bioinnovel Chapter 193 An Awkward Encounter
Chapter 193 An Awkward Encounter
Chapter 193 An Awkward Encounter
After the Dementors left Hogwarts, the storm also left, and the terrible weather improved. Although it was still drizzling at the school, the windows of the castle no longer rattled, and the trees in the Forbidden Forest were no longer broken by the storm.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, except for Dog Dad and her eldest son.
Sirius Black, who's been hiding and on the run, is already in for a tough time with the coming winter, not to mention the resentful Ministry of Magic employees. His days are only going to get harder and harder.
Harry, who almost became Potter himself, was troubled by the flying broomstick.
Harry not only lost his first Quidditch match, but also lost his good partner Nimbus 2000 flying broom.
Lately, Harry has been constantly flipping through "The Complete Book of Flying Broomsticks," carefully studying the differences between various brands of flying broomsticks.
We compared the prices and performance of brooms from different brands one by one.
Before the next Quidditch match, Harry must solve the problem of his flying broomstick, or he'll be stuck riding the old Meteor provided by the school.
The popular flying broomsticks provided by Hogwarts were once a very popular product, but that was then. The old, dilapidated flying broomsticks have long lost their former glory, are extremely slow, and are very difficult to control.
Belvina, who is related to Dog Dad and his eldest son, has been living a relaxed and carefree life lately, without encountering any trouble.
With the Dementors' intrusion into the school resolved, Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge entered a honeymoon period like a second marriage, and the head professor and the head wizard resumed their correspondence.
With her two bosses not causing trouble and Voldemort holed up in faraway Albania, Belvina, who didn't have to clean up the mess, suddenly became quite relaxed.
She spends her days either hiding in the lounge reading, strolling around with Basilda, or running a late-night diner, embodying a carefree, unconventional lifestyle.
The most troublesome thing is being a part-time psychological counselor, solving the psychological problems of a group of troubled children.
Harry Potter was knocked unconscious when attacked by Dementors, and the scarred boy was filled with shame as a result.
Having encountered Dementors twice, and both times ending in him fainting, Harry was filled with shame and his pride had suffered an unprecedented blow.
Belvina had to tell him that the Dementors had such a strong effect on him because he had experienced fears that others had never felt. Harry was present when Voldemort murdered the Potters.
Draco Malfoy also needed psychological counseling; after each Muggle Studies class, he would stay behind under some pretext to ask all sorts of questions.
Sometimes he asks about the Malfoy family's past, sometimes he asks Belvina for her opinion on something, and sometimes he's as stubborn as a donkey.
Surprisingly, Neville Longbottom also stayed after class one day, making an excuse to complain to Belvina again.
This time, the victim wasn't Snape; perhaps the parents' complaints had an effect, or perhaps Dumbledore said something.
In short, Snape's bullying of Neville was no longer as blatant as before.
Neville is a promising boy; his potion-making skills have improved significantly, greatly increasing the time Snape has to spend nitpicking at him.
Of course, the main reason why Neville's potion-making skills have improved so much is because his foundation was so poor that even the slightest improvement would seem like a huge leap.
Thanks to Hermione Granger's selfless help, Neville's performance in Potions class was finally not a disaster.
After outmaneuvering Draco Malfoy with his timidity and shyness, Neville once again confides in Belvina about his recent troubles—Sir Cadogan.
Although the portrait of the Fat Lady has been restored, she refuses to return to work, and the Gryffindor dormitory supervisor remains the brave Uncle Cadogan.
Ever since Sir Cadogan became the head of Gryffindor's lodgings, the passwords for Gryffindor Tower have been constantly changing, causing confusion and forgetting for ordinary students, let alone the forgetful Neville.
In order to avoid spending the night in the corridor outside the tower, poor Neville had to write all the passwords down on paper in case he forgot Sir Cadogan's ever-changing passwords.
The problem is that although Neville wrote the passwords on parchment, the parchment might be lost or forgotten.
Since November, Neville has been turned away by Sir Cadogan several times and can only wait for other Gryffindor students to come to his rescue.
After Neville Longbottom finished pouring out his grievances, Belvina was speechless; the question was beyond her comprehension.
Belvina always found it strange that Neville, who was only thirteen years old, could have such a poor memory, like what Muggles call amnesia or memory disorder.
After much thought, Belvina could only blame her older cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange.
If Bellatrix hadn't used the Cruciatus Curse to torment the Longbottoms, Neville's life might have been completely different. Faced with the sins her older cousin had committed, Belvina, speechless, could only offer pale words of comfort, repeatedly urging Neville to relax, not to be tense, and not to be afraid.
Belvina discovered a pattern in Neville's behavior: when Neville was relaxed, his abilities improved significantly, but when he was fearful and tense, his abilities plummeted.
In herbalism class, facing the kind and amiable Professor Sprout, Neville's herbalism skills were in no way inferior to Hermione's, and perhaps even superior.
But once faced with the strict and harsh Snape, Neville immediately became the worst Potions student, even worse than the two humanoid baboons next door.
Neville Longbottom's childhood of constant negativity led to a severe lack of self-confidence. He often doubted himself and fell into self-denial. The recognition and encouragement from others were the greatest reward for him.
