Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 342 Acting Skills

Thea wasn't surprised to be tied up, but...

Looking at the loose rope in her hand, Thea felt as if she had stumbled into a cosplay event, and she was playing the role of the kidnapped person.

"Thea, would you like a glass of honey water? Or hot cocoa?"

"Just a glass of water will do, thank you."

Thea responded calmly.

"okay!"

Hermione readily agreed and turned to pour water.

After finally getting rid of Hermione who was crowding around, before Thea could even catch her breath, Ron came over again:

"Um...are you hungry? What would you like to eat? We have bread, steak, small cakes, and fruit too!"

Ron spoke more and more fluently, and even became a little boastful towards the end.

Thea: "???"

"No, thank you. I'm not very hungry yet."

Thea calmly refused.

"Oh."

Ron was a little disappointed after being rejected, but it didn't last long. He turned and headed upstairs, remembering that he hadn't finished cleaning yet.

Since they've come all this way, let's help them clean up as payment for their rent for the next few days!

"Squeak-"

The door opened, and Harry walked in.

"Um...would you like...a piece of candy?"

Harry awkwardly pulled a lone piece of candy from his pocket; it was the same piece the shopkeeper had just given him.

"May it bring you some good luck!"

Recalling the jar full of candy next to the counter, Harry felt that this phrase had become the owner's new way of saying goodbye to customers.

"No, thank you."

Thea looked at the candy, then at Harry's ridiculously red face, and a smile crept onto her lips.

"Thea, your water."

The belated bottle of water was neatly placed beside Thea, but...

As Hermione reached out to untie the ropes binding her hands, Thea's pupils constricted slightly. She then subtly shrank to the side, cleverly avoiding Hermione's hand.

"I suddenly stopped thirsty, and I didn't need to untie the rope anymore."

"So, can we get down to business now?"

Thea bravely tapped the table with her bound hands, trying to bring the twisted storyline back on track.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry, jolted back to reality by Thea's shout, was momentarily speechless, but thankfully Hermione's mind worked quickly:

"We have deciphered the metaphor you gave us!"

"We've never been enemies, have we?"

"You went easy on us before, didn't you?"

"Dumbledore...was he there voluntarily?"

"besides…………"

Seeing Thea with her head down, looking like a lamb to the slaughter, Hermione suddenly felt a pang of sadness for no reason, and her voice choked slightly:

"He chose to give you up, didn't he?"

"To eliminate the most suspicious thorn in his side, he chose to abandon his own daughter, is that right?!"

In the end, Hermione and Harry both saw Thea's action: Thea, who had been keeping her head down the whole time, trembled slightly with her hands in front of her after hearing the last heart-wrenching words.

—It was as if his soft spot had been hit.

This action seemed to answer all her previous questions, conveying so much information that Hermione could no longer ask anything else.

Looking at Thea, who was less than a meter away, she couldn't help but reach out—even just to hug her.

But it was ultimately blocked by a long arm nearby.

Noticing the confusion in Hermione's eyes, Ron whispered,

She has an injury on her arm—

Upon hearing this, Hermione lowered her hand, but the pity in her eyes only increased.

"I remember you had some ointment in your bag—"

"I'll go get it right now!"

Reminded by Ron, Hermione remembered and hurriedly went upstairs.

Taking advantage of this golden opportunity, Harry gritted his teeth and asked the question that concerned him most, which was also the biggest guess hidden in his heart:

"Dumbledore, he's not dead, is he?"

Ignoring Ron's horrified expression, Harry spoke slowly and deliberately, his eyes fixed on Thea, not missing a single expression.

Sure enough, Harry managed to capture the brief moment when Thea looked up in surprise.

"So, he really wasn't dead—"

Harry's muttering earned him a furious glare from Thea.

He's testing her!

And she really was deceived!

Thea's anger at being deceived kept her silent throughout Harry's subsequent questioning.

"Are those Death Eaters lurking outside escorting you?"

"Are those people in the dungeon of Riddle's old mansion still alive?"

"What are your plans regarding that half of the Ministry of Magic?"

"Was it you who assassinated Barty Crouch?"

"Also, the large-scale gathering of Death Eaters... Has the time for the final assault been set?"

Harry threw out the question to himself, seemingly convinced he wouldn't get an answer.

Until he casually asked, "Why did you come here?"

"Because of you,"

Unlike her previous silence, Thea laughed heartily this time, yet her tone was somewhat nonchalant.

"You went to such lengths to wage this propaganda war, and I've been dragged into the eye of the storm as well. Such a massive operation—"

"How could I not come and see?"

Harry: "…………"

Thinking about this, Harry was speechless for a moment, and even the sound of those words began to play on repeat in his mind:

"You scoundrel who ruined someone else's wedding!"

Harry suddenly stood up abruptly.

"Let's go immediately!"

I don't want to stay here anymore!

Ron was a little confused as he watched Harry flee in disarray, as if he were being chased by a dog. He then found himself in an awkward situation, staring at Thea with wide eyes.

At the crucial moment, Hermione appeared.

"Didn't you just say the ointment was in your bag? I've been looking for it for ages and I still can't find it?"

"It's not here?" Ron asked, feigning confusion. "It's probably in another bag..."

"Oh, right, Harry just said he had to leave, probably afraid something might happen if things drag on..."

"Let's go first?"

Hermione stopped walking towards Ron, turned on her toes, and went upstairs again.

"Harry is really something, always acting on a whim. Why can't he always follow the procedure step by step?"

Hermione's voice faded into the distance, and Thea also looked away.

Thea's eyes darkened as she looked at Ron, who appeared carefree on the surface but was actually on guard.

The moment after I closed my eyes, the familiar voice, which had been belatedly appearing in my mind, rang out again.

[Your acting seems to have improved even more?!]

[Same to you.]