Chapter 472 - 23: I Don’t Understand, but I Respect It

Chapter 472: Chapter 23: I Don’t Understand, but I Respect It

Naturally, the conversation with Yimi ended on bad terms. Yimi had not understood at all why Black wanted a rat, and even if she had, Ron would never have believed her.

Could Ron really believe that the pet rat that had accompanied him for so many years was actually a creepy middle-aged man in disguise?

After they had walked some distance, he was still complaining nonstop.

"She has to be that cat. Have I ever taken Scabbers out in front of her? How would she know Scabbers is mine?"

Naturally, he had refused to tell Yimi where Scabbers was. He had prepared a new box for Scabbers to use as a nest, and barring anything unexpected, it should have been very safe.

"Ron, how would a little kid learn to become an Animagus? She doesn’t know the password to the Gryffindor common room either. Yesterday you inspected every student who owns a cat. Practically everyone knows you keep a rat." Hermione hurried after him with the finished Polyjuice Potion in hand.

"She’s Professor McGonagall’s granddaughter. Round it off and she basically counts as a Gryffindor. Is it really strange for her to know the password? Maybe someone accidentally told her. Neville, for example," Ron said impatiently.

Neville was Harry and Ron’s roommate, a rather careless boy.

As if something had finally clicked, Ron looked at Hermione. "Why do you always argue against me? You were the one saying she was suspicious before, and now you’re the one saying she’s innocent. Aren’t her cat ears the best proof? Maybe something went wrong with her Animagus transformation. You saw how weird she is. Ingredients that are supposed to take twenty-one days were ready instantly."

Hermione slowed and lowered her gaze to the thing at his waist. It was because of this rebar wand that Ron had been so friendly toward Yimi before, and now a rat had made him turn against her again.

Noticing Hermione’s gaze, Ron yanked the wand free and shoved it into her hands. "Here! You can have it. I don’t want it anymore!"

He strode off and disappeared around the corner.

Hermione stared blankly down at the wand.

A moment later Ron came striding back, snatched it from her hands, and said, "This was payment for letting her study my old wand. Why shouldn’t I keep it?"

"..."

"She has a lot of strange things on her," Hermione said, moderating her earlier argument, though the envy in her voice was difficult to hide. "I mean... look! Goyle and Crabbe!"

She suddenly pulled Ron aside because she had spotted Malfoy’s two followers. Both boys were large and burly.

"Why are we hiding?" Ron asked in confusion.

"Polyjuice Potion needs tissue from the person you want to turn into, like hair," Hermione explained. "Have you forgotten? We’re going to question Malfoy. The real Goyle and Crabbe obviously can’t be there. It’s rare to see them without Malfoy."

"Honestly, I feel like the only point of turning into one of those two is so I can put more force into interrogating Malfoy. Are you sure the cat-girl’s Polyjuice Potion works? She only brewed it for a few minutes." Ron had gone back to calling Yimi "cat-girl" again.

The Malfoy family had been plotting against Ron’s little sister. He was not going to let his own mood interfere with the plan they had already made.

Hermione did not answer. Instead, she pulled two Chocolate Frogs they had prepared beforehand from her pocket. Once opened, the frogs had to be eaten quickly or they would start hopping everywhere, which made drugging them in advance rather difficult.

They took a roundabout route, placed the frogs somewhere conspicuous along Goyle and Crabbe’s path, then hid around a corridor corner. There was no time to fetch Harry’s Invisibility Cloak for this.

To their surprise, Goyle and Crabbe merely looked at each other, picked up the suspicious snacks from the floor without the slightest hesitation, and each ate one.

"I can’t believe it. They really are that stupid."

Ron and Hermione strained themselves dragging the two boys into an empty storage cupboard in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Yimi had already left the room.

By the time they were done, both of them had aching backs. Things would have been much easier if Harry were there. Ever since he had started carrying that heavy wire broom around, Harry had been getting stronger by the day.

Ron cut some hair from both boys, afraid that yanking it out directly might hurt enough to wake them. Then he started taking off their clothes.

Afterward, he looked awkwardly at Hermione. "Do we really have to transform now? I mean, we could wait until Harry comes back."

"Then Goyle and Crabbe will wake up. You stay in this classroom. I’ll go to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. That’s it. Once I’m transformed, I’ll come find you." Hermione had no intention of letting Ron watch her change clothes.

