94 Diagon Alley

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“…they managed to transfer,” George said, “but Cedric and Lupin were scarred.”

"Oh..." Gwen clutched his chest. "Forgive me. I shouldn't have been so relieved, but it was too scary—if they weren't..."

"Mad-Eye said you could tell Aberforth this." George squeezed Gwen's hand under the cloak. "Then he dragged his broken body and hurried out the door."

"We guess he went to help Cedric and Lupin." Fred said, covering his mouth.

At this time, Gwen saw Aberforth's tall figure stand up and shake, and quickly waved his hands to the two and said: "They will be all right - I have to go back, as for you two , don't go out all the time... don't worry about me, dear." She patted George's arm. Aberforth coughed a few times in the distance, which made Gwen think of the huge amount of work upstairs, and suddenly leaned down and said to George.

Passage.

After finishing speaking, Gwen also slipped out along the crack of the door like a smooth black cat. A few minutes later, the yawning Hog's Head barmaid came down the stairs.

"Ha, let me catch you being lazy." Aberforth's blue eyes stared at Gwen, which made her inexplicably think of the headmaster's sharp and intelligent gaze.

"Just take a nap." Gwen scolded, "I'll go to the warehouse with you right now."

Aberforth snorted and shoved Gwen into the bar's storage room. After listening to Gwen retell what happened last night, he looked a little worried, and after sending Gwen, who was holding the oak barrel, back to see the shop, walked into his room without a word and with his hands behind his back.

Gwen returned to his old position, leaned on the bar and made himself a cup of tea. It turns out that there is indeed a new guest sitting across from George and Fred. But with the fluffy little curls under his hat, and the thick lips under the same bandage as the twins, Gwen looked more and more like old Weasley friend, Lee Jordan.

A sip of tea almost burned Gwen's upper teeth, and she controlled herself not to think about how much trouble these three boys would get together.

"I have equipment." Lee Jordan said mysteriously to the two red-haired bandages, "mixer, microphone..."

"What is that?" Fred and George asked in unison.

"Muggle props," said Hogwarts' best Quidditch commentator.

"We also need a workstation," Fred said. "Some correct passwords..."

“And a few inspiring guests,” added George.

That night, both Aberforth and Gwen were digging the secret passage harder than ever. They vaguely felt that the road ahead was very difficult and dangerous, and they looked forward to digging through this secret passage before school started.

In the forest.

The speculum that Hermione gave him on Harry's birthday was carefully placed on a table in the tent, and Harry and Hermione took turns taking on sentry duties throughout the day. However, the Looking Glass remained silent all day, whether it was because of the protective magic and Muggle shielding charms Hermione casted around, or because people rarely came here, and there was always no one in their woods except for birds. and squirrels occasionally pass by. There was no change at night either. At ten o'clock, Harry lit his wand, changed shifts with Hermione, and watched the silence, seeing bats hovering high above the little starry sky above the camp.

He is hungry now and a little dizzy. Hermione didn't put any food in her magic pouch, because they moved too quickly to open Diggory's cupboard. They had nothing to eat, just some wild mushrooms that Hermione had picked from the nearby bushes and cooked in tin tins. After two bites, Ron pushed away his portion, looking a little nauseous. Harry only reluctantly ate it so as not to hurt Hermione's feelings.

The silence was broken by strange rustles and twigs snapping, which Harry thought was caused by animals rather than people, but kept his wand on alert. He ate the rubbery, hungry mushrooms, and his stomach wasn't feeling well, and now it was burning with tension.

Sitting there looking out into the darkness that was only illuminated by his wand, all Harry felt was worry about the future, as if he were weeks, months, or even He has been sprinting towards this goal for years, but now he has suddenly stopped and has nowhere to go.

There are other Horcruxes that have not been found, and he has no idea where they might be hidden, or even what they are.

