Volume 5: The Burning Golden Flame Chapter 384 Hermione and 'Hermione'
"I saved Asia on the day she gave me the bracelet. She thought she was disguised very well, but I could see her depression and despair. Then I asked Professor Dumbledore for a Fawkes feather. I didn't tell her what it was or how to use it. I just wanted to use it as an anchor point for Apparition just in case."
"But in fact, the feather was not used in the end, because when I saw her being taken away by those pure-blood students from the Marauder's Map, I happened to be in the secret passage. Those people planned to use the most vicious blood curse on her to turn her into a half-human, half-beast monster. I put on the invisibility cloak and quietly changed some magic words on the ground. Those pure-bloods were simply a group of illiterates. They cast the curse according to the book rigidly. In fact, they didn't know the spell at all. They thought their curse was successful and left complacently. Asia also thought that their curse was successful at the time. She had actually prepared for suicide a long time ago. She was carrying a bottle of dead fire potion and was ready to burn herself. I stopped her and took her away from the castle. After returning to the carriage, I asked Professor Dumbledore to help find a dead body, burned the body with the dead fire potion, and sent it back to the classroom."
The sad music began to become louder and louder, and the students around began to leave their seats and move into the center of the auditorium.
Jon felt his ears were a little itchy. Hermione said a lot of things in his ears, and the hot air she exhaled stimulated his nerves.
"It's very risky for you to do this. If the Auror or Crouch investigates more carefully, he will find that the ashes are not Asia's at all."
Hermione was noncommittal.
"This is a bet. My chip is that I know Crouch despises half-bloods and Muggles. To be trusted by the Dark Lord, he is certainly a very capable person, but at the same time, he is completely lost in his master's lies about the supremacy of pure-bloods. He despises all non-pure-blood wizards. In addition, he is arrogant and thinks that all plans are under his control. So I am betting that he will not examine Asia's ashes in detail, because she has completed all her tasks, the bracelet was handed over to me, and finally ended her life as he expected, so why should he observe the wreckage?"
Hermione was bold and careful, and she did almost everything she could. She did not just stand by and watch Asia accept her tragic fate, nor did she back down when faced with difficulties and dangers, which made Jon look at her with new eyes.
"So what is the use of this bracelet? What effect can it have on me when I wear it on your hand?" Jon asked this most crucial question in confusion.
A mysterious smile appeared at the corner of Hermione's mouth, and there was unexpectedly some playfulness in her voice.
"Guess."
"Could it be that Crouch actually cast some evil curse inside, and as long as I touch this bracelet at the ball and he sees it, he will trigger the evil curse and make me die in public?"
"Wouldn't it be even more risky for him to do this? Asia handed the bracelet to me so early. If Professor Dumbledore discovered that there was something wrong with the bracelet in the carriage, all his preparations would be wasted."
"Then I can't guess."
Jon said bluntly that it was not that he was not smart enough, but that he had no involvement in this matter from beginning to end. It was all planned by Hermione and Dumbledore. He had been fishing by the Black Lake these days.
"If you can't guess, then don't tell me."
The smile on Hermione's lips never disappeared, as if there was some interesting secret hidden in this bracelet.
Jon couldn't help feeling speechless. He felt that not only did Hermione seem to be imitating his way of speaking, but she also learned the bad habit of being a riddler from Dumbledore.
"What are you going to do? Are you going to use this trick to attract the attention of both Crouch and Snape to us?"
Hermione hadn't hidden this from Jon, she whispered.
"When you were doing the first competition project, I was looking for the secret room left by Mr. Slytherin. The secret room hides the secret of the Dark Lord's plan to kill the castle, but if it is just for this, then his doing this is completely meaningless. According to Mr. Slytherin's speculation, he must want to absorb his will into the entire Hogwarts Castle while killing the castle, which means that he will have two preparations, one is the secret room, and the other is somewhere else."
"Have you determined where that place is?"
"This is something that is easy to deduce, isn't it? Compared to the arrangement in the chamber of secrets that killed the castle, it is obviously more important for him to impose his will on the castle. In addition, he can only return to the castle twice a year. When he returns, he must check the key places to ensure that the arrangements are safe. And in the entire school, there is only one place that he goes to every time he returns."
Jon held his breath slightly and spoke softly.
"The principal's office."
"Yes, and because you entered the headmaster's office once before and brought back information that the relics of the four founders were placed on the table in that office, Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Slytherin can be more certain of this. His biggest arrangement must be in the headmaster's office."
Jon also deeply agreed with this. When he first entered the principal's office, he felt that there was something wrong with the placement of the four relics, so he did not act rashly at the time. Now it turns out that there is a problem.
"But I remember that after I killed the basilisk guarding the entrance hall of the principal's office, there were no guards inside. Has it been replaced with new ones now?"
"Yes, when we were looking for the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, Fawkes tried to go in once. Professor Dumbledore said that he saw a snake inside, a snake that was different from the basilisk and did not feel as threatening to him."
"So you wanted to use Crouch's arrangement for me at this Christmas dinner to attract his and Snape's attention, and then enter the headmaster's office to destroy the Dark Lord's preparations inside ?"
"Those things are not that easy to destroy. This time, just like the last time I went to the secret room, I only need to copy down the magic runes on the table where the four relics are placed. Fox will deal with the snake."
"Why do I always feel that this plan is somewhat familiar?"
"Of course you should feel familiar. Don't forget who covered for you when you first entered the principal's office and killed the basilisk when you sneaked into the castle. Now our identities have been swapped, and it's your turn to cover for me."
