The Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts Castle has always been a very popular place.
Especially on the round platform at the top of the tower, as the highest location in the castle, the view is very broad. Looking down from the tower, you can have a panoramic view of most of the front courtyard; and looking up, the sky seems to be within reach.
Therefore, even when they are not in astronomy class, those little wizards who like peace and quiet often come here. Sometimes just looking up at the sky wall, whether it is the blue sky, white clouds or the stars and the moon, can make people calm down involuntarily.
Even Dumbledore in the past would sometimes want to come here to relax - especially when he encountered some important decisions that required him to make.
In fact, Albus Dumbledore's glorious and dazzling life in this world ended here.
Today, perhaps at about the same time, the top round platform of the astronomy tower welcomed two little guys who looked a little distant.
"Enns, it's time for you to say it now, right?"
Right now, after the sunset has just sunk into the mountains, the sky in the west is still faintly red. But the night starting from the east has already taken up most of the sky wall, which seems to say that the arrival of night is unstoppable.
At this moment, Alexander was scratching the wall outside the high platform and looking absently at the school vestibule below.
It can be clearly seen from here that the temporary market has almost been dismantled. Hagrid and Professor Sprout are busy restoring the turf, but it seems to be almost completed.
But Alexander didn't care about these things. After all, he didn't seem to enjoy this grand event from the beginning. As for who caused this...
Alexander did not look back, because he knew that the guy who caused him to waste an entire weekend was standing behind him now!
"… say what?"
At this moment, Enns stopped in the middle of the round platform. He just raised his neck and stared at the stars gradually appearing on the sky wall, consciously or unconsciously.
He was not interested in astronomy at all, but if he just admired the deep starry sky above his head, that was a different story.
"What do you think you should say?" Alexander was very dissatisfied with Enns's answer. "You promised to give me an explanation afterwards!"
However, Enns, who raised his head, curled his lips impatiently.
"That's just what you're talking to yourself," he said dryly and forcefully, "I don't remember even half a word of promise to you!"
Hearing Enns's cheating, Alexander finally couldn't help but turned around and glared at the former with thick eyebrows and big eyes.
"Hey! Ens Tavon!" he said angrily, "Is your credibility and self-esteem so worthless?"
Despite Alexander's severe condemnation, Enns couldn't help but wave his hand.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you everything you want to know -" he said helplessly, "What's more about 'reputation and self-esteem'... I just think there are too many things and it's too troublesome to talk about!"
Immediately, Enns paused, spread his hands and asked, "So, what do you want to know?"
"Of course it's all!" Alexander said unceremoniously, "Let's start with why you suddenly delayed the practice of the magic spell without saying a word!"
"Where do you have to start?" Enns couldn't help but gasped when he heard this, "You kid are crazy!"
Having said that, in fact, if you want to explain things clearly, you really have to start from the beginning. Therefore, since he accidentally discovered the Hufflepuff Chamber of Secrets, Enns still reluctantly gave Alexander some explanations.
Nowadays, there is nothing bad to say about these things, because a series of incidents from beginning to end will now come to an end on Maka's side.
At least, that's what Enns thought.
But even though he had omitted as much as possible, he still breathed a sigh of relief after finally telling the story of how he was sent back by Maka.
"That's 'all' you want to know," Enns rolled his eyes and said, "How about it, do you find it useful after listening to it?"
Alexander also didn't expect that Enns would go through so many messy things in this short period of time. After thinking about it for a while, he shook his head slightly.
"I don't know if it will be useful, but..." He looked at Enns and said very bluntly, "I think it is certain that you will be severely punished."
"More than that," Enns pursed his lips, and a hint of distress appeared on his increasingly tense face, "Maybe they will all be ordered to drop out of school..."
"That shouldn't be the case, right?" Alexander immediately shook his head, but his tone was full of uncertainty.
Enns didn't speak any more this time, he just felt a slight chill on his lower back - it was the stone he pulled out from the huge black stone and was given to him by Salazar Slytherin across thousands of years. Gift.
Of course, that might also be a hassle.
