Do you want to know? I won’t tell you.

Blake stood in a hidden alley, lost in thought. He was about to use the Dimension Gate to board the bus when something peculiar caught his attention. The treasure chests, which were supposed to appear regularly, had significantly dwindled in number.

"Huh? Have I been discovered?" he muttered, his expression turning serious. The missing treasure chests were supposed to belong to Mrs. Worley, yet only a few had appeared, leaving the rest conspicuously absent.

This could only mean one thing: Mrs. Worley had figured out his intentions. Initially, she might have been taken aback, even allowing a few treasure chests to materialize. But once the shock subsided, the flow ceased entirely. Meanwhile, Mr. Worley seemed to have reached his limit, leaving Cassandra as the main contributor to the remaining treasure chests.

"No wonder Cassandra is so clever. She must have inherited it from her mother," Blake thought. At that moment, Mr. Worley, who had just exited the station, sneezed loudly.

"Hiss... Could it be that little rascal is taking advantage of me and badmouthing me in secret?" Mr. Worley grumbled, his tone annoyed.

Meanwhile, Hermione was growing increasingly frustrated. She had searched through several carriages but couldn't find Blake anywhere.

"Did he go to school by himself?" she wondered. It wasn't entirely impossible. Suddenly, she felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to find Blake grinning at her.

"I thought you went to school first," she said, visibly relieved to see him.

Blake chuckled. "Why would I go to school early? It's dull when no one's there. I'd rather chat with you on the way."

As he spoke, he opened the door to a nearby carriage. It was empty, much to Hermione's amazement.

"Why do you always manage to find empty carriages?" she asked, astonished. She had been searching for a while, and every carriage she came across was occupied.

"Just a little harmless magic," Blake replied with a mischievous smile.

Once inside, Hermione noticed the carriage was the same one they had taken three days earlier when leaving Hogwarts.

"You…" she began, staring at him in disbelief. "You actually hid an entire carriage? If someone finds out—"

"But there's no rule against hiding carriages," Blake interrupted, spreading his hands innocently. "Besides, there are more than enough carriages. One missing won't hurt."

Hermione frowned, realizing the previously full carriages were now strangely less crowded. Nurmengard Academy of Magic's intervention likely had something to do with it.

As she settled in and stowed her schoolbag, Hermione noticed a strawberry sundae appear before her.

"I saw this at a dessert shop this morning and thought you'd like it," Blake said casually.

Though the weather was cold, the warmth of the carriage, enhanced by the sunflowers Blake had placed on the table, made it feel like spring. Hermione took small bites of her sundae, occasionally sneaking glances at Blake.

"Um… Have you visited anyone in the past few days?" she asked, her tone probing. She was curious if Blake had gone to Cassandra's house or perhaps somewhere else, like Ginny's.

"Not really. I've been busy with some experiments," Blake replied nonchalantly.

"Really?" Hermione pressed. "By the way, I saw Cassandra looking for you earlier."

"Hey… don't mention it," Blake said, frowning. "Mr. Worley seems to have some misunderstandings about me. I'll have to keep my distance from Cassandra from now on."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. Could he really mean it? It was unlike him to say something like that.

Just then, the compartment door creaked open. Cassandra entered, her face pale and distressed.

"Blake! I finally found you!" she exclaimed. "Don't listen to my father's nonsense. He has no right to interfere with my choices!"

Blake froze momentarily, realizing Hermione had left the door ajar when she entered. With the door open, his concealment magic had failed, allowing Cassandra to spot the hidden carriage.

"Ahem, Cassandra, sit down," Blake said, gesturing to the seat opposite him.

Cassandra bit her lip as she sat down, a mix of guilt and indignation on her face. Blake had done so much for her family, yet her father's attitude had been less than welcoming. She couldn't help but feel responsible.

"Blake, this is a misunderstanding. My dad didn't mean it that way," she said earnestly, trying to defend her father.

Blake's expression softened. "Really? Maybe I've been overthinking it. I'm just… not very confident sometimes."

Hermione, who had been quietly enjoying her sundae, rolled her eyes. "Not confident? You?" she muttered under her breath, skeptical.

Cassandra, however, seemed convinced. "My dad's just… a bit rigid. He didn't mean to target you," she insisted.

Blake coughed, trying to maintain his composure. Cassandra's flustered state was both amusing and endearing. "Ah, I see. It's just a misunderstanding," he said, feigning embarrassment.

Cassandra, oblivious to Blake's scheming, felt even more determined to mend the situation. "I'll make my dad accept you," she thought resolutely.

As night fell, the train reached its destination, signaling the end of their unexpected holiday. The moment Blake stepped off the train, he was greeted by a bear hug from Hagrid.

"Ahem… Hagrid… be gentle…" Blake gasped, feeling his ribs protest.

"Oh, sorry, Blake! Are you okay?" Hagrid said, stepping back. His eyes were filled with gratitude.

"It's fine," Blake reassured him. "But what's with the sudden enthusiasm?"

"Dumbledore told me everything! You cleared my name. I don't even know how to thank you," Hagrid said, tears streaming down his face as he wiped them with a giant handkerchief.

[Ding! Gratitude detected!]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining a silver treasure chest!]

Blake patted Hagrid's shoulder. "It's nothing. Let's have tea together sometime."

As Hagrid walked away, Cassandra and Hermione stared at Blake in astonishment.

"What did you do to him?" Cassandra asked.

"He'd probably do anything for you now," Hermione added, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

Blake smirked. "Do you want to know? I won't tell you."

[Ding! Two angry emotions detected!]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining two silver treasure chests!]

=============

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