Chapter 14 Night Visit Hogwarts

At night, the weather is slightly cool, even staying in Hogwarts Castle will be a bit cold, making people feel the coming of autumn.

Some of the portraits on the walls of the corridor are dozing off, some are whispering to the neighbor next door, and some seem to have gone out for a visit. Only the background remains in the painting.

On the eighth floor, in the Gryffindor common room, the students had all gone back to sleep in the dormitory, only the embers in the fireplace were flickering with a faint red light, dimly illuminating the whole living room.

Just as Harry and Ron were tiptoing past an armchair, they heard someone talking there.

I can't believe you did that, Harry.

A light flickered on and it was Hermione Granger. She was wearing a pink nightgown and frowning at them.

She doesn't look very happy.

You! said Ron angrily. Go back to sleep!

I almost told your brother, Hermione snapped back. Percy - he's a prefect, and he'll stop this.

Harry couldn't believe that there were such nosy people.

Come on, he said to Ron. He pushed away the portrait of the Fat Lady and crawled in through the hole.

Hermione would not give in so easily. She followed Ron into the hole, yelling at them in a low voice like an angry goose.

Don't you care about Gryffindor, you only care about yourself? I don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup again, and I don't want you to lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall with the transfer spell!

Go away. Ron said impatiently.

Okay, but I warn you, when you take the train home tomorrow, don't forget what I said, you're really— Hermione said, turning to the portrait of the Fat Lady, trying to get back in, But he found that the painting he was facing was empty.

The fat lady probably also went out to visit in the middle of the night.

Oh——, what should I do now? She raised her voice and said depressedly.

That's your problem, said Ron. We have to go. We're going to be late.

But before they reached the end of the corridor, Hermione had already hurried up.

I'll go with you! She looked reluctant.

You are not allowed to go. Ron immediately refused.

Do you think I'd like to go! If I don't go, why don't I just stand here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds out—

...Then let's go together.

While Hermione was still babbling, a voice suddenly appeared from the shadows in the corner of the corridor, which shocked everyone present.

Maka! And Neville? The three narrowed their eyes in unison, and only then did they see clearly who was there.

Maca ignored the three of them, and instead covered the mouth of Neville who was screaming out in fright.

Why are you so surprised, I'm always by your side! Maca whispered.

I... I thought it was Filch's voice. After Maca let go of his hand, Neville said weakly.

Why are you here? Ron looked at them and asked curiously.

Neville forgot the password to the lounge. Maca spread his hands, As for me, I plan to come out to relax and stretch my muscles.

As you know, I've been studying the course, and it's time for me to take a break. It's not good if you don't exercise all the time, your body will get rusty.

Maka! Are you going to violate the school rules too! Hermione's eyes widened when she heard this, she was extremely shocked by Maca's remarks.

Maca smiled teasingly at her and said, Hermione, don't you want to go too?

that is because--

Okay, okay, don't worry too much. It's a foregone conclusion that Harry and Ron are going,

As your friend, I naturally have to share weal and woe with you. Maca patted Hermione on the shoulder, she looked quite slender and cute in only a set of pajamas.

Oh, you have to keep warm, it's autumn, and it's a bit cold at night. He took off his hospital uniform and gently draped it over Hermione's body.

Uh, thank you. Hermione looked at the robe on her body, and couldn't help swallowing the complaints that had reached her lips.

Sure enough, you're still a child, you don't even blush at all. Maca looked at Hermione, who turned to Ron and the others again, and secretly thought it was funny.

Ron looked at his watch, glared at Hermione again angrily, then turned his head, put on a happy expression and said, It would be great if you could come with Maca, you always can Keep Fred and George out of Mom's sight, and maybe keep us out of Filch's... oh yeah, and his damn cat!

Maca couldn't help but shrugged when he heard it: It's not difficult to fool Filch, but Mrs. Norris is not easy to hide. Animals are always very sensitive, especially cats.

Speaking of this, he suddenly took out a small glass bottle from his arms and showed a smile.

