Chapter 14 Night Visit Hogwarts

Night fell, and even within the Hogwarts castle, there was a slight chill in the air, signaling the arrival of autumn.

The portraits on the corridor walls either dozed off, whispered to their neighboring portraits, or seemed to have gone out for a stroll, leaving only the background in the paintings.

On the eighth floor, in the Gryffindor common room, the students had already retired to their dormitories for sleep. Only the dwindling embers in the fireplace cast a faint red glow, illuminating the room dimly.

Just as Harry and Ron tiptoed past a armchair, they suddenly heard someone speaking.

"I can't believe you would do this, Harry."

A lamp flickered on, revealing Hermione Granger. She was wearing a pink nightgown and frowned as she looked at them.

She appeared to be in a bad mood.

"You!" Ron exclaimed in annoyance. "Go back to sleep!"

"I almost told your brother," Hermione retorted unkindly. "Percy—he's a prefect, he would put a stop to all of this."

Harry couldn't believe there was someone so nosy.

"Let's go," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and crawled through the opening.

But Hermione wasn't going to give up so easily. She followed Ron and squeezed through the opening, scolding them like an angry mother goose.

"Do you only care about yourself and not Gryffindor? I don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup again, and I don't want you to lose all the points I helped you earn from Professor McGonagall with the Transfiguration spell!"

"Get lost," Ron impatiently replied.

"Fine, but I warn you, don't forget what I said when you're on the train heading home tomorrow. You're just too—" Hermione turned towards the portrait of the Fat Lady, intending to climb back in, only to find the empty canvas in front of her.

The Fat Lady must have gone out for a late-night stroll herself.

"Oh... what do I do now?" Hermione muttered in frustration.

"That's your problem," Ron said. "We have to go; we're going to be late."

But before they could reach the end of the corridor, Hermione quickly caught up to them.

"I'm going with you!" She looked unwilling, her face full of reluctance.

"You're not allowed to go," Ron immediately refused.

"As if I want to! If I don't go, should I just stand here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds out—"

"...Then we'll go together," Ron interrupted.

While Hermione was still babbling about something, a voice suddenly emerged from the shadows in the corner of the corridor, startling everyone present.

"Maca! And Neville?" The three of them squinted their eyes and realized who it was.

But Maca didn't pay attention to the three of them. Instead, he covered Neville's mouth, who had been startled into making a sound.

"What are you so jumpy for? I've been by your side this whole time!" Maca whispered.

"I... I thought it was Filch's voice." Neville weakly replied after Maca let go of his mouth.

"What are you doing here?" Ron looked at them curiously.

"Neville forgot the password to the common room," Maca shrugged. "As for me, I came out to relax and stretch a bit. I've been studying non-stop, and it's about time to take a break. It's not good to be sedentary; the body will rust."

"Maca! Are you also planning to break the rules?" Hermione exclaimed in shock at Maca's words, showing great astonishment at his remarks.

Maca smiled teasingly at her and said, "Hermione, aren't you also going with us?"

"That's because—"

"Alright, alright, don't pay too much attention to it. It's already a settled matter that Harry and Ron are going. As your friends, I naturally have to share in your joys and sorrows." Maca patted Hermione's shoulder, and she looked quite delicate and cute in her nightwear.

"Oh, you should keep warm. It's autumn already, and it gets chilly at night." He took off his own outer robe and gently draped it over Hermione's shoulders.

"Uh, thank you." Hermione looked at the robe on her and swallowed the complaint that was about to escape her lips.

"You really are just a child. You don't even blush." Maca glanced at Hermione, who was about to lecture Ron and the others, and found it amusing.

Ron glanced at his watch, then angrily glared at Hermione before turning his head and putting on a happy expression. "It would be even better if you could come along, Maca. You always manage to help Fred and George evade Mum's watchful eye, and perhaps you can help us avoid Filch... oh, and that damned cat of his too!"

Maca shrugged when he heard this. "Tricking Filch isn't difficult, but avoiding Mrs. Norris is not so easy. Animals have a keen sense, especially feline creatures."

As he said this, he suddenly pulled out a small glass bottle from his pocket, revealing a smile.

