Chapter 43: Bell's Racial Talents

On Friday afternoon, Ravenclaw House had no scheduled classes. Bell was accustomed to going to the library to read.

Upon arriving at the library, as expected, Bell saw Hermione sitting in her usual spot. Bell walked over and greeted her.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

"I'm looking up some information about magical creatures," Hermione replied in a low voice.

Speaking in the library was a risky endeavor. If it displeased Madam Pince, they would be chased out with a feather duster. This was terrifying for young witches like them.

Just like Bell, Hermione enjoyed spending time in the library and often spent even more time there than Bell did when there were no classes.

Because they frequently bumped into each other in the library, Hermione and Bell became increasingly familiar with each other.

Bell carefully looked at Hermione.

"Did you not sleep well last night? You seem a bit tired," he remarked.

"Don't even mention it, I'm so frustrated!" Hermione replied irritably.

"Bell, do you know? Last night, Harry Potter and his friend Ron Weasley, they actually broke the rules and had some kind of wizard duel with a Slytherin student named Malfoy! Do they not care about the rules at all? Have they not thought about how many points Gryffindor would lose if Filch caught them?" Hermione was beside herself with anger. It was evident that she had a deep obsession with the House Cup.

Bell found it somewhat amusing, but to avoid upsetting the already upset young witch, he forced himself not to laugh as he asked Hermione, "So you stayed up all night because of that?"

"No," Hermione replied, her expression now one of distress. Seeing her constantly changing expressions, Bell couldn't help but want to laugh.

"I wanted to stop them, so I stayed in the common room in the evening. But no matter how I persuaded them, they wouldn't listen. I followed them out to the corridor outside the common room. When I turned back to go inside, I found that the Fat Lady wasn't there, so I couldn't go back to the dormitory! I was so furious at that moment!" Hermione explained. "Oh, the Fat Lady is a painting, and to enter the Gryffindor common room, you need her permission."

"And then?" Bell asked with interest.

If it weren't for the wrong time and place, he would have taken out some cola and popcorn to enjoy while listening.

"I was afraid of being caught by Filch if I stayed outside the common room, so I had no choice but to go with them. We met Neville outside the common room because he forgot the password to get in. Then we went to the Trophy Room together, but Malfoy didn't show up. Not only did he not show up, he even told Filch that there were people in the Trophy Room. We barely avoided being caught by Filch, and it scared me to death!" Hermione recounted, her face still pale with fear. She still regretted her actions from last night. If only she had stayed outside the common room.

Thinking about it carefully, Neville stayed there until he fell asleep and wasn't discovered by anyone. So if she had waited outside the common room for a while longer, until the Fat Lady returned, there shouldn't have been any problem. At least nothing like what happened last night in the corridor on the fourth floor on the right.

"Oh, Bell, I have something to ask you," Hermione said, looking around to make sure no one was paying attention before speaking.

"..."

Bell couldn't help but feel that Hermione's actions and demeanor were somewhat familiar. Were today's children just too fond of surprises? Or were there just too many shady things happening at Hogwarts?

"Bell, do you know about a magical creature that's roughly 3 meters tall and has three heads?" Hermione asked, not expecting much.

Since Bell wasn't very knowledgeable about magical creatures, Hermione doubted he would know what the large dog they saw last night was. After all, both Ron and Neville were from wizarding families, but neither of them knew.

But since she brought it up, if she left it at that, it would seem like she was just playing a prank. She didn't want anyone to think she enjoyed playing pranks.

"Forget it, I don't want to wake up and find myself inside a dog's belly," Hermione replied.

"Why did you suddenly mention a three-headed dog?" Bell asked curiously.

Could it be that after eating dumplings filled with dragon meat a few days ago, Hermione's inner foodie spirit had finally awakened after several days of incubation? So now she was looking for magical creatures that looked appetizing?

And why did he use 'also'? Hehe, that was Bell's racial talent!

"Do you remember at the start-of-term feast, Professor Dumbledore warned us not to go near the corridor on the fourth floor on the right? It turns out that last night, in our panic to avoid Filch, we ended up in that corridor. At the end of the corridor, we found a three-headed dog in a room. I thought I was done for!" Hermione said with a shudder. "And don't tell anyone about this, or if the professor finds out, I'll lose a lot of points!"

'So how obsessed are you with house points!'

Bell looked at Hermione speechlessly.

"I also saw a trapdoor under the three-headed dog's feet, so I'm sure Professor Dumbledore hid something there. What do you think it could be, Bell?"

Bell fell into thought. At first, he really didn't know what Hermione had encountered. But when Hermione mentioned the "trapdoor," Bell remembered. After all, that wasn't a term commonly used.

He carefully recalled his memories. At first, he didn't pay much attention, just acting on instinct. But now, upon recollection, he realized he almost missed a very important item. If his memories from his past life were correct, what was hidden there should be the Philosopher's Stone.

Bell thought about his important plan. Even though he didn't believe the Philosopher's Stone was real, what if it was? It wouldn't hurt to go and check it out.

"Bell, are you listening to me?" Hermione asked, pushing Bell lightly.

"Oh, of course," Bell replied, coming back to reality.

"But how could I possibly know what Professor Dumbledore hid? And even if I did, what difference would it make?" Bell asked.

Hermione nodded in agreement. She was only slightly curious, and hearing Bell's words made sense to her, so she didn't say anything more.

For a while, the two of them went back to their own tasks.