The following day, most young witches and wizards dragged themselves through classes, yawning nonstop. Some were even bold—or exhausted—enough to nod off right in Professor Snape's classroom.
Clearly, last night's events had left nearly everyone short on sleep.
And the unfortunate soul who got caught dozing by Professor Snape? None other than Harry Potter himself!
Ron had been nodding off as well, but some sixth sense—or maybe just a sharper survival instinct—had him snapping awake the moment Snape's gaze swept their way.
When he realized he was in Potions class, a jolt of terror ran through Ron. He tried to jab Harry awake, but he was a second too late.
So, in front of the entire class, Harry Potter—pride of Gryffindor—lost five house points, courtesy of Professor Snape and his merciless sense of justice.
"Five points… A whole five points! I think every Gryffindor in the school's going to hate me forever…" Harry moaned, now wide awake and skulking in the corridor's shadows after class. He desperately wished he could slip on his Invisibility Cloak and vanish from sight.
Unfortunately, that wasn't an option—the cloak was buried deep in his dorm trunk, and he wasn't about to risk sneaking off to get it.
"Come off it, mate, it's not like you meant to," Ron tried to reassure him. "Last night was mental. No one slept well. I saw Malfoy nodding off too—he just didn't get caught…"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ron realized he'd just outed himself as one of the lucky, undetected nappers. His voice trailed off awkwardly.
Maybe Harry noticed, maybe he didn't. Either way, he managed a glum "thanks," but his mood didn't lift.
Who could blame him? Five points was a big deal.
Ron thought privately that if he'd lost that many points, he'd probably feel like the world was ending too. But he wisely kept that to himself—no need to make Harry feel even worse.
So the two trudged on in silence, one mired in guilt and the other in sympathy, until they ran into Qin Yu at the entrance to the Great Hall, just in time for lunch.
"What's this? Lost more points already?" Qin Yu said, sounding both surprised and not the least bit surprised.
"I'm sorry, Qin. I've let the House down—lost us a ton of points," Harry apologized, his guilt written all over his face.
"Five points is a fair chunk," Qin Yu nodded.
He wasn't about to give some empty platitude like "it's no big deal." For students their age, house points really did matter. Telling them not to care would just be patronizing.
Hearing Qin Yu agree, Harry looked like he wanted to sink through the floor.
But then Qin Yu continued, "Well, since you've cost Gryffindor a few points, you'd better make up for it. There's that Quidditch match against Hufflepuff before Easter—play your best, and you'll win back every point you lost."
He was referring to the upcoming match, Gryffindor's second of the year. Hufflepuff wasn't a pushover, and while Gryffindor usually had the edge, there was always the chance of a surprise tactic or two. Qin Yu figured a little pressure would do Harry good.
Sure enough, that pressure turned into motivation. Harry perked up, thumping his chest. "I'll work twice as hard—I promise!"
"Good man," Qin Yu said with a small smile.
Just like that, the crisis was averted—a few words and Harry was back on track. For Qin Yu, it was just another small favor for a friend, nothing to get worked up about.
His real concern was still last night's incident in the Forbidden Forest. He was planning to pay Hagrid a visit and see if he'd learned anything new.
He just wasn't sure what excuse to use—or if he needed one at all.
So, turning to Harry, who was now eating lunch with Ron and looking a little less gloomy, Qin Yu said, "Hey, Harry, I heard Hagrid has come up with a new recipe for rock cakes. Fancy checking it out?"
"Really?" Harry hesitated, remembering the last time he'd tried Hagrid's "experimental" rock cakes. Tempting, but also a little terrifying.
"At least if we go now, we can give him some advice before he makes something truly disastrous—and insists we eat it," Qin Yu added, reading Harry's mind.
"…Good point. Let's go this afternoon," Harry agreed.
They rounded up Ron, Adam, and Neville—though Neville had to stay behind to look after his toad. The others were all in.
As for Miss Granger, she was all for it, determined to supervise Hagrid personally and make sure they didn't end up as victims of the "dark cuisine" Qin Yu had warned her about.
And so the "Hagrid's Rock Cake Improvement Project Investigation Team" was formed, planning to visit Hagrid's hut at three o'clock. With no classes that afternoon, everyone decided to grab a nap before heading out.
…
A glorious nap later, everyone felt refreshed.
Qin Yu splashed his face with cold water in the washroom, then strolled into the common room.
It was empty—except for him.
"Qin… good morning… wait, it's afternoon now," came a sleepy voice.
Hermione shuffled in, eyes half-closed.
Smiling, Qin Yu walked over and gently pinched her soft cheek.
"Eww—It's wet!" Hermione squeaked, eyes wide with indignation.
"I was just trying to help you wake up," Qin Yu said, feigning innocence.
"Yeah, right! You just wanted to dry your hands!" She wasn't buying it for a second.
She wiped her face with her hand, then promptly smeared it all over Qin Yu's sleeve in retaliation.
Of course, her face was already dry by then, but that didn't matter.
After their little scuffle, Hermione was fully awake. She told Qin Yu her roommates were still fast asleep, and that she'd accidentally woken Lavender Brown on her way out, earning herself a few grumbled complaints.
While they chatted, Harry, Ron, and Adam wandered in, blinking sleep from their eyes. Oddly enough, it was usually-sleepy Adam who looked the most energetic—maybe all those naps had made him immune to a bit of lost sleep.
With everyone finally assembled, the five of them set off—"in grand procession"—for Hagrid's hut.
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