I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 303 The Traitor in the Castle

Invading a person's memory is a serious crime.

In theory, only an Inquisition authorized by the Ministry of Magic can cast the Legilimency Charm on a person. However, since the act of probing memories cannot be proven, although it is prohibited by law, no one has ever been convicted of this act alone.

Most Death Eaters were imprisoned in Azkaban for other crimes, serving multiple sentences concurrently.

Miss Granger had never tried a spell that was nearly an unforgivable curse; she only knew of it from the library’s collection. Today was the first time she had ever seen anyone cast such a spell.

To be honest, the experience wasn't good, which was in line with her expectations. From Koyater's convulsing body lying on the ground, she could roughly guess that invading someone's memories must be accompanied by immense pain.

She could remain silent, watching Owen kill those wicked dark wizards, but when he tortured others, she couldn't help but want to speak up, even if her voice was no match for the cold wind outside.

As she pondered, Hermione slowly raised her head, like a window peeking through a curtain. Through the window, you could clearly see a good soul being whipped, and the one whipping her was reflected in the window.

The next moment, mist rose from the windowsill, and a soft, delicate voice followed, "You—we only have suspicions; we cannot judge her good or bad based on mere guesswork."

"That's why I need to examine her memories," Owen replied stubbornly.

"Then how is this any different from forced confessions? If you can arbitrarily invade someone's memory based solely on suspicion, then can the police, if they don't like someone, just arrest them, beat them up, and make them admit to crimes they didn't commit?"

"I think you're twisting the facts. The magical world isn't the Muggle world. At least after Legilimency, I can be 100% sure whether she's truly guilty," Owen stubbornly argued.

When he saw the fog forming on the windowsill, he instinctively wanted to reach out and wipe it away.

She simply dodged it.

"This is a principle!!!" Miss Granger stared at him with exhausted, bloodshot, yet resolute eyes. "Never abandon principles, because we slide into darkness far faster than we can imagine."

She spoke loudly, using almost all the strength she had in her life.

Then, she took out her wand, cast a levitation charm on Koyatl, and then carried her wearily out of the bathroom.

"Drip-drop" is the sound of water droplets falling on the ground.

I don't know which cubicle it came from.

The silence was broken by the girl's voice, her last words: "Owen—" She called his name one last time before stepping out of the bathroom.

You can do better.

After saying that, the door was pushed open, and she walked straight out.

Irving fell silent.

He stood there, his brows slightly furrowed.

Ron was also watching Hermione leave.

He stood there blankly, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Irving didn't say anything, but walked straight past him.

------

That morning, Irving was invited to the headmaster's office by Dumbledore.

The old principal criticized him again, saying he shouldn't have acted rashly and so on.

However, he didn't take any of this to heart. After handing over Koyatl's blood to the old principal, he walked out of the principal's office looking dejected.

He barely listened to the lessons all morning.

At noon, Irving, looking dejected and as if he had suffered a defeat, arrived at the auditorium very late.

He had just taken some time to go to the school infirmary. Miss Granger started throwing a tantrum at him again.

She didn't say a word to him.

In the end, he had no choice but to leave first.

As Owen approached, he noticed an eerie atmosphere surrounding the Gryffindor table.

Harry sat on one side of Ron, while Justin and George sat on the other side.

Judging from their unpleasant expressions, they had just engaged in a heated exchange.

Harry was caught in the middle, feeling quite awkward. On one side was his best friend, and on the other were his classmates. Moreover, just that morning, his best friend had acted as a "traitor," revealing crucial information about the second match to the warriors from other schools.

He admitted to it himself. When Professor McGonagall rushed to the school infirmary to ask why he and Koyatl were in the third-floor restroom, Ron bluntly said that he had told Koyatl the entrance to the competition.

The injured professors and young wizards gathered in the school infirmary immediately erupted in chaos.

The second game is all about wits. The challenge of the escape room isn't that difficult; it's relatively easier than the first game. The difficulty lies in finding the entrance.

Furthermore, the game ends a week after January 24th. If the Warriors fail to find a way in by the deadline, they will forfeit the second game.

Theoretically speaking, the second game should begin as soon as the first game ends.

The sooner you find the secret room and overcome the challenges in the pipes, the higher your score will be if you obtain the underwater map for the third game.

