In the Harry Potter Without Harry Potter

"There is another point I must emphasize to you." Aberforth said seriously, "even if we have now prepared very adequately, you still have to pay attention to the eyes of the Basilisk, do not have direct eye contact with it, otherwise, all your efforts will go in vain, and you will definitely die there."

This point that Aberforth made, of course, Jon himself knows it very well, the most dangerous thing about the Basilisk is its eyes that can directly kill people, and in the process of trying to slay it by using spells on it, there will always be an inevitable probability of making contact with its gaze.

This is one of the most dangerous potential risks for Jon, if he keeps his eyes closed the whole time, to ensure that he and the Basilisk would not have any direct eye contact, then how can he ensure that his every spell will land on the Basilisk?

This seems to be an unsolvable problem. Jon did not know if there is any magic in the magical world that can enable people to "see" their surroundings without using their eyes, which neither Aberforth nor he knows much about.

Jon sipped the cup of hot cocoa, looking out of the window frowning and pondering, he would like to address every possible risk, but now it seems like there is no solution to this problem, if he wants to slay the Basilisk, then he must face this risk.

Just when he fell into deep thought, outside the window in the dim street lamp, there are stars of snowflakes slowly drifting down from the sky.

It is snowing in Hogsmeade.

Aberforth also saw the snowflakes outside the window and could not help but let out a sigh.

"This year's snow fell really early, those muggle students in the castle are going to freeze."

Jon did not respond to what he said, at the moment the snowflakes fell from the sky, his whole being seemed as if he thought of something, stunned out of his mind to look at the snow.

Aberforth took a while to notice that something was wrong with him and couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

Jon's eyes glowed, and he suddenly smiled.

"Percival! I seem to have found a solution!"

***

Christmas break came on the fifth day after the snow.

The vast majority of the half-blood and pureblood students in the castle have left Hogwarts Castle and taken the train back to their respective homes, and some of the Professors with families have also left the school for the time being after the holidays began.

The original lively castle has now become empty, the ancient castle regained the calmness that should belong to it, which also made the usual work of the mudblood students a lot easier.

For these children whose existence has even been forgotten by their own biological parents, there is certainly no holiday at Christmas, and even if the school classes stop, they have to continue working during the day.

"Hey, did you see the Christmas tree that was just brought in? They were talking about how the great hall will be decorated with Christmas trees for tomorrow's Christmas dinner, and everyone in the castle will receive a Christmas present."

While cleaning the entrance hall on the ground floor, Hanton peeked over in the direction of the great hall with an envious look on his face, and his voice suddenly dropped a bit as he continued, "But we don't count as people in their eyes."

Jon said with a reassuring smile.

"As long as we can still see ourselves as people then all this means nothing."

"I remember how my mama used to knit me a cashmere hat every Christmas before I was brought here, and the colours were all different."

Jon and Hanton's conversation aroused some memories of a girl named Ariel, perhaps it was sad enough before, but now when she thinks of the good old days, she does not look sad, instead, her tone is very light and cheerful.

"It's just, back then I didn't like the hat she knitted, I felt that style is old-fashioned, the colour is not pretty, I would only wear it on my head on Christmas day for her happiness, the rest of the time it was all hidden in my closet drawer. Maybe they will find those hats when they tidy up the room one day and wonder why there are all these children's things in the house and eventually throw them away."

Her words evoked memories of many of the mudblood students around her, and the first-year children still had sad expressions on their faces when they heard such a thing, and just then Dolohov appeared around the corner of the entrance hall, after which everyone consciously stopped talking, kept their mouths shut and continued to clean the castle in silence.

It was the day before Christmas and the great hall was being decorated for tomorrow's feast, but these had nothing to do with any of them.

After the day's work and a simple dinner, Jon returned to his room, where he lay quietly in bed and waited for the zero hour.

Then in the early hours of Christmas Day, he sneaked out of the castle for the last time through the secret passage to the Hog's Head Inn.

Aberforth had long since gotten everything ready for him and handed him two buttons.

"Look at the colours, the black one is a rooster that can barely stop crowing, and the brown one is something you asked me to prepare for you, I hope you can use it when the time comes."

