Harry Potter and Shafik

Chapter 141
Katie Bell is out of the hospital!
This news spread quickly in Gryffindor like an acute infectious disease, and it took less than half a day for everyone to know

As Katie stepped over the Fat Lady's portrait, Hermione called out, "Katie! You're back! Are you ready?"

Harry's eyes widened: it was indeed Katie Bell, looking fully recovered, surrounded by cheerful friends.

"I'm really well!" she said cheerfully. "I got out of the hospital on Monday. I stayed at home with my parents for two days. I came back this morning. Lini told me about McLaggen and the last game, Harry..."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but now that you're back and Ron's all right, we've got hope of beating Ravenclaw, which means we still have a chance of winning the cup. Well, Katie..."

He had to ask her right away, and his curiosity pushed Ginny to the back of his mind for a while.Katie's friends started packing up, apparently late for Transfiguration.He lowered his voice and asked, "...that necklace...do you remember who gave it to you?"

"No." Katie shook her head ruefully. "Everyone asks me, but I can't remember anything. The last thing I remember was going into the Three Broomsticks toilet."

"So you must have gone into the toilet?" said Hermione.

"Well, I remember pushing the door open, so I thought, the guy who cast the Imperius Curse on me must be behind the door. My memory was blank after that until at St. Mungo's Hospital two weeks ago. Sorry, I should have Now that I'm gone, I don't think Professor McGonagall will punish me for copying just because it's my first day back at school." She grabbed her bag and book and hurried off after her companions, and Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down together. At the table by the window, thinking about the situation she just said.

"Then it must have been a woman who gave Katie the necklace," said Hermione, "because it was in the ladies' room."

"Or look like a woman," Harry said. "Don't forget, Hogwarts has a big pot of Polyjuice Potion, and we know some have been stolen..."

He imagined Crabbe and Goyle strutting past, both transformed into girls.

"I'd like to take another sip of Felicia and stop by the Room of Requirement," said Harry.

"That's a waste of potions," Hermione said flatly, putting down the "Magic Alphabet" she had just taken out of her bag. "Luck can only help you so much, Harry. Slughorn's situation is different." , you have always had the ability to persuade him, you just need to adjust the environment. But luck is not enough to help you penetrate powerful magic. Don't waste the rest of the potion! If Dumbledore takes you, you will need All the luck you can get..." she said in a low voice.

"Can't you get some more?" Ron asked Harry, ignoring Hermione. "It would be nice if I could have some more... read the book..."

Harry pulled out "Advanced Potion Making" from his schoolbag, looking for Felicia.

"My God, it's so complicated," he said, scanning the long list of ingredients. "It's going to take six months. . . have to simmer..."

"Always," said Ron.

Harry was about to put the book away when he suddenly found a page folded. He flipped it over there and saw that it was the Magic Front and Shadow Curse, marked with "To the Enemy", which was the mark he had made a few weeks ago.He hadn't tried it yet, mainly because he didn't want to try it around Hermione.But he wanted to try it the next time he stalked McLaggen.

Dean was the only one who wasn't particularly happy to see Katie back, because it meant he wasn't needed as a Chaser.When Harry talked to him, Dean reacted calmly to the blow, except for a shrug and a grunt.But when Harry walked away, he could still feel Dean and Seamus muttering disapprovingly behind his back.

For the next two weeks, Harry saw the best Quidditch practice he had ever had as captain.His crew, rejoicing at getting rid of McLaggen and finally getting Katie back, flew exceptionally well.

Ginny didn't seem to be sad about breaking up with Dean at all. On the contrary, she became the soul of the team.She kept everyone amused by imitating Ron jumping nervously up and down in front of the goal when he saw the Quaffle coming, and imitating Harry yelling at McLaggen before he was knocked unconscious.Harry laughed with the team, glad he had a valid reason to look at Ginny.Because his eyes weren't keeping his eyes on the ball, he got hit a few extra times by the Bludger.

These appearances prove that Harry is in love with Ginny.

The battle was still raging in his head: Ginny or Ron?Sometimes he thought that, after his love affair with Lavender, Ron might not mind him dating Ginny too much.But he remembered Ron's expression when Ginny kissed Dean, and he concluded that even pulling her hand would be regarded as a despicable betrayal by Ron...

