On the first night of a regular school day, the atmosphere in Gryffindor common room was more cheerful than usual because of the return of Professor Breon and Gryffindor's brave warriors - Hermione Granger.
As Harry and Ron descended from the dormitory, carrying a pile of homework through the spiral staircase to the common room, many were eagerly discussing the showdown between Professor Breon and the group of dark witches who had treated Muggles brutally that he had arrested—the details were revealed in The Daily Prophet.
That was the outskirts of Berlin at night. The golden web of flames seemed to cover the earth like a tidal wave, casting fiery light upon the darkness that lit up the entire Berlin as if it were midday.
It would definitely be a duel not to be outdone by last summer's Quidditch World Cup Final night - many people thought so.
"My mom told my dad about this!"
As Harry and Ron passed by Seamus, he was shaking his hands vigorously, holding The Daily Prophet which featured a report on the sentences handed down to some of the darker witches for their crimes.
“He wrote to me that these scum would have ended up getting shot in the Muggle world for their crimes. I agreed with him, oh, look at the sentencing from the Court - 30 years in Exterstas. That means, if they're lucky, these bastards will still have a chance to retire?”
Before Seamus could say anything to Dean across the way or to Ginny, who became distracted as soon as she saw Harry, he said passionately,
"I'm willing to bet that if Professor Breon were to preside over the trial, these scums wouldn't see the light of day again!"
Harry knew that Seamus's father was a Muggle, which is why he was particularly repelled by the dark witches, so he slowed down and gave the newspaper behind Seamus's shoulder a few quick glances, wondering in confusion to Ron,
"What's Exterstas?"
"I guess it's a prison, but not as famous as Azkaban."
Ron shrugged.
"I'm more curious why Seamus's dad wants those scumbags to get shot, shot. What is it, Harry, some poison?"
"This question is hard to explain, but Harry thought for a moment before saying,"
"From guns, the metal bullets fired by a Muggle's wand. They are very fast and can penetrate the body. If they hit a vital organ, it will kill instantly. Some Muggle countries use it for executions, but the British Muggle government has abolished this form of punishment."
"Oh!"
Ron imagined the feeling of a fast-moving metal bullet passing through his body and shivered a few times.
"That must hurt, the Muggles are really twisted. But those dark witches do deserve that punishment."
The sofa by the fireplace that they usually used was occupied by two first-year witches, so Harry stopped Ron from trying to chase away the 'clueless' sophomores. They chose a table near the girls' dormitory staircase and put their textbooks on it.
He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above the old chest of drawers at the other end of the common room, raising an eyebrow.
"Hermione hasn't come back yet, she must have been gone for about an hour now."
"Who knows, maybe the prefect's bathroom is too big, she got lost."
Ron slumped into the sofa and indifferently said, "I think Angelina might be exaggerating, that bathroom can't be that fancy. Percy wouldn't miss an opportunity to brag about it to us, but he's never boasted about it."
But as he spoke, a frown of concern crept onto Ron's brow.
"I haven't heard Hermione mention that she's particularly good at swimming, but to ask her to swim for an entire hour in the second match is completely impossible, isn't it?"
Perhaps the mention of "shot" from Seamus had sparked a bit of inspiration in Harry, who said thoughtfully,
"Unless she manages to get some professional scuba gear in the match. Like how Hermione summoned an Invisibility Cloak in the first match, she could have prepared a set of scuba gear in advance."
Harry knew what Ron would ask, so he explained in advance,
"That's the same kind of equipment made by Muggles, wearing it allows you to move freely underwater. But I'm not sure if scuba gear works properly in Hogwarts, and whether it would be considered a breach of rules since it's Muggle-made after all."
Ron was equally aware of where Harry's inspiration came from, and he sat up straight on the soft sofa, feeling invigorated.
"That sounds a lot more interesting than 'shot.' When Hermione comes back, you can tell her about this idea and see what she thinks."
"Speaking of which, I've always been curious about something."
Harry's green eyes blinked, and he said puzzled, "According to the clue in the golden egg, they will take Hermione's precious treasure. If she can't get it back in an hour, the warriors will lose their own treasures completely. What do you think that will be for Hermione?"
"That's a good question. We've actually forgotten about that,"
Ron furrowed his brow and puffed up his cheeks.
"It's hard to say, Harry, it might be Hogwarts: A History, she's always been obsessed with that of course, or it could be How to Stay Alive on Your Deathbed, that's her new favorite. She took it everywhere before the accident."
"That's possible indeed."
Harry chuckled and was about to share his own guesses when Mrs. Weasley's portrait swung open, and Hermione entered the common room through the doorway.
Hermione seemed to have encountered something wonderful, her face beaming with excitement, pausing for a moment at the doorway and spotting Harry and Ron, she rushed towards them with light steps.
"Make way--"
Hermione wasn't polite at all, she pulled Harry up from the sofa and pushed him towards the table where Ron was, the two taller boys had to cram into the small space and looked at each other, then turned to Hermione.
After her bath, Hermione's rosy cheeks shone with a glossy sheen and still slightly damp hair hung on her snowy white collarbones, perhaps due to excessive excitement, Hermione had slipped the first button of her shirt into the second hole, leaving a small expanse of pink skin exposed.
Ron rubbed his nose, then shifted his gaze away. Then he noticed Lavender gazing at him intently from the crowd, hesitated for a moment, and waved and smiled at her.
"What's wrong, Hermione?"
Harry pointed out the small clothing flaw directly, then asked curiously.
"I've got it!"
Hermione bit her lip and tried hard to suppress her excitement.
"It's so simple, wow. I mean, it's not really simple, but I believe I can do it. But the most important thing is, shouldn't I have thought of it earlier?"
"If you mean..."
Harry was confused by Hermione's description, he furrowed his brow and hesitated.
"It's the one, advanced transfiguration. It can transform into a living thing that can breathe underwater, I ignored it because it's a subject we only start learning in sixth year!"
"Sixth year?"
Ron clicked his tongue.
"I'd like to remind you, Hermione, there's only a week left until the match. Learning a NEWTS-level spell in such a short time? I think Harry's suggestion was better. There's something that can help Muggles move around underwater called scuba gear, and if you could manage to conjure it up during the match, it might work."
"Scuba gear?"
Hermione hesitated for a moment, then gave a negative response.
"That would definitely help me move around underwater, Harry, but you know, it requires professional training to use it as well, and that's not my forte. Plus, I don't think the judges will allow my Muggle equipment."
"All right, I never thought it would work either. By the way, I do remember something else."
Harry lowered his voice.
"In your absence, Cedric came to find me. He wanted to talk to you privately, saying he wanted to repay you for the help you gave him before the first match. I guess he already has an idea in mind and wants to give you a hint."
As Harry had expected, Hermione refused almost without hesitation, but he still said with a hint of curiosity,
"Speaking of which, where did you get the inspiration, Hermione?"
"Oh!"
Hermione flicked her hair and said happily,
"It was a mural in the prefects' bathroom, featuring a blonde mermaid. That's where I got the idea."
(Chapter End)
