"You need to go and tell everything to McGonagall or Dumbledore," said Ron, spreading his hands in confusion. "What's there to think about?"
"Are you not listening to me at all?!" Hermione snapped angrily at him, then immediately glanced around in fear and added in a whisper, "You get a life sentence in prison for having this amulet, and I've had it for almost six months now!"
Hermione, her face red from tears and anxiety, sat in an abandoned room on the fifth floor of Hogwarts castle. This is where Harry and Ron found her after she had run out of Professor Flitwick's charms class...
Since she came back from the holidays, Hermione hadn't dared to share her terrifying discovery with anyone for several days. Not even with her best friends. The threat of imprisonment for having the amulet loomed over her like the Sword of Damocles, stopping her from telling anyone about it or how hard and scary it was to bear this horrible secret.
All those days Hermione went silent whenever Harry and Ron, noticing her distress, tried to find out why she was so anxious. Sometimes, when her friends pushed her, she lost her patience and snapped at them. In response, Harry and Ron could only look at each other in confusion, while Hermione felt more and more distant from them, especially when she really needed their support.
She spent all her free time studying books and scrolls in the Hogwarts library, searching for information about the mysterious 'Sky Vortex,' which she had found mentioned in a tattered Auror's manual. But with each day spent in the library, her hopes of finding anything dwindled - she couldn't find any more information about the amulet at all. At first, Hermione felt only disappointment, but over time it turned into deep despair. Her hope of solving the mystery gradually shifted to feeling helpless, depressed, and apathetic.
This day started off really badly. From the morning, Nora made a nasty joke about Hermione always being in the library, suggesting she move there permanently to make room for Nora's new friend. Lila quickly shut her friend down, but the remark didn't go unnoticed by an already upset Hermione. She sank into an even deeper gloom, which showed in her behavior all day.
Distracted and unfocused, Hermione kept thinking about her problems, which made it hard for her to concentrate on her studies. As a result, everything seemed to fall apart in her hands, and nothing turned out right.
During Potions class, everyone was busy making a brew to ward off nightmares. Recipes like this usually weren't hard for Hermione, but not this time. Instead of the proper dark green color and refreshing scent of pinecones, her potion turned into a brown, foul-smelling sticky mess. This became a source of mockery from the Slytherin students, with Nancy Magwort standing out by making crude and rather inappropriate jokes.
Professor Snape, after slightly calming the Slytherin students, approached Hermione. She just lowered her head, expecting nothing good from the head of Slytherin, and she wasn't mistaken. Looking at the result, he said:
"This is undoubtedly the worst brew ever made by a student for this simplest of potions, Miss Granger!" he practically spat out her name, then added, "I think the monsters in your dreams would be thrilled to have such a 'sauce' as seasoning for a dinner made out of you, Granger..." The Slytherins burst into laughter again, intensifying Hermione's sense of humiliation as she blushed with shame.
The last straw in this already overwhelming mix of emotions and desperation was the Charms lesson. The class started as usual: Professor Flitwick explained a new spell and asked everyone to try it out.
The spell 'Reperio Sonorus' was supposed to help find lost items. Each student handed over one of their personal belongings to the professor, and he hid them. Hermione tried to perform the spell, but she didn't have the enthusiasm or competitive spirit she had at the beginning of the year. As a result, her attempts were getting worse and worse.
At that moment, Miranda Ravenclaw successfully completed the task. A drawer in the professor's desk slid open, revealing Miranda's light scarf, which she loved to wear everywhere.
"Superb, Miss Ravenclaw!" the professor exclaimed enthusiastically, as always.
Miranda, unable to resist, gave Hermione a triumphant look, while Elidor Lynett, who was watching Miranda with admiration, exclaimed excitedly:
"Amazing, Miranda. You're the queen of spells. And judging by the last few lessons, you have no more rivals!" He looked at Hermione, challenge in his eyes.
This seemingly harmless remark had a completely unexpected effect. A single thought flashed through desperate Hermione's mind: 'He's probably right; soon I won't be able to do magic at all!' Tears poured from her eyes, and she ran out of the classroom, crying. Elidor, momentarily stunned by her reaction, froze, then asked in confusion, not addressing anyone in particular:
"What did I say that was so horrible?"
The Ravenclaws immediately started comforting Elidor, saying that in their opinion, Hermione could use a bit of humility and should tone down her pride. "Apparently, she's too full of herself and her 'special talents'," many of his friends were heard saying. Only Miranda did not join in criticizing her rival; she frowned and looked at the door through which Hermione had disappeared.
Harry and Ron jumped up and, without asking the professor's permission, ran after Hermione. Flitwick just watched the whole scene, his mouth open, occasionally adjusting his glasses. It seemed he didn't know what to say...
