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0763 Return to Hogwarts
🕑 Added 2025-07-01 10:42:31 +0000 UTCBryan and Hermione were delayed for a while before setting off, mainly because of Hermione.
She said she couldn't find her toothbrush cup and needed to go to the Muggle shops near St. Mungo's to buy one.
Watching Hermione's rapidly leaving figure, Bryan felt slightly puzzled. This girl had always been exceptionally sharp-memoried and meticulous in character—how had she become somewhat scatterbrained after being injured once?
Despite the delay, they managed to arrive at Hogwarts just as the great clock in the entrance hall chimed the hour for lunch.
When Bryan pushed open the doors and stepped into the Great Hall with Hermione at his side. The bustling hall fell into such a complete silence that it seemed as if someone had cast a powerful silencing charm over the entire room.
This eerie silence lasted for perhaps ten heartbeats, long enough for Hermione to feel the hundreds of eyes upon her, long enough for Bryan to register the mixture of awe, relief, and celebration in the faces turned toward them. Then, like a dam bursting under tremendous pressure, the hall erupted into the most thunderous cheering and applause.
Many of the younger Gryffindor students, caught up in the euphoria of the moment and feeling that just clapping was not enough to express their joy, leaped onto their benches. Seamus grabbed a silver platter and began banging it with his spoon like a medieval herald announcing the arrival of royalty.
The older students, while maintaining slightly more propriety, were no less enthusiastic in their celebration. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, stood on their seats and began leading what could only be described as a victory chant. Even Percy typically the most regulation-conscious of all the students, was clapping and roaring with genuine enthusiasm.
All of the faculty members also applauded Bryan, showing their respect for his complete eradication of an extremely evil and powerful dark wizard organization. Even Professor Snape lazily clapped a few times.
However, not everyone at the high table was caught up in the wave of celebration. Karkaroff sat stiffly in his chair, his face showing what was meant to be a smile but looked more like a grimace of indigestion. His eyes remained fixed on his plate as if the sight of the celebration pained him.
Bryan raised his right hand in a gesture to quiet everyone down. His smile was warm as he nodded to various faces in the crowd.
The students sat back into their seats, though the excited energy remained throughout the hall.
It was at this moment that Karkaroff chose to make his presence known in the most deliberately offensive way possible. As the celebration died down and normal conversation resumed, he made a great show of taking a large bite of sausage from his plate, chewing it slowly and deliberately, and then spitting it out with dramatic disgust onto his napkin.
"How absolutely dreadful!" He said loudly disrupting the pleasant environment of the Great Hall. His eyes swept the hall with disdain as he continued his performance. "These house-elves in the kitchen should be dismissed immediately—hanged, even! These damned creatures have clearly lost any ability they once possessed. They've fried these sausages until they're as tough as dragon hide!"
The comment was clearly designed to cast a shadow over the joyous atmosphere, and it succeeded in creating an uncomfortable silence at the high table.
Dumbledore, several House heads, and Madame Maxime all noticed Karkaroff's hypocrisy, but aside from Professor McGonagall gripping her fork tightly and glaring coldly at him as if wanting to use the fork to seal Karkaroff's mouth. However, the other faculty members, following Dumbledore's lead in maintaining composure, chose to ignore Karkaroff's deliberately provocative comment.
Meanwhile, Hermione had become completely absorbed in her long-awaited reunion with her fellow Gryffindors. The joy of being back among her friends after the traumatic events of recent weeks was written clearly across her face, which seemed to glow with happiness.
Her eyes sparkled with tears of relief and gratitude as she made her way toward the familiar red and gold table where her closest friends were waiting. Under the gaze of what felt like the entire school, Hermione practically bounced toward the Gryffindor table.
Ginny was first to get a fierce hug, Lavender was next, Parvati the third. Then came Fred and George approaching with matching expressions of fake horror and exaggerated concern.
"Oh no, oh no," Fred said, backing away with his hands raised defensively, "stay back, Miss Know-It-All!"
"Yes, stay away from us, Miss Know-It-All—we'll catch your bad luck," George continued, maintaining the performance.