"Of course, there's always a way."

"I knew it, you always have some tricks up your sleeve!" Ron looked smugly at Hermione, as if boasting about having a resourceful friend.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but remained silent after looking at Maca.

They walked briskly along the corridor, and moonlight poured in through the high windows, creating a series of magical patterns on the floor like a unique enchanted carpet.

At every turn, Harry thought they were about to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris. But luckily, whether it was their luck or because of Maca's means, everything went smoothly as they hurried down the stairs and entered the Trophy Room on the third floor.

There was no sign of Malfoy and Crabbe here.

The crystal glass cabinets displaying the trophies shimmered under the moonlight streaming in from the windows. In the darkness, the cups, shields, medals, and statues sparkled with silver and golden radiance, and silk ribbons fluttered in the air without any wind.

Maca curiously looked at the plaques beneath each award, which explained the reasons for their respective wins. He was contemplating whether he should also aim for an award, which would surely provide some convenience for his studies and research.

The other four weren't as relaxed as him. They hugged the wall and moved forward, their eyes fixed on the doors at both ends of the room. Harry took out his wand, prepared to duel Malfoy if he suddenly burst in.

Minutes ticked by, and no one appeared.

"He's late. Maybe he's too scared to come," Ron whispered, only to be startled by a voice coming from the adjacent room, causing them to jump.

Just as Harry raised his wand, they heard someone speaking—it wasn't Malfoy.

"Sniff around, my dear. They might be hiding in some corner," Filch was speaking to Mrs. Norris.

Harry was terrified. He frantically waved his wand at the others, urging them to follow him quickly. Unexpectedly, Maca wore a mischievous grin and walked toward the side closer to Filch, with only a door separating them.

In the terrified gazes of the others, Maca took out his small bottle once again. After taking a deep breath, he carefully unscrewed the bottle stopper, making not a single sound.

"Oh, precious! Where are you going—" just outside the door, Filch exclaimed in surprise, then hurriedly chased after Mrs. Norris, who suddenly bolted away for some unknown reason.

"Fantastic! What potion is that?" Ron approached with an admiring expression but immediately sneezed. "Oh—what's that smell?"

Maca quickly sealed the cork of the vial and took a few steps back, exhaling in relief.

"It's not a potion; it's just a volatile liquid concocted with a strong stimulating odor. It works well against animals with keen sense of smell."

"Is it the secretion of a billywig?" Hermione also sniffed the residual scent in the air, covering her nose.

"It's not just that; I had to adjust the formula to neutralize it, or else the smell would linger for days." Maca smiled and said, "It's quite pungent and would leave behind evidence."

"So, you've already planned to break the rules, haven't you!" Hermione couldn't hold back any longer and complained in a low voice, "You can't do this. Hufflepuff already has so few points."

"I don't care about the House Cup. Honor doesn't mean everything," Maca continued to smile mischievously, "And besides, there has to be one house at the bottom. I think it matches Hufflepuff's modest values."

"You can't do this!" Hermione seemed extremely displeased with Maca's ideas.

Suddenly, Maca waved his hand to silence Hermione from speaking further.

"Someone's coming. It's Filch," Maca tilted his head and listened carefully, then whispered softly.

"Oh, why don't you try using that bottle again?" Ron said instinctively.

"Let's just run!" Maca shook his head and took the lead, running in the dark corridor.

They circled around pillars and ran through one corridor after another. In this dim environment, Maca felt his sense of direction becoming worse—he couldn't figure out where they were.

"Oh, we've arrived at the Charms classroom," Hermione gasped, looking at the nearby classroom door.

"I think we've lost him," Harry said, gasping for breath. He leaned against the cold wall, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Neville bent over, frustrated, panting heavily.

"I think you all need more exercise." This bout of running had only slightly affected Maca's breathing. As a teenager who lived alone at the bottom of society, he wouldn't be out of breath after running a few steps.

"I—told—you," Hermione gasped for air, clutching at her chest, speaking in bursts, "I—told—you."

"We have to get back to the Gryffindor Tower," Ron said, "The sooner, the better."