"Neville…"
Lynn looked at the slightly stout Neville in front of him and gently patted his shoulder.
"Do you believe in miracles?"
"What?"
Neville rubbed his eyes, which were a little red, and looked back at Lynn.
"I'm talking about a miracle with a one in 1,900 chance, or maybe even less."
"I… I don't quite follow," Neville said, shaking his head in confusion, but then he nodded. "But yes, I do believe in miracles."
He suddenly grinned. "Being able to say goodbye to the person I used to be? That's already a miracle for me!"
"I believe it, too! But what is this miracle?"
"I'll tell you when it truly arrives. See, Destiny—if you spoil it ahead of time, it just isn't a surprise anymore. Life shouldn't be that dull."
---
"Got it."
"So, circling back to Quirrell, what are your thoughts?"
Lynn was genuinely curious as he pulled the conversation back to the topic at hand.
"Whatever Quirrell is up to, I'm sure it's nothing good," Neville mused, choosing his words carefully. "Maybe he's looking for some kind of treasure Professor Dumbledore has locked away? But it's strange. If Professor Dumbledore really hid something in that room that he didn't want anyone to find, he shouldn't have even mentioned it…"
"Unless Professor Dumbledore did it on purpose!" Neville nodded slightly, analyzing his own theory. "Maybe Professor Dumbledore knew all along that Quirrell's sudden personality change was suspicious. He might be using this as a test, or maybe he wants to catch him red-handed."
"But clearly, Professor Dumbledore is extremely confident in the outcome. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let the secret slip in such a subtle way. He's sure that within the walls of Hogwarts, Quirrell can't actually hurt us because Dumbledore is here. So, Professor Dumbledore might just be treating this whole thing like some kind of exam?"
"Professor Snape said it himself: Dark Wizards don't walk around with a sign on their forehead. They disguise themselves as completely harmless—exactly! Quirrell is deliberately playing the fool. He's hiding right now, making himself seem utterly non-threatening. That has to be it!"
This unexpectedly sharp analysis brought a smile to Lynn's face. "You're definitely going to be an outstanding wizard someday, just like your parents—someone everyone looks up to."
"Oh, not really…" Neville chuckled bashfully, clearly thrilled by the praise. "So, should we actually do something about it?"
"Professor Dumbledore set up a test for us; we can't let all his work go to waste, can we?" Lynn responded.
"Maybe we can play a little game of cat and mouse. Quirrell is bound to slip up eventually."
"Let's just consider this our final exam."
With that, Lynn stood up from his chair. "Thanks for sharing the secrets you discovered with me. But now, we really ought to head back and get some rest. It's almost midnight."
"Yeah, it is late." Neville stood up as well. But as he turned to walk back to the dormitory, he walked over to Lynn and whispered, "Actually, there's one more thing."
"Oh? What is it?"
Lynn paused and looked at Neville.
"It's… Ron," Neville said with a hint of exasperation. "The effect of the 'diploma' wore off, and now Ron's back to his old ways. He's started asking me, Seamus, and Dean to copy our homework again."
"I gave him a chance, didn't I? Everyone gets a fair shot," Lynn said, shrugging indifferently. "That was his choice. It's got nothing to do with us."
"Sometimes, you just have to drop the 'saving people' complex and respect other people's destinies. These are the choices Fate makes, after all."
"That's true," Neville sighed, seemingly relieved. He followed Lynn back to the dormitory, where the lights were off and the sounds of heavy snoring had already begun.
---
The days flew by, and as the long-awaited Christmas break approached, the young witches and wizards grew more and more restless with the thought of going home.
"I wish the break would start right now!"
When Hagrid placed the fully decorated Christmas tree in the Great Hall, Holly looked at it, adorned with colorful lights and small gifts, and spoke with pure excitement.
"This is the first time I've actually been this excited for Christmas."
"My aunt wrote to me and said we're all going away for Christmas this year. Uncle Vernon landed a huge deal at his company, so we're all going skiing in the Alps."
"Sounds lovely. I hope you have a great time," Lynn said. He was genuinely happy for Holly, seeing that the Dursleys' change in attitude toward her wasn't just a temporary thing.
"But before we leave for Christmas, I want to go see Mum."
"Professor Snape told me that the old house is still there, in Godric's Hollow. That's where Gryffindor was born, and where the first Golden Snitch was ever made."
"The Professor is willing to take me before the holidays. Mum loved lilies the most, and I want to bring her a bouquet."
Holly didn't particularly favor James. This was partly due to the Dursleys' influence and partly because of Snape's attitude. But most importantly, Holly herself had found out that her father, during his time at school, wasn't exactly a model student.
She had asked Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Sprout, but their conclusions were pretty much the same as what she'd learned from Snape.
Breaking school rules and constantly tormenting other students—he was a problem student who gave the professors a million times more headaches than the Weasley twins, Fred and George.
His "good behavior" only began during his final year. The professors all said it was because of Lily that James finally cleaned up his act and started doing the right thing.
This only cemented her mother's place of importance in Holly's mind. The more she compared the two, the more she felt the vast gulf between them—a truly world-apart difference.
"Give your mother a flower from me, too."
Lynn flicked his wrist, and with a grab in the air, he held a bouquet of blooming white lilies.
"Wow!" Holly gasped. "Was that a Transfiguration spell? Lynn, you could use that trick to charm girls, it's amazing!"
"I usually don't need to charm them," Lynn replied, tucking the flowers into Holly's arms. "When I meet someone I like, I just walk right up and ask them out. It's very effective. Try it sometime."
"Then why haven't you asked Cho out? I haven't seen you two star-gazing after dinner much lately."
"Because hitting on a minor is against the rules, and I'm not that desperate. Right now, I'd rather spend my time reading. I plan to start my experiments over the holidays. I've got all the materials ready, and I'm going to track down Mr. Ollivander around Christmas."
"Besides, it's snowing. There aren't any stars to look at right now."
"Well, you'd better give Cho back to me then! She's so pretty and sweet, and you don't even appreciate her!"
"Then please, take good care of Cho for me."
As they talked, they suddenly stopped walking. A very familiar figure had just walked out of a classroom ahead of them.
"Neville? What were you doing in an empty classroom? You're covered in dust!"
Holly walked up a couple of steps, pulled out her wand, and cast a spell. "Scourgify!"
The dust clinging to Neville was instantly swept away.
"Thanks, Holly."
Neville nodded gratefully, then pointed excitedly at the classroom door. "I think you guys need to come and see this, too. I found the most incredible mirror."