Chapter 291: The Upcoming Ball
In the second week of December, while Professor Aisenwas still engrossed in researching the Refilling Charm, the heads of each house had already compiled the list of students staying at Hogwarts for Christmas.
However, unlike previous years, except for most Little Wizards below third year who couldn't attend the Christmas Ball, almost all other students chose to stay at Hogwarts.
After all, for students above fourth year, the ChristmasBall was a rare grand event. Moreover, to some extent, it was an event highly valued by the Professors.
Just look at what had happened at Hogwarts during this period.
First, the Weasley Twins were caught red-handed by Professor McGonagall selling Canary Creams and fake wands, and were immediately given a week's detention.
Then, under the direction of Professor McGonagall, the faculty and staff decorated the entire Castle with exceptionally lavish decorations. Perhaps due to the magic, the entire Castle suddenly brightened up considerably.
Of course, compared to the changes in the entire Castle, the most obvious change was the increasingly enthusiastic atmosphere as Christmas approached.
...
Antarctica Secret Base, within the Alchemy Laboratory.
Professor Aisen sat at a table, on which a piece of parchment was laid flat, covered in some writing and drawings. A transparent goblet was placed beside it.
Reaching out and tracing the parchment, Professor Aisenbegan his actions according to the process.
He extended both hands, palms facing the goblet, and then a faint golden light emerged from his palms, twisting and transforming into runes, arranged in a mysterious way, and drilling into the inner wall of the cup.
Like golden sand, after the runes appeared, they began to embed from the bottom of the cup, and then extended outwards and upwards.
A moment later, the golden runes covered the entire inner wall of the goblet, making the transparent cup appear golden from the outside.
However, once the runes connected to form a whole, the golden light they were flashing subsided, and they became dormant. The color of the cup returned to its original transparency.
With a shift of his gaze, all the content on the parchment beside him had been seen by Professor Aisen and simultaneously imprinted into the memory palace in the Dream World.
Reaching out to pick up the cup, Professor Aisen gently tapped it, and the cup made a crisp sound. With a thought, Professor Aisen's figure instantly disappeared from the spot, and the parchment on the table also burned into ash out of thin air at this moment.
As his figure disappeared, Professor Aisen had already arrived in Hogwarts Castle, in his office.
"Aguamenti—"
Professor Aisen was about to cast a Water-Making Spellto fill the cup with clear water and test the results of his research during this period. However, he suddenly discovered a small problem and had to stop the thought of casting the spell.
Because he suddenly realized that if he filled this goblet, which had the effect of the Refilling Charm solidified on it, with clear water, a problem was likely to arise: the water in the cup would automatically refill after being drunk!
Some might wonder, doesn't this align with ProfessorAisen's goal?
Yes, that's correct! But the problem was, Professor Aisensuddenly thought, that once such a cup held a certain drink or liquid, it would continuously replenish from then on.
For example, if Professor Aisen filled the cup with clear water, does that mean that as long as he keeps pouring water, and given enough time, he could flood the entire planet?
This... seems a bit far-fetched! But there's nothing he can do, who made magic exist in this world!
So, Professor Aisen was hesitant about whether to fill this cup with clear water. After all, Professor Aisen really didn't need that much water! Moreover, if the cup were to be knocked over, the consequences would probably be quite serious!
What? He could just destroy the cup? Oh, then it's fine!
Professor Aisen shook his head and directly filled the cup using the Water-Making Spell.
The cup filled with clear water showed no abnormality, just like a normal goblet. Professor Aisen didn't pause after casting the spell and directly raised the cup and drank the water from it.
Subsequently, in the empty goblet, just as ProfessorAisen had anticipated, clear water instantly appeared out of thin air, and then filled the entire cup.
From the current situation, Professor Aisen's research progress on the Refilling Charm is quite good. Next, Professor Aisen needs to extract some runes from it to fine-tune and modify the developed Contract Charm.
Once the "automatic restoration" effect can be made effective for the contract, his goal will be achieved. However, Professor Aisen estimates that this step will take some time to complete.
But thankfully, with the Dream World, Professor Aisen is never short on time.
...
Unknowingly, time slowly passed, and there was only one week left until the ball preceding Christmas.
This afternoon, after leaving the Library, Professor Aisensuddenly noticed that the entire Castle was becoming even more beautiful. Perhaps to leave a deeper impression on the guests from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, Professor Aisen found that the entire Castlewas displaying a different appearance than usual.
Putting aside the beautiful decorations on both sides of the corridors on each floor, even the handrails of the marble stairs were hung with icicles that never melted.
The suits of armor standing in the corridors, which usually went unnoticed, also seemed to have been enchanted. Whenever someone passed by, the armor would sing Christmas carols in a strange voice, as if wound up: "O come, all ye faithful..."
"Professor Aisen, do you have a moment?" Just as he arrived at the Great Hall, Professor Aisen heard Professor McGonagall's voice.
"Is something wrong, Minerva?" Feeling the strong Christmas atmosphere in the Great Hall, Professor Aisenlooked in surprise at the slightly anxious Professor McGonagall.
"Yes, could you please go and see how Hagrid is doing?" Professor McGonagall's tone was a bit hurried.
"What happened to Hagrid? Is he injured?" ProfessorAisen said, his heart startled.
Could it be that while he was immersed in his own world doing research during this time, Hagrid had an accident without him noticing?
"An accident? No!" A look of confusion flashed across Professor McGonagall's face, and then she continued, "I mean, the Christmas Ball is coming soon, and some of the decorations in the Great Hall aren't ready yet. I wonder if Hagrid has prepared the Christmas trees?"
That's it? A series of question marks popped up in Professor Aisen's mind, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
He had thought Hagrid was attacked and injured, but it was just about decorating the Great Hall.
"Okay, I understand, I'll go to Hagrid's hut and see what's going on!" Without thinking too much, it was something he could do easily anyway. Immediately, Professor Aisensaid, waving his hand, and walked towards the exit of the Great Hall.
As he walked, Professor Aisen opened his God's Perspective and focused his sight on the direction of Hagrid's hut, where he saw a shocking scene – Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the three of them, stood with their wands at the corner of Hagrid's hut, staring intently at something beneath Hagrid. Beneath him was a six-foot-long giant shrimp – oh, no, it was a Blast-Ended Skrewt.
On the other side, leaning against the fence of Hagrid's vegetable patch was a woman in a magenta robe, Rita Skeeter. She was staring unblinkingly at Hagrid and the Blast-Ended Skrewt beneath him, her eyes darting around, as if she was plotting something malicious.
Are they performing some kind of art? Professor Aisenshook his head, feeling quite speechless.
