The night was long, and the stars were brilliant.
Hogwarts Castle glowed with a peaceful blue against the ink-black darkness.
The corridors were mostly empty.
Only a few members of the Castle Cat Club occasionally passed by.
They chatted excitedly, their words full of envy for the dream encounters Harry and Ginny had experienced.
Unfortunately, even though Christmas had passed long ago, they still hadn't made the slightest progress.
The black cat of good fortune hadn't visited anyone else's dreams.
It was as if those stories had really been nothing more than a beautiful dream.
Against Sean's chest, his grimoire and the soul relic hung, swaying gently in the breeze.
At his side, Justin and Hermione walked with light steps.
The diadem had been destroyed.
Their faces showed visible joy—even though Voldemort might still return, if they kept doing this...
Fight, fight, and keep fighting—maybe Voldemort would never come back at all.
But at the same time, they had many, many questions.
"Horcruxes—Voldemort's method of resurrection—what's the principle behind it?" Hermione asked carefully.
Sean stopped, shook his head slightly at Hermione, and didn't answer.[1]
Just as described in The Darkest Arts, this was a topic that shouldn't be discussed.
Even Principal Dumbledore, when necessary, had only told Harry and two others.
After all, this was the temptation of immortality.[2]
Such a secret was best buried in the hearts of those who couldn't be swayed.
"Hermione, come on, Sean's not all-knowing. Maybe we should ask Principal Dumbledore that question?" Justin blinked.
Hermione didn't press further. She and Justin both understood one thing—Sean most likely knew the answer. He always knew more than anyone else.
Whether it was due to his incredibly sharp perception or his deep thinking ability, the result was the same: the number of secrets he knew could even rival Principal Dumbledore's.
If the Castle Cat Club hung up a banner saying the lucky black cat knew everything about Hogwarts Castle and was its true embodiment, they couldn't have agreed more.
But that also meant he thought more than they did.
If Sean wasn't willing to say, beyond a little disappointment, Hermione and Justin were left only with their usual trust.
Curfew was approaching, and members of the Castle Cat Club were gradually, disappointedly, heading back.
The three walked quietly. Occasionally they could hear Mrs. Norris meowing and the sound of castle armor scraping.
"Come on, guys, cheer up. We just stopped the Dark Lord's return again," Justin said with some excitement, looking at Hermione, who was lost in nameless thought, and Sean, who was quietly reading as always.
"Yeah. Again," Hermione said. Her head was full of thoughts. If someone counted, they'd realize that in just over a year, they'd already clashed with Voldemort three times.[1]
Every single time had been extremely dangerous.
This made her doubt whether Hogwarts really was the safest place.
If it was, then why did they end up battered every year?
From Voldemort possessing Professor Quirrell and infiltrating, to Voldemort's diary, and finally the diadem Voldemort had corrupted...
She'd seen that terrible head wreathed in black smoke.
She had no doubt that if Sean hadn't been fully prepared, that thing would have caused massive destruction.
"The point is, we won again," Justin said.
"But what if one day... we lose?" Hermione asked after a long silence, her eyes never leaving Sean.
The young wizard walked quietly, moonlight stretching his shadow long.
"Then we'll lose together," Justin said with a smile. After he finished speaking, he strode forward to catch up.
Hermione stood there, her lips pressed tightly together, then quickly followed.
In this moment, Hogwarts Castle had no headmaster, no professors—only the three of them.
In this winter, accompanied by the fireplace and books, declaring over and over again their unchanging resolve.
Night was growing deep.
Outside the castle, rain mixed with snow began to fall.
But the wizards here didn't care about rain.
Because their lives had always been filled with endless storms.
Christmas break lasted just over three weeks.
During the holiday, young wizards played happily, and the newly published Green's Notes made it effortless for them to finish their homework.
Of course, if a certain Mr