bookbashuk Page 214
Page 214
"I think... it would be better if you went outside to wait."
Looking at the astonishing scene before him, Professor Lu Ping smiled wryly.
Levin nodded, he couldn't have been happier, and immediately pulled Hermione and Luna out.
Only the two professors and Harry remained inside.
The three quickly retreated from the passage, and after leaving the cave entrance, they retreated again, keeping a safe distance.
He only canceled the "Head-Soaking Curse" when he felt the smell couldn't reach there anymore.
The crisp air of the forbidden forest now seemed incredibly fresh, and the group couldn't help but take deep breaths, as if trying to expel the stale air they had smelled earlier.
Levin was the same; it was as if he had returned an oxygen-deprived fish to the water, and every cell in his body was immersed in the fresh air.
"I can't believe it! How did they get themselves into that state? It's just... disgusting!" Hermione's complaints were incoherent. "Why didn't they clean themselves up? Why are they just lying here like that?! How much did they eat before?!"
Levin's little potion gave her a huge shock.
In fact, even Levin himself was finding it unbearable. He swore he would never go down that tunnel again—he didn't even want to get close to the Whomping Willow, otherwise seeing it would remind him of that insane scene.
After a long while, the group of people helped each other out of the tree hollow.
Harry was supporting Ron, Professor Lupin was supporting Malfoy, and Professor McGonagall walked behind them with a livid expression.
The two wands that had been used to kill the eggs returned to them; heaven knows where they dug them up from.
They had been thoroughly cleaned, but their faces were still unhealthy and pale, and they leaned weakly against Harry and Lupin.
Upon seeing them, Levin and his two companions all stepped back and instinctively covered their noses.
Ron and Malfoy didn't make a big deal out of it.
In fact, after breathing in some fresh air, their previously numb noses finally began to recover, and they were able to smell the stench on themselves again.
It would be incredibly embarrassing to be caught in such a nightmarish scene by someone else.
At this moment, the two of them didn't even have the courage to look up at the expressions on other people's faces; they wished they could dig a hole and bury themselves in it.
Although Professor McGonagall had just used her skillful [Gathering Fountain Charm] and [Cleansing Charm] to cleanse the sticky or dried-out stains from their bodies,
But they still felt incredibly dirty and uncomfortable all over, as if maggots were crawling all over them.
“Mr. Green, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Miss Lovegood, I hope none of you will tell anyone what you saw today,” Professor McGonagall solemnly reminded them.
Levin nodded. He did this only to annoy the two of them, not to kill them.
"It's nothing serious, just take a good shower when you get back." Seeing their expressions of utter despair, Hermione offered words of comfort out of basic compassion.
“At least two hours of washing,” Luna’s ethereal voice added.
However, kindness cannot stop subconscious disgust.
After speaking, the two women grabbed Levin and hurried towards the castle, as if staying with them for even a minute longer would get them dirty.
The two professors and Harry, along with the two unfortunate boys, then returned to the castle.
Although Ron and Malfoy both wished they could slip back to the common room and go to the academy's washrooms for a thorough shower.
However, Professor McGonagall insisted on taking them to the school clinic for a check-up first.
As wizards, the fact that they could spray like that was quite rare in her eyes.
It's impossible that it's due to purely physiological factors.
It's more likely due to a curse, a magic potion, or something similar.
“This is treatable, isn’t it?” In the school infirmary, Ron looked at Mrs. Pomfrey expectantly. “I won’t have diarrhea again, will I…”
“Of course.” Mrs. Pomfrey nodded, but first put on three masks herself.
After a brief examination, she came to a conclusion.
"This might be because you accidentally came into contact with a powerful medicine that can cause diarrhea. Why did you drink that medicine?"
Mrs. Pomfrey was incomprehensible.
But Ron and Harry exchanged a glance and seemed to have reached a conclusion.
They all thought of two people—Ron's twin brother.
Ron had heard them mention that they were researching a prank candy for diarrhea.
Could it be that they secretly drugged themselves and Malfoy?
But Ron didn't dare to verify it.
Because once the twins find out what happened to him, his infamy will soon spread throughout the entire Hogwarts.
This matter is destined to end without resolution.
After taking Madam Pomfrey's potion, the two quickly left the school infirmary. Amidst the strange looks from passing young wizards, they fled back to their dormitory as if being chased by Sirius Black, heading straight for the washroom.