She turned and ran toward Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. Ever since Yimi had dragged a giant snake out of there, many students would rather take a detour than walk down that corridor.

On the way, she ran into a distracted Harry.

"Hermione, you’re not with Ron?" Harry asked in confusion. He wondered whether the two of them had argued again, but Hermione did not look like she had been crying.

"Perfect timing, Harry. Take these." Hermione shoved Crabbe’s clothes and a bottle of Polyjuice Potion into his hands. "These are Crabbe’s. Drink this and you’ll turn into him. Ron is waiting in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom as Goyle."

"Wasn’t it supposed to take twenty-one days?" Harry asked, completely baffled.

"It’s a long story. Basically, it’s another one of the little kitty’s miraculous tools. Those two are already unconscious. This is the best chance we’re going to get." Hermione pushed him into Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom.

Harry had something he wanted to say, but he stopped himself for the moment.

Harry had overheard the truth while using the Invisibility Cloak—not from Dumbledore, but from a conversation between Snape and Minister for Magic Fudge. Snape had not sounded particularly pleased about Dementors surrounding Hogwarts either.

Sirius Black was the man who had betrayed Harry’s parents. It involved a secret-protection spell. Originally only Sirius could know where Harry’s parents were hiding, but he had told Voldemort the secret.

Harry lowered his head and carried Hermione’s bundle into the bathroom.

The Malfoys had also plotted against Ginny. His own problem was extremely important, but that did not mean he could simply ignore what had happened to his best friend’s little sister.

He changed into Crabbe’s clothes and drank the Polyjuice Potion. His body began to swell, and his height shot upward almost instantly.

Honestly, it tasted disgusting. Harry had no idea whether all Polyjuice Potion was like that or Crabbe simply had a uniquely awful flavor.

He studied himself in the mirror. There was a certain novelty to suddenly becoming a huge, stupid-looking brute. When he made faces at the mirror, Crabbe made exactly the same faces back at him.

Harry walked out. "I’m done."

"Great. I won’t go with you." Hermione looked awkwardly at Harry wearing Crabbe’s face, then glanced left and right. Unsurprisingly, the corridor was empty.

She explained, "If Malfoy sees me walking around with you, he’ll get suspicious. Hurry and find Ron."

"Okay."

Harry headed toward the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom just as awkwardly. He still had not adjusted to his new height.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, he still froze for a moment when he opened the classroom door and saw Goyle standing there.

"Hermione?" Ron, transformed into Goyle, stared at Harry. The corners of his mouth twitched. "Are you all right? I mean... Crabbe is a boy."

"I..." Harry was about to explain that he was not Hermione when an arrogant, irritating voice came from behind him.

"What are you two doing here?"

Malfoy. He was not in the common room after all. Fortunately, he had not seen Harry, with Crabbe’s face, talking to Hermione just now.

"Follow me." Malfoy turned around and headed toward the Slytherin common room.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and followed him. Both of them walked rather comically as they did their best to adapt to their borrowed bodies.

The entrance to the Slytherin common room was an empty, damp stone wall. The current password was "Pure-blood." The common room itself occupied a long, low underground chamber with stone walls and ceiling, greenish lamps hanging from chains overhead, and an elaborately carved mantelpiece.

Malfoy dropped into a chair near the fireplace. "The Ministry has Dementors guarding Hogwarts, and Dumbledore couldn’t even stop them. My father has always said letting him stay headmaster is the worst thing that ever happened to this school. See? He was right. Would a normal person let someone like Creevey enroll?"

He was talking about a new first-year student born to a Muggle family who was also one of Harry’s devoted admirers. Colin Creevey was half the reason Lockhart had caused Harry so much trouble. Whenever Lockhart portrayed Harry as vain, there happened to be an actual boy nearby begging for his autograph.

Malfoy mimed lifting a camera the way Colin Creevey did and imitated the boy with vicious accuracy. "Potter, can I take your picture? Potter, can I have your autograph? Potter, can I lick your shoes? Please, Potter?"

Then he watched the other two for their reaction.

Harry and Ron forced out a couple of dry laughs, because Crabbe and Goyle normally would have laughed along.

Malfoy continued mockingly, "Did you see the stupid grin on that Weasley’s face when Lockhart got fired? He thinks the money my father donates to the Ministry has nothing to do with him. My father also casually mentioned that they ought to investigate the Weasleys for illegally modifying a car into a magical object. Before Christmas, they’ll be fined until they’re penniless."

