Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 425 "Cinderella" Hermione

Since becoming a prefect, although Hermione clearly shows it every day, Harry can sense that she has become increasingly dismissive of school rules.

When Harry went back to his dorm to get the calla lilies, he also tucked his invisibility cloak under his arm.

Harry and Hermione, the two teenagers who had already developed, quietly slipped out of the Gryffindor common room, wearing their small hoods.

The weather in Scotland in September is cold and gloomy, especially at night, with a biting wind. As Harry and Hermione left Hogwarts through the back door, walked down the grassy slope, and headed towards the entrance to the Forbidden Forest, they felt a few raindrops falling on their Invisibility Cloaks.

The Forbidden Forest has always been synonymous with danger at Hogwarts.

However, this is clearly only true for ordinary students at Hogwarts.

For Harry and Hermione, who frequently broke school rules and were quite close to Hagrid, the Forbidden Forest was like their own backyard.

Furthermore, Tiera's grave is not located very far from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. In fact, it is on the outer edge of the Forbidden Forest, where there are not even any large eight-eyed giant spiders.

This is why Hermione dared to drag Harry to Tyella's grave in the dead of night.

Tierra's grave wasn't hard to find, because behind Hagrid's hut, there was a crooked path that had been cleared by man. It was a path that Dumbledore had casually cleared by waving his wand on the day of Tierra's funeral; otherwise, they would never have been able to carry the heavy coffin through the complex terrain of the Forbidden Forest.

Now, the original dirt road has been widened, allowing four or five people to walk side by side. Two rows of thick tree branches have been used to form a fence along both sides of the road, and small pebbles have been laid on the muddy ground to make the road smoother.

In the cold night wind, Harry and Hermione set off on this simple road.

After about ten minutes, they finally reached the end of the path. They had expected to see a solitary grave, but to their surprise, they only saw a rather small tombstone, and behind it, on the mound where Tiera had been buried, stood an extremely tall willow tree—

It was a willow tree that Harry knew very well. Its trunk was crooked and twisted, covered with woody nodules, and from the top of the trunk, long, thin branches covered with barbs sprouted.

Unlike the Whomping Willow planted at the back gate of Hogwarts, the Whomping Willow on Tierra's grave had drooping branches, and even in the cold Scottish Highlands in September, its leaves retained a spring-like green color. The slender branches and lush green leaves hung down like curtains, obscuring Tierra's tombstone. Harry and Hermione, approaching from a distance, could only see the lower half of the tombstone, a bluish-gray—

This gave Harry and Hermione the illusion that the tombstone had become smaller.

Harry and Hermione stopped three meters away from Tierra's tombstone, looking somewhat troubled as they gazed at the tombstone, which was now obscured by the willow branches.

Neither of them dared to move.

After all, they had all experienced the power of the Whomping Willow planted at the back gate of Hogwarts Castle. Harry had experienced it twice, leaving an indelible and profound shadow in his heart.

As Harry and Hermione hesitated, the branches of the Whomping Willow on Tierra's grave slowly shifted to either side, revealing Tierra's tombstone—

Harry glanced at Hermione, then cautiously took a few steps forward, squatted down in front of Tierra's grave, and placed the calla lily he was holding near Tierra's tombstone.

Harry squatted there, staring at Tyella's tombstone, silent.

Harry, grieving, stroked the words on Tierra's tombstone.

"Tiella Lockhart, June 28, 1980 – June 24, 1994"

"Are you really dead?" Harry asked. "I don't know why, but I often feel like you're right here with me."

Hermione stood quietly behind Harry, without making a sound to disturb him.

About four or five minutes later, Harry slowly stood up, took a deep breath, and then Hermione slowly walked over and patted Harry on the shoulder.

“I’m fine, Hermione,” Harry said, then hesitated for a moment, scratched his head, and said to the tombstone:

“Hmm, Tyella, Hermione and I are in a bit of trouble. Your prediction was absolutely right. A pink toad has indeed come to Hogwarts. She… she likes to punish students, and she denies that Voldemort has returned.” Harry said, extending his right hand. “Could you help Hermione and me remove the scars on our hands?”

Harry raised his hand in mid-air.

About a minute passed, and nothing happened.

“Hmm,” Harry said, “maybe Tiera needs time?”

“No.” Hermione shook her head, standing behind Harry. While Harry was asking for Tyrell’s help, Hermione had been observing and thinking, pondering the true meaning of Tyrell’s prophecy.

Actually, when Hermione arrived at Tyella's grave and saw the drooping Willow and the half-covered tombstone, she had a sudden inspiration. It wasn't until she carefully recalled Tyella's prophecy that she confirmed the source of this feeling—

“Harry,” Hermione said, “you remember that prophecy of Tyrell that said, ‘Well, the password is Cinderella.’ You’ve read the story of Cinderella, haven’t you?”

Hermione countered with a question.

“Hmm, I have read it,” Harry asked hesitantly, “but what’s the connection? Is a fairy going to suddenly appear?”

“No, Harry, you’re reading the most common version of Cinderella,” Hermione said. “The original version of Cinderella is that Cinderella made a wish by the willow tree at her mother’s grave, and it was the willow tree on her mother’s grave that granted her wish—”

With that, Hermione took a few steps forward, past Tierra's tombstone, and cautiously approached the willow tree.

Seeing that the willow tree didn't seem to intend to whip her, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

It was only then that Hermione noticed a dark, deep hole in the willow tree directly opposite her.

Hermione leaned against the willow tree, her lips touching the trunk as she whispered:

"I hope the scars on my and Harry's right hands disappear. I hope the scars on my and Harry's right hands disappear. I hope the scars on my and Harry's right hands—"

"Hermione!" Harry suddenly called out from behind Hermione, "Look!"

Harry stretched out his right hand, which was smooth and unmarked.

Hermione also quickly touched her right hand—

The ugly and uneven scars on it disappeared.

"It's gone!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly. "It's really gone!"

Hermione then leaned against the tree hollow and continued, "I want Umbridge to disappear, I want Umbridge to disappear, I want Umbridge to disappear."

"Sigh," Tierra, who was still in the principal's office filing documents, rubbed her temples again, feeling a headache coming on.

"If I had known I wouldn't be able to go back, I wouldn't have included this in my will."

(End of this chapter)