Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0672 After Winter Break

Although the joyful Christmas holiday had passed like a fleeting dream, leaving only memories of festive lights and warm gatherings, it was obvious that the students of Hogwarts had not yet managed to shake off its lingering influence.

Throughout the entire first week of the new term, most of the students were listless, their bodies seemed to be present but their minds were clearly wandering to cozy fireplaces and family gatherings they had recently left behind.

They were not focused and their academic enthusiasm was also diminished which was a predictable situation that the experienced professors of Hogwarts had long anticipated and accepted as an inevitable January tradition.

Therefore, during this transitional first week of classes, with the exception of two particularly rigid professors from Slytherin who disappointedly assigned stacks of homework, the other professors leniently held back from assigning much coursework. This compassionate restraint allowed the students to enjoy a relatively relaxed weekend.

For the older students, those in their third year and above, this particular weekend was waited for with even greater eagerness, as it overlapped with a scheduled Hogsmeade visit. The children who had been fortunate enough to receive some pocket money from parents and relatives during the Christmas break couldn't contain their excitement at the thought of spending it in the enticing shops of Hogsmeade.

Visions of Honeydukes' sweets, Zonko's joke products, and the warming butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks danced in their minds, temporarily displacing thoughts of pending essays and Homework.

By late afternoon on Friday, the atmosphere within the Castle had transformed becoming increasingly livelier as the weekend drew nearer.

The fourth-year Gryffindor students had been scheduled for only two classes on this particular Friday afternoon. After obediently completing their final lesson of Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided to make the most of the remaining daytime. They bundled themselves in scarves and cloaks against the freezing January cold and trekked across the snow-covered grounds to visit Hagrid and Freodom.

The trio sat comfortably around Hagrid's enormous wooden table, taking steaming mugs of tea that warmed their chilled hands.

Between cautious nibbles of Hagrid's notoriously rock-solid homemade biscuits, they enthusiastically narrated the pleasant days they had spent during the holiday break at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, but did not tell him that they had also visited Professor Watson with Sirius and Remus.

However, when the conversation naturally shifted and they inquired about how Hagrid himself had spent the holiday vacation. The usually cheerful Hagrid suddenly blushed as he stammered incoherently, struggling to form complete sentences.

This unusual behavior immediately piqued Harry, Ron, and Hermione's intense curiosity. Despite their persistent questioning and most innocent expressions, Hagrid refused to say more on his holiday activities and like someone desperate to change an embarrassing subject, he deliberately redirected the conversation toward a topic guaranteed to create distraction—specifically, Hermione's campaign regarding the rights and welfare of house-elves.

"I've noticed yeh haven't been as keen on convincin' Freodom here ter fight fer vacation time an' proper wages lately, Hermione?" Hagrid observed with a knowing grin, his eyes twinkling with relief as he successfully diverted the attention.

Freodom who had been quietly cleaning Hagrid's collection of strange relics on a nearby shelf, froze momentarily at the mention of his name.

Although Harry and Ron recognized Hagrid's clear attempt to change the subject, they were successfully diverted nonetheless. Both boys immediately rotated their heads toward Hermione, who was reading a book every spare second, wanting to hear what she had to say.

"Oh—" Hermione looked up from her book, suddenly aware that three pairs of eyes were looking at her with amusement. Her fingers instinctively marked her place on the page as she processed Hagrid's question.

Rather than showing her typical defensive reaction to any perceived criticism of S.P.E.W. (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare), she straightened her posture, raised her chin proudly, and said with surprising composure, "That's because I have other, more complete plans now—"

"You've started yet another new organization, Hermione?" Harry asked with an exaggerated click of his tongue, looking exasperated.

"Actually," Ron interjected with a smirk, "you've just finally given up on the whole thing, haven't you?"

He leaned back in his chair with an air of smug certainty, as if he'd finally solved a particularly challenging wizard's chess puzzle.

But Hermione simply gave a smile in response, clearly determined to play the secret game again.

Even as they eventually bid farewell to Hagrid and Freodom and made their way back across the school grounds, and Ron deliberately provoked her with increasingly outlandish theories about her supposed abandonment of the house-elf rights, Hermione maintained her resolve, responding only with sideways glares without uttering a single word.

The icy wind howled over the snow-covered lawn. After a frigid Christmas break, the soft snow had turned to ice in the low temperature, making a crunching sound with each footstep.

Upon Arriving at the Quidditch pitch, Harry looked up at the towering goal posts and suddenly felt a desire to fly for a while.

This school year had been quite grueling for young wizards who loved Quidditch like Harry. Although the Triwizard Tournament was interesting, days without Quidditch matches always seemed to lack that spark.

"Sheesh, it's really freezing out here—" Ron's voice trembled as he gasped. His teeth chattered audibly, and the tip of his long nose had turned pink from the cold. "Don't space out now, Harry, we need to hurry and run! After we finish these blasted exercises and finally get to dinner, you still need to tell me all about today's P.E. class content!"

Reluctantly abandoning his fantasies of flying, Harry could only lower his head in resignation, wrap his scarlet and gold Gryffindor scarf more tightly around his neck until only his eyes remained visible, and begin the running exercises.

Ron's reminder made Harry realize at least one thing—if he actually attempted to fly in this weather, he'd likely transform into a human icicle within minutes.

