Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 266 Harry's Deadly Overthinking

The lunch bell rang, and the people gathered in the hall began to disperse. Harry turned around and saw Hermione in the bustling crowd.

Hermione didn't notice him; she was chatting with Parvati and Eloise beside her. The know-it-all, who used to be all about principles and no sentimentality, had completely changed her style this semester—both in appearance and behavior.

Harry suddenly noticed that, in the time he hadn't noticed, Hermione's signature tousled brown hair had changed, becoming smooth and shiny.

She has grown a lot taller, transforming from a short little girl into a young woman.

Her face no longer held the seriousness and rigidity of the past. Just like now, she was playing and laughing with Parvati and Eloise, her face beaming with joy.

Harry, who already had someone in his heart, suddenly noticed Hermione's change, but didn't think much of it. He just secretly blamed himself for never noticing his good friend's changes.

He was happy to see Hermione make more friends, but saddened that while Hermione made new friends, the cost was that the trio was no longer complete.

He sighed inwardly.

When Harry turned his head, he noticed that Ron was also looking in Hermione's direction.

But that expression—

"Ron?"

"Huh?" Ron, who was staring blankly as if he had lost his soul, turned around with a bewildered look on his face.

Harry's eyes widened. "What are you looking at?"

Ron's expression panicked for a moment: "Huh? I didn't—I didn't see anything—"

You're kidding me!

Harry swore he had just seen Ron staring at Hermione like a fool, an expression he knew all too well because of his extensive experience with dementia last semester.

Autumn Zhang!

The girl who made his heart ache and haunted his dreams, the one he saw walking with Vaughn several times last semester, had the same expression Ron had just had.

Was it Parvati? Eloise? Or—

Harry didn't dare to think about it any further.

Harry felt like he was a jinx.

Unfortunately, during the practical lesson on Monday and in the observations over the following days, he noticed that the person who caused Ron's dementia was neither Parvati nor Eloise.

But it was the possibility he least wanted to consider: Hermione—

Sin!

Well, after the practical lessons, the notebooks, and Colin Creevey, Harry has another worry: he's starting to think that the trio might really be doomed!

Reason told him that he should advise Ron to pay attention to Hermione and Vaughn's relationship, raise his moral standards, give up unrealistic fantasies, and stop being obsessed with people he shouldn't be fantasizing about.

But he couldn't bring himself to say it. It wasn't out of loyalty or reluctance to hurt Ron, but rather—Ron himself didn't seem to realize his current problem.

That's normal. Based on his own experience, Harry was indeed confused when he first fell in love. It took him a long time to toss and turn before he vaguely understood that the feeling of being tormented and intertwined with his thoughts was the taste of love at its inception.

Harry dared not break this delicate balance.

Last semester, he pretended to be stupid when facing Qiu Zhang; otherwise, everyone would have felt awkward.

Because of this incident, Harry suddenly realized that it might actually be a good thing that Hermione wasn't returning to the team for the time being.

He could only hope that after a period of separation, the restlessness of youth would allow Ron to quickly shift his focus, regain a healthy emotional state, and not continue down a dead-end path that was destined to lead nowhere.

Otherwise, Harry couldn't imagine what kind of situation he, Ron, Vaughn, and Hermione would be in in the future.

That must be terrible!

Harry was troubled by his emotional world, and the real world was much the same.

It's almost the end of September, and the damp chill of the North Sea has finally reached the British Isles. It's been raining everywhere these past few days, including the Scottish Highlands.

Thick, dark clouds rolled over the mountains, covering the Hogwarts Valley between them, darkening the sky and making it seem like dusk even during the day.

What followed was days of continuous heavy rain, causing the lake to rise and Black Lake to become as large as the sea overnight.

On Saturday morning, Harry went to the stadium for training. When he passed the courtyard, the garden was flooded by the overflowing lake. The once clean and tidy stone slabs were now covered in mud with every step, turning the beautiful garden into a muddy disaster site.

Worst of all, the terrible weather did nothing to dampen Oliver Wood’s fanatical and obsessive enthusiasm for training. Saturday was supposed to be Harry’s most anticipated day, but now, flying through the air, instead of a gentle breeze and sunshine, he was met with raindrops the size of soybeans pelting down his face.

It was like being in hell!

Unfortunately, no one could restrain Wood, the tyrant. When Harry saw Wood's imposing figure and then looked at his own small stature, he gave up the idea.

Fred and George did try to resist; they somehow found a bottle of "Drain Water" and secretly put it into Wood's water bottle.

Wood was so exhausted from defecating in the toilet that day—according to Lee Jordan, the noise Wood made in the toilet made him think he was standing next to Niagara Falls.