If it were the first game, even if Ron told others, it wouldn't have much of an impact. After all, the first game is about the Warriors' performance on the day, but the second game is about the order of play. His act of collusion would directly affect the Warriors' ranking.

In just one morning, the news of Ron's betrayal of the school spread throughout Hogwarts.

Although he was young and impetuous, and this Koyatl might have been his first love, there should always be a standard for right and wrong.

You just casually told Koyatar, a fellow warrior, about the secret of the restroom. Is that fair to Miss Granger? She spent so much time investigating.

Moreover, he might have said even more.

The castle is now known by nicknames like "traitor Weasley," "redhead," and "Hogwarts parasite."

Without a doubt, this is the heartfelt creation of several Slytherins.

As Owen walked across the long table, there were already quite a few young wizards on both sides, each wearing a large badge on their chest.

Whenever a Gryffindor walked past them, these students would press their hands hard against their chests, and the Hogwarts crest on their badges would suddenly disappear, replaced by another line of text that glowed with a green light:

—Ron Stinky Manure

When the writing appears, the wizards who wear it will burst into unrestrained laughter, especially the Slytherins, whose laughter is quite loud, and almost every one of them has such a badge.

As more and more people came to the Great Hall for lunch, it suddenly seemed that everyone except the young wizards from Gryffindor was wearing such a badge.

They seemed to have surrounded Gryffindor. The crowd pressed their badges, and in a daze, the words "Ron Stinking Dung" flashed all around the little lion.

Seeing this, countless Gryffindor wizards felt their blood rush to their faces and necks. But when they wanted to get up and fight the Slytherins, they were ashamed to confront them because of what someone had done. In the end, they could only vent their anger on Ron.

"Damn traitor!"

"That's right, we originally had Hermione in the bag."

"I really feel sorry for Hermin. She's been spending the last week in the library, searching for information day and night. She finally found a clue, but before she could even enjoy it, she was betrayed."

"That's right, betraying friends, just like that Peter Pettigrew! Oh! He's an illegal Animagus, and I heard he's a rat too. See—isn't that traitor's favorite rat?"

"They really do smell the same."

As the whispers around them grew increasingly malicious, the Weasley twins finally couldn't take it anymore.

The two of them suddenly stood up and pounced on Ron, pinning him to the ground and raising their hands to punch him.

Harry quickly pulled George away, but Fred's fist slammed straight into Ron's face.

"Look what you've done!" he roared, his eyes blazing with fury.

Angelina quickly came over and pulled Fred away.

"You've completely disgraced our family." He broke free from Angelina's grasp, continuing to hurl insults and punches at Ron.

Harry panicked. He grabbed George tightly and turned to the young wizards closest to him for help. And those wizards turned out to be Owen and Justin.

Anxious and disoriented, Owen met Harry's gaze. He immediately said, "Why are you looking at me?"

"Oh, you're trying to break up a fight, huh!"

As he spoke, he covered his mouth with his fist and coughed a few times, "Cough cough—Stop, stop, please stop fighting! You won't kill anyone like this!"

After saying that, he took a long sword out of his pocket.

The sword was very long. Owen held it with both hands and slowly pulled out the blade, which had grown from small to large, and threw it on the ground.

With a crisp and loud "bang!", the sound of metal colliding with marble rang out.

He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Use this!"

Don't be so polite with me!

"If you break it, it's on me."

Fortunately, when we repaired the ancient magical golems, we kept one of their greatswords; otherwise, we wouldn't have had a suitable weapon.

The young wizards were terrified by the sword, which was over ten feet long. The twins, in their shock, forgot to even swing their fists.

Just as they were lost in thought, a commotion suddenly broke out in front of the auditorium.

The group looked over and saw Miss Granger walking towards them.

She also saw the badges on the chests of many Slytherins.

"Want one, Granger?" Pansy suddenly called out from the Slytherin table. Surrounded by a group of Slytherin girls, she stood up, held up her badge high, and said, "I have a whole bunch."

"Heh. Very amusing," Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and the group of Slytherin girls—who laughed louder than anyone else—"truly witty. Has Slytherin used all their intelligence for this?"

Hermione ignored them; those badges only seemed childish to her.

The little witch went straight to the Gryffindor table.

As soon as they sat down, George and Fred said in unison, "I'm sorry."

"us."