"Hurry up and help, Harry, help me tie up its sting!" Hagrid turned his head towards Harry.
Then Harry and Ron picked up rope loops from the side and put them over the Blast-Ended Skrewt's sting. However, the Blast-Ended Skrewt suddenly shot a burst of fire from its tail, startling the two of them.
The flames passed through the fence and scorched some of the pumpkin seedlings in the garden.
After retracting his gaze, Professor Aisen shook his head and slowly walked towards Hagrid's location.
Passing through the entrance hall and descending the steps, Professor Aisen's figure gradually appeared in the eyes of the few people.
The moment she saw Professor Aisen's figure, Rita Skeeter seemed to have discovered a treasure, shifting her attention from Hagrid and walking directly towards him.
"Professor Aisen, right!" Rita said with a beaming smile, and when she got close to Professor Aisen, she already had a roll of parchment and a quill in her hand. "Excuse me, did you read my report on the first task of the Triwizard Tournament?"
"Oh, yes, that's right, I was particularly satisfied with what you said – I'm just an idiot serving as the Astronomy Professor." Professor Aisen shrugged.
Chapter 292: Forming a Contract
Running into Rita Skeeter wasn't a big deal for Aisen. He didn't know when it started, but Aisen's mindset had changed significantly.
How should he put it? Although he knew that Rita was a woman who liked to fabricate stories, Aisen no longer paid her any mind. Moreover, the content she fabricated in The Daily Prophet unexpectedly suited Aisen's wishes.
Isn't it just about not having the strength yet still serving as the Triwizard Tournament's safety officer? Aisen even wanted to cooperate with her to promote such news that could mislead others!
"So, is this also the reason you didn't save the second champion, Fleur Delacour, when she was engulfed in flames?" After hearing Aisen's statement, Rita seemed to have stumbled upon a major news scoop and eagerly pressed him. Seeing her excitement, her entire body trembled.
"No, that's slander! In fact, I had already taken action at that time. If I hadn't acted to suppress the power of the flames, Fleur Delacour might have been seriously injured!" Aisen said solemnly. After his gaze swept over the parchment in her hand, his heart was already blooming with joy.
"...Incredible, Hogwarts' Astronomy Professor actually believes he is the most suitable safety officer... He shamelessly claims that if he hadn't acted, the champion Fleur Delacour might have been burned to death by that Welsh Green..."
Yes, that's right, it doesn't matter if you belittle me to nothing!
"So, is there anything else you want to tell everyone?" Rita asked excitedly.
"Ahem—" Glancing at Hagrid, who had already stood up beside him, and the Trio with strange expressions, Aisenshook his head slightly. "There's nothing much to say now. If I have anything to say, it will probably have to wait until after some of the later events of the Triwizard Tournament are over."
"Oh—, I understand!" Rita showed a look of sudden realization. After putting away her parchment and quill, she took out a piece of paper from her crocodile skin handbag, wrote an address on it, and handed it to Aisen.
Aisen took the paper, showing a puzzled expression.
"If you have any exclusive news, you can find me at that address. Trust me, the reward will definitely satisfy you!" Rita leaned close to Aisen and whispered, then smiled and left contentedly.
Tch—
Seeing Rita's attitude, Aisen secretly scoffed. However, just as he was about to burn the paper, his movement paused, and he thought of a possibility. He then put it away.
"Professor Aisen, why did you tell her those things!" Seeing Rita leave, Ron, who was beside him, seemed to have reacted, looking at Aisen with a pained expression. "She loves to fabricate stories the most!"
"Hiding strength! Hiding strength!" Seeing that Hermioneand Harry also had worried expressions, Aisen waved his hand dismissively, and while speaking, he gave them a meaningful look.
The Trio seemed to have thought of something and immediately showed a look of sudden realization.
"Professor Aisen, is there something you need?" After tying the Blast-Ended Skrewts with a rope, Hagrid pulled it to the other side and tied it to a tree.
"Oh yes, Professor McGonagall asked me to come and see you. How are those Christmas trees you're preparing?" Aisen's expression turned serious, remembering the matter Professor McGonagall had entrusted to him. "You have to understand, this year we have guests from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Professor McGonagall and the others want to show them the best appearance of the school, which is completely understandable!"
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Hagrid slapped his forehead in annoyance, then waved to the Trio. "Alright, I won't keep you here. I still have things to be busy with!"
After speaking, Hagrid turned around and walked towards the Forbidden Forest.
...
Time passed quickly, especially during the holidays, when time seemed to fly even faster.
Although there were many more students staying at school this year than usual, everyone was surprised to find that these days without necessary classes passed in the blink of an eye.
However, although time passed quickly, the atmosphere throughout the Castle became increasingly lively. This was because everyone was discussing the news of the Christmas ball.
As for the false news about Aisen reported by Rita Skeeter, it might cause a lot of heated discussion outside, but at Hogwarts, hardly anyone paid it any mind.
Of course, perhaps the teachers and students from Beauxbatons would dislike Aisen because of what was said in the newspaper. But Aisen didn't care about this at all.
At some point, a rumor spread within Hogwarts Castle. The rumor was that Professor Dumbledore would invite the Weird Sisters to perform at the ball on ChristmasDay. Besides that, some people said that Dumbledorehad purchased eight hundred barrels of spiced mead from The Three Broomsticks Bar.
But no matter what, the day of Christmas was finally approaching.
Although Aisen had spent several Christmases since entering the Wizarding World, he still didn't know why Christmas was celebrated in the Wizarding World!
If they had created a festival like "God's Day" or "Merlin's Day," Aisen could understand. But what connection did Christmas have with the Wizarding World?
In the end, Aisen could only attribute it to destiny or coincidence.
This morning, Aisen woke up early. He habitually opened God's Perspective to project the entire Castle into his mind. After finding nothing unusual, he took out the book of aisen and continued to infuse it with Magic.
Then, Aisen took out the goblet that had the Refilling Charm solidified on it and continued to dismantle the runes contained within it.
"The speed of progress is still acceptable—"
Aisen murmured, stroking the cup while watching the various colors of light constantly merging on the book of aisen.
...
"The automatic recovery spell for contracts—the Contract Renewal Charm—has been developed, so now it's time to formally form the contract!"
In the afternoon, after a long period of research, Aisen, who had completed all the preparatory work, finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.
The next task for Aisen was to form a contract with the book of aisen. Aisen was inspired by the contractual connection between him and the fire goblet and created a Co-existence Charm based on its principle of forming contracts.
The effect of the Co-existence Charm was to establish a contract of co-existence and co-growth with Aisen as the primary subject, closely linking Aisen and the book of aisen.
The effect of this contract could not only allow the book of aisen to serve as a medium to form contracts with other beings but also allow the book of aisen to continuously evolve and transform.