Sitting in the dark, countless ominous premonitions crept into my heart. He tried to resist, to drive them away, but they came mercilessly. Both cannot live. Ron and Hermione were whispering in the tent behind him, they could leave whenever they wanted, but he couldn't. As he sat there trying to overcome his fear and fatigue, Harry felt the scar sting again, and he feared it was his own madness, and tried to steer his mind elsewhere. He thought of poor Kreacher and waited for them back at home. Is Grimmauld Place still safe? Should he let Kreacher take Sirius to hide at Ron's aunt's house? Harry wanted to believe that Kreacher had been influenced by the new Sirius this year and could now remain loyal, but who knew what would happen? What if Snape went in with the Death Eaters? What if they torture pixies? Horrible images flooded Harry's mind, and he pushed them away again, because he couldn't do anything for Kreacher.

Is Lupin alive? Could Cedric never go home again? Ginny is going back to school soon, is she all right?

Harry's scar is now burning with pain. It occurred to him that there was so much more they didn't know, and Lupin was right, so much magic that had never been seen and imagined. Why didn't Dumbledore say more? Did he think he had time, that he could live many years, many centuries, like his friend Nick Lemay? If that's the case, he'd be wrong... Snape had done it... Snape, the lurking serpent, attacked from the top of the tower...

Dumbledore falls down...falls down...

"Give it to me, Gregorovitch."

Harry's voice was high, clear and cold. His wand was held in front of him in a pale, slender hand. The man to whom the wand is pointed hangs upside-down in the air, swaying around with invisible ropes, looking eerie, his arms tucked tightly beside him, his terrified face as high as Harry's , flushed with blood. He has snow-white hair and a shaggy beard: a tied Santa Claus.

"I don't have it, I don't! It was stolen many years ago!"

"Don't lie to Lord Voldemort, Gregorovitch, he knows...he always knows."

Due to fear, the person who was hanging had big pupils. They seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, like two black holes, finally sucking Harry's whole body in—

Now Harry follows the stocky, lantern-carrying Gregorovitch down a dark corridor. Gregorovitch rushed into the room at the end of the corridor. Under the light, it looked like a workshop, sawdust and gold flickering in the swaying halo, and a blond boy perched on the windowsill with a posture like a big bird. The moment the lantern's halo hit him, Harry saw the handsome face full of joy, and then the uninvited guest fired a stun spell with his wand and leaped out of the window, leaving a burst of laughter.

Harry quickly withdraws from the wide, tunnel-like pupils, and Gregorovitch's face is full of horror.

"Who is that thief, Gregorovitch?" asked a high, grim voice.

"I don't know, I never knew, a young man - no - please - please!"

A shrill, prolonged scream, followed by a green light—

"Harry!"

He opened his eyes, panting, his forehead throbbing. He had just leaned against the tent and lost consciousness, slid down, and is now lying on the ground. He looked up at Hermione, her bushy hair covering a patch of sky between the tall black treetops.

"Dream," he hurriedly sat up, trying to face Hermione's stare with an innocent expression, "must have a nap, sorry."

"I know it's your scar! You can tell from your expression! You just saw V-"

"Don't say his name!" Ron's annoyed voice came from the depths of the tent.

"Okay," said Hermione sullenly, "see the mind of You-Know-Who!"

"I didn't mean it!" said Harry. "It was a dream! Can you control your dreams, Hermione?"

"If you learn Occlumency—"

But Harry didn't want to hear the reprimand, he wanted to discuss what he just saw.

"He found Gregorovitch, Hermione, I think he killed him, but before that, he saw Gregorovitch's mind, and I saw—"

"I think I'll be on guard, if you're too tired to fall asleep." Hermione said coldly.

"I can finish this shift!"

"No, you're obviously exhausted, go in and lie down."

She sat down at the entrance of the tent, she seemed to be determined. Harry was furious, but didn't want to quarrel, so he ducked into the tent.

Ron's still pale face stuck out from the lower bunk, and Harry climbed onto his upper bunk and lay down looking at the black canvas ceiling. After a while,