This behavior was egregious. Although Wood did not pursue the matter, Percy was furious when he found out. He wrote a letter home, and not long after, Mrs. Molly sent them a scathing letter.

The protests were thus suppressed.

That was the first time Harry had ever heard of a shout letter. The day the letter arrived, he and Ron sat next to Fred and George, discussing the fight against Wood and the Dueling Club.

When Zhu Weiqiong threw a red envelope in front of them and then quickly flew away.

Harry, who didn't know it at the time, hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation.

He only noticed Ron's suddenly pale face, and the twins huddled together, trembling.

Then, a deafening roar resounded throughout the entire auditorium!

All day long, Harry felt like his head was buzzing, as if a thousand flies were living in his ears—

His condition was actually not bad; Mrs. Molly was still expressing her concern for his hard training in her letter.

The twins were in trouble; it was absolutely terrible.

Of course, life can't be all bad. After training on Saturday, Harry, accompanied by Ron, dragged his tired body to visit Hagrid and was pleasantly surprised to find that the pumpkins in Hagrid's pumpkin patch were thriving thanks to the rain.

The biggest one is about the size of a small house!

"Merlin, thank goodness for the weather! I've grown the best pumpkins I've had in years!" Hagrid sobbed with joy. "Oh, and thank you to Vaughn and Rozier too! They sent me giant Muggle pumpkin seeds and fertilizer. It's incredible that Muggles have such advanced agricultural technology!"

Ron winked at Harry, probably thinking that in Hagrid's eyes, Muggles were like cavemen.

The reason this is considered good news is—

"This Halloween, the castle won't have to worry about running out of pumpkins!"

Hagrid said excitedly, "There's a surplus! It can supply not only the castle, but perhaps even the Forbidden Forest—"

He suddenly stopped speaking, and Harry looked at him curiously: "You mean the Forbidden Forest?"

"Uh...Forbidden Forest..." Hagrid stammered, his beetle-like black eyes blinking. "Uh, yes, I'm thinking of inviting a bunch of magical creatures from the Forbidden Forest to celebrate Halloween this year. Yes, that's right, they did a great job for Professor Rozier's practical lessons, so we should reward them properly."

Harry thought Hagrid might have drunk too much of the tea he'd made from those strange leaves he'd picked up in the Forbidden Forest, and he was starting to talk nonsense.

How do the magical creatures celebrate Halloween? Do they just play themselves, without makeup?

""

Harry chuckled at his own absurd idea and then looked forward to Halloween a month later.

Although there is no holiday for Halloween, there will be activities and a banquet, making the castle very lively, much better than the quiet Christmas.

Another piece of good news was that the following weekend, a new notice was posted in the lobby on the first floor.

Harry and Ron were in their dormitory at the time. It was pouring rain outside, and the two of them were huddled on the windowsill of the bay window, playing wizard chess to the sound of the rain pattering against the window.

Harry's chess pieces cursed at him, calling him a terrible chess player, while the grumpy knight brandished his sword, telling Harry to get to the board immediately so he could kill him.

Harry was flushed and nearly broke down when Neville rushed in and saved him.

Neville burst through the door, panting, and shouted, "The duel—the duel club's date is set! It's next Saturday, today! Registration starts today!"

"What? Next Saturday? Where do I register?"

Harry stood up and shouted. He swore he had never been so excited about any news, and for the first time he found Neville's round, chubby face so adorable, like an angel.

As for the fact that he was too "excited" and knocked over the chessboard, even injuring the knight who kept clamoring to kill him—those are minor matters, Ron will understand.

Ron didn't want to understand at all.

He felt that Harry had been acting strangely lately. Ever since Hermione left the group, Harry used to mention Hermione every few days, lamenting the loss of her and feeling lost about everything.

But a few days ago, Harry suddenly stopped mentioning Hermione in front of him, and even quickly pulled him away whenever he saw Hermione.

This deeply troubled Ron—was Harry angry and about to break ties with Hermione? Was the trio really doomed?

In fact, he had been trying to find an opportunity to speak with Hermione alone these past few days.

Let's talk about Harry's mistakes, his regrets, and, of course, the hidden dangers he faced—which he has never forgotten: the notebook and Colin Creevey.

If possible, he hoped to get Vaughn's help through Hermione.

Yes, he knew that Hermione had been with Vaughn during the days she was away from the group.

He had observed Hermione's changes many times, especially her hair.

She must have used a hair-enhancing potion, brewed by Vaughn.

He saw his mother use it on Ginny at home.

