Chapter 421: The Golden Egg

Chapter 421: The Golden Egg

The morning of the next day had arrived. Though Harry and Ron were eager to leave the hospital wing early, the fatigue from the previous night and their injuries held them back. Madam Pomfrey mentioned Ron's still-swollen leg and Harry's six broken ribs.

"The healing charm can only address minor injuries, like a twisted nose. It's only somewhat effective in emergencies," Madam Pomfrey had said at the time, but both of them suspected it was her way of coaxing them into taking the potions.

After sipping the concoction, their minds immediately grew hazy, slowing down like a clock winding down. Harry and Ron exchanged a few words before drifting off into slumber. Their sleep was deep, and it wasn't until Hermione came to check on them that they finally stirred.

Harry recounted the events of the previous night, emphasizing, "We were in a rush and couldn't get to you in time." Hermione shrugged. "Unless you stood outside the entire girls' dormitory shouting, we wouldn't have known. And even then, I might not have heard..."

Ron coughed heavily, sounding like "dance." Hermione's ears turned red.

There was a slight tension between the two:

Ron, during a break in the dance, accused her of siding with the enemy. Hermione dryly explained the significance of the tournament in fostering unity. However, when Ron loudly accused Krum of being interested only in the egg's secret, Hermione was furious.

"He never once asked me about the egg! Never!" Hermione erupted. "In fact, he invited me initially, in the library, but I hesitated. And for the sake of some silly champions—guess what? Roger Davies immediately invited Cho Chang, and my two idiotic companions just complained about pretty girls being picked!"

Harry looked particularly innocent.

He hadn't considered inviting Hermione, but that was because he harbored secret thoughts, maybe about Cedric and Cho arguing... well, he knew such a thing couldn't happen, but that conclusion left him even more disheartened, diminishing his interest in the upcoming dance.

Anyway, after that, Harry and a gloomy Ron went out to the courtyard, unexpectedly overhearing a conversation between Hagrid and Madame Maxime, learning about their half-giant status, while Hermione (as she claimed) stayed in the Great Hall, sulking alone.

Harry was skeptical about her sulking because when they returned, they saw Hermione cheerfully dancing with Professor Flitwick...

After the dance, Harry noticed that Hermione and Ron were again silent with each other. They returned to the dormitory, deep in thought, sleeping until nightmares woke them, chasing spies around the castle together. This morning, when they saw Hermione again, both she and Ron were polite, as if yesterday's argument never happened.

And when Hermione heard about Hagrid's half-giant identity, she didn't find it particularly odd.

"Actually, I always suspected he was a giant," she said, shrugging. "I knew he couldn't be a pure giant because they reach about twenty feet tall. There's no need to be so touchy... It's a prejudice, much like how people treat werewolves... maybe throw in house-elves too... though the biases aren't the same!"

"Quick, show us! Hermione, I've never seen a Time-Turner!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry also looked expectantly at her. "Did you bring it?"

Hermione's eyes curved. "Of course," she said, pulling out a golden chain from her chest. It held a small disc-shaped timer surrounded by a gold frame, with a tiny hourglass inside, intricately designed.

"Is this the Time-Turner? It looks really beautiful... Are you sure it's broken?" Harry inquired.

Hermione didn't reply; instead, she twirled it before them, tucking it back into her robes.

"It's nothing special to look at. Why don't we focus on cracking the egg?" She said eagerly. "I've finally devised a plan that's likely not to damage its structure..."

Harry and Ron stared at the golden egg she had brought, now sitting on a cabinet nearby, hesitantly. Harry glanced at his pajamas; if it started screaming during the egg's analysis, it would be hard to run away.

He didn't want to embarrass himself by

screaming along.

Ron, however, was already inching closer. "What's the plan, Hermione?" he asked, gazing at the egg with curiosity.

Hermione leaned in, her eyes gleaming with anticipation as she whispered her strategy to her two friends.

>

You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.

As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:

Early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL. You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.You Get Ad-free Chapters.Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.