But that was just a joke, and within moments both twins had abandoned their act to give Hermione proper hugs.
Finally, Hermione reached Harry and Ron, her two best friends who had been waiting and Hermione hugged them the longest.
When they finally separated, Harry's face was split by a grin.
"Professor Binns actually threatened to turn me into a ghost if I don't improve the quality of my History of Magic essays," He said, his voice bubbling with laughter.
Hermione's laugh was like music after the tension of recent weeks.
"That wouldn't necessarily be such a terrible fate," She replied, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "if it meant you'd finally pay attention during homework time instead of staring out the window daydreaming about Quidditch."
When Hermione looked at him, Ron's expression flickered with unnaturalness, but when Hermione generously opened her arms to him, Ron pushed all his wild thoughts away and hugged Hermione fiercely.
"I thought you were planning to make St. Mungo's your permanent residence," He said with a grin while his voice was muffled against her shoulder, "until the Ministry went completely bankrupt from paying your treatment bills."
His attempt at comedy was successful, drawing another laugh from Hermione that seemed to brighten the corner of the Great Hall.
"Oh, the environment there really wasn't too terrible," Hermione replied, stepping back and raising her eyebrows in fake seriousness, "the healers were absolutely wonderful, and the food was quite acceptable. If St. Mungo's had a proper library, I honestly wouldn't have minded staying a few more days."
The comment was so perfectly Hermione that it drew chuckles from everyone hearing it.
Hermione's popularity had grown considerably since the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.
A steady stream of well-wishers began approaching the Gryffindor table, creating a spontaneous receiving line that stretched halfway across the Great Hall. Students who had never spoken to her before were suddenly eager to give congratulations and express their relief at her safe return.
For example, Cedric brought Cho Chang, Krum came, as did Luna, Hannah and Ernie, Justin, and Fleur also came over holding Gabrielle's hand.
"Hermione," She said, her smile genuine and warm, "I am so 'appy to see you recovered. Ze second task of ze tournament will be much more interesting with you participating. you know I do not want to face two boys alone in ze next challenge?"
Hermione's response was modest. "Oh, I'll certainly try my best not to disappoint you or hold you back,"
As Fleur prepared to return to her table, she paused beside Bryan, who had been making his way toward the staff table. She lifted her chin, and her face, which possessed the alluring charm that was sophisticated rather than vulgar, turned toward Bryan.
"If zere should be another thrilling adventure like ze one you 'ave just completed, per'aps you could consider taking me along?"
"Miss Delacour," Bryan smiled gently and courteously, "I believe there is no need for you to blindly pursue such thrills. The second task of the tournament will undoubtedly provide you with quite enough excitement and challenge to satisfy any appetite for adventure."
Fleur's pert nose wrinkled slightly in frustration, and for a moment it seemed she might argue with the man in front of her for acting dumb, but seeing that the commotion had gradually subsided, Bryan smoothly patted the hair of Gabrielle, who stood beside Fleur looking at him with admiration, then walked toward the staff table with a smile on his face.
Harry, Ron, and the others watched Professor Watson across the Great Hall with expressions of awe and admiration. Their eyes followed his movement until he had taken his place at the high table and settled into conversation with Dumbledore and the other faculty members.
"What an absolutely remarkable person," Angelina Johnson said, her voice filled with admiration. She reached into her robes and took out a copy of the Daily Prophet which had its pages crinkled from repeated readings.
"Look at this," She continued, unfolding the newspaper and spreading it on the table where everyone could see.
Today's front page was still dominated by a large photograph of the Wizengamot in session, with wizards and witches in their formal robes engaged in what appeared to be heated debate. The headline read:
"JOINT TRIBUNAL SENTENCING SPARKS CONTROVERSY: Calls for Dumbledore and Watson to Ensure Justice for Dark Wizard Crimes."
"The articles about Professor Watson in the Daily Prophet over the past two years," Angelina continued, her finger tracing the various headlines and subheadings that covered the front page, "if someone collected them all and bound them together, the resulting size would probably be thicker than Hogwarts: A History."
She turned to look at Hermione curiously.
