novel bin Chapter 120 Entrapment
Chapter 120 Entrapment
On the way back to Hogwarts Castle, Harry and Ron both sincerely praised Hermione's quick wit. In the two boys' eyes, guessing from just a few clues that something might happen between Hagrid and Madam Maxim was more magical than magic itself.
"Do you think Hagrid will obediently clean up all the bombtails? He seems to really like them."
"Hopefully, but what we should be more concerned about now is how to catch that pesky Rita Skeeter. Think about it, Ms. Maxim is the principal of Beauxbatons. If even she didn't realize that her conversation was being overheard, then this female reporter must have some extraordinary abilities."
"Arrest her? But she doesn't seem to have committed any crime, does she? Is she really going to be sent to Azkaban just for writing a few articles?"
"No, Ron, Harry is right."
Hermione suddenly spoke up:
"Her use of illegal means to obtain information is a crime in itself. Moreover, her use of a shorthand quill to alter other people's words has caused a lot of unnecessary trouble and misunderstandings. More importantly, if she starts to engage in espionage in the future, the harm caused will not be as simple as just damaging other people's reputations."
“But how can we catch her secretly? According to you and Harry, this kind of thing can't be done openly. Even having Harry interview her again won't work.”
Ron's words seemed to remind Hermione; she turned around, staring intently at Harry, and said:
"I understand! Harry, do you remember your first interview as a Triwizard Tournament champion?"
“I remember some of it, but she didn’t write it exactly as I told her in the newspaper.”
“That’s right, that’s exactly what we’re going to use. Remember how she wrote about me back then?”
"She said that after a lifetime of loneliness, I've finally found... cough cough, are you sure you want to do this?"
Seeing Harry's hesitant expression, Hermione's face also turned red.
"What are you thinking? I meant combining it with another article."
"Another one?"
Harry asked with some curiosity:
"What did she write this time?"
......
About ten minutes later, when Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room and saw the contents of the November issue of the Daily Prophet, he roughly understood what Hermione was planning.
"The ordinary yet ambitious Hermione Granger seems to have a penchant for famous young wizards, and according to reliable sources, after trying her luck with the boy who miraculously survived—Harry Potter—she has set her sights on the Bulgarian hunk—Viktor Krum. We currently know nothing of her former lover's reaction to this blow..."
Logically, this unfounded article should have lost its credibility after the Christmas ball. Hermione's presence as Harry's dance partner was plain for all to see.
However, if Harry were to meet with Viktor Krum alone at this time as a Triwizard Tournament contestant, Rita Skeeter, who made her name in the news industry by eavesdropping and secretly photographing others' private lives, would very likely show up.
At that time, Hermione will only need to hide the Marauder's Map in her Invisibility Cloak to easily arrest him.
With this general battle plan in mind, the Gryffindor trio acted immediately. With the help of the Marauder's Map, they quickly located Krum's position.
......
It was one o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun, which had climbed from the east to the center of the sky, slightly dispelled the winter chill.
Like most of the students who stayed at school for the Christmas ball, Viktor Krum didn't appear on Durmstrang's ship until late morning. However, to Harry and the others' surprise, when he stepped onto the bow deck, he was only wearing swimming trunks.
Pfft!
"Ahhh!"
The sounds of splashing water and screams from female fans rose and fell. Looking at Krum, who was churning on the surface of the Black Lake, Ron muttered with a pained expression:
"My God, he's gone mad! It's December, this Black Lake must be freezing cold!"
“Demstrand is located in a colder place than here, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
Hermione said this, then looked at the Krum supporters several dozen yards away and asked Harry with slight concern:
"Should we stay away from those guys? I'm afraid they'll mess up our plans."
"No need, they are also a key part of this plan."
Harry said firmly:
"Our purpose this time is to lure Rita Skeeter, not to secretly discuss anything with Krum. If we don't leak a little information out, how could she possibly take the bait? Wait a minute... do you think Krum has already figured out the clues to the golden egg, which is why he's acclimatizing to the cold lake water by winter swimming?"
Upon hearing this, both Ron and Hermione looked at the head floating in the center of the Black Lake with newfound respect.
Unlike the story in another timeline in the original work, Harry grew into a genius wizard far beyond his peers under Morgen's influence. The two people closest to him rarely praised each other for their high intelligence or outstanding magical skills.
If Harry hadn't brought it up himself, Ron and Hermione probably would never have been able to shake off the label of "all brawn and no brain" in their eyes.
“Um… what you’re saying makes some sense… but last time he fought the dragon he used a broom, and now he’s swimming in the Black Lake like a Muggle. He still looks like a sports star.”
Ron's words made Hermione pause for thought, and after a moment, she finally understood the deeper meaning hidden in Harry's words.
