Chapter 144
Chapter 144
Hermione rose early the next morning.
Suer hung limply on all fours in her arms, eyes vacant, while Hermione carried him towards the classroom with a gentle sway.
He had been unable to leave the Gryffindor common room until the middle of the night. Hermione had kept him firmly clasped in her arms.
The young witch’s fragrance might have been intoxicating, but Suer had needed to guard against exhausting his magic and becoming unable to return to human form. He also had to avoid detection by the enchantments protecting the girls’ dormitory. As a result, he barely slept or dared to move all night.
One account in A History of Magic mentioned that the two female Founders had enchanted the girls’ dormitories of every House when Hogwarts was established. Any male intruder would be expelled without mercy.
The enchantment remained active after a thousand years. When Hermione carried Suer into the dormitory, he distinctly felt a gentle breeze sweep across his body.
Fortunately, an animal produced by an Animagus transformation appeared to be treated as an ordinary animal by the enchantment.
That was correct. He had spent the night on Hermione’s bed.
Across both his lives, this was the first time he had entered a girls’ dormitory…
More than anything, Suer now wanted to return to his room and sleep. Unfortunately, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor shared History of Magic that morning.
Never had he felt so grateful for a Hogwarts rule: wizarding pets were not permitted inside classrooms during lessons.
Fighting the exhaustion of a sleepless night and almost empty magical reserves, Suer watched Hermione’s familiar back disappear into the classroom.
He immediately turned and ran downstairs. He had to hurry back to the dormitory, collect his school things and return to class with his dormitory mates. Otherwise, his secret would certainly be exposed.
If Hermione learnt that the Animagus she had been holding in her arms all this time was actually him…
Suer raced away with his head down and failed to notice Hermione suddenly lean out through the classroom doorway. Doubt flickered in her large eyes.
The previous evening, she had deliberately prevented the badger from leaving and even carried the animal into the dormitory as a test. Unexpectedly, the dormitory enchantment had issued no warning.
That left her uncertain.
“Is it really you, Suer?” Hermione murmured. The corners of her lips then curved upwards, and a blush crossed her cheeks.
She gave a soft huff and walked lightly into the classroom.
It did not matter. She had plenty of time.
Four months had passed without another attack. The young witches and wizards gradually forgot the fear of the previous term, and almost everyone believed that the culprit, whoever it had been, had abandoned the business.
Peeves no longer sang “Potter is a nasty little rotter”. Instead, he had adopted a new song: “Potter is a lovely pickled toad”. Apparently, he had initially sung “Oh, Severus”, only for Snape to chase him with a raised wand and torment him over and over.
Suer did not know the precise details. From what others said, however, the only reason Peeves survived was that a ghost could not die a second time. Otherwise, Snape would have killed him, restored him and repeated the process.
Peeves was unusual even among ghosts, being a poltergeist with physical substance.
Rumour had it that Snape beat him until he howled. Peeves now took a detour whenever he saw a Slytherin student.
Morn’s friend Ernie Macmillan no longer told everyone that Harry was the culprit. During a Herbology lesson shared with Gryffindor, Suer saw him exchange a few words with Harry.
Cause for celebration.
Celebration, my foot…
Everyone else was doing wonderfully.
Suer was not. Hermione kept watching him with an unreadable look.
Whenever Suer became a small badger, he could distinctly feel Hermione rubbing his head with slightly greater force.
On one occasion, Suer even noticed Hermione deliberately seek out his dormitory mate for a conversation. When he questioned Morn afterwards, Morn could not explain what it had been about.
I have definitely been exposed, Suer realised. Still, if Hermione said nothing, he would simply pretend not to know.
One development was particularly worth mentioning: Harry’s marks had improved by leaps and bounds. The clearest evidence came in Charms, where Filius Flitwick had praised him repeatedly.
Harry particularly impressed the professor by proposing an improved casting method during class, leaving the excitable Filius Flitwick full of admiration.
During the advanced weekend lesson, Filius Flitwick specifically explained the new wand movement to Suer, Cedric and the others, then extended its principles to other charms. In practice, it accelerated casting. The benefit was obvious, though the corresponding reduction in a spell’s power had to be considered.
Suer did not fully understand it. During the lesson, all he needed to do was wave his quill and take notes; he could study them carefully afterwards. At least, that would remain his approach until he mastered Occlumency.
Harry’s other achievements were even more striking. Professor McGonagall happily awarded Gryffindor ten points for his excellent performance in Transfiguration.
Quite a few young witches and wizards wondered whether Harry had been possessed. How else could he change so dramatically, almost as though he had become another person?
Suer longed for Harry’s treatment… He closed his book and could not resist glancing towards Harry, who was whispering with Ron nearby.
There was no knowing what Dumbledore had done to the pitiful fragment of Voldemort’s soul. The notebook had practically become Harry’s wise old mentor in portable form. Whenever Harry encountered a problem, he needed only to take up his quill and write. It could strengthen Harry’s abilities first, then serve as the boss he defeated at the end.
Tsk, tsk. Dumbledore would have been a master on the open plains. One arrow had struck an astonishing number of targets.
The Easter holiday soon arrived. As usual, the professors assigned a great pile of homework. The second-year students also had a new matter to consider.
They had to choose their third-year subjects.
Suer had little to consider. He selected Care of Magical Creatures, which interested him, and Ancient Runes, which Filius Flitwick had recommended. This gave him exactly the minimum number of elective subjects.
Harry and Ron chose precisely the same subjects. The pair were so close that they might as well share a single pair of trousers, so this surprised no one.
Hermione was far more conflicted. She wanted to select every subject, but several lessons overlapped. That meant she would have to abandon at least one conflicting course.
“You aren’t trying to earn twelve O.W.L.s like my brother Bill, are you?” Ron asked in astonishment. “You’ll work yourself to death.”
“This will affect our future,” Hermione said seriously. She bent over the list of new subjects, studying it carefully and making notes. No matter how she calculated, she could find no way to avoid missing at least one class.
“Why don’t you ask Professor McGonagall?” Suer suggested. “She’ll give you good advice if you want to take every subject.”
“Good idea!” Hermione slapped the table, startling Harry and Ron, who had been discussing a new Quidditch tactic nearby.
“I should find Professor McGonagall now.”
With that, she hurried away.