Actually, Hermione was obviously far better suitable than Harry for the task of teaching Ron. However, the problem was that after the Christmas break, the second task of the Triwizard Tournament scheduled for the end of February suddenly seemed much closer, casting a shadow over Hermione's thoughts and consuming virtually all her attention.

Although she had finally deciphered the cryptic hint concealed within the screeching golden egg, this unfortunately had not resolved the actual practical difficulties of the task.

How exactly was she supposed to spend an entire hour underwater without drowning? What specific magical obstacles would she inevitably encounter beneath the lake's surface—merpeople, vicious grindylows, perhaps even Japanese kappas?

And of course, if the legendary giant squid was also intended as one of the obstacles, then Hermione felt there was absolutely no hope of successfully completing the task intact.

And then there was that particularly troubling line in the merpeople's haunting song that had come from the egg: "We'll take what you treasure most."

This cryptic threat raised even more disturbing questions. What exactly could they possibly take? A cherished possession? Her wand?

What could that be?

These questions had tormented Hermione throughout the Christmas break dampening her holiday enjoyment. Even now, she had no suitable answers to any of them.

Anxiety drove Hermione to read even more frantically than usual. By the time the three of them returned to the common room and Harry began telling Ron about today's P.E. class, the stack of various books piled beside her was almost as tall as a first-year student.

Fellow Gryffindors passing through the common room glanced with astonishment at Hermione, who sat cross-legged on the floor beside the fireplace, simultaneously reading two books open on her lap, while agitatedly muttering under her breath.

"Hermione, Hermione?!" Harry had to call several times to rouse Hermione from her immersion in the world of books.

"What?" Hermione said impatiently, her gaze still unwilling to leave the two thick books open on her knees, each heavy enough to be used as a brick.

"I've been wondering about Lee Jordan's speculation today—" Harry was a bit exasperated, but he did want an answer. "When Professor Watson asked that question after class ended, do you think he was deliberately hinting that we should approach him for a restricted section note?"

"Actually—" Hermione hesitated, clearly reluctant to voice her thoughts on the matter.

It was a question with an obvious answer, but Hermione was very reluctant to respond, as it seemed to suggest that Professor Watson was inciting them to break the law. But Harry and Ron kept pestering her about it. So, Hermione sighed, heavily closed the books in front of her, and looked at them with some confusion and worry in her eyes.

She didn't answer Harry's question, instead, she furrowed her brow thoughtfully and said in a soft low voice, "What I'm more curious about is the nature of Professor Watson's dueling training. Haven't you ever found it strange, Harry?"

"What?" Harry and Ron both looked innocently puzzled. After glancing at each other, Harry asked urgently. "What aspect specifically?"

"I'm talking about the entire training routine Professor Watson designed, haven't you noticed—oh, never mind " Hermione didn't beat around the bush anymore. She looked at Harry and Ron. "Why do you think Professor Watson started the physical education class?"

"Uh—" Harry was hesitant as he tried to recall Professor Watson's words.

"Professor Watson explained that it was intended to teach us systematic dueling techniques, and...to ultimately provide us with the practical ability to protect ourselves in dangerous situations?" Harry finally answered, his tone rising questioningly at the end, suddenly uncertain of the accuracy of his memory.

"But that's exactly the problem, Harry!"

This question seemed to have been hidden in Hermione's heart for a long time. After Harry answered, Hermione leaned forward, lowered her voice, and spoke rapidly.

"Having the ability to protect ourselves—yes, that's exactly what he said, But Harry, look at the content of the training exercises he designed…. I mean, since the beginning of last term, after he formally started teaching us dueling techniques."

Hermione's brown eyes flashed with a serious light.

"He consistently requires all our combat training to be conducted in coordinated groups of different sizes,"

She continued, her words flowing more rapidly as she voiced her thoughts. "Don't you see the contradiction, Harry? Traditional wizarding dueling is, by its very definition and centuries of established tradition, an activity conducted between just two wizards—not teams, not groups, certainly not crowds. It's a formalized, almost ritualistic one-on-one combat scenario."

Hermione paused momentarily to allow her words to register fully before pressing on.

"Let's consider a realistic scenario—suppose, just suppose, that after we graduate from Hogwarts and go into the wider wizarding world, we encounter some magical danger or threat. Statistically speaking, we simply cannot expect to always be conveniently together as a group, can we?"

Seeing Harry's facial features tighten as he realized something, and Ron still not quite understanding but looking unsettled by her tone, Hermione continued.

"Perhaps you haven't noticed, Harry, but consider Professor Watson's newest training methods that he introduced today- Yes, he told us it was designed to train us in escape techniques for unfavorable or outnumbered situations. But if you analyze the actual exercise he planned—one team attempting to escape, while three coordinated teams simultaneously surround and attack them. This is simultaneously training..."

Hermione's speech slowed down, but her tone became even more serious.

"It's training us in how different teams can efficiently coordinate and synchronize their offensive attacks against a common target. This has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with self-protection or traditional dueling practices!"

"What exactly are you trying to say, Hermione?" Harry couldn't help but ask bluntly.

"I'm thinking," Hermione stammered, avoiding Harry and Ron's eyes.

"Maybe... maybe he's systematically training us... how to effectively wage... War!"

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