Chapter 198

The Professor let them joke around for another couple of minutes before butting in, "Yes, yes, good job you two. You can celebrate later when Miss Granger is back up. Now do tidy up the room. I have to escort you to the grounds to watch Professor Lockhart's…Stunt. Mandatory stuff I'm afraid."

Two simultaneous groans echoed across the room.

When the two boys reached the grounds, they were surprised to find quite the crowd under the highest tower.

Giant canopies had been set up in a U around the safety net with dozens of chairs and roofs made of transparent screen so that they could see the fall clearly. Students from all the years who had stayed for the holidays, Hogsmeade citizens, and what looked like a bunch of photographers spread all around the place, getting every angle possible. If one squinted, one could see Lockhart standing on top of the tower. The giant golden net stood beneath him, looking as unbreakable as ever before. Just to be safe, Harry quickly cast an observe on it.

Enchanted Industrial Grade Breaking Safety Net

A very powerful enchanted safety net capable of protecting people from any injury after falling from great heights by limiting the distance they fall, and deflecting to dissipate the impact energy. Charmed to be Unbreakable, this net can catch a falling overweight troll from a height over 700 meters without any harm to the subject at all.

Lockhart would be alright, Harry thought as he took a seat underneath one of the canopies beside Dean, tuning out the random announcements and the overly saccharine sweet-talking that the anchor was doing to warm up the crowd. All he had to do now, was wait and watch.

"And now!" the portly announcer standing in front of the net shouted into his megaphone, "For the moment you have all been waiting for! The-"

The megaphone suddenly stopped with a large static screech.

Murmurs swept through the crowd as Professor McGonagall came half marching, half running across the grounds to the announcer, and started arguing with him. Harry only caught bare snippets of the announcer's side of the argument, "Shut this down…months of preparation…over in a few minutes…not stopping…Fine…Only two."

The megaphone switched on with another screech of static, before the announcer said, "We will be starting the event shortly. Meanwhile, Mister Potter and Mister Thomas! Professor Mcgonagall is asking for you. I repeat. Potter and Thomas!"

Harry looked at Dean with wide eyes, feeling almost a stone drop in his stomach, wondering what had happened. They got to their feet and promptly made their way over to the acting Headmistress, who simply said, "Come with me now you two," before giving the announcer a glare and walking off with the two boys in tow.

"Professor," Harry hesitantly asked as they made their way into the school and up the marble staircase, "What happened?"

"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice, just as Harry noticed with a spike of horror that they were approaching the Infirmary, "There has been another attack."

Harry's insides did a horrible turn. Professor McGonagall pushed the door open and he and Dean entered.

Madam Pomfrey was bending over a girl that lay on the bed utterly still, her eyes open and glassy. A girl with long, bushy hair.

'Hermione' the name of the girl came to him, yet for an infantile moment, his mind rejected that answer. For how could it be Hermione when she had been just fine this morning? A bit tired, but just fine and happy as usual.

"Oh no…" he heard Dean mutter in shock, and knew at that moment that he wasn't ready to handle the shock all by himself. He quickly used Gamer's Mind to push back his emotions, before turning to McGonagall and asking, "How did this happen?"

"She was found near the library ten minutes ago," said Professor McGonagall gently, "You can have some time with her. I have to go see that…Professor Lockhart's event finishes up quick, and the students head back to the tower immediately."

Madam Pomfrey soon finished making Hermione comfortable, before she let the two of them pull over a pair of chairs and sit down next to her. "If it's any consolation, the Mandrakes will be ready in a month at most, and she will be up and moving soon enough."

It was some consolation. But not much.

For the longer part of an hour, they just sat there, doing absolutely nothing. Harry used an Observe on her.

Hermione Granger (Status: Petrifaction)

(Relationship Meter-54%)

Lv-8

HP-400/400

MP-350/350

Race-Witch

Str-4

Vit-6

Dex-5

Int-15

Wis-6

Luc-3

Hermione Jean Granger is a Muggle-born witch and the daughter of two dentists in London. She grew up as a normal girl until, at age eleven, she learned that she was a witch and had been accepted into Hogwarts. She possesses a brilliant academic mind, and is a gifted student. She is very studious and bookish and can be very bossy and obnoxious.

She does not have any thoughts right now.

Harry tried his Healing and Healing Touch ability on her, despite knowing that he would almost definitely fail.

Nothing.

"I wonder if she did see the attacker, though?" said Dean, looking sadly at Hermione's rigid face. "Because if he sneaked up on them all, no one will ever know…"

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