novelcrest Chapter 288 Hermione's Shame and Indignation
Chapter 288 Hermione's Shame and Indignation
Chapter 288 Hermione's Shame and Indignation
Back in her room, Hermione closed the door and immediately leaned against it, letting out a deep breath.
Her heart was still beating abnormally fast, and her cheeks were still hot, as if everything that had just happened was still lingering in her mind.
She hurried to the mirror and saw her still flushed cheeks, feeling a wave of shame.
"I actually—I actually acted so promiscuous in front of the professor—"
A wave of shame washed over her, making it almost impossible for her to face herself.
She recalled feeling nervous and shy while lying in bed receiving a massage, especially when she took off her top, her whole body stiffened.
She couldn't believe that she hadn't refused immediately under those circumstances, but instead silently accepted.
Although her intention was to relax and relieve stress, the thought of how submissive she was in front of Professor Sean, even cooperating with his massage techniques, instantly doubled her sense of shame.
She couldn't believe that she could have such an absurd and dissolute side, and that she had shown it to an elder.
The thought of this made Hermione wish she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
If her classmates found out about this, they would laugh at her to death.
More importantly, she had always had a different feeling about Professor Phillips, and it was so shameful that she had acted so presumptuously in front of such a person!
"He's my professor, how could I—"
Despite this, Hermione couldn't help but recall those enchanting scenes from just moments ago.
This conflicting feeling tormented Hermione, making her feel both ashamed and reluctant to leave.
Just as Hermione was caught in a dilemma, she suddenly felt a warm current slowly rising from deep within her body. In an instant, countless guesses surfaced in Hermione's mind, but she could not find any reasonable explanation.
Ultimately, Hermione could only attribute it to a physiological reaction.
Even so, she knew that her current state was definitely not a good thing.
If this continues, she may be unable to resist seeking more and greater thrills, thus becoming even more depraved and dissolute. The consequences would then be unimaginable.
No! I must control myself!
Having made up her mind, Hermione took a deep breath and tried to shift her attention elsewhere. She flipped through the books at hand, forcing herself to think about academic problems in order to distract herself from other thoughts.
After a long time, Hermione finally calmed down, and her desires diminished considerably.
She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she hadn't done anything outrageous.
However, just when Hermione thought everything would return to normal, a strong...
Everything before her eyes began to blur, and her eyelids gradually grew heavy.
"Maybe—I'm just too stressed." This was her last thought before going to sleep, tinged with a sense of self-comfort.
Hermione closed her eyes, her body gradually relaxed, and her consciousness gradually blurred.
Exhausted from the whole day, she finally drifted into a light sleep, and the chaotic thoughts in her mind temporarily subsided.
The next morning, the atmosphere at Leaky Cauldron remained tranquil, with sunlight streaming through the windows and casting a cool morning glow on the wooden floor.
As usual, Tom began knocking on each guest's door.
However, when he knocked on room number ten, the situation was somewhat different. He knocked a few times and, as usual, waited a while.
But there was no response from inside the room.
Tom frowned, thinking the person inside was probably still asleep, so he increased the pressure and knocked a few more times. "Knock knock knock."
After a while, there was still no response. The hallway was unusually quiet, with only Tom's knocking echoing in the background.
Tom was slightly puzzled. He stood quietly in the doorway for a while, his gaze involuntarily falling on the crack in the door, trying to see if there was any sign that the person in the room had woken up.
However, no light escaped from under the door, and the room seemed to remain shrouded in darkness.
He knocked a few more times, this time louder: "Hey, is anyone home? Time to get up!"
Still no response.
Tom frowned, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Logically, the person living in this room should have woken up long ago, or at least responded. Even in the deepest sleep, they should have heard the knocking after several attempts.
He gently pushed the doorknob and found the door unlocked. His suspicions deepened. After a moment's hesitation, Tom decided to push the door open and see if anything had happened inside.
The door was gently pushed open, and sunlight slowly streamed into the dark room. A faint smell of dust filled the air, and the room was eerily quiet.
Tom cautiously entered the room, and the scene before him made him pause slightly—the bed was neatly made, showing no signs of having been used, and the room was empty.
Just as Tom stood in room number ten, wondering what had happened last night, the door to room number nine next door suddenly creaked open.
Still feeling a little tired, Sean came out of the room wearing a bathrobe, his face still showing signs of fatigue from just waking up.
"Good morning, Tom." Sean rubbed his eyes and saw Tom standing in room ten looking confused, so he asked, "Is there a problem?"
Tom turned around, frowning slightly, and said, "Good morning, Sean. I was checking the guests in room ten, but I knocked for ages and there was no response. When I came in, it seemed no one had stayed here last night; this room must have been reserved."
Upon hearing this, Sean nodded and slowly said, "Oh, Mr. Witt checked out last night. He had something come up and told me he wouldn't be staying any longer, without even having a chance to say goodbye to you. He must have left in a hurry, so the bed is still the same." His tone was somewhat apologetic.
Tom suddenly realized, and the doubt on his face gradually faded, making him feel more relaxed. "Ah, I see. No wonder there was no response when I knocked. He must have left quietly last night, right?"
