As Arthur pushed his mental senses further, he realized something was wrong.
He was sitting by the Black Lake, fishing, when he sensed two tentacles carefully removing the bait from his hook underwater.
"No wonder I haven't been catching anything lately! Uncle Mo was right—when fishing, you can't spoil the fish, damn it!"
With that, Arthur cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself and, to Hermione's shock, leapt straight into the lake.
Beneath the surface, he finally saw the culprit: a giant squid. Its body was larger than a double-decker bus, with eight shorter arms each three or four meters long. The thieves were its two main tentacles, each over ten meters.
Arthur had recently swapped bait for dragon meat when the fish wouldn't bite—and it had lured this clever creature. The squid was intelligent enough to pluck the bait free before eating it.
"You dared steal from me? Fine—then I'll take you instead!"
Furious, Arthur cast Arc of Brilliance, slicing off the two tentacles in an instant.
But the squid valued its life. Instead of fighting, it spewed a cloud of dark ink and shot into the depths.
With Hermione still waiting on shore, Arthur didn't pursue. He remembered the merfolk living down there—he could ask them about the squid later and ambush it in its lair.
On shore, Hermione saw him emerge dragging two massive tentacles.
"Cousin! Why didn't you say anything before suddenly diving in?" she scolded.
She wasn't worried about danger—knowing him, he never acted without certainty. She was upset that he had startled her and splashed her in the process.
"Sorry! I was just too mad—something was stealing my bait." Arthur chuckled, ruffling her hair.
Hermione finally noticed the tentacles.
"Merlin's beard! What creature are those from?"
"A giant squid. Smart one, too. Knows how to steal bait. I lopped off its arms and it fled. Looks like tonight's supper is sorted."
"Wait—supper? You mean… midnight snacks?" Hermione caught the word.
"You sneak out at night?"
"Hermione, let me explain—" Arthur began, but she cut him off.
"The worst part is—you went for midnight snacks and didn't invite me?!"
"Huh?" He was stunned.
This was the same girl who had once lectured Harry, Ron, and Neville for almost being caught out after curfew. And now, hearing he had snuck out, her only complaint was that he hadn't brought her along?
"I don't care! From now on, whenever you sneak out for food, you're taking me with you."
"You're… not angry? About me sneaking out?" Arthur was baffled.
"Why would I be? Did you get caught?" she countered.
"Of course not! At Filch's level, he'd need a few hundred years of practice to catch me."
"Then that's fine. If you weren't caught, then it doesn't count as sneaking out. But remember—you must bring me next time."
Arthur could only nod, thinking: Ah, so that's why she was sorted into Gryffindor. She might act like a goody-two-shoes, but deep down she's as daring as they come.
That midnight, Arthur carried a golden British Shorthair into Hogwarts' kitchens.
"Alright, Hermione, you can change back now."
The cat leapt onto a chair and transformed into Hermione, cheeks flushed. Being carried in his arms like that was a first.
Of course, this wasn't her Animagus form. It was Arthur's Mimic's Veil. Hermione had been nervous about getting caught, so he lent it to her—turning her into a harmless pet cat. Nobody would think twice about a stray cat roaming the castle.
Truthfully, Arthur had only done it as an excuse to cuddle a cat. If he'd really wanted to stay hidden, an Invisibility Charm would have sufficed. And with his mental sense covering a hundred meters, it was easy enough to avoid Filch.
"Phew! My first time sneaking out—this is exciting. What if someone comes in?" Hermione whispered.
"Relax. The school never actually banned sneaking out—otherwise they wouldn't leave the whole castle to just Filch."
Arthur summoned Meme the elf, handed over the tentacles, and chatted with Hermione while they waited.
Before long, Meme brought out a platter of grilled delicacies. Arthur praised her work:
"Excellent as always, Meme. Interested in working for me? I'll pay you ten Galleons a month."
Meme lit up, then quickly grew anxious.
"Oh, sir! Meme thanks you for wanting her. But Meme doesn't need money—just promise you won't abandon Meme, and she'll be happy."
"Cousin, what's going on?" Hermione asked, confused by the elf's meekness.
She'd never dealt with house-elves before. Arthur explained their forced servitude, the indoctrination, the punishments.
Hermione's face darkened.
"That's awful! How can wizards treat them like this?"
"It's history," Arthur said calmly. "The elves were conquered in ancient wars. If they had won, we'd be slaves."
"But can't wizards at least treat them better?" Hermione pressed, upset.
He sighed. "Wanting change isn't wrong—but we can't do it now."
"I still want to try. Cousin, will you help me?" she asked, unusually stubborn.
Seeing her determination, Arthur chose to guide her.
"Then you need strength first. Grow until no one can ignore you. Imagine if you had Dumbledore's influence—then even your wildest ideas would be considered."
Hermione thought about it, then asked, "What should I do?"
"Set a small goal first—become Minister of Magic."
She rolled her eyes. "Be serious!"
"I am serious. Make a name for yourself, prove your worth at the Ministry, earn the people's support. Then, as Minister, you could change the elves' fate with a stroke of the quill."
Hermione fell silent, mulling it over. The plan… made sense.
Arthur didn't interrupt, just kept eating. Heh. Looks like she really is entertaining the idea of becoming Minister. Then I can say I'm the man behind the Minister of Magic.
Eventually she snapped back to reality, only to find half the food already gone.
"Cousin! Leave some for me!"
She grabbed the platter and stuffed her mouth full.
"Slow down, I'm not stealing it," Arthur teased.
Hermione glared, swallowed, and declared:
"I've decided. I will become Minister of Magic—and you're going to help me!"
"Of course, I'll help. But first, let's get you through Hogwarts. Don't run too far ahead."
Arthur's smile was indulgent.
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