0245 Troubles

Words : 1813 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

"No, Bart," Adrian said with unmistakable seriousness, as he loop up at the Bart's confused expression. "You have indeed become significantly stronger than before." "Really, Master?" Bart blinked his large, expressive eyes several times upon hearing his beloved master's confident words. It truly felt absolutely nothing different coursing through his bark-covered body—no surge of power, no heightened awareness, no mystical awakening of abilities. However, Adrian had already conducted a thorough analysis of Bart's current magical state through the Tree of Wisdom. [Name: Bart] [Species: Ancient Beech Tree] [Level: 3] [Trait: Great Leader] [Status: Growing (0%)] Bart's previously modest "Leader" trait had undergone a transformation, upgrading to "Great Leader." Although Adrian had no actual understanding of what this enhanced trait actually did in practical terms, something deeply special and significant must have changed within Bart's nature. "You sense really no difference at all?" Adrian looked up questioningly at Bart's towering body, his mind already working to understand the subtle transformation. "Try to feel more carefully, concentrate on any internal changes." Bart had a deeply thoughtful expression, his face scrunching with intense concentration as he turned his awareness inside his tree body. After several seconds of thoughtful silence, he admitted somewhat sheepishly, his voice having a hint of embarrassment, "Master, Bart is very hungry." Adrian sighed with resigned understanding and had no choice but to once again feed Bart generous portions of his magical power, watching as the energy was eagerly absorbed. The first Tuesday of December arrived with biting cold winds and frost-covered castle grounds. It had been well over a week since Bart gained his mysterious "Great Leader" trait through the Upgrade. However, observable progress were very minimal, leaving Adrian questioning the effectiveness of his approach. Bart's wonderfully silly, innocent demeanor had absolutely no resemblance to anything one might associate with the imposing term "Great Leader" at all. Besides this puzzling development, Sirius Black remained completely invisible and undetectable, while Ministry Aurors continued their vigilant presence near Hogwarts, occasionally conducting thorough patrols through the castle's corridors. Morning light streamed through the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, illuminating the gathered students. Harry sat listlessly at the Gryffindor table, absent-mindedly consuming his breakfast alongside his friends, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. Although nearly a full month had passed since that devastating defeat, whenever the memory of that lost Quidditch match against Hufflepuff surfaced in his consciousness, he still experienced a deep sense of disappointment and frustration. "Come on, cheer up, Harry," Ron encouraged between enthusiastic bites of breakfast sausages, his mouth full but his concern genuine. "It's merely one game, after all. We're definitely not completely eliminated from championship contention. Who exactly do we face in our next match?" "Slytherin," Hermione replied straightforwardly, briefly glancing up from the thick textbook that seemed permanently attached to her hands. "Ah, that's absolutely right." Ron nodded with growing enthusiasm, a mischievous glint entering his eyes. "We absolutely cannot afford to lose against Slytherin, especially because they have Malfoy—and he's definitely the weakest link in their entire team." Harry managed to produce a weak smile at his friend's confident assessment. Indeed, though he had suffered that defeat against the older and skilled Cedric Diggory, he felt completely confident in his ability to easily outmaneuver and defeat the arrogant Malfoy. At this encouraging thought, Harry's previously dampened mood began to lighten considerably. In honesty, he recognized that he had been dwelling far too much on that unfortunate match—Professor Westeros had also taken time to comfort him personally, saying words about not allowing temporary defeats to overshadow future victories. "Have you actually finished your challenging Potions homework assignment?" Hermione suddenly placed her book down, her expression growing serious. "It's due tomorrow morning without exception!" "Haven't even started yet," Ron admitted with characteristic nonchalance, shrugging his shoulders carelessly. "You'll help us out as usual, won't you?" Harry also looked toward Hermione with hopeful, pleading eyes, silently echoing Ron's request. He had been dedicating almost all his free time to intensive Quidditch training—ever since suffering that loss to Hufflepuff, Wood had dramatically increased their weekly practice sessions to grueling new levels. However, Hermione most unusually shook her head with apparent distress, showing a deeply troubled expression. "I'm afraid I cannot help this time. I haven't managed to finish it either... I'm still incredibly far from completion." Both Harry and Ron stared with wide-eyed amazement, Ron's fork even clattered dramatically onto his plate. Clearly, Hermione failing to complete any homework assignment was a massive upheaval to their basic understanding of the world's natural order. "You didn't finish?" Ron repeated with complete incredulity, his voice rising slightly. "Hermione Granger actually failed to complete her homework? This is unprecedented!" Hermione frowned with visible distress, running her fingers through her bushy hair anxiously. "After enrolling in so many additional advanced subjects, I never seem to have sufficient time for everything. Besides, Snape's current assignment covers material that isn't even mentioned in our standard textbook." Harry nodded emphatically in complete agreement, sharing her frustration. Indeed, nobody could understand what had recently possessed Snape—he had suddenly and inexplicably started teaching them about something called Wolfsbane Potion during their regular class