Receiving such a promise from Harry, Cassandra's expression finally looked a bit better.
"Remember what you said, Potter." She said with a serious tone.
"Hmm, I'll find a time to visit Malfoy Manor and meet Mr. Septimus," Harry said, "Such a big matter must be told to the old man."
"Better not go," Cassandra said, punching Harry's leg with her small fist. "That old man has always had a big opinion about you."
Indeed, it was big. The painstakingly raised young cabbage was not only uprooted by Harry, but even taken away entirely.
Excessive, truly excessive!
"Alright." Cassandra said, "Now that the two of us have reached a consensus, you can leave here now."
She said again, "By the way, if you're free next weekend, come with me to visit Malfoy Manor."
"Sure." Harry nodded and said.
After leaving the booth, Harry and Cassandra went downstairs together. Ron immediately stood up and asked, "How was it, Harry?"
"Nothing much." He smiled and said.
"We're planning to go to the Three Broomsticks, wanna come?" Ron asked with a smile.
"You only want to go to the Three Broomsticks?" Harry asked teasingly.
He knew his good buddy... had quite a peculiar taste.
As everyone knows, the owner of the Three Broomsticks Bar, Mrs. Rosmerta, is quite beautiful. She's a middle-aged lady who still has charm, and coincidentally, Ron has a liking for that type.
Ron's face turned red immediately, and he started yelling something about not going to the Three Broomsticks for Mrs. Rosmerta, but only liking the Butter Beer there, and shouted about definitely trying Flaming Whiskey once he comes of age. Suddenly, the air was filled with joy.
Indeed, on such a cold day, having a hot Butter Beer is truly a pleasant thing.
He didn't forget to invite Cassandra, and they both sat on a bench while Ron and the others sat on the other side.
"Seven Butter Beers." Ron came back carrying a load of Butter Beer, placing one in front of each of them, "Neville and I will have two each, and the rest of you have one each."
After saying that, he sat in place, saying nothing, slowly drinking his Butter Beer, obviously thinking his demeanor was noble and profound.
In his profound moment, his eyes kept darting towards the owner Mrs. Rosmerta.
"Hey, what are you looking at? Your eyes are almost dropping over there!" Harry waved his hand and asked.
"It's nothing," Ron said absentmindedly, drinking his Butter Beer.
Seamus stretched his head to take a look at the charming owner and giggled, "Looks like that 'nothing' lady is mixing drinks for the customers, isn't it, Ron?"
Ron remained silent.
After finishing the Butter Beers, they dragged the still unsatisfied Ron out of the Three Broomsticks Bar.
At the door, the Malfoy family's carriage was already waiting outside, and Cassandra reached out, grabbed Harry's face, pulled him over, and kissed him on the cheek.
"See you next weekend." She released her hand and got on the carriage without turning back.
"Truly domineering." Seamus said in awe, "Harry, you really have a knack for attracting such a lady's favor."
Harry smiled but refrained from telling Seamus that if he had met such a lady in his childhood, he would definitely not have been able to handle it.
At that moment, Katie Bell also walked out of the bar with a friend.
"Hey, Harry." Katie greeted Harry.
"Hey." Harry nodded, considering it a greeting.
The two girls passed by them, walking ahead.
"Let's go." Harry said to the three friends.
They trudged through the frozen snow sludge on the road, heading toward Hogwarts.
While walking, Harry kept thinking about what Cassandra had said to him today.
"What's with them?" Neville whispered.
Only then did Harry realize that the voices of Katie Bell and her friend were getting louder and sharper as the wind blew them into his ears.
Harry squinted his eyes to discern their blurry figures. They were quarreling over something Katie was holding.
"This has nothing to do with you, Lynne!" Harry heard Katie say.
They turned a corner on the path, and the rain and snow became denser and more intense, making Harry's glasses completely blurry.
He took out his magic wand and tapped it on his glasses, and the glasses became clear. At this moment, Lynne suddenly reached out to grab the package Katie held.
Katie pulled it back hard, and the package dropped to the ground.
Suddenly, Katie floated into the air, not comically hanging upside down like Neville had his ankle caught, but gracefully, with arms spread wide, looking as if she might take flight.
However, there was something strange, something wrong with her… Her hair was flying wildly in the fierce wind, but her eyes were tightly shut, and she showed no expression on her face.
Harry, Ron, Seamus, Neville, and Lynne stopped in their tracks, standing dumbfounded staring at her.
Then, six feet above the ground, Katie suddenly let out a terrifying scream.
Her eyes snapped open, and whatever she saw or felt evidently brought her dreadful pain. She screamed one after another.
Lynne screamed too, grabbing Katie's ankle, desperately trying to pull her back to the ground.
"Finite!"
Harry cast the spell, and Katie's movements suddenly paused, then slowly descended back to the ground.
Her eyes were blank, not yet understanding what had just happened.
"It was the Soul-snatching Curse!" Harry cautiously surveyed his surroundings, "Revelio!"
Suddenly, a scarlet light flashed in Katie's arms.
There was a presence of hostility!
"Katie!" Harry suddenly shouted, "Get rid of whatever's in your arms!"
Katie threw away what she was holding as if electrocuted, and Harry noticed that it seemed to be a black gemstone.
A green spell suddenly appeared, hitting the black gemstone, painting the surrounding white world a vivid green.
Screams echoed from the gemstone, and black mist rose up.
Harry stepped forward and once again cast the Reveal Original Form Spell.
This time, the scarlet light on the gemstone vanished, replaced by emptiness.
Evidently, whatever this gemstone had been, it was now completely dead.
Harry picked up the gemstone, tucked it into his pocket, planning to consult Dumbledore when he returned to school.
Then he walked over to Katie.
"How do you feel?" He asked with concern.
"Not bad." Katie gasped, "Thank you, Harry, you saved me—"
"What just happened?" Harry asked.
"Just now… Someone came to me, handed me a black gemstone, and asked me to leave it somewhere… Then I lost awareness until you dispelled the spell just now—I was hit by the Soul-snatching Curse, right?"
Katie spoke rapidly, like a machine gun, her face still showing the relief of having survived a disaster.
"What kind of person?" Harry pursued.
"I couldn't make out their appearance," Katie tried hard to recall, then said uncertainly, "Seemed not very tall, wearing a black cloak… Now it seems, they should've been a Dark Wizard."
"Aren't you stating the obvious?" Ron rolled his eyes beside them.
Indeed, using the Soul-snatching Curse on students, if they're not a Dark Wizard, could they be anything else?