Chapter 229 - Stalking.

"That was a great performance Loki." Professor Lupin encouraged while nodding at Loki after he exited the final trap chamber that was designed to test the students against Boggarts.

"I hope you'll keep my fear hidden from everyone else Professor.", Loki said returning a slightly embarrassed nod.

"Haha~ don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Lupin nodded politely and Loki sighed in relief, leaving through the doors so that another student could enter the testing room.

"Thank you, professor! I hope you have a great end of the year!"

"Haha~ Goodbye."

Walking out of the classroom, Loki spotted Snape talking to several Slytherin students who were waiting in line ready to enter the classroom to take the test.

Loki didn't mean to, but he inadvertently eavesdropped on their conversation, especially since Draco was being particularly loud.

"No way! Wait till my father hears about this! Professor Lupin is a werewolf!!!"

Loki froze in his footsteps as did Snape who had just informed Draco.

All the students looked at Draco and Snape with shock, wondering if they were speaking the truth.

It looked like Snape was taking all his restraint not to snap outright and bash Draco's head into the wall.

He took a deep breath, and then very slowly turned around without saying another word and walked away.

Loki shook his head.

'Just as I was thinking we would be getting a half decent Professor next year as well. Can't have good DADA Professors at Hogwarts I guess.'

With a disappointed *sigh* Loki began to walk to his destination.

A broom closet.

Sitting down in the closet, Loki began to think about his current most important problem.

'How am I going to break it to Sirius Black that I am his housemate?'

'Kreacher told me that he's already been living in the house for quite a while now.'

'He doesn't go to anyone else's rooms and is just there to sleep while he spends the rest of the day drunk and womanising.'

'Hmm…though.'

'Can I just spring it upon him that his collaborator is also his roommate? But won't Harry be living in there too?'

'I don't want to come into 'Adam's' radar just yet if that's possible. I'm sure he'll be keeping a close eye on everything related to him, especially the house if Sirius is actually going to let him live there.'

'Perhaps it's time I get a house of my own? But that'd be expensive even if I rent one.'

Loki kept pondering about meaningless things until he saw Hermione take her DADA exam on the Marauder's map.

Once she was out of the classroom, Loki turned himself invisible and got out of the broom closet.

'If I am right. It is going to happen now.'

Loki saw Hermione speak to her two friends, Harry and Ron who were waiting for her to finish the test.

'She seems sad and disappointed? Did her DADA test not go well? Oh? Maybe she couldn't scare away her boggart?'

Loki's deepest fear after having fallen prey to corruption from a deity had promptly turned into that instead of Amon. And to conquer it he'd given himself super muscles which somehow trapped the corruption and squeezed it out of existence like a cartoon muscle flex.

So Loki looked at her with some understanding of how hard that part of the test could be.

'She's just learned about people possessing superpowers in this world. She's probably imagined some eldritch horror doing something to her with its super-'

"And you know what the boggart turned into!?" Hermione shouted as Ron and Harry got closer to where Loki was standing.

"What?" Harry asked, worried that Hermione had gotten scared and needed to go to the Hospital Wing.

"Probably just turned into Professor McGonagall handing her a report card that was filled with 'T' for 'Troll'or something.", Ron said shrugging his shoulders.

"Haha~ Although that'd be funny, no offence Hermione, no way that's true.", Harry said but Hermione wasn't following the two boys anymore. She was standing behind them, glaring at Ron.

"If you knew that was going to happen, why didn't you tell me about it!!!! I could've been so much more prepared!!!! AGGGHHHH!!!! Now Professor Lupin thinks I'm some failure!!"

Loki became dumbfounded, as did Ron and Harry.

Hermione on the other hand smashed her bag into Ron and started walking away.

"Should we follow her?" Harry asked with confusion.

"You mad!? Why would we follow her right now!? She's probably only going to use us to take out her frustration. You know her. She'll probably say something like, 'Harry your hair is too untidy!! Fix it or I'll tell Professor McGonagall about it!!'" Ron said with a frown.

Loki almost broke his cover by laughing at the surprisingly close retort but he stayed silent and quickly rushed behind Hermione to follow her.

Hermione first went to the washroom, outside which Loki waited patiently until she came out and then started to follow her again.

And his following around paid off when he saw her walking towards Professor McGonagall's office.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"Come in." An old but stern voice sounded from inside the room and Hermione pushed open the door for her to enter, but Loki quickly followed her inside.

The inside of Professor McGonagall's office was cosy but austere, one could easily tell the room belonged to a professor and not anyone else.

Professor McGonagall was sitting behind her table but there was also someone else in the room, a man with a stern face and a thin moustache.

He immediately stood up as Hermione arrived and looked at her with a stern expression.

"Good Afternoon Miss Granger. I suppose you've done well in your tests?"

Hermione's eyes twitched a little seeing McGonagall ask her this when just a few minutes ago she was handing her a report filled with 'T' for troll.

But she managed to keep her composure and nod, "Yes Professor, I did well."

"Let us get to the matter Professor, I don't have all day." The man said and both McGonagall and Hermione shot him a sharp glare.

Yet the man didn't back down.

Loki however was eager for everyone to get to the matter since it meant he could execute what he'd come here for.

"*Ahem* Let's do it then. Miss Granger, I suppose you will not be needing the Time Turner anymore?"

"No Professor, I will be dropping Muggle Studies along with Divination. I don't think I will be needing it anymore."

"Good. I understand. And you have the Time Turner on you I presume?"

"Yes, professor." Hermione said, pulling out the golden chain around her neck, attached to which was a tiny hourglass inside a gyroscope-like mechanism.

Loki's eyes twinkled as he stared at the contraption that he had only used once and greedily wanted to use many times more.

But it seemed like this would not be for him when the man stretched his hand out. "Please hand it over."

Hermione did as she was told and gave the man the Time Turner.

"You haven't damaged it I suppose?" The man asked with a frown as he inspected the time turner.

"No."

"And you haven't used it for doing any circusy tricks with time? Like allowing your friends to use it to see their dead parents or something?"

"...no."

"I see. Good then. I will be off."

The man slipped the time turner into a velvety box and started to walk out of the room without any fancy questions or salutations.

Hermione and McGonagall stared at the man as he walked out of the room, but Loki quickly rushed behind him, following him out.

'Finally! God, I was wondering what was taking him so long!'

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