But Harry couldn't help talking to Ginny, laughing with her, walking back with her after practice.However disturbed his conscience was, he couldn't help fantasizing about being alone with her: it would be best for Slughorn to call another little party where Ron wouldn't be there--unfortunately, Slughorn seemed right They gave up hope.Once or twice Harry thought of asking Hermione for help, but figured he'd be overwhelmed by the smug look on her face.He seemed to catch that look sometimes when Hermione saw him staring at or being made to laugh at Ginny.To make matters worse, he anxiously thought that if he didn't act, someone else would be dating Ginny soon.He and Ron agreed on this point at least: Ginny was too likable for her own good.

Anyway, the temptation to take another sip of Felicia grew stronger, since this was supposed to be a case of "adjusting the circumstances" as Hermione put it?The balmy May day slipped away, as if Ron was there every time he saw Ginny.Harry found himself longing for a stroke of luck that would make Ron feel that nothing would make him happier than a good friend falling in love with his sister, Ginny, and that would allow him and Ginny to be alone for more than a few seconds.But neither of these seemed to have a chance, because the last Quidditch match of the season was coming up, and Ron was too busy discussing tactics with Harry to think about anything else.

Ron was no exception in this regard, and interest in the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw game was extremely high throughout the school.Because this game will determine the still unpredictable Champions Cup ranking.If Gryffindor leads Ravenclaw by three hundred points (which is difficult, but Harry has never seen his team fly so well), they can win the cup; To be second behind Ravenclaw; to be a hundred points behind, to be third behind Hufflepuff; to be more than a hundred points behind, to be fourth.That way, Harry thought, no one would ever make him forget that he led the Gryffindor team to its first bottom-ranked finish in 200 years.

The prelude to this pivotal game is still the same: students from the two colleges intimidate the opposing team in the hallway; chants against individual players are rehearsed loudly as they walk by; Rush into the bathroom to vomit.Somehow, in Harry's mind, this match was tied to the success or failure of his plan for Ginny.He couldn't help but think that if they lead by more than three hundred points, the warm celebration scene and post-match party might be able to keep up with the effect of a big gulp of Felicia.

In all this tedious business, Harry never lost sight of his other goal: to find out what Malfoy was doing in the Room of Requirement.He still checked the Marauder's Map, where Malfoy was often missing, and he figured Malfoy spent a lot of time in that room.Even though Harry was losing hope of getting into the Room of Requirement, he would try it if it was nearby, but no matter what he said, there was still no door in the wall.

A few days before the Ravenclaw match, Harry walked alone from the common room to eat dinner, Ron rushed into the adjacent bathroom to vomit again, and Hermione ran to Professor Victor because she I remembered that there might be a mistake in the paper for the arithmetic and divination class that I handed in last time.Harry, probably out of habit, turned again to the corridor on the eighth floor, looking at the Marauder's Map as he walked.At first he couldn't find Malfoy, figured the kid was off to the Room of Requirement again, and then he saw the little dot marked Malfoy standing downstairs in a men's room next to Crabbe and Goyle, but crying myrtle.

Staring at the unlikely combination, Harry accidentally bumped into a pair of armor.The sound of splashing woke him up from his contemplation.Afraid of Filch's appearance, he rushed to the marble stairs and ran to the corridor on the next level.He pressed his ear to the bathroom door, but couldn't hear anything.He pushed open the door gently.

Draco Malfoy stood with his back to the door, his hand on the edge of the sink, his pale yellow head bowed down.

"Come on," said Weeping Myrtle's soft voice from one of the compartments. "Come on... tell me what's the matter... I can help you..."

"Nobody can help me," said Malfoy, trembling all over, "I can't...can't...can't be done...if it's not done soon...he said he'd kill me..."

Harry's heart skipped a beat, his feet nailed there, and he found Malfoy crying—really crying, tears streaming down his pale face into the filthy pool.Malfoy looked up, sobbing, shuddering, seeing Harry staring at him from behind in the broken mirror.

