novelcrest Chapter 399 Bet
Chapter 399 Bet
Chapter 399 Bet
Sofia's expression froze for a moment.
Her eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by Hermione's question.
"Hermione, what are you saying?"
Although Sophia tried her best to control her expression, Hermione was certain of her guess because of her overly quick reply.
"Stop pretending, Sophia!" Hermione took a step forward, staring intently at Sophia's face. "From the moment you appeared, everything you've done has been too... too abnormal! You're about our age, yet you know so much that I've never told anyone. And your attitude towards certain things... it's as if you already knew how it would end."
Sofia was taken aback, her eyes flickering slightly.
Seeing Hermione's aggressive questioning style, she felt like she was back in her childhood... although she wasn't that old now—Hermione was always like this; once she suspected something, she would never let go easily.
She remembered that when she was a child, she secretly took in an injured owl and hid it in the attic.
Hermione pressed on relentlessly in the same way.
That feeling... was as if she had committed some unforgivable crime.
Ultimately, under pressure, she not only had to admit to hiding the owl, but also confessed to her previous "crime" of stealing desserts.
Sofia sighed softly as she recalled her predicament at the time.
Such experiences are not occasional, but frequent.
Hermione's overly harsh treatment and extreme desire for control made her childhood difficult.
Sofia dared not imagine... what would happen if her father didn't exist.
Perhaps... her childhood really was devoid of any color.
And now -
Even though they were the same age and of equal status, the other person still treated her with such an attitude, interrogating her like a criminal.
Absolutely, absolutely impossible.
These thoughts flashed through Sofia's mind quickly, but in reality, they only lasted a moment.
She crossed her arms to make herself appear indifferent to Hermione's question.
"Hermione, aren't you overthinking this? I'm just an ordinary student—"
"You're not!" Hermione interrupted her quickly. "I've suspected you since last Halloween, and then there was the incident with Daphne and Penelope, and..."
Hermione listed Sophia's unusual behavior one by one, with a condescending scrutiny.
For Sophia, it felt like being put in the dock of Wizengamor, with Hermione as the judge holding the scepter, listing her "crimes" one by one.
She had to admit that this was a very unpleasant experience.
Hermione's gaze sharpened, her tone becoming more threatening, and she finally spoke like a judge delivering a verdict: "If I'm not mistaken, there's a secret inside that you don't want me to know, isn't there?"
Her fingers almost touched the small camera hanging around Sofia's neck.
Sofia glanced down at the camera, her expression unchanged, but her hand instinctively rose to protect it.
"Hermione," Sophia said slowly, her tone so calm it was hard to fathom, "you're far too obsessed with this camera."
It was just an ordinary camera, used to record the little things in campus life. You like deduction, but not everything needs to be explained as some kind of conspiracy.
"Really?" Hermione persisted, her eyes fixed on Sophia. "Then, would you mind if I saw the photos inside? Since it's just ordinary school records, there's nothing to hide, right?"
Sofia's body involuntarily tensed up for a moment, but quickly relaxed again.
"Hermione, do you really care that much about an ordinary camera?" she asked with a hint of mockery, then sighed softly, took the camera off her neck, and handed it to Hermione.
"Here, take it. You'll understand once you take a look," Sophia said with a hint of helplessness. "But I can tell you in advance that it's full of class notes, campus scenery, and photos of Quidditch matches. I hope you won't be disappointed."
Seeing Sophia's calm and composed demeanor, Hermione felt a sense of uncertainty.
To be honest, Hermione's conjecture that Sophia came from the future was actually just a bold speculation—a do-or-die attempt.
She pinned her hopes on this hypothesis, because only in this way could she realize her plan.
However, if Sophia is not from the future, then her plan will completely fail, and the answer she is looking for will be as unattainable as finding a needle in a haystack.
For this experiment, Hermione even abandoned the common sense in the books.
