Chapter 403: Departure, Yekaterinburg
Chapter 403: Departure, Yekaterinburg
The day before Christmas, Harry stayed in the D.A. Room late, spending a lot of time chatting and drinking tea with Ginny after everyone else had left.
Naturally, upon returning to the Common Room, he received a warning from Ron, his protective older brother. Although Ron had agreed to let his sister date Harry, he was still concerned that Harry might hurt Ginny. Harry, of course, promised with all his heart that he would never let anything bad happen to her.
Perhaps because the successful date had left Harry's brain in a state of excitement, it took him a long time to fall asleep after lying down. In his dreams, he found himself guiding everyone in D.A. training. However, this scene didn't last long before an unexpected transformation occurred.
In the dream, Harry discovered that his body had become soft, powerful, and agile. He glided between shiny metal bars and over cold, dark stones. His body was close to the ground, moving on his belly, and although the light was dim, he could see the bright, vivid colors around him.
Turning his head, he saw a person sitting on the ground, their head drooping onto their chest, their outline flickering in the dim light. Harry felt a strong urge to bite this drowsy person with his teeth, but something inside him seemed to command him to hold back.
But the drowsy person suddenly woke up, jumping to their feet. A silver cloak slipped off their legs, and Harry saw a bright, blurry figure standing before him, a wand drawn from their belt.
With no other choice, he reared up and attacked, but a strange barrier sprang up to block his strike. He attacked again, and this time, perhaps because the venom from his teeth had taken effect, the barrier didn't appear. His sharp fangs shattered the person's hastily erected magical defense and bit into the arm they raised to protect themselves, feeling the bone crack between his teeth, the warm, sticky blood...
The person screamed in pain... then fell silent... collapsing against the wall... the venom had taken effect... blood dripped from Harry's mouth to the ground...
His forehead throbbed with excruciating pain, as if it were about to explode...
“Harry! Harry!”
He opened his eyes, drenched in cold sweat, the sheets tangled around him like a straitjacket. He felt as if a burning poker had been driven into his forehead. His vision blurred with pain, but he had to tell Ron, it was crucial...
“Your dad,” Harry panted, his chest heaving, “your dad... something happened... he was bitten, badly, blood everywhere.”
“Harry, mate,” Ron said, uncertain, “you... you were just dreaming.”
“No!” Harry said fiercely, determined to make Ron understand, “It wasn't just a dream, not an ordinary one. I was there, I saw it... I did it!”
The unexpected event before Christmas had left Harry and the Weasley family tense and busy, but they hadn't shared the details with anyone else. So Hermione was curious on the Hogwarts Express back to London about why she hadn't seen Harry or the Weasleys.
“Maybe they have something going on,” Liam offered, trying to reassure her. “At Christmas, all sorts of unexpected things can happen. It's probably nothing serious.”
When they got off at King's Cross Station, they found the Christmas atmosphere was thick. A huge Christmas tree stood in the station's hall, adorned with sparkling decorations.
“Where should we go next?” Hermione asked, pulling a small suitcase. As wizards, they could use their dimensional equipment to carry all their luggage, but since they had chosen to travel in a Muggle way, it would look strange to travel internationally without any luggage. So each of them had brought a small suitcase.
"Head straight to Heathrow Airport. Penelope will be waiting for us there with everything we need." Liam said, and he and Hermione boarded the blue Piccadilly Line subway at the train station, heading to Terminal 4.
Over an hour later, the two arrived at their destination, just in time to see Penelope holding a black bag, waiting for them.
"Your passports, visas, and tickets are all inside", Penelope said, handing the black bag to Liam. "I've also included the other materials you requested, and I've checked to ensure nothing is missing. Have a great trip!"
"How are you getting back?" Hermione asked, looking at Penelope. "It's quite a distance from here to the city center."
"Of course, by Apparition", Penelope replied. "It's much more convenient than taking the subway or a bus. I can head straight back to the Joke Shop. I have to work overtime these days because business has been booming during Christmas."
"I remember you all get some time off after Christmas", Liam said.
"Actually, we're quite satisfied with the triple overtime pay and bonuses. Not many places offer such high rewards. Besides, Percy has been scheduled for Christmas duty by Fudge and the others. I can use the time off after the holiday to go out with him." With that, Penelope bid them farewell and left.
"Looks like she's pretty happy with her job", Hermione said, watching Penelope's retreating figure. "I could tell she was genuinely happy just now."
"A famous person once said that employee dissatisfaction is either due to insufficient pay or feeling undervalued. I try to avoid both, and it seems everyone's morale is high." With that, the two began to carry their luggage through security.
At four in the afternoon, the plane took off. It was a long journey, including a layover in Moscow, which took them a total of eight and a half hours. They finally landed at Koltsovo Airport in Yekaterinburg at 8:30 PM local time.
"Phew, it's freezing", Hermione shivered as soon as they stepped out of the plane, even though her body had been enhanced multiple times. She still felt a bone-chilling cold.
"Put this on", Liam said, draping a coat over Hermione. "This is a Russian winter, and you're not the first to be caught off guard here. Countless famous people have stumbled in these conditions."
"Alright, I admit I underestimated it. Just like that Corsican or Austrian did", Hermione fastened the coat's buttons. "Let's get to the hotel quickly. I'm cold and hungry."
After leaving the airport, they hailed a taxi and headed to the hotel they had booked in advance. Fortunately, Liam had obtained a Russian language pack a few years ago in the Radiation World and had transferred it to Hermione via soul transmission. Knowing Russian made their journey much smoother. Upon arriving at the hotel, they first stowed their luggage and then immediately ordered room service for dinner.
This time, they chose to stay in a double room because they were not there for a holiday but to complete some tasks. It was best for them to stay together to avoid being caught off guard and having their strength divided. Although the possibility was minimal, it was better to be prepared.
After dinner, they chatted for a while before quickly going to bed, as the next day would be the start of a truly arduous journey. They needed to rest and gather their strength for whatever lay ahead.
(End of Chapter)
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