"You stole my idea."
Hermione's eyes curved into crescents.
"Then how do you want me to pay the compensation?"
"Forget it. I'm a very generous person. You can use it as you like. I have one last question. Who will pretend to be you and follow me?"
"Lee Jordan, I originally wanted to find a girl, but you know there are only so many students coming to Hogwarts Castle, and I couldn't find a suitable one. So Professor Dumbledore, out of respect for me, decided to simply give up using the Polyjuice Potion, and he personally used Transfiguration on Lee, which would also be safer. You will do as he says later, Professor Dumbledore ."
Of course, Jon was also very happy about this. This time he finally didn't have to use his brain. He just had to follow the steps and do what he was supposed to do.
Halfway through the ball, he and Hermione left the center of the hall and returned to their seats. John didn't keep staring at Crouch and Snape, but every time he pretended to glance at the podium casually, he could always find that there was a hidden and clear gap every time these two people wanted to observe him. Obviously this was not a coincidence.
"Wish me luck."
Hermione stood up from Jon's side, and Jon looked up at her, without a blessing, but just said seriously.
"You must prioritize your own safety."
"Remember what you promised us every time you went on an adventure? I'm the same as you, Jon. I'm also afraid of death."
Jon looked helpless.
"But since I met you, I never felt that you were afraid of death."
"I will give you the same thing."
They seemed to be still bickering, but they acted as if they had just talked about some funny joke.
On the podium, little Barty, leaning on the back of a chair, looked at Hermione who stood up and walked towards the bathroom, the smile on his face seemed a little cold.
"Why does the drug take so long to take effect?"
Snape remained expressionless.
"You didn't give me an exact time, so I don't know when the first wave of the medicine will take effect. But what is certain is that all the medicine in the bracelet will evaporate before eight o'clock at the latest."
"It would be nice if you could give me such a guarantee."
Little Barty said in a cold voice, then he waved and called a female professor from the Pureblood Academy, whispered something in her ear, and then the female professor also walked towards the girls' bathroom.
In the center of the auditorium, the dance was still going on, or rather, the students in the castle had just officially entered the mood. After the song and his dance partner kissed in public, causing a burst of jeers from the people around them.
Seeing this scene, little Batty felt irritated for some reason. He had a vague sense of uneasiness in his heart, but he couldn't tell where this uneasiness came from.
Soon, Hermione came out of the bathroom again, and the female professor he arranged followed her out. From a distance, the female professor shook her head implicitly at little Barty.
This made him calm down a little and focus his attention on Hermione and Jon who had reunited.
Jon also looked at Hermione, who looked exactly the same as when she left just now, and there was no sense of difference. There was no change in the expression on his face, but he couldn't help feeling a little strange in his heart.
"This robe is so beautiful, Jon! To be honest, I was a little reluctant when Professor Dumbledore gave it to me at first, but after putting it on, I couldn't let it go. Am I beautiful?"
As soon as Hermione spoke in that drake-like voice, Jon almost couldn't hold back and almost spit out the juice he had just drunk.
"Why didn't you change your voice?" He lowered his voice, turned his back to Crouch and Snape, and asked with his eyes wide open.
The outside was still the same, but in fact, the 'Hermione' who had become Lee's disguise could only spread her hands helplessly.
"When Hermione went in just now, there was a professor from the castle following her. The voice-changing potion has a time limit. According to the plan, I should drink the potion when I take over her identity, but because someone followed me, I didn't have enough time. I can only come out like this."
"Okay, I can still drink the potion when I have the chance, but could you please stop saying such disgusting things! And you even asked me if I am beautiful!"
"Hey, that's discrimination. I'm sure if Hermione asked you that herself, you would have praised her for being stunningly beautiful!"
"Shut up! Since your voice hasn't changed, then just say less! How long do we have to stay in the auditorium?"
"Twenty minutes, starting from the moment I sit next to you. After twenty minutes, I will hold your arm and have a romantic garden together. Also, we have to act like we're chatting all the time, so I can't shut up."
"Could you please not disgust me with this tone?"
"I thought you would like it. George told me that you were originally planning to find a male dance partner. He said that you are actually a hidden gay."
"Thank you for your message. Don't worry, I will use the blasting spell to blow his mouth apart tomorrow!"
"Hey! Then you must call me over to watch. I've wanted to do this for a long time!"
Suddenly, Jon saw Li narrowing his eyes and staring at the slightly bulging chest in front of him.
"How much effect did Professor Dumbledore's Transfiguration have on you? Was it the same as the effect of the Polyjuice Potion?"
"Of course not. It would have been perfect to have a girl, but since there was no suitable candidate, Professor Dumbledore had to ask me to do it. In order to protect the privacy of women, the professor only made changes to my face and the exposed parts. If you don't believe me, you can lift up my robe and look inside. I still have healthy black skin!"
"What's going on with your chest?"
An expression of "I understand" suddenly appeared on Li's face.
"Enlargement spell. Want to feel it? It's very soft."
"Get out! You're disgusting me!"
They spoke in low voices and there was no one else around, so even if someone looked over at them, they would just think they were talking about some funny and disgusting joke.
Crouch also saw this scene from afar, and the corners of his mouth curled up in a somewhat cold arc. In his eyes, the mutual insults between Lee and Jon were more like "flirting".
"I feel like your potion has taken effect."
Snape shook the cider in the glass, lowered his head and took a sip.
"It's obvious that he has become much more open than before. His eyes have not left the girl's chest since just now."