With its unique color and sheen, Ron felt that only Vaughn's hair straightener could save Hermione's lion-mane-like tangled hair!

As is well known, the great Mr. Vaughn Weasley has rarely brewed "ordinary" potions himself since he became the youngest Potions Master with the Wolfsbane Potion.

In fact, Ron was somewhat jealous of Hermione. Why was she, an outsider, closer to Vaughn than he, her own brother?

Because of love?

Tch!

Of course, despite his jealousy, Ron still wanted to dispel Hermione's resentment towards Harry, both because of their friendship and for Harry's safety.

Unfortunately, Harry has been keeping a close eye on him lately, and he can't find a chance to get close to Hermione.

However—the Duel Club seems like an opportunity!

Perhaps she still won't be able to meet Hermione privately, but at least Vaughn will definitely be there.

The registration point for the Duel Club is on the 4th floor of the castle. This floor has a lot of unused classrooms, and the school usually chooses this floor for any temporary events.

When the three arrived, the corridor on the fourth floor, which was usually deserted and even Mrs. Loris didn't want to come to, was already crowded with people.

"Merlin!"

Looking at the long queue ahead, Neville exclaimed, "So many people want to apply to the Dueling Club? Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw—is everyone in the castle here?"

"Dear Longbottom, to be precise, the fifth and seventh graders didn't come. Of course they wanted to come, but Professor McGonagall stopped them. Those poor kids, they only have eight months until their exams, and Professor McGonagall thinks they're running out of time!"

The person at the front of the line turned his head 180 degrees, nearly scaring Neville to death.

Harry greeted him in surprise, "Almost headless—uh, Sir Nicholas of Minsey, what brings you here?"

Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor, who was nearly headless, politely lifted his head. The gruesome wound and flesh on his neck made Neville gasp for breath.

"And you, Harry, why can't I come?"

"Because you are a ghost—" Harry said hesitantly.

Nick, nearly bewildered, shook his head repeatedly in a physical sense. "Honey, I think you have some prejudice against ghosts. Which school rule states that ghosts can't participate in clubs? Or does the dueling club have any restrictions on ghosts joining?"

"Well----"

Harry thought about it and realized that there really wasn't one.

"In fact, it was the esteemed Mr. Weasley who sent us the announcement. He is a truly kind man; it seems the wizards in the castle have always forgotten about us."

Nick, who was nearly headless, sighed, "We are indeed dead, but we also need social interaction. All ghosts miss their lives, which is why we haven't left this world—look at this corridor, how nostalgic and lively it is, everyone is here."

Harry and his two companions then noticed that there were indeed some ghosts mixed in with the densely packed procession ahead.

There was the fat monk familiar to Harry and the others, and also the bloody Barrow, whom they rarely saw, who was said to be the Slytherin's most fearsome man, capable of frightening Peeves with his infamous reputation.

I just thought of Mischievous Ghost.

A water-filled balloon suddenly fell from above, passing through Nick's nearly headless body and exploding on the young wizard's head with a bang, instantly soaking everyone around, including Harry, his two companions, and others.

Nick roared, "You damn bastard, Peeves!"

Harry looked up and, sure enough, saw Peeves floating on the ceiling, grinning with his wicked mouth, holding a few water balloons in his hand, and laughing heartily.

Hearing Nick insult him, Peeves threw another water balloon at him: "Useless Nick, despised idiot Nick, I heard you failed to get into the Headless Hunters team again, so you've come to join the club of the living? Oh—I see, poor thing, you're hoping that wretched redhead will tear your last bit of skin and tendons off?"

Peeves' words were nonsensical, and Harry couldn't understand them at all.

But Nick was visibly enraged—his entire translucent body was flushed red as he cursed at Peeves.

Peeves was laughing and throwing water balloons at him, but actually all the water balloons landed on the heads of Harry and the others next to Nick, soaking them and causing them to run away with their heads covered.

It wasn't until Bloody Barrow walked over from the Slytherin group that Peeves cursed and disappeared into the wall.

"I'm sorry, my dear children, Mischief was targeting me, but it's causing you all to suffer."

Nick apologetically tried to wipe the water droplets off Harry and the others, but his hand went straight into Harry's body. The gruesome sight sent a chill down Harry's spine. Nick quickly withdrew his hand: "Oh, sorry, the dead should keep their distance from the living. I was so angry I lost my mind—that damn Peeves, it's only been a few days since it calmed down, why hasn't that evil notebook dried it up yet—don't let me catch it, I swear—"

The draft through the autumn rain was very cold, and Harry and Ron, soaked to the bone, were shivering.

But they still managed to pick up on a fleeting word amidst Nick's incessant cursing.

notebook?

