Time passed quickly, and a week went by in the blink of an eye.
"Harry, I want to ask you something," Hermione said a little embarrassedly, standing beside Harry.
"We shouldn't use those words between us," Harry replied, now excitedly packing his luggage in the common room, because today was another day to go to Hogsmeade.
Professor McGonagall had acknowledged that Peter Pettigrew was temporarily qualified to be his guardian, so he could now go to Hogsmeade village openly, no longer needing the Marauder's Map from the Weasley twins, and the Invisibility Cloak was also unnecessary.
He could walk upright on that noisy street, pretending to be nonchalant, order a beer in the pub, or buy a lot of candy at Honeydukes Sweetshop, or go to Zonko's Joke Shop. He guessed he could definitely meet the Weasley twins there. In any case, today he could enjoy this rare holiday.
"Can I borrow your Invisibility Cloak?" Hermione asked tentatively.
"Huh?" Harry was also obviously stunned. "No problem, but if you want it now, does that mean you won't be going with us this time?" Harry was a little disappointed. This should be the first time the three of them went to Hogsmeade together, but Hermione had other things to do.
"I have to go back to the library to take a look," Hermione said. "Professor McGonagall has assigned a lot of homework these days that requires researching, but some of the information is in the restricted section. Professor McGonagall has also been busy with the Animagus consultant matters these days and isn't at school. I can't find a suitable teacher to sign it off," Hermione said helplessly.
"Is that so?" Harry was a little speechless. Talking about homework during the holidays was still too much for him. All his thoughts were now focused on the upcoming trip to Hogsmeade village. Going secretly and going openly would definitely feel different.
"We'll have many opportunities in the future," Hermione said softly, "And actually, wouldn't you two boys be more comfortable together?"
Harry's face flushed red. He and Ron sometimes discussed things that weren't suitable to discuss in front of girls, such as which girl in which house was prettier.
He still remembered Hermione getting angry last time because they commented on girls' appearances behind their backs.
"Okay then, I wish you good luck with your research," Harry said. Hermione was right, they would have opportunities in the future.
"Thank you, and I hope you and Ron have a good time," Hermione said, as if she had completed an important task.
She let out a long sigh of relief and sat back on the soft leather sofa behind her.
"Forgive me, Harry, sometimes lies are to prevent friends from getting hurt," Hermione thought, silently apologizing to Harry.
Professor McGonagall hadn't assigned any homework at all. This was just a small lie Hermione told.
The real reason was something Hermione could never bring herself to tell Harry.
She suspected Peter Pettigrew.
And it was a suspicion lacking evidence, a suspicion based solely on intuition.
Hermione herself didn't know why she would suddenly believe in intuition, just like that Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw. What she used to hate most were those mystical people. Professor Trelawney counted as one whole, and Luna could be counted as half.
But she never thought that one day she would also believe in intuition.
When Peter Pettigrew appeared in front of everyone, she and the others were excited, happy for the return of this hero who had been mistakenly reported "dead." It was said that he and Professor Lupin were Harry's father's best friends, and she was sincerely happy for Harry.
But when he approached the Gryffindor table, she felt an extremely subtle sense of disharmony.
Hermione had a good memory, and coupled with hard work, these were her assets to become a top student. The former might not be photographic memory, but as long as she put her heart into something, she could remember it roughly.
Hermione also remembered the Muggle psychology introductory books she bought during the holidays to regain her memory. She didn't learn the way to hypnotize herself and regain her memory, but she was deeply impressed by other basic knowledge.
A person's unconscious movements and eyes will betray their heart.
The emotions of nervousness and excitement are completely different. The former is usually accompanied by fear and unease, while the latter is excitement and joy.
When Peter Pettigrew was on the stage, she didn't notice anything because he was too far away, but when he walked up to them, Hermione keenly noticed some strange doubts.
When Peter Pettigrew spoke, his eyes would occasionally drift away, constantly looking in the direction of the Slytherin table, as if seeking some kind of recognition. His small eyeballs would occasionally move upwards in their sockets. These were all very similar to the expressions of lying, because he was guilty and didn't dare to look directly.
Even when he made a hugging motion towards Harry, his body was very stiff, full of unnatural feelings. Harry's childhood didn't have parents, so he couldn't understand. Ron was a thick-skinned person, so he couldn't feel it either, but Hermione felt an extremely strong sense of disharmony. In a truly heartfelt embrace, who would performatively stretch out both arms completely straight?
Yes, performing.
These two words were Hermione's most intuitive feeling.
At that time, she also looked at Luna not far away. When Hermione thought that the other Ravenclaw students were applauding for Peter, only she was fidgeting, looking very uncomfortable. Those silver-gray eyes, which often maintained a hazy feeling, rarely clearly revealed disgust.
This further confirmed her judgment.
And Crookshanks' performance.
After she bought Crookshanks from the magical pet shop in Diagon Alley, Crookshanks often gave her unexpected help.
Whenever someone with malicious intentions appeared around her, Crookshanks would quickly sniff out the suspicious person and glare at them.
At least in Hermione's memory, it had never made a mistake. Diagon Alley was an intersection of Muggle and wizarding society, a mixed bag, but every time a pickpocket approached her with ill intentions, Crookshanks would always stare at them fiercely and bravely rush up to bite them.
There were also some magic shop owners, when they tried to pass off inferior goods as good ones, Crookshanks would also tug at her sleeves to remind her.
But the fact that Scabbers was a rat made her ignore Crookshanks' characteristics. Hermione thought that this was the inertia between natural enemies, which even Crookshanks could not overcome, so she ignored Crookshanks' ability to detect the malice of others.
But now that Scabbers had transformed into a person, Crookshanks' various behaviors could be explained in a certain sense.
But she had no evidence, and she was also doubting her own thoughts. If these were all her wishful thinking, how ridiculous her thoughts would be. To rather believe in her own intuition, a little deduction brought about by meager knowledge, and a cat, to suspect a former war hero, what a ridiculous thing this was.
But the unease in her heart always lingered in her heart, forcing Hermione to bite the bullet and verify it.
She thought of that book from her second year when brewing Polyjuice Potion—'Moste Potente Potions'.
Just a few dozen pages later, it recorded the brewing method of a potion—Veritaserum.
She could only choose this method to solve the doubts in her heart.
For more chapters
patreon.com/Jackssparrow