The trio followed behind Myrtle, briskly heading towards the girls' restroom. One fortunate thing was that the library and the restroom were on the same floor, so they didn't have to take a detour. As they neared the restroom, Ron suddenly asked, "Myrtle, how did you meet Malfoy? I heard you have a habit of sneaking into the Prefects' bathroom—"
Myrtle whimpered, covering her face and walking through the wall.
Harry and Hermione glared at Ron, who shrugged. "I was just curious."
"Shut it," Hermione said as they reached the door of Myrtle's usual haunt. Harry listened intently for a few seconds and then whispered, "Can't hear anything... must be charmed."
Harry and Ron turned to Hermione, who decisively pulled out a small bag of beads and rummaged for a while before taking out three Extendable Ears.
Harry inserted one end of the flesh-colored Ear into his ear and threw the other end toward the grubby door; it automatically slipped through the gap.
"Brilliant. Hopefully, there's no anti-eavesdropping charm. Let me try... Nope, nothing," he murmured.
They listened carefully.
A affected voice, pinched at the throat, reached their ears. "Still considering? Or should I have the master give your father a direct order? Draco, we're in this together; I just need a little help from you..."
Draco Malfoy's slightly hoarse voice came through, "I... I can't... sign that contract... No, that contract... will... will kill people."
"As long as you don't attempt to betray the master. Draco, do you wish to betray the master?" This content belongs to NoveI-Fire.ɴet
"I... I'm not..." Draco's voice trailed off. "Your chances of success are too low; I can't risk my life. I need some time to think. I'll get back to you tomorrow, the day after. I need to ask my father—"
"Lucius is one of us; don't think you can step out of this," Umbridge interjected sweetly, sounding like an innocent little girl, but Harry and the others shuddered, considering her round face and the threats she was making.
"What do we do?" Hermione turned to them.
"No matter what, we have to stop them," Harry said, jumping up and aiming his wand at the door. "Wait," Hermione said, "we don't know their plan yet. Let's make them think this is an accident." She pondered, "I have an idea."
But Hermione had already rushed out. She put on a panicked expression, pacing back and forth at the door. "Huh? Why is the door locked?" she muttered, seemingly brewing emotions. Then she drew her wand. "Alohomora." The sound-blocking spell on the door was broken, and the restroom door creaked open slightly.
"We've risked our lives coming here. Why should you—" a man's impatient voice abruptly stopped.
"Hello—is anyone in there? I urgently need to use the loo—Whose spell is on the door? Is it to stop Myrtle?" Hermione said slowly.
The brief seconds felt too long, seemingly endless. Harry and Ron's palms were sweaty; they stared intently at Hermione, fearing a wand emitting green light from the inside. Not waiting for a decision from the other side, Harry cleverly shouted, "Hermione, hurry up, we're outside waiting for you!"
"Yeah, I still want to trade Chocolate Frog cards with Dean," Ron chimed in.
Hesitantly, Hermione said, "Oh, wait, there's a problem... seems like someone's inside..."
"Need any help?" Harry called out loudly.
Finally, the door opened. Draco Malfoy appeared pale. "It's you, Hermione Granger."
"Malfoy?" Hermione sounded surprised. "What are you doing in the girls' restroom? I'll report to the professors—"
"Mind your own business! This place is abandoned," Malfoy muttered, "What are you doing here? Where are Potter and Weasley?"
"Just using the loo!" Hermione retorted, "They're outside, unlike you—"
"Get lost, don't block the way."
The conversation drew closer; Hermione persistently said, "Wait and see, I'll inform the professors, deduct points, and put you in detention! I'll tell Felch! I'll make all the girls keep an eye on you, you filthy, despicable—" ṚΑNΟВƐŠ
Harry silently praised Hermione; this kind of confrontation made the person inside somewhat apprehensive, making it difficult for Malfoy to return there openly.
Draco's light blonde hair and pointed chin gradually emerged from the darkness. His face was sweaty and exceptionally pale, as if he'd just recovered from a serious illness. Behind him, an angry Hermione followed.
"Draco Malfoy?" Harry pretended to be surprised.
Malfoy glared at them fiercely, then turned and left without a word.
Hermione stopped angrily until Malfoy's figure disappeared, then calmly asked, "How was that?" "Brilliant," Ron gave a thumbs-up, "What about the people inside?" Hermione shook her head slightly, indicating she hadn't seen anyone.
"Maybe they're hiding," Harry mouthed, his wand aimed at the dark, derelict girls' restroom door.
When Hermione didn't go inside earlier, it would be disastrous if she was hit by the Cruciatus Curse; she wasn't confident she could break the curse.
Harry tapped his wand on Ron and himself, and under the Disillusionment Charm, they blended into the dim surroundings. Hermione did the same, and they slowly backed away, concealing themselves in the darkness. After a tense wait of about fifteen minutes, they grew impatient, when faint movements came from inside.
A silver light blossomed in the darkness; it seemed to be a cat, yet quite blurry, circling as a guardian before dispersing into silver specks.
Then, a squat woman took shape, looking around before hurriedly leaving.
But Harry's trio stayed silent. They knew there was someone else inside. After a while, a young wizard emerged, striding away.
When the figure disappeared, the trio finally breathed out.
"That person's named Avery, we saw them at the Ministry before," Hermione said.
They walked back in silence, looking troubled. Today's events exceeded their expectations. "They clearly have a conspiracy. We'd better inform the professors," Hermione suggested, and Harry and Ron nodded. Suddenly, the door of the broom closet on the second floor opened silently, three pairs of hands reaching out from the darkness, attempting to pull Harry and his companions inside.
They reacted almost instantly—Harry conjured a Human-shaped Ironclad Spell, a barrier that instantly expanded into a sphere, pushing away the jumbled hands; from Hermione's bead bag flew two dark thorny vines, entangling in the darkness; Ron stepped back, murmuring a spell, white flames quickly forming at the tip of his wand.
"It's us, Harry!" a very familiar voice said.
Harry's heart raced; he looked at the figure in the dark, incredulously saying, "Angelina?"
"Come in quickly," 'Angelina' urged anxiously.
The broom closet's door closed behind them.
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