Malfoy turned hastily and drew his wand, and Harry instinctively drew his wand to defend himself.Malfoy's spell missed slightly, shattering the wall lamp behind Harry.Harry stepped aside, reading Fuchsia!The wand came out, but Malfoy blocked the spell and raised his wand again—

"Stop it! Stop it!" screamed Weeping Myrtle, echoing in the tiled washroom. "Stop it! Stop it!"

With a bang, the dustbin exploded behind Harry.Harry tried a Leg Locking Charm, but it bounced off the wall behind Malfoy's ear, smashing the toilet bowl under Moaning Myrtle.Myrtle screamed, the water flooded the floor, Harry slipped and fell, and Malfoy twisted his face and cried, "Crucio—"

"Shen Feng Wu Ying!" Harry roared on the ground, waving his wand frantically.

Blood gushed from Malfoy's face and chest, as if struck by an invisible sword.He staggered backwards, fell to the puddles with a splash, and dropped his wand from his limp right hand.

"No—" Harry was startled.

Harry slipped on his feet, got up staggeringly, and ran towards Malfoy, only to see that his face had turned bright red, and his pale hands were clutching his blood-soaked chest.

"NO, I have not--"

Harry didn't know what he was talking about, he knelt down beside Malfoy.Malfoy was shaking uncontrollably in a pool of blood, and the crying Myrtle let out a deafening scream.

"Killed! Killed in the bathroom! Killed!"

The door slammed open behind Harry, and he looked up in horror: Snape rushed in, followed by Professor Lingxu and Hilbert with livid faces.Snape shoved Harry roughly aside, knelt down in front of Malfoy, drew his wand, and moved it along the deep gash that Harry's spell had made, uttering a sort of singing spell.Bleeding seems to have lessened.Snape wiped the dirt off Malfoy's face, said the spell again, and now the wound seemed to be healing.

"What are you doing, you bastard! If anything happens to Draco, I'll take your life to die with you!" Hilbert pulled out his wand and yelled at Harry Potter.

"Calm down, Draco's fine."

Harry was still watching, dumbfounded by what he had done, barely aware that he, too, was soaked in blood and sewage.The weeping myrtle was still sobbing and wailing above their heads.After Snape cast the breaking spell for the third time, he half-dragged and half-hugged Malfoy to his feet.

"You need to go to the school hospital, there may be some scars, but if you use Baixian in time, maybe even the scars can be avoided... Let's go...Hilbert takes him there." After the examination, Professor Lingxu turned to Hill Burt said.

When Snape, Hilbert and Taoist Lingxu helped Malfoy out, Snape turned his head at the door and said in a cold and angry tone, "You, Potter...wait for me here."

Disobedience never occurred to Harry, and he stood up slowly, trembling all over, looking down at the watery ground, where blood was floating like red flowers.He didn't even have the courage to tell Moaning Myrtle to stop, and she went on crying, but with more and more obvious enjoyment.

Snape returned ten minutes later, went into the bathroom, and closed the door.

"Go away," he said to Myrtle, and she slid back into the toilet bowl, leaving a ringing silence.

"I didn't mean to," Harry said quickly, his voice echoing in the cold, wet space, "I don't know what that spell is for."

But Snape ignored it.

"I clearly underestimated you, Potter," he said quietly. "Who would have thought you could do the Dark Arts? Who taught you that spell?"

"I, I think so."

"Where?"

"It's - in a book in the library," Harry said impromptu, "I can't remember the title -"

"Lie," Snape said.Harry's throat was dry, he knew what Snape was going to do and he could never stop...

The bathroom swayed in front of him, and he tried to get rid of all thoughts, but no matter how hard he tried, the Half-Blood Prince's "Advanced Potion-Making" still floated in front of his eyes... "Bring me your schoolbag," Snape said. Softly, "And all your textbooks. All of them. Get them here. Quick!"

It was useless to argue, Harry immediately turned around and ran out of the bathroom stepping on the water.Once in the corridor, he ran for Gryffindor Tower.Most of the people were walking in the opposite direction, and they were surprised to see him covered in blood, but he just ran forward without answering the questions thrown at him.

He was amazed, as if a lovely pet had suddenly turned murderous.What did the prince think when he copied such a spell into the book?What if Snape saw it?Would he tell Slughorn (Harry's stomach churned) - how did Harry get his good grades in Potions this year?Would he confiscate or tear up the book that had taught Harry so much... the book that had become like a mentor and a friend?Harry couldn't let this happen... he couldn't...