"Speaking of which, Hermione, I've been reading these articles consistently, and I've noticed something interesting. The newspaper has never mentioned your name in connection with any of this business, but it's obviously related to this dark wizard organization that Professor Watson destroyed, isn't it? I mean, the timing is too perfect to be coincidental."
Angelina leaned forward, her expression intense with curiosity. "Professor Watson left Hogwarts to investigate the truth behind your attack, and then almost immediately afterward, news came out that he had completely eradicated this entire organization. It's like something out of an adventure novel. Did he tell you why this organization wanted to target you?"
"Um..."
Hermione, who had been enthusiastically catching up on the Hogwarts cuisine she had missed during her stay at St. Mungo's, suddenly found herself in an awkward position. She had been simultaneously listening to Harry and Ron's reports on their progress in various subjects while somewhat ungracefully shoveling scrambled eggs into her mouth, savoring the familiar taste of the house-elves' excellent cooking.
At Angelina's question, Hermione's hand froze halfway to her mouth with a forkful of eggs suspended in mid-air. Her eyes flickered with something that might have been uncertainty, or perhaps calculation, as she considered her response.
"I... well..." She began, then paused to swallow the food in her mouth and dab at her lips with her napkin.
"I honestly don't know, Angelina. Professor Watson never explained the details to me. Perhaps..." She shrugged, trying to appear casual while her mind raced, "perhaps they just didn't approve of Muggle-born witches shining in their field. You know how some dark wizards feel about blood purity and that sort of nonsense."
Harry and Ron, who knew Hermione better than anyone else in the world, immediately recognized the signs that their friend was not being entirely truthful. Harry's eyes shone behind his glasses, and he exchanged a meaningful glance with Ron, whose face had taken on a concerned expression.
However, as they were surrounded by curious classmates and with the buzz of Great Hall conversation continuing around them, this was clearly not the appropriate time or place to press her for more details. Both boys made mental notes to corner her later, when they could speak privately without the risk of being overheard.
Angelina, unfortunately, was not as perceptive as Harry and Ron when it came to reading Hermione's moods. She opened her mouth to continue her line of enquiring, clearly fascinated by the mystery and eager to learn more about the dramatic events that had captured the attention of the entire wizarding world.
But before she could ask her next question, Hermione suddenly slumped forward in her seat, her shoulders sagging theatrically as she released a deep, weary sigh.
"I have never felt so utterly exhausted in my entire life. Right now, at this moment, all I want to do is crawl back to my dormitory bed and sleep for twelve hours straight. But I know I can't afford to do that. I've already fallen so dreadfully far behind in my coursework that I absolutely must spend every moment catching up."
Her expression grew even more lost as she continued. "Of course, before I can even begin to think about studying, I desperately need to take a proper bath. St. Mungo's, bless them, was dealing with far too many patients for the bathing facilities to be adequate. And I was so weak for the first several days that I could never manage to secure a turn at the decent bathrooms when they were available."
To Harry and Ron's complete astonishment, Angelina's face lit up with an almost mischievous grin.
"You know, Hermione, you could use the prefects' bathroom if you'd like. I have the password, and I absolutely guarantee it will be an unforgettable experience."
What happened next was so completely out of character for the Hermione Granger they knew that both Harry and Ron began to wonder if their friend had suffered some kind of personality-altering injury during her attack.
Instead of her usual response which would have involved a lecture about the impropriety of using privileges that didn't belong to her, followed by a firm refusal and a suggestion that she would be perfectly content with the standard dormitory facilities, Hermione's face actually brightened with interest.
She continued to ask Angelina with questions about the bathing facilities in the perfects' bathroom.
Ron, watching this unprecedented display of interest in what he considered to be frivolous luxury, leaned over to whisper urgently in Harry's ear.
"Hasn't she fully recovered yet?" He asked, his voice tight with alarm. "This isn't like her at all, Harry. The Hermione we know would never sacrifice study time for the sake of a fancy bath."
"Maybe..." Harry said, his voice trailing off.
Looking at Hermione, who had quickly integrated into the group of girls and whose clear laughter never stopped, Harry shrugged and said casually, "She's just become more confident... we just never realized it."
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