Ah... the familiar ceiling...
Kate opened her eyes, rolling them somewhat blankly as the memories in her mind instantly came rushing back.
Right, before she fainted at the Quidditch pitch, she saw Snape rushing over. So right now, she was in the Hospital Wing?
Blinking weakly, she heard a familiar, aged voice coming from above her head: "It seems I arrived just in time."
Kate moved her head with difficulty. Seeing that iconic white beard, she couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart for a moment.
"Professor," she asked softly, "What... happened to me?"
Dumbledore shook his head at her. "You experienced a small-scale magical riot at the Quidditch pitch. However, fortunately, no one was hurt."
Magical riot?
She could clearly control all her magic now!
Kate was dazed for a split second, then immediately widened her eyes, struggling to sit up. "Professor, I wasn't..."
"Lie down first." Dumbledore gently held her shoulders. "These words are merely the official explanation for the public; you don't need to be anxious."
She frowned, asking tentatively, "So, Professor, you know everything?"
The events on the Quidditch pitch, Quirrell casting the hex on Harry, and her privately fighting against Quirrell...
"Don't be nervous, child," Dumbledore comforted her with a warm voice. "Everyone is safe. You protected Harry well.
"I came this time to discuss with you whether you are satisfied with that explanation just now."
Kate's brain was chaotic for a moment before she understood his meaning. She immediately shook her head. "No, I don't like that explanation!"
Clearly, she had helped Harry, so why did she have to take the blame publicly? That wasn't fair!
Dumbledore nodded knowingly, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. "Rest assured, Harry is my student, and so are you. I will handle this matter properly."
With that said, he stood up, intending to leave.
"Wait a moment, Professor!" Kate sat up with difficulty. "Grandpa Rand's side..."
Dumbledore looked back. "As for Rand, I will also handle things on his end for you. You only need to rest well here. We can talk about other matters later."
He reached out and patted her head gently, just like looking at a junior of his own family. "You've worked hard."
Kate watched him leave, feeling a bit bewildered. Before she could lie back down, she heard a burst of hurried footsteps coming from outside.
Then the bed curtains were thrown open, and a little brown-haired kitten lunged at her.
"Kate!" Hermione hugged her tightly, her voice sounding like she was crying. "You scared me to death! I thought something had happened to you!"
Squeezed by the overly forceful hug until she was almost suffocated, Kate pushed her away with difficulty, her small face pale as she asked, "What happened to me?"
"Did Professor Dumbledore not tell you?" Hermione wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "You were knocked unconscious by the shock from the outsider who had secretly broken into the school earlier, and were later brought here by Professor Snape."
Ah, this...
Kate's face twitched. Although it wasn't an excuse like a magical riot that made her take the blame, this didn't seem too reliable either, right?
Moreover, there were so many people affected by her magic at the time. If even one student leaked the truth, wouldn't this clumsy lie be exposed instantly?
No... with Old Man Dumbledore's ability, making inexperienced students believe that the shock they suffered came from a mysterious figure with extraordinary magic didn't seem to be a difficult task.
Furthermore, the sudden explosion of Harry's broomstick could also be explained alongside her magical overflow as the work of an unknown figure causing trouble in the dark.
Thinking about it this way, it was actually a pretty good excuse.
It was just that next, in order to reassure the parents, he would have to drag out an "outsider" to serve as the real culprit.
Later, after Harry successfully protected the Philosopher's Stone and exposed Quirrell's true colors, they could dump everything onto his head.
Plus, since Quirrell was involved in both incidents anyway, throwing the blame on him would be seamless and perfect, completely without flaws!
Hmm? Wait a minute!
Kate only just reacted. If Dumbledore really explained it to the public this way, could it be assumed that he already knew the true identity of the so-called "outsider"?
Then Dumbledore also knew everything she had done before?
Inexplicably shivering, Kate subconsciously spoke to the heat source beside her, "Come closer, I seem a bit cold."
"Mn!" Hermione nodded, simply taking off her shoes and squeezing directly onto her bed.
Before Kate could react, she pulled the person into her own embrace.
Kate stiffened all over. Only when she felt the warm heat transmitting from Hermione's soft body did she gradually relax.
Whatever. The weather was very cold anyway, so hugging a large human-shaped kitten for warmth was also a good choice.
This tenderness lasted for less than half an hour before Madam Pomfrey pulled open the bed curtains, saying with a stern face, "Visiting hours are over."
Hermione sat up in a bit of a panic. Looking at Kate again, she saw that the person had unknowingly fallen into a deep sleep.
She smiled helplessly, finally leaving quietly with peace of mind.
Just as she walked out of the Hospital Wing, she saw the brothers Harry and Ron running over, panting heavily.
As soon as Hermione saw them, she became angry instantly, saying with a cold voice, "Is the celebration feast over? Sorry, visiting hours have passed."
Clearly they were Kate's friends, yet they could even be late for a hospital visit.
"No," Harry explained hurriedly, "We didn't go to the celebration feast; we went to find Hagrid!"
Ron also quickly chimed in, "That's right! Didn't we see Snape hurt his leg before, so we thought he wanted to get past the room with the three-headed dog?"
"But last time on the Quidditch pitch, it wasn't him who tampered with Harry," Hermione said with a frown.
Even now, she still felt apologetic for listening to Harry, suspecting Snape, and secretly going to set fire to his robes.
Harry nodded. "Exactly! We noticed that at the time, only Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Quirrell were in the teachers' seats, so—"
"So you've started suspecting Professor Quirrell again, have you? Then why not suspect that outsider who broke into the school?"
Right now, Hermione couldn't muster the slightest interest in their wild suspicions of others. She only hoped Kate could get better quickly!
Harry was momentarily at a loss for words. "I... I don't know either, so we went to ask Hagrid. Who knew, he slipped up!"
"He said that what the three-headed dog is guarding is an agreement between Headmaster Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel! This matter is also related to a person named Nicolas Flamel!"
This was undoubtedly a new clue, which was why they couldn't wait to bring it to share with Hermione.
Looking at these two boys, Hermione took a deep breath. "Before Kate gets better, I have no mind to investigate any Flamel, and—"
She grit her teeth. "I think that as Kate's friends, you should care more about her, rather than thinking about some three-headed dog's room all day!"
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