"Where have you been—how wet—is that blood?"

Ron stood at the top of the stairs, looking at Harry in bewilderment.

"I need your book," breathed Harry, "your Potions book. Quick... give it to me..."

"But the Half-Blood Prince—?"

"I'll explain later!"

Ron took out "Advanced Potion Making" from his schoolbag and handed it to him.Harry rushed into the common room, grabbed his schoolbag, ignored the surprised eyes of several people who had finished eating, got out of the portrait hole, and sprinted along the corridor on the eighth floor.

He stopped suddenly in front of the tapestry where the troll danced, closed his eyes and started pacing back and forth.

I need a place for my books... I need a place for my books... I need a place for my books...

He walked up and down the empty wall three times, and when he opened his eyes, he finally saw the door to the Room of Requirement.Harry yanked it open and rushed in, slamming the door behind him.

He gasped.Despite his anxiety, fear, and dread of what awaited him in the bathroom, he couldn't help but marvel at what he saw.He was standing in a room the size of a cathedral. The beams of light from the high windows looked like a walled city, and Harry could see that it was made of objects hidden by generations of Hogwarts people. into.The streets and alleys were lined with crumbling piles of broken furniture, which might have been stuffed here to conceal evidence of misguided magic, or hidden by the house-elves who kept the castle respectable.There are thousands of books here, no doubt banned, defaced, or stolen; Broken bottles containing frozen potions; hats, jewels, cloaks, what looked like dragon eggshells; a few corked bottles still gleaming evilly; and rusty swords and a blood-stained axe.

Harry hurried into an alleyway among the treasures, turned right, passed a stuffed troll, ran a short distance, and turned to the cracked disappearing cabinet (the one Montague disappeared in last year). Turn left, and finally stop in front of a large cabinet with blisters on the surface, as if it had been splashed with strong acid.He opened the creaking cupboard door, and there was already a cage hidden inside. The things in the cage were dead long ago, and the bones seemed to have five legs.He stuffed the Half-Blood Prince book behind the cage and slammed the door shut.He paused for a moment, heart beating violently, looking around at the pile of debris... Could he find this place among all the junk?

He grabbed an ugly old wizard's head from the top of a nearby crate and covered it with an old dusty wig and a rusty diadem.Then he rushed quickly through the alleys full of debris, ran to the corridor, and slammed the door behind him.It immediately became a stone wall again.

Harry ran down to the bathroom at full speed, stuffing Ron's Advanced Potion-Making into his bag as he ran. A minute later, he came back to Snape out of breath, with a burning pain in his chest.Snape held out his hand without a word, and Harry handed over the bag.

Snape took out Harry's books and examined them one by one.At last only the Potions book remained, and he stared at it very carefully for a while.

"Is this your Advanced Potion-Making, Potter?"

"Yes." Harry was still panting.

"You're sure you are, Potter?"

"Yes." There was a little more resistance in Harry's tone.

"This is the "Advanced Potion Making" you bought from Lihen Bookstore?"

"Yes." Harry insisted.

"Then why is 'Luo Niao · Wei Qili' written on the back of the cover?"

Harry's heart stopped beating.

"That's my nickname," he said.

"Your nickname?"

"Yes...that's the name my friend gave me."

"I know what a nickname means," said Snape, his hard black eyes fixed on Harry's again like drilling holes.Harry tried not to look into those eyes.Shut down your brain... shut down your brain...but he hasn't learned yet...

"You know what I think, Potter?" said Snape softly. "I think you're a liar, a liar. You should be sent to solitary confinement every Saturday until the end of term. What do you think?" How is it, Potter?"

"I - I can't agree, sir," said Harry, still refusing to meet Snape's eyes.

"Well, let's see how you feel when you're in detention," said Snape. "Come to my office at ten o'clock Saturday morning, Potter."

"But, sir..." said Harry, looking up in despair, "Quidditch... the last match—"

"Ten o'clock," Snape whispered, smiling and showing his yellow teeth, "poor Gryffindor... is going to be fourth this year, and I'm afraid..."

He walked away, leaving Harry looking in the broken mirror, feeling worse than Ron had ever felt in his life.