And so, they sat in the abandoned room, where Hermione, unable to hold back her tears, finally told them everything that had happened over the holidays. Her story was interrupted by sobs as she spoke about the pale-faced man, the ominous prophecy, the attack at the fair, the man's desire to possess the amulet that was draining her magic, and the feeling that she had nothing left to live for...
After hearing her story, Ron said:
"You need to go and tell everything to McGonagall or Dumbledore," said Ron, spreading his hands in confusion. "What's there to think about?"
"Are you not listening to me at all?!" Hermione snapped angrily at him, then immediately glanced around in fear and added in a whisper, "You get a life sentence in prison for having this amulet, and I've had it for almost six months now!"
"Do you really think they'll put you in prison for that? That's just silly..." Ron argued.
At first, Hermione wanted to snap back at him, but then she lowered her eyes to the floor, as if she no longer cared what happened next.
"Hermione's right," Harry suddenly interjected, and turning to her, he said, "we can't risk your freedom, so we'll help you ourselves."
Hearing Harry's words, Hermione looked at him with hope:
"How?"
"We'll look for information about the amulet in the library with you every day until we find something."
A grateful smile briefly lit up Hermione's face, though the hope that had sparked in her eyes quickly faded. It seemed she no longer believed these searches would yield anything. Ron, who initially looked surprised and indignant at Harry's words, thought for a second and then nodded in agreement:
"Yeah, yeah! We'll definitely help you."
***
January was coming to an end. Harry and Ron were trying once again to cheer Hermione up over breakfast in the Great Hall. At first, being able to share her ideas and fears with her friends, as well as their support, had restored Hermione's faith in a positive outcome. But as the days passed with no results, her hope began to fade again.
"I don't have Quidditch practice today," Harry said quietly, "so we'll definitely go to the library with you and continue our search."
A distressed Hermione just shook her head:
"It's pointless. Remember how much time we spent looking for information about Nicolas Flamel? If it hadn't been for that lucky chance, we'd still know nothing about him!"
Not long ago, thanks to an inscription found on a Chocolate Frog card, they had finally discovered that Nicolas Flamel was an alchemist. He also turned out to be the only person in the world who owned the Philosopher's Stone, which could turn any metal into gold and produce the Elixir of Life.
"So, the chance of finding information about the amulet is practically zero," she continued. "And we don't even know if it's possible to restore lost magic... it's all just rumors."
"I think you shouldn't give up! Rumors don't appear out of nowhere," Harry said quickly to reassure her. "After all, no one knows how Grindelwald gained such power. It's quite possible that it happened with the help of amulets like yours. Besides, as far as I know, he didn't particularly care for Muggles and their children."
"Maybe... I used to think so," Hermione replied quietly. "But what if you need to still have magic to restore your abilities? If we don't find a way to stop the drain on my powers soon, I won't be able to do magic at all, and then the power won't come back."
"Maybe just break the amulet?" Ron suggested. "With a hammer or some spell?"
"You think I haven't tried?" Hermione said with despair in her voice. "It was the first thing I thought of. But the amulet is well-protected, and I don't know enough to break through its defenses. Besides, I can physically feel my powers getting weaker. So even if we find a way to destroy the amulet, it means I'll lose my powers forever!"
"But still, it's better to have at least something left..." Ron said uncertainly.
"Maybe," Hermione agreed with a heavy sigh.
She sat with her head down, reluctantly picking at her food with a fork. Despair was giving way to resignation in her eyes. 'It looks like I won't be able to get my powers back,' Hermione thought. 'Maybe it's impossible. Maybe I really should focus on keeping whatever I have left...'
"Oh, Your Majesty! Did someone unworthy upset you again?" Elidor Lynett said loudly with a smirk and a mocking bow as he passed their table with his friends.
Since Hermione had run out of the Charms class, he had decided she was too proud of her talents and never missed a chance to tease her. At first, Hermione used to get very angry with him, but soon even that stopped bothering her. 'What does it matter what anyone thinks of her? Soon she won't have any reason to be at this school at all...'
"Get lost!" Ron snarled at him, standing up from his seat. Elidor, pretending to be scared, hurried back to his table, surrounded by his laughing friends.
"It's not his fault. You might think the same if you didn't know the reason..." Hermione said indifferently, pushing away her plate of now-cold scrambled eggs.
"The reason?" The voice belonged to Miranda, who had quietly approached Hermione from behind. "Please accept my apologies for Elidor. I'll talk to him and make sure he stops behaving like that. Don't think I support it. I've noticed something's been going on with you, but I can't figure out what it is. If I can help, I'd be happy to, just let me know..."