Just like a "Lifebound Magical Item" in novels, the book of aisen had the potential for further transformation and evolution.
Of course, because the Co-existence Charm was created by Aisen, after forming a contract with the book of aisen, it was not like a true "Lifebound Magical Item" that would affect Aisen himself if it was damaged.
After all, Aisen had considered such problems long ago and would certainly not leave such a loophole.
After taking a deep breath, he held up the book of aisen. After fully mobilizing the Magic in his body, strands of silver light appeared on Aisen's body surface.
The runes hidden in the flesh, bones, and cells within his body surged, seemingly excavating all the hidden power within his body. As the power was stimulated, a faint silver light also appeared in Aisen's eyes.
"Co-exist and Swear—"
Without stirring up a storm, without thunder or lightning, without any unusual phenomena, Aisen silently felt a strong and stable contract connecting him and the book of aisen.
This connection was so strong and clear that Aisen felt confident that even if the book of aisen was thrown to another planet or galaxy, he could summon it before his eyes.
However, although the contract had been formed, Aisen's actions were not yet finished. Instead, he drew out the runes solidified on the goblet, which had been modified to have the effect of the Contract Renewal Charm, and transferred them onto the book of aisen.
After completing all these actions, Aisen calmed the power within his body. Immediately, Aisen returned to his ordinary appearance.
Reaching out his hand, the book of aisen appeared in his hand out of thin air. Feeling the connection, Aisen nodded with satisfaction.
The Contract Renewal Charm did not strengthen the intensity of the contract between him and the book of aisen.
However, if an unexpected situation occurred that caused the contract between the two to be distorted or severed, then the Contract Renewal Charm would take effect and reconnect them.
As for the Co-existence Charm contract itself, Aisenbelieved that as his strength continued to grow, the contract between him and the book of aisen would become increasingly close.
Of course, as something similar to a "Lifebound Magical Item," Aisen had a premonition that its future role would be far more than just this.
Chapter 293: Before the Ball
After successfully forming a co-life contract with the book of aisen, Professor Aisen was in a good mood and immediately decided to go to the Great Hall to satisfy his appetite.
Arriving on the third-floor corridor, after passing through the now-empty Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Professor Aisen saw a dejected Harry at the turn of the stairs.
From time to time, some students came out of the Conquering Dark Magic classroom on the other side, laughing and walking towards the Great Hall. But Harry's figure was so unique.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Professor Aisen came up to Harry, thought for a moment, and still asked.
"Ah? Professor Aisen, I-I'm fine." Harry's face quickly changed, as if he had been caught doing something bad, and he became shy.
"Really fine?" Professor Aisen looked at him with a suspicious gaze.
"Really fine!" Harry nodded vigorously.
"About inviting a dance partner?" Professor Aisenshowed a thoughtful expression, and his mouth curved upwards as he spoke.
"Professor? You-you saw?" Harry's face froze, and his speech became stuttering.
"Saw what?" Professor Aisen smiled and shook his head, "Were you rejected when you invited a dance partner?"
"Yes, I just invited Cho Chang, but she was already invited by Cedric!" Harry simply told him what had just happened.
"So, who are you planning to invite next? The Christmasball is about to begin!" Professor Aisen and Harry walked down the stairs to the Great Hall.
"I don't know!" Harry was a little dazed after telling the story, and shook his head when he heard ProfessorAisen's words.
"Hmm-, what do you think of Ginny?" Professor Aisenglanced at Harry, seeing his posture, and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Ginny?" Harry was stunned for a moment, and his steps stopped.
"Yes, I think she'll be very happy to be your dance partner!" Professor Aisen reached out and patted Harryon the shoulder.
Harry's face began to change, from the initial confusion, then contemplation, and then surprise.
"Professor, I'm leaving first. Goodbye!" Harry seemed to have thought of something, and after saying hello to Professor Aisen, he turned around and hurried upstairs.
Wow-
Suddenly, a commotion came from the end of the Great Hall, from the entrance hall.
With a turn of his gaze, the scene in the entrance hall was already reflected in Professor Aisen's mind.
A group of Little Wizards were gathered together, surrounding Fleur Delacour and Cedric Diggory. They seemed to be talking about something.
But what caused the commotion was not them, but Ronstanding to the side. He stared blankly at Delacour, but Delacour just looked at him coldly.
"Well done, Weasley!"
"That's right--"
Several Gryffindor students around looked at Ron with admiration.
Ron suddenly turned red and ran away.
What happened? Withdrawing his gaze, Professor Aisenthought for a moment and seemed to have realized something, he shook his head slightly and began to eat and drink heartily.
...
In the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry and Ginny were talking and laughing about something, when they suddenly found the portrait hole open and a pale figure walked in.
"What's wrong, Ron?" Harry and Ginny looked at each other for a while, then went forward to ask.
Ron looked up at the two of them, as if he hadn't reacted yet, and just said blankly, "Why did I do that? I don't know why I did something like that!"
"What?" Ginny on the side looked at Ron with surprise, a worried expression on her face.
"I don't know what happened just now, when I walked through the entrance hall and saw Fleur Delacour there!" Ron panted, "It was full of people, she was talking to Cedric at the time, and I suddenly couldn't control myself and went up to ask her about going to the ball together!"
After speaking, Ron slumped onto the sofa, covering his face and continuing to groan: "Then she looked at me like she was looking at a sea cucumber, not even bothering to answer, and I suddenly came to my senses and quickly ran away."
"That's nothing, she has some Veela blood." Harrycomforted Ron, "It's not your fault, I bet she was casting that spell on Cedric at the time, just like she did to that Welsh Green, you happened to pass by and got hit. But I bet she's wasting her time, Cedric is going with Cho Chang."
Ron raised his head and looked at Harry with a surprised expression.
"I just invited her to the ball." Harry said dryly, "She told me about it!"
"Really?" Ron looked conflicted, "So, only the two of us are left without dance partners?"
"Of course not, Harry invited me, and I've agreed!" Ginnyon the side said with a smile on her face.
As soon as the words fell, Ron's face immediately showed surprise.
"Are you kidding?" Ron's face instantly stiffened.
He stared blankly at Ginny, then looked at Harry, who had a slightly awkward expression on his face, and suddenly felt a little depressed.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
It has to be said that this incident was a blow to Ron. He thought that neither he nor his good friend could attend the ball, but he didn't expect that the other party had secretly arranged to go with his sister.
"I--" Ron's face showed anger.
However, before he could say anything, the portrait opened and Hermione squeezed in from outside.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Seeing Ron's strange posture, Hermione asked Harry and Ginny in surprise.
