Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 339 "Clearing the Name"

"Actually... it doesn't necessarily have to be a 'lie' to successfully deceive Miss Blake."

"The truth is often more tempting than a lie."

When Harry uttered those two profound and enigmatic sentences with a smile, Hermione was fine, but Ron immediately rolled his eyes.

"Could you please be a little clearer about what you're saying? Can't you at least have some consideration for your teammates?"

Ron didn't hold back in his criticism, but Harry just smiled and turned his gaze to Hermione.

What method did you come up with?

"Don't try to hide it from me, I know you've already figured it out."

Harry's confident demeanor made Ron look at Hermione, but the usually confident Hermione hesitated for a rare moment, finally stammering out:

"It's a rather immature method, and a bit... unethical?"

After hearing this warning, Ron became even more curious.

Unable to refuse any longer, Hermione had no choice but to tell the whole story.

"It's simple: just leak the news that Harry is at Black's old house, and then... just wait."

Hermione explained it simply, but Ron was completely confused.

After quickly making a gesture to interrupt, Ron hurriedly asked, "I understand the first half of the sentence, which means we need to move our position and shift the battlefield to Blake's old house, but what does the second half, 'wait,' mean?"

"Could it be that she'll obediently walk into the trap after hearing this news?"

Ron finished speaking with a disdainful expression, but that disdain quickly froze on his face as Harry and Hermione both nodded at him.

Ron: "???"

"But... but how could Blake possibly step into Blake's old house on his own initiative? Everyone knows this is the Order of the Phoenix's stronghold!"

Ron scratched his head in frustration, while Harry, standing next to him, received a glare from Hermione.

"uncertain……"

Under the light, Hermione's eyes shone brightly, and her tone was heavy yet tinged with a hint of excitement.

"Harry, as long as you're here, she'll definitely come!"

Harry remained unmoved by Hermione's excitement, and it took Ron a while to notice him slightly closing his eyes.

Soon, Ron heard Harry seem to chuckle, "Ha, does that make me sound like a carrot dangling in front of her?"

Hearing Harry's lame jokes, Hermione immediately snapped back to reality, a hint of helplessness appearing on her face.

“Harry…this method is a bit shameless…how about we try something else—”

“No need to change it,” Harry interrupted Hermione’s confusion, then bent down and spread the map on the table out even more. “This method is perfect—really, Hermione.”

Harry kept his head down, and Ron couldn't see his expression, but that didn't stop him from noticing that Harry was in low spirits. So much so that he was still thinking about how to ease his good friend's mood during the latter part of the discussion.

Hermione!

Seeing Hermione about to go inside with the map to study the route, Ron reacted quickly, catching the map while calling out to Hermione.

"I've had a feeling something's off with Harry these past few days, and so have you. What are you two hiding from me?"

Looking at the red-haired boy who was at least a head taller than her, Hermione suddenly felt a little dazed, and the image of Ron's jealousy, influenced by the locket, vaguely appeared in her mind.

It seems that not only Harry, but he himself has matured quite a bit.

Hermione was satisfied and her mood improved considerably. Since the other party had asked, she had no reason not to answer, but... this place was not right.

So Ron was pulled by Hermione up to the platform where the bonfire party had been held a few days earlier.

"Harry cares a lot about Thea."

Suddenly, Ron felt tinnitus and even started hallucinating!

The young man in front of her looked on in disbelief, muttering, "I must be dreaming..."

Hermione: "…………"

I just want to erase the impression I have of the other person's maturity from my mind!

But given that the news was indeed quite shocking, Hermione generously gave Ron a few minutes to react.

Ron lived up to Hermione's expectations, standing there stunned for a few seconds before fully recovering.

"It seems... I remember Harry asking me before what gifts girls like or something..."

The more Ron recalled, the more ashen his face became, but he persisted in trying to remember.

"I didn't realize it at the time... but now it seems... the person he was going to give it to... is it Thea?"

Looking at Ron, who was on the verge of collapse, Hermione nodded without any affection.

"Oh, this is terrible!"

Ron started scratching his head anxiously and even started biting his nails.

"After that incident... I said so many bad things about Thea in front of him... and all those things from before... damn it, Harry actually managed not to kill me—"

As Ron's increasingly natural pronunciation of "Thea" filled her ears, Hermione felt a sudden, dull ache in her heart for some reason.

She almost couldn't help but ask aloud:

You can call out her name so fluently because you've never forgotten it. It's just that after countless sleepless nights, you reluctantly replaced that name with a cold "Blake."

Just like her?

Just like her.

"By the way, is there anything else you want to tell me? You're not the kind of person who would put personal matters before public ones."

Rather than making Ron believe that Hermione would soften her heart towards a Death Eater because of Harry's affections, it would be better to make Ron believe in Hermione's speed in breaking up the couple.

"Thea... likely has her reasons."

"Didn't you notice?"

"After so many battles, given the disparity in strength between us and the Death Eaters, how could we possibly still be alive and kicking?"

Thea: "..."

Help! Stop mythologizing me! In the original story, you guys survived to the end thanks to your own tenacious vitality!

Unfortunately, Thea is not here now and cannot defend herself, so Hermione, who has gone astray, has begun to lead Ron astray.

Even the examples she gave were impossible for Thea to refute!

She said, "How much luck would Harry need to escape the Avada Kedavra curse from Voldemort in the final stage of the Triwizard Tournament?"

She said, "That 'Divine Sharpness' in fifth grade, how much restraint do you think it would take to prevent it from hitting Harry?"

She said, "If there hadn't been a riot at Malfoy Manor that night, what do you think our chances of escaping would have been?"

Ron: "…………"

Ron was even very calm.

"And what about Dumbledore?"

How do you explain his death?