I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 312 The Second Match

However, it is pointless to dwell on the strength of the enemy at this moment.

The most urgent task is to find a way to heal myself from the ancient magic casting principles given by Dean Bridged.

He finally understood why Dean Bridged had said that wizards who became anchors would go mad and lose their minds.

It's just these whispers and nightmares.

Few people can bear the mental torment alone, let alone the fact that such torment may last a lifetime.

Death will not end.

Because the master of the Illusory Realm is the Outer God, once a soul dies and enters the Illusory Realm, it will truly become the meat on the verge of being eaten.

If you don't want to become meat, you'll really have to fight tooth and nail.

Thinking about it, Irving rubbed his forehead. Even though he had slept all day, the fatigue seemed to have lessened only a little.

He still felt tired, but not as badly as before.

"Are you alright?" Justin finally noticed that something was wrong with Irving.

He was always full of energy; he had never been so listless as he was now.

Even during the time he was learning alchemy, when he stayed up all night, he never looked this haggard.

Besides, he had just gotten up.

"What are you celebrating?" Irving didn't offer much explanation.

There are some things that, besides adding to their troubles, do no good at all.

"Cedric," Ernie said, "you don't know yet, do you? He won. Just now, he was the second one to pass the second round."

"Really?" Owen said with some doubt. It seemed that Professor Sprout had helped him.

After that, he didn't say anything more and walked out of the dormitory.

Outside, in Hufflepuff's common room, there was indeed a great deal of noise. The young wizards, wearing brown bow ties, were waving banners and cheering. Among the crowd was the handsome 'vampire' Cedric.

His cheeks were flushed, and he looked very excited.

The young wizards' praise did not make him arrogant; when Owen appeared on the stairs, he greeted him warmly.

"Hey Owen, Professor Sprout has cultivated some new and amazing plants. You should really go check them out."

"Really?" Owen nodded at him.

"By the way, congratulations," he said.

"The professor helped." Cedric smiled shyly. He knew his strength was insignificant compared to Owen's, so he didn't show any arrogance.

However, it's also possible that he's just used to being modest.

As a Hufflepuff, Cedric never betrayed the kindness of the House of Hufflepuff; his perfect character embodies the spirit of Hufflepuff.

"Those challenges weren't something you could get through just by having the professor help you," Irving said. "You should be proud of yourself."

"Alright, you guys celebrate, I have something to do." Irving's voice carried a hint of weariness.

He walked through the noise and went into the oak barrel.

"Maybe you should take a break, Irving," Cedric's voice came from behind him. "Don't overwork yourself."

He said with a firm gaze, "You look very tired."

"Hmm." With that, Owen disappeared into the oak barrel.

Watching his departing figure.

Cedric couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

When he went to see Professor Sprout today, he found the professor discussing something with Professor McGonagall. He overheard some of it and learned that the school seemed to be facing some kind of crisis.

He didn't know the specifics.

But that evening Justin told him that the third-year witch of Gryffindor, a little witch named Ginny Weasley, had been attacked.

Few people knew about the castle, but it happened that a third-year Hufflepuff wizard was hospitalized that day after being bitten on the finger by a biting cabbage, and he witnessed it firsthand.

Now, seeing Irving's dejected appearance only confirmed his suspicions.

The school was indeed attacked, and Irving absolutely knew about it, and was even involved; he always was.

Cedric sighed softly at the oak barrel. None of the young wizards in Hufflepuff could understand why Owen had been sorted into Hufflepuff by the Sorting Hat, but he knew.

That's because everyone underestimates the Hufflepuffs, even the young wizards in their own house sometimes underestimate themselves.

They don't create rankings of outstanding students.

He doesn't boast about it.

In other colleges, students have to compete for positions. If your grades aren't good, even the professors might not remember your name. (Professor Slughorn only wants to associate with outstanding students; Ron, who isn't so good, is often called by the wrong name by him.)

But in Hufflepuff, you will never be prejudiced.

Professor Sprout will be happy as long as you eat well, sleep well, study hard, and live well.

Even if you go out and get into a fight or make a mistake, the headmistress will only scold you verbally. After it's all over, she'll secretly give you a box of coconut ice cream.

So, what kind of students does Hufflepuff actually train?

As Professor Dumbledore once said, "The Hufflepuffs do not crave power or fame; they only do what is right."

Hufflepuff will never betray kindness.

Owen, though his actions may seem absurd, arrogant, and evil, never did anything wrong. He protected the school, trained young wizards, and fought against the Death Eaters. He gradually moved further and further down the right path, and eventually most of the young wizards could no longer see his back.

Perhaps this is the unique kindness that belongs to him.

That's what Cedric thought, especially just now, for some reason, when he uttered the word "rest".

You will taste the bitterness of loneliness in the wind.

—On the other side, Irving walked with heavy steps up the stairs and into the auditorium.

Looking around, the second torch was indeed burning behind the podium.

The flames on the Hogwarts school flag shone brightly.

