A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"It's nothing." Hermione quickly regained her senses and waved her hand dismissively. "She arranged a lavish dinner for me. My parents might not be able to afford this meal even with a month's salary."

"You were won over by just one dinner?" Aaron chuckled, "I can tell you dressed up carefully today; you were supposed to have a memorable ball."

"That is indeed a bit of a pity, but it's okay, we can go out and dance again later."

Upon hearing this, Aaron frowned slightly, sensing that Hermione's mood seemed a little off.

It's too bland. Besides the blandness, there's a faint sense of anticipation and joy, but there's no vitality.

"What did she tell you?"

"nothing?"

"If nothing happened, you wouldn't be making that face. Tell me what happened?"

“Alright!” Hermione said after a moment of hesitation. “She extended the invitation to me as a referee for the Triwizard Tournament.”

I initially wanted to refuse, but she said it was related to my next competition and insisted that I wait for her here for half an hour.

"And then you agreed?"

"Do you know how long I've waited for you? Even my dance partner was found by Professor McGonagall." Aaron shook his head, speechless, rubbing his forehead. He hadn't expected the usually shrewd Hermione to be so easily fooled.

"Uh...sorry," Hermione said somewhat awkwardly. "She said it's a sister's way of showing love to her brother and testing your ability to handle unexpected situations."

If you can't find a dance partner at the last minute, I'll go out and help you out immediately; I won't let you feel embarrassed.

"Have you thought about what would happen if I found a dance partner?" Aaron countered.

"She said you would come to find me in half an hour at most, and that proved to be true."

"Hermione," Aaron said with a hint of helplessness, "Don't believe such unrealistic things so easily in the future."

What if I don't come looking for you? You'll probably have to stay in this room for the full four hours before you can leave.

“The older sister still has a bloodline advantage over the younger brother,” Hermione said, raising an eyebrow. “These are Miss Klein’s exact words.”

Aaron blinked blankly, a bitter smile creeping onto his lips.

"Good guy, what a good guy.

Even though we're only a year apart, I still feel so inexperienced compared to her.

I was still jumping around on the chessboard, and she's already a very skilled player, just a bit too ruthless.

"What do you mean?"

"It's better if you don't know." Aaron sighed deeply. What's done is done, and there's no point in pursuing it further.

If Hermione knew that the half hour she hid made his second project several times harder than others, she would probably feel so guilty that she couldn't sleep.

"Besides this, what else did Adrian say to you?"

Hermione stammered, her face slightly flushed, unsure of what to say.

"Why are you so nervous? Just say what you have to say."

She also said... she also said that these half hours would let me know how important I am to you.

"What the hell!" Aaron couldn't help but curse. "This is outrageous, this is too much!"

“But you did find me within half an hour!” Hermione said embarrassedly.

Upon hearing this, Aaron realized that the two of them were thinking completely differently.

Hermione was thinking about whether he had gotten into the room within half an hour, while he was thinking about who he should save first during the one-hour second project.

Despite the intense inner turmoil and the burning desire to immediately tell Hermione about Adrian's plan, he managed to suppress the urge.

He can handle it alone, but Hermione's mental fortitude might not be able to withstand it. At least until the second project begins, it's best not to let her know too much.

Chapter 380 The Divine Palace Almost Exposed, Methods of Underwater Breathing

Aaron invited a second dance partner onto the dance floor, and they swayed wildly to the beat of the music.

Hermione is a much better dancer than Luna; she can dance very well without his special guidance.

The men and women on the dance floor danced more and more enthusiastically to the rhythm of the music, and almost no one noticed that Aaron had changed his dance partner, or rather, even if they did notice, they didn't care.

More than two hours later, as the music gradually subsided, they left the dance floor.

While Biaron remained calm and composed, Hermione blushed slightly and kept fanning herself with her hand.

"Aren't you hot?"

"Fortunately."

"I almost forgot, you're someone who can fight a fire dragon just by relying on your physical abilities."

How did you train to achieve that?

“I can’t say,” Aaron shrugged. “Would you like something to drink?”

"Butterbeer, please!"

Aaron instinctively reached into Abe's pocket, but quickly remembered that his pet, wallet, and storage had been rented out by the vice principal for a day, so he could only take two bottles from the beverage cabinet by the wall.

"Thank you!" Hermione took the drink and took a big gulp, feeling much better. "Did you solve the clues in the golden egg?"

"It's solved. I know more than anyone else, but you wouldn't want to know."

When you get back, tell Harry that the second task can't be done with a broom. He'd better prepare in advance, otherwise...

