Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 316 A Little Trick

The atmosphere in Professor McGonagall's office was somewhat awkward.

Harry stared intently at Professor McGonagall, while Ron awkwardly touched his nose beside him. Hermione, on the other hand, remained calm and stood quietly on the other side.

"This is a very serious accusation, Potter." Professor McGonagall paused in surprise, her tone becoming increasingly serious. "Do you have any evidence?"

"No...but we saw Malfoy go to Borginborough alone during the summer holidays..." Harry recounted everything he had seen that day, adding his own speculation. But after he finished speaking, Professor McGonagall seemed somewhat puzzled.

"So, you didn't see or hear Malfoy take that necklace from Borginbock?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"No, but Professor..." Harry was about to say something when Professor McGonagall raised her hand to stop him.

“Alright, Potter, thank you for telling me all this, but we can’t assume Mr. Malfoy is involved just because he went to that store,” Professor McGonagall said. “Besides, we’ve stepped up security measures this year, and you’ve all seen that. I don’t believe that necklace could have entered the school without our knowledge…”

"But……"

"And another thing!" Professor McGonagall interrupted Harry again, "Mr. Malfoy did not go to Hogsmeade today."

"What!" Harry was stunned. He could hardly believe his ears. "How did you know, Professor?"

"Because he's currently in solitary confinement with me, Potter," Professor McGonagall said. "Having failed to complete his Transfiguration assignments twice in a row, I think he needs a quieter environment to finish what he's supposed to be doing."

"Alright, thank you for telling me all this, but now I'm going to the school hospital to visit Katie Bell." With that, Professor McGonagall stood up and strode past the three of them.

She opened the office door and stood there watching them. Harry and his two companions had no choice but to follow her out.

After leaving Professor McGonagall's office, Harry's face was filled with anger. He was angry that Professor McGonagall didn't believe him, and he was also angry that Ron and Hermione hadn't stood up for him.

At that moment, Hermione, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped. She turned around and said, "To the Room of Requirement, Harry, Ron?"

"The Room of Requirement?" Harry was taken aback for a moment, but then he realized what was going on, his anger intensifying as he angrily replied, "Fine!"

"Let's go then." Hermione nodded and headed towards the Room of Requirement. After she turned around, Ron gently tugged at Harry from behind, but Harry shook him off.

Ron was taken aback when he saw Harry striding after him, and could only follow with a helpless expression.

They arrived at the Room of Requirement, and Harry was about to summon the door using the same method as before when Hermione stopped him. Without explanation, she walked back and forth against the wall three times, and a door Harry had never seen before appeared there.

"Come in."

Harry and Ron exchanged bewildered glances, followed Hermione through the door, and then froze in place.

The room was decorated in a Ravenclaw style, with blue carpets, sofa backs, and even curtains. The carpet, in particular, featured an eagle embroidered in the center.

Two walls were lined with bookshelves, filled with all sorts of books. Directly opposite the door was a fireplace, its surface covered with various oddly shaped objects. On the remaining side, two tables stood side by side; one held a crucible, while the other was spotless, with only a carving knife on it.

"Where is this, Hermione?" Harry frowned, asking in confusion. "The Room of Requirement can do this much?"

"Of course." Hermione nodded, gestured for Harry and Ron to sit on the sofa, snapped her fingers, and three cups suddenly appeared on the coffee table, filled with lemon tea.

She picked up her glass, took a sip, and then spoke, leaving the two of them speechless.

"This used to be a secret between me and Ike. You two are the only two people besides us who have entered."

"Ike!" Harry's face turned visibly red, feeling his anger reaching its peak, and he immediately shouted, "You're still in contact with that traitor!"

"I already said, there aren't any now," Hermione immediately retorted. "Besides, he's not the kind of person you think he is..."

"What kind of person is that?" Harry immediately retorted.

"Someone like Snape."

"Snape...Snape?" Hermione's calm reply fueled Harry's anger, but he quickly realized what was going on. Although in his mind Snape had always been a despicable Death Eater, he was actually Dumbledore's man, providing the Order of the Phoenix with a great deal of extremely useful intelligence.

"Is he one of Dumbledore's men too?" Harry asked.

"Strictly speaking, no, but in the fight against the mysterious man, he's on our side..."

"Then why..." Harry began, but Hermione interrupted, "as long as we don't block his way..."

"Wait... what does this mean?" Ron, who had been completely confused, interjected. "The more I listen, the more confused I get!"

Hermione took a deep breath, put down her cup, and said, "Ike is different from us. He has his own goals. He joined the Death Eaters and followed Mystic because Mystic could give him some help. He has what he needs there."

"What? I mean, what exactly does he want?" Harry asked.

"magic."

"Magic?" Harry exclaimed excitedly. "He can do it at Hogwarts too, there's so much in the forbidden section..."

"But he had already read them all when we were in fourth grade," Hermione said. "In fact, I had already read all the books in the restricted section."

"No wonder..." Harry muttered, feeling he now understood why Ike and Hermione possessed such powerful spellcasting abilities. Undoubtedly, it was because they had read all the books in the Forbidden Section and learned the magic contained within.

Upon further reflection, Harry realized that many of the events that had occurred before were based on clues; at least on several occasions when Ike could have killed him, he had chosen to hold back.

"Then why did he kill Mundungus?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"I don't know about that." Hermione shook her head. "Like I said, the most important thing for Ike is that goal that none of us know. Everything he does is to achieve that goal... Maybe Mundungus is in his way. I don't know..."

"What's that?" Harry said irritably. "Did Mundungus die for nothing?" He then picked up his cup and took a big gulp. Ron, standing next to him, shook his head helplessly and also took a sip of his lemon tea.

"Does Dumbledore know?" Harry asked, setting down his cup.

"He should know," Hermione nodded. "Dumbledore trusts him just as much as he trusts Snape, and Ike has also made an unbreakable vow with Dumbledore."

Hearing this, Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, feeling much more at ease. Nothing else could convince them, but an unbreakable vow could.

"Oh, right!" Hermione suddenly interrupted their little stunt, a smile on her face, and said, "What I told you today, you can't tell anyone else, not even Dumbledore."

"Why? Didn't you say Dumbledore knows all this?!" Harry suddenly froze, then tried to repeat himself, but it was still a string of incomprehensible words. Ron next to him tried as well, with the same result.

The two looked at Hermione, who was smiling, and felt a chill run down their spines.

"Hermione, what have you done?"

"It's just a little trick to make sure you don't blab about it."

"Furthermore, to be on the safe side, unless I bring it up myself, you will all forget what I said here today..."

"Of course, there's no need to worry too much. The spell will naturally dissipate at the appropriate time..."

"When was that?" Harry and Ron asked in unison.

Hermione smiled sweetly and winked at the two of them.

"Of course...it's the right time..."

(End of this chapter)