Chapter 161 – Networking
"I can't believe they did something like this..." Neville whispered, sitting around a table with Hermione and Krum as they had their lunch inside a muggle fast food restaurant, mingling amongst the masses, hiding in plain sight.
"I am not surprised." Hermione answered, glancing at Krum, who had a bandage going around his neck. Getting the bug out of under his skin was painful and messy, requiring magic, potions, and a scalpel to finally get rid of it. The moment the creature felt it would be about to be discovered and picked out of its new home, it began drinking blood, growing, turning from an insect into a cancerous infection. If they didn't hurry, it could easily turn out to be deadly. Luckily, Hermione didn't panic and was prepared for the 'operation,' managing to yank the bug out of Krum's neck at the last moment. "It would have been problem-free if we didn't discover it..." She murmured, feeling conscious about it because she ended up giving him a permanent scar that will never fade.
"It fine." He smiled at her, noticing her gaze, "I'm good. No pain anymore."
"What should we do next?" She asked after smiling back, sighing, wanting to hear their opinions.
"We will go after them personally. Find everybody that was on the ship when you escaped from Hogwarts." Neville expressed, looking directly at Krum, who raised his eyebrows and found it hard to believe.
"I don't remember all faces. Not possible."
"That is a minor issue." Neville waved his hand, continuing to explain, "The subconscious stores a lot of information that is inaccessible because they would otherwise overwhelm our minds. I am confident in my abilities that I can use a spell to help you remember, and it will be pain-free. I will go and collect images of the students, and you go through them and point them all out while under my spell! We will then scour every record and find them, tell them personally who we are... and try to establish contact with Conrad through them. I have no other ideas!"
"That... is possible..." Hermione mumbled, thinking about it, and before she could raise some concerns, Krum had already agreed to it.
"Good. Hate wait. Do it!"
"I need to prepare for it first!" Neville exclaimed with a sigh, standing up. "Let us meet at our hideout two days from now on."
"Where are you going?" Hermione questioned, surprised that he would leave just like that.