Sean nodded and smiled, saying, "Yes, Mr. Witt is always in a hurry and very discreet. He left in a rush last night, probably to avoid disturbing others."
Tom smiled, waved his hand, and said, "It's alright, as long as everything is fine."
With that, Tom walked out of room number ten and continued knocking on the other doors in order to remind everyone to get up.
A moment later, a slight sound came from the door of the next room. Ron, rubbing his sleepy eyes, dragged himself out with weary steps. His hair was disheveled, clearly indicating he hadn't slept well the night before. He yawned widely and, seeing Tom in the hallway, lazily said, "Good morning, Tom."
Tom turned to look at Ron and replied with a smile, "Good morning, Ron. Come downstairs and have some breakfast. It's a new day."
Ron nodded, stretched, and was about to head downstairs when Harry's door creaked open. Harry rubbed his eyes and came out, his black hair a mess. He saw Ron standing in the doorway, smiled, and said, "Good morning, Ron."
"Good morning, Harry." Ron smiled back, though he didn't seem fully awake, but seeing Harry come out cheered him up a bit.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Harry asked. Although he didn't sleep particularly well himself, he knew that Ron was always prone to overthinking when he was trying to sleep, especially as the start of school approached.
"Well, it's alright," Ron shrugged and said, "I'm just a little nervous about going back to Hogwarts soon. But I don't feel ready yet." He scratched his head, looking troubled.
Harry chuckled. "Yeah, it feels like summer vacation just flew by. But I'm really looking forward to it; hopefully, this semester will have something new."
Just as the two were about to continue their conversation, Hermione slowly emerged. However, unlike her usual orderly and energetic self, Hermione appeared unusually tired today.
Her steps were somewhat slow, and her eyes were slightly downturned, as if she wasn't fully awake. Even more noticeable was the rosy flush on her cheeks, which seemed unusual compared to her usual fresh and clean appearance.
Ron noticed Hermione's appearance, frowned slightly, and asked with concern, "Hermione, are you alright? You look like you didn't sleep well last night."
Harry glanced at Hermione and immediately noticed something was wrong. He asked in a low voice, "Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?"
Hermione pursed her lips awkwardly, forced a smile, shook her head, and said softly, "It's okay, I just had a little trouble sleeping last night, probably because of too much stress."
Her voice sounded weak, clearly indicating she hadn't slept well the night before. Combined with the flush on her face and the weariness in her eyes, she looked quite different from usual.
She kept her head down, seemingly unwilling to let others see her unusual state, her mind still replaying everything that had happened last night, and a feeling of shyness kept welling up inside her.
"Are you sure you're okay? You look exhausted." Ron was still a little worried and reached out to touch her forehead to check if she had a fever.
Hermione quickly waved her hand and took a step back, hurriedly saying, "It's really nothing, Ron! I just thought about last night too much, which affected my rest."
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance. Although they were still a little confused, they didn't press the matter further. They were already used to Hermione's sensitivity to studying and stress. Harry nodded gently and said softly, "Okay, if you feel unwell, remember to tell us."
Hermione lowered her head, hiding the blush on her face, and whispered, "Yeah, don't worry."
The three walked side by side toward the stairs, preparing to go down for breakfast. When they reached the top, Ron suddenly stopped, turned to Harry, and said, "Speaking of which, did you hear any strange noises last night?"
Harry frowned, recalled the events of the previous night, and shook his head. "No, I slept like a log. What was that sound?"
Ron scratched his head, looking somewhat confused. "Well, it sounded a bit like a woman's moan. I woke up for a while in the middle of the night, and it sounded pretty eerie. But I was too tired at the time, so I didn't think much of it and went back to sleep."
Hermione, who was listening to their conversation, blushed even more. She lowered her head, trying not to attract Ron and Harry's attention, and walked silently behind them.
The scene from last night resurfaced in her mind, and she couldn't help but feel nervous, secretly praying that Ron wouldn't overthink it.
Harry frowned slightly, a hint of curiosity in his eyes, and asked, "Where did that sound come from? Was it outside your room?"
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Ron nodded, recalling for a moment: "Hmm, it seems to have come from outside the corridor, but I'm not entirely sure—you know,
I was half asleep, and after listening for a while, I fell asleep.
"Professor, did you hear that?" Only then did Ron notice Sean, who had just left the room and followed them downstairs.
Sean shrugged. "Maybe you misheard." After saying that, he couldn't help but steal a wary glance at Hermione.
Hermione's face was still slightly flushed. She seemed a little uncomfortable, walking with her head down and her steps were a bit slower than usual.
Just then, Hermione also subconsciously looked up at Sean.
Their eyes met briefly in the air. When Hermione saw Sean's gaze, she hurriedly looked away and quickly lowered her head, as if doing so would make her disappear from the professor's sight.
Ron seemed to accept this explanation, scratching his head: "Maybe, maybe I'm overthinking it." He walked downstairs, seemingly no longer troubled by the sound from last night.
Hermione, who had her head down, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
When the group went downstairs, the aroma of breakfast was already wafting through the air.
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