"What else?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I almost forgot, this competition doesn't allow for forfeiting," Aaron chuckled. "I can only say that the later it goes, the harder it will be to pass the second event."

Hermione frowned slightly. After completing the first project, Harry's golden egg had been gathering dust in his dorm room, and he hadn't tried to decipher its clues until now.

"By the way, everyone else has solved the clues to the golden egg and has already started making preparations."

"And you? How are your preparations going?"

“It’s definitely more than others,” Aaron said, but secretly added in his mind: But who knows after today.

“Harry…”

“Go ask Cedric!” Aaron said bluntly. “Harry gave Diggory a clue about the first project, so we should give him a chance to return the favor.”

“I’m afraid that won’t work.” Hermione looked troubled, turned to look at Cedric and Cho Chang who were dancing, and lowered her voice, “I think the last person Harry wants to see right now is Diggory.”

"Stubborn to the end, you'll suffer for it." Aaron rolled his eyes speechlessly. "He continued: When the golden egg is opened, there will be an unusually piercing sound. It's a special kind of singing that can only be heard clearly when it's placed in water."

That's all I can say. The rest of the riddle is up to him to figure out."

“I suspect it’s not just him,” Hermione said meaningfully, implying that she and Ron would definitely help Harry.

"That's none of my business."

......

Back in the common room, Aaron transmitted the memories of the night to the memory body in the dormitory.

"What do you want me to do?" the thought-provoking entity said helplessly. "Big sister's move is no ordinary underhanded tactic; it's a blatant, overt scheme!"

"Alas! I'm afraid we'll have to bring out Captain Jack's compass; it's the best way to break this deadlock."

"I don't deny that you can find two people in the shortest amount of time with the help of that compass."

But what if this magical item is exposed later...?

"Let's take it one step at a time!" Aaron said thoughtfully. "The good news is that only we know the true function of the compass, so perhaps we can work on that."

A magical artifact that can pinpoint a person's thoughts is incredibly attractive to everyone, but that's a different story if that artifact has some kind of limitation.

"Understood." The Thoughts clapped its hands. "I'll write the story, and you'll act it out. I guarantee it'll be so smooth that there won't be any flaws."

......

The Christmas ball allowed the entire school's faculty, students, and even guests from other magic schools to expend their excess energy. Afterward, Hogwarts Castle quieted down, and the students began to work hard on their homework.

Harry was so excited after figuring out how to crack the clues to the golden egg that he didn't sleep all night.

To keep it a secret, he asked the prefect for the password to the prefect's restroom the next day, and carefully carried the golden egg inside alone.

Turn on all the taps and fill the bathtub with hot water.

Harry took a deep breath, squatted down in the water, and opened the golden egg.

Sure enough, the shrill, piercing sound disappeared, replaced by a short, melodious song...

"Did you hear that?"

puff!

Harry was startled and quickly stood up from the water, choking for a while.

"Myrtle? What are you doing here?"

“We came through the pipes,” Myrtle said wistfully. “You haven’t come to see me in a long time, especially since the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin was blocked.”

"That's the girls' restroom; we shouldn't have gone in in the first place."

Wait, you're saying Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets is blocked?

“Yes! It’s been blocked for a long time, maybe last year or the year before,” Myrtle said nonchalantly. “Once, when I was drifting down the pipe, I found that I was blocked by a thick wall as soon as I entered.”

“It was probably Dumbledore!” Harry mused. “He’s the headmaster; wouldn’t it be perfectly reasonable for him to seal off Slytherin’s Chamber of Secrets?”

“I still feel this is a bit sudden,” Myrtle said unhappily. “The entrance to the secret room is in my bathroom, but I didn’t notice it at all.”

“There’s nothing strange about that,” Harry said with a nonchalant smile. “The White Lord’s magic is extraordinary. Perhaps while you were out strolling around, he casually waved his wand and sealed the Chamber of Secrets.”

“But he didn’t discuss it with me.”

"He's the headmaster. Your washroom, including that secret room, are Hogwarts property. There's no need to consult you!"

"maybe!"

Aaron was unaware that his Temple of the Roaring Dawn had almost been exposed during their conversation, but fortunately Harry's imagination was sharp enough to successfully erase the last remaining flaw.

Can you figure out the clues in this egg?

“If it can’t make a sound on land, then it must be underwater,” Harry said slowly. “But what’s underwater? Giant squid?”

“There are many kinds,” Myrtle said. “For example, all sorts of…fish, and they don’t have a very pleasant way of speaking.”