Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 176 Neville's "Help"

Winter is over and spring is coming; mid-January will arrive soon.

“I thought you would take advantage of the quiet time in the common room to study that golden egg properly,” Hermione said.

"Oh, I've figured out what it means!"

Having interacted with Cedric quite a bit during training, and unable to think of any reason why Cedric would play a trick on him, Harry went to the prefects' bathroom a few days ago and successfully solved the mystery of the golden egg.

“Really?” Hermione said, looking very happy. “That’s wonderful!”

Seeing Hermione so happy, Harry didn't want to spoil the mood by revealing his own troubles.

Let's talk about it after Hogsmeade comes back this weekend; there's still a long way to go before the project starts!

Harry thought to himself with great nonchalance.

On Saturday, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the castle and passed Durmstrang's ship by the Black Lake, they were surprised to see Krum practicing diving!

Good heavens! The lake water is so cold, just looking at it is enough to send shivers down my spine!

Harry silently kept this in mind, thinking he might need it later.

The three returned to the Three Brooms Bar.

Harry didn't find Hagrid there, so they bought three butterbeers and drank them in silence.

"Look!" Hermione suddenly whispered, "That's Mr. Bagman, and... Thea?"

The two boys immediately turned around and happened to meet Thea, who was looking over.

"Excuse me, Mr. Bagman, I'd like to take a moment to explain... Regarding the cooperation we just discussed, I hope you'll consider it... After all, it's a win-win situation!"

Bagman's heart, which had just been racing for a second, sank to the bottom in an instant. He said in a low, hoarse voice, "Of course... I know..."

Thea looked with satisfaction at the cold sweat on the other person's forehead, then gracefully got up, went to the counter, ordered a Butterbeer, and then walked over to Hermione's table.

"Where are Draco and the others? Are you all alone?"

As soon as Thea sat down, Harry couldn't wait to ask, eager to break the awkward silence.

"No, they went to Honeydukes Candy Shop, so I came with three brooms to wait for them. I happened to run into Mr. Bagman and we chatted for a bit."

Thea gave a pre-prepared reason, omitting the beginning and end.

Harry had just brought up the topic casually, so naturally he wouldn't delve into the details.

Hermione then mentioned Bertha Jokinson, who had been missing for a long time.

Thea also expressed a few words of regret, seemingly helpless, showing no sign that she had seen the other person in the dungeon of Riddle's old mansion.

Thea hadn't been sitting for long when Draco and the others arrived.

Because Harry and his two companions had different plans than Thea and her group, the group parted ways amicably.

"Longbotton?"

Thea was knocking on the door, but it wasn't Moody who opened it; instead, it was Neville, who rarely had a smile on his face.

"Ah...yes...ah, come in quickly!"

Neville hesitantly welcomed Thea in, and accidentally bumped his head on the doorframe as he closed the door.

"Do you need any help?"

"No, no, no! It doesn't hurt!" Neville waved his hands repeatedly to indicate that he didn't need it.

Thea also put away her wand.

"Professor, what will I be learning tonight?"

Thea turned to Professor Moody behind the curtain and asked.

“There are two books on the table,” Moody’s hoarse voice was somewhat distorted.

"Longbotton! Take that book, 'The Amazing Aquatic Plants of the Mediterranean and Their Characteristics,' it's a gift for you!"

Neville, looking flattered, stepped forward and picked up the book.

"Okay, Longbottom, you can go back now!"

Neville obediently left the office.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Thea instantly relaxed her posture. "What are you planning to do now?"

"It's all because of that brat Potter! If it weren't for..." Moody said impatiently.

"Never mind... the things are over there, thank you for your help."

Little Barty's attitude was quite respectful, and Thea didn't press further. "Be mindful of your manners..."

"Rest assured! Former Aurors care about the families of fallen soldiers... There is no better reason than that!"

Seeing that Little Barty looked certain, Thea didn't say anything more and walked smoothly to another dark room.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

As the time for the second project drew closer, Harry had no choice but to tell Hermione and Ron that he needed help.

As soon as they learned that Harry was in trouble, the two of them didn't have time to complain about why Harry hadn't asked them for help sooner. They immediately went to the library, intending to find the secret to saving Harry from the vast sea of ​​books!

Time passed second by second, and the three of them went from frowning at the beginning to sweating profusely, and now they felt like they were sitting on pins and needles.

"No, no, no! I must have seen some way... if I remember correctly..." Hermione mumbled and repeated these words.

"I don't think it makes any sense to do this; not all answers can be found in the library..."

Ron's eyes were full of anxiety.

Hermione seemed to view the lack of useful information in the library as an insult to herself, and she was determined to put some kind of spell or other method into the many books.

Ron couldn't think of a solution for the time being, so he could only continue to bury himself in books to find the answer.

"Fluorescent flash!"

After Mrs. Pince kicked Harry and his two friends out of the library, Harry put on his Invisibility Cloak again and sneaked back into the library.

Using the faint light emitted by his invisibility cloak, he moved among the bookshelves, pulling out one book after another about magic and spells, about mermaids and underwater monsters, about magical inventions, and so on—any book that might mention underwater survival even briefly.

He gathered all the books together, then moved them to a table and began to read them intently, occasionally glancing at his watch.

1 a.m.... 2 a.m.... The only thing that kept him going was telling himself over and over again, "The next book... the next book..."

“…Harry?”

Neville, who rarely gets to get up early, looked at Harry rushing in with a bewildered expression.

"Is something on your mind? Perhaps... perhaps I can help you!" Neville bravely said.

“Thanks, Neville. I just stayed in the library a little too long… but… I might need a way to live underwater…”

"Underwater survival?"

Harry had no hope, but then he noticed something was off about Neville's expression, which made him look at Neville as if he were grasping at a straw.

"I...I might be able to help you..."