great-warnovel Chapter 148 Each Strives
Chapter 148 Each Strives
Chapter 148 Each Strives
Normally, the first step in Animagus involves holding a single mandrake leaf in your mouth from one full moon to the next.
James and Little Star strictly followed this procedure, but when only Little Star Peter remained, they felt that such cumbersome astronomical calculations and waiting time were too stupid. Therefore, they used the silver feces extract of the Moon Fool to soak mandrake grass, and then had Little Star Peter hold it in his mouth for a month, which actually satisfied the requirements for human transformation.
To put some pressure on the boys, Hermione went to the greenhouse the next day and picked a single leaf of mandrake. She also asked Professor Sprout for some silver dung from the moonlukes, which is a very powerful fertilizer, but the yield is too small.
Hermione was still a little uncomfortable about having to eat, drink, talk, and sleep normally for a month while carrying a leaf covered in feces in her mouth. However, it was alright, as she chased after the dung beetle all over the borderlands.
She was used to finding all sorts of useful things from the dung balls they pushed.
She really went to great lengths to put some pressure on Harry and his friends.
During this time, she also informed Professor McGonagall that she was about to begin her attempt at the Animagus technique.
McGonagall hesitated, hoping Hermione could slow down a bit, but then remembered what Hermione had said before, which was that she had only indicated that Hermione must be present at the most crucial step.
Hermione nodded emphatically in agreement and smiled, "This is also a trial for me."
Every year, there are many outstanding Transformation students who want to try human transformation, but they usually start in the 6th or 7th grade. For someone as young as Hermione, this is her first time in decades.
Throughout January, the second-year Gryffindors were immersed in a tense but healthy atmosphere of competition.
Besides attending classes during the day and participating in Quidditch training in the evening, Harry and his friends also had to go to the Room of Requirement after curfew, and after finishing their homework, they embarked on a difficult journey through the Borderlands.
Hermione's daytime schedule is slightly easier, but she also has to complete her second paper of the year, which, while not physically demanding, requires a lot more mental effort.
Harry would also deliberately cause trouble by giving Hermione very sour food during meals, hoping she would spit out the leaves in her mouth.
Of course, Hermione wouldn't remain unresponsive. She subtly amplified the pain feedback in the Pensieve, making the injury feel more painful than it actually was, as if the invisible Mother's blood flames had been spilled on the wound.
However, these little envoys only joked around, and both sides focused more on overcoming their own difficulties.
Every night, you can hear three different complaints from the boys.
"Whose good goat would suddenly curl up into a ball and roll over like that!"
"Hermione, are you doing this on purpose?! How come a fire dragon suddenly charged down from the building?!"
"There are Night Riders at night! I feel they're even scarier than the Tree Guardians!"
"It's one thing to have traps in the tomb! But what kind of twisted hobby is hiding so many little devils in blind spots?!"
"And those beautiful flowers! They're going to explode!"
Hermione simply kept quiet, smiling as she continued practicing her Transfiguration skills, unwilling to tell them that the real suffering was yet to come.
She even mercifully prevented them from challenging the rolling wheels and the corrupt tree spirits right from their "birth".
Over the past month, Hogwarts has been traveling at a leisurely pace and is almost back in France.
Lockhart led them on another practical lesson, this time to clear out the Red Hats in a war site from decades ago. These little monsters, born in a land of bloodshed, are very fierce, but as long as you don't get scared and choose the right spell, you can easily banish them.
Because the cursed object in the outside world has not yet been resolved, Lockhart experiences some degree of drowsiness and hallucinations after each field lesson. However, the effects can be interrupted once he returns to the castle, and with the help of some potions, the subsequent reactions can be eliminated.
Lockhart was surprised to find that Harry, Harry, and his trio were exceptionally skilled in dealing with Red Hat, even displaying a kind of effortless elegance.
He didn't know that these three people were being driven almost mad by the little devil who brought them love around the corner. Although these red-hatted people were vicious, they were far less so than their distant relatives in the border region.
Even now, when Ron thinks of the little devil, he feels waves of phantom pain in his kidneys.
Besides the Gryphon boys, Draco from Slytherin also received extra attention. Hermione specifically instructed him and Lockhart to act as if everything was normal.
Lockhart could at least appear more vigilant, looking around cautiously, since no one could remain completely unresponsive after being cursed.
Draco, on the other hand, had to act as if he hadn't been discovered yet and was trying his best to hide his sleazy nature.
Hermione believed that the Carrow siblings must have ways to monitor the students and teachers when they went out, but they certainly wouldn't dare to get too close, let alone remotely use Legilimency on Draco. Perhaps watching from a distance was the limit of their courage.
The other professors were flying around the school on broomsticks in a rather conspicuous manner, as if they were looking for something. Even Dumbledore's phoenix would occasionally come out and fly around. It seems that the Carol siblings have been living in fear lately.
But what Professor McGonagall actually told the others was to return to the south of France and be wary of the basilisk that might be lurking there.
As for the Carol siblings, they were not afraid of the professors' lack of personal patrols; as long as Draco had not been exposed, they were confident they could remain hidden.
This charade is likely to continue until the weather warms up, but it's hard to say exactly when. It depends on how long Alecto can maintain his vigilance. However, if they want to make a move, they will definitely contact Draco and use him to lure Lockhart and Hermione out.
Moreover, she also has a third eye. Before her field practice class, she would use the Oracle Bubble to activate her field of vision and remotely observe the Carlo siblings to ensure that everything was under control.
She discovered that the Oracle Bubble allowed her to focus her vision steadily and accurately, enabling her Third Eye to see what she wanted to see. The medium was the rag doll they had given Draco. After the finger bone was removed and the dark magic was dispelled, it was just a dirty object with a strong connection to Alecto.
During this time, Hermione asked Lockhart if he should use his finger bones as a medium to call back his sisters' souls, so that they could stay with him forever. However, after the initial attempt, they discovered that his sisters' souls seemed to have already passed away, and they didn't know if they had been consumed by Voldemort.
Draco had the hardest time during this period. Hermione gave him a task to pretend to be terrified, which he did very well because he was genuinely terrified. He didn't know when the Carrow siblings would appear before him, having been tortured to death. Hermione even specifically asked him to make up an excuse to shout "Dobby!" to thin air when he was alone in the wild.
Although the Carlo siblings did not appear as expected, Draco's mental fortitude was indeed put to a severe test.
Hermione also required him to learn Occlumency from Lockhart, so that at least one day when they met Alecto again, he wouldn't be able to see through everything in his head.
"If you are discovered too early, neither I nor Professor Lockhart can save you," Hermione said to him expressionlessly.
Judging from Lockhart's feedback, Draco seems to be quite talented in this area. Whether it's the pressure of the life-threatening situation or something he's naturally gifted at, he quickly mastered how to hide his thoughts. At least he can now casually pick up a cat and act like Hermione.
From Lockhart's perspective, Hermione is preparing to set up a reverse fishing scheme, teaming up with him to deal with two Death Eaters and a basilisk, which is full of romantic heroism and quite compatible with his virtual personality.
Little did they know that both headmasters were secretly watching from behind the scenes, and that Lockhart, like Draco, was just part of the bait.