Start by logging into the Old Man's Ring at Hogwarts

Not long after Hermione saw Zicomo jump into the water, she saw her cousin dragging two tentacles ashore.

"Cousin! Why didn't you tell me before jumping into the lake?" Hermione complained.

She wasn't worried about Zicomo's safety.

Knowing her cousin as she did, she knew he wouldn't do anything he wasn't sure of.

What angered her was that Zicomo jumped into the water without telling her.

Not only did it startle her, it also splashed water all over her.

"Sorry! I was so angry just now that a fish was stealing my bait."

Zicomo smiled and patted Hermione's head.

At this moment, Hermione also noticed the two tentacles that Zicomo had dragged up.

"My God! What are those tentacles?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"A giant squid, it seemed quite intelligent. It knew how to snatch my bait underwater before eating it, very cunning. It ran away after I cut off its tentacles," Zicomo replied. "Looks like I've got my midnight snack sorted."

"Wait! Midnight snack?" Hermione noticed Zicomo's choice of words.

"You actually went out at night?"

"Hermione, let me explain..." Zicomo was about to explain when Hermione interrupted him.

"What's even more outrageous is that you went out for a late-night snack without even calling me?!"

"Huh?" Hermione's words left Zicomo somewhat bewildered.

This little witch usually values ​​her academy grades more than anything, and she was surprised to hear about his nighttime outing.

The focus wasn't even on whether he would be discovered and have points deducted from his college grades.

Instead, she criticized him for not inviting her to eat late-night snacks.

"What are you laughing at? I don't care! You have to take me with you when you go out for late-night snacks from now on."

"I went out at night, and you're not angry?" Zicomo asked, somewhat puzzled.

After hearing the news that Harry and Ron had almost been discovered while taking Neville out at night, the kid gave the three of them a good scolding.

The three of them didn't dare approach her for several days.

Why isn't Hermione angry when he goes out at night?

"Angry? Why should I be angry? Were you caught wandering around at night?" the little witch retorted.

"Of course not! I'm not bragging, but with Filch's skill level, he'd need to practice for hundreds more years to detect my nighttime wanderings."

"That settles it. As long as we don't get caught, we won't be out at night! Remember, you have to invite me when you go out for late-night snacks from now on."

Hermione gave Zicomo a serious warning.

Zicomo nodded, inwardly exclaiming, "Wow!"

No wonder he was sorted into Gryffindor.

His cousin usually acts like a well-behaved girl in front of him.

He almost forgot that she wasn't exactly a docile character in the original story either.

…………

At midnight, Zicomo walked into the Hogwarts kitchen carrying a golden Shaded cat.

"Alright, Hermione. You can change back now."

The kitten in her arms jumped onto the chair next to her and transformed back into Hermione.

The little witch's face was flushed; it was the first time she had ever been held like this by her cousin.

Of course, this is not Hermione's Animagus, but Zicomo's 'Mimetic Veil'.

The two went to the kitchen for a late-night snack, but Hermione was afraid of being discovered while out at night.

So Zicomo lent Hermione the 'Mimetic Veil' so she could turn into a cat.

Some young wizards also keep cats as pets, but who would care about a cat wandering around the castle?

In reality, this was just an excuse for Zicomo to want to pet cats.

If he really doesn't want to be discovered, he can simply cast a disillusionment spell.

Moreover, he can now use his mental power to detect situations within a hundred meters.

He had carried Hermione in the same way before, avoiding Filch, and swaggered into the kitchen.

"Phew, this first night outing is so exciting! Will we get caught?" Hermione was still a little worried that someone might suddenly barge into the kitchen.

"Don't worry, the school doesn't actually forbid young wizards from going out at night. Otherwise, they wouldn't have only sent Filch to patrol the entire castle."

Zicomo called over Meimei, handed her the ingredients they had gathered that day, and chatted with Hermione.

A short while later, Meimei brought out the late-night snack.

Looking at the barbecue platter on the table, Zicomo exclaimed in admiration.

“Well done, Meimei. Interested in working for me? I’ll give you ten Galleons every month.”

Upon hearing Zicomo's words, Meme was initially overjoyed, but then said with trepidation:

“Oh! Meme is grateful for Mr. Zicomo’s help. But Meme doesn’t need money. Meme only hopes that you won’t abandon Meme, and that will satisfy Meme.”

"Cousin, what's going on?"

Hermione was puzzled by the humble appearance of the house-elf.

She had never been in contact with house-elves before and was unaware of their status in the wizarding world.

Zicomo told Hermione about their predicament: they were to be trained in servility from birth and be required to serve their masters for generations.

The little witch was furious after hearing this.

"How could they do this! This is unfair to them!"

"Hermione, this is a historical inevitability. House-elves are a race conquered by wizards in ancient wars, and it was inevitable that wizards would enslave them."

Can you imagine what would happen to us if they defeated our wizards?

Zicomo signaled to Hermione to calm down.

"Couldn't the wizards be a little nicer to them?" Hermione's mind remained unsettled for a long time.

According to Zicomo's description, the house-elves at Hogwarts are among the happiest.

House-elves are often beaten and scolded by wizarding families with bad tempers.

Having undergone servile training, some of them would even punish themselves through self-harm.

"Changing the status quo is not something we can do right now."

"But I still want to improve their living conditions. Cousin, can you help me?" Hermione was unusually persistent about this matter.

After Zicomo noticed this, he began to guide Hermione appropriately.

"Then you need to work hard to improve yourself. When you grow to the point where no one dares to ignore you, your words will be taken seriously by everyone."

Think about it, if you had the influence of Principal Dumbledore, as long as your suggestions weren't too outrageous, people would consider whether to adopt them.

"Then what should I do?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"How about we set a small goal first: become the Minister of Magic?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Cousin, be serious!"

"I'm not kidding. As long as you make a name for yourself in the wizarding world, achieve results in the Ministry of Magic, and gain everyone's support to become Minister for Magic."

“Then you can improve the situation of house-elves with just one decree,” Zicomo explained.

The little witch fell into deep thought after hearing Zicomo's words.

It seems my cousin's method is actually feasible.

Seeing Hermione deep in thought, Zicomo didn't disturb her and quietly ate his barbecue.

Hehe, it seems the little witch already has the idea of ​​becoming Minister of Magic.

In the future, can he say something like, "I'm going to be the Minister of Magic"?

After a while, Hermione snapped out of her thoughts and discovered that Zicomo had already eaten most of the barbecue.

"Cousin! Leave some for me!"

Hermione snatched the barbecue from Zicomo and quickly stuffed it into her mouth.

"Eat slowly, I'm not going to take it from you."

Hermione didn't say anything, but glanced at him.

After swallowing the food in his mouth, he said:

"Cousin, I've made up my mind. I want to become Minister of Magic, and you have to help me!"

"Alright, alright, I'll help you. But you should graduate from Hogwarts first! Don't think too far ahead."

Zicomo smiled indulgently and agreed to Hermione's request.