Chapter 125.
"Crazy Luna lovegood?" Ron blurted out at the first sight of her.
Hermione frowned slightly. "I think giving others nicknames isn't a fun thing to do."
"No, I didn't make up that nickname; the whole Ravenclaw calls her that." Ron tried to clarify, not wanting to leave Dudley with the impression that he liked to give other stupid nicknames.
"Hello there," Dudley stepped forward to greet her.
The small witch looked a bit dazed, awakening from her daze only upon hearing Dudley's voice.
"Hello, Mr. Dursley," the little witch replied politely and softly, her voice sounding like she was in a dream.
Dudley's fame at Hogwarts was not less than Dumbledore's.
You might not know who the professor is, but you certainly can't not know the head of the disciplinary committee.
Dudley noticed the little witch wearing carrot-shaped earrings and a necklace made from a butterbeer bottle cap, which, together with her unique aura, looked quite odd.
"What's your name?"
"Luna, Luna Lovegood."
Lovegood, a name associated with the ruthless tabloid editor who doesn't pay any heed to proofreading the news.
"It's already very late. What are you doing here instead of sleeping in your dorm?" Dudley asked.
Without taking much time, Luna replied, "I'm looking for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. I heard their voices. Have you seen them?"
"What is that?" Neville was taken aback; his brain in magical creature studies was decent, but he had never heard of this name.
Could it be that some new magical creature had popped out?
"A creature not yet recognized by the magical world. It is said to live in Sweden," Hermione explained, looking at Luna with a somewhat complex expression. "Most wizards don't believe in their existence."
"But they do exist," Luna said in an incredibly firm tone, as if she had seen them before.
"Unverified creatures, I can't determine if they exist." Hermione shook her head, not intending to dwell on this issue.
Whether they exist or not had little to do with her.
She wasn't a fanatic about magical creatures.
"What happened to your shoes?" Dudley pointed to Luna's bare feet.
The floors of Hogwarts aren't that warm and definitely do not
automatically adjust the temperature according to the comfort of these little witches and wizards.
Recently, the weather has gradually turned cold, and the ground has become increasingly icy with the temperature, especially at night, as if stepping on 'eternal frozen soil'. This made Luna's already pale feet turn blue and purple from the cold, instinctively curled up together.
"They often disappear for no reason; I think they must be hidden by some little creature lurking in Hogwarts." Even though her feet were trembling from the cold, Luna's voice still sounded optimistic.
"I don't think it's the work of some little creatures."
Hermione put away her book, her expression turning serious, as Luna's words reminded her of her own experiences from last year.
Hasn't it only been a short time since the campus bullying was brought in light? Hiding someone's shoes; did they think it was fun to do so?
"Walking barefoot on the ground for a long time can have some adverse effects on the body, and even potions can't completely heal it." As she spoke, Hermione took off her own shoes and handed them to Luna.
"Your feet are about the same size as mine. You can wear these for now; just return them to me when you find your shoes."
Harry widened his eyes; those shoes were Hermione's favorite pair, a gift from Draco.
"Thank you," Luna sincerely expressed her gratitude but politely declined, "but if you give them to me, then your own feet will freeze."
"It's fine." Hermione shook her head, then patted Draco: "I don't think I'll get cold."
Luna looked at Draco thoughtfully but this time did not refuse.
After putting on the shoes, Luna was coaxed back to the dorm.
Draco leaned against the wall with his arms crossed; this time he wasn't going to offer suggestions; he wanted to see how Hermione and the others handled it.
First, Draco turned to the others and said, "Clearly, this is another bullying incident."
"We should go over with her, capture those bullies, and make sure they get the punishment they deserve," Ron said excitedly, even sounding a bit thrilled?
Draco sarcastically replied, "Let's not forget it's already curfew time; do you want to rush into the Ravenclaw girls' dormitory at midnight? Little Rudolf, that's truly a brilliant idea."
"I don't want to become famous for being the Hogwarts's daring wolf the next day like you."
His tone and demeanor deeply captured the essence of Snape; no wonder he was Snape's second-favorite student.
Ron turned red with anger, matching his red hair, making him look like his head was on fire, shouting to duel with Draco. After a while of pulling him back, Harry simply sat down on a small stool to watch them duel.
Of course, they definitely wouldn't duel.
At this moment, Hermione spoke up: "If we want to catch the thief, we need to have some kind of evidence. What if they say Luna did it herself? How would you explain that?" As long as they didn't catch them in the act, there was much more room for operation.
If it was claimed that Luna did it herself, knowing it was bullying wouldn't help; what could they even do?
"To punish them, we need evidence; otherwise, how can others trust us?"
"What should we do then?" Ron looked dumbfounded; it seemed he was too naive.
"I think the evidence will probably show up in a couple of days," Hermione said with a slight smile, brimming with confidence.
———
In the Ravenclaw common room, Luna returned to her bed wearing the shoes after her nighttime stroll.
Since the shoes weren't hers, she couldn't take them off; if she lost them again, there'd be no way to return them.
In fact, Luna only appeared dazed and crazy.
In reality, she was smarter than most young wizards; however, her innate personality kept her from being someone who likes to bother with others too much.
But some things you may not mind; it doesn't mean others will let you off the hook. They might even think you're weak and push further, increasing the pressure. One must learn to resist when being bullied.
Feeling the warmth from the inside of the shoes, Luna felt a warmth in her heart.
Unbeknownst to Luna, after she entered sweet dreams, the other girls in the dorm woke up and gathered together to discuss something in hushed voices.
It's pretty normal for four girls in a dormitory to appear in five or six groups.
This is another form of exclusion.
"Look, that crazy girl got another pair of shoes from somewhere, they're really pretty."
Since they were chosen and given to Hermione by Draco, the style was naturally top-notch.
"They look a bit familiar," one little witch said hesitantly.
But her voice was too soft and didn't attract others' attention.
"How does she deserve them?" another little witch said with jealousy.
Following her, other little witches chimed in: "Let's hide them again; I want to see how many pairs of shoes she has."