At night, the weather is slightly cooler, even if you stay in Hogwarts Castle, it will be a bit cold, and people can't help but feel the arrival of autumn.
Some of the portraits on the walls of the corridor are taking a nap, some are having a low conversation with the people next door, and some seem to have gone out for a visit. Only the background remains on the painting.
On the eighth floor, in the Gryffindor common room, the students had all gone back to their dormitories to sleep. Only the remaining fire in the fireplace was flickering with a faint red light, illuminating the entire lounge dimly.
Just as Harry and Ron tiptoed past an armchair, they suddenly heard someone speaking there.
"I can't believe you did this, Harry."
A lamp flickered on, it was Hermione Granger. She was wearing a pink nightgown and frowned at them.
She didn't look in a good mood.
"You!" Ron said angrily, "Go back to bed!"
"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped back, "Percy - he's a prefect, he'll stop it."
Harry couldn't believe there were such nosy people.
"Let's go," he said to Ron. He pushed away the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed in through the hole.
Hermione wouldn't give in so easily. She followed Ron into the cave entrance, lowering her voice and yelling at them like an angry goose.
"Don't you care about Gryffindor, only 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'm warning you, when you take the train home tomorrow, don't forget what I said, you are so -" Hermione said, turning to the portrait of the Fat Lady, trying to get back in, but I found that the painting I was facing was empty.
The fat lady probably went out late at night to visit.
"Oh—, what should I do now?" she said in a depressed voice.
"That's your problem," Ron said. "We have to go, we're going to be late."
But before they reached the end of the corridor, Hermione was quickly catching up.
"I'll go with you!" She looked reluctant.
"You're not allowed to go." Ron refused immediately.
"Do you think I want to go? If I don't go, am I going to stand here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds out-"
"...Then let's go together."
While Hermione was still babbled there, a voice suddenly emerged from the shadows in the corner of the corridor, startling everyone present.
"Maka! And Neville?" The three of them narrowed their eyes in unison, and then they could see clearly who was there.
Maka ignored the three of them, and instead covered the mouth of Neville who screamed out in fright.
"Why are you so surprised? Haven't I always been next to you!" Maka whispered.
"I... I thought it was Filch's voice." Neville said weakly after Maka let go.
"Why are you here?" Ron looked at them and asked curiously.
"Neville forgot the password for the lounge," Maka spread her 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 to take a break. It's not good to be inactive all the time. Your body will get rusty."
"Maka! Are you going to violate school rules too!" Hermione's eyes widened when she heard this, and she showed great shock at Maka's remarks.
Maka 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 to go. As your friend, I naturally have to share the joys and sorrows with you." Maka patted Hermione on the shoulder, wearing only one suit. She looks quite delicate and cute in her pajamas.
"Oh, you have to keep warm. It's already autumn and it's a bit cold at night." He took off his hospital uniform and gently put it on Hermione's body.
"Uh, thank you." Hermione looked at the robes on her body and couldn't help but swallow the complaints that had reached her lips.
"She's still a child after all, she doesn't even blush." Maka looked at Hermione who turned around and wanted to preach to Ron and the others, and thought to herself, interestingly.
Ron looked at his watch, glared at Hermione angrily, then turned his head, put on a happy expression and said: "It would be great if Maka could come with you, you can always Keeping Fred and George out of Mum's sight might also help us out of Filch's eyes... Oh, and his damn cat!"
Maka couldn't help but shrugged after hearing this: "It's not difficult to fool Filch, but Mrs. Norris is not easy to hide. Animals are always very sensitive, especially cats."
Saying 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 you always had a way!" Ron looked at Hermione proudly, as if to show off that he had a useful friend.
Hermione opened her mouth, but didn't speak after looking at Maka.
They walked briskly along the corridor, the moonlight streaming in from the high windows, and the lines stretched across the ground, looking like a unique magic carpet.
Every time he turned a corner, Harry thought he was going to bump into Filch or Mrs. Norris. But luckily, I don't know if it's because of their good luck or because of Maka's tricks. In short, everything went smoothly when they hurried down the stairs to the third floor and walked quietly into the prize display room.
There was no sign of Malfoy or Crabbe here.
The crystal glass case displaying the prizes shimmered in the moonlight streaming in from the window. In the darkness, trophies, shields, medals and statues shone with silver and gold, and silk ribbons floated automatically in the air.
Maka curiously looked at the award-winning nameplates at the bottom one by one. On them were the reasons for their respective awards. He was now wondering if he should also win an award or something. This would definitely provide some information for his study and research. convenient.
The other four were not as relaxed as he was. They moved forward against the wall, eyes fixed on the doors at both ends of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy burst in and challenged him to a duel.
Time passed minute by minute, and no one showed up.
"He's late. Maybe he didn't dare to come because he was afraid." Ron whispered, but he didn't want to hear a voice from the next room, which made them jump.
Harry had just raised his wand when he heard someone speak - it wasn't Malfoy.
"Sniff around, dear, where they might be hiding." It was Filch talking to Mrs. Norris.
Harry was so frightened that he waved his wand frantically at everyone, telling them to follow him as quickly as possible. Unexpectedly, Maka walked closer to Filch with a smirk on her face. There was almost only a door between them.
Under the horrified looks of others, Maka took out his small bottle again. After making a breath-holding movement, he carefully unscrewed the cork without making the slightest sound.
"Oh, baby! Where are you going-" Just outside the door, Filch shouted in surprise, and then anxiously chased Mrs. Norris who ran away for some reason and quickly walked away.
"Awesome! What kind of potion is this?" Ron came forward with admiration, and then immediately sneezed, "Oh - what does this smell like?"
Maka quickly stuffed the oak bottle cork back, then took two steps away and let out a sigh of relief.
"This is not a magic potion, it is just a slightly mixed volatile liquid. It has a very pungent smell and is very effective in dealing with animals with a sensitive sense of smell."
"Is it the secretion of the Gulag rattleworm?" Hermione also smelled the residual smell in the air and couldn't help but cover her nose.
"Not only that, you also have to adjust the decomposition and neutralization formula, otherwise the smell will not go away for several days." Maka said with a smile, "Its smell is too strong, and it will leave evidence of incrimination."
"So, you have already planned to violate the school rules!" Hermione finally couldn't help it anymore, 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," Maka said with a smile. "Besides, there is always one 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 to be very dissatisfied with Maka's idea.
Suddenly, Maka stopped Hermione from talking with a wave of her hand.
"Someone, it's Filch who's back." Maka tilted her head and listened carefully, then whispered.
"Oh, how about you try that bottle again?" Ron said subconsciously.
"I think we'd better run first!" Maka shook her head and took the lead and started running in the dark corridor.
They skirted the doorposts and ran down corridor after corridor, and Maka felt that his sense of direction was getting worse in this dim environment—he couldn't figure out where he was.
"Oh, we ran to the Charms classroom." Hermione panted as she looked at the classroom door not far away.
"I think we've got rid of him," Harry gasped. He leaned against the cold wall and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Neville doubled over, gasping for breath.
"I think you should exercise more." This burst of running only made Maka's breathing slightly thicker. A young man living alone at the bottom of society will not be able to survive just because he ran a few steps.
"I - told - you," Hermione gasped, grabbing the seam of her chest with her hands, and said intermittently, "I - told you."
"We must get back to Gryffindor Tower," said Ron, "and the sooner the better."