great-warnovel Chapter 182 The Blushing Boy
Chapter 182 The Blushing Boy
Chapter 182 The Blushing Boy
The recreated moving castle of England terrified the Muggles in the wild, who screamed and fled.
Even though Hogwarts was still operating within an unusual spatial scale and hadn't knocked over a single rock, the Muggles seemed to have encountered the devil's fortress. The boldest among them only dared to hold up crosses made of broken wood and pray loudly.
"We'll head to London from here, and we expect to reach the former Fog City before the end of this semester, though now all that's left are ruins from the nuclear bomb."
London suffered numerous bombings back then, and many families were killed. The wizards, their eyes red with grief and their hometowns were devastated. They risked everything and teleported here with the nuclear bombs in their arms.
The Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, countless museums and historical buildings were razed to the ground, as were Diagon Alley and other innocent wizards. King George VI and his Prime Minister Winston Churchill died in the nuclear explosion, and the Muggle regime collapsed overnight.
Of course, this was the case in most other countries as well. Muggles were powerless against the wizards' attacks, which was exactly what Grindelwald envisioned. Everything should change quietly overnight, rather than a war.
Dumbledore intends to use the Brilliant Stone to clean up the radiation in London. Whether for historical significance or to flex his muscles, this would allow wizards to better understand the power of Hogwarts and also better silence the nobles of Malfoyburg.
"The castle will stop in London, which will be our last stop on our northward journey. We will stay there to rest until the end of the summer holidays. After the new students arrive for the new school year, we will hold the wand selection there. If we continue north, there probably won't be a safe and suitable time."
He thought long-term, taking all of this into account when he decided to return to the Scottish Highlands.
"What about the wand selection for the new students a year from now? We can't travel around anymore; it can only be held near the school," Hermione asked.
If the original Hogwarts site is fraught with danger, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to send the new students out.
"You're starting to look like a little school board member now," Dumbledore chuckled, pleased to see Hermione's interest in school matters.
"I have several plans, but they need to be adjusted according to the situation at the time. I have considered the environment of the Forbidden Forest, the relationship with Malfoy Castle, and even the search for a new Master of the Rod."
Seeing that Dumbledore was confident, she stopped worrying. That was a problem she wouldn't have to face until next year, and the old man with the white beard would be there to hold it up if things went wrong.
As the end of the school year approaches, Professor McGonagall has begun to plan and arrange this year's summer study abroad program.
Harry easily persuaded Professor Lily to let him go to the Weasleys' house this summer. Neville also finished negotiating with the Longbottoms through Ghost Owl. His grandmother, Madam Augusta, would go directly to the Burrow to help Molly take care of the children.
Mrs. Weasley was delighted with the arrival of the entire Gryffindor second year. She wrote to Ron to tell him not to worry about the rooms, as Mr. Yeather had already arranged everything.
However, Hermione estimated that she probably wouldn't be able to stay in Devonshire for the entire summer. She would have to visit Gonuk's Goblin Lands in the middle of the summer and then come back to attend the Hogwarts Board of Governors meeting. Given the current situation among the nobles, it was hard to say whether she could break through the encirclement and elect a new Speaker. There was a good chance that a whole bunch of people would come up claiming to represent Malfoy Castle.
Leaving aside the Gryffindor quartet, who have already begun planning their wonderful summer vacation, Draco, who has been keeping a low profile since the battle of Verdon Gorge, suddenly approaches Hermione.
Ron described the battle against the Death Eaters as thrilling, detailing how the three of them outmaneuvered Alecto Carroll, how Harry cleverly injured him, how he steadfastly withstood countless curses, and Neville's incredibly powerful sword strike.
Due to his personal likes and dislikes, in his version of the story, Draco was merely bait used to deceive the Death Eaters, pretending to be stunned by the Stunning Curse, but in reality, he was too cowardly to participate in the fight. His intervention at the last moment was also described as dispensable, and Neville could have accomplished the task on his own with just a little more effort.
Reporters further altered and exaggerated his version, publishing it in newspapers so that more people could see it.
Draco remained silent, having long realized that weak words would not get him accepted.
But this actually swayed the other Slytherin children to his side. They believed that Draco must have done much more, and that the Gryffindors were just jealous and deliberately belittling Slytherin.
They demanded that Draco provide his version and publish it in the newspapers, but Draco's mind wasn't on that.
On the one hand, the parts of him that were used by the Death Eaters are hard to see in the light of day; on the other hand, he began to feel resentful about his own strength.
While the battle against the Death Eaters did play a crucial role at a critical moment, he also discovered that the gap between himself and the Gryphon trio was widening.
All his efforts and hardships seemed to have been meaningless.
From Ron's story, he learned that the three boys had all received special training from Hermione. Throughout their second year, starting after Christmas, they had to undergo rigorous training every night, which was why they were able to defeat the Death Eaters.
He realized that if he relied solely on acquiring knowledge from libraries and books, he would never catch up with others. He had to take the initiative and change his current predicament!
"Hermione, I want to receive your special training too!"
In the castle corridor, Draco, his neck stiff and face flushed, said...
He deliberately chose a time when there weren't many people around to ambush Hermione, so that even if he was rejected, it wouldn't be too embarrassing. Granger was a genius of Gryphon, and there was no reason for him to help her become stronger for no reason, but he had nothing now and could only rely on some shamelessness to beg.
He really had no other way out. His mother was just an ordinary medical wing nurse, and Dobby was very happy working at Hogwarts. Obviously, she wouldn't let him go out and find dark magic for him. Apart from Hermione, he couldn't think of any other way.
The little witch looked at Draco with some surprise. She hadn't expected that this kid would go to such lengths to come to her, since the noble young men of the past would never have done such a thing.
From first grade until now, her opinion of this little boy has changed many times.
First, there was that noble little rascal who wanted to use her hand bones to make a wand; back then, if Draco dared to have another episode...
They would be mercilessly killed by her, or truly reduced to the Silent One.
Receiving his Christmas gift made Hermione feel that it might be a silent apology from the little boy. She was no longer so annoyed with him, and they had returned to being strangers, at least when he asked for help.
She can take it in stride.
This year, Draco, who was quite ostracized, even managed to evoke some sympathy from Hermione, but the Death Eaters' actions of bringing cursed objects into the school wiped out that hard-won sympathy.
It wasn't until Christmas that he had a sudden change of heart and took his mother to find the cursed object to turn himself in that she finally breathed a sigh of relief and stopped wanting to break his legs.
Then there's Dobby's situation, and Draco's excellent Occlumency, clever feigned unconsciousness, and timely finishing blow when facing Alecto. This made Hermione's impression of him turn around and be more positive. His ability to fight is a big plus for Hermione. Now, he's barely considered an annoying brat on our side.
Whether or not to bring one more person for special training makes no difference to Hermione. The Pensieve is large; whether it has three heads or four, there is no essential difference. She can just stuff them all in together.
Hermione thought for a moment, and her hesitation made Draco think it was a rejection.
"Never mind, forget I asked." Draco blushed and turned to run away, but Hermione called him back.
"Wait! My training is going to be tough, and you'll have to be with Harry and the others. Is that something you can accept?" she asked.
Draco turned around in surprise: "Really? If you promise, I'll try my best to get along with them!"
"You know, I already owe Harry a favor." He was referring to how he used Harry's Invisibility Cloak to escape during his first year.
Hermione nodded: "Then meet me tonight at 9 p.m. in front of the tapestry of the giant bat beating Barnabas on the 8th floor."