Chapter 49: Finally Being Pulled on the Pirate Ship
"What?" Ron's eyes widened as he said in disbelief, "How could this happen?"
"Hagrid's suspicion about this cat isn't baseless, but there should be a limit to self-control!" Harry exclaimed, "Never mind all that, grab our stuff and let's get out of here."
"Leave? So we've waited all this time for nothing?" Ron was a bit unwilling. They had worked hard for several days, and their plan was so perfect it was flawless, but the outcome was hard to accept.
"We have to go. If we wait any longer, Aaron will come out.
What do you think he'd think if he saw these two chicken legs?"
"I... this..." Ron was about to say something else when the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
Harry knew they couldn't wait. He decisively packed up the meal box and then covered Ron's mouth.
After Aaron walked past the door, the two put away the Invisibility Cloak and exchanged a look, their eyes full of helplessness.
"This cat has definitely become a spirit," Ron said indignantly.
"Sigh!" Harry sighed, "If Hagrid wasn't so insistent, I'd have given up by now."
"No, Harry.
I'm not willing to suffer such a big loss to a cat. Are you?"
"Of course not."
"Then let's go back and re-discuss the battle plan.
I refuse to believe that with our combined intelligence, we can't handle one cat."
Harry pondered for a moment, then nodded heavily.
Back in the Gryffindor common room, the two of them looked troubled again.
"Food temptation probably won't work," Ron said. "Abey is very cautious; he won't eat food from strangers, let alone food left in a corner."
"No, that's not right," Harry expressed a different view. "It's not that the food won't work. You saw how he was just now; drool was flowing from the door to the sink. But he deliberately restrained his desire for the food."
"So you mean?"
"It's the person," Harry stated with certainty. "He only dares to eat freely when Aaron is present."
"Then we're doomed," Ron said with a wry smile.
If Aaron was there, even if Abey was asleep, they probably couldn't take him away. They couldn't possibly tie up both the person and the cat!
That would completely change the nature of things, and they didn't have the guts for that.
Even if they had the guts, they didn't have the ability.
Aaron's academic performance was recognized by all the Professors, and he even seemed to have fought a Troll with Snape.
In the face of such achievements, even Harry and him combined might not be his match.
"It's not that there's no way," Harry said hesitantly. "Aaronmentioned that there are two other people in the school who can lower Abey's guard. One is Draco, and the other is..."
"Hermione?" Ron was surprised, and his expression became strange. "You're not talking about her, are you?"
"Exactly."
"Impossible, Harry.
Have you forgotten? She's against us doing anything to Abey.
Let alone asking her for help and colluding with us."
"It's a bit difficult, but this is currently the only reliable method.
To complete Hagrid's task, we have four possible breakthroughs.
One is Aaron. He won't let Hagrid inspect his pet, so the success rate is zero. We can rule him out directly.
Another is Abey himself. We've tried for the past few days; we've given him a lot of things, but we just can't tame him. The success rate is about ten percent.
The third is Malfoy. He can hold Abey and feed him just like Aaron."
"We should rule him out decisively," Ron said disdainfully. "No need to consider; his success rate is definitely negative."
"So, only Hermione is left.
She is Aaron's good friend, and she can hold Abey without any problems. More importantly, she knows a lot: the Philosopher's Stone, Fluffy, Snape, and so on.
As long as we appeal to her emotions and reason..."
"Don't forget to swallow your pride," Ron added helplessly.
"Right, swallow our pride," Harry's mouth twitched, and his face also held a hint of bitterness.
They both knew that if they were willing to swallow their pride and ask Hermione for help, she definitely wouldn't ignore them. But for them, this was the hardest step; it was a bit of a blow to their self-esteem!
"Even if we have to swallow our pride, we must go. This is our last chance.
Only by knowing who participated in designing those traps can we keep track of Snape's progress."
"Alright! Let's just be embarrassed then!" Ron nodded helplessly, comforting himself by saying, "As long as we stop Snape, we'll have performed a great service for Hogwarts.
Maybe by the end of the term, we'll even get an extra hundred points and win the House Cup."