The faces of all the young Hogwarts wizards in the Great Hall were beaming with smiles.

They celebrated joyfully, chatting and laughing.

In their conversations, they would inexplicably make sarcastic remarks about Evamoni. Now, their level of disgust for this school's young wizards had surpassed that of Slytherin.

You can even see that the Slytherin wizards also have excited expressions on their faces.

What could be more exciting than the defeat of a despicable thief?

However, amidst their joy, the Gryffindors couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

Where did Miss Granger go?

She was the first person to solve the mystery.

Why haven't I passed the level yet?

"Where's Hermione?" As soon as Owen found a place to sit down, Harry and the twins immediately gathered around.

"I haven't seen her all day," Harry continued.

"Could it be that they were ambushed by Iphamoni's wizards?" George said.

"They don't have that ability," Fred said.

"She's fine." Just as the group was chattering away, Owen's slightly tired voice rang out, "I added some soothing and dreamless sleeping pills to her dinner last night."

He said expressionlessly, "They shouldn't be awake yet."

"Damn it." Harry cursed, then looked at Owen with a shocked expression. "You're really something."

"It's because Madam Pomfrey said yesterday that Hermione often stays up late, so you..." George and Fred looked on with sudden realization, "No wonder she was so sleepy last night before we even reached the Gryffindor Tower. I thought she was just tired after everything she'd been through!"

"But you..."

For the twins, who often secretly let the little wizard test new prank gadgets, this was nothing. What surprised them was that Owen had only put in some dreamless sleeping potion.

That's too cowardly.

"What if Hermione knew about this?" Harry interjected, still shaken.

"So what if she knows? I plan to keep these two kinds of potions on hand from now on and give her a little bit every night with dinner. If I continue like this for a while, she'll probably develop a good habit of going to bed early and waking up late."

"Uh..." Harry's lips twitched, remaining noncommittal about Owen's plan.

Owen noticed the displeasure on Harry's face.

It's possible that Snape frequently used potions to frighten them.

After all, he had warned Harry more than once to put something in his dinner, maybe truth serum, or some other poison, so that he could test the quality of Harry and the others' antidote.

This method of poisoning the student first and then making him brew the antidote is indeed extremely evil, which explains why Harry strongly opposed his treatment.

"Harry, did you see Miss Granger today?" Owen asked, eating a hot chicken leg.

"Didn't I just say? I haven't seen her all day," Harry said, somewhat disgruntled.

"So, it seems my treatment plan is quite effective, isn't it?"

Irving suddenly laughed, then gave a smug look.

"But the dosage still needs to be controlled; we probably put in too much last night." He took another bite of chicken leg and said, his words slightly slurred, "Sleeping too much isn't good for your health either."

"hehe--"

The three of them fell silent for a moment.

However, this strange atmosphere did not last long, because soon they heard the furious voice of a little witch.

"Irving Sanchez."

She came like a hurricane.

He rushed straight over, as if to give Irving a preview of domestic violence.

The boy, however, remained unhurried. He picked up another chicken leg and said, "I think my treatment plan is still very effective."

He said, "It's just that I didn't get the dosage right the first time I used the medication."

"If I come a few more times, I'll find the perfect dosage."

"???" The little witch was so angry she couldn't speak.

She walked around to the other end of the long table and sat down next to Harry.

Because she didn't want to wake up again tomorrow night!

This is already dinner.

"It seems Miss Granger isn't too keen on my treatment plan," Owen raised an eyebrow and continued, "You can also choose a second option."

"What?" The witch lowered her fist, then glared at him fiercely and said, "Give me a reason not to smash your dog's head in."

"I've finished tidying up the house in Hogsmeade. In a couple of days, Dobby will go to Diagon Alley to buy some furniture, and then we can move in!"

Hermione blushed slightly, then glanced away. Very well, this reason was irrefutable.

"I especially like the second treatment aspect."

"I don't like it!" Hermione said loudly, her face flushed.

Harry watched Owen and Hermione playfully bickering in front of him with a blank expression.

Perhaps there was something wrong with his taste buds; the sweet pumpkin porridge in his mouth suddenly lost its flavor.

For some reason, he felt a pang of envy.

When will he be able to...

Suddenly, for some reason, a red-haired girl popped into Harry's head.

This made him panic instantly, and he looked around warily.

call.

It must be because the Weasleys have been dealing with too much lately; he's been dealing with Redhead every day—yes—that must be it.

"Ahem." A slightly flustered Harry coughed twice, then changed the subject, saying, "By the way, Hermione, when are you planning to start the challenge?"

"Me?" After rolling her eyes at Owen, indicating that he was dreaming, Hermione turned her head away. "Tonight."

"Uh—you're planning to stay up all night again?" Irving said.

"It's not entirely your fault!" Hermione retorted angrily, "You made me waste a whole day."

"Give."

Hermione was taken aback.

"Take it!" Irving said again.

He handed the chicken leg from his silver plate to Hermione.

"?"

"Hurry up and eat, so you can go take on the challenge. The competition will be over in a few tens of minutes. Staying up all night is out of the question."

