HP: For a better world

Hermione swallowed her tears and kept pressing her swollen eyes with her palms: "Why did you come to see me, Winster?"

"You didn't come to class, Hermione." Winston never mentioned that he had been looking for her everywhere. "This made me worried. I met Luna on the way here. She told me you were here. So I came to find you."

Hermione followed slowly beside Winston, turning her head away so that he wouldn't see her red and swollen eyes. Crookshanks trudged behind them with his tail hanging down.

Seeing Crookshanks exhausted, Winster bent down and picked up the cat. Crookshanks lay in his arms and patted Winster's paws with his paw pads. As soon as he lay down, he fell asleep and didn't move.

Kneazles have the magical ability to detect danger. It seems Crookshanks is under stress.

"I didn't go to class???" Hermione was so shocked that she forgot to hide her puffy eyes and just stared at Winster. "Oh my God, I missed a few classes. Will the professors deduct points from me? Notes, do you have notes, Winster? I know your habits. Please let me see what knowledge points I missed!" She immediately put her crying behind her, nervously searched her bag and found nothing. Then she eagerly pulled Winster's hand and said earnestly: "...Can I still get back to class in time if I use the time converter now?"

Winster, Winster knew it. He raised his arm in amusement to indicate that Hermione should hold the cat by herself - "Of course there is still time, Hermione. It's not even eight o'clock yet, and our first Muggle Studies class just started five hours ago."

Winster's wand was lit and floating beside him, illuminating the way for him.

"Hermione, you haven't eaten yet, and why did you run to the Forbidden Forest? I was really scared." Winston said softly.

Hermione held her breath when she mentioned this: "I don't want to eat. The thought of that rat makes me vomit and I can't eat! I didn't say anything wrong!" She walked in front angrily, kicking away some innocent gravel on the roadside.

Then she answered reluctantly: "I don't know when I came here... I was emotional and just wanted to hide in a place where no one knows me."

Winster put Crookshanks' paw back, and his flat cat face lay peacefully on its back. "There were at least three of you in the castle this afternoon. Think carefully about how you got here."

Hermione frowned and fell into deep thought, but as she thought, her face became paler and paler, and her voice trembled a little: "I... I seemed to have bumped into myself, so I hid from the castle and tried to hide in Hagrid's... Then, then I saw you... Winster." She tried to recall with a horrible face, but she couldn't remember how she ran to the Forbidden Forest. There was no way she could have run here by herself. She took the initiative to violate school rules... Fortunately, it was Winster who found her.

"They are you in a few hours, right? Were you just thinking about rushing back to class soon?"

Hermione blanched and nodded.

They walked into the castle and saw Filch standing at the door, dragging a broom and staring gloomily at every student who passed by.

"No mud allowed into school! Those damn brats are running around outside and bringing dirt into school... Stop!" Filch yelled angrily and ran over to stop the smiling twins. But they quickly slipped away, leaving behind a muddy ground and a few rotten leaves stuck to their feet.

Winston and Hermione walked past them.

"Don't worry, come on, I'll take you somewhere first."

Winster led Hermione through the hall to the door of a classroom.

On this door hung a golden straw sign which read:

"Magic Cooperation Club Activity Room..." Hermione read along with the sign, and Winster pressed a coin against the door. "...Is this your club?" Hermione followed Winster and looked inside curiously.

Pushing open the door, to Hermione's surprise, the interior was not the silver-green color of Slytherin, but was dominated by warm yellow, with the colors of all the colleges present here. The sky-blue painted wooden windows, and the vibrant herbs of various colors clustered together to create a green scene. Several round tables with white floral tablecloths were scattered on one side.

On the other side of the classroom was a huge dueling arena, with two vine-built stairs leading up to it. A red border emphasized the boundary.

"You're all dressed up beautifully," Hermione stared at the classroom where there were several cauldrons and bookshelves in a corner.

