Chapter 102: A Harmless Little Hex

Bringing magical creatures into the Muggle world was indeed a highly illegal act. Especially when it came to unicorns—legendary creatures even among magical beasts. Doing so would practically guarantee an all-expenses-paid trip to Azkaban, complete with personalized mentoring from Dementors. What? You're asking about the gold-tier mentors? Well, that would be none other than Lord Voldemort himself, who had generously offered one-on-one tutoring to Mr. Potter last term. Now, smuggling in something small like a Niffler might be manageable. After all, a Niffler looked like an oversized rat, easy enough to carry around… though it did have a few minor quirks, such as an insatiable urge to loot gold bars from the docks. But a unicorn? That was a bit too conspicuous. "Of course, you were just attacked by Voldemort recently," Harry said with concern. "Remember what Professor Howin said? ‘It’s not the thief you should fear, but the thief who won’t stop thinking about you.’ You’re already on Voldemort’s radar. I’m really worried he might sneak into the Forbidden Forest again to attack you—he did escape from the dungeons, after all..." Poppy thought about it. Harry had a point. If Voldemort targeted her again, and this time without Harry’s help, she might not be able to escape... That Voldemort… really was something else. Oh, but it wasn’t her fault! Who would have thought that despicable, shameless Voldemort would ambush her like that? She was over a hundred years old! she thought indignantly. With that in mind, Poppy decided she should probably go with Harry. "But I can’t just run around outside with you, can I?" Poppy asked worriedly. "If the Ministry of Magic catches you, you’ll be sent straight to the Wizengamot for smuggling unicorns—that’s a serious crime." "I’ve got a trunk with an Undetectable Extension Charm." Harry patted his suitcase. "I trust you not to eat all my books." "Ah! You!" Poppy huffed, grabbing Harry’s robe with her teeth and shaking it dramatically. "Harry~ Harry~ what do you take me for?!" "But…" Poppy trailed off, then shook her head. To Harry’s amazement, the horn on her forehead disappeared. "I can hide it." "Cool." Harry ran a hand over Poppy’s head, astonished. "Wow, it’s really gone. How did you do that?" "Not telling you." Poppy whispered. "Alright." Harry opened the suitcase. "Why don’t you... hop in first?" "No one’s watching, right?" Poppy drawled, glancing over Harry’s shoulder. Once she confirmed the coast was clear, she leapt into the suitcase. "Get me a lamp!" Poppy called from inside. Harry flicked his wand, conjuring a bright lamp and placing it in the trunk. "Let’s go," Harry said, snapping the suitcase shut before sneaking back to Hogwarts Castle. Meanwhile, Neville had been searching for his toad ever since Harry left. Thankfully, all of Gryffindor pitched in to help, launching a full-scale search of the castle. They eventually found it huddled in the corner of the girls’ bathroom. A notice was sent to every student, reminding them that using magic during the holidays was strictly prohibited. "I always hoped they’d forget to send these out," Fred and George said in unison, looking genuinely disappointed. To everyone’s surprise, Hermione actually agreed with them. "I think so too. Going without magic for too long at home could lead to skill deterioration." Hermione stuffed the notice under her plate. "I should bring this up with the Headmaster..." "It’s Ministry law, Hermione," George reminded her. "Then I’ll raise it with the Minister of Magic." "I doubt those old fossils at the Ministry will listen to you, Miss Know-It-All," Fred teased, grinning. "Honestly, I’d bet you have a better chance of becoming Minister of Magic than convincing the current one to change the rules." Hermione rolled her eyes. The twins always joked around. Me? Minister of Magic? