novelcrest Chapter 302 The End of the First Day of the New Semester
Chapter 302 The End of the First Day of the New Semester
Chapter 302 The End of the First Day of the New Semester
"You mean, you ran out of my office and sneaked off to see Harry?"
Sirius sat in front of Sean, looking somewhat helpless.
"Oh, yes, I went." He shrugged, admitting it frankly with his usual ease and nonchalance. "You know, Harry needs me, and I also need to check if my godson is alright."
"Do you know how dangerous this is?" Sean's expression remained calm, but his tone was the complete opposite, carrying a hint of coldness. "The entire Ministry of Magic is hunting you down, and you're risking being caught and taken back, all for—"
"Just to make sure Harry's alright." Sirius interrupted him, his eyes unusually resolute. "He's my only family, Phillips. His parents entrusted him to me, and I failed to protect them. I can't let anything happen to Harry again."
Sean originally intended to scold Sirius.
But then I thought, if Sirius were captured, given his personality, he wouldn't betray me. Besides... it seems only Dumbledore has the ability to capture him, and if Dumbledore knows the whole story, he might even help Sirius.
Thinking to himself that his overprotective nature towards Sirius was typical of parents who spoil their children, Sean's gaze towards Sirius inexplicably took on a tender quality, a change that sent chills down his spine.
Under Sirius's slightly tense gaze, Sean let out a long, quiet sigh.
"But right now, the best way to protect him is to stay away from him, at least—don't use your big black dog's Animagus."
Sean's words were like a needle piercing Sirius's heart, freezing him instantly.
Sirius Black wanted to argue, but the last sentence stunned him.
His brow furrowed slightly, his inner doubt and unease evident. "But wouldn't it be easier for people to recognize me if I used my natural appearance?"
"Actually, there's a technique called makeup," Sean smiled slightly, his tone relaxed. He tried to explain, "You can use some simple techniques to change your appearance, even make yourself look different. It's much easier than compound decoctions, by the way!"
As he finished speaking, Sean's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had thought of something.
"What's wrong?" Sirius asked instinctively, secretly wondering to himself.
"Why don't you drink Polyjuice Potion and pretend to be Filch?" Sean's lips curled into a smile, his teasing tone making Sirius somewhat incredulous.
"Me?" Sirius's eyes widened, and he pointed to the tip of his nose in disbelief, a look of shock and dissatisfaction on his face.
Just as he was about to say something, there was a knock on the office door, interrupting him.
The two exchanged a glance, and the air instantly became tense.
"Who is it?" Sean frowned, asking as he gestured for Sirius to hide in his briefcase.
In fact, Sirius would have done the same even without his prompting.
"It's me, Hermione!" A familiar voice came from outside the door, tinged with a hint of anxiety.
After Sirius Black had completely crawled into the briefcase, Sean opened the door, revealing a calm face.
Hermione, what's up?
Hermione looked tired. "Professor, I really can't take it anymore, especially Professor Trelawney's Divination class. She said I... lack insight."
Hermione walked into Sean's office on her own, skillfully poured herself a cup of honey lemon tea, her movements fluid and natural, without the slightest sense of incongruity.
Perhaps subconsciously, she didn't see anything wrong with such actions. "Divination is inherently a rather subjective subject." Sean glanced at Hermione, who was sipping her red tea and looking at him hopefully, trying to calm her down. "Don't worry too much about what others think, focus on your studies."
"But during meals—"
As she recounted the story, Hermione's thoughts drifted back to the Great Hall at noon.
The three of them were having lunch in the auditorium.
"Ron, cheer up," Hermione said, pushing a plate of stew in front of Ron, who was looking sullen. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said."
Ron scooped up some stew with his spoon, picked up his fork, but didn't touch it.
"Harry," he said in a serious, low voice, "didn't you see a big black dog anywhere?"
“I saw it,” Harry replied. “I saw one the night I left the Dursleys.”
Ron's fork fell to the ground with a "crack".
"It might just be a stray dog," Hermione said calmly.
Ron stared at Hermione as if she had gone mad.
"Hermione, if Harry really did see the ominous sign—that's terrible," he said. "My uncle Billiers saw one, and—and he died twenty-four hours later!"
"A coincidence," Hermione said nonchalantly, while pouring herself some pumpkin juice.
"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Ron snapped, "Most wizards would be terrified at the sight of something ominous!"
"That's exactly it," Hermione said in a condescending tone. "They were terrified at the sight of something ominous. But Harry's still with us, which means he's not stupid enough to think, 'Oh no, I'm doomed,' just because he sees something ominous!"
Ron muttered a few words to himself, while Hermione opened her bag, took out a brand-new arithmetic textbook, and placed it on the juice jug.
"I think the divination class was a complete mess," she said, flipping through the textbook. "To be honest, it was just random guessing."
"That ominous thing in that cup isn't just a mess!" Ron replied excitedly.
"When you told Harry it was a sheep, you didn't sound so sure," Hermione said curtly.