He crossed one leg over the other. "By then, forget scraps. The Weasleys will probably have to wear other people’s old clothes... Oh, I forgot. That’s already all they can afford. Maybe we ought to reward them with our leftovers too."

Ron’s expression darkened. His fist slowly clenched, and he clearly wanted to smash Malfoy over the head with a length of rebar.

Seeing that, Harry hurriedly put a hand over Ron’s to calm him down.

To his surprise, the fleshy face Ron was currently wearing twitched all over. The moment Ron remembered that the Crabbe beside him was supposedly Hermione underneath, he felt uncomfortable on her behalf.

Hermione was a girl, yet she had turned into the huge, stupid Crabbe. Ron had no idea whether the short-lived transformation was complete in every sense.

For some reason, irritation surged up inside him. He yanked his hand away, face flushing red with embarrassment and annoyance because he could not stop thinking about it.

"What’s wrong with you two?" Malfoy asked, baffled.

From Malfoy’s point of view, Crabbe had just put his hand over Goyle’s, and Goyle had blushed before pulling away.

"If you’re sick, go to the hospital," Malfoy said, pointing toward the exit.

"I think I saw your house-elf at school before," Harry hurriedly said, steering the conversation back to the point and distracting Ron.

"Dobby? I haven’t seen him. You must have mistaken someone else for him." Malfoy directly gave Harry the answer he wanted.

Harry was slightly surprised. He had expected Malfoy to call Dobby "that useless thing" or something similar.

"I heard the Chamber of Secrets is inherited by someone of pure blood. Could that person be you?" Ron awkwardly dragged the conversation onto that subject.

"Me? Hah. I think it’s great, actually. Whoever it is, I’d be happy to help them," Malfoy said arrogantly.

"My father refuses to tell me what happened fifty years ago. He only said one Mudblood died. This time there hasn’t even been a single victim. I was hoping Granger would be the one to die. I’ve already investigated it. That damned half-human in Gryffindor is the one who gave Potter and the others their ’tools.’"

Ron was almost unable to stop himself from hitting him, but Harry frantically signaled with his eyes.

Malfoy frowned, unable to understand why these two idiots kept exchanging looks today.

Harry and Ron hardly needed to ask anything at all. Malfoy had always been the dominant one in the Slytherin trio, and he kept talking and talking, even willingly telling the two where his own family’s Chamber was supposed to be.

The time limit arrived. Ron felt a distinct wave of discomfort—the Polyjuice Potion was about to wear off. He looked at Harry and saw the other boy seemed uncomfortable too.

"My stomach hurts. I need to go to the hospital." Harry stood and dragged Ron with him.

"Go on, then. You really don’t have to hold it in," Malfoy said with a dismissive wave.

Then he noticed something odd.

If Crabbe’s stomach hurt, why was he dragging Goyle along?

...

Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"We need to hurry and put their clothes back on them, Hermione." Ron looked at Harry. "Why don’t you go to the bathroom first and toss the clothes to me? I’ll..."

"I’m not Hermione. I’m Harry. We ran into each other, and she had me turn into Crabbe to find you." Harry was slowly changing back into himself.

"Oh? That’s great... I mean, obviously we shouldn’t make Hermione, a girl, turn into that big idiot, right?" Ron visibly relaxed.

Harry nodded. "Where did you hide them?"

"In the cupboard."

Harry walked over and hauled both boys out without much trouble. Every Quidditch practice, after all, he had to carry that absurdly heavy broom around.

As Harry began putting their clothes back on, he said, "I went to eavesdrop on Snape earlier. He said that wanted criminal..."

Before he could finish, Malfoy’s voice came from outside, calling for his two followers.

"Why did he follow us?" Ron asked anxiously.

"You made it too obvious!" Harry shook out his robes and pulled the Invisibility Cloak he had not yet returned to the dormitory from inside. "Quick, hide!"

They concealed themselves. By sheer coincidence, Crabbe and Goyle heard Malfoy calling their names and groggily woke up. Hermione had not exactly given them a dangerous dose.

Malfoy came in and immediately saw the two of them leaning there with their clothes in disarray, because Harry had not had time to finish dressing them.

Remembering the strange looks and gestures between the two earlier, Malfoy sucked in a sharp breath. "What are you two doing?"

He did not understand, but he respected it. They were friends, after all.