At that very moment, in Dumbledore's office at the top of the castle, inside an inconspicuous birchwood cabinet—
Hermione gradually regained consciousness and woke from her slumber to find herself in complete darkness. She tried to stand, only to discover that her hands and feet were bound with thick hemp ropes. She had no idea where her wand had been thrown.
She was leaning against a solid, cold wooden board, as though she were trapped in the corner of a cabinet. The cabinet door was slightly ajar, and she had to crane her neck to look up. Only then could she vaguely see a tiny sliver of light shining through the gap.
She felt a little panicked, but forced herself to calm down.
"We must notify the teachers immediately… This student is in danger!"
This seemed to be the voice of the plump woman in the portrait.
"How are we supposed to communicate? We're just a painting!" Phineas, Black's ancestor, shouted furiously.
Through the wooden door, Hermione could almost hear the portraits arguing heatedly.
But as they had said, they were merely portraits and had no ability to step out of their frames.
Ultimately, she had to rely on herself.
Hermione tried to untie herself, and to her delight, the ropes seemed to have been tied with simple slipknots and were not very secure. She fumbled around for a while and, without relying on magic, successfully freed herself.
Just as she was about to get up, the tightly closed cabinet door suddenly creaked open, and a brighter light shone inside.
Her heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, her body reacted instinctively.
She had to strike first. Even without her wand, she could not surrender without a fight.
She threw a punch forward with all her might, only to realise that her fist seemed to have hit something.
She lost her balance and tumbled out of the cabinet.
Although she had subconsciously sensed that something was wrong, there was no turning back now.
She heard a cry of pain.
Then, illuminated by the crystal chandelier overhead, Hermione finally saw what had happened.
Ron was clutching his nose, stumbling backward several steps before bumping into the desk behind him.
"Ron?" she exclaimed as she jumped out of the cupboard.
Feeling slightly dizzy, she quickly grabbed hold of the cabinet to steady herself.
Out of the corner of her eye, she also saw Harry. He seemed to have just hurried in through the office door.
"Ron? What's wrong?"
Harry immediately rushed to Ron's side and asked with concern.
"And Hermione, are you all right?"
Only then did Harry breathe a sigh of relief. He looked up and saw Hermione.
"I'm all right."
Hermione calmed herself down and gave him a reassuring smile.
Crookshanks, who was at her feet, suddenly leapt into her arms and rubbed against her as though seeking praise.
The chubby, ginger-yellow cat had arrived panting heavily, as though it had been terrified that its owner had encountered some terrible danger.
It had to be said that a cat's sense of smell could be even more acute than a dog's.
"I'm sorry," she said to Ron.
"I thought you were the intruder… That's why…"
She looked somewhat embarrassed.
"Did someone really break into Hogwarts?" Ron asked hastily, ignoring Hermione's apology and the sharp pain in his nose.
"I think so."
Hermione nodded.
"Then you'd better hurry up and find out whether anything is missing!"
Two portraits hanging on the wall nearby urged them in unison.
The three exchanged a knowing glance.
"The Professor's belongings!"
They immediately became tense and quickly walked around the comfortable chairs toward Dumbledore's desk.
Only then did they notice the three boxes neatly arranged from left to right on Dumbledore's desk.
Perhaps they had been placed there a long time ago.
Had he foreseen that one day he might meet with an accident?
The three of them simultaneously arrived at the same conclusion.
For a moment, they had all forgotten what they had originally been worried about.
A corner of parchment was visible beneath the box on the far right.
Hermione pulled it out and slowly read the black writing on it.
It read:
"I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore… If I die unexpectedly, the majority of my estate will be donated to Hogwarts for teaching expenses, while a small portion of my personal belongings will be distributed according to my wishes…"
"The first item—my Deluminator will be left to Ron Billies Weasley, in the hope that he will remember me whenever he uses it. It is in the box on the far left."
Ron managed to open the box in front of him with one hand and picked up the object that looked like a silver lighter.
In reality, with a simple flick, it could absorb all the light in an area and then restore it just as easily.
Ron covered his nose with one hand and put the Deluminator away.
He tried flicking it.
The light from the ceiling immediately went out.
"I leave my The Tales of Beedle the Bard and The Travels of Alan the Bard to Hermione Jane Granger, hoping that she will find them interesting and instructive."
Hermione also picked up the books and began flipping through them.
She guessed that there might be something Dumbledore wanted to tell her hidden inside the books, or perhaps some clues.
"What I leave to Harry Potter is the Golden Snitch he caught during his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill."
"In addition, there are three bottles of Phoenix tears and a healing potion made from a mixture containing white sage essence. Each of you will receive a small bottle. I hope you will use them properly to protect yourselves should you be injured."
"Of course, this is not favouritism, because I suspect that you will face more difficult challenges than ordinary people in the future."
Before Harry could decipher the deeper meaning behind Dumbledore's words, he was already examining the Golden Snitch in his hand.
Then he heard footsteps outside the door again.
Someone was coming upstairs.
All three of them instinctively gripped their wands tightly, then relaxed.
"Granger, are you all right?"
Professor McGonagall appeared at the doorway. Almost immediately, she noticed the damaged cabinet and turned to Hermione.
"I have something to tell you."
Ron spoke in a muffled voice, covering his nose again.
Hermione suddenly remembered what had just happened.
"Professor McGonagall, an outsider broke into Hogwarts before I came into this office."
"He knocked me unconscious."
Hermione spoke clearly.
Professor McGonagall's brow furrowed even more deeply.
"Is anything missing?"
Since the intruder had not yet appeared again and had not taken any serious action against Hermione, perhaps they were merely thieves after money.
Professor McGonagall came to this conclusion.
"It seems there's nothing missing for now. All the belongings Professor Dumbledore left to us in his will are still here. Nothing is missing."
"No. Maybe something is still missing."
Harry muttered somewhat dejectedly, as though he had suddenly thought of something.