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Chapter 312: Hermione the Cat Girl
Chapter 312: Hermione the Cat Girl
After leaving Dumbledore's office on the eighth floor, Kyle happily greeted every painting he passed on his way.
Hogwarts was indeed full of surprises. Who would have thought that on this ordinary Christmas, he would not only get to see the legendary Nirvana ashes but also receive a tiny bottle of it?
It felt like a dream.
Kyle had no idea how often a phoenix like Fawkes underwent Nirvana, but the interval was definitely not short... Dumbledore's eyes had even reddened, and it was the first time Kyle had seen him so flustered.
Moreover, Newt's book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, made no mention of the specific timing of a phoenix's Nirvana. This implied that from the time Newt wrote the book until now, Fawkes had not undergone Nirvana.
If that were the case, then the interval between Fawkes's Nirvana must be at least over sixty years...
Of course, this referred to the natural cycle, excluding special cases like consuming the Killing Curse.
Kyle couldn't help but take out the small bottle again, examining it under the dim light...
At least sixty years for a small pinch of ashes... This could be considered the most precious substance in the wizarding world, without a doubt.
Legend had it that the ashes left behind after a phoenix's Nirvana contained both the essence of death and the promise of rebirth, making it the dream ingredient for countless alchemists and potion masters.
Kyle even suspected that the Resurrection Stone, one of the Deathly Hallows, might have been created using the ashes of a phoenix's Nirvana.
If the opportunity arose, he would definitely research it further.
Kyle turned back to look at the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office and subconsciously quickened his pace. He rushed down the stairs and reached the first floor.
There, in the entrance hall, he ran into two familiar people.
"Harry? Ron?"
Kyle greeted them and asked, "What are you two doing here so late?"
The pair were startled and quickly turned around, their faces tense as they looked at the suddenly appearing Kyle.
"Sleep... couldn't sleep, so we came out for a walk..."
"W-what are you doing here!"
The two stood close together, as if they had been caught sneaking out at night.
"Oh, I just came from the Headmaster's office," Kyle said casually. "But have you two worn the wrong clothes? They seem quite big on you... Wait, what's that tail...?"
"What tail? You must be seeing things..." Harry stuttered.
Ron quickly nodded, "Yeah, you must be tired from all the reading."
In the middle of winter, they were sweating.
Something was off... These two looked like the epitome of "guilty conscience."
Kyle suddenly looked up and exclaimed, "Professor McGonagall? What brings you here?"
"Professor McGonagall!"
"Ah!"
Harry and Ron turned around simultaneously, but the next second, they realized there was no one behind them.
However, at that moment, Kyle also caught sight of what they had been hiding behind their backs... a large, tawny, furry head. It seemed to belong to... a cat?
When Kyle had called out "Professor McGonagall," she had also been startled and instinctively looked up.
It was indeed a cat's head, but the body was that of a human, also clad in an ill-fitting, oversized robe.
Kyle examined her carefully and asked uncertainly, "Hermione?"
"Ah!" She cried out and quickly covered her face.
Kyle looked at Harry and Ron.
The two sighed, tacitly confirming his guess.
The ill-fitting school uniform, coupled with Hermione's transformation into a cat...
Kyle couldn't help but ask, "Did she drink a Polyjuice Potion with cat hair in it by any chance?"
Once again, the two chose to remain silent.
After a moment, Ron whispered, "Do you know how to fix this?"
"I think the Human Transfiguration spell should work," Kyle thought for a moment and said, "Lockhart mentioned it in Wanderings with Werewolves, but I don't know how to cast it. If you want, you could try asking Lockhart if he remembers the incantation..."
"Lockhart?"
"Alright."
Harry and Ron nodded and covered Hermione again as they made their way to the hospital wing.
Fortunately, it was the holidays, and it was already quite late, so apart from Kyle, they didn't encounter anyone else along the way.
...
"This is quite troublesome..."
In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey carefully examined Hermione's condition and looked up with a grave expression.
"Didn't Professor Snape teach you that complex potions should not be used on animal transformations?" she asked.
"We... we didn't know..." Ron stuttered, "It was an animal's hair..."
Both he and Harry were prepared to come clean, whether it was about stealing from Snape's private storage or secretly brewing the polyjuice potion.
Now, the most important thing was to get Hermione back to normal, and they would deal with whatever punishment came their way later.
"You two are so reckless and careless!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "You dared to drink a potion without even knowing what ingredients were used. You're lucky to be alive."
She scolded Harry and Ron but didn't ask any questions about where they got the polyjuice potion or what they were trying to do.
Then, Madam Pomfrey waved her wand and tapped Hermione a few times.
Large patches of fur fell off, but most of it remained.
"She will need to stay here for at least five weeks to fully recover," Madam Pomfrey said as she shooed them away. "Now, off you go."
"Can we stay here and—"
"No!"
Harry's plea was immediately rejected. No matter what reason they gave, Madam Pomfrey would not allow them to stay.
Helpless, the two had to bid farewell to Hermione and leave the hospital wing, glancing back repeatedly as they went.
"And what are you still doing here?" Madam Pomfrey turned to Kyle, who showed no signs of leaving.
"Madam Pomfrey," Kyle asked, "I wanted to know if mandrake leaves would be effective for this type of incorrect transformation caused by a potion."
"Mandrake?"
"I read about it in a book," Kyle said. "Someone used mandrake leaves to restore people who had been turned into octopuses."
"Please don't tell me it was in one of Lockhart's books."
Kyle nodded.
In fact, he had read it in Gadding with Ghouls.
"Mandrake combined with asphodel can indeed be used to restore appearances altered by curses or transformations," Madam Pomfrey said seriously. "However, the potion requires not the leaves but the juice of a mature mandrake."
"Resurrection potion?"
"Yes," Madam Pomfrey glanced at the two beds in the corner. "It can also be used to cure those who have been petrified."
Kyle nodded, understanding... So Lockhart had gotten the story wrong and made up his own recipe.
If that was the case, there was nothing they could do.
Although the seeds given by the Ministry of Magic included mandrake and asphodel, they were both on the eighth floor in the Room of Requirement, in other words, they weren't mature yet.
It took about a year for mandrake seeds to germinate and grow a face, and that was just a seedling. It would take another year for it to mature.
Asphodel was even slower... Like the Devil's Snare, it took at least three years to mature.
...
(End of Chapter)
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