Inside were several magic books that Hermione had and hadn't heard of, as well as some Muggle novels, including Curses and Counter-Curses by Winndixie Winridian, Defensive and Deterrent Spells which explained powerful defensive spells, Encounters with Faceless Monsters, Living with a Mind Reader: Choosing Your Thoughts Wisely, and The Intricacies of Rappaport's Law.

She walked over and pulled out one of the books, "Fighting Poison with Poison", and couldn't help but open it to read. It contained some small evil curses that could cause sores on people's faces and pus in their mouths, as well as some more vicious ones... Hermione closed the book abruptly.

Winster was squatting in front of a wooden cabinet, taking out two steaming puddings. "Well, Luo did leave some food for us."

"King, your favorite steak and kidney pudding." Winster brought the plate to the center of the table. Under the plate was a note left by Loewe. "Loewe said he took great pains to snatch it from Michael and Carl. It can't be wasted... Hermione?"

"Oh." Hermione turned her head slowly. "Are you learning the curses in this book?" She held up "Fighting Fire with Fire".

She looked a little nervous.

"Cough cough cough!" Winster immediately cleared his throat in a pretentious manner, "Oh yes, Miss Granger, now that you have discovered our little secret, don't even think about leaving, hehehe--" He pinched his throat and let out a strange laugh.

"Be serious!" Hermione was amused by Winster's deliberate antics. She rolled her eyes, tapped Winster with the book and said, "You wouldn't learn bad things from those people. I saw some... very dangerous spells in it."

Winster shook his head lazily. "You think too much, Hermione. I am the leader. These are just some little wizards who are trying to survive together. We just want to help each other... I don't like magic that distorts the mind."

"What about this book?"

"Just because we don't use it doesn't mean others don't. Luo and Jenny have been cursed by some of these spells." Winster said simply, pushing the steak and kidney pudding on the table. "Eat quickly, and then we'll discuss your matter."

Hermione swallowed a few times, raised her head again and said slowly: "…Have you also been under these spells, Winster?"

Winster cut the pudding in front of him and slowly ate a few pieces with his fork.

"I don't remember, don't you know that Hermione?" he said with a smile.

Seeing Hermione struggling to eat three meals a day, he said jokingly, "Since you are so worried, why don't you join us and supervise us?"

Hermione clenched her fork in a daze: "...join you? But, you are not..."

"House club? No, of course we're not, we're a school club. Slytherin is allowed, Ravenclaw is allowed, Hufflepuff is allowed, and of course Gryffindor is allowed - come on, join us." Winster smiled and winked at her, extending his hand.

Hermione reached out her hand for some unknown reason, but halfway through she realized what was happening and slapped Winston's hand away in annoyance: "Speak properly, you're not giving a speech!"

Winster innocently withdrew his hand and shrugged, "I'm just telling you this. After Christmas, it's the new semester and the club needs to recruit new members. Luo has been worried about this for a long time. Since you are worried, you can join us."

"What does your club do?" Hermione asked.

"Help those who need help," Winster said, "those who are bullied and excluded. Bullying is not limited to Slytherins. We are here to help each other and improve our magical skills. Look at that dueling platform -" Winster pointed to the platform that took up half of the classroom.

"——That's where we practice fighting. Although the venue is relatively simple, we can practice running away and resisting in many situations. When we gather together, those arrogant people will carefully assess our strength and courage."

"Did you invite Neville?" asked Hermione.

"I'm afraid it's still a bit difficult." Winster smiled helplessly, "Our instructor is Professor Snape. He's afraid, even though Professor Snape basically doesn't come here and is just a figurehead. And after all, we are now a group of Slytherin students forming an association. People from other colleges are very cautious and on guard. Many people think we are another dark magic association."

Hermione nodded in understanding: "No wonder."

She hesitated for a moment and said, "Join me in. What do you need me to do?"

