The weather in September is just starting to cool, and the sun hasn't completely lost its heat, generously pouring sunlight on the spiky towers of Gryffindor.

As the new semester begins, so do the students, who are back to their busy magical studies.

But Harry had been feeling a little distressed lately, and the cause of the distress was his good friend, Hermione.

Hermione was the best student in her grade, she got the best grades in almost all subjects, and she always seemed to know everything, so much so that Snape would call her "Miss Jack of All Trades" when he mocked Hermione.

But recently, Harry noticed that Hermione had changed, and that Hermione seemed to be in a state of flux for a long time since the opening party. She would often look haggard, and a little absent-minded when she was with Harry and Ron.

The most incredible thing is that in today's herbal class, when Professor Sprout held up a little doll-like mandrake and asked who knew the properties of this herb, Hermione didn't even raise her hand!

When Harry looked at her, Hermione was sitting on a small stool in a daze. She propped her chin on her hands, her eyes staring unfocused at the ground not far away, Harry had never seen her so spirited.

Ron, who was sitting next to him, opened his mouth as if he had seen a ghost, and he squeezed his eyes at Harry, as if motioning for Harry to ask what was going on.

"Why didn't you ask?" Harry gestured with his mouth over and over again.

"You'd better go and say hello," Ron couldn't stand Harry's way of communicating, and he leaned over and explained in a whisper

"Hermione's look—uh, to be honest, I'm a little helpless."

"Am I good at dealing with such a weird Hermione?" Harry sighed helplessly, but he moved his small stool and slowly leaned next to Hermione, only to see Hermione still stunned and unthinking.

"You're alright, Hermione." Harry whispered worriedly.

"Ah," Hermione looked up, her rosy cheeks paling a little lately, and her pupils refocused after a few seconds before Harry's gaze was met.

"What's wrong with you? Nothing seems to be quite right lately. Ron stepped in at this point, and he nodded, agreeing with what Harry had said.

Rubbing her eyebrows, Hermione said a little weakly, "I'm fine... Sorry to worry you. ”

Hermione's heart warmed by her friend's concern, and she barely smiled a little, and said softly, "I'm just a little tired - it'll be fine when you rest." ”

Hearing Hermione say this, Harry and Ron couldn't say anything more, just as Professor Sprout's eyes swept over, and the two had to stop talking to each other.

"I think it's probably because of Ning An." Looking at Hermione, who had returned to her stunned position, Harry said firmly to Ron beside him.

"What?!"

"On the day of the opening party, Hermione went back to the lounge early, not because of something that hurt her stomach." Harry gritted his teeth and whispered:

"She walked away from the Slytherin table, Ning An must have said something hurtful—"

As he spoke, he said to Ron as if he had made up his mind, "I'm going to talk to Ning An." ”

"Are you crazy?" Ron looked at Harry in surprise

"What's there to talk about with a Slytherin?" He seemed quite excited, on the one hand, because of his long-standing dislike for Ning An, and on the other hand, because of Ning An's possible behavior to hurt Hermione.

Ron lowered his voice, "You know he's not a Malfoy-like guy - I mean, he turned the person who annoyed him into a guinea pig last semester, you remember." ”

"This isn't an unlearned guy, he's dangerous, Harry." Ron's expression was rather solemn.

"Hey, take it easy, Ron." Harry was a little taken aback by Ron's fuss, and he explained, "Nimman is not like Malfoy, he's also my friend...... I just wanted to ask him what he said to Hermione. ”

Ron rolled his eyes and scoffed at Harry's claim, which Harry shook his head and didn't argue, before they had to split into groups of four, under the guidance of Professor Sprout, and pull mandrakes out of the pot with earmuffs on, which made them choke enough.

At the same time, in Slytherin, there was one person who was just as depressed as Hermione.

Archibald? McLeish has been very troubled lately, and last semester he was still happy and excited to join Ning'an's small organization, and this semester he found himself alienated from Ning'an.

Well, he had to admit that he had made some mistakes. When Ning An told them not to spread the word about the organization, McLeish patted his chest and promised not to say anything.

However, during the summer vacation, he finally couldn't hold back, and in a letter to another friend, he mentioned their mysterious little organization, oh my God, such a cool thing, you want him to hold it forever? It's just too hard.

Throughout the holiday, McLeish was proud that he had joined Ning'an's small organization, but he didn't expect that the friend he was communicating with was also a big mouth.