"Ron."
Hermione said:
“I suspect Harry’s concerns go beyond whether Krum is holding back. Remember what we told you when we visited Hagrid? Karkaroff was a Death Eater who escaped punishment by betraying his colleagues. Although we don’t know exactly how he became the headmaster of Durmstrang, if he’s playing a much bigger game, then Krum and the others’ purpose in coming to Hogwarts is not just to participate in the competition.”
"what?"
When such profound words come from the mouth of a 14-year-old witch, it is hard not to be surprised, whether it is students of the same age or teachers who are already adults.
Was Karkaroff a spy secretly planted by Voldemort?
of course not.
However, after the Black Mark incident at the Quidditch World Cup, the three leaders, who had been outwitting Voldemort for years, all sensed a hint of danger to varying degrees.
Given Durmstrang's reputation for teaching Dark Magic and Karkaroff's past as a Death Eater, the safest course of action for Harry and his friends, who were unfamiliar with the story, was to be wary of these outsiders from the North.
Upon hearing this, Mo Ran really wanted to tell Harry Ming that Karkaroff was nothing but a cowardly coward.
However, since Barty Jr., who was supposed to impersonate Alastor Moody and infiltrate Hogwarts, had not yet shown up, he ultimately decided to continue to observe the situation in order to avoid alerting the enemy.
......
About ten minutes later, Viktor Krum, having finished his "bath," climbed back up from the mooring ropes near the ship's side.
Krum fans waiting on the shore cheered excitedly, but unfortunately, after returning to the ship to change his clothes, their idol rode a broomstick and flew straight to Harry's side.
"You need something from me, right?"
"Yes, that's right. My good friend Ron really likes you, and he's been wanting your autograph ever since the Quidditch World Cup."
Hearing Harry's words, Krum's expression visibly showed disappointment. His gaze slowly swept over Harry and Ron, finally landing almost imperceptibly on Hermione's cheek, and he said:
"That's fine, but where should I sign my name?"
"Um, actually I don't..."
"Cough cough!"
Ron was about to speak when Hermione interrupted him with a cough.
He used to really admire Krum, but ever since Harry and Krum became the Triwizards representing Hogwarts and Durmstrang respectively, the "world's best Seeker" label had lost its luster. In Ron's heart, Harry was his most important friend, and even if all the wizards in the wizarding world came out to speak ill of Harry, he would stand by Harry's side without hesitation.
"Ron forgot his Quidditch robe, didn't he, Ron?"
With Hermione's reminder, Ron immediately understood what he needed to do. He frantically rummaged through his pockets, a look of utter frustration on his face, and said:
"Oh my god, I'm so stupid! I got so excited that I came out without bringing anything with me. What am I going to do?"
"Yes, what should we do? Think of something, Harry."
Harry almost couldn't help but laugh at his friends' banter. He stroked his chin and, trying to appear serious, suggested:
“How about this, Ron, you and Hermione go back to the Gryffindor common room to get your pens and Quidditch uniforms, while Krum and I go for a walk by the Forbidden Forest and exchange our experiences in the Triwizard Tournament.”
"Okay! We'll be right back!"
......
As Ron and Hermione left, Harry noticed a hint of melancholy returning to Krum's face.
According to the plan, he now needed to lead Krum to an area on the Marauder's Map where his name would appear so that Hermione could confirm where Rita Skeeter had appeared from. However, Krum's repeated micro-expression changes made him cautious.
"Could it be that he has some unspeakable secret? Could it be that Karkaroff is really doing something shady behind the scenes?"
With these questions in mind, the two passed through Hagrid's hut and the exquisitely gleaming Beauxbatons carriage, arriving at a relatively quiet clearing.
The whispers of Krum's fans in the distance were carried away by the breeze. Harry glanced in the direction of the castle, then turned and stopped.
"You swam to get used to the water temperature beforehand so you could complete the second project, right?"
Krum, who had initially thought Harry and the others genuinely wanted his autograph, froze. A few seconds later, his face darkened further as he asked:
"You solved it too? The secret of that golden egg?"
"of course."
Harry replied calmly.
Having overcome malnutrition, he was taller and more magically powerful than Viktor Krum. Fortunately, Viktor Krum had years of experience playing in the Quidditch professional league; otherwise, he might have taken Harry's behavior as intimidation.
"Actually, I also have a question I'd like to ask you..."
After a brief silence, Krum suddenly lowered his voice and said:
"What is your relationship with... Hermione?"
"what?"
Thinking he had misheard, Harry blurted out.
He initially thought Krum was trying to distract him by talking nonsense, but when he noticed the other's serious gaze, he replied in a more solemn tone: