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After finally finding a dance partner, Ron was very excited to dance with Padma at first. He didn't notice the disgust in his partner's eyes at all, or maybe he noticed it but pretended not to know.
But when Hermione and Hu Xiuwu came in together, he was immediately attracted by the completely different and charming Hermione today. He had never realized that Hermione was so beautiful.
Ron had never learned dancing well, and was distracted by Hermione's stunning beauty today. He made many mistakes in his dance steps and kept stepping on Padma's feet, causing her to angrily shake off Ron's arm and walk away.
The person he was paying attention to was dancing gracefully, with a charming and elegant appearance, and her confident demeanor made her even more eye-catching, as if she was an elf lost in the world.
Hu Xiuwu led her in the dance, then suddenly lowered his head and whispered beside Hermione's red earlobe: "Someone has been staring at us for a long time. I wonder if you feel relieved."
Hermione snorted: "He deserves it. His eyes are just for show."
"In that case, are you interested in having another adventure with me?"
Hermione looked at him in surprise. It was hard for her to imagine that Hu Xiuwu would say such ambiguous words, especially since she had once caught Hu Xiuwu chatting with his girlfriend.
Could it be that he thinks he is as easy to fool as other girls? I really misjudged you.
Thinking of this, Hermione even wanted to shake off Hu Xiuwu like Padma, but she was not strong enough, and Hu Xiuwu was a mutant who specialized in physical training, so she couldn't break free from his arms at all.
"Let's go. We have been staring at you for a long time. Don't make them wait anxiously."
Hu Xiuwu took Hermione's hand, squeezed through the crowd, and quietly left the hall, just like the couples who disappeared before. No one noticed, or if someone noticed, they saw the woman's blushing face, she was hesitant, and then smiled knowingly.
Or there are those who are so jealous that their teeth itch.
"Let go!"
Hu Xiuwu was so fast that he dragged Hermione out of the hall before she could react. Hermione didn't say "let go" until they were in the corridor.
Hu Xiuwu took the initiative to let go of Hermione's hand. Hermione rubbed her wrist, took a few steps back, and looked at Hu Xiuwu disappointedly and angrily:
"I didn't expect you to be this kind of person."
After leaving the auditorium, Hu Xiuwu no longer looked as anxious as before, but regained his usual demeanor and said apologetically, "I am rude, but there is a reason. Someone is waiting for us and is staring at me intently."
Hermione was at a loss, not knowing what he was talking about, but Hu Xiuwu turned his head and looked towards the shadow of the corridor.
"Right, Professor Moody."
Chapter 257 Durmstrang Magic Ship
Ta-ta,
There was a sound of iron plates rubbing against the ground in the shadows. Professor Moody walked out of the shadows with a cane. His eyes under the light were cold and solemn, in stark contrast to his previous enthusiasm.
Hermione was startled when she saw Hu Xiuwu looking past her and shouting Professor Moody's name. But she didn't dare to hide in Hu Xiuwu's direction and could only retreat to the side in panic.
"Professor Moody!"
Moody, leaning on a cane, was not surprised by their arrival: "You are too slow."
Hu Xiuwu said: "I have to find an excuse. If you had informed me in advance, it wouldn't have been so troublesome."
At the ball, Moody's magic eye that could see through the invisible and the visible always glanced at Hu Xiuwu.
But after the previous fight, Moody had already discovered that the reason his sneak attack failed was because Hu Xiuwu had sharp senses and could detect the gaze of the Demon Eye.
But he still did it, which was clearly to seduce him, so in between dancing with Hermione, Hu Xiuwu glanced at the source of the magic eye, only to find that Moody quietly left from the side door of the auditorium.
Before leaving, he looked at Hu Xiuwu meaningfully.
So, Hu Xiuwu took the opportunity to pull Hermione over.
"I didn't intend to invite you."
Moody's tone was flat and his words were incoherent, but Hu Xiuwu understood immediately. He glanced sideways at the young, ignorant and at a loss Hermione standing beside him.
Sure enough, is it because of Hermione?
"Let's go. Time is running out and there's not much time left for the dance. Let's talk on the way."
