"Why did things turn out this way?"
When Nolan muttered these words, he had already returned to Hogwarts.
On this particular day, he wore a brand-new open-front robe, a blindfold gifted by Monta, and sported a new hairstyle designed by Miss Stock. Amidst the admiring gazes and whispers of many young witches, he made his way to the school infirmary.
The one he had come to visit was nothing more than a furry lump.
The lump burrowed itself carefully under the covers and mumbled in a muffled voice, "Just leave me alone, Nolan."
"Haven't I already warned you, Hermione Granger? The Polyjuice Potion is dangerous. I don't know what you did, but why on earth have you turned yourself into a giant, humanoid cat?"
The blanket twitched twice before a furry head poked out from under it. Hermione, her face now covered in fur, shrieked in protest, "I don't need your pity!"
"Frankly, I wouldn't pity you even if I wanted to, Miss Granger," Nolan replied coolly. He sighed, then prodded her with the tip of his wand. Hermione flinched, clearly ticklish, squirming and letting out soft yelps of protest. Nolan shook his head. "This is a dangerous case of transformation magic. The result is highly abnormal, and the change is irreversible. Not only I, but even Professor McGonagall can't just wave her wand and turn you back…" He paused and then added, "However, we can try."
"Try?"
Hermione watched in alarm as Nolan got up and started heading out of the infirmary. In a panicked voice, she called out, "Where are you going?"
"Notes, Granger. I need notes," Nolan explained without turning back. "You don't just need spells—you need potions. I have to record every detail of your transformation, then slowly work out a solution. Your treatment can wait until after that."
Hermione stared at his retreating figure for a long while. Even after he disappeared through the infirmary doors, even as another Gryffindor sneaked in pretending to be sick to skip Snape's class, she swiftly ducked back under the covers, unwilling to be seen.
…
Hogwarts felt strangely quiet this year.
The usual energetic young wizards and witches were either burning off their excess energy on the Quidditch field or partying in their common rooms. Popular spots like the castle courtyard, which were always bustling in previous years, were now eerily empty. Even the open space by the Black Lake and the pumpkin patch outside Hagrid's hut saw little to no signs of couples lingering.
"Everyone's afraid of catching the Slytherin heir's attention!" Camille Smith, one of Eve's dormmates, declared. This ever-enthusiastic little witch flailed her arms as she spoke, "Sure, the monster inside the Chamber of Secrets is super cool, but turning to stone sounds terrifying! Of course, if Nolan were there to protect me, then it'd be a different story. I mean, come on, Nolan wasn't even scared of a dragon! Right?"
This sentiment seemed to be quite popular.
Ever since Nolan's battle with the dragon last term, that image of him had been deeply ingrained in everyone's minds. Many found it difficult to imagine a creature more terrifying than a dragon. If Nolan had defeated one, then surely, he could take on whatever lurked in the Chamber of Secrets too, right?
Some—especially Gryffindors—thought this idea was downright foolish, nothing more than blind hero worship. But the girls? They were completely enthralled by it. They truly believed that staying close to Nolan meant they'd be safe. And so, for several days after the Christmas holidays, no matter where Nolan went, he found himself trailed by an entire procession of admirers.
"What… what are they doing?"
That day, as they made their way to Ravenclaw Tower for their elective class, Cho stared in shock at the line of Slytherin girls following Nolan.
Eve, meanwhile, turned to her dormmates, Camille and Laura Cook, and gently advised, "You two should really be heading to Divination class. Remember?"
It took several minutes of persuasion before the reluctant girls finally scattered. The other students attending Ancient Runes stood by, slack-jawed, watching the bizarre spectacle unfold.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on? Why is Hogwarts so weird this term?" Alicia Spinnet muttered in disbelief. "I knew girls used to admire Nolan, but now… this Nolan-worship thing is spreading like the flu! Hey, Nolan, got a potion to cure this epidemic?"
"Actually, I don't," Nolan admitted, looking somewhat puzzled himself. "I have no idea why they keep following me. If they really think I can defeat the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, then the logical course of action would be for them to hide while I go and deal with it."
Eve shook her head. "Oh, my dear Nolan, don't be silly. Don't tell me you haven't figured it out—Camille and the others are just using the whole 'monster' thing as an excuse to stick close to you. The Chamber's creature is nothing more than a convenient pawn in their little game."
"If they really liked Nolan that much, then why didn't they pick the same electives as him?" Cho asked, deeply intrigued by this phenomenon.
"Perhaps," Alicia said with a dramatic sigh, "their hatred of Ancient Runes outweighs their love for Nolan." She groaned, clutching her head. "Ugh, just approaching this classroom makes my legs shake and my head throb… Why did I even sign up for this class?!"
Most of the students around her echoed the sentiment.
"Don't be like that, my fellow wizards," Nolan encouraged. "Ancient Runes is both an art and a science. If you persevere, you'll gain a wealth of knowledge… Anyway, Spinnet, I've been meaning to ask—have you seen Granger lately? She's been missing."
"What? You're looking for Granger?"
Alicia Spinnet raised an eyebrow.
She didn't seem to know where Hermione had disappeared to either. In fact, it appeared that Hermione's presence among the Gryffindor girls wasn't particularly strong.
A day after Nolan asked, Alicia finally brought back some information. Apparently, Hermione had ingested some strange potion and ended up in the hospital wing.
Which led to Nolan's earlier visit.
"This wasn't for nothing!" the now-catlike Hermione insisted, desperate to make Nolan understand that her suffering wasn't in vain. "Because of our courage and daring, we managed to get valuable information from Malfoy. We believe—"
"He's not the heir," Nolan interrupted flatly. He glanced at her before turning his focus back to his parchment, diligently recording his notes. "Second week after transformation: increased irritability and aggression… What is that?"
He had spotted a hint of purple beneath Hermione's pillow. Just as he reached for it, the little cat-girl panicked.
"Don't touch that, Nolan! It's mine!"
"Oh? It's yours? Well, I think I recognize that repulsive shade of purple…" Nolan's expression turned downright disgusted. "Did you put a Gilderoy Lockhart Valentine's card under your pillow? Do you even realize what you're doing, Miss Beaver?"
"I am not a beaver!"
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