The book explicitly states that the maximum duration of time travel is five hours, and it is essential to ensure that it does not cause serious damage to time itself or to the traveler.
But Hermione's personal experience made her question this limitation—once, in despair, she risked trying to go back a few days, only to find that it had no obvious effect.
It was precisely because of this experience that she dared to make this bold inference.
However, all of this is based on Sofia's identity.
If Sophia is not from the future, then all of Hermione's speculations and assumptions will be baseless conjectures.
Does that mean she can never change the past? Is the newly ignited flame of hope just an illusion?
This possibility made Hermes feel desperate.
For a moment, she felt utterly hopeless.
Sophia saw Hermione standing there, stunned, not even taking the camera offered to her, looking heartbroken, and her heart softened.
She hesitated for a moment, looking at Hermione with a complicated expression, and finally said in a low voice:
"Hermione, the camera doesn't have what you're looking for." She paused, "but—you guessed it, I really am from the future."
Hermione abruptly looked up, a glimmer of light rekindling in her eyes, but she didn't speak immediately. Instead, she stared intently at Sophia.
It was as if they were waiting for her to continue.
Sophia was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "However, I am not as powerful as you think. I cannot tell you about the future, as that would affect the course of time... You know what that means."
Hermione bit her lip, her eyes filled with both expectation and frustration. "What can I possibly know?" Her voice was low, almost a murmur, yet tinged with urgency. "Since you've told me all this, there must be something you can say, right?"
Sofia pursed her lips, her expression hesitant.
"Every tiny change in the future could trigger a huge chain reaction. Even I can't predict how it will end." Hermione's brow furrowed deeply. "Then why did you come? What exactly are you here for?"
A series of questions caught Sofia off guard.
Seeing Hermione's current state, Sophia regretted revealing her identity.
My mother will remain the same; nothing will change.
Although Sofia was reluctant to admit it, she had to face the fact.
She lived in Hermione's shadow throughout her childhood and adolescence.
"The clever and witty, the invincible, the universally admired Hermione Phillips."
When people talk about her mother, their eyes are always filled with awe and reverence.
Hermione's achievements at the British Ministry of Magic are unparalleled—she is the youngest Minister in the history of the Ministry of Magic, a great reformer, and a legendary figure who, together with her father, changed wizarding society.
Sofia was just her daughter.
Why don't you resemble your mother?
The comparisons have never stopped since she first stepped through the doors of Hogwarts.
She clearly remembered that in Charms class, when she first failed to utter a spell, Professor Flitwick said something meaningful:
"Your mother already knew this spell when she was in first grade."
During flight lessons, Mrs. Hodge shook her head as she awkwardly wobbled along on her broomstick:
"Hermione may not be good at flying, but she would never be so forgetful."
And those classmates' unintentional comments were even more like knives:
"She's the Minister of Magic's daughter, and she doesn't even know such a simple spell?"
"How could you possibly be inferior to your mother? She's the most intelligent witch in Hogwarts history!"
Every choice Sophia made and every attempt she made from childhood to adulthood seemed to be judged by Hermione's yardstick.
Even she herself often couldn't help but compare herself to her mother—an invisible, inescapable competition that Hermione might not even be aware of.
It is this underlying rivalry that becomes the root of the conflict between mother and daughter.
The more Sophia tries to break free from the labels Hermione has given her and the more she wants to live her own life, the more Hermione sees her behavior as rebellion and tries to correct her with stricter control.
Whether it's Sophia forming a band, holding a music festival on campus, or sneaking into dangerous places like Knockturn Alley, these actions are seen by her as a pursuit of her own individuality, but Hermione interprets them time and again as synonyms for rebellion and adventure.
At this moment, the setting sun shone on Hermione's face, allowing Sophie to see more clearly the focused and determined expression on the girl's face, like a mirror reflecting the powerful and sharp-eyed Mrs. Phillips more than ten years later.