Of course, there is always a way.

I knew it, you always have a way! Ron looked at Hermione smugly, as if to show off that he had a friend who worked.

Hermione opened her mouth, but didn't speak after glancing at Maca.

They walked briskly along the corridor, and the moonlight streamed in from the high windows, stretching across the ground like a unique magic carpet.

Every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris. But it's okay, I don't know if it's their luck, or because Maca has some tricks. All in all, as they hurried down the stairs to the third floor and snuggled into the trophy room, all went well.

There were no signs of Malfoy or Crabbe here.

The crystal case in which the prizes were displayed glistened in the moonlight that streamed in from the windows. In the darkness, trophies, shields, medals, and statues shone in silver and gold, and silk ribbons swung windlessly in the air.

Maca curiously looked at the award-winning nameplates below one by one, with their respective reasons for the award-he was thinking about whether he should also win an award or something, which would definitely provide support for his study and research. some convenience.

The other four, less relaxed than he, moved forward against the wall, eyes fixed on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy burst in and dueled him.

Time passed by, and no one appeared.

He's late, maybe he's afraid to come. Ron whispered, not wanting a voice in the next room to make them jump.

Harry had just raised his wand when he heard someone speak—it wasn't Malfoy.

Sniff around, my dear, where they might be hiding. It was Filch who was speaking to Mrs. Norris.

Harry was literally terrified, and he frantically waved his wand at the crowd, telling them to follow him as quickly as possible. Unexpectedly, Maca walked to the side closer to Filch with a smirk on his face, and there was almost only a door between the two.

Under the horrified gazes of others, Maca took out his small bottle again. After holding his breath, he carefully unscrewed the cork without making a sound.

Oh, baby! Where are you going— Just outside the door, Filch yelled in surprise, and then anxiously chased Mrs. Norris, who ran away for some reason, and quickly walked away.

Great! What kind of potion is this? Ron approached with admiration, and immediately sneezed, Oh——, what does it smell like.

Maca hurriedly put the cork back on the oak bottle, and then took two steps away to let out a sigh of relief.

This is not a potion, it's just a slightly mixed volatile medicinal solution. It has a strong pungent smell and is quite effective against animals with a sensitive sense of smell.

Is it the secretion of the Gulag rattleworm? Hermione also sniffed the residual smell in the air, and couldn't help but hold her nose and asked.

It's not just that, but the formula for decomposition and neutralization has to be adjusted, otherwise the smell won't go away for several days. Maca said with a smile, It's too strong, and it will leave evidence.

So, have you planned to violate the school rules a long time ago! Hermione finally couldn't help it, she complained in a low voice, You can't do this, your Hufflepuff points are already low enough.

I don't care about the house cup. Honor doesn't mean everything, Maca said with a smile. Besides, there is always a house that will be at the bottom. I think this fits well with Hufflepuff's low-key purpose.

You can't do this! Hermione seemed very dissatisfied with Maca's idea.

Suddenly, Maca stopped Hermione from continuing to speak with a wave of his hand.

Someone, it's Filch who's back. Maca tilted his head and listened carefully, then said softly.

Oh, why don't you try that bottle again? Ron said subconsciously.

I think it's better to run first! Maca shook his head, and took the lead to run in the dark corridor.

They circled the doorposts, ran down corridor after corridor, and Maca felt that his sense of direction had become worse in this dim environment—he couldn't figure out where he was.

Oh, we came to the Charms classroom. Hermione looked at the classroom door not far away, panting.

We got rid of him, I think, Harry gasped. He leaned against the cold wall, wiping the sweat from his brow. Neville was hunched over, panting and wheezing.

I think you should exercise more. This burst of running only made Maca's breathing slightly thicker. A teenager living alone at the bottom of society will not die just because he ran a few steps.

I—told—you, Hermione gasped, clutching the seam of her chest with her hands, and said staccatoly, I—told you.

We've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower, said Ron, the sooner the better.