Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

Sure enough, there was someone in the lab; it was Hermione.

She openly obtained access to Mikel's lab, entering and exiting it to gather information and investigate something.

When Lin Xia arrived, Hermione was deep in thought, staring at a bottle of murky liquid on Mikel's lab table.

"Hermione, what are you doing here? This is Mikel's lab, you shouldn't be here."

Hermione snapped out of her daze and said, "I wrote down the reasons for my application, and it has been approved by the central control system, which is why I got the permissions."

The laboratory was decorated in a futuristic, sci-fi style, and Lin Xia had bought a central control computer in advance.

It sounds like science fiction, but it actually incorporates many of the most cutting-edge magics in the wizarding world and possesses great intelligence.

Lin Xia had pre-programmed the lab rules into the system, so that when she wasn't around, the AI ​​would determine whether to grant others the appropriate permissions based on the rules.

Of course, the most important authority still remained in Lin Xia's hands.

She waved her wand, and a pale blue screen unfolded before her. Lin Xia quickly saw Hermione's reason for applying, raised an eyebrow, and asked with slight surprise:

"Is Mikel that sick? Why isn't he going to the infirmary?"

Hermione shook her head: "I don't know. Maybe there's some reason why I can't go, or maybe I have some kind of mental illness. I always feel like going to the infirmary will hurt me."

She looked a little tired, but her eyes were bright and sparkling, revealing a sense of excitement.

“I’m very interested in what he’s researching. It’s not easy for him to push himself to this point. Lin Xia, perhaps we can analyze something from these medicines!”

The realm of divine ravings is not something that can be studied simply by wanting to.

Many wizards want to study this, but they can't find a way, and spend their entire lives stuck on the question of "how to capture the ravings of evil gods".

But Mikel is different.

He only said he wanted to study it, and he immediately got the hang of it.

Although the results are yet to be seen, he has successfully ensnared himself in the delirium of the evil god.

In some respects, this is a remarkable achievement.

Lin Xia noticed the medicine in her hand, took it, and didn't find anything unusual about it.

"His research method sounds very interesting. What did you discover from these medicines?" Lin Xia asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Nothing was found. The herbs used in the concoction are all ordinary herbs. The reason it's so cloudy is because the dosage of the herbs is wrong. What exactly is he trying to do?"

She paused for a moment, then quickly took out a second bottle of equally murky medicine and handed it to Lin Xia.

Can you spot the difference between the two?

Lin Xia reached out and took it, smelled it, and then weighed it in her hand.

"There's no difference, isn't it the same bottle of potion?"

Hermione exclaimed, "That's what I felt was wrong! I pulled up his lab log and his lab notebook—"

Oh, right, let me clarify something first: I didn't intentionally try to look at his notebook. It was just lying open on the table, and I only glanced at it casually before I saw the recipes he had written down.

Hermione clarified first, and then continued, "I was curious, so I mixed a new potion according to the recipe recorded in his experimental log and notebook."

"Look, the finished product is right in front of you. The potion I mixed is exactly the same as the one he mixed, whether it smells, looks, or tastes."

But there was one difference: I didn't feel haunted by the delirium of evil gods, and there was no delirium of evil gods bothering me during the preparation process.

Unlike Mikel, I didn't become weak after the treatment. He must have done something else in the lab. Locking himself in there for a day and a night, he couldn't have just concocted a potion that had no effect.

Looking at Hermione's inquisitive eyes, Lin Xia knew that she was incredibly excited and eager to uncover Mikel's secret.

But as a researcher, she had to remind Hermione.

"Hermione, your actions have violated Mikel's privacy. Even if you have seemingly legitimate reasons, you are still acting in Mikel's best interest by requesting access to the experiment logs."

Once Mikel recovers and sees your application record, you two will likely have an argument.

I suggest you stop now before things escalate, and explain the situation to Mikel tomorrow.