"It's alright, the mystery isn't completely solved, she just knows the location," Hermione said nonchalantly, then glanced at Owen.

The key to opening the secret room is the snake-like voice, but no one knows this.

"Is she awake?" Owen asked, his eyes meeting Miss Granger's.

"She's awake," Hermione said, sitting on the bench. She smelled strongly of the potion, the kind he had modified and which the Twins were now selling. "She slept all morning, and then Madam Pomfrey gave her a whole bottle of potion, and then she woke up."

"Yeah?"

Afterwards, the two exchanged pleasantries in a rather casual manner.

That's a good start, isn't it?

Miss Granger did not mute him directly.

Most of the other young wizards at the long table looked like wilted eggplants, eating their lunch with their heads down, cold and lonely like lost souls. Gryffindor, usually the most boisterous class at Hogwarts, was now in a state of quietude.

They were so quiet, as if they might die at any moment.

"Oh no, Ginny has gone missing!"

A flurry of footsteps and frantic shouts shattered the damned silence.

"What?!" The twins and Ron jumped to their feet. "Ginny's missing?"

The man who arrived was Colin. He rushed over in a panic, and as he got closer, he stammered, breathless, "I've been looking for her all morning. She didn't go to class, and Professor McGonagall is furious. She said no one has ever skipped her class before."

After catching his breath, Colin spoke more fluently and steadily, “I asked her roommates, and they said that Ginny didn’t go back to the dorm last night.”

"Damn it!"

No sooner had Colin finished speaking than Ron rushed out.

Hermione screamed and tried to run to stop him, but Owen, quick as a flash, grabbed her arm and she couldn't get away.

"Let him go," Owen said coldly. "If he can't see through that woman's true colors, he'll continue to be manipulated."

The twins were filled with unease and started to leave the auditorium. However, they were stopped by Irving.

"I remember reminding Ron yesterday that Ginny seemed to be at the alchemy workshop in Hogsmeade Village at that time?"

"That's right!" George and Fred's eyes darted around, their minds already wandering out of the auditorium.

"Then she must have been kidnapped in Hogsmeade." Owen frowned. "That shouldn't be the case. Harry told me yesterday that Sirius and the others had reinforced the defenses of Hogsmeade. How could they have taken Ginny away right under the professors' noses?"

"Yes," Harry quickly replied. "Sirius, Moody, and several Aurors, including Professor Lupin, are also in Hogsmeade, along with Ludo Bagman and Tonks. They are discussing security for the second match."

"Ludo Bagman? What's he doing there?" As the Director of the Department of Physical Education at the Ministry of Magic, he could leave this kind of thing to his secretary. Look at Barty Crouch, he hasn't been involved in the Championship for the past few months at all; it's all been Percy running around doing the legwork.

When did he become so passionate about his work?

"I don't know, but I saw him and Sirius talking about something. Later I asked him, and Sirius said that Ludo was asking him for money," Harry continued.

The group quickly got up and split into two groups. Hermione went to inform the professor about the matter, while the twins were kept at the school and not allowed to go anywhere. He didn't want to lose the big picture for a small gain, even though it might not be of much use.

As for the others, they were led by him to Hogsmeade Village.

Along the way, Harry continued, "Sirius said that Ludo Bagman is a compulsive gambler. Although he was once a famous hitter for the Wimbledon Hornets and is now a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, he actually doesn't have much money at all. He lost all his money gambling."

"The most recent time was during the World Cup. He bet on Bulgaria to win, but lost everything. Debt collectors are blocking his house, and he doesn't dare leave the Ministry of Magic at all."

"Oh—I think that's true." Owen suddenly remembered that in the original story, George and Fred had placed bets on him, betting on Ireland to win. After the match, Ludo Bagman simply disappeared, refusing to pay the winnings or even return the two's initial stake, because he was already penniless at that time.

However, due to the change in timeline, Sirius Black was restored to his reputation, and they went directly into the Black family's private room. This time, the group did not encounter Ludo Bagman at all, so the Geminis did not meet him and successfully preserved their possessions.

"Wait!" Suddenly, Owen seemed to remember something.

"Whom does he owe money to?"

"Oh! I didn't know that, but I owe a lot."

"I wasn't asking you," Owen said, stroking his chin. "I was talking to myself."

Although he had read the original work, too much time had passed; almost several decades had gone by in total. How could he possibly remember such trivial details clearly?