Moody turned and left, leaving only Huxuwu and Hermione.
Hu Xiuwu smiled and said, "How about it, are you interested in joining an adventure?"
It turned out to be an adventure, but not the kind of adventure she had imagined. Hermione, Hermione, what are you thinking about?
The villain in Hermione's heart was so ashamed that he kept slapping his cheeks, making Hermione's face outside also blush:
"Okay, okay."
Although still a little shy, Hermione still held up her skirt and followed behind Huxu and Moody.
As a Gryffindor student, how could I refuse an invitation to adventure?
Hu Xiuwu patted Hermione's shoulder, and starting from Hermione's shoulder, her dress changed into jeans and a vest that were more suitable for movement, and even the small dress shoes on her feet turned into leather boots.
The fairy that Cinderella met at midnight turned into a fairy, so she changed from a gorgeous princess to a heroic, energetic and beautiful explorer.
"Thanks,"
Hermione turned around on the spot. As a Western girl, although she was only fourteen years old, her figure was still curvy. Even Hu Xiuwu admitted that Chen Duo's appearance at the age of fourteen was comparable to Hermione's, but her figure was far inferior to Hermione's. Westerners are indeed blessed in this respect.
"But isn't this a little too formal? Where are we going?"
I feel like this outfit is meant for jungle adventures. Are we going to the Forbidden Forest?
Hermione pulled at her tight little vest and guessed curiously,
"Well, I don't know either. Let Professor Moody explain it."
Hu Xiuwu coughed and was too embarrassed to say that he was just being naughty and imitated a certain countess who was suspected to have a troubled fate to dress up Hermione. It was because of his impression that, apart from the uniform worn by Chen Duo, this was the only outfit suitable for sports.
Not to mention, the stubborn and brave Hermione really looks like Earl Crawford in this outfit.
Walking in the silent corridor, Moody told his plan.
He had been secretly investigating the truth long before Harry's name was revealed in the Goblet of Fire, but with little success, and the Christmas ball was a perfect opportunity.
No matter which side they are from, people will be present, and he can take this opportunity to search for the suspect he most suspects.
After listening to Moody's explanation, Hu Xiuwu said, "You suspect that it was the headmaster of Durmstrang who put Harry's name in."
"Igor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was once a Death Eater. It was me who put him in Azkaban."
"He has a criminal record, plus the circumstances surrounding his entry into the auditorium that day."
"Auditorium?" Hu Xiuwu recalled the situation that day. "Is it the day when the starry sky dome of the auditorium suddenly flashed with lightning and thunder?"
"Ah!" Hermione suddenly screamed, thinking of the record in the book, "I remember, it is recorded in "Hogwarts, a History of the School" that the starry sky dome of Hogwarts can judge whether the person entering the hall is hostile to Hogwarts, so once a hostile person enters the hall, the dome will flash with lightning and thunder?"
Moody praised, "Well said, it's a pity this is a classroom, otherwise I would give you extra points, Miss Granger."
"That's right. As long as someone hostile to Hogwarts enters the Great Hall, there will be lightning and thunder in the sky to alert the faculty and staff."
"Karkaroff was hostile to Hogwarts, and then someone threw Harry Potter's name into the Goblet of Fire. How could such a coincidence happen in the world?"
Although Hermione was unhappy with Harry and Ron's attitude towards her, they were still her most important friends. Hermione said anxiously:
"Why don't we get Harry over here then?"
Moody explained: "Since Harry is the target of the conspiracy, he is also the focus of attention of those hiding in the shadows. Moreover, he is also the most watched warrior at the ball. If he leaves in the middle of the ball, he will definitely be discovered by the conspirators hiding in the shadows."
"No matter how carefully I do it, there is still a risk of being exposed afterwards. If I get too close to Harry, it will arouse their suspicion and they will worry that Harry knows the truth and then take risks. Harry will be in danger."
"But Harry needs to know the truth, so I need you to tell Harry."
Moody was planning to search for Karkaroff today. Regardless of whether Karkaroff was the real murderer or not, he would pretend to get to the bottom of it and lure the person behind it to silence him.
