Hogwarts Lion Girl

The pungent smell of disinfectant filled the Hogwarts infirmary. The air was stuffy and a group of people gathered around Ron's bed.

"I don't know either," Professor Horace rubbed his fat hands, the flesh on his face trembling, "I was originally going to give that glass of oak-aged mead to Headmaster Dumbledore, there shouldn't be any problem..."

Hermione frowned and looked at Ron worriedly.

Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence in the school infirmary.

Lavender rushed in and saw Hermione sitting beside Ron's bed. Hermione was holding Ron's hand gently, with a frown on her face and a worried look on her face.

Lavender's face instantly turned uglier than pig liver. "What are you doing here?" she asked sharply, her tone full of hostility.

Hermione looked up and met Lavender's gaze calmly. "I'm taking care of Ron."

"Take care of him?" Lavender sneered, "What qualifications do you have to take care of him? Who do you think you are? His girlfriend?"

Hermione took a deep breath and tried to control her emotions. "Lavender, now is not the time to argue. Ron's condition is serious."

"Serious? I think you're just hoping something bad happens to him!" Lavender pressed on, pointing at Hermione's nose and scolding, "You've had ill intentions towards Ron for a long time! Now you finally have a chance to take advantage of the situation. Aren't you happy?"

The people around looked at each other, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward.

Harry coughed lightly, trying to ease the atmosphere, "Lavender, calm down..."

"Shut up!" Lavender turned her head and glared at Harry, "You have nothing to do here!"

At this moment, Ron, who had been unconscious, suddenly uttered a muttered voice: "Hermione...Hermione..."

This faint sound was like a bomb, exploding in the school clinic.

Lavender's face turned pale instantly, her eyes widened in disbelief, and her lips trembled slightly.

Hermione's heart sank suddenly. She subconsciously looked at Ron, but found that he still had his eyes closed and was unconscious.

Lavender stumbled back a few steps, tears welling up in her eyes.

She covered her mouth, whimpered, then turned and ran out of the school infirmary.

As Lavender left, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Only Hermione was left, still sitting beside Ron's bed, quietly guarding him.

She gently stroked Ron's hand, feeling for his weak pulse.

Ron's fingers moved, as if trying to grab her hand.

Hermione quickly squeezed his hand, and a warm current spread from her fingertips throughout her body.

"Ron," Hermione called his name softly, "You have to get better..."

Outside the window, night falls, and the lights of Hogwarts Castle twinkle like gems scattered in the night sky.

Hermione looked out the window, her mind racing.

Suddenly, Ron's fingers moved again, and this time, he tightly grasped Hermione's hand, as if he had grasped a life-saving straw.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and an inexplicable feeling surged into her heart... She looked down at Ron, only to find that he still had his eyes closed, breathing evenly and steadily, as if he was just dreaming.

Hermione sighed softly, put Ron's hand back into the quilt, then stood up and walked to the window, looking at the stars in the night sky, and fell into deep thought.

She didn't know what would happen next, but she knew that she could no longer escape from her own heart...

After leaving the infirmary, Harry rubbed his forehead which was still a little swollen and painful. The pungent smell of medicine still lingered in his nostrils.

He took a deep breath, and the familiar musty smell and faint woody scent in the Hogwarts corridor made him feel slightly better.

Just as he was about to return to the Gryffindor common room, he caught a glimpse of a flash of platinum from the corner of his eye.

It was Malfoy! He sneaked into a dim passage at the end of the corridor and quickly disappeared into the shadows.

Harry was confused. Malfoy looked suspicious. Where was he going?

……

In the dim room, the air was filled with the smell of dust, and floating particles could be vaguely seen dancing under the only light source - the fluorescent light emitted from the tip of the wand.

This is the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts. At this moment, it meets Draco's needs and presents him with an old and dilapidated room. In the center of the room is a towering cabinet with intricate carvings - the Vanishing Cabinet.

Malfoy's face was pale and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He pointed the other end of his wand at the cabinet and muttered something, and the obscure spell echoed in the room.

In front of him, a canary was jumping restlessly in a small birdcage, chirping crisply.

Malfoy took a deep breath and waved his wand, and the cage and the canary disappeared into the cupboard.

He waited nervously, the knuckles of his fingers turning white as he gripped his wand.

The Vanishing Cabinet made a low humming sound, as if some giant beast was awakening from its slumber.

Malfoy held his breath, time seemed to be stretched infinitely, every second seemed as long as a century.

Finally, the buzzing stopped.

He reached out his hand tremblingly and slowly opened the cabinet door.

A smell of corruption hit his nose, causing him to take a step back involuntarily.

The cage was still there, but the once lively canary now lay motionless at the bottom of the cage, its feathers disheveled and its eyes closed. It was already dead.

……

Golden sunlight streamed in through the windows of the Gryffindor common room, shining onto the long table filled with a sumptuous breakfast.

The air was filled with the aroma of toasted bread and fried bacon, which was a heavenly experience for Ron who had just come out of the infirmary.

He took big bites of the sausage, a relaxed and happy smile on his face.

"Free at last!" he whispered, glancing furtively at Lavender's usual seat.

Thank God, it was empty. It looked like he could finally breathe the air of freedom again.

He added another fried egg in a good mood, and his thoughts began to wander.

He remembered dazedly seeing Hermione's anxious face before he fell into a coma, and...what else?

He tried hard to recall more details, but found his mind was blank, as if he had been cast under a spell of forgetfulness.

"Strange..." Ron scratched his messy red hair. He felt as if he had forgotten something important, but he couldn't remember it.

Forget it, if you can’t remember, just forget about it!

He shrugged, deciding not to worry about the trivial details and concentrate on enjoying this rare quiet breakfast time.

He picked up an apple and took a big bite, the juice splashed everywhere. Well, apples are still delicious!

At this time, Harry saw the girl who was affected by the cursed necklace before, so he walked quickly to her and asked anxiously: "Do you remember the necklace? Who gave it to you?"

The girl shook her head blankly: "I'm sorry, Harry, I really don't remember anything."

She frowned and tried to recall, but to no avail. "I can't remember anything after that."

Harry sighed in disappointment and was about to ask something else when he caught a glimpse of a sneaky figure out of the corner of his eye—Malfoy was hiding behind a pillar, observing them furtively.

"Malfoy!" Harry snapped.

Malfoy started, turned and ran, with Harry immediately chasing after him.