novelcrest Chapter 380 Sophia's Urgent Need to Pee
Chapter 380 Sophia's Urgent Need to Pee
Chapter 380 Sophia's Urgent Need to Pee
The four quickly straightened their clothes, making sure no part of their invisibility cloak was visible, and moved silently in the direction Hermione had indicated.
Inside the hall, the runes embedded in the ceiling flickered slightly.
Despite the empty surroundings, the group remained vigilant, trying their best to keep their feet from making any noise when they touched the ground.
"Is the entrance hall really that quiet?" Harry asked in a low voice, his voice almost absorbed by the Invisibility Cloak.
"Because it's late at night," Ron replied softly, his eyes darting around furtively. "At this hour, almost all the employees have left, except for a few night shift workers. But don't let your guard down; the detection spells used for vigilance don't rest."
They bypassed the gleaming golden statue in the center of the hall and headed down a corridor to the left.
On the statue, the golden figures of wizards, fairies, and house-elves appear lifelike in the darkness, as if they are silently watching their every move.
Ron couldn't help but glance back at the statue and mutter to himself, "I still find this thing a little scary. I always feel like it's watching us."
"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione stopped in her tracks, her voice low and tense as she snapped, "Your voice will attract the patrol!"
Upon hearing Hermione's voice, both Harry and Sophia frowned.
Sofia wanted to say something, but she swallowed it back.
At the end of the corridor, a staircase spirals upwards.
The group carefully made their way up the stairs to the seventh floor. Hermione would stop every now and then to look around and see if there were any magical obstacles.
"It's safe," Hermione whispered, gesturing for the others to follow.
As they reached the seventh-floor side corridor, a faint light shone from afar, accompanied by soft footsteps.
"Someone's coming!" Sophia warned in a low voice. The group quickly moved to the wall, gripping their invisibility cloaks tightly.
The footsteps grew closer, and one could vaguely make out a wizard in a Ministry of Magic uniform, carrying a small lantern.
He was on routine patrol, walking slowly, stopping from time to time to observe his surroundings.
"He won't see us, will he?" Ron's voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, his tone filled with worry.
"The Invisibility Cloak can conceal our presence," Hermione whispered in response, her gaze never leaving the patrolling wizard. "However,"
It's best not to make any sound or movement; the invisibility cloak isn't foolproof.
The wizard paused for a moment in the corridor where they were, holding his lantern and shining it around as if searching for something, then shook his head and continued walking in the other direction.
They breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that the other party's footsteps had faded away.
"That was close." Ron wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead. "These guys really did their job."
"Keep going," Hermione said in a low voice, her eyes growing increasingly alert. "Let's go down a few more levels."
The group continued cautiously along the corridor, the air thick with the faint smell of lamp oil, and the surroundings were so quiet that only the soft sound of their footsteps and the occasional rustling of their invisibility cloaks could be heard.
After walking for a while, Sophia suddenly stopped and whispered, "Hermione, I need to go to the bathroom."
Hermione frowned, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "Now? Really? We don't have much time, Sophia!"
"Really, I can't wait any longer," Sofia said in a low voice, a hint of apology on her face. "You know, these things can't wait."
Hermione sighed and turned to the others, whispering, "You guys go to the archives first, be careful, we'll be right back."
Harry nodded and whispered a reminder: "Be careful, don't take too long."
Ron muttered under his breath, "Perfect timing," but didn't say anything more.
Hermione reluctantly pulled Sophia toward the restroom at the end of the side corridor, gently pushed open the door, and after confirming that no one else was inside, gestured for Sophia to go in.
She leaned against the sink, nervously staring at the toilet door, glancing occasionally at the pocket watch in her arms.
"Hurry up, Sophia, we can't waste any more time," Hermione urged in a low voice, her impatience practically written all over her face.
Although she didn't know why Sophia had to go to the toilet at this particular time, she still didn't respect her.
Yes, they neither understand nor respect it.