If he can kill the enemy in return, everyone will be happy. If he fails, someone will be needed to help Harry eliminate certain suspects.
As the messenger, the first person Moody targeted was actually Ron.
Ron was of good family background. His parents were old acquaintances of Moody, and his brothers were all good people, so Moody believed in his character. In addition, Ron was in the same dormitory as Harry, so it was convenient for Moody to pass on messages.
But Ron was so busy at the ball, trying to strike up a conversation with Fleur, and always pretending to glance at the radiant Hermione as if nothing had happened, that he didn't notice him at all.
Moody was originally having a headache about how to take him away quietly, but when he followed Ron's gaze, he noticed Hermione and Hugh Jackman.
If Ron doesn't work, Hermione will do.
She is also Harry's friend and can help pass the message. With Hu Xiuwu by her side, he doesn't have to worry about how to lure them out. Besides, the Oriental man is the least suspicious one. Even if Hu Xiuwu knows his purpose, he can bribe Hu Xiuwu and keep it secret with a reward that he can hardly refuse.
After changing the target, things became simple. Moody only needed to stare at Hu Xiuwu, and Hu Xiuwu would naturally receive his hint.
This is the simplest, most direct and most covert method, but it does test Hu Xiuwu's understanding to see if he can comprehend Moody's hint.
Fortunately, Hu Xiuwu finally understood his hint and took Hermione away in an ambiguous way without arousing suspicion from others.
Moody went out early just now, but he didn't just wait for Hu Xiou and Hermione. He also took the time to go to the Gryffindor common room and used the Summoning Charm to summon Hermione's wand stored in the girls' dormitory.
How can a wizard go on an adventure without a wand? Hermione excitedly took her wand.
Not only that, Moody also prepared two flying brooms and hid them in the bushes. Although there was one more person, Hu Xiuwu, but fortunately they didn't have to worry about Hu Xiuwu.
Hermione and Moody skillfully stepped on their brooms and pushed off the ground. A thin line flew out from beside Hu Xiuwu and gradually expanded into a giant brocade snake. The moonlight sprinkled on it, like an ancient brocade, as bright as the morning glow, with gorgeous brocade patterns.
When Hu Xiuwu was carried into the sky, he looked like an immortal traveling on colorful clouds.
Hu Xiuwu sighed: The flying of Yu Jingzi is becoming more and more stylish, but Yu Jingzi's strength is not enough.
Time was running out, and the three of them sped to the shore of Black Lake. The three-masted sailboat of Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was parked at the dock beside Black Lake.
The whole ship looked like a fat crescent moon after the fifteenth day of the lunar month. The bridge at the stern did not look like a ship at all. Instead, it looked like a miniature castle that was forcibly connected to the ship, which did not match the style of a sailboat at all.
If there were no magical power, such a mechanically unbalanced ship would be overturned by a strong wind at sea. Oh, by the way, this ship is a submarine, it is meant to dive underwater and is not afraid of strong winds at all.
The hull does not quite conform to engineering mechanics, but it cannot be denied that the ship is indeed as beautiful and dreamy as Peter Pan's spaceship in the fairy tale.
However, beneath the fairy-tale dream surface lies a cruel reality.
"Be careful. Durmstrang teaches students the Dark Arts. There will definitely be traps and protective measures inside."
After Moody's explanation just now, Hermione felt that she had a great responsibility. After hearing Moody's instructions, she nodded solemnly. She was not like Harry and Ron, who would not listen to advice and always acted recklessly and arrogantly.
Moody waved his wand, lowered the gangway from the side of the ship, and then walked up first. Huxu ordered Hermione to walk in front, and he followed behind to cover the rear. Hermione's task was to act as eyes, and she was not needed to fight.
Chapter 258 Search
"Disillusionment spell!"
"Silent and silent!"
Moody cast an Invisibility Charm on the three of them to conceal their figures, and a Silencing Charm to muffle the sound of his and Hermione's footsteps. Even though Hu Xiuwu was wearing shoes, he was still as strong as a tiger or leopard, and his feet seemed to have flesh paws, so he landed softly and silently, without his help at all.