Having made their decision, the two immediately took out the revision materials Hermione had given them and agonizingly began to read.
Since they were going to ask for help, they had to first adopt the posture of someone asking for help.
If Hermione saw them studying so diligently, not wasting her efforts, she would at least listen to them finish what they had to say.
However, ideals are grand, but reality is harsh. The two had planned to make a good impression, but they didn't expect Hermione to return to the common room until curfew that night.
By then, their eyelids were already heavy, but they still pretended to be studying tirelessly. They were really trying hard, but it looked a bit comical.
"You two... that's enough," Hermione said, her mouth twitching. "Studying requires a balance of work and rest. You should be in bed sleeping right now."
Hearing Hermione's voice, the two snapped back to attention, their dazed eyes instantly lighting up.
"Hermione, you're finally back," Ron said, almost crying with surprise.
"We've only been apart for half a day, haven't we? Is it necessary to make such a fuss?"
"No!" Harry put on his glasses. "How does that saying go? 'A day apart feels like three autumns.' I've truly experienced it today."
"You two are really making me feel overwhelmed!
But I hope you'll go back to sleep quickly. Your current mental state is completely unsuitable for sitting at this table."
"Hermione, we have something to discuss with you," Harrysaid hesitantly.
"Is it important?"
"Uh... it could be said to be important, or it could be said to be irrelevant."
"Then go back to sleep first," Hermione said, tidying up the revision materials on the table. "Tomorrow is Sunday; we can talk about it slowly if it's important."
Harry and Ron didn't say anything, vaguely walking towards the boys' dormitory, as dealing with the Sandman was quite a test... The next day.
Harry and Ron didn't play any more tricks and directly explained their Cat Lure Plan 3.0 to Hermione.
After listening, Hermione looked incredulous. "So, you've failed twice?
And now you want me to help you steal Abey."
"You could say that," Harry said, like a child caught doing something wrong, not daring to look up.
"Hmph!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's a miracle I'm not reporting you two. Now you even want me to help you do... this kind of bad thing. I really don't understand what you two are thinking."
"Hermione, we know this puts you in a difficult position, but if we really had any other choice, we wouldn't have come to you.
We spent a long time coming up with such a reliable plan.
As long as you help, there's at least a seventy percent chance of success."
"Higher, Harry.
At least an eighty percent chance of success."
"I'm sorry, I refuse," Hermione said righteously. "I can help with other things, but I really can't do anything about this.
If I did, I wouldn't be able to face him again."
"It's fine as long as we don't get caught," Ron said. "Our plan is absolutely foolproof. At most an hour, just to satisfy Hagrid's curiosity."
"No, no," Hermione immediately waved her hand. "His curiosity shouldn't be satisfied in this way, and I don't want to be your accomplice."
"Yes, everything you say is right," Ron said disdainfully. "Isn't it just because Abey is Aaron's?
If it were someone else, you probably wouldn't refuse so completely, would you?"
"I..." Hermione opened her mouth, saying somewhat disingenuously, "It would be the same if it were anyone else."
"Harry, let it go!
The two of us Gryffindors combined are apparently no match for one Slytherin."
"Ron!" Harry glared at him fiercely. "What we're doing right now isn't exactly a good thing."
"But our ultimate goal is good.
We've worked hard for a month or so to protect the Philosopher's Stone, only to be blocked by a cat.
Now we've swallowed our pride to ask her for help, and she refused without even thinking.
The information about Nicolas Flamel was found by Hermione, but is her current behavior what a friend should do?"
"Ron!" Harry couldn't hold back anymore. "Hermione's decision has nothing to do with whether she's a friend, but you shouldn't be so aggressive right now."
"Alright, stop talking," Hermione said, flicking her sleeves, very reluctantly. "I'll help you this once."
"Really?" Harry was overjoyed, feeling a happiness that came too suddenly.
"Really, but you two must ensure it's foolproof.
If we get caught, we'll be in big trouble."
"Don't worry about that, we can guarantee it," Ronimmediately said, patting his chest. "Even if something goes wrong, we'll take responsibility; we won't let you be in a difficult position."