"I know!" Sophia's voice came from the cubicle, but her tone sounded somewhat anxious. "You go back first. I have another invisibility cloak. I'll come find you directly later."
"Are you kidding me?" Hermione frowned and took a few steps closer, lowering her voice even further. "We can't split up at a time like this!"
"Hermione, please! You know I can't concentrate if I'm in a rush!" Sophia's tone sounded sincere. "I'll catch up with you soon, don't worry."
Hermione stared at the cubicle door, hesitated for a moment, and finally sighed, "Okay, but you have to get here quickly."
"Don't worry," Sophia replied from inside the cubicle. "Go ahead, don't waste your time."
Hermione glanced one last time at the bathroom door, and after confirming that no one was outside, she pulled her Invisibility Cloak tighter to completely cover herself, then quickly left the bathroom and strode towards the archives.
As Sophia heard Hermione's footsteps fade into the distance, her expression became complicated.
She took an invisibility cloak from the corner of the stall, put it on, straightened her cuffs, and then quickly walked out of the restroom, heading in a completely different direction from where Hermione had gone.
Hermione quickly caught up with Harry and Ron a short distance ahead.
After the group reunited, they continued walking, with different department names marked on the signs on the doors along the corridor.
Soon, they stopped in front of a door that read "Wizengamo Archives".
"This is it," Hermione said in a low voice, reaching into her pocket to pull out a small tool bag.
"How come you even have lock-picking tools?" Ron asked in surprise in a low voice.
"Stop talking nonsense." Hermione replied while deftly starting to crack the lock on the door. "Don't ask why there is one. Just focus on whether the door will suddenly sound an alarm."
A few seconds later, the lock clicked softly, and the door opened.
"Alright, let's go in," Hermione said in a low voice, pushing open the door first. The others quickly filed in and closed the door again.
The archives room was filled with neatly arranged bookshelves, each piled high with labeled scrolls and documents.
"We need to hurry," Harry warned, his gaze sweeping over the massive files. "What's the target?"
"Collect any documents containing the words 'magical creatures' or 'Buckbeak,'" Hermione replied quickly, pulling out a planner from her pocket and flipping through it. "These documents might hold the clues we need."
The group immediately dispersed and began searching for the files.
Meanwhile, Sofia, cloaked in invisibility, silently walked through a completely different corridor.
Her steps were quick and purposeful, as if she knew this area intimately.
But that is indeed the case.
Sophia spent almost half of her childhood with Hermione and Shaun at the Ministry of Magic...
Therefore, even with her eyes closed, she was confident that she could find her goal.
After passing through several heavy wooden doors, her figure finally stopped on the ninth basement floor of the Ministry of Magic—the Department of Mysteries.
This is a quiet and eerie area.
The smooth, black tiled walls were cold and empty, seemingly absorbing all sound.
Sofia skillfully traversed the corridor, opened the pure black door, and stepped inside.
Behind the door was naturally the entrance to the Department of Mysteries—a huge circular room.
The entire room appeared mysterious and eerie: the floor, walls, and ceiling were all multicolored black, and the surrounding black walls were interspersed with identical, unmarked, handleless black doors, exuding an unsettling sense of oppression.
Just then, something happened to Sofia, and one of the doors opened silently.
Seeing this, Sophie smiled and, without hesitation, strode inside.
The archives were silent, except for the faint sounds of a few people quickly flipping through documents.
Hermione quickly scanned the documents in her hands, muttering under her breath, "Fantastic Beasts Buckbeak's trial, hurry up, Harry, Ron, don't waste time!"
Harry stood in front of another row of bookshelves, his eyes quickly scanning the labels on the scrolls, trying to find any relevant information.
Ron carefully pulled open a drawer, which was filled with countless parchment scrolls, making him mutter under his breath, "These guys' files are such a mess, how is it possible to find anything?"
"Pay attention, Ron!" Hermione's voice came from the other side, tinged with impatience. "These files are arranged chronologically and by case type; they're not randomly placed. Look at the labels!"