"ha?"

Hermione refused.

She would never eat anything he offered her again.

Who knows what ingredients he'll add?

However, she may have underestimated Irving's tricks, and under his "enthusiastic feeding"...

Despite her obvious disgust, Miss Granger was still forced to drink two bowls of sticky pumpkin porridge, a meat patty, and a chicken leg.

If it weren't for the fact that she would have to run around later, he definitely could have drunk another bowl.

Feeding Miss Granger is a pleasure.

Especially the way she reluctantly drank the porridge, her eyes full of stubbornness, yet she had no choice but to open her mouth and drink it, gave people a strange sense of accomplishment.

As she ate, her cheeks regained their rosy color; it was normal for her to look a little sallow after being hungry all day.

Only then did Owen put down the silver bowl with great satisfaction.

She is too thin.

Years of staying up late and overworking have made Hermione much thinner than in the original story. She might not be skin and bones, but she is definitely malnourished.

In winter, everyone wears thick clothes, so you can't tell unless you look closely. But in summer, a thin body has nowhere to hide.

Hmm—feeding Miss Granger a little fat is a long-term plan, isn't it?

Meanwhile, Harry wanted to run away the moment Owen fed Hermione her first bite of pumpkin porridge.

He was simply stopped by Irving.

Then I was forced to eat dog food for twenty minutes.

Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief after Owen handed out the bowls and spoons.

We're free!

But before he could get up and leave, Irving grabbed him again.

"What exactly do you want?"

"Come with me—" he said, pulling Harry and Hermione along to the girls' restroom on the third floor.

Beside the familiar handwashing sink.

Owen put his arm around Harry's neck and pointed to the snake pattern on the faucet, saying, "Talk to it."

"Huh?" Harry was completely bewildered.

"In Parseltongue, just say 'open the door'."

"Oh." Harry nodded, though he didn't understand why Owen had asked him to do it.

But Harry's basic trust in Owen led him to make a decision immediately.

He stared blankly at the snake pattern, trying to imagine it as a living snake.

This was not easy; Harry put in a lot of effort until Owen used Transfiguration to create a viper, and only then did he enter a certain state.

Then he slowly made a hissing sound.

The next second, the dragon head emitted a dazzling white light and began to spin rapidly. The pool also began to move. It slowly rose into the air and then disappeared from the three people's sight, revealing a very thick water pipe at the bottom.

The water pipe was five or six feet wide (it wasn't originally this wide; it was expanded for the competition), and several people could squeeze inside at the same time.

In fact, it didn't look like a water pipe at all; it looked more like a slide, with a very smooth and even shiny surface.

"This..." Hermione said nervously, "Does this count as cheating?"

"No," Harry and Owen said in unison.

"If I just gave you the map to the next level, that would be cheating."

"."

"Here, take this." He said, taking out a horn from his pocket. The horn had a soft rubber end that made a sound when pressed.

"Press it and it will speak Parseltongue." Alchemy gadget.

You can't exactly carry a Harry Potter figure with you through all the challenges, can you?

He shoved the megaphone directly into Hermione's hands, and before the little witch could utter a word of refusal, he had already pushed her down, half-heartedly.

"Come back soon!" Owen's voice echoed through the pipes, cheerful and bubbly, like Hermione was going shopping.

"Owen—" Harry looked at him resentfully from the side.

Why did you call him here if you already have something like that?!

"Why are you looking at me?" Owen glanced at Harry, then coughed lightly. "You know what participation is? Participation!"

"If Harry Potter hadn't used Parseltongue to open the Chamber of Secrets, it would feel like something was missing."

"."

Are you out of your mind?!

Harry was internally screaming with rage, but his face betrayed his worry. He said, "I hope there's no danger down there! It looks so dark and cramped."

He stared at the dark hole; it didn't look like something one could easily walk through while strolling around town.

"I hope there's no danger down there!"

"No," Owen said confidently, waving his hand. "It'll just be some little surprises that will break Hagrid's heart. Don't worry, it'll all be normal."

"???" Harry's face turned pale instantly. Hagrid!!!

What could possibly break his heart? What kind of monster would that be?

"I hope there isn't some Sphinx inside," Harry guessed tentatively.

"How could that be—it's just a chimera or something like that," Owen said half-jokingly.

"You're not even as good as the Sphinx!"

"Don't worry, they're just some random, magical little beasts, there's no danger at all."

"Every selected magical little beast has been certified by Professor Victor. He's a professional. You may not trust Hagrid, but you have to trust Professor Victor," Owen said solemnly, patting Harry on the shoulder.

"But..." Harry wanted to argue.

Before he could say anything more, the sound of flushing the toilet suddenly came from the bathroom.

The two of them instinctively turned their heads to look.

In one of the cubicles, a woman's head slowly poked out. In a cloying, regretful tone, she said, "Hehehe—that hunky guy from Durmstrang almost lost his life, sigh—he was just inches away from being with me."

(End of this chapter)