Hermione slowly looked up at Miranda, surprised by her appearance and sudden show of sympathy. Hermione's attempt at a smile was more of a formality, and a hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes—Miranda's unsolicited intervention seemed entirely unnecessary at that moment. Moreover, it made her tense up; Miranda's kind approach reminded her of her former classmate, Barbara Grayson, who liked to start her taunts with fake sympathy.
"Thanks, Miranda, but it's... it's too complicated to explain," Hermione said, subtly emphasizing each word and trying not to reveal her anxiety.
Miranda frowned slightly, clearly puzzled.
"I understand, my offer might seem unexpected. But if my help isn't welcome, maybe it would make sense to talk to the teachers? Like McGonagall or even Dumbledore?"
Harry and Ron exchanged looks, and Hermione smirked inwardly. 'Everyone seems to have the same solution in mind... But at least Miranda isn't mocking me, she just wants to play the savior,' she thought with a mix of slight irritation and gratitude. She then said:
"I really appreciate your concern, and thanks for offering to help with Elidor—that would actually be helpful. But some things... they're just too personal."
Miranda, still looking doubtful, nodded:
"I understand... But my offer still stands. If you need my help, just ask. And Elidor isn't always like this. I think he's just scared he upset you in class and now he's trying to hide it by acting out..." After glancing at Ron and Harry, Miranda slowly walked away.
"Do you think she's sincere?" Harry asked, watching Miranda leave.
"I don't know," Hermione replied, staring thoughtfully at a spot on the table, "but right now, our job is to find answers, not allies. And this task is just for the three of us."
Suddenly, the Great Hall was filled with the noise of incoming postal owls. The feathered messengers skillfully maneuvered between the tables, confidently finding their recipients. One by one, they delivered letters and packages, then flew back outside. Hermione, as usual, received a copy of the Daily Prophet and began skimming through the pages out of habit. Current events interested her little these days—her thoughts were consumed by the amulet and the looming loss of her magical abilities, and possibly her life. Suddenly, Ron interrupted Hermione's gloomy thoughts, exclaiming:
"Look! A mysterious attack..." He pointed to a small article at the bottom of the front page that Hermione had overlooked.
Returning to the front page, Hermione read aloud:
Mysterious Attack at the Christmas Fair
It has been over a month since a mysterious attack involving powerful magical artifacts and spells occurred at the Christmas fair in Oakridge, a suburb of London. This event, which has left many wizards feeling anxious and puzzled, remains a top priority for the Ministry of Magic.
After a thorough investigation conducted by the Ministry, evidence has been found suggesting possible involvement of one of the most enigmatic and forbidden organizations in the magical world – the League of Light.
The League of Light, known for its radical views and secret operations, has recently become a concern for the Ministry again. After being banned in 1938 and actively fought against, the organization had been dormant for a long time. However, in recent years, there has been increasing evidence that this group has been revived and is conducting active operations in Magical Britain.
"We are making every effort to ensure the safety of our community and will not allow any dark forces to undermine peace and stability," a Ministry spokesperson stated in response to a Daily Prophet inquiry.
According to the same spokesperson, the details of the attack itself are still unclear, but sources close to the investigation claim that the evidence undeniably points to the League. Among other things, rare artifacts and traces of spells commonly used by members of this forbidden organization were found at the scene.
The Ministry of Magic urges all citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities or individuals who might be connected to the League of Light. At the same time, they assure the public that they are doing everything possible to ensure safety and prevent similar incidents in the future. To better control the situation, a committee has been established within the Ministry to oversee all actions directed against the League.
No arrests have been made so far, but the investigation is ongoing. The Ministry of Magic promises to keep the public informed about any developments in this case.
Special correspondent Isolde Peregrine.
"The League of Light?!" Ron looked at Harry and Hermione with confusion and surprise. "Who are they? Have you ever heard of them?"
Harry shrugged. Growing up among Muggles, he had no idea about any secret societies in the wizarding world. Hermione, who also grew up in a non-magical family, had read extensively and was interested in almost everything. However, she hadn't heard of this organization either.
"No, never." Hermione reread the article carefully. "But maybe this League knows something about the amulet and how to restore its power. They wouldn't have tried to steal it for no reason."
"Do you think this could help us?" Harry said doubtfully. "I doubt they'd willingly share their secrets. And we don't even know where to look for them. Even the Ministry can't find them…"
"For starters, we can look for information about the League of Light, and see where that leads us." The new hint seemed to lift Hermione's spirits a bit, and she, now with a sense of purpose, finished her breakfast and headed to class – she had new plans for after school.