My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 340, Section 337: An Interesting Little Plan

"You simply can't attend three recruitment events at the same time, Hermione, because two of them conflict with each other."

As Ron watched Hermione hand in the forms one by one, he said with utter bewilderment.

Hermione turned and glared at him.

"I have my own way."

She looked at the executive committee form in Ron's hand and asked suspiciously, "Why don't you sign up to be a disciplinary committee member? Isn't your brother Percy the head of the disciplinary committee?"

Ron curled his lip: "Hmph, it's precisely because he's the head of the disciplinary committee that I can't apply to be a member of the disciplinary committee. If he saw me, he definitely wouldn't accept me."

Hermione shook her head, not quite understanding the bond between the Weasley brothers.

The first week of school was a great experience for Harry and his two friends.

Lupin, the newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year, is no mediocre professor. His students don't need to bring textbooks to his classes; they are all practical classes.

The first lesson was lively and interesting, teaching them how to deal with the Borok creature. Afterwards, he specifically asked them what knowledge Lynn had taught them last year, to understand their learning progress.

Of course, there were also unpleasant things that happened. For example, Hagrid's first lesson on protecting magical creatures did not go well, which made them feel sad for their friend.

And in Prophecy class, Prophecy Professor Sybil Trelawney prophesied Harry's doom, saying he would die this year.

This terrified Harry. Although Hermione had stopped believing in prophecy—something even more magical than magic—after her prophecy class, she kept reassuring Harry that it was all Professor Trelawney's charade and that nothing would happen to him this year.

But Ron argued that Harry should be careful, since the prisoner who escaped from Azkaban was rumored to be coming for revenge.

However, these troubles were not a big deal. In fact, Harry didn't take Professor Trelawney's prophecy too seriously. There was more than just Dumbledore guarding Hogwarts now; there was also Professor Belloc.

Their top priority right now is the student council recruitment event on weekends.

The recruitment fair was held as scheduled on the weekend of the first week of school.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione parted ways in front of the Gryffindor common room; they had all signed up for different departments.

Harry signed up for the Arts and Sports Department, Ron signed up for the Executive Committee, and Hermione signed up for the Disciplinary Committee, the Publicity Department, and the Clubs Department.

See you in the lounge tonight.

After they waved goodbye, Hermione headed towards the third floor of the castle. The disciplinary committee recruitment she was attending tonight didn't conflict with the recruitment for the other two departments, but she would have to use the Time-Turner tomorrow to make it in time.

As she was walking down the stairs, she suddenly saw a familiar figure.

Lynn was talking to a girl with long, light blonde hair at a corner of a corridor. They didn't talk for long and soon parted ways. Lynn happened to be walking in Hermione's direction.

"Hermione." Lynn saw her too. She also noticed the form in her hand. "Are you getting ready for the student council recruitment event?"

Hermione glared at him.

"Yeah, it's a recruitment event for disciplinary committee members. I heard their job is to arrest student council presidents who seduce underage girls."

Lynn was amused by her tone.

"That's terrible. I have to tell Weasley specifically not to hire you, or I'll be stuck in Azkaban."

"You dare!"

"Okay, okay, I won't." Lynn rubbed Hermione's head, like soothing a cat with its fur standing on end.

"Who was that girl just now?" Walking side by side with Lynn down the castle corridor, Hermione was still bothered by what she had just witnessed.

"Betty Riddle, a freshman in Gryffindor, you know her too," Lynn said casually.

"I know her too?" Hermione was stunned by Lynn's words. She tried her best to search her memory, but she couldn't find any image of this girl.

Lynn had no intention of hiding Tom's true identity from Hermione; she already knew that Tom had been captured and turned into a ball.

"That's Tom."

"Tom? That Tom, didn't you say her name was Betty?" Hermione looked blank, not quite understanding at first.

Lynn shrugged. "Which Tom could it be? Do you know many Toms?"

Hermione's eyes widened instantly.

"You mean she's Tom Reed? Impossible! Even though Tom's always been in that ball, I know he's a boy!"

"Yes, the soul is male, but he now has a new body."

Hermione stared at Lynn in disbelief, as if she were meeting him for the first time, her voice trembling.

"I never imagined you were this kind of person!"

"What are you thinking! It's not like I made her like this. Before she went in, I repeatedly told her not to go astray. It was all her own choice."

Hermione still looked incredulous. She knew how well Tom had been taught by Lynn and how obedient he had become. How could he possibly become such a pervert?

Seeing that she didn't believe him, Lynn had to explain it to her again from beginning to end.

"Do you remember the Slytherin successor I caught last semester? She actually infiltrated Hogwarts by using the body of an eleven-year-old girl. The reason she approached me in the office was that her whole family had been killed by Tom. At the time, Tom had a crush on her, which was a huge blow to her."

Then, on the night I killed the basilisk, he discovered that the girl was already dead. He had tried to save her but failed, which left Tom with a deep-seated trauma.

When she finally solidified her body, she forgot what she originally looked like, so she chose to become Betty, to live on in place of that girl.

Tom's story was so tragic that Hermione couldn't help but feel sympathy for her.

Lynn tapped her on the head.

"Even if this is a tragedy for her, it is the retribution she deserves. Don't forget who caused the tragedy of Harry's family, and who left Neville's parents still in St. Mungo's. She now has a chance to start anew, not for her own life, but to atone for her sins."

"Keep this a secret from Harry and the others as much as possible. Don't tell anyone. Tom will confess to Harry when she's ready."

Hermione nodded, indicating that she understood.

"So what were you guys talking about just now?"

"It's nothing, just a fun little plan."

(End of this chapter)