Lin Xia paused, then said seriously, "I don't want to see people arguing in the lab, do you understand what I mean?"

Hermione frowned, and said somewhat reluctantly, "Lin Xia, I—"

Lin Xia interrupted her: "I don't care what your reasons are, but your research cannot violate other people's privacy. I believe Mikel would prefer that you get his permission before you come to see his lab."

She said, word by word, "Hermione, this is Mikel's lab, his private lab, not your lab. Remember that."

Speaking of curiosity, Lin Xia was also very curious, even more so than Hermione.

Because she knew far more than Hermione, she was curious whether Mikel's sudden announcement of developing a potion to resist the whispers of the evil god was related to the unknown power within him.

Lin Xia tentatively refers to this force as the "system".

Because Mikel sometimes acts as if he is manipulating a system that only he can see.

She had finally managed to get Mikel to join the lab, and if he felt unsafe in the lab so quickly, he would probably start thinking about how to leave.

At this stage, the laboratory's rules supersede all researchers, and it is essential to ensure that no one can break these rules in order to allow researchers to focus on their research with peace of mind.

Lin Xia looked at Hermione calmly and said, "We all have secrets. I have one, you have one, Mikel, Ron and Harry all have them."

However, not everyone's secrets need to be made public. Maintaining a bit of mystery can lead to future surprises.

Hermione, you want to uncover Mikel's secrets, so what do you have to offer in exchange?

Lin Xia's question startled Hermione.

As her excitement gradually faded, Hermione slowly calmed down, her eyes darting around as she realized she might have made a mistake this time.

Lin Xia: "I think right now you shouldn't be thinking about how to uncover Mikel's secrets, but rather how to get his forgiveness."

You have violated the lab's rules on infringing on researchers' privacy, and even if you have a legitimate reason, I need to give Mikel an explanation.

If you can't balance your thirst for knowledge with your desire to pry into other people's privacy, then my lab probably won't be able to accommodate you.

Hermione, we're all fire-bringers on the path of research, not complete madmen.

She might snoop on other people's privacy, but only if she doesn't get caught.

If you want to do something, you must ensure that it is foolproof and leaves no trace.

This time, Hermione's marks were too obvious, and even if she tried to cover them up, she couldn't hide them.

Hermione finally calmed down completely. A hint of apology flashed in her eyes as she said, "I'm sorry, I only wanted to find out the cause of the evil god's ramblings, but somehow it turned into a research product exploring him."

I will come to his home tomorrow to apologize. I want to make amends to him, and I will do my best to minimize the impact of this whole situation.

Seeing that she had regained her composure, Lin Xia felt relieved.

She suddenly remembered something and said, "Hermione, I remember you would never be so impulsive before, just on a whim to come and spy on other people's lab privacy."

I heard you say that Mikel is surrounded by the whispers of evil gods. I was wondering if you were also affected by those whispers just now, which is why you had the urge to spy on him. After all, this kind of thing is really unlike you.

Lin Xia's words were not unfounded.

She didn't know how Hermione could see the evil god's whispers, but she had her own way of perceiving them.

During her conversation with Hermione, Lin Xia discovered that the "Nine Heavens Profound Yang Secret Record" within her body was unconsciously activating, and her body was slightly warm.

This means that there were some evil spirits whispering around her that were interfering with her, but she was able to resist them.

But all she could see was Hermione.

So, was Hermione also affected by the evil god's ramblings, but she just didn't realize it?

Now that Hermione has calmed down, her body is no longer burning up.

Hermione was stunned when she heard Lin Xia say that.

"This……"

She looked utterly surprised, then belatedly reached up to touch her chest, her forehead instantly breaking out in a cold sweat.

"I...I don't know, but I think it's very possible..."

"I, Lin Xia, was I actually influenced by the evil god's ravings on Mikel? I'm not sure, but just now I only had one thought in my mind: to obtain what Mikel is researching!"

