novelcrest Chapter 405 Chocolate? Chalk!
Chapter 405 Chocolate? Chalk!
Chapter 405 Chocolate? Chalk!
Upon hearing Madam Pomfrey's voice, Harry and Ron exchanged a glance.
Although Mrs. Pomfrey did not find anything unusual, her footsteps grew closer, as if she were about to come in and check the situation.
"Quick!" Harry said urgently, almost forcing himself to calm down, "We can't let her in!"
Ron grabbed Harry's arm suddenly. "I know, I know...think of something!"
Harry instinctively went to the door and gently pulled the handle, but it didn't open.
He leaned against the doorframe, blocking the view inside with his body. "Wait a minute, Mrs. Pomfrey," Harry said hesitantly. "Do you have any chocolate? I'd like some."
"Chocolate?" Mrs. Pomfrey asked, somewhat puzzled. "How did you know I brought you chocolate?"
As she spoke, she took three chocolates out of her pocket.
"You, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger, one each."
Harry awkwardly accepted the chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, looking somewhat bewildered.
"Eat it," Madam Pomfrey ordered. "Give the two pieces to Ron and Hermione."
In the blink of an eye, Harry made up a reason: "I mean, I need some chalk."
(PS: The English word for chocolate is "chocolate," and the word for chalk, "challka," can be interpreted as a pun when pronounced quickly in British English.)
"Chalk?" Mrs. Pomfrey asked, surprised. "What do you need chalk for?"
"Oh, well, I mean, I want to use it to make some marks on the wall," Harry said quickly. "Ron and I are doing some extra review, preparing to preview the material for next term, and Hermione said I could use the chalk to write some key points to help us remember important information." He coughed awkwardly as he spoke, secretly feeling nervous.
That's a really bad excuse.
He was so rotten that no professor who ever taught him, except perhaps one whose brain had been submerged by Snape, would believe him.
However...Madame Pomfrey was not among them.
Madam Pomfrey looked at Harry with even greater confusion. "Preparing for class? You're still thinking about preparing for class at a time like this?"
She said in a slightly sarcastic tone, "You guys are really... incredible."
After saying that, Mrs. Pomfrey frowned and said helplessly, "Alright, the chalk is in my locker. I'll go get it for you now."
Harry felt a sense of relief and immediately said, "Thank you, Mrs. Pomfrey! Thank you so much."
Mrs. Pomfrey shook her head as she walked toward the lockers, her figure gradually receding into the distance until she disappeared at the other end of the infirmary.
"Thank God..." Harry whispered to Ron, collapsing against the doorframe in relief.
Lying was incredibly difficult for an honest man like him.
Harry thought to himself.
"That was close," Ron remarked. "It's amazing you could come up with such an excuse. Chocolate and chalk, it was a series of traps."
"Yeah, lucky her, she didn't suspect anything," Harry said with a wry smile, handing the slightly soggy chocolate to Ron. "But this isn't a long-term solution. How many minutes do we have left?"
"One minute left," Ron replied, glancing at the clock on the wall.
He had barely finished speaking when footsteps sounded outside the door. Mrs. Pomfrey, carrying a small box of chalk, came over, looking somewhat impatient.
Harry quickly straightened up and resumed his previous standing posture.
"Here's the chalk," Madam Pomfrey said without adding anything more, simply handing the chalk box to Harry. "You guys are really strange, thinking about studying at a time like this. You should be sorted into Ravenclaw."
Harry took the chalk, a surge of nervousness rising within him. He forced a smile. "We can only make the most of our time. You know, there's always a lot of homework during holidays."
Madam Pomfrey was silent for a moment, seemingly finding Harry and Ron's behavior behind him rather strange.
Finally, as if remembering something, she asked, "Where is Miss Granger? Did you give Miss Granger the chocolate?"
Upon hearing this long-awaited question, Harry's heart nearly stopped.
He subconsciously turned his head to look at the clock beside him; there were still...ten seconds left.
Will Hermione really come back?
In other words... how could she possibly get to this infirmary, guarded by Mrs. Pomfrey, in just ten seconds?
Thinking of this, Harry lowered his head dejectedly.
At this moment, Madam Pomfrey also noticed Harry's unusual behavior. She suddenly pushed Harry away, went into the room, and looked for Hermione.
It’s over.
This is really the end.
Harry's spirits plummeted. Cold sweat soaked his back, and the scene before him seemed to blur. He could only stand there like a traveler on the edge of a volcano, waiting for it to erupt.
However, at that very moment—"Miss Granger, stop reading and come eat some chocolate."
Harry looked up abruptly, almost unable to believe his ears.
Hermione?
