After polishing off his meal, Charlie set down his fork and looked over at the Gryffindor table.
The Weasley twins were animatedly chatting, faces lit up with mischievous energy. Seeing them reminded Charlie of all the nighttime escapades they'd shared. Now that he had uncovered Fluffy's weakness, he couldn't possibly leave them out.
"Fred, George," Charlie said in a low voice as he strolled up to them. "Feel like doing something big tonight?"
Fred's eyes sparkled. "How big?"
"We're hitting the fourth-floor restricted corridor."
George's eyes widened. "You figured out how to deal with the three-headed dog?"
The twins exchanged a glance, both grinning like wolves scenting fresh prey.
Before they could answer, Harry suddenly appeared beside them, eyes gleaming.
"Charlie, I heard from Hermione that you're going to the fourth-floor corridor."
"You wanna come?" Charlie raised a brow.
"Of course!" Harry nodded without hesitation. "Someone might be trying to steal what's down there, you know what I mean, I just want to make sure it's safe."
Ron had overheard too. Though visibly nervous, he straightened up when he saw everyone else joining in.
"Count me in."
"Alright then," Charlie said, clapping his hands once. "Meet me at the fourth-floor corridor at eleven sharp."
After the feast, the students returned to their common rooms.
In the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Ron frantically opened their notebooks, trying to cram in as much homework as possible before their midnight mission. They had both spent the entire break slacking off.
"Bloody hell, I haven't even started my Potions essay," Ron groaned, clutching his head in despair.
Harry wasn't faring much better, his desk was a chaotic sprawl of parchment, quills, and ink blots.
Hermione sat nearby, arms crossed. She didn't condone copying, but she couldn't let them fail either.
"Focus," she said, flipping through her notes. "Transfiguration requires precise visualization of the transformation process…"
As she spoke, she began highlighting key sections on their parchment.
Harry looked up at her gratefully. "You're an angel, Hermione."
Just then, her gaze fell on a notebook on Harry's desk.
The cover was… familiar. Very familiar.
Exactly the same as the one Charlie had given her.
Hermione frowned and picked it up, flipping through the pages.
"Harry, where did you get this?"
Harry startled. "It's my Christmas present, from Charlie."
"…Christmas present?"
"Yeah." Harry nodded. "It's a great notebook. Though… I'll be honest, some of the content goes over my head."
Ron pulled out a nearly identical notebook from his bag. "I got one too. Charlie said they were special editions."
Hermione's eyes widened. "You both got one?"
That two-faced liar!
By the time 11 PM rolled around, the common room had quieted. Most students were already asleep.
Harry shut his notebook with a groan and stretched. "Finally done."
Ron dropped his quill with a sigh, flexing his sore wrist. "I swear, next break I'm not leaving homework 'til the last day again."
Lies. Absolute lies.
The two were just about to sneak out when,
Hermione suddenly rose from behind the couch.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ron yelped.
"I'm coming with you," Hermione said firmly.
Harry gawked.
Ron's jaw dropped. "Hermione?! You want to break the rules?!"
"She's possessed," Harry muttered. "Probably Peeves in disguise."
Hermione flushed slightly and crossed her arms. "I just don't want you two getting caught and costing Gryffindor more points."
"Like you care about us," Ron whispered.
Hermione ignored him.
Harry pulled out his Invisibility Cloak, his Christmas present from Dumbledore. He'd been using it for a while now for small mischief.
Ron was used to it, but Hermione's eyes widened.
Still, she didn't say anything.
Together, they crept out of the common room, hidden beneath the cloak, footsteps silent in the stone corridors.
By the time they reached the fourth floor, Charlie and the twins were already waiting.
Harry flipped off the cloak dramatically, revealing himself.
"WHAT THE, " Charlie jumped. "Floating head?!"
Harry grinned. "Invisibility Cloak. My dad's."
Charlie looked at the shimmering fabric with open envy.
Pure-bloods really did have the best toys…
If only the pure-blood families were raided, who knew what kind of treasure troves would turn up?
Charlie's imagination was starting to go to dark places.
Thankfully, Harry tucked the cloak away, unaware of Charlie's thoughts.
Charlie then noticed Hermione and Ron trailing behind, and more importantly, the strange look Hermione was giving him.
"…What's with her?" he whispered to Harry.
Harry shrugged. "She saw the notebook you gave us. Been weird ever since."
Charlie instantly understood.
Ah, so she realized she wasn't the only one who got the "exclusive" gift.
He stepped toward Hermione, guilt painted across his face.
Hermione turned her head away dramatically, clearly expecting an apology.
Charlie gently said, "So… when are you jumping off the Astronomy Tower?"
Hermione froze.
It hit her all at once, what she had said on the train.
Her face turned crimson as she whirled around, fuming.
"Charlie White! Don't you feel the slightest bit guilty?!"
"Never owned a conscience to begin with."
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