After sending off three troubled children, Belvina suddenly realized that December had arrived without her noticing.
The cold rain and mud waved goodbye to Hogwarts, and the gloomy sky suddenly cleared, turning into a bright and dazzling eggshell color.
One morning, the grounds outside the castle were covered with a layer of glistening white frost, and the castle was filled with the Christmas atmosphere as students happily discussed their holiday plans.
On the last weekend before the Christmas holidays, students were granted permission to visit Hogsmeade Village again, where they could buy Christmas presents.
On Saturday morning, before heading to Hogsmeade, Belvina, wrapped in a thick cloak, blended into the student queue. Amidst the envious gazes of the students, Belvina and Bassheda walked directly out of the school gates without having to wait in line.
Snowflakes fell gently, and Hogsmeade Village looked just like a Christmas card in the snow.
The thatched cottages and shops were covered with a layer of freshly fallen snow, holly wreaths hung on the doors, and strings of enchanted candles adorned the trees.
Belvina, wrapped in a thick cloak and a coin sash, walked along the main road of the village. The shops on both sides of the street were all crowded with Hogwarts students, and there was not even room to stand at Honeydukes and Zoco's Joke Shop.
Belvina and Bassheda crossed the road and walked into the warm, bright Three Brooms.
The bar was hot, smoky, crowded, and noisy. The still-attractive Rosmerta was beckoning a group of boisterous wizards.
Belvina and Bassheda sat at the bar, each ordering a hot drink and a cake. They were the only two customers in the bar who weren't drinking; even the third-year students were holding bottles of butterbeer.
"Why is Fudge at school today?" Bathsheda started to ask in a low voice, "And he went straight into the Headmaster's office. Has he made up with Professor Dumbledore?"
For some reason, Cornelius Fudge went to Hogwarts early in the morning, and the first thing he did was to see Dumbledore. I wonder what the two of them were up to.
"Reconciliation is unlikely," Belvina whispered. "Hopefully Dumbledore will give Cornelius a good beating."
It would be best to knock some sense into him.
As she spoke, Belvina held the steaming hot cocoa in her hand; the scalding heat felt comforting on a cold winter day.
"Are you the only one in the whole world hoping the principal and the minister will fight?" Bassheda said with a laugh. "Don't you just want to see bloodshed?"
"It's not that bad," Belvina said guiltily. "Professor Dumbledore is too low-key, so low-key that people almost forget he is recognized as the greatest wizard of our time."
Belvina always believed that if Dumbledore had been tougher, Hogwarts wouldn't have ended up in such a mess.
Even if you brought out the wealth of the greatest wizard of our time, Lucius Malfoy wouldn't dare bring Voldemort's old belongings from his student days into Hogwarts.
If Dumbledore had directly confronted the minister in the summer, how could Cornelius Fudge have dared to send Dementors to Hogwarts?
Kindness is often taken advantage of, and Dumbledore's behavior was too gentle and easy to bully, making everyone want to test his strength.
As the two best friends were talking, the bar door opened again, and a gust of cold wind blew into the room.
"Professor Black—" Hermione greeted him somewhat nervously, "Professor Bablin."
Ron stood beside Hermione, the two of them side by side, as if trying to block Belvina and Basilda's view, even though there was no one behind them.
"Miss Granger!" Bassheda exclaimed happily, saying that she now greatly admired Hermione Granger and thought Hermione was perfectly suited for the tedious work of studying ancient runes.
"Hello," Belvina waved, "Would you like me to buy you a drink?"
Hermione quickly waved her hand, saying guiltily, "No need, no need—we can manage on our own, thank you, Professor."
As the girl spoke, she pulled Ron toward the back of the bar. Hermione and Ron seemed a little awkward, as if they were afraid that Belvina would be watching them.
The more guilty she felt, the more likely she was to arouse suspicion. Belvina looked suspiciously at the empty space behind them, her bright eyes gradually narrowing.
"Hermione, where's Harry?" Belvina suddenly asked. "Is he alone at school?"
"Ah—yes—that's right." Hermione answered in a fluster. She hadn't expected to run into a professor from the school here, let alone Professor Black.
Harry spent his summer vacation in Fertile Ground, and Belvina knew he had an Invisibility Cloak.
Belvina didn't press the matter further, instead turning to Rosmerta, who was busy at the bar, and said, "Bring three bottles of butterbeer to that table and put it on my tab."
Upon hearing this, Rosmerta looked over and saw a male and female student sitting at the table. Belvina, however, said to get three bottles of butterbeer.
Despite feeling a little strange, Rosmerta didn't ask any questions and walked over with three bottles of butterbeer.
Looking at the three bottles of butterbeer on the table, Hermione felt more than just guilty; the girl lowered her head in shame, wishing she could crawl under the table.
Ron's face was as red as his hair, staring intently at the butterbeer in front of him, unsure whether to drink it or not.
Harry, wearing an invisibility cloak, sighed and said with an air of nonchalance, "Drink up, Merry Christmas."
Suddenly a cool breeze ruffled Harry's hair, and the door with the three brooms opened.