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just a Muggle-born witch. The pure-blood supremacists in the Ministry would never allow someone like me to take that position. After breakfast in the Great Hall, Hogwarts students departed for home. Hagrid was in charge of ferrying students across the lake. As Harry passed by, Hagrid handed him a pouch full of berries he had picked from the Forbidden Forest. "Thanks, Hagrid," Harry said cheerfully. "Share ‘em with your friends," Hagrid chuckled. "And if yeh want some rock cakes or a weasel sandwich—" "No thanks, Hagrid! We brought lunch!" Ron quickly interrupted. He had suffered through enough rock cakes in his lifetime. And the thought of a weasel sandwich? Pure nightmare fuel. Who knew why Hagrid was so fond of making inedible food? "Write to me, Harry!" Hagrid called after them. "And you lot too!" Sёarᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "We will!" Ron waved back with a grin. Once aboard the Hogwarts Express, Harry, Ron, and Hermione found an empty compartment. Neville and Seamus had been picked up by their families in advance, so they weren’t on the train. They called it the Hogwarts Express, but honestly, the speed was... The last time it got an upgrade was when Septimus Malfoy generously funded improvements to its engine system. "Time flies," Ron mused. "It feels surreal, but also kinda nice—blimey." "You do realize," Hermione reminded him, "that Professor Snape and Professor Binns assigned us summer homework? Eleven inches of essays each! I have no idea how I’m going to write them all..." "Eleven inches?" Ron scoffed. "Easy. Just write bigger, space your lines out, and use wider margins. Minimum effort, maximum length." "Oh, thank you, Ronald," Hermione said sarcastically. "Do you really think Professor Snape is that stupid?" "Snape, maybe not. But Binns? Definitely." Ron smirked. "I bet Binns won’t even grade the essays, since he can’t physically touch them." That joke was so dark that even Hermione, despite her disapproval, couldn’t help but laugh. "I think—" Before Ron could finish, there was a knock at the compartment door. "Come in," Hermione said. The door slid open, revealing a Hufflepuff boy standing outside. "Oh, Cedric." Harry greeted him. "Harry, Ron, Hermione." Cedric smiled brightly, exuding his usual warmth. He wasn’t the least bit reserved as he looked at the trio and asked, "Mind if I sit here?" "Of course, go ahead," they all said in unison. Cedric took a seat beside Harry, then turned to him and said, "Actually, Harry, I wanted to talk to you about something." "What is it?" Harry opened a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, picked out a brown one for himself, and handed the bag to Cedric so he could take one too. Cedric pulled out a bright red bean, examined it in his palm, and said, "I… well, I heard that you started a dueling club in Gryffindor. Is that true?" "Yeah." Harry popped his bean into his mouth and bit down lightly. Chocolate flavor. Delicious. "Oh, I see." Cedric followed suit and ate his jellybean—only to immediately contort his face in pain, his handsome features scrunching up as his cheeks flushed red. Ron stifled a chuckle, clearly amused by Cedric’s misfortune. Hermione nudged him lightly with her elbow, signaling him not to be so obvious about his schadenfreude. "Chili-flavored," Cedric wheezed. Harry reached for an unopened bottle of Coke from the table and handed it to Cedric. Cedric accepted it, popped it open with a crisp hiss, and took two quick gulps. Only then did he finally rid himself of the fiery sensation. "Alright, I have to admit, Muggle drinks are quite magical—look at these bubbles!" Cedric marveled before getting back to the topic. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you—would it be possible for Hufflepuff students to join your dueling club?" "No problem." Harry had no objections to welcoming some Hufflepuffs. "But just one thing—don’t let the professors find out. The club involves practicing some harmless little jinxes." At the mention of "harmless little jinxes," Hermione’s eyes widened in alarm. Merlin’s beard! Are you seriously planning to teach those kinds of spells in the dueling club?! Poor Cedric, still oblivious to the implications, simply smiled in delight. "Thank you, Harry, really! I can’t believe you’re actually agreeing to this. You know, before I came here, a lot of people doubted I could convince you. They thought you wouldn’t accept students from other houses." Harry smiled. "We’re all Hogwarts students, Ced. I can call you that, right?" "Of course, Harry." Cedric looked even more pleased. "If it’s for dueling, practicing a few harmless jinxes really shouldn’t be a big deal. After all, how can we defend against something if we don’t understand