Harry's good mood didn't last long, and the next day he had to endure the taunts of the Slytherins, not to mention the wrath of the Gryffindors, who were banned from the final game of the season because their captain got into trouble .Come Saturday morning, whatever he might say to Hermione, Harry would have given all the Felix in the world in exchange for walking to the Quidditch pitch with Ron, Ginny, and the others.The punishment was simply unbearable: leaving groups of classmates in rosettes and hats, waving flags and scarves swarming into the sun, walking down the stone steps alone, into the dungeon, and on to the noisy No sound was heard.He knew he couldn't hear a commentary, a cheer or a sigh here.

"Ah, Potter," said Snape as Harry knocked on the door and walked into the familiar and annoying office.Although he has gone upstairs to teach, he has not vacated this room.The room was still dark, and there were still potion jars on shelves along the wall, with all kinds of disgusting things floating in them.Ominously, a table apparently reserved for Harry was piled high with cobwebbed boxes, giving off an air of dry, hard, pointless work.

"Mr. Filch wants someone to clean up these old files," said Snape softly, "of Hogwarts records of people who erred and their punishments. Where the ink has faded or the cards have been destroyed by rats, we hope You write the unclear handwriting clearly, put them in alphabetical order, and put them back in the box. No magic is allowed."

"Yes, Professor," said Harry, trying to put deep contempt into his words.

"I think you can start," Snape said with a malicious smile on his lips. "In boxes 1012 to 1056, you'll see some familiar names, which will add to the fun of the work. Here, look... "

He drew a card from a box at the top with a grand gesture, and read: "'James Potter and Sirius Black, cast an illegal jinx on Bertram Aubrey, Aubrey's head Twice as big. Both of them in solitary confinement.'" Snape sneered, "It must be a relief to think about it, although they are gone, their great deeds are still recorded in..."

Feeling furious again, Harry gritted his teeth to prevent himself from fighting back, sat down in front of the file boxes, and dragged a box towards him.

As Harry had predicted, the job was dull and pointless, and occasionally (Snape had apparently arranged it) gave him a twitch as he read the name of his father or Sirius, usually both. Made all sorts of trivial mistakes together, sometimes adding Remus Lupine and Peter Pettigrew.While copying their various faults and their punishments, he imagined the situation outside. The game had probably just begun... The Seeker was Ginny vs. Qiu...

Harry looked again and again at the ticking clock on the wall. It seemed to go half as fast as an ordinary clock. Maybe Snape had cast a spell to make it go very slowly on purpose?There's no way he's only been here for half an hour...an hour...an hour and a half...

When the clock hit 12:30, Harry's stomach started growling.At ten past one, Snape, who hadn't spoken again after assigning Harry the task, finally raised his head.

"I think it's all right," he said coldly, "make a mark somewhere, and continue at ten o'clock next Saturday morning."

"Yes, sir."

Harry shoved a folded card into the box, slipped out the door before Snape could change his mind, and rushed up the stone steps, ears pricked up to catch the sound from the stadium, but there was silence... So, it's over...

He hesitated for a moment outside the crowded Great Hall, then ran up the marble steps.Whether Gryffindor wins or loses, the team usually celebrates or mourns in the common room.

"We won!" yelled Ron, leaping forward, waving the silver cup at Harry. "We won! Four hundred and five to one hundred and fourteen! We won!"

Harry looked around. Ginny was running towards him, and she wrapped her arms around him with a fiery look on her face.And so, without thinking, without preparing, without worrying about fifty people watching, Harry kissed her.

It was a long few minutes—perhaps half an hour—or a few sunny days—and they parted.The room became very quiet.Then a few whistled, and some giggled unnaturally.Harry looked over Ginny's head and saw Dean holding a broken glass in his hand, Romilda Vane looking like she was about to throw something, Hermione was laughing, but Harry's eyes were looking for Ron, and finally found it, Still clutching the trophy, he looked as though he had been slapped in the face.The two looked at each other for a moment, and Ron's head moved slightly, which Harry knew meant, "Okay - if you must."

Harry and Ginny started dating.Just like Hilbert and Daphne are together every day, every moment.

But not tonight, Dumbledore has an appointment...

(End of this chapter)