Aberforth said while using a loose thread to help him sew the buttons on Jon's robe cuffs while admonishing him with a gruff face.

"The phoenix feather that Albus gave you must be kept in a place where you can hold it in your hands at all times, if there is an accident, do not hesitate, he should have specifically advised you that no matter what it is, it is not as important as your life."

Jon nodded and took a deep breath and said.

"Don't worry about it, I'm very afraid of dying, in that kind of time, I'll definitely focus on saving my own life."

After making all the arrangements, Aberforth gave him a reassuring smile and patted his shoulder encouragingly.

"Regardless of the final outcome, your willingness to agree to come to this castle and also taking the risk to do such a thing is enough to prove yourself, Jon."

Jon looked into Aberforth's eyes, and he seemed to be thinking about something on his mind, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly asked a question.

"If, if this operation goes well, and I get those two things, I will just leave?"

"Or else what?"

Aberforth looked at Jon as if he caught a sense of what was going on, and Jon continued to ask.

"With that stuff stolen and my disappearance, surely that dark lord will know that someone pretended to be a mudblood student to do such a thing, and after I leave, won't he take it out on those students I was with within the castle?"

"He won't kill them, even the lives of the mudbloods are worth a lot to him, he only wants to enslave these people, not to kill them all, nor it's profitable to kill them all, so those classmates of yours in the castle won't have their lives in danger."

"But they will still be punished because of me, and then remain in this castle, as slaves of other people, receiving that kind of monstrous education?"

Jon's words were a bit pointed, it was more like a kind of confrontation.

Aberforth went silent, his face looked ashamed, and he sat dejectedly in his chair, without speaking, after a long while like that he asked.

"But what can we do?"

After a short while, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Even if you found out the secret passages in the castle that are not known to anyone, and you also have the invisibility cloak to bring them all out, but, as soon as they leave the boundaries of that school, all the wizards in the castle and the Ministry of Magic will know about it, and the Dark Lord will come over in person. Even if we call Albus and the rest of them to help, there is no way to break the pact on these children before they come over, and doing so will only harm them and force those children to die!"

Jon turned his head to look at the darkness of the night outside the window, and also went silent.

He knew that Aberforth was right, they could not do anything at all now, even if they forcefully try to bring those children out, there is no way to ensure their safety.

The dark castle in the night was like a huge prison, once the pact was signed and locked up inside, it was like signing for a life term of imprisonment and enslavement.

***

Christmas Day.

Even though there were no more than a few students in the castle, occasional laughter could still be heard in the corridor.

At noon, the students who stayed in the castle ate a rich lunch, and later on, the professors who were going to attend the Christmas banquet held by Voldemort tonight, including Snape and Barty, left the castle one after another.

Dolohov also gathered all the mudblood students at about four o'clock in the afternoon, just like how the students gathered in the underground chamber at the beginning of the school year.

After all, it is Christmas, and on this day even the mudbloods can also eat some of the more "generous" dinner - they each received a sandwich that only students with good summer performance at the beginning of the school year could get, as well as a cup of hot milk.

Once the Mudbloods' "Christmas dinner" was prepared, he handed over the responsibility of managing it to the Head boy and Head girl and left the castle for another really big banquet.

This night, the mudbloods are indeed much freer than in the past, at least they will not be forced to return to the dormitory before seven o'clock, without being allowed to go out again. They can stay on the underground floor until the end of the dinner in the great hall above before returning.

But Jon obviously will not spend that long here, he has to finish everything before the professors who went to Voldemort's Christmas banquet return to the castle.

So, not long after Dolohov left, he walked over to the two Heads as if he wasn't feeling well.

"Senior Bitter, I'm feeling a bit dizzy, can I go back to rest in my dormitory first?"

The two head students, who had been successfully brainwashed, were enjoying the relaxation of a rare period of time when Dolohov was not present, looked at Jon, and the head boy named Bitter waved his hand impatiently as if he too had become one of those "pureblood lords" at that moment.

"If you want to leave, just leave! Don't be an eyesore here!"

After that, Jon left the underground area quickly and walked in the direction of the dormitory, almost no one in that area noticed his departure, only one girl took a glance at his distant back.

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