So, in the first few days of school, the whole thing spread throughout Slytherin House, and everyone knew that the second-year gifted student, Ning An, founded a small organization.

Legend has it that only the oldest pure-blood members are allowed to join, and some say they perform secret rituals at Hogwarts at night.

There are even a few people who will whisper in private that the small group is imitating the Dark Lord, because MacLesh once proudly showed the black snake mark on his arm like someone.

All of this was far beyond MacLeish's expectations, although to outsiders, he was now very prosperous, and almost half of Slytherin knew him, a little man who was originally unknown.

But when Samantha stopped him after class and took him to a long-abandoned classroom around the corner of the basement hallway, MacLesh freaked out.

When he walked in, Ning An happened to be sitting on an old stool, with Walter and Daphne standing on either side of him.

Samantha kicked him hard in the back of his knee, and he had to bend his leg and get to his knees.

No one spoke, but McLeish could hear it, and Samantha behind her drew her wand, and the rustling of her wand against her robe was so clear in the silence of the ruined house.

"Tick, tick......"

The sound of water dripping from the ceiling of the classroom may be due to the fact that it is already under the black lake, so it is humid all year round.

Macleish only felt the drops of water falling, as if dripping on his heart, and every sound made his heart tremble. He never imagined that things would be so serious, and he was forced to kneel in this empty classroom, and he was pointed to his head with a wand.

The dead silence was about to suffocate MacLeish, and at last he could not bear the pressure, and had to fall to the ground, sobbing quietly, wiping his nose, and whispering in a pleading whisper:

"Forgive me—please... Please—Ning'an—I didn't mean to tell Charles about our organization—I just didn't in—"

"Shut up."

Ning An waved his hand casually, as if to drive away a fly.

"Show me the power of your spell, Samantha." Without looking at McLeish again, Ning An said softly to Samantha.

"Of course,—— as you wish."

Samantha licked her lips, his face was hideous, his beautiful face was distorted a little, and the hand holding the wand was trembling slightly, not only nervous but also excited.

"What—what are you going to do? - No, no, please—" Macleish was pointed at by Samantha with a wand from behind, and he did not dare to turn back, but could only crouch on the ground.

He looked terrified, tears streaming from his eyes, sobs turning into weeping, his unknown fate was bringing him great fear.

"McLeish's wand is flying."

Daphne suddenly pulled out her wand and shouted to the boy lying on the ground.

Then, Macleish's black wizarding robe spontaneously took shape, revealing a hand a few centimeters below his wand, and the next moment, his wand flew into Daphne's hand like an arrow.

"Looks like you're not giving up, Archibald." Daphne pretended to be surprised and laughed, she had just noticed MacLeish's small movements, he was lying on the ground, but his hand was hidden under his clothes.

"No—"

The boy cried out in despair, but no sooner had he said than an evil voice came from behind him, which made his legs tremble.

"Dig into the bones—"

Red light shot out from Samantha's wand, striking McLeish on the ground without hindrance.

"Ahhh

As if suffering immensely in an instant, Archibald? McLeish instantly curled up like a prawn, curled up in a ball, and let out a wail from his mouth.

"Silently"

Ning An lightly twisted the boy with the finger of his wand, and his screams were instantly replaced by silence.

With his mouth wide open, he seemed to be screaming hoarsely, but he couldn't make the slightest sound, and Ning An didn't want his cry to lure a professor over.

Samantha still didn't stop casting, he excitedly pointed his wand at Archibald, who was rolling around on the ground, curling up, and he seemed to finally appreciate the pleasure of this unforgivable curse, perhaps just the seeds of evil buried in his heart began to sprout.

Seeing that MacLeish's writhing was getting smaller and smaller, as if something called life was leaving him, Ning An spoke coldly:

"Stop, Samantha."

Samantha immediately raised her wand when she heard this, but the first time she used the Diamond Heart Charm on a person seemed to make him feel more reminiscent, and when she put it away, her face was full of reluctance.

"Go ahead, Walter."

Walter, who was standing next to Ning An, walked up to McLeish, who was almost unconscious, with an expressionless face, and he did not act as crazy as Samantha.

The short, ugly wizard just put on a dead face, and without hesitation, he took out his wand and said sharply to the curled up MacLeish:

"Out of body."