"Ron invited a girl to the ball and was rejected!" Ginnysaid, the smile on her face seeming unable to be suppressed.
"Thank you for saying so much, Ginny!" Ron said sarcastically, but his mood seemed to have calmed down a lot, "Okay, Harry and Ginny are going together, I'll just stay in the dormitory and can't attend the ball, which is good, I don't want to wear that ugly purple dress anyway."
"It's okay, Ron, I believe you'll always find a girl somewhere who is willing to go to the ball with you." Hermione said with her head held high, then turned and walked towards the girls' dormitory.
"Well, I'm really grateful that she would say that." Ronshook his head, somewhat at a loss.
...
After the end of the term, the Professors assigned a lot of homework to the students. Of course, most students had no intention of doing homework during the holiday, because until Christmas came, everyone was thinking about how to have fun.
However, to Professor Aisen's surprise, the Trio, including Hermione, as well as Harry and Ron, all came to him and asked him to use the Dream World to cheat so that they could complete their holiday homework.
For this, Professor Aisen even asked them once, and they all unanimously agreed to do the homework again at the end of the holiday.
The following things were much simpler. Professor Aisenpulled them into the Dream World, and then adjusted the flow of time. After they finished their homework, he would cast a spell to transport the completed homework out into the outside world.
Simply put, the Trio's homework was completed as soon as they closed and opened their eyes.
Well, this cheat was indeed a bit big, but Professor Aisenhad already asked them to do it again after the holiday, hadn't he?
Besides this, what surprised Professor Aisen was that Harry, at his suggestion, invited Ginny to the ball, as for Ron, he invited a Gryffindor girl named Lavender Brown.
However, Professor Aisen didn't pay much attention to these things.
During this time, ever since he successfully formed a contract with the book of aisen, the sense of urgency that had emerged in Professor Aisen's heart due to Voldemort's resurrection had dissipated. Next, he just needed to find an opportunity to form a contract with Hermione.
To be honest, ever since Dumbledore told him that Voldemort was likely to be resurrected, Professor Aisenhad thought about whether he should personally investigate and see if he could find Voldemort and directly eliminate him.
On the one hand, Professor Aisen had the strength to definitely do it. On the other hand, this was also a way to eliminate the threat at its source.
However, after careful consideration, Professor Aisengave up on this plan, thinking that it was better to respond to changes with no changes.
In fact, the main reason why Professor Aisen made this consideration was that he felt that there were a few important things.
First, Voldemort's Horcrux had been almost destroyed, even if he successfully resurrected, with his strength greatly reduced, it was estimated that he wouldn't be able to cause much trouble.
Second, the Death Eaters' power was far less than before, and even Lucius Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew, who had been constantly causing trouble openly, were locked up in Azkaban.
Of course, there was also the most important point, which was that Professor Aisen's own strength was strong enough. Having enough strength was his confidence, and this was beyond doubt.
Furthermore, there was the Ministry of Magic in front, and Dumbledore, the Wizarding World's recognized most powerful Witch, in front, so it was not Professor Aisen's turn to act!
Therefore, Professor Aisen just needed to quietly stay in Hogwarts and protect Hermione, well, and Harry and Ron. At most, he would cast a few Armor, Super Armor, etc., to protect the Castle at that time.
Chapter 294 The Ball Begins
Early on Christmas Day, Aisen was already awake.
But Aisen did not go out; instead, he stayed in his office. Because on this day, he unexpectedly received quite a few Christmas presents.
Well, how should I put it? Receiving gifts on Christmas is a very normal thing.
But in the previous years, perhaps because he was the Astronomy Professor and didn't have much presence in front of the students, he received very few gifts on Christmas.
Apart from the Trio and some familiar Professors who would give him some candy and trinkets, there was nothing else.
And this year, perhaps because he was another Champion of Hogwarts, many students sent him gifts.
"Hmm, a manuscript copy of 'Essays on Ancient Runes', this is Dumbledore's gift, awesome!"
"Oh, some candy from Harry and Ron, and some prank gadgets from Fred and George, not bad!"
"This is—'Adventures in Howard Castle', what is this?" Aisen looked at the few pages of parchment in his hand with a bewildered expression, then after flipping through them for a while, a helpless look appeared on his face, "Is this the movie script Hermione sent? Apparently, she's still an employee of his film company! This—well, it's pretty good!"
...
Time gradually passed, and after Aisen put away the normal gifts one by one, some other gifts started to look a bit unusual.
For example, many students gave Aisen gifts like moon-gazing glasses and miniature Solar System models. Some students also gave Aisen gifts like star charts and so on.
Of course, the most ridiculous thing was that Aisenactually found a Muggle World Astronomy magazine among a pile of gifts.
Aisen didn't know what to say about such gifts. After all, although he was the Astronomy Professor at Hogwarts, he wasn't someone who truly loved Astronomy.
Therefore, these gifts were like pearls cast before swine for Aisen.
However, these were at least gifts from the students, representing their kind intentions, so Aisen had no choice but to tidy them up and put them all away.
After a long while, Aisen yawned, stood up, and walked to the window, turning his gaze outside.
Looking out, the mountains and the Forbidden Forestwere covered in white snow, and snowflakes were falling, decorating the Castle and the grounds. At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the Beauxbatons' pale blue carriage was frosted white, like a large frosted pumpkin in winter.
Hagrid's Hut next to it looked like cream-covered pastries sprinkled on the side. The Durmstrang ship moored on the Black Lake looked like an ice sculpture frozen on a mirror, then sprinkled with a layer of white frost.
Aisen's eyes had undergone a transformation, so even standing at a high place, he could see the footprints of people coming and going on the grounds, which were being constantly covered by the falling snow.
By the afternoon, the flow of people moving between the Castle and the other two schools' quarters increased. Some were students from the other two schools going to the Castle, and others were students from fourth year and above moving around.
Hmm—
Aisen noticed that in the icy and snowy weather, Harry, Fred, George, and others were having a snowball fight. They would pack a snowball, then cast a spell on it to make it chase their opponent.
Uh—
Apparently, a few years ago, the Weasley Twins had used this method to beat Voldemort! Well, that's indeed impressive!
As the sky gradually darkened, Aisen estimated the time, turned around, and walked out of his office.
Of course, before leaving, Aisen cast a spell on his purple robe, changing its appearance slightly, printing some snowflake-shaped marks on it as decoration.
As for other aspects, there was no need for any changes, after all, Aisen himself was a great handsome guy.
Arriving at the entrance of the Great Hall, Aisen saw Harry and Ron and their partners Ginny and Lavender. Ron's attire—well, it was actually quite normal, nothing special.