Before going inside, Ron unusually threw all his clothes into the trash can, something he, who was always poor and frugal, had never done before.
Ron would stay in the bathroom for an hour at a time, wishing he could wash himself ten times over.
Just then, Harry's urging rang out from outside: "We need to hurry to the Great Hall; dinner time is almost over."
After what happened, Harry clearly had no appetite, but Ron desperately needed to eat.
Levin's little invention completely emptied his stomach, and he then lay there weakly for most of the day, needing some nutrition.
In the restroom, Ron's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this.
It feels like it's been ages since I last ate anything.
But at that moment, he had no appetite at all.
Unfortunately, to prevent himself from fainting in the lounge, he had to force himself to do this.
Malfoy shared the same troubles.
Several young wizards who had missed dinner met in the Great Hall, where only scraps remained.
They saw Levin, who was hurriedly eating dinner with Luna and Hermione.
Upon seeing Ron and Malfoy arrive, they reacted as if they had seen ghosts, leaping from their chairs and instinctively backing away.
"Sigh." Ron sighed and looked at 757's mortal enemy beside him.
The other person seemed to have something to say to him as well.
"Hey, Malfoy! About today—" Ron hadn't finished speaking when Malfoy interrupted him.
"Weasley! Don't tell anyone about what happened today!" he said fiercely.
“That’s what I thought too.” Ron, unusually, didn’t get angry; he just nodded.
Then, Malfoy turned to Levin and the other two, his voice tinged with pleading, "Levin, I beg you, about today's matter..."
“Of course, we already agreed to that in the Forbidden Forest,” Levin replied immediately before Malfoy could finish speaking. “But could you please sit a little further away? I know you’re clean, but I can’t get over it psychologically for at least a week.”
The two bitter rivals, surprisingly in sync, nodded vigorously in unison.
Then, they noticed each other's movements, turned around at the same time, and tried to walk away, but ended up bumping into each other.
They snorted and turned their heads away again.
Both of them felt that the other might be their nemesis, and that nothing good could come of meeting him.
The almost simultaneous movements made Levin chuckle to himself.
He suddenly realized that the two of them seemed to have developed a bit of a bickering couple vibe.
Update [5/4], Bonus Chapter [45/84]
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Chapter 236 Recognition
The next morning, Levin went to the auditorium for breakfast as usual.
Then he discovered that the Great Hall was in an uproar today, with the young wizards all talking about it.
Has Ron and Malfoy's secret been exposed?
Who let it slip?
Levin, eager to join the gossip, went to the Ravenclaw table to find Princess Zhang Qiu, who was also enjoying the spectacle.
To his surprise, everyone stared at him the whole way.
This left Levin even more confused.
It wasn't until Zhang Qiu looked at him with a complicated expression and handed him the newspaper that Levin suddenly realized what was going on.
Good grief, this guy has gotten himself into the mess.
The Daily Prophet's front-page headline reported on Sirius Black's trial yesterday.
"Twelve Years as a Rat: The Former Hero Turns Out to Be the Real Murderer!"
The Ministry of Magic held a trial yesterday, and Sirius Black was declared innocent; the real culprit from that year was someone else…
"We are doing everything we can to improve laws and regulations, and at the same time, we are trying to make amends for the mistakes made during Barty Crouch's time," Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge said this morning. "We ask the wizarding community to forgive him, as it happened during a special time."
Levin quickly flipped through the pages and found that it wasn't just the front page headline; almost the entire newspaper was describing yesterday's trial and the truth of what happened back then.
There's nothing we can do about it; it's all just too dramatic.
"Sirius the Imprisoned for Thirteen Years, His Name Cleared," "The Animagus's Ability to Deceive Dementors," "On the Limitations of the Magic Law Committee"...
The newspaper was accompanied by numerous pictures.
Among them are photos of Sirius and Peter Pettigrew when they were young, photos of him in prison, photos of him on the run, and even photos of Peter Animagus transforming.
Many of these photos are ones that journalists cannot obtain; they clearly come from within the Ministry of Magic.
Jaina and Rita clearly enjoyed working together.
Occupying the most central and largest spot on the page was the classic scene from yesterday's trial—Sirius the Little kneeling and weeping, and Peter Pettigrew's eyes filled with despair.
One knelt, one sat; one wept, one panicked; one was full of hope, one was full of despair; one was moving towards new life, one was walking towards death—most remarkably, both were in the dock, separated only by a wall.
It's fair to say the contrast is overwhelming.