My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 285, Section 282: The Strange "Umaru-chan"

It also happened on Christmas Day.

In the bathroom where Moghan was, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were gathered in a small cubicle, staring at the black, viscous liquid in the cauldron, highly doubting whether it was a potion that could actually be drunk.

"There's no mistake. I've followed the book step by step, and now the color of the potion is exactly the same as described in the book." Hermione poured the potion from the cauldron into two small bottles and then handed them to Harry and Ron.

Only Harry and Ron were preparing to transform and go find Malfoy, because Hermione hadn't gotten any hair from any of the Slytherin girls.

Harry and Malfoy each put the hair of Goyle and Crabbe, Malfoy's two henchmen, into the potion. Goyle's hair turned into a tank-like tan color, while Crabbe's hair turned into a dark, almost blackish brown.

These two guys are now drugged by Harry and his friends and are sleeping soundly in a closet.

"We can't drink here. They're both much bigger than us, and this cubicle simply can't fit them," Harry said.

The three of them separated, each occupying a cubicle, and then, under Hermione's direction, drank the Polyjuice Potion together.

They then emerged from the cubicle, and unsurprisingly, Harry and Ron had transformed into Goyle and Crabbe, even their voices had become identical.

“It’s unbelievable,” Ron said, walking up to the mirror and poking Crabbe’s flat nose. “Unbelievable.”

"Let's hurry up," Harry said, loosening his grip on Goyle's thick wrist with his watch. "We still need to figure out where the Slytherin common room is. I really hope we can find someone to come with us..."

Ron, who had been watching Harry closely, said, "You have no idea how strange it is to see Goyle actually thinking."

Hermione looked at her work with satisfaction and said to them, "You two should hurry over; they might wake up at any time."

"How long does the effect of the compound decoction last?" Ron asked.

"One hour. Remember the time. I don't want you to turn back into your original form in the Slytherin common room; that would be terrible," Hermione warned them. "I'll wait for you here."

"I hope everything goes well for us."

Harry and Ron tried their best to walk like Goyle and Crabbe normally did as they came out of the bathroom.

After watching their figures disappear, Hermione turned around and went back to the cubicle where the Polyjuice Potion was being brewed. She poured the remaining potion into a small bottle, then took a shimmering white hair from her pocket and put it into the potion.

Instantly, the thick black potion boiled, turning from murky black into a bright milky white. Hermione drank the potion from the bottle in one gulp without hesitation, and then savored it for a moment, still wanting more.

It tastes like a creamy fudge.

"Kira was almost moved to tears when he saw me. I gave him a whole bunch of delicious food that you asked me to bring him. If I hadn't held him back, he would have almost knelt down in the direction of Hogwarts."

Umaru lay on the sofa in Lynn's office, telling Lynn about her Christmas experience at home.

"Hmph, you must have eaten at least half of that stuff on the way."

"No, I didn't! I only ate a tiny bit, really just a tiny bit!"

"Why didn't Kira come with you to Hogwarts Castle to see me?" Lynn asked.

"He said he can no longer enter Hogwarts Castle unless you summon him."

Lynn could probably guess that it was because he was expelled from Hogwarts by Dumbledore when he was a first-year student.

Lynn tidied up the gifts on his desk. Among them were gifts sent to Lockhart, as well as gifts that Umaru had brought to him and sent to him personally.

Umaru stayed in Lynn's office for a while longer, then transformed into Lynn's appearance and left to return to her Slytherin dorm room.

Lynn was packing up the pile of gifts, most of which were addressed to Lockhart. Some were from Lockhart's former fans, while others were from Hogwarts students who admired Professor Lockhart.

Just as he finished sorting the gifts and was about to open them one by one to receive the Christmas presents sent to him, there was a knock on the office door.

"Please come in."

The office door was opened, and a white-haired head peeked out from the outside.

Lynn glanced at Umaru, her hands still busy tidying up the gifts.

"Why are you being so polite all of a sudden? You even knock before entering my office. What are you doing back here? Did you leave something behind?"

Hearing his words, "Xiao Mai's" eyes lit up. She walked into the office and looked at one of the gift boxes on Lynn's office desk. The name on it was: Hermione Jane Granger.

"Lynn?" she called softly.

"what?"

Lynn was moving gifts sent by Lockhart fans to the table when she didn't notice the unusual behavior of "Umaru-chan".

"I knew it. I wasn't wrong," Umaru muttered to herself in a very soft voice.

"What do you mean I'm right?" Lynn turned around and gave her a strange look.

She quickly waved her hand: "It's nothing, I just came to check if I left anything here. Maybe I'm overthinking it. I'll be going now."

After saying that, "Umaru" ran out of Lynn's office again, leaving Lynn completely bewildered.

"Xiao Mai" ran down from the fifth floor, her steps becoming lighter and lighter until she was even hopping and skipping.

This "Umaru" is, of course, Hermione after she drank the Compound Herbal Soup.

She began to suspect that Professor Lockhart was Lynn when Finley was attacked.

At first, she thought the murderer was likely Lockhart, but the rumors that later spread at Hogwarts proved her guess wrong.

At that moment, she was already wondering: if Professor Lockhart wasn't the murderer, then where did he go on Halloween night? Why couldn't he say it? And why did Dumbledore believe him so readily?

The fact that Lockhart appeared that night coincided with the time they parted ways with Lynn was too much of a coincidence.

Of course, she had no evidence at that time, and these were just suspicions. What made her more certain of her guess was the time when they went together to ask Lockhart to sign the book borrowing slip with that lame excuse.

Hermione's excuse was so unbelievable that even Harry and Ron thought it was unreliable; it wouldn't fool a professor under normal circumstances.

But Lockhart actually signed the approval slip for them, which almost made Hermione think that her guess was pretty much right.

(End of this chapter)