https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-25-Bertie-Bott-s-Every-Flavour-Beans/12572123/
Chapter 24: Shopping for Others
Chapter 24: Shopping for Others
Hermione's eyes widened gradually as realization dawned on her. Trembling, she said, "So, it's that— "
"Yes," Ved replied. "Harry Potter."
"The death indicator!" Hermione exclaimed simultaneously.
The two looked at each other.
"Harry Potter?" Hermione said in surprise.
"It was just a joke," Ved said helplessly.
Once again, they stared at each other.
Hermione frowned.
Slowly, Hermione began to understand.
"No wonder..." she murmured. "Percy—the Gryffindor prefect, a fifth-year Weasley. He said that in the past, whenever students were forbidden to go somewhere, Professor Dumbledore would explain the reason. But this time, he only said that we must not go to the right-hand corridor on the third floor without explaining why."
"If he had said outright that there was a three-headed dog there, even the Weasley twins wouldn't have gone to their deaths, let alone a first-year like Potter," Ved remarked, not surprised. "Vague warnings like that are meant to attract curious Gryffindors—Dumbledore probably left some sort of test there."
He recalled how Harry Potter had once played a live-action dungeon game in his first year. Harry and his friends had each relied on their own wits and abilities to overcome challenges, and in the end, Harry had defeated the final boss, Voldemort, with the power of love.
The seven Harry Potter books grew progressively thicker and darker, but the first one still retained a sense of childhood innocence, with even the plots and conspiracies seeming adorable. Voldemort had conveniently delivered himself to Harry Potter to give him a chance to level up.
"How could he do that!" Hermione's fear turned to anger. "People could have died! Does he not care at all? Or does he simply not value Harry Potter's life?!"
"So, did the two of you stumble in unexpectedly and get hurt by the three-headed dog?" Ved asked in return.
"Well, no. But that's because, at first—ah—"
Hermione's eyes lit up as she had an epiphany, as if the fog had cleared and she could see the truth.
"I guess—and this is just a guess—maybe Dumbledore put some sort of restriction on the three-headed dog so that it wouldn't really hurt students who accidentally wandered in, but would just scare them off. But if someone wanted to do something more, the dog wouldn't just sit idly by." Ved speculated.
"I saw it standing on a trapdoor," Hermione said. "It must be guarding something."
"If our guess is correct," Ved concluded, "Harry Potter must know what it's guarding."
...
Things seemed to slow down, perhaps because Hermione was upset with Harry and Ron and wasn't paying much attention to them, so she didn't get any further news.
But Ved wasn't too concerned about that. He knew that everything was under Dumbledore's watchful eye, so there was nothing to worry about. He was more preoccupied with his progress in Charms class than with Harry Potter's adventures.
During a recent practice session, he had discovered that he could see the guiding arc that showed the correct way to cast a spell not only when he was instructing others but also when he was in front of a mirror. This discovery accelerated his Charms practice significantly. So, Ved set aside some extra time to focus on Potions—the shelves at the back of the Potions classroom always had plenty of ordinary ingredients freely available for students to practice with. However, due to Professor Snape, most students avoided the underground classroom at all costs, even those from Slytherin.
During his free time, Ved practiced potion-making, with Snape turning a blind eye and occasionally offering scathing corrections. Overall, as long as one didn't have a fragile ego, they could learn a lot from him.
At times like these, Ved was grateful to be a Ravenclaw. If he had been a Gryffindor lion, he might have been kicked out by Snape on his first day of sneaking into Potions class.
One afternoon, Ved successfully brewed a batch of wound-cleaning potion, earning a "barely passable" evaluation from Professor Snape, who instructed him to deliver it to Madam Pomfrey at the infirmary as the Quidditch matches were about to begin, always a busy time for the school nurse.
When Ved returned to the umbrella room, he found everyone in high spirits, gathered around Theo. Even Hermione had put down her book and was planning, "I want three feet of parchment, five bottles of ink. I've heard that there's a great quick-quote quill. If they have it, I'd like to buy two..."
Theo wrote it all down at lightning speed while Michael shouted from the side, "Oh, come on, Hermione. I know you love studying, but life isn't just about hitting the books! You should get something fun for yourself! Honeyduke's candies are amazing! I highly recommend the Super Bombastic Bubble Gum, it fills the whole room with blue bellflower-colored bubbles, it's to die for, every girl's dream. The Zizi Bees are also bestsellers, not to mention the Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, hardly anyone can resist a cup or two."
"Hmm..." Hermione hesitated for a long while before saying, "Then, get me a galleon's worth of candy, too! But nothing weird like Cockroach Clusters!"
Although it wouldn't be convenient for her to bring the candies back to the dormitory—she would surely be bombarded with questions from the other girls, and who knew what catty comments they might make—she could keep them in the umbrella room and share them with her SSC friends.
"What are you guys talking about?" Ved asked curiously as he walked over.
"You're finally here, Ved! We've been waiting for you!" Neville exclaimed happily. "This Saturday is the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year, and students in third year and above are allowed to go to the village."
"I know!" said Ved. "But what does that have to do with us first-years?"
Ved had, of course, heard of Hogsmeade Village, the only wizarding settlement in Britain with no Muggle residents, reportedly unique and fascinating, and right next to Hogwarts, within walking distance.
However, Hogwarts rules stated that only students in their third year and above were allowed to visit on designated Saturdays, and only with a signed permission slip from their guardians. So, Ved and his peers would have to wait at least two years before they could go to Hogsmeade.
"It wouldn't have mattered otherwise," Michael said excitedly, "but Theo says—a third-year Hufflepuff said he could help younger students buy things they want, and he made a list of items from Hogsmeade Village. Theo and Ryan said they could add the things we want to the list."
Ved took the list and looked at it curiously while asking, "Who's so kind as to do this? It's quite a hassle, and he's not doing it to make a profit, is he?"
Ryan shook his head. "No, Cedric isn't helping out to make money."
Ved was taken aback. "What did you say his name was?"
"Cedric," said Ryan. "Cedric Diggory, top student in the third year. Almost everyone in Hufflepuff likes him."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