"Hermione hasn't come down yet?" Aisen asked casually, seeing that the space in the entrance hall was already crowded with many students.
"She's still getting ready in the dormitory!" Ginny said, nodding, and pursed her lips as she looked at Aisen. She already knew that Hermione's partner was ProfessorAisen.
"Hmm—, they're here!" Aisen keenly sensed the footsteps outside, and with a turn of his gaze, he saw several figures about to enter the entrance hall.
"What?" Ron reached up and tugged at his collar, looking outside.
"Percy, and Bagman!" As soon as Aisen finished speaking, two figures walked in one after another from outside.
Bagman walked in front, wearing a particularly striking purple robe with several yellow stars printed on it. Following him was Percy Weasley, who was wearing a navy blue dress robe and looking full of himself.
"Merry Christmas, gentlemen, welcome to Hogwarts!" Aisen smiled and stepped forward to shake hands with them.
"Merry Christmas, Professor Aisen!" Percy greeted Aisenwarmly.
"Ha—, Professor Aisen, let's go in soon, the feast is about to begin!" Bagman said with wide eyes.
After gesturing to Harry and the others nearby, Aisen and Bagman entered the Great Hall together.
Upon entering, Aisen noticed that the entire Great Hallhad been completely transformed.
The ceiling had been bewitched, as if the night sky were shining directly down, with stars constantly twinkling. Hundreds of garlands woven from mistletoe sprigs and ivy hung down, swaying back and forth. The walls around were also covered with glittering silver frost.
The four long tables that were originally placed in the middle had been moved away, replaced by a hundred small tables with lanterns. At the front of the Great Hall, a large round table was set up. That was the position for the judges, and Bagman and Percy Weasley, who had just entered, walked towards it.
"Professor!" A figure darted over, attracting the attention of many people.
"Hermione!" Aisen smiled and looked over, finding that her appearance was completely different from usual.
She seemed to have cast some magic on herself, making her hair smooth and shiny. The robe she wore, made of light purplish-blue fabric, made her look graceful and charming.
She came to Aisen's side with a smile, as if she had been looking forward to this for a long time, and naturally took Aisen's arm. But Aisen could feel that she was actually very nervous.
But it was understandable, after all, many Little Wizardsin the Great Hall were casting their gaze over. Many eyes were on Aisen, but most were looking at Hermione in surprise.
They were either surprised that Hermione was his partner, or surprised that after getting dressed up, Hermione looked so beautiful, as if she had become a different person.
"Don't be nervous, it's okay!" Aisen's lips curved slightly, and after saying this softly, a little silver light appeared on his arm and spread to Hermione, calming her nervous emotions.
Looking at her expression again, a hint of blush still showed on her face, which was particularly eye-catching!
After the others were seated, Aisen, as a Champion, and the others were guided by Professor McGonagall to the large round table where the judges were seated.
The Little Wizards applauded warmly, and the atmosphere in the entire Great Hall immediately became lively.
Led by Dumbledore, everyone happily ordered their favorite food. Aisen ordered some sausages and desserts casually and started chatting with Hermione.
"Hermione, can you dance?" Aisen tasted the food, then leaned close to Hermione's ear and whispered.
"Of course, dancing is very simple, I've been practicing for several days!" Hermione glanced at Aisen, a blush appearing on her face, but she still said it seriously.
"Practiced for several days—uh, well, that's very good!" Aisen was stunned for a moment, then calmed down. Actually, it was okay if she couldn't dance, after all, for a straight-A student not to know how to dance just happened to prove that she wasn't fooling around!
"Professor, can't you dance?" Hermione looked at Aisenwith wide eyes, her expression asking the question.
"No, like you said, dancing is very simple!" Aisen shook his head and said softly, "I told you, I've lived in the Muggle World for many years, so I have no problem with some Muggle World dances!"
Actually, Aisen really couldn't dance.
He couldn't do things like the waltz, Latin dance, etc. Wait—, in his previous life, he had danced square dancing, that should count, right!
At worst, he could just dig into the images he had seen deep in his memory.
What? Not enough time? But Aisen has the Dream World—oh, then it's fine!
Chapter 295: Let's Dance, Hermione!
"That's nothing—" A clear and pleasant voice came over; it was Fleur Delacour speaking.
She looked at the star-spangled walls around the Great Hall and said in a very disdainful tone, "In BeauxbatonsCastle, our Great Hall is filled with ice sculptures at Christmas. Of course, they don't melt... they sparkle like giant diamond statues in the Great Hall.
The food is also superb, and we have a chorus of Mountain Fairies who serenade us while we eat. We don't have these ugly suits of armor by our walls at all, and if any ghost specializing in mischief broke into Beauxbatons, they would definitely be driven out, just like this—"
As her voice fell, Delacour forcefully slapped the table, causing it to make a harsh cracking sound.
"Professor, she's really annoying!" Seemingly having her mood disturbed, Hermione frowned, glanced at the other person, and then mumbled to Aisen.
"It's understandable, many people like to show how excellent their school is by belittling others'!" Aisen's mouth twitched after looking over. "But you're right, she is really annoying!"
"Professor, are all those with Veela blood so beautiful?" Hermione's brows curved. Seeing Aisen's gaze fall on her, she couldn't help but ask.
"Hmm?" Aisen withdrew his gaze and couldn't help but laugh when he saw Hermione's lowered head and pursed lips. "I think you are the most beautiful one!"
Instantly, Hermione's fair face turned bright red. She immediately lowered her head, pretending to eat and drink heartily, and didn't look up at Aisen again.
Smiling and shaking his head, Aisen said nothing, quietly savoring the delicious food on his plate.
After a little while, everyone finished eating and stood up at Dumbledore's signal.
Then, Dumbledore waved his wand, moving all the tables close to the walls, clearing out a large space in the middle. Immediately after, a stage with drums, a piano, a guitar, and other instruments rose from the right wall.
"Professor, is the ball about to start?" Hermione held Aisen's arm, a hint of anticipation flashing across her face.
The rumors among the Little Wizards were confirmed; Dumbledore had indeed invited the Weird Sisters to perform. After they went on stage, the students attending the ball erupted in warm applause.
The lanterns on the tables went out, and the entire Great Hall instantly darkened considerably. The other champions and their partners also stood up, ready to dance to the music of the Weird Sisters.
"That's right, the ball is about to start!" Aisen smiled at Hermione. "Let's dance, Hermione!"
The moment he looked at Hermione, the Dream God Spell was activated, and the two of them instantly arrived at a place where the four seasons converged.
"Professor, where is this?" Hermione looked at ProfessorAisen standing in front of her in surprise.
"That's right, we can practice some dance steps here," Aisen winked at Hermione. "What do you think?"
