Hogwarts Homecoming

On the first night of an ordinary school day, the atmosphere in the Gryffindor lounge was a little more cheerful than usual due to the return of Professor Brain and Gryffindor House's champion Hermione Granger.

When Harry and Ron carried a pile of homework from the dormitory down the spiral staircase to the common room, many people were eagerly discussing the relationship between Professor Blaine and the group of dark wizards he arrested who used brutal methods to treat Muggles. The showdown between the two - the "Daily Prophet" disclosed certain details.

It was the outskirts of Berlin at night. A golden network of fire shrouded the earth like an overturned canopy. The blazing firelight illuminated the night as brightly as day, and could basically be seen throughout Berlin.

It was certainly a duel as good as the night of the Quidditch World Final last summer - many people thought so.

"My mother told my father about this!"

When Harry and Ron passed by Seamus, Seamus was shaking the "Daily Prophet" in his hand angrily. There was a report on the sentencing of some dark wizards who had committed serious crimes.

"He wrote to me and said that if these bad guys were in the Muggle world, they would definitely be shot based on the bad things they have done. I agree with him. Oh, look at the verdict of the Inquisition. Imprisoning Eckstad for thirty years, so if they’re lucky, these scum will still have a chance to enjoy their retirement?!”

Before Seamus could say anything to Dean opposite and Ginny who immediately became distracted after seeing Harry, he said indignantly,

"I bet if Professor Blaine is willing to preside over the trial, he won't give these scum a chance to see the sun again!"

Harry knew that Seamus' father was a Muggle, so he felt a special hatred for these dark wizards. He slowed down, glanced over Seamus' shoulder at the newspaper, and asked Ron in confusion,

"What's an Ecosta?"

"I guess it's a prison, but not as famous as Azkaban,"

Ron shrugged.

"What I'm more curious about is why Seamus' dad wants those bad guys to take the gun. The gun. What is that, Harry, a poison?"

This question is not easy to explain. Harry thought for a moment before saying,

"It's from a gun. It's a Muggle metal wand. The metal bullets shot are very fast and can penetrate the body. If it is hit in the vital part, it will kill you directly. Some Muggle countries use it to carry out executions. But the Muggle government in Britain has abolished this penalty."

"oh!"

Ron imagined the feeling of a high-speed metal marble passing through his body, and shivered a few times.

"That must be very painful. Muggles are really perverted. However, these dark wizards do deserve this kind of punishment."

The sofa they usually made next to the fireplace was occupied by two first-year wizards. Harry stopped Ron from trying to drive away these two "unsightly" juniors, and the two chose a sofa to get closer to. On the table at the stairs of the girls' dormitory, I placed the homework book in my arms on it.

Turning to look at the wall clock on the wall diagonally above the old chest of drawers on the other side of the common room, Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Why hasn't Hermione come back? She's been gone for about an hour."

"Who knows, maybe the prefect's bathroom was too big and she got lost in there,"

Ron collapsed on the sofa and said meaninglessly, "However, I think Angelina may be bragging. That bathroom is not that luxurious at all. Percy will not give up any opportunity to brag to us, but he has never told us Showed off there.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, a trace of worry appeared on Ron's eyebrows.

"I haven't heard Hermione mention that she is particularly good at swimming, but the second game requires her to stay in the water for a whole hour. This is completely impossible, right?"

Perhaps it was the 'gun' in Seamus's mouth that gave Harry some inspiration. He said thoughtfully,

"Unless she can get professional diving equipment during the game. Just like in the first game, Hermione summoned the invisibility cloak and prepared a set of scuba in advance."

Harry knew what Ron would ask, so he explained in advance,

"That is also a piece of equipment made by Muggles. You can move freely underwater by wearing it. But I am not sure whether scuba can function normally in Hogwarts, and whether this is a violation." Rules, that’s a Muggle thing after all.”

Ron also knew where Harry's inspiration came from. His back left the soft sofa, and he felt refreshed.

"This sounds much more interesting than 'guns'. When Hermione comes back, you can tell her this idea and ask her for her opinion."

"Speaking of which, I've been curious about one thing."

Harry blinked his green eyes and said in confusion, "According to the prompts in the golden egg, they will take away Hermione's precious treasure. If they don't get it back within an hour, the warriors will completely lose their treasure. You What do you think that would be, for Hermione?"

"That's a good question, but we keep forgetting it,"

Ron frowned and puffed out his cheeks,

"It's hard to say Harry, maybe it's "Hogwarts: A History of the School", she has always loved this, of course, or it may be "How to Get Out of a Dying You", which is her new favorite. Before the accident, she Take it with you wherever you go.”

"It's indeed possible."

Harry chuckled and was about to share his guess, but at this moment the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, and the Hermione they were talking about slipped into the lounge through the doorway.

Hermione seemed to have encountered something good, with an excited smile on her face. She paused at the door for a moment, and when she spotted Harry and Ron, she ran toward them, her footsteps extremely brisk.

"Give me way--"

Hermione unceremoniously lifted Harry up from the sofa and drove him to squeeze into a sofa with Ron. The two short boys huddled together and looked at each other, and then looked at Hermione together.

After taking a bath, Hermione's reddish cheek skin was glowing with luster, and her hair, which was still a little damp, rested on her snow-white, straight collarbones. Perhaps because she was too excited, Hermione tied the first button of her shirt to the third button. Two of the buttonholes went up, revealing a patch of blush on her chest.

Ron rubbed his nose and then looked away. Then, he found Lavender looking at him eagerly in the crowd. After a moment of daze, he waved and smiled at Lavender.

"What's going on, Hermione?"

Harry directly pointed out the small omissions in his clothing, and then asked curiously.

"I thought of it!"

Hermione pursed her lips to suppress her excitement,

"How simple, oh. Actually, I can't say it's simple, but I believe I can complete it. But the key is, I should have thought of it earlier, right?"

"if you mean"

Harry was confused by Hermione's description. He frowned and said hesitantly.

"That's it, advanced transformation. You can turn into a creature that can breathe underwater. I ignored it because it is a course that only starts in the sixth grade!"

"Sixth grade?"

Ron clicked his tongue,

"I must remind you, Hermione, there is only one week left before the competition. To master a NEWTS-level spell in such a short time. I think Harry's previous proposal was good. He said, there is something Can help Muggles move underwater, called scuba, if you can use the summoning spell to get it during the game."

"Scuba?"

Hermione was stunned for a moment, then gave a negative opinion,

"It does help me move underwater, Harry, but you know, it also requires professional training to use, which is not my area of ​​expertise. Besides, I don't think the judges will allow me to use Muggle equipment. .”

"Well, I didn't think it would work at first. Speaking of which, I remembered something."

Harry lowered his voice,

"Before you came back, Cedric once found me. He wanted to talk to you alone and said that he wanted to repay the help you gave him before the first game. I guess he might have had an idea and wanted to give you a reminder. .”

And just as Harry expected, Hermione refused with almost no hesitation. However, he was still slightly curious and said,

"Speaking of which, where did you get your inspiration from, Hermione?"

"oh!"

Hermione flipped her hair and said happily,

"There is a mural in the prefect's bathroom, which shows a blond mermaid. It reminded me of this."