"Just help find some bullied students. If you are willing to join us to protect them, it means that my invitation to you is a clear decision." Winster smiled. "Of course, if you are not willing, just a figurehead, I think Luo and the others will be willing to support me."

"Besides," Winston changed the subject lightly, "your time converter also needs supervision... Hermione, your situation is already very dangerous." He looked up at the hidden worry in Hermione's heart, "This time you just lost control of your emotions and rushed into the edge of the Forbidden Forest. What about next time, and the time after that? You haven't learned the invisibility spell yet."

He lowered his voice, "We can act together and maintain the invisibility spell for both of us. This can avoid a lot of risks. I don't want to see you get into trouble, Hermione." He pursed his lips, "And if you join, I can ask Luo and the others to help me find Scabbers. It's always difficult for me to make such a request to them alone."

Hermione bit her lip, wavering: "Let me make it clear first... I'm worried about you learning the Dark Arts. It's not because of Weasley's rat Scabbers."

She held her head high. "Get him and his damn rat out of here! I don't want to see him again!"

Winster just smiled.

------

“No trace.”

"Hiss!" Hermione gasped because of the cold. She felt as if an egg was cracked on her head and cold liquid flowed down her head and her whole body.

But she soon saw her body gradually disappearing into the air, but she could still clearly feel her limbs.

"How do you feel?" Winster put down his wand and asked. They turned a huge curtain in the classroom into a mirror. Winster stood and looked at himself alone in the mirror. Hermione was beside him. Although he couldn't see her, he could feel Hermione's warm body temperature radiating out.

"It's a bit cold," said Hermione.

"It's normal. The spell can last for about two hours. Come back quickly after your class and I'll replenish the spell for you. We have three classes in the afternoon. Every time you come back, modify the coin I gave you. You have already used Transfiguration to change the number on it. If you change the coin in my hand, the changes will be synchronized. Use it to tell me when you come back, and I'll use the picture on the coin to tell you whether you left the last time. Remember not to get too close to me. Your body temperature and entity will reveal your presence - I haven't found you all day today." Winster emphasized.

"Okay." Hermione nodded heavily. She hugged Winston, then hurried out the door with an invisibility spell and turned on the time converter.

One circle, two circles... Hermione turned five circles in total. The hourglass of the time-turner spun rapidly and time began to go back.

Winster stared at the coin closely, and the next second the numbers began to change rapidly.

[01]

"Knock knock." Winster waved his wand and the snake-faced man opened his eyes.

The door swung open and Hermione hurried in, clutching her shoulder bag.

Winster pointed his wand at Hermione.

One lap, two laps, three laps.

[00]

The next second, the end of the number jumps to [02]

Snake Face closed his eyes.

The second Hermione came running in breathlessly, with only a crumpled notebook in her hand. She was panting and looking back nervously the whole time.

Winster nodded solemnly above her head.

[00] → [03]

The next second, Hermione pushed the door open. Her face was as pale as paper and her lips trembled as she said, "I saw myself, in the Astronomy Tower."

She was filled with fear and kept asking, "...will I disappear? Will I disappear? Will I disappear?"

"Calm down, Hermione." Winster held her shoulders and told her calmly and confidently: "You are back safely, and you are the Hermione of the present time. Your price was paid in the Forbidden Forest as early as before. So you have lost the memory of how to run to the Forbidden Forest. Don't worry... I will watch over you throughout the semester."

Winster repeated it several times. Hermione gradually calmed down again. She believed Winster. And this was what she knew when she chose to turn the time turner today. She would run into her and then run to the Forbidden Forest... She just never thought it would be so sudden. She just passed by the astronomy tower and turned back inadvertently. She looked into her eyes while hiding in the garden under the tower and crying.

"I can't go on like this. I must cancel a few classes at the end of this semester!" she said, shaking.

"Don't worry too much. I'll watch over you." Winster comforted her.

"I know," said Hermione. "I believe you, Winster."