"That's really great!" Hermione's eyes lit up. She seemed to have thought of something and breathed a sigh of relief after speaking.
Bowing slightly, Aisen's mind moved, and soft music resounded throughout the canyon. Then, the two of them slowly began to practice.
...
In an instant, Aisen and Hermione's minds returned to reality, as if no time had passed. But the moment they looked at each other, they smiled in perfect understanding.
Just like the scene in the Dream World, Aisen stepped forward, took Hermione's hand, put his other arm around her waist, and slowly began to dance to the rhythm of the music.
Only an instant passed in the real world, but Aisen and Hermione had actually practiced for several hours in the Dream World.
So dancing in the real world was just a very natural experience for them. They danced gracefully in the center of the dance floor, moving their feet while listening to the music played by the Weird Sisters.
Unintentionally, a harmonious beauty appeared between Aisen and Hermione, gradually attracting the attention of many Little Wizards.
"Look, Professor Aisen and Hermione are dancing so well!"
"It's like art. Did you say Professor Aisen is a dancer?"
"What's a dancer?"
"Someone who specializes in dancing!"
...
After a melancholic tune ended, the Weird Sisters played a lively one.
Some people were exhausted after dancing to one song and had to go to the side to rest. But Aisen wouldn't feel the slightest fatigue even if he danced for several months.
As for Hermione, she wore the silver bracelet Aisen had given her every day, which not only calmed her mind and helped her sleep but also kept her energetic. Thus, she naturally wouldn't feel tired after dancing for a while.
After the style of the music changed, Aisen led Hermione, slowly adjusting the rhythm of their dance steps, tracing graceful paths across the dance floor.
After the song ended, Aisen stopped and looked at Hermione with a smile. He saw her eyes slightly narrowed, with an expression of enjoyment on her face. When she saw Aisen looking at her, her face flushed, as if she had been drinking.
"Professor, you dance wonderfully!" Hermione whispered in Aisen's ear, standing on tiptoes.
"Let's go, let's rest over there!" His mouth curved slightly. After speaking, Aisen took Hermione's hand and led her to a table in the corner to sit down.
Sitting in the corner, Aisen and Hermione ate desserts, listened to the music played by the Weird Sisters, and watched the students swaying on the dance floor. Their slightly turbulent emotions gradually calmed down.
Looking at Hermione beside him, who was eating a piece of cream cake with relish, Aisen's mouth curved slightly.
As the music style changed, Harry and the others seemed to notice Aisen's situation and withdrew from the dance floor, coming over to sit down.
"How do you feel?" Aisen asked casually, looking at Harryand Ron's excited expressions.
"It feels pretty good!" Harry looked at Ginny beside him, seemed to think of something, and smiled heartily.
"A rare experience, it's great!" Ron helped himself to the pastries, glanced at the center of the dance floor while speaking, and couldn't help but widen his eyes: "My goodness, is Fred crazy?"
Ron's exclamation attracted everyone's attention, and they all looked in Ron's direction. Only then did Aisenrealize that a large area in the center of the dance floor had been occupied by Fred and Angelina.
Because they were dancing so wildly, crashing back and forth in the center of the dance floor, the people around them were afraid of being hit and moved away from them.
As a result, Fred and Angelina seemed to become the focus of the dance floor, attracting a lot of attention.
His mouth twitched, and Aisen turned his attention to the other side. There, Dumbledore was dancing with Sprout. It was rare that their dance steps were also elegant. Hmm—, he wondered if the old fellow had cast a spell.
Of course, besides that, another pair of eye-catching dance partners were Hagrid and Madam Maxime. Uh, they were both quite tall, so dancing together was just perfect.
Time ticked by, and after sitting in the corner for a while, Harry and Ron, along with their respective partners, entered the dance floor again.
"Professor, let's dance a little longer!" Seemingly influenced by the lively atmosphere, Hermione invited Aisen again.
Seeing Hermione's expectant eyes, Aisen stood up and smiled as he extended his hand to her.
With elegant dance steps, Aisen and Hermione entered the dance floor, tracing beautiful paths. Their bodies swayed with the rhythm. After dancing to several songs consecutively, Hermione seemed to lose strength and hugged Aisen, hanging directly on him.
Seeing her blushing face and slight panting, Aisencouldn't help but marvel at how well she was pretending!
"Let's go, let's rest a bit, and then go for a walk outside, how about that?" Aisen didn't expose her but instead offered a suggestion.
After resting in the corner for a while, the two did not re-enter the dance floor but walked through the entrance hall and went outside for a walk.
To be honest, Aisen and Hermione were basically not the kind of people who particularly enjoyed crowded places. Of course, dancing in the center of the dance floor, in public, was a special experience for them, and they didn't resist it.
However, the ball started at eight o'clock and was to last until midnight. They didn't want to keep dancing in such a long-lasting lively environment.
Chapter 296: Sign Here, Hermione!
After descending the steps, the area that was previously a lawn had been transformed into a grotto.
The grotto was filled with roses and the twinkling light of fairies, creating a dreamlike scene. Walking along the ornate winding path, Aisen and Hermione saw two figures quietly emerge from the rose bushes.
Hmm—that's Fawcett from Ravenclaw and Stebbins from Hufflepuff. Dating in the rose bushes seems quite nice.
On the other side, Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons and Roger Davies from Ravenclaw got up from a carved bench and hid among the nearby rose bushes.
Passing by a towering stone carved reindeer, a tall fountain splashed water, blurring the two tall figures opposite—they were Hagrid and Madam Maxime.
On the other side, Harry and Ginny were sitting on a bench, chatting animatedly about something, but Ron and Lavender were nowhere to be seen.
"The moment I saw you, I understood everything!" Hagrid's voice reached Aisen and Hermione's ears.
"Professor, over there!" Hermione tugged at Aisen's arm and pointed towards another path.
"What do you understand, Hagrid?" Madam Maximeasked in her deep voice.
Aisen nodded towards Hermione and walked towards the other side. Since Hagrid and Madam Maxime wanted to talk, it was best not to disturb them.
Hmm—is this that woman Rita Skeeter's Animagustransformation?
Walking past a reindeer stone carving, Aisen saw a beetle crawling on the reindeer's back. As his thoughts turned, he understood that this beetle was actually that woman, Rita.
It seemed that after the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, Dumbledore had banned her from entering Hogwarts. But unexpectedly, she had still snuck in this way.
With a thought, Aisen paused his steps slightly. He walked towards another direction with Hermione.
Originally, he thought there was nothing major about Ritatrying to eavesdrop on Hagrid and Madam Maxime's conversation.
Perhaps, many people in the Wizarding World already knew about that woman Rita's character. It's possible people read the stories she fabricated just for fun, who knows!