it? Besides, we need useful spells to stand up against the dark wizards out there." "Exactly," Harry said with a smile. "Just as you said, the purpose of our dueling club is to help students understand the dangers of the world." "Alright then, Harry. Thanks again." Cedric stood up. "I should get going. They’re waiting for me to bring back an answer." "Alright. See you later, Ced." Harry nodded. Ron and Hermione also bid farewell to the sunny and cheerful Hufflepuff as he turned and left the compartment. As soon as Cedric shut the door behind him, Hermione could no longer contain herself. "Merlin’s beard! Harry, are you seriously planning to teach them those… those jinxes?" "What’s got you so worked up, Hermione?" Harry looked at her, puzzled. "Am I worked up?" Hermione huffed, planting her hands on her hips. "Harry, I really need to correct you on this. Don’t let certain families influence your way of thinking…" Certain families? Harry immediately guessed—she must be talking about the Gaunt family. "You’ve got it all wrong, Hermione. They really are just harmless little jinxes," Harry said with a grin. "You don’t always have to let your mind run wild." "Oh? Oh!" Hermione froze for a moment, then realization dawned on her. "So, they’re truly just harmless little jinxes. I thought you meant…" Hermione hesitated, waving her hands in the air as if trying to grasp the right words, but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to say them aloud. "…something else." "The Imperius Curse?" Harry raised an eyebrow. Hermione shot him an exasperated look. "Did you really have to say that out loud, Potter?" "It’s actually part of our curriculum," Harry told her. "The Imperius Curse… is something you’ll be learning in the next stage of training." Hermione froze, and her licorice wand slipped from her fingers, hitting the floor with a soft thud. "Wait, what did you just say?" she asked in disbelief. "The Imperius Curse. That’s our next learning objective," Ron repeated nonchalantly. "Unless I misheard." Hey, learning is learning—what does it matter what we’re studying? Ron had already accepted it. Following Harry’s lead was a safe bet—after all, not even the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor or the Dark Lord himself could best him, right? "Won’t the Ministry of Magic arrest us for learning that?" Hermione asked, her voice tinged with despair. "Merlin’s beard, if someone finds out, we could be expelled…" "Not if we don’t get caught." Harry crossed his legs and said, "This spell is a bit special, Hermione. You should know—repeated exposure to it can build resistance. I’m not teaching you to master the spell itself, but to strengthen your willpower so you can resist it." See? That’s the art of persuasion. Hearing Harry’s explanation, Hermione found the idea much easier to accept. "Alright, if that’s the case, I suppose it’s worth practicing," Hermione said at last. "After all, dark wizards won’t be playing fair. Right, Ron?" "Right," Ron agreed without hesitation. As the train neared the station, Harry and the others changed into their regular clothes. Finally, the Hogwarts Express came to a gradual halt at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The disembarkation process was slow, and they spent quite some time in the long queue before finally stepping off the platform. A wizened old guard stood at the ticketing gate, allowing only two or three people through at a time to prevent a large crowd from suddenly emerging from the solid brick wall, which might alarm the Muggles. "You have to visit my house this summer, Harry," Ron invited. "You have no idea—Mum keeps going on about you…" "Alright, no problem." Harry patted Ron’s arm. He had already planned to visit. "Once I’ve taken care of a few things, I’ll stop by The Burrow." As they exited the station, Harry spotted Mrs. Weasley waiting with Ginny, there to pick up Ron, the twins, and Percy. He sincerely thanked her for his Christmas gift and once again confirmed his summer visit. Stepping out onto the streets, he took a deep breath. Hmm… Next stop, the Leaky Cauldron? No—first, Knockturn Alley for supplies. After all, if he was going to practice "harmless little jinxes," he couldn’t do so without a backup wand, now could he? --- you can read more advance chapter & Fast update on my patreon. com/windkaze