The clock ticked to the next morning, although both Harry and Ron were thinking about leaving the hospital wing as soon as possible, but they are too tired and injured from last night, Madam Pomfrey told them that Ron’s leg is still swollen, and Harry has at least six broken ribs.
“The healing spell can only heal minor injuries, like a twisted nose or something like that, and it only serves for emergencies.” Madam Pomfrey said at the time, but both of them suspected for a moment that it was just her way of tricking them into drinking the potion.
After drinking the potion, their minds immediately became groggy, like a mechanical alarm clock that had been unwinded, spinning more and more slowly. Harry and Ron did not talk to each other even a few words, as they have fallen asleep. This sleep was so deep that Hermione did not wake them up when she came to visit them.
Harry recounted the events of last night, and deliberately stressed that “I was in too much of a hurry to call you,” Hermione shrugged, “unless you stand outside the girls’ dormitory and shout, you can not get in, and I may not have heard… …”
Ron coughed heavily, which sounded like “prom”, and Hermione’s face turned red.
The two of them had gotten into a slight argument last night–
Ron accused her of going to the ball with their opponents during the drinks break after the opening dance, and Hermione simply explained that the point of the tournament is to ” promote communication “, and when Ron shouted that Krum was not really interested in her and only wanted to pry into the secret about the golden egg, Hermione got mad.
“He’s never asked me a word about the Golden Egg, not once!”
Ron then changed the line at the speed of light.
“Then he must have wanted you to help him figure out the secret of the Golden Egg!”
“I never helped him with the Golden Egg!” Hermione was absolutely furious, “In fact, he invited me in the library at the very beginning, but I was hesitant because of some ridiculous our champions and stuff, and guess what? Roger Davies immediately invited Collins, and two of my stupid companions just complained that all the pretty girls had been picked!”
Harry’s expression turned rather innocent.
It was true that he hadn’t thought of inviting Hermione, but that was because he had been harbouring an ulterior motive, something like maybe Cedric and Cho Chang would quarrel … Well, he knew it was unlikely to happen, but that conclusion made him even more frustrated and made him less interested in the rest of the ball.
Anyway, after that Harry and the unhappy Ron went to the courtyard for some air and accidentally overheard the conversation between Hagrid and Madame Maxime, as they learned that they are both half-blood giants, while Hermione (according to her own words) stayed in the great hall and sulked alone.
Harry is skeptical about the sulking part because when they returned, they saw Hermione dancing with Professor Hap with glee …
After the ball, Harry noticed that Hermione and Ron were not speaking with each other again, after that they returned to their dormitory and went to bed with their stomachs full until he was awakened by a nightmare and chased the spy inside the castle with Ron … When he saw Hermione again this morning, Ron and Hermione both spoke politely, as if yesterday’s quarrel had not happened at all.
And when Hermione heard about Hagrid’s half-blood giant status, she didn’t think it is a big deal.
“In fact, I’ve always believed that he must be a giant.” She said, shrugging her shoulders, “I knew he couldn’t be a pure blood giant because they’re all about twenty feet tall. No need to get that worked up … it’s bigotry, just like how people treat werewolves … and add house elves to the list … even though both prejudices aren’t the same! ”
Ron obviously did not agree with this view, so he simply repeated the same thing he had said to Harry last night as politely as possible, and pretended as if he was describing it to Harry for the first time:
“Hagrid shouldn’t go around telling it, although it may be the first time he’s met his own kind and got overly excited … I know he’s not dangerous, everyone who knows him knows that, but it would be a problem if outsiders heard it, people are squeamish about that.” He grunted twice from his nose and said darkly, “Even if it is just a prejudice, it is a collective prejudice, and in case there is no way we can change it, concealment is the best way.”
He saw Hermione open her mouth to retort, so he immediately sped up his speech and said to Harry: “In the public perception, giants are brutal, although I have heard the love story between giants and dwarfs when I was a child, which was told to me by Fred and George …, but I have not believed their bollocks since I was six years old!”
Harry suppressed his laughter, as he equally pretended like he is hearing it for the first time, and nodded solemnly.
“My father said that they sided with the Dark Lord in the war, foolishly believing that he would give them more room to survive … As a result, they were naturally liquidated after the war, a large number of giants were killed by the Aurors, and perhaps Professor Moody was also part of it, and that’s probably when he got his leg injured …,” Ron speculated irrationally.
“… After that, only a small tribe of giants that didn’t do much evil remained, and they were also driven out of England – now I don’t know which big mountain they’re hiding in.”
Harry didn’t think it is appropriate to continue discussing the topic of ‘are giants brutal by nature’ because Hermione’s eyebrows perked up oddly, and he decided to take the initiative to change the topic, “Well … Hermione, it’s like this, Ron and I saw you were late, but you disappeared a few hours early in the afternoon yesterday, it wouldn’t take that long even to fix your hair, right?”
He felt he was talking gibberish, because at the moment Hermione’s hair had returned to its messy state, and he thought – despite not really understanding – that no one would refuse to make themselves look better if they could maintain it.
Sure enough, Hermione gave him a blank look.
“If a girl wants to dress up, no amount of time is enough … but I really wasn’t delayed because of that, it was Valen, she gave me a Christmas present, and I, uh … ” she bit her lip, not knowing how to say it.