Didn't Dumbledore ignore Rita despite her slandering him so many times? So, Aisen basically didn't feel like bothering with such a small matter.
However, it seems that in the original work, Rita not only exposed Hagrid's Giant blood but also slandered him by claiming he inherited the Giants' brutality and bloodlust, causing him great harm.
If it weren't for the Trio comforting him—never mind, just treat it as helping Hagrid out.
With a thought, Aisen casually waved his hand backward. An invisible gust of wind swept past, and the conversation between Hagrid and Madam Maxime, who were sitting on the stone bench, suddenly became ethereal and low, until it was inaudible.
Neither of them showed any surprise, because Aisen had directly restricted their conversation. This way, their conversation here would not be heard by outsiders until the end of the banquet.
"What's wrong, Professor Aisen?" Hermione looked at Aisen curiously.
"Nothing, let's go sit somewhere!" Aisen pointed to a chair wrapped in green vines deep within the rose bushes.
Groups of colorful little fairies fluttered among the flowers, scattering fairy light, making people feel intoxicated. The two sat side by side, admiring the beautiful scenery, and a romantic atmosphere unknowingly enveloped the place.
Neither of them spoke, enjoying the rare tranquility; for a moment, they were quiet.
"Are you a little cold?" Aisen suddenly saw Hermione's body trembling slightly.
The temperature at night in winter is indeed quite low. But for Aisen, this was nothing. After all, his physical fitness could already ignore this temperature change. Otherwise, he wouldn't have built a secret base in the ice-covered land of Antarctica.
Not to mention later, his body was solidified with magical effects like water and fire resistance.
Before Hermione could say anything, Aisen cast a warming Charm on her.
"Thank you, Professor!" A blush appeared on Hermione's face.
Aisen's face showed a hint of a smile. Just as he was about to say something, he looked around and found that there were no other people nearby, immediately feeling that this was a good opportunity.
As his thoughts turned, Aisen's smile spread. After adjusting his emotions, he took out the book of aisen and slowly spoke: "Hermione, there's something I need to tell you!"
"Ah? What?" Hermione looked over, her face full of confusion.
"Hmm—how should I put this?" Aisen's expression became serious as he organized his words: "Harry is going to live with Sirius Black now, but he has to go back to his aunt's house once a year. You already know this, right?"
"Yes, Harry already said he's going back for a few days after the Christmas Ball," Hermione nodded.
"That's right. When Harry was little, his mother gave her life to cast a protection Charm on him. Dumbledore cast a spell using the blood relation as a link, extending the effect of the protection Charm to a place Harry could call 'home'. So he has to go back once a year until he comes of age," Aisen said slowly.
"Is there a problem?" Hermione tilted her head and looked at Aisen, not understanding why he was suddenly talking about this.
"Uh, the Wizarding World might be a bit restless." A flicker of hesitation flashed in Aisen's eyes, and then he handed the book of aisen to Hermione.
"the book of aisen, what is this? Did something happen in the Wizarding World?" After seeing the four big words on the book, Hermione couldn't help but widen her eyes.
Then Hermione opened the book of aisen, but found that it was completely blank, with nothing written inside.
"Things in the Wizarding World are not a big deal, you don't need to know too much." Aisen waved his hand and, after a slight pause, continued, "What I want to say is, I have developed a similar Charm."
Hermione closed the book of aisen, her fingers tracing the cover, finding the patterns on it exquisitely beautiful.
"A Charm, what Charm?" Hearing Aisen's words, Hermione was still very confused.
"Like the protection Charm on Harry—" Aisen raised his eyebrows and said lightly, "I think it can keep you safe!"
"Is that so?" Hermione felt a sweetness in her heart, and her cheeks flushed. But then, as if she thought of something, her face turned panicked, "Professor, does that Charm require a life to be paid?"
Seeing Hermione so panicked, Aisen was first startled, then understood what was going on. Was she worried that he would pay with his own life after using this Charm?
"Don't worry, casting this Charm certainly doesn't require paying with a life; it's just a contract Charm I developed." Aisen took the book of aisen from Hermione's hand, gestured to her, and continued, "Moreover, with it acting as a medium to help me, casting the spell will be a bit easier."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, finally putting her mind at ease.
"So, Professor, what do I need to do?" When she saw Aisen smiling at her, the blush reappeared on Hermione's face.
"Well, it's very simple. Come—sign here first!" Aisenopened the book of aisen, turned to the first page, conjured a quill, handed it to Hermione, and pointed to the center of the first page.
"Oh!" Hermione took the quill and directly signed her name on the first page of the book of aisen.
Taking the book of aisen, Hermione's brief information had appeared in the blank space on the first page.
At the top of the page, one line read "Name: HermioneJean Granger", and the line below was "Date of Birth: September 19, 1979".
Below these two lines of text was a photo of Hermione.
"Is that all?" Hermione looked in surprise at the content that appeared on the page. She had only written her name, but unexpectedly, the other information appeared automatically.
"Uh—this is just the first step, there's one more step to complete it." Closing the book of aisen, Aisen faced Hermione, took one of her hands, "Put your other hand on it!"
At Aisen's indication, Hermione placed her other hand on the book of aisen. This way, Aisen's left hand held Hermione's right hand, and his right hand was connected to Hermione's left hand through the book of aisen.
"Relax, nothing will go wrong!" Aisen said with a smile, "I'm about to begin!"
"Life-Bound Oath—" As he chanted the Charm, the magicwithin Aisen's body boiled. The contract already formed with the book of aisen rapidly extended, connecting to Hermione.
Chapter 297 Shocking News: Gringotts Robbed!
Just like when Aisen previously formed the contract, no strange phenomena appeared.
There was no sudden gust of wind, nor thunder and lightning. Immediately after the incantation ended, the boiling magic within Aisen's body calmed down almost instantly.
the book of aisen and Hermione had successfully formed a contract.
Aisen could clearly feel the power of the continuation Charm rapidly spreading from between him and the book of aisen towards Hermione. Moments later, the two contracts were completely linked using the book of aisenas the medium and link.
Feeling the connection between the contracts, a slight smile appeared on Aisen's face.
With these two closely linked contracts, no matter where Hermione is in the future or what dangerous situation she is in, Aisen will be able to sense it and can Apparition Without A Trace there at any time.
Moreover, this connection between the contracts will be more convenient than Aisen's previous method of splitting off memory fragments to reside on the playing cards Hermione carried.
Currently, Aisen has not added more functions to the book of aisen. But he is very satisfied with the basic vision sharing function.
What does this function mean?
