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The day before the first Quidditch match between the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams, Hermione and I approached Professor Lockhart. Of course, right after the DADA class.
"Professor…"
"Ah! My loyal fans! Can I help you?"
"Yes," Hermione nodded. "We really need your help, nothing difficult."
Lockhart smiled radiantly and waited for the continuation.
"You see, I would like to study the properties of some poisons. After reading "Walking with the Ghouls," I was incredibly impressed with how cleverly you drained the poison out with a tea strainer. And so, I became very interested in slow-acting and other poisons."
"Ah, 'Walk with the Ghouls' yes, I remember," Lockhart smiled. "Did you like it?"
"Yes, I liked it very much."
"I was also impressed," I said with reverence in my voice.
"The thing is," continued Hermione, "that books on such poisons are in the forbidden section, and there are really a lot of them..."
"You don't have to continue! I understand you perfectly. I think this desire for knowledge should be encouraged among young minds. Do you already have forms?"
"Of course!"
Hermione nodded happily and held out two forms, one for herself and one for me. Lockhart took them and, taking a large peacock feather from the table, wrote an intricate signature on the forms.
"It is my duty to help the best students and fans."
Lockhart handed us the signed papers, and we, thanking the professor, quickly rushed to the library - we need to certify the forms. Another month of enhanced memorization awaits us.
As before, Madame Pince carefully checked the forms and took us to the Forbidden Section. The librarian did not read the instructions because she was quite pleased with us - not a single mistake in working with books.
I was not afraid of a basilisk attack on us, and there is one theory, albeit not confirmed, but a theory. If I remember the tale of Harry Potter correctly, then the basilisk victims were those who annoyed our Hero in one way or another. I don't believe Ginny's words that she doesn't remember what she did under the diary's influence. But, even if this is the case and the girl was completely under the influence of the diary and really did not remember anything, then Riddle used the information from the Seventh Weasley to frame Potter. Those events really looked like that.
I'm not afraid of a basilisk attack on us since I don't have any contact with the guy, and Hermione doesn't hang around him, causing outbursts of jealousy of the redhead. Of course, I don't think we're completely safe. There is a possibility that the theory is wrong, or we may just encounter the basilisk by accident. For this reason, we decided to move mainly with someone else.
The next day, at the end of the first week of November, a Quidditch match took place. Hermione and I decided not to leave the Gryffindor's living room at all. This time can be spent on homework or organizing what has already been memorized from the Forbidden Section. We decided not to go anywhere for a simple reason - almost all the students are on the Quidditch field. There is simply no one to move around the castle with.
So we sat and studied. But, when we decided to understand a couple of curses theories from the forbidden section, we were faced with a factor of insufficient basic knowledge. Not that everything was completely incomprehensible, but an important rule of magic has long been learned - in order to safely use magic, you need to understand it perfectly. The more complex the spell, the more unintended consequences can arise from mistakes or lack of understanding of the process. But we did not despair. We need the knowledge of the Forbidden Section for the future. Anyway, we will not forget it, but we can figure out the details later when we tighten the base.
The silence of the living room was interrupted by a crowd of students bursting in. They cheered, congratulated each other and especially the Quidditch team. Only Potter wasn't among them. The fun flowed like a river, but no one even paid attention to us - everyone had long been accustomed to putting on everything, so they did not climb. Not even Ron expressed his opinion about our lack of Gryffindor spirit and other things. And we sat and watched, periodically making notes for notes and discussing various spells.
Closer to lights out, when everyone had already calmed down, the little ones began to disperse to the rooms, and the older guys pulled out butterbeer - the Weasley twins' contraband. Small Colin Creevey snatched a decent-sized branch of grapes and washed out of the living room.
"Younger Weasley hasn't come back yet," I whispered, leaning closer to Hermione.
"I noticed. There is no Potter yet, two from the fourth, three from the sixth, and two from the seventh years."
"Miona, do you think this is one of them?"
"Mrs. Norris was disliked by almost everyone, so it's hard to say. I didn't think I would say this, but we need to wait for the development of events and only then build hypotheses."
"Hey, kids!" the twins came up to us. "Why are you not in bed?"
"We're studying," we answered at the same time, looking at the twins that were standing on either side of the sofa.
"I can't help but notice…" one began.
"That you are strange..." continued for him the second.
"And completely inexplicable..."
"The Gryffindor Phenomenon."
"And why is that?" Hermione grinned, returning to the notes on the parchment. There is just a little left to do.
"You are the only and the first in the history of the House..."
"Who has not lost a single point in a year."
"But this is good?"I looked them in the eye.
"Certainly!" they said synchronously, getting into some kind of self-righteous posture.
"But you are too boring..." said the left one, and both turned sour at the same time.
"In any case," continued the second one, "we have to hurry you and send you to the bedrooms. If for no apparent reason McGonagall appears, then you will be punished, as we do, for the fact that we are here having fun with you.
"We spoil the youth ..."
"We decompose growing geniuses ..."
"And other nonsense ..."
"But nonsense punishable."
"Your manner of speaking is giving me a headache," Hermione reproached them and put the final point in the essay.
The twins chuckled and headed towards the rest of the company.
"Come on, finish there and go to your rooms."
"I didn't think they would show such concern."
"They are worried about themselves, Herm. About themselves."
"You see only bad things in people."
"I don't deny it. I don't like people."
Hermione smiled at my words.
"You said it in such a tone, as if people are not tasty breakfast, but you have to eat."
"Where did you get such thoughts in your head? You didn't get sick?"
Hermione sighed wearily and rubbed her face with her palms.
"Is this all the Forbidden Section? Some nonsense comes to mind?"
"Not really," she shook her head. "I have already got used to sending disturbing knowledge to the far corners of memory. It just takes more time."
"As you know, but be careful, we are still children. If you have unpleasant dreams, then we will go to Madame Pomfrey for the potion "Dreamless Sleep."
"No, no, no! No need to see Madam Pomfrey," Hermione feigned horror.
"Herm, I'm serious. Mental health is our everything. We have already found out that a clear and quick mind is the key to successful witchcraft."
Hermione pouted but nodded.
"Okay. If I have such dreams, or even if I don't get enough sleep, then I'll go right away ..."
"We will go together. Do not forget that a snake can crawl around the castle, killing with a glance."
"Okay. Good night, Max."
"And you."
We went to our rooms, and the next morning the whole Hogwarts learned that our little paparazzi, Colin Creevey, had fallen into a daze. Alive, scared, petrified. So far, everything is in relative order. Sounds cruel, but nonetheless. It's okay because the children are alive. In the evening, glancing in the mirror and making sure that I had not grown a beard with bells, I went to bed with a clear conscience.