“We know,” Ron said, “I mean … we heard a little about the gift she gave you that made you get all fussed up and lose track of time, it couldn’t be a ton of golden galleons, right? One of my great-grandmother said that the only thing that could beat time would be those little golden cuties.”
Harry and Hermione looked at him at the same time, as Ron shrugged, “She had died of old age and left a will saying that she would exchange all her possessions for golden galleons to bury her with, but I’m not sure her descendants did as …”
“Of course not, it’s a broken Time-Turner.” Hermione said lightly.
“Valen gave you the Time-Turner?!” Ron exclaimed sharply, his eyes widened.
“No need to fuss about it, it’s just a broken one.” Hermione said, using the same word ‘fuss’ back at him, but Ron totally ignored it.
” Hermione, Take it out quickly! I’ve never seen a Time-Turner before!” Ron said.
Harry also looked at her expectantly, “Did you bring it?”
Hermione’s eyebrows curled up, “Of course,” she lifted a golden chain from her chest, it is a small disc-shaped timer, the outside is a ring made of a golden frame, and at the innermost layer, there is a small hourglass, with everything moulded with great precision.
“This is the Time-Turner? It looks really beautiful … are you sure it’s broken?”
Hermione did not speak, as she waved it in front of them twice and re-stuffed it into her dress.
“There’s nothing to see, we might as well spend our time cracking the secret of the golden egg,” she said with gusto, “I’ve finalized a plan with some certainty that it won’t break its structure … ”
Harry and Ron stared at the golden egg she had brought over with a hesitant expression, which is currently placed on a table beside the cabinet. Harry looked at the pyjamas he is wearing, if it screamed ceaselessly in the process of deciphering the golden egg, they could not even run outside.
He did not want to be seen running around the castle corridors in the daytime wearing pyjamas.
But Hermione had already made up her mind.
She stood up and took the golden egg in her arms, then pulled Harry’s pillow over and put it under the golden egg. Harry and Ron watched with trepidation, as they mumbled some ideas.
“We can try the Visibility Potion–”
“I tried that.” Hermione said.
“Revealing Charm, Analytical spells -”
“None of them are very useful.” Hermione fiddled with the golden egg as she drew her wand.
“How about trying the Adrian Deconstruction method, he brags about it quite a bit in the book-”
“Well,” Hermione put down her wand and glared at the two, “frankly, I did use some of the techniques he mentioned, mostly because I noticed he liked to figure out those shortcuts … that’s one of the reasons later generations didn’t think much of him now.”
Ron shot Harry a look, that means, I told you so.
While this was happening, Hermione put her wand on the golden egg, tapping it, occasionally stopping to listen with her ear or reciting a few Latin incantations; about some of her techniques, Harry and Ron read part of it, after all, they are all reading the same books – just at different levels of progress and assimilation.
“She’s using the Delamination method.” Harry whispered to Ron.
This method is commonly used in alchemy, the principle is to remove all the redundant parts that can be removed, such as protection spells, decorations, and some minor features, then go straight to the core of the item, and it is suitable for novice alchemists in particular.
From time to time, Hermione took out vials and containers from the small beaded pouch, as she used a small brush coated with a potion to coat the golden egg, and then removed a piece of eggshell amidst the shocked expressions of the two.
“Her- Her…mione, you, you tore it apart?!”
“Because it’s not important.” Hermione said with a stern face, and as she spoke, she took off another piece.
Harry felt very helpless as if he had gone back to a few years ago when he was living with the Dursleys, where he lived in the cupboard at the bottom of the stairs and had to wait every evening with anxiety for Dudley to go upstairs – when he would deliberately step on the steps with great force and shake down the dust.
And now he felt the same way. He wasn’t sure how many pieces of the golden egg would be removed before it suddenly would burst forth, shrieking creepily and startling everyone.
When only half of the golden egg was left, and Harry’s inner turmoil got stronger, and he debated whether to remind Hermione that not far from here there is a sick Professor Moody staying, and if he heard it, he might storm in grumpily and would cast a curse on them, and then he would force them to put their ears against the golden egg …
“It’s done!” Hermione said happily.
Harry and Ron went over to see it, now all that remained in her hand is a palm-sized fragment of the golden egg, but it is quiet and calm now, similar to the other fragments.
“Are you sure you made it, Hermione? If it fails, we won’t laugh at you.” Ron said generously.
He remembered that Collins Foley had reminded him about something at Yule Ball, although he didn’t know why and hadn’t managed to hear a word of it, but he felt sure that since there had been a first time, she wouldn’t mind telling him a second time.
Hermione snorted twice, her eyes narrowed and curved into a crescent, then her wand lightly tapped on it.
“Click.”
A subtle shattering sound, the last shard in her hand splitting in half as a low, piercing scream rang out.
“What’s the difference, other than it’s a little less audible?” Harry asked, the only consolation being that he didn’t have to cast a Quietening Charm.
“Oh, it lacks a necessary environment,” Hermione smiled brightly, “I kept its core function, storing and transmitting sound, as long as I put it in–”
“In the water!” Ron suddenly slapped his head and said.
Hermione looked at him with an unfriendly look.
————
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