The shadows of the two people began to overlap, which made Sofia feel a sense of satisfaction.
She opened her mouth as if to explain something, but ultimately remained silent.
Because she knew that no matter what she said at that moment, Hermione wouldn't listen.
Sophie was familiar with the outcome of such conversations—her mother's criticisms and her rebuttals in the past, the tit-for-tat feeling of which exhausted her.
So this time, she chose to stand there quietly.
Hermione frowned slightly as she looked at the silent Sophia.
She wasn't unaware of Sophia's unusual behavior, but at that moment, her curiosity outweighed her reason.
After a while, Hermione finally broke the silence and asked in a low voice, "When are you leaving?"
Sofia looked up, paused for a moment, and answered softly, "Tonight."
Her brow furrowed slightly, as if she were wondering why Hermione had asked that question.
Hermione didn't explain, but just looked at Sophia quietly, then pointed to the increasingly pale outline of her face.
Sofia didn't press the matter further, and the atmosphere between them fell silent again, the relaxed feeling returning between them.
"Do you think—can someone fall in love with someone much older than themselves?" Hermione suddenly asked, her tone tinged with hesitation and shyness.
Sophia was clearly taken aback by Hermione's question. Her eyebrows rose slightly, but a faint smile quickly spread across her lips. "It's a very common question, Hermione. Does age really matter that much?"
"And what do you think about the difference in status?" Hermione continued, lowering her voice, but her eyes held a hint of something else.
Sofia sighed softly: "Feelings are never determined by age, status, or any other rules. If it's true love, none of these things matter."
To be honest, it's a bit of a contradiction to talk about love to your parents.
Of course, this doesn't apply if the parents are the mini version.
Hermione lowered her head, her fingers tightening slightly at the edge of her robe, as if she were weighing something.
She was silent for a few seconds, then looked up again, her voice barely a whisper: "Do you think—Professor Sean Phillips—would like a girl like me?"
Sophia froze, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes. Although she tried her best to hide it, this momentary change in expression did not escape Hermione's notice.
However, Sofia quickly regained her composure.
She looked closely at Hermione and said softly, "Hermione, you are a smart, brave, and kind girl. Anyone who truly understands you will be proud of you."
Hermione bit her lip, her eyes revealing a complex emotion—a mixture of longing and deep doubt. "But I still think... I still think this is too absurd."
"That's how feelings are sometimes," Sofia gently patted her shoulder. "Some people are worth trying to believe in."
The instant those words left her lips, a lightning-fast thought flashed through Sofia's mind.
In that instant, she seemed to understand why her father—or rather, the future Sean Phillips—had brought her here.
After a moment's thought, a slightly mysterious smile appeared on Sofia's lips.
She sighed softly and looked at Hermione, saying, "Since you're so eager to know about the future, how about we make a bet?"
Hermione's eyes lit up immediately, and she almost instantly asked, "What bet?"
"If you can bring Peter Pettigrew back by tonight, I'll tell you about the future." Sophia paused, then held up her finger. "However, on the condition that you can't be discovered by anyone."
Hermione paused for a moment, seemingly weighing the feasibility of the idea.
Admittedly, this is a difficult task.
But it's better than having no hope at all.
The next second, Hermione hurriedly confirmed, "If I really do it, you can't go back on your word!"
"I promise you." Sophia smiled slightly.
A glimmer of hope ignited in Hermione's eyes. After a moment, she nodded emphatically, turned, and hurried back to the cabin.
Sophia stood there, watching Hermione's figure gradually disappear into the night.
The night breeze gently ruffled her hair, and the smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by a complex expression.
Sofia glanced down at the camera around her neck, pondered for a moment, then sighed softly, raised her hand, and carefully peeled off the label from the bottom of the camera.
She paused slightly, then slipped the label into her pocket, making sure no one else would see it.
The small label clearly reads:
Weasley's Magic Tricks Studio, released on August 31, 2002.