The first week of school passed quickly amidst rumors. Now Harry was enjoying the treatment he had received last year after his unintended revelation in Quidditch class that he was a Slytherin. Wherever he went, he felt eyes upon him and whispers among the crowd.
Among the eyes that watched him, there was sympathy and there was schadenfreude, even within the walls of Gryffindor House.
Of course, Harry was not too surprised. Since Monday night, when Severus had told him that Rubeus Hiccup had finally found out why they had seen Amos Brann the evening of the school feast at Professor Sprout's, Harry had already anticipated this.
The garlic, amulets, and protective charms that had been in fashion last term to ward off evil spirits were back in vogue on campus. Thankfully, the only consolation was that this time Neville did not have his piece of amethyst necklace hanging around his neck.
The person Harry disliked the most was Draco Malfoy.
On Thursday afternoon after Potions class, Harry was about to storm out of the classroom with his 'D' assignment in hand. However, Goyle and Blaise were blocking the doorway, and with their bigger frames, no one could have easily pushed past them.
Harry turned around and coldly looked at Draco, who was sitting on his desk and smiling wickedly. "Move your two dimwitted goons out of the way, Malfoy, or else they'll be cut into many pieces and stuffed in a jar!"
Draco Malfoy laughed even more mysteriously upon hearing this, and the inexplicable pity in his eyes only fueled Harry's anger further. "As for being cut into pieces, Potter..."
Draco lifted his sharp chin and spoke in his usual slow, affected tone.
"Suddenly I feel sorry for you, Potter," Draco said with a smirk. "I thought your worst fate would be to spend the rest of your life in Azkaban, sharing a cell with dementors. But now, I can't say that for sure. I think you might just get chopped into pieces and used as fertilizer for Professor Sprout's Mandrake plants!"
"He's been threatening people like that lately, Harry."
Standing next to Harry, Neville's face turned bright red as he muttered in a low voice, "He said the same thing to me in the Great Hall at lunchtime."
"That's why you just let Malfoy walk out of the Great Hall alive, Neville, it's just incredible," Ron said, his face turning green with anger. He took out his wand that was taped together and pointed it at Malfoy.
"Who do you want to see turned into fertilizer first, Malfoy!"
"Grand Finder deducts twenty points and two days of punishment, Ron."
At this moment, while Snape was tidying up on the stage and ignoring the conflict, he came over lazily and stared at Ron. "Hope this will teach you a lesson, Weasley. In my classroom, you are not allowed to point your wand at your classmates."
The outcome of the conflict left Harry in a bad mood for several days in a row, and he wasn't focused during the Quidditch practice either. Wood was particularly worried, given Harry's history of absence from last year's final match.
"If you want to catch that murderer and prove your innocence, Harry, would you please wait until the final match before starting your plan?"
"Wood shouldn't have said that to you, Harry; it's not your fault!"
On a Sunday night in the infirmary, when Harry, who was in a low mood, recounted Wood's words to Hermione, Hermione angrily said.
"You can't blame him for that, Hermione. I've heard Fred and George say that Wood wants to become a professional Quidditch player at the Puddlemere House, so winning the Cup for Gryffindor would be very important to him. Unfortunately, Wood is in his sixth year and this year or next might be his last chance."
Ron spoke up for Wood in a fair manner, which only made Harry feel more guilty.
"But he can't just blame Harry for the team's failure, Ron. Why can't he look for reasons within himself?"
Hermione crossed her arms angrily and said.
Ron shrugged his shoulders and reasonably shut up.
They all knew that as long as the Healer of Slytherin did not get caught, Harry's current situation was unlikely to improve, and that was the most difficult part. That's why the school board had specially chosen someone to come to Hogwarts to deal with this matter.
Hermione's cat on her face and body had mostly faded, which made her not as self-conscious about her appearance. She got out of bed, frowning and pacing back and forth in the room, thinking about ways to help Harry ease the misunderstanding.
Several voices of Gryffindor students could be heard outside, and the speakers were all people Harry knew: Neville, Ginny, Petunia, and Lavender.
They were negotiating with Professor Pince on behalf of Hermione, hoping to be allowed to visit her, because so far, the rumors of Hermione being attacked and petrified had not been dispelled. However, Professor Pince sternly rejected their request.
Hermione watched the door, her expression no longer serious. At least, she felt touched by her friends' concern.
"Perhaps, we could seek Mr. Brann's help..."
Hermione stared at the door handle for a long time. Suddenly, an image of Amos Brann, whom she had only met once, appeared in her mind. Putting aside their school rivalry, Hermione truthfully had a good impression of that courteous and considerate young wizard. At least, he was a polite and understanding person.
"Hermione, are you crazy?"
Ron's cheeks puffed out in shock, "Don't you remember, Hermione? Harry's current situation was caused by this inspector!"
"That's not his fault, Ron," Hermione said arrogantly. "Mr. Brann was just following the orders of the school board to enter the school and investigate the Chamber of Secrets. That's his job, but that doesn't mean he would necessarily target Harry, does it?"
Hermione was satisfied that her words had made them both thoughtful, she looked at Harry, who was frowning, and continued to ask.
"So, Harry, to your knowledge, has Mr. Brann taken any substantial actions?"
"That's the problem, Hermione!"
Ron answered the question on behalf of Harry, "Many people assume that our inspector will take an unprecedented action..."
For example, he would rally everyone to search the castle, or perhaps summon the Slytherins one by one for interrogation... But so far, he's done nothing, just staying in his office and not coming out, as if he came back to Hogwarts on vacation... I think Hagrid must have been mistaken; maybe someone else beat Bill and Charlie!"
Harry also sighed, "Fred and George told us that Mr. Brann never leaves his office at night, only ventures out during the day to get something to eat and take care of the hygiene."
This answer surprised Hermione, and she stood at the foot of the bed, frowning and pursing her lips as if McGonagall had caught a Gryffindor student breaking curfew.
"Fred and George are keeping an eye on Mr. Brann? I mean, they have to attend classes during the day as well, so how can they know his movements so well?"
"I asked them, but they don't want to say!"
Ron puffed out his cheeks angrily, "Fred told me that it's their secret to success... Hmph, aside from their ability to evade Filch, I don't see what else they have going for them!"
Ron's evaluation was not very optimistic, at least not what Harry thought. He believed that Fred and George were quite successful in making everyone happy, especially when they occasionally came up with jokes that were very popular among the little wizards.
The discussion of how Fred and George were monitoring Mr. Brann had already strayed from the original topic and was bound to remain without an answer.
It was eight o'clock, and Professor Pince rushed over to send them away. On their way back to the Gryffindor common room, Ron was complaining nonstop that Hermione wouldn't share her Potions homework, but Harry had become accustomed to it. Generally speaking, Hermione wouldn't let them copy a single word until they completed their own coursework.
"If you can prove your innocence to Mr. Brann, Harry, considering the current situation, if he can help you explain everything as the inspector, maybe even more effective than Dumbledore's words!"
Standing in front of the Fat Lady's portrait, Harry pondered Hermoine's earlier warning, feeling a bit hesitant.
PS: Here is the third chapter, and I would also like to ask for investment and votes, thank you!
