Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 298 Waiting for a Rabbit to Run into a Tree Stump

On the pitch-black second floor, a scene worthy of being included in a global horror film was unfolding before Thea:

The old woman, who had just stepped onto the last step of the second floor, suddenly burst into a physical split when she saw the person lying leisurely on the chair!

Starting from the top of her head, a crack opened and widened, and from the front, the crack directly split the old woman in two!

"Gurgle..."

The sudden sound of swallowing broke the silence of the horror movie.

"Shh!"

No one could see how the giant snake broke free from the old woman's skin and pounced on the direction of the sound like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.

In that instant, the unfortunate soul facing the giant snake lunging at him was terrified.

"Nagini—"

A life-saving angelic sound appeared along with a faint white light.

“Don’t waste it like that,” Thea said gently, but her words were hurtful. “After all… Father only gave me these few good-for-nothings.”

"If you eat him now, you won't have any food left when you get back!"

The whole scene looks like an innocent and cute little girl trying to stop her pet from causing trouble, but if you hear the voice, it's definitely a horror movie.

"Hiss... hiss..."

Nagini was somewhat displeased, but still obediently complied.

It couldn't understand what its little master was saying, but it knew that if it disobeyed, its little master wouldn't just give it one spell like before...

What a pity... it thought it would get to eat meat today!

Thea was unaware of Nagini's regrets, but through those emotionless beast eyes, she seemed to witness the demise of a certain girl.

"Damn it..."

Thea's low murmurs, falling on the ears of the Death Eaters who were desperately holding their breath, were nothing short of a call to death.

"...Ms. Bathilda?"

Harry's tentative calls came from downstairs.

saved!

The Death Eaters exchanged a cautious glance; they had never been so grateful for the arrival of their savior!

"cough……"

Thea stood up from her chair, but a muffled cough came from her throat, which sounded exactly like an old man's cough to everyone.

"They're here—"

Another low, hoarse reply came.

That's amazing acting!

The Death Eaters looked at each other, and they all saw a sense of awe in each other's eyes.

"Pat-pat-pat—"

The sound of an old man's unsteady footsteps rang out. Hermione turned her head and saw that Bathilda had come downstairs, carrying a large box in her hands.

Hermione, who had been a little excited, immediately calmed down after seeing what was inside the box, and she began to feel sorry for Harry, who had been so enthusiastic just moments before.

Poor Harry was unaware of his friend's pity. He stared at the ordinary cardboard box with shining eyes, firmly believing that it must be a clue left to him by Professor Dumbledore!

They received this reward because they passed the test—helping elderly people living alone clean their rooms!

Bathilda was too old to see Harry's excitement or Hermione's schadenfreude; she simply walked toward the clean dining table on her own.

It must be said that Harry and Hermione are quite good at housework.

In less than ten minutes, the two had almost finished cleaning the first floor, even though they used magic and the area wasn't large.

"Snapped."

The sound of the cardboard box being placed on the table.

"Snapped!"

That's the sound of Harry's heart breaking.

Harry was stunned when he saw the fragrant, steaming pies in the box.

Even someone as dense as him would realize that this was neither a clue nor a test.

They simply encountered a kind person!

Harry had already decided that Bathilda was a good person, because in his mind, if Bathilda were a Death Eater, she would definitely have given him a curse by now, instead of bringing out a big box of fruit pies.

"…eat………"

Seeing that the two did not make a move, Bathilda urged them on.

Unable to refuse the old man's request, and also because they were really hungry, the two of them didn't hesitate and each took a piece and took a big bite.

"hiss………"

"hiss………"

Two seconds later, the two looked at each other, and then... grabbed the teacup on the table.

After gulping down a glass of water, their contorted expressions returned to normal.

When she turned around, Bathilda was staring blankly at the two of them.

"Um... um..."

Harry was so anxious he was scratching his head, but given the taste of the pie, he couldn't come up with any white lies.

"Sorry, we ate too fast just now."

At the crucial moment, Hermione came to the rescue, and Harry nodded frantically in agreement.

What a good child, respecting the elderly and caring for the young.

Bathilda Thea silently sighed in her heart.

"Is it good? Is the taste right?"

Faced with this death issue, Harry, to his dismay, once again pinned his hopes on Hermione.

"It's delicious!" Hermione exclaimed sincerely. "Soft, chewy, and sweet!"

Hearing Hermione's blatant lies, Harry silently shut his shocked mouth.

He had eaten the mixed fruit pie before, sent to him by Mrs. Weasley; that was truly soft, chewy, and sweet, unlike this kind that melts in your mouth! It was outrageously sweet!

Hearing Hermione's assessment and seeing Harry's downcast expression, Bathilda Thea had her own guess.

It's too soft and too sweet.

She took another bite of the pie; it was indeed too soft, but sweet…

Why doesn't she think so?

In an instant, a flood of past scenes rushed back: the candy jar overflowing with demand, the honey nearly empty, the astonished Gella…

So, it turns out I just couldn't taste the sweetness anymore...

Thea lowered her eyes slightly, concealing all her thoughts.

Three people sat at a table, lost in thought.

Thea was busy making emo gestures, while Harry and Hermione were busy exchanging glances.

Harry: What should I do? What should I do? What if I let the old man down?

Hermione: Calm down.

Harry: What do I do? What do I do? This is to the point where I'll slap myself in my dreams tonight!!!

Hermione: …………

After lamenting once again about how useless her friends were, Hermione's eyes lit up, and an idea had already taken shape.

“Ms. Bathilda,” Hermione smiled slightly, “do you remember who was in that photograph?”

Thea slowly looked in the direction Hermione was pointing.

Oh wow, my grand-nephew!

“…My grand-nephew, Gellert Grindelwald.”

Thea generously offered her answer as payment for the room the two of them had just cleaned.

"Grindelwald?!"

Miss Know-It-All immediately found the name in her memory. She looked at Bathilda with surprise and doubt, as if trying to find a resemblance between her aged face and the man whose power swept across Europe back then.

Harry also noticed Hermione's unusual behavior, but time was limited and the location wasn't convenient for Hermione to elaborate, so he also asked:

"Ms. Bathilda, is there anything Professor Dumbledore would like you to convey to us?"