Ron rolled his eyes and continued searching, but couldn't help muttering under his breath, "I think Sophia is deliberately avoiding these troublesome tasks, leaving us here to suffer."
"Don't mention her, focus," Harry said in a low voice, pulling out a scroll that read "The Law of the Management of Magical Creatures" and quickly flipping through it.
After passing through the automatically opening door, Sofia headed straight for the last room.
The room was filled with glass bells of all sizes, each of which seemed to contain an independent little world within it, where time flowed continuously: grains of sand surged from one side to the other, water droplets flowed upstream, and some bells even contained ever-changing life forms suspended inside.
Without a doubt, this is a time chamber.
Sophia did not stop in her tracks; she walked directly through the Time Chamber and along the smooth stone floor toward a narrow corridor at the end.
This corridor was completely different from the Time Room; it was dark and empty, with only a few dim wall lamps adorning the walls. The light cast fragmented reflections on the tiled floor, making it appear deep and long.
At the end of the corridor was a wooden door, with a small silver plaque above the door frame that read "Office of the Director of the Department of Mysteries". Sophia stood in front of the door, paused slightly, took a deep breath, and reached out to straighten her cloak, making sure the collar was neat. Her expression remained as calm as ever.
Then, she raised her hand and gently knocked on the door with her knuckles.
"Thump, thump, thump."
Inside the archives, the group's movements grew increasingly tense and hurried, and an indescribable sense of oppression filled the air.
Hermione stood beside a row of bookshelves, her hands piled high with documents, flipping through them at lightning speed, completely absorbed in the mission.
Her gaze swept over a document, and she said softly, "This mentions 'Regulations for Handling Anomalous Magical Creatures,' but there are no specific case records. This isn't what we need."
"Throw it away!" Ron shouted from the other side, his voice a little loud, then realizing his mistake, he quickly lowered his voice, "Sorry, but this is really a mess!"
"Don't throw it away, put it back where it belongs!" Hermione reminded them in a slightly stern tone as she searched. "If the places are messed up, they'll immediately notice that someone has moved it."
Harry's voice came from the other end, tinged with urgency: "I found a report about 'Buckbeak,' but it didn't mention any details of the trial, only that it was listed as a 'high-risk magical creature.'"
"Give it to me!" Hermione immediately came over, took the document, and quickly flipped through it.
Her brow furrowed. Although she hadn't found what she was looking for, she put the documents back in her bag. "These reports might be useful. Let's look more closely."
Ron pulled a heavy scroll from a low drawer, dusted it off, and whispered, "This is called 'Historical Wizarding Law Cases.' Do you think it'll be useful?"
"Legal cases?" Hermione's eyes lit up. "Take a look! Maybe trial records will be categorized in this way."
Ron immediately unrolled the scroll, his fingers gliding over the densely packed small print, muttering, "Wizard property disputes, Gringotts conflicts, oh, here's one about 'centipede status adjustment'—wait, here's 'Fantastic Creatures Trial'!"
"Let me see!" Hermione walked over and stared at the section with Ron. "It mentions some typical cases: 'Dragon smuggling' and 'illegal breeding of hippogriffs'—keep looking and see if Buckbeak is mentioned."
Harry searched even more frantically, glancing down at a bookshelf piled high with documents and randomly pulling out a few that seemed to be related by labels.
His hand suddenly stopped on a scroll that clearly read "Summary of Important Cases in the Wizarding World in 1993".
"This might be a clue!" Harry quickly unrolled the scroll, his eyes scanning each line of text. Soon, his finger stopped on a line, his voice tinged with excitement: "It says 'The Buckbeak Trial,' stating that it was ruled a dangerous creature, but there's an additional piece of evidence that needs to be retrieved separately."
"Additional documents?" Hermione rushed over, her eyes darting across the text. "This kind of additional evidence is usually categorized as 'high-risk supplementary evidence.' Ron, go find that category! Quickly!"