71 The Voldemort Detector

Evening fell over Hogwarts, casting long shadows as Luke, supported by Hermione, stumbled off the train, holding his head. Something felt different this time. As the train began its journey, a wave of dizziness engulfed him, more severe than ever before. Before he could savor the comfort of Hermione's lap pillow, he succumbed to unconsciousness.

The next thing he knew, he was at Hogwarts.

"Why does this keep happening?" Luke wondered incredulously.

"Are you okay?" Hermione's concerned brown eyes fixed on the disoriented Luke.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just need a moment to catch my breath," he replied, seated on a bench, gazing at the sky adorned with fiery clouds.

Could it be the thunder scales' growth making him more susceptible to the train's motion? Over the vacation, the scales had extended from his arms and would soon cover him entirely. The more he contemplated, the more convinced he became of this theory.

Should he stop taking trains during holidays and head straight back? Perhaps it was a decision to be pondered later.

"Let's head to the auditorium for dinner," Luke suggested after regaining some strength, and they chose to walk instead of taking a boat.

On the path, many young wizards opted to walk, avoiding the eerie black lake at night teeming with hidden magical creatures.

As they approached the Hogwarts gate, Luke proposed dining at the Gryffindor table.

"Long time no see, Harry," Luke greeted.

"Welcome back, Luke," Harry's eyes lit up, and he joined them.

"How long does a drop of the potion you gave me last?" Harry inquired discreetly.

"One drop lasts for twelve hours. Why do you ask?" Luke responded, puzzled.

"No reason. Just checking," Harry replied, a hint of unease in his eyes as he returned to his seat.

Luke, with his pale blue eyes, observed Harry for a moment before shifting his gaze, sensing an undercurrent of mystery.

How Harry uses the potion is his business; after all, it's been given to him, and even if it's applied to Ron's body, Luke doesn't care. But one thing is clear—don't use it on him.

"Come on, open your mouth!" urged Hermione, holding a slice of watermelon in front of Luke.

Under the complicated gazes of Harry and Ronald, Hermione's pretty eyes dodged slightly.

Luke glanced at Harry and Ron, who immediately bowed their heads to eat.

"Okay, no one's watching now!"

Ron and Harry bowed their heads, pretending to eat silently, but they couldn't take a single bite. The mysterious potion left them feeling oddly full.

...

On the first night back at school, Luke invited Hermione to a quiet spot for a date. The shy Hermione hesitated for half a second before agreeing.

"Is this what you call a date?" Hermione asked, eyeing the table filled with books.

"You two are really diligent, coming to study as soon as school starts."

At that moment, Mrs. Prince approached the two with a book, sighing.

"Good evening, Mrs. Prince!"

Luke greeted politely, while Hermione stared blankly at the notes in front of her. The notebook contained Luke's improvements on various potions over the past two weeks.

Hermione found the notebook surprisingly meaningful, even though it felt a bit weird.

She couldn't help but question, "Didn't you promised me a date"

"Well, here is our date," Luke said spreading his arms towards the pile and pile of books.

"This is not a date!" Hermione insisted, baring her teeth at Luke with a ferocious look.

"We're in a quiet space, just the two of us," Luke said, realizing that Hermione's eyes were not right he continued.

"It's my fault. Let's go on a date by the Black Lake tomorrow!"

As Hermione approached, Luke quickly changed his tune, "Tomorrow afternoon!"

Demanding, Hermione said, "But there's class tomorrow afternoon."

"Of course, we can skip class too." Luke replied.

Hermione considered the options, realizing that tomorrow afternoon's class was the history of magic. Only then did Miss Hermione nod in satisfaction and pick up the notebook that Luke handed her.

There are numerous improvement techniques above that she is unfamiliar with.

"You're incredible," she exclaimed.

"Thank you. There is a lot more to me."

While the two were engrossed in their studies, two familiar faces suddenly appeared in the library – Harry and Ron.

"How did those two end up in the library?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "Are they lost?"

Luke and Hermione, seated in the corner, were promptly noticed by Harry, who hurried over.

"Three-headed dog?"

Luke listened to Harry's words calmly, while Hermione was visibly uneasy.

"Are you saying that Headmaster Dumbledore keeps a three-headed dog in the forbidden area on the third floor?"

You should know that she had ventured into the forbidden area on the third floor with Luke and had discovered a scene reflecting their married life in the Mirror of Erised.

The tips of her ears turned red just thinking about it.

"How did you two find out about the three-headed dogs in that place?" Luke asked curiously.

At that time, he had wanted to go inside and feed the three-headed dog a Momotaro rice ball, but he had forgotten about it due to being too busy.

"I was being chased by Filch during the night tour ," Harry said unashamedly.

Night tour or no night tour, it was still Gryffindor.

"So you suspect that the three-headed dog is guarding something?"

"Do you want me to come along?"

Luke looked at the two with a puzzled expression.

"We just want you to figure out a way to access the secret door below," Harry said helplessly.

"I was being pursued by Filch when I saw Professor Quirrell coming out, and Snape was in a confrontation with him."

"And for some reason, the scar on my forehead hurts when I see Quirrell."

Saying that, Harry covered the lightning scar on his forehead.

Hearing this, Luke couldn't help but glance at Harry and think.

"You're not just Harry Potter but The Voldemort Detector 3000."