Harry and Ron finished queuing and quickly filled out the application forms for the Duel Club—the forms were distributed and collected by several Gryffindor and Ravenclaw girls, including Hermione.

But neither Harry nor Ron is in the mood to pay attention to Hermione right now.

After submitting their application forms, the two broke away from the group and went into an empty classroom.

Ron's expression turned serious: "Harry, did you hear that? Nick said—the notebook!"

"Um--

"Was that the one you brought into the castle?"

Harry hesitated. "I'm not sure. Nick only mentioned the word 'notebook,' maybe—"

Ron said firmly, "That's for sure. There's no way it's that coincidental. You lost your notebook, Peeves found one, and Nick described it as evil. Harry, ghosts sometimes have a stronger sense of perception than the living."

"But if Peeves found the notebook, then what was it that I sensed from Crevy?"

""

Ah, this—

Ron fell into deep thought, and after a moment, he clapped his hands: "Maybe Peeves found it first, then lost it, and then Creevey found it?"

"...

That makes some sense, I suppose!

Harry nodded, but he was more worried that Creevey and Peeves might be "in cahoots"!

He looked at Ron, who had also thought of it, and scratched his head in frustration: "Damn it—we originally planned to observe Crevy first, and then, once we improved our magical abilities, we would put on the invisibility cloak and follow him to see if we could find where he hid the notebook, but if Peeves joins in—"

Therefore, the notebook's hiding place is likely not fixed, but rather in every corner of Hogwarts!

After all, Peeves is a wicked spirit without a physical form; it can go anywhere.

The two felt a bit overwhelmed and stood there dumbfounded for a while. Then Ron suddenly said, "Think about it carefully, there's actually another way."

"What?"

"Find someone who can subdue Pikachu and force it to hand over the notebook."

Harry: "—Good idea. So, who can control Peeves?"

This is a question that doesn't even need to be considered. In the entire Hogwarts, the only people Peeves can be afraid of are Barrow the Blood and Vaughn.

Bloody Barrow is out of the question; that guy doesn't even bother with Slytherin students.

Vaughn's words —

The two looked at each other, seemingly having come full circle, back to square one.

"So we can only wait until next Saturday's Duel Club?" Harry asked unwillingly. He wanted to solve the trouble he had caused himself, instead of running away and dumping it on Vaughn or Dumbledore every time he encountered a problem.

If it's not completely impossible or beyond his ability, he doesn't want to rely too much on or trouble others.

Moreover, given the bustling scene of people applying to join the club today, it's uncertain whether they'll even be able to get close to Vaughn on the day of the event, or whether Vaughn will have time to pay attention to them!

"There's another way—" After a moment of thought, Ron's eyes suddenly lit up with a new idea. "Our problem is Peeves; he might have hidden the notebook somewhere we can't find it, right?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that's right. And then?"

"Harry, besides Peeves, who else can freely walk through the castle?"

"—A ghost!" Harry exclaimed in realization.

"Yes, as long as we activate enough ghosts, I believe there's nothing they can't find."

Ron exclaimed excitedly, this being the first time he had proposed a plausible idea that Harry approved of, and he was growing increasingly confident: "We can even have ghosts help us track and monitor Creepy and Peeves, keeping track of their every move!"

Huh?

The more I listen, the more sense it makes!

Harry couldn't help but glance at Ron's head, wondering if there was anything unusual there.

But after the two excitedly discussed several ideas for a while, they encountered a key problem: how could they obtain the ghost's help without revealing that the notebook was a dark magic item and without implicating Harry and Crevy?

"How about we get on good terms with the ghost?" Ron suggested.

"How do I build a good relationship? What does a ghost need?"

"Well----"

The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

The problem remained unresolved even after they returned to their dorm that night. In the end, Harry and Ron decided to spend more time in the library to see if they could find any notes from previous generations that recorded what ghosts liked.

As Ron hesitated before falling asleep, he brought up the Duel Club again: "Harry, if finding the ghosts doesn't work, then during next week's dueling event, should we—I think Vaughn wouldn't mind helping out—"

Harry lay on the bed with his back to Ron. "I know, Ron. I won't risk everyone's safety for the sake of saving face. If that doesn't work, I'll go to Vaughn or Dumbledore."

"Thank you, Harry—"

"I should be the one saying thank you. I'm the one who caused all this trouble, and I've dragged you into it too."

In the darkness, the two whispered their innermost thoughts and gradually fell asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, the dormitory door slowly opened, and a red magical light swept across several beds. The door creaked, and in the dappled light filtering in from the dim daylight outside the window, Vaughn walked in carrying his wand.