"In any case, my return this time is all thanks to the help of Professor MacLean. I am very satisfied to be alive." Enns said calmly, "As for whether it is expulsion from school or any other punishment, I accept it."
"well-"
Alexander sighed rather feebly.
He thought that after this series of turmoil, he might find a chance to reconcile with Enns. At least as a friend, Enns, he never intended to give up from the beginning to the end.
But now it seems that Enns has no time to care about whether these friends are friends or not.
Probably because Enns had been telling the story for a little too long, it was only then that Alexander belatedly discovered that the sky had turned completely dark.
"It's getting late, let's go back first!" He greeted casually, "Didn't Professor McGonagall say? We have to go back to the common room early today..."
"I know."
Of course Enns knew, because this decision was based on Maca's message, and at that time, wasn't he listening together in the principal's office
However, just when the two of them were about to turn back and walk up the stairs, an inconspicuous black shadow passed silently in the corner of the vestibule downstairs, and was inadvertently caught by Alexander, who was closer to the outer edge of the platform.
"etc-"
He quickly stopped turning around again, stretched his neck and looked towards the vestibule under the night.
"There seemed to be something just now..."
In fact, Alexander couldn't guarantee whether he was dazzled or not. After all, the moon tonight was often hidden behind drifting clouds, and the thin moonlight was not enough to dispel the darkness of the night.
"What did you see?"
Enns, who had just experienced many dangers, was very nervous today. He could not let himself relax even if he was dealing with these seemingly unfounded things.
As he was talking, he also looked down at the wall, but he didn't immediately notice anything unusual.
"Over there—" Alexander stretched out his hand and pointed to a certain edge of the Forbidden Forest, "I seemed to have seen a large figure there just now, and it seemed to have gotten into the forest."
After Enns heard this, he did not speak, but stared at the general location pointed by Alexander for a moment. The two of them were separated by a wall, and they were both carefully observing whether there would be any unusual movement over there.
But after a while, except for the gentle swaying caused by the night wind blowing through the canopy of the Forbidden Forest, the two of them did not see any special movement again.
"...Did you see it wrong?"
"Uh... maybe?"
Enns, who waited and saw no sign, couldn't help but ask. Alexander's uncertain answer inevitably made him slap his forehead heavily.
"Next time, take a closer look—"
Before he finished complaining, he saw that a certain figure that the two of them had been missing finally appeared, but that figure passed from the castle side, not the Forbidden Forest.
"Who is that?"
Enns lowered his head and looked down, but since the other party seemed to be wearing a cloak, from their angle, nothing could be seen at all.
But after a while, the two of them discovered that the man seemed to be walking towards Hagrid's hunting lodge.
"Huh?"
Just when Enns was trying to figure out some clues, Alexander suddenly let out a light sigh. He seemed to have found some clues first.
"What's wrong?" Enns asked casually.
"That seems to be the winner of the alchemy competition decided today," Alexander said. "I recognize her crutch with skulls on it!"
"champion?"
Alexander, who stayed in the field at that time, had watched the game, so he was deeply impressed by the old witch. Of course, Enns, who had hardly watched the game, had no idea.
"One of the two leaders of the African delegation is said to have quite a reputation in the African magic community..." Alexander said, then hesitated, "However, because the actual award ceremony was arranged in the meeting hall of the International Federation of Wizards, It seems that all the delegations have gone back in the evening, right?"
"Did you see them leave with your own eyes?" Enns asked immediately.
"... That's not true." After hearing this, Alexander could only shake his head, "Well, maybe she wants to stay at Hogwarts for a visit, right? Or is there someone she knows in the school?"
"Who knows?"
Enns thought about it for a while. Although he didn't think there was anything suspicious, he felt that something was not right in his heart.
"Forget it, maybe I'm overthinking..."
Even he himself understood that today's encounter might have made him too nervous. Just thinking about the words that Maka asked the silver eagle to send back, he couldn't convince himself that everything he saw at this time was a coincidence.
After all, Maka had given instructions in advance to "make sure no one is outside the castle."
"No," Enns frowned, "I still feel a little suspicious..."