BXBX NOVEL Chapter 988: Shadow And Snow
Chapter 988: Shadow And Snow
“Who’s outside? What’s goin’ on with yeh four?” Hagrid asked in surprise.
“Get under here!” Harry said quickly; seizing the Invisibility Cloak he whirled it over himself and Ron, and they huddled into the corner of the room.
Evan and Hermione also retreated to another corner, donned the Invisibility Cloak, and hid among a pile of sundry boxes.
Fang was barking madly at the door. Hagrid looked thoroughly confused!
“Oh, Hagrid, hide our mugs!”
Hagrid grabbed Evan’s, Harry’s, and Ron’s mugs and shoved them under the cushion in Fang’s basket.
Fang was now leaping up at the door; Hagrid pushed him out of the way with his foot and pulled it open.
Professor Umbridge was standing in the doorway wearing her green tweed cloak and a matching hat with earflaps.Lips pursed, she leaned back so as to see Hagrid’s face; she barely reached his navel.
“So,” she said slowly and loudly, as though speaking to somebody deaf. “You’re Hagrid, are you?”
Without waiting for an answer she strolled into the room, her bulging eyes rolling in every direction.
“Get away,” she snapped, waving her handbag at Fang, who had bounded up to her and was attempting to lick her face.
“Er — I don’ want ter be rude,” said Hagrid, staring at her, “but who the ruddy hell are you?”
“My name is Dolores Umbridge, and I heard from the Headmaster that you were coming back today.”
Her eyes were sweeping the cabin. Twice they stared directly into the corner where Evan and the others were hiding.
Because the space was very small, Evan and Hermione were tightly next to each other, while Harry and Ron huddled in another corner.
“Dolores Umbridge?” Hagrid said, sounding thoroughly confused. “I’ve heard yer name, but I thought you were one o’ them Ministry — don’ you work with Fudge? What are yeh doin’ at Hogwarts”
“I was Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, yes,” said Umbridge, now pacing around the cabin, taking in every tiny detail within, from the haversack against the wall to the abandoned traveling cloak. “I am now the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher…”
“Tha’s brave of yeh,” said Hagrid, “there’s not many’d take tha’ job anymore…”
“— and Hogwarts High Inquisitor,” said Umbridge, giving no sign that she had heard him.
“Wha’s that?” said Hagrid, frowning.
“Precisely what I was going to ask,” said Umbridge, pointing at the broken shards of china on the floor that had been Hermione’s mug.
“Oh,” said Hagrid, with a most unhelpful glance toward the corner where Evan and Hermione stood hidden, “oh, tha’ was … was Fang, he’s too naughty. He broke a mug. So I had ter use this one instead.”
Hagrid pointed to the mug from which he had been drinking, one hand still clamped over the dragon steak pressed to his eye.
Umbridge stood facing him now, taking in every detail of his appearance instead of the cabin’s.
“I heard voices,” she said quietly.
“I was talkin’ ter Fang,” said Hagrid stoutly.
“And was he talking back to you?”
“Well … in a manner o’ speakin’,” said Hagrid, looking uncomfortable. “I sometimes say Fang’s near enough human… We often do that…”
“That’s quite an unusual habit!” Umbridge said tactfully.
She clearly didn’t believe what Hagrid said. She wheeled around and strode the length of the cabin, looking around carefully. She bent and peered under the bed. She opened Hagrid’s cupboards rudely, and then walked straight to the pile of clutter where Evan and Hermione were hiding.
She stretched out her hand suddenly, but didn’t touch anything, only messing up the boxes.
“What are yeh looking fer?” Hagrid said nervously, waving a large hand towards the haversack. “Yeh can see I on’y jus’ got back.”
Under the Invisibility Cloak, Evan and Hermione transformed at the same time, and two kittens, one black and one white, were curled up together.
They exchanged a glance; if it weren’t for their ability to transform, they would have been touched just now!
“Nothing!” Umbridge said, pushing the clutter aside.
At this moment, a box was knocked down rudely by her, and the Invisibility Cloak on Evan and Hermione slipped down with it.
They appeared in front of Umbridge, their eyes facing each other.
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone, and the atmosphere in the room became extremely tense. All eyes were on Evan and Hermione!
‘What to do … got discovered?’
Evan was still thinking about this just now. If he was discovered, should he use the Memory Charm?
Or maybe should they team up to subdue Umbridge and prevent her from leaving the cabin?!
The next moment, Hermione, in a state of confusion, moved slightly, and Evan quickly pressed her down, pouncing as a real cat would.
He was already very experienced; they were just cats now and would not be discovered.
“What is this?” Umbridge said, looking at Evan and Hermione suspiciously. “How come I didn’t see them just now?”
“These ‘re me cats, Shadow and Snow!” said Hagrid nervously. “They like to wander around.”
Fang ran over, sniffing Evan and Hermione forcefully, as if wanting to lick them.
“Alrigh’, Shadow … Snow, you two naughty rascals, don’ run around, stay obediently here.”
Hagrid drove Fang away in a panic, grabbed Evan and Hermione with one hand, and placed them on the table in the large cauldron used for cooking.
The two of them were sitting there; Evan felt the need to act more natural; Umbridge was watching.
Sitting like Hermione did, no matter how you looked at it, didn’t resemble a cat at all. Anyone would think there was a problem.
Thinking of this, he leaned over and licked Hermione’s face
He licked hard, and Hermione didn’t react until her face was covered with Evan’s saliva.
She playfully scratched Evan, wanting to push him away, but Evan directly used force, just like a real cat.
In this way, the two moved in tandem with rhythm, swaying in black and white. Umbridge finally shifted her gaze to Hagrid.
“What has happened to you? How did you sustain those injuries?”
As Evan and Hermione were moving, they noticed Hagrid hastily removing the dragon steak from his face.
The black-and-purple bruising all around his eye was now clearly visible, not to mention the large amount of fresh and congealed blood on his face.
“Oh, I … had a bit of an accident,” he said lamely, still looking at Evan and Hermione.
“What sort of accident?”
“I-I tripped.”
“You tripped,” she repeated coolly.
“Yeah, tha’s right. Over … over a friends broomstick. I don’ fly, meself. Well, look at the size o’ me, I don’ reckon there’s a broomstick that’d hold me. Friend o’ mine breeds Abraxan horses, I dunno if you’ve ever seen ’em, big beasts, winged, yeh know, I’ve had a bit of a ride on one o’ them an’ it was —”
“Where have you been these days?” asked Umbridge, cutting coolly through Hagrid’s babbling.
“Where’ve I …?”
“Been, yes. According to the information I received, you left Hogwarts in late February of this year, and at the same time, disappeared along with Evan Mason, Sirius Black, and Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons. After school started, Mason and Madame Maxime appeared one after another, but you and Black have been missing. It’s been a long time since term started. Another teacher has had to cover your classes. None of your colleagues has been able to give me any information as to your whereabouts. You left no address. Where have you been?”
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