In the wizarding world, completely transforming into another person isn't as easy as it sounds.
Even with Polyjuice Potion, there are countless restrictions and limitations.
So when Pansy saw another figure identical to Hermione, she was stunned—so much so that she wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Her first instinct wasn't to doubt the Hermione standing beside her.
To be precise, Pansy didn't panic at all.
She could tell from Draco's calm expression that he wasn't surprised.
If anything, Draco wasn't shocked by what he saw—but by Hermione's decision to drag him into it.
Leaning close to Hermione's ear, Draco lowered his voice deliberately.
"You realize, if this gets out, you'll be in serious trouble. In the worst case, you could end up in Azkaban."
"I... I know. But I couldn't think of any other way. You were the only one I could turn to."
Seeing Draco quietly conceal their presence, his expression serious, Hermione immediately knew he had already figured everything out.
Her hand instinctively tightened around the Time-Turner hanging from her neck as she watched him nervously, afraid he might abandon her and walk away.
As for whether Draco would expose her secret—Hermione hadn't worried about that from the start...
...
Their cryptic exchange left Pansy completely puzzled, though her trust in Draco kept her from interrupting.
Only when the situation shifted again did she finally speak, warning the two who had drawn uncomfortably close.
"Look over there!"
Following her gaze, they saw a large black dog approaching Harry Potter and the others...
...
A little earlier.
After Harry Potter had quietly disappeared in front of Draco and Lockhart, they hadn't left the Shrieking Shack right away.
To be exact, they had decided to follow Lockhart, who left first. Harry and his friends wanted to figure out why Lockhart had met with Draco—and why he was even there in the first place.
However, since it was inconvenient for all of them to use the Invisibility Cloak together, they eventually lost sight of their target. Fortunately, after wandering around, they somehow ended up back near the Shrieking Shack.
And there, they ran into Hermione—who had just bought A History of Magical Relics from Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop.
"Hermione?"
"Who?!"
"It's us, Harry and Ron."
"Harry! What are you doing here? How could you do something so reckless!!"
When Harry suddenly appeared out of thin air, Hermione gasped, her face a mix of shock and anger. Harry looked a little guilty.
But then he remembered something, and his tone turned defensive.
"I should be asking you! What were you talking about with Malfoy? Why did you meet him behind our backs?"
"Huh? Draco? What does he have to do with this?"
Harry's abrupt question caught Hermione completely off guard. Holding her book to her chest, she blinked in confusion.
Meeting him privately?
Ahem... which time is he even talking about?
No—wait. Is now really the time to bring that up…
"What do you mean? I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Hmph."
"We saw it—you and Malfoy were practically leaning against each other. Still going to deny it?"
Unlike Harry Potter, Ron Weasley spoke without restraint, his tone sharp and accusatory.
Hermione frowned deeply. She couldn't make sense of the looks on Harry and Ron's faces—they weren't joking or making things up.
"You're saying I met with Draco? Where?"
"Over there, on that bench! And not just him—Lockhart was there too. We saw you talking with our own eyes."
"Lockhart?"
Hermione's genuine confusion made Harry and Ron exchange uneasy glances.
Could that really not have been her?
But how was that possible?
True, from their distance and angle, they hadn't seen that "Hermione's" face clearly. Yet her outfit, even the book she was holding, looked identical to the one in Hermione's hands now.
There was no way they could've mistaken it.
As for the idea of someone using Polyjuice Potion, neither Harry nor Ron even considered it.
After all, Draco had no reason to go that far....
...
Just as Harry and the others were puzzling over it, a sudden explosion rang out nearby, making them spin around.
"It's close—did you see where it came from?"
"Over there, I think."
"Come on! Let's check it out!"
Driven by curiosity and his usual recklessness, Harry dashed toward the sound without hesitation. Hermione, unable to stop him, had no choice but to follow.
When they came to a halt, they saw a huge black dog leap out from a narrow side path.
At that very moment, Draco and the others caught sight of it too.
"That big dog?!"
"Harry, what's wrong?"
"I've seen that dog before..."
Whether it was his imagination or not, the instant the dog's eyes met Harry's, there was a flicker of recognition—or emotion.
But after lingering on Harry for a moment, its gaze shifted to Ron Weasley.
It gave a deep growl, lowering itself into a crouch—a clear sign it was preparing to attack.
"What's going on?"
"That dog looks like it's going to attack us."
When Harry and the others raised their wands, the dog's eyes flashed with something eerily human, as if saying, You won't be able to hurt me.
If it had been an ordinary dog, Harry and his friends wouldn't have been so alarmed.
But...
"Ron! Watch out!"
"Woof!"
No one expected that despite its thin, sickly appearance, the dog could move with such speed. Its sudden charge toward Ron, jaws open wide, made Harry freeze in shock.
If this had been the old Ron, he might really have been caught off guard...
"Reducto!"
"Ron?!"
"Wait—don't!"
Boom!
Harry and Hermione stared in horror as Ron's spell shot toward the dog. Neither of them had imagined he'd actually cast such a powerful curse on an animal.
But even more shocking—the dog seemed to sense what was coming. The instant Ron raised his wand, it darted aside, narrowly dodging the blast.
The spell hit a nearby tree instead, sending splinters flying as it exploded and toppled the trunk.
Now, man and beast stood apart again, locked in a tense standoff.
The sight of this bizarre clash left Pansy, watching from her hiding place, completely dumbstruck...