"Professor Trelawney said you don't have the right aura! You're just used to being stubborn and unwilling to admit you're not good enough in anything!"
This hit Hermione right where it hurt. She slammed her arithmetic textbook down on the table with a bang, the force almost too much.
Minced meat and carrot bits were splattered everywhere.
"If mastering divination means I have to pretend to see a death omen in a pile of tea leaves, then I'm not studying it anymore! Compared to my arithmetic divination, that subject is utter garbage!"
"So... is divination really trash?" At the end of the story, Sean smiled slightly and asked, feigning seriousness, "So—" is divination really trash?"
Hermione paused, realizing the extreme nature of her words. Her cheeks flushed slightly; she wanted to retort, but couldn't find the words.
"Actually—I'm not saying it's really useless, it's just—" she finally whispered in defense, her tone slightly weak.
"You just feel it lacks the rigor and practicality you expected, right?" Sean smiled slightly, looking at her with gentle eyes.
"Yes!" Hermione finally found a sliver of confidence, her voice becoming firm. "Just like you said, divination is too subjective. I prefer knowledge that can be verified by logic and empirical evidence, such as arithmetic and spells."
Those are the things that truly interest me.
Sean nodded, seemingly understanding her point of view. "I understand what you mean. Everyone has their own suitable learning style and interests, and taking a break from get out of class is indeed quite abstract. However, perhaps you can try looking at it from another angle; maybe it can bring you some unexpected inspiration."
"Okay, I'll think about it." Hermione nodded, silently agreeing with Sean's suggestion, then changed the subject, "I just got back from Hagrid's."
"What's wrong with Hagrid?" Sean asked curiously, a vague sense of unease creeping into his mind, as if something important had been forgotten.
"In Hagrid's first lesson on protecting magical creatures today, Malfoy provoked Buckbeak and got a big scratch on his arm from Buckbeak."
Sean remembered this.
To be honest, this issue persisted throughout the entire semester.
"Malfoy will definitely use this incident to file a complaint against Hagrid with the school authorities," Hermione continued, her tone tinged with urgency. "You know, this is Hagrid's first day as a professor. Think about all the effort and expectations he's had for this."
"I'm really worried that Hagrid will be disappointed by this. He's always been so passionate about his work."
But Wen is not so easily manipulated. His concern for every living being is by no means casual.
"Besides, Malfoy just wants to see Hagrid embarrassed; he doesn't care about Buckbeak's safety at all." Hermione bit her lip, her voice somewhat dejected. "I don't want to see Hagrid's enthusiasm dampened. He deserves this opportunity."
"If he does get a complaint, it could affect his chances of continuing to teach." Her voice trembled slightly, her worry growing stronger. "Hagrid has put so much effort into this job. He's suffered so much misunderstanding and prejudice before. I really don't want to see him get hurt again."
Hermione's thoughts drifted back to the beginning of class when Hagrid enthusiastically introduced the students to various amazing creatures.
If we were to express it in the form of a comic strip—Hagrid's eyes were shining at that moment.
This light is called "passion".
"So, what are your plans?" Sean leaned forward slightly to ask.
"I need to find conclusive evidence that Malfoy killed Buckbeak to rescue Hagrid," Hermione said resolutely.
"How can I help you?" Sean looked directly at Hermione, his eyes full of sincerity.
"
Hermione paused, her gaze shifting, unsure how to respond.
To be honest, she only had this idea; she hadn't figured out exactly how to do it yet.
Do you need me...?
As Sean spoke, he slowly moved closer to Hermione.
At that moment, Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly, and a wave of shyness washed over her.
She couldn't help but think of the last time they kissed; memories flooded back, making her heart race.
She tried to concentrate, but the turmoil in her heart made it difficult for her to control herself.
Hermione swallowed hard, her thoughts in turmoil. She wanted to remain professional, yet she couldn't ignore the flutter in her heart.
Finally, she said softly, "We can start by finding witnesses and then think of other ways."
"Good idea, Hermione," Sean replied with a smile, his tone full of approval.
But at that moment, he suddenly turned around and returned to his desk.
As Sean grew further and further away from her, Hermione felt a surge of disappointment.
"I will help you organize your thoughts and find a suitable way to reach those classmates."
Sean turned around and stared intently at Hermione, seemingly unaware of her change in mood.
"Thank you, Professor."
After Hermione left, Sean called Sirius out of his briefcase and continued to discuss the plan that had just been interrupted with him.
"Imagine you transform into Filch and run rampant at Hogwarts..."
'
Sirius Black still frowned, finding the idea unbelievable.
He tried to imagine himself walking around as Filch, and couldn't help but shake his head: "I don't want to become that kind of person, it's too ridiculous."
Sean, however, remained unconvinced and continued, "See? This is a perfect cover. No one will suspect Filch will be around Harry. You can gather information and observe everything without attracting anyone's attention."
Sirius listened to Sean's audacious plan, and seeing his relaxed expression, felt a strange unease.
Want to... give it a try?