced at the other side of the common room, at the clock on the wall diagonally above the old dresser, and raised an eyebrow.

"Why hasn't Hermione come back yet? She's probably been gone for an hour."

"Who knows? Maybe the prefect's restroom was too big and she got lost there,"

Ron slumped into the sofa and said dismissively, "However, I think Angelina might be exaggerating. That bathroom wasn't nearly as luxurious as it seemed. Percy wouldn't miss any opportunity to brag to us, but he never showed off that place."

But as soon as he finished speaking, a look of worry appeared between Ron's brows.

“I’ve never heard Hermione mention that she’s particularly good at swimming, but the second competition requires her to stay in the water for a full hour, which is completely impossible, isn’t it?”

Perhaps it was Seamus's mention of the 'bullet' that sparked a spark of inspiration in Harry, who said thoughtfully,

"Unless she can get her hands on professional diving equipment for the competition, like Hermione summoned the Invisibility Cloak in the first competition, and prepare a set of scuba gear beforehand."

Harry knew what Ron would ask, so he explained in advance,

"That's also a device made by Muggles. Wearing it allows you to move freely underwater. But I'm not sure if the scuba gear will work properly at Hogwarts, and whether that would be considered a violation of the rules, since it's Muggle stuff after all."

Ron knew exactly where Harry's inspiration came from; he leaned back on the soft sofa, his spirits lifted.

“This sounds much more interesting than ‘bullets.’ When Hermione comes back, you can tell her about this idea and ask for her opinion.”

"Speaking of which, there's something I've always been curious about,"

Harry blinked his bright green eyes, puzzled, and said, "According to the clues in the golden egg, they will take Hermione's precious treasure. If it is not retrieved within an hour, the heroes will lose their treasure completely. What do you think that treasure is for Hermione?"

"That's a good question; we've completely forgotten about that."

Ron frowned and puffed out his cheeks.

"It's hard to say Harry. Maybe it's 'A History of Hogwarts,' which she has always loved. Of course, it could also be 'How to Get Rid of Your Dying Self,' which is her new favorite. Before the incident, she took it everywhere she went."

"It's indeed possible."

Harry chuckled and was about to share his guess when the portrait of the Fat Lady spun open, and Hermione, whom they were talking about, slipped through the doorway into the common room.

Hermione seemed to have encountered something good, her face beaming with excitement. She paused at the door for a moment, then ran towards Harry and Ron with incredibly light steps.

"Make way for me--"

Hermione unceremoniously pulled Harry off the sofa and shooed him to share a sofa with Ron. The two boys, neither of them short, squeezed together and stared at each other before looking at Hermione.

After her bath, Hermione's slightly flushed cheeks glowed, and her still-damp hair draped over her fair, pert collarbones. Perhaps due to excessive excitement, Hermione buttoned the first button of her shirt into the second buttonhole, revealing a patch of pale skin on her chest.

Ron rubbed his nose, then looked away. He then noticed Lavender staring at him intently from the crowd. After a moment of distraction, he waved and smiled at Lavender.

"What's going on, Hermione?"

Harry pointed out the minor oversight in his clothing and then asked curiously.

"I thought of it!"

Hermione pursed her lips, trying to suppress her excitement.

"How simple, oh. Actually, it's not exactly simple, but I believe I can do it. But the key is, shouldn't I have thought of this sooner?"

If you mean

Harry was completely confused by Hermione's description. He frowned and hesitated before speaking.

"That's it, Advanced Transfiguration. It allows you to transform into a creature that can breathe underwater. I ignored it because it's a course we only start learning in sixth grade!"

"Sixth grade?"

Ron clicked his tongue.

“I must remind you, Hermione, there’s only a week left until the competition. In such a short time, you need to master a Newts-level spell. I think Harry’s suggestion was good. He said there’s something that can help Muggles move underwater, called scuba gear, if you can get it with a summoning charm during the competition.”

"Scuba?"

Hermione paused for a moment, then gave a negative opinion.

“That would certainly help me move around underwater, Harry, but you know, it also requires professional training to use, which isn’t my area of ​​expertise, and I don’t think the judges would allow me to use Muggle equipment.”

"Well, I didn't think it would work either. Speaking of which, I just remembered something,"

Harry lowered his voice.

“Before you came back, Cedric came to me and wanted to talk to you alone to repay you for the help you gave him before the first game. I guess he probably already had an idea and wanted to give you a hint.”

As Harry had predicted, Hermione refused almost without hesitation, but he was still slightly curious.

"Speaking of which, where do you get your inspiration, Hermione?"

"Oh!"

Hermione flipped her hair and said happily,

"There's a mural in the prefect's washroom that depicts a blonde mermaid, and that's what reminded me of this."

Chapter 833 Nighttime Investigation of Black Lake

2024-03-31

Compared to the days I was running around a lot before, these past few days back at Hogwarts, although I haven't had a moment to relax, have been much more peaceful than before.

Now, Amosta has added another task to his daily work: checking the mail sent to students and professors at Hogwarts. He doesn't open the packages to check them; for a great wizard with immense mental strength and keen intuition, whether something is dangerous is just a matter of glancing at it.

But this still takes up an hour before breakfast every day in Amosta, because there are just too many things being sent to Hogwarts every day.

He did indeed make some progress, finding something almost every day that was inappropriate for the school. Most of it came from Slytherin, a house whose students sometimes struggled to distinguish between prank items and dangerous dark magic artifacts.

Without Professor Blaine, physical education class would be much less fun—a consensus among all physical education students.

After his return, the students resumed their previous practice of escaping from an encircled and adverse situation. Most of them performed no differently than before, which was not surprising. This was an education that involved learning from countless failures, and even Amosta himself did not have much experience to impart; they had to figure it out on their own.