Simply put, whatever Hermione sees in another place, Aisen can see it whenever he wants. And Aisen can also choose whether to share his vision with Hermione.
Because Aisen can now perform spells using vision as a link, being able to see what Hermione sees means Aisencan provide long-distance spell support to Hermione at any time.
Of course, this method might not be necessary for Aisen. Because next, Aisen plans to add and engrave the effects of some Shield Charm, super Shield Charm, Apparition Without A Trace Charm, and other magic effects onto the book of aisen.
Then, Aisen can grant Hermione some permissions, so that when she encounters danger, she can directly borrow the engraved Charms from the book of aisen using the contract as a link.
Uh—
Aisen suddenly realized that he seemed to be able to create something similar to a skill bar. He could add engraved skills to the skill bar himself, and then grant permissions to those who signed the contract, allowing them to directly borrow the skills from the skill bar.
Am I already this amazing?
Thoughts raced through his mind, and Aisen couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
He suddenly thought of his previous premonition and found that the effectiveness of the book of aisen indeed showed a tendency to exceed his expectations.
"Is it done, Professor!" Hermione's cautious voice rang out, interrupting Aisen's thoughts.
"It's done. How do you feel?" Seeing Hermione's worried look, Aisen put away the book of aisen and said calmly.
Seeing that Aisen was fine, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. When she heard him ask how she felt, Hermioneclosed her eyes again and carefully sensed.
"I don't feel anything—" After a moment, Hermioneopened her eyes with a frown, a hint of confusion flashing in them, "But, it seems like there's some feeling!"
"That's normal. You'll be able to feel it when I add some things later!" Aisen smiled and rubbed Hermione's head.
"Oh—I see!" Hermione patted Aisen's hand and lowered her head.
A night breeze came, and points of light shimmered among the rose bushes, adding a touch of mystery to the night sky.
"Let's go, we should head back—" Aisen stood up and gestured to Hermione, "The ball probably won't end for a while yet."
"Okay, Professor!"
Hermione followed beside Aisen, and the two walked through the winding path, entering the Great Hall from the entrance hall.
At some point, Harry and Ginny had returned to the Great Hall and were now dancing in the center of the dance floor. On the other side, Ron and Lavender were talking about something in a corner.
At a table away from the dance floor, several Beauxbatons boys were gathered together, and Seamus, Dean, Patil, and others were also excitedly discussing something.
"Hermione, do you still want to go dance?" Sitting at a table, Aisen casually asked.
"No thank you, Professor, we'll just listen to the Weird Sisters play." There weren't many people dancing on the dance floor anymore, so Hermione felt it was better not to go to the center and attract everyone's attention.
For the next period of time, Aisen sat with Hermione, quietly enjoying the music played by the Weird Sisters. It wasn't until the stroke of midnight, when they stopped, that everyone erupted in warm applause.
The ball finally ended, but many still wished it could have lasted longer. However, under the guidance of the Professors, everyone, though a little reluctant, still left the Great Hall.
"It's late, go back and rest." Aisen said to Hermione.
...
The day after Christmas, after waking up early, Aisenfound the entire Castle still very quiet.
Clearly, last night's Christmas ball had caused everyone to wake up late.
Aisen wasn't in a hurry to go out; instead, he began to engrave and solidify several protective Charms onto the book of aisen.
This way, if Hermione encounters danger and doesn't have time to cast a spell, the protective Charms will automatically trigger through the contract connection and protect her.
As for the effects of other Charms, well, Aisen thought he would wait and see.
After half past nine in the morning, Aisen arrived at the Great Hall and found many students chatting casually, and their conversations were particularly enthusiastic and intense.
Contrary to what Aisen expected, he thought everyone would be discussing matters related to yesterday's ball, but he didn't expect that after paying a little attention, Aisen heard words related to "Gringotts".
Instead of going to the faculty table, Aisen went directly to Hermione.
Compared to last night, Hermione's appearance today was back to normal, and even her smooth hair had become bushy again.
"I sprayed a lot of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion yesterday." Seeing Professor Aisen staring at her hair, Hermione felt a little embarrassed, "But it's too much trouble to do that every day."
"It's nothing, this is also quite good." Aisen smiled and shook his head, not really bothered by it, "What's going on? Everyone is discussing Gringotts?"
"Oh, Professor, look!" Hermione's expression changed, and she pulled a newspaper from the side and handed it to Aisen.
Glancing at Ron nearby who was arguing fiercely with Fred and others about something, Aisen nodded slightly and calmly took the newspaper.
Opening the newspaper, a striking headline immediately caught Aisen's eye: "Shocking! Gringotts Suffers Its Biggest Trust Crisis Ever!"
"Three years ago, Gringotts was broken into by an unknown Dark Wizard, making it difficult for people to trust that Gringotts would be the safest Wizarding bank. But the Gringotts Goblins unanimously declared that nothing was stolen…"
"…On Christmas night, Gringotts suffered the theft of multiple vaults due to a major error, shocking many people… But the Goblins there once again played the same old tune, claiming the intruders did not steal anything…"
"According to reliable information obtained by our reporter, a Witch who wished to remain anonymous told us that some of the affected vaults all belonged to pure-blood families. What this means, we believe everyone can judge for themselves…"
After a quick look, Aisen understood why everyone wasn't discussing yesterday's Christmas ball but was instead talking about Gringotts. This news was indeed explosive enough.
Well, after understanding the cause and effect of the matter, Aisen couldn't help but exclaim, "Well, I'll be!"
Three years ago, there was a theft incident at Gringotts. Aisen knew about that incident; it was Voldemort's attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone hidden in the vault. Because the Philosopher's Stone had been moved out by Hagrid earlier, Voldemort did not succeed, which is why the Gringotts Goblins claimed nothing was stolen.
But now that such a thing had happened at Gringotts, everyone was probably going to be suspicious. Because judging solely from the information revealed in the newspaper, the vaults of some pure-blood families at Gringotts had been visited by intruders.
Even if, as the Goblins claimed, nothing was stolen, it's likely that many Witches would still develop a distrust towards Gringotts.
This is quite obvious. It's like ordinary people depositing money in a bank, and that bank gets visited by intruders every other day – who could stand that, right?
However, what puzzled Aisen was why this incident at Gringotts suddenly happened? And on Christmas Day, no less!
Of course, the most important point is, which amazing person carried out such a significant deed?
Could it be the resurrected Voldemort? But Aisen felt there was no reason for that at all. Because even if Voldemort had truly resurrected, he should be lying low somewhere, quietly developing.
After all, before regaining his strength, he shouldn't be capable of causing trouble on such a large scale.
Or is it that something is hidden in the vaults of some pure-blood families that Voldemort urgently needs, something that can help him regain his strength.