Where is Hermione?
Hermione was standing in front of Madam Pomfrey, smiling at her and holding a chocolate in her hand.
"Thank you, Mrs. Pomfrey."
Harry looked at Ron as if seeking help, hoping that the scene before him was not a hallucination.
But... Ron, standing to the side, also looked somewhat confused. He muttered to himself, "Hermione, when did you get back? What's wrong...?"
Harry reacted quickly, instinctively stepping forward and swiftly covering Ron's mouth.
Mrs. Pomfrey turned to them in confusion, just about to ask a question, when a loud argument broke out upstairs.
"He must be Apparating, Severus. Someone should stay inside and watch him! If word gets out—"
"He didn't Apparate!" Snape roared almost deafeningly. "You can't Apparate or Disappear in the castle!"
It's definitely—it's—Porter again!
"Severus—be rational—Harry has been locked inside all along—"
boom!
The door to the school hospital was suddenly kicked open.
Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore strode into the ward, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
Dumbledore was the only one who appeared calm, even somewhat interested; Fudge looked furious, while Snape was as frantic as a madman.
"Say it, Potter!" Snape roared, pointing at Harry, his face contorted with madness.
"Professor Snape!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked, trying to calm him down. "Control yourself!"
“Listen to me, Snape, calm down,” Fudge interrupted, warning. “The door is locked, and we just saw—” Snape roared, pointing at Harry and Hermione, spitting as he spoke, “They helped him escape, I know!”
"Calm down, sir!" Fudge snapped, "You're talking nonsense!"
“You don’t understand Potter!” Snape screamed hysterically. “He did it, I know he did it—” “Enough, Severus,” Dumbledore said softly. “Think about what you’re saying. This door has been locked since I left ten minutes ago. Mrs. Pomfrey, have these students left their bedsides?”
"Of course not!" Mrs. Pomfrey's emotions rose as well, her voice increasing eight octaves. "Otherwise, I would have heard you!"
"You see, Severus," Dumbledore chuckled, "unless you mean Harry and Hermione can create clones of themselves, I don't think we have any reason to bother them any longer."
Snape was furious. He stood there glaring at Fudge, then turned to Dumbledore.
Fudge was stunned by Snape's performance and stood there dumbfounded.
However, it's normal for Snape to behave this way.
Just when he was about to avenge his great enemy, the enemy vanished without a trace.
Anyone would find this unbearable.
In particular, he was convinced that Sirius Black was the murderer who killed Lily.
Unable to contain his rage any longer, Snape whirled around, his robes rustling in the air, and strode out of the ward.
"This guy seems a bit mentally unstable," Fudge said helplessly, watching him walk away. "I advise you to keep an eye on him, Dumbledore."
"Oh, he's not erratic," Dumbledore said calmly. "He's just very disappointed."
"It's not just him," Fudge said angrily. "The Daily Prophet is in for a surprise! We caught Black, and he slipped through our fingers again! If the news of that hippogriff's escape gets out, I'll be a laughingstock! Ugh, I'd better go inform the Ministry of Magic right now."
"What about the Dementors?" Dumbledore asked. "Shouldn't they have to leave the school by now?"
"Oh, right, they have to leave," Fudge said, gesturing with his hair in frustration. "I can't believe they tried to kiss an innocent boy. Complete chaos. No, I have to herd them back to Azkaban tonight. Maybe we should consider having dragons guard the school gates—"
"Hagrid will like it," Dumbledore said calmly, turning to smile at Harry and Hermione.
He and Fudge walked out of the ward together, and Mrs. Pomfrey quickly came over, locked the door again, and grumbled angrily as she walked back to her office.
The next day at noon, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out of the school hospital, they found the castle empty.
With the hot weather and exams over, almost all the students went to Hogsmeade for a holiday.
However, Ron and Hermione didn't plan to go, so the three of them strolled to the grounds, discussing their strange experiences from the previous night and guessing where Sirius and Buckbeak were now.
During this time, no matter how much he and Ron questioned Hermione about how she suddenly appeared in the infirmary, Hermione always smiled and replied: "It's a secret."
Tired from their walk, they sat by the lake, watching the giant squid lazily waving its tentacles on the water's surface and chatting aimlessly, their thoughts drifting elsewhere.
After a long while, Ron slowly spoke.
"So, apart from the three of us and Professor Phillips, no one else remembers Sophia's existence?"
Hermione snapped out of her reverie, remained silent for a moment, and then looked at her reflection in the lake, seemingly deep in thought.
"I'm afraid so," she nodded and said softly.
After saying that, Hermione looked up, smiled, and the breeze ruffled her hair, making her look absolutely beautiful.