Hermione has now regained her senses and, after reflecting on her thoughts, also realized that her thinking was very wrong.

She is not the type to possess all the good things.

Seeing that she was a little flustered, Lin Xia gently hugged her and patted her back.

"Hermione, don't panic, it's not too late. You haven't been seriously affected, it's just amplified your desires."

Feeling the warmth emanating from Lin Xia, Hermione felt as if she could smell the wind blowing from the calm sea, and her thoughts calmed down once again.

Lin Xia said, "Go back and rest early. Light the Radiant Candle tonight and have sweet dreams. We can talk about other things tomorrow."

Hermione nodded.

At the same time, late at night.

Just when things had finally calmed down in Gryffindor dormitory, Mikel broke out in a high fever again.

Earlier, they lit radiant candles all over the dormitory, and then Ron and Harry bought some potions outside.

After taking the medication, Mikel felt much better physically, but he was still mentally exhausted, so he quickly fell into a deep sleep again.

Under the glow of the candles, the others slept soundly and had sweet dreams.

Mikel was initially having a pleasant dream, but suddenly, a cold wind blew in from nowhere, causing the glowing candles to flicker.

Mikel's dream also became hazy.

One second he was having a sweet dream, but the next he dreamed that he was in a forest and being chased by many dinosaurs.

He felt incredibly small, while the dinosaurs appeared ferocious and enormous, toying with him as if he were an ant.

Mikel kept running, stumbling and falling, getting himself covered in bruises, but he still didn't stop.

He didn't even look back!
Even without looking, he could feel that the dinosaurs hadn't stopped chasing him, and he felt like he had a thorn in his side!
He was having a nightmare, and in reality, he unconsciously started talking in his sleep: "No, don't come any closer... don't chase me, don't swallow me, no, don't come any closer..."

His sleep-talking was so loud that it woke Neville from his sleep.

He heard Mikel talking in his sleep and was somewhat frightened, so he quickly shook Ron and Harry awake.

Neville said in a panic, "What should we do now? Can we shake him awake? Will waking him up suddenly cause him psychological harm?"

Ron and Harry also heard Mikel talking in his sleep, and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Ron murmured, "Is he possessed by something unclean, Harry? Doesn't this scene seem familiar?"

"You had something similar during winter break... Oh, right, didn't the professor give you a ruby ​​ring artifact? That artifact can ward off the ravings of evil gods."

Harry shook his head. "After the ring ran out of power, the professor took it to recharge it, and it hasn't been returned to us yet."

Harry glanced around: "Let's light a few more Radiant Candles and hold them closer to see if that works. If it doesn't, wake him up right away."

If Mikel's current condition is similar to his condition back then, then the Radiant Candle will be useless to him.

It would be better to wake him up from the nightmare at this time, because staying in the nightmare would further deplete his energy and spirit.

"Mikel, Mikel, Mikel..."

Mikel was running and suddenly heard voices, which made him feel irritated.

He desperately wanted to yell, "Stop calling me! We're going to be discovered! I'm going to be arrested!"

But his mouth seemed to be glued shut, and he couldn't make a sound.

Finally, he used all his strength to shout out those words, and at the same moment, he opened his eyes.

Mikel breathed heavily, feeling the brightness around him, and the chill in his body gradually dissipated.

Meanwhile, Harry and the others witnessed firsthand the change in Mikel's expression.

His cheeks looked full and round when he was asleep.

But once he opened his eyes, Mikel was sweating profusely, his cheeks had become thinner, his eyes looked very large, and he looked as if he had stayed up for three days and three nights, looking emaciated and very haggard.

Neville asked worriedly, "Mikel, are you really not going to the school infirmary?"

Ron handed Mikel a mirror, and Mikel was a little frightened by his own reflection when he took a look.

He reached up and touched his face, his voice hoarse as he said, "What am I going to do?"

Mikel kept calling out to the system in his mind, but the system didn't respond. (End of Chapter)