sessions, which represented content that third-year students should absolutely not be learning according to standard curriculum. Even worse, Snape had specifically required them to compose a detailed twelve-inch essay analyzing its complex properties and applications. "So, what exactly are we going to do, Harry?" Ron stirred his creamy mashed potatoes with growing despair, his usual appetite diminished by these worries. "I honestly don't even know what that mysterious potion is actually used for." Harry spread his hands wide in a gesture of complete helplessness, sharing his friend's predicament. He could only harbor faint hope that tonight he might somehow work a miraculous transformation with his quill and produce acceptable work through sheer determination. Just as the three friends were expressing their concerns about their challenging Potions homework, a commotion suddenly erupted from the far end of the Gryffindor table. An unmistakably angry voice carried over the general dining hall's ambient noise, reaching their ears: "Fifty points! Do you fully understand what this catastrophic loss means—" Harry immediately turned his head to observe Percy standing rigidly upright, directly in front of his twin brothers George and Fred, delivering what appeared to be a severe scolding with rage. "Gryffindor had finally managed to catch up to Slytherin's accumulated points after months of effort! Now you've completely ruined everything we worked for!" Percy's ears had turned red—unmistakable evidence that he was absolutely livid with anger. Most surprisingly, George and Fred hung their heads unusually low, showing unusual submissiveness and did not argue back against Percy's authoritative discipline as they normally would. Though the twins were strongly resistant to their older brother's attempts at authority and control. However! The undeniable fact that they had lost a large number of points for their beloved house remained an undeniable reality, so they felt compelled to bow their heads and accept responsibility for their actions. Witnessing his two troublesome brothers remaining completely silent under his rebuke, Percy released a long, weary sigh, his intense anger beginning to subside somewhat. "I'll go speak with Professor McGonagall about this situation." After delivering this final declaration, he strode out of the Great Hall with determined steps, not even bothering to finish consuming his breakfast. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged meaningful glances filled with curiosity and immediately moved closer to the dejected twins, eager to learn the full story. "So... what exactly did you two do this time?" Harry asked in a carefully lowered voice, glancing around to ensure their conversation remained private. "Did you really manage to lose fifty entire points?!" Hermione pressed urgently. George ran his fingers through his red hair with obvious irritation and frustration. "Please don't mention it right now. The whole incident happened last night—Professor McGonagall took fifty points from us combined as punishment." "Last night?" Hermione keenly caught the crucial time detail, her mind immediately focusing on the implications. "What exactly were you doing during last night's hours?" "Just our ordinary, routine night wandering through..." Before George could complete his casual explanation, Ron immediately jumped up from his seat with explosive energy. "Wait just one moment! Night wandering? You consider that behavior ordinary and acceptable?!" "Please don't get so unnecessarily excited, ickle Ronniekins," Fred glanced at his younger brother with mild exasperation and said with obvious helplessness. "We haven't been caught by any Professors in ages—it's become our genuine specialty and area of expertise. We were simply a bit careless last night." "You should both be showing more genuine shame and guilt," Ron said with righteous anger, his face reddening. "Fifty points represents a truly significant number that affects our entire house!" "We'll definitely figure out some way to make amends," Fred reassured him, patting Ron's tense shoulder with brotherly affection. "Don't worry yourself about it unnecessarily, ickle Ronniekins." "Don't call me by that embarrassing nickname here in public!" Ron's anger intensified, his voice rising despite his attempts at hiding. "I actually think it sounds rather nice," Hermione interjected at what seemed like a completely inappropriate moment, surprising everyone. For reasons she couldn't entirely understand, when she learned that the twins had lost fifty points, she didn't experience the intense anger she expected to feel. This unexpected reaction surprised even herself, as it seemed contrary to her usual academic priorities. If she had personally lost fifty points through her own actions, she would never be able to simply forgive herself for such a significant mistake. But regarding the twins... honestly, when she heard they had lost points through their mischievous behavior, the outcome felt perfectly reasonable and predictable. Almost as if they were naturally destined to lose points through their various schemes and pranks. After Harry and the others left for their morning classes, George and Fred collapsed onto the wooden table as if they had completely lost all their physical strength and emotional energy. Though they had performed their usual act of unconcerned bravado, fifty points wasn't a trivial number for them to recover. They recognized that they might need a long period of exemplary behavior to make up for this costly mistake. But there was something even more troubling and serious than the point loss... "What should we possibly do about our real problem?" George looked directly at his twin brother with worry. "We have no other choice," Fred stood up with grim determination, his expression growing serious. "We need to find someone who has the ability and willingness to help us resolve this situation." ________________ You can read more chapters on: /IamLuis

0245 Troubles

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