"I remember, I think I remember."

Irving kept recalling, when suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and past memories surged up. He froze, and his expression changed drastically.

"grass!"

"Damn it, it's a demon!"

The next second, the group quickened their pace.

They raced along the ridge towards Hogsmeade Village, the snow outside the window falling heavily and fiercely, lashing their faces. The swirling snowflakes seemed to have a hypnotic effect; staring wide-eyed only made them dizzy.

But the blizzard obscured their vision, and they could only see within a dozen (three or four meters) feet.

They need to keep their eyes wide open.

After a while, houses that were faintly visible in the distance slowly emerged, and as they got closer, the houses gradually became clearer.

"Pig's Head Bar, they usually go to Pig's Head Bar!"

Harry shouted loudly, afraid that his voice would be drowned out by the wind and snow.

Irving understood immediately.

Pig Head Bar?

He knew it all too well; it was Dumbledore's brother's shop.

During the last Battle of Hogsmeade, the Aurors' command post was also the shop that suffered the most damage in the battle, filled with dark magic. However, Aberforth did not apply for a new residence. Instead, he slowly and painstakingly spent more than a month cleaning up the traces of dark magic and rebuilding the pub.

Turning around, I walked through a dark alley. The streetlights on both sides of the road were still on because of the blizzard; they were guiding pedestrians.

Soon, they arrived at the old housing area.

From afar, there was that dilapidated little house that looked like it could collapse at any moment, with its tattered wooden sign hanging on a rusty bracket above the door.

It stood out like a beacon in the darkness. Since the shops moved away, it was the only house left inhabited on this alley.

In the blink of an eye, Owen led Harry and the others straight in.

Upon entering, the strong smell of mutton almost drove them away.

However, Owen still endured the smell he hated most, covering his nose with one hand and drawing his wand with the other, looking around.

Unlike the customers at Three Broomsticks, Pighead Bar had many customers who covered their faces completely, and it was relatively quiet with few customers. Owen and his men suddenly barged in, disturbing their leisure time. Instantly, everyone looked at him with hostile eyes.

"Hi—is that you guys?" Sirius Black, Moody, and Professor Lupin were sitting on chairs by the bar, talking about something while holding Flaming Whisky.

Before them stood an old man who seemed eccentric, tall and thin, with long, gray hair and beard.

"No alcohol is sold to minors here." Ludo Bagman was indeed sitting next to Professor Lupin. He didn't order any drinks, probably because he didn't have any money; he was just sitting there smiling apologetically.

"I'm not here to buy alcohol," Owen said with a cold smile.

Then, Harry, standing nearby, pointed at Ludo Bagman and shouted, "Grab him! He's a goblin spy!"

The next moment, before the playful smile on the face of the male wizard whose pupils had constricted could disappear, his body suddenly trembled, and space began to distort.

"He's going to Apparate!"

Behind Owen, someone shouted something, and the next moment, he flicked his wand and unleashed a purple spell.

On the other side, Moody's hand moved even faster. Almost the instant Harry finished speaking, he slammed his staff on the ground, and the same purple spell whistled through the air.

The two spells struck Ludo Bagman directly, who was already twisting space.

"Bang!"

Ludo Bagman, struck by two Anti-Apparition Charms, was forced out of the space, which was like squeezing toothpaste out of him.

He was then shoved heavily onto the bar by the reverse force of space, and with the sound of countless glass bottles shattering, he fell behind the counter.

Aberforth disarmed Ludo Bagman with a spell, while Sirius Black rushed over and captured him.

Several people cornered him against the counter, Sirius Black's wand pressed against his head, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"We're friends, right?" Ludo Bagman exclaimed, his breath coming in ragged gasps, a fawning smile plastered on his face. "I didn't do anything!"

"Ginny!" Harry rushed over, wand in hand, glaring menacingly at the disheveled man, soaked in alcohol, arms outstretched and grinning. "Where did you take her?"

"What's wrong?" Moody squeezed in. He had really acted instinctively just now. He had faced this kind of situation where someone suddenly apparitioned and wanted to escape far too many times. Casting the Anti-Apparition Charm had almost become muscle memory for him, but he was unaware of Ludo Bagman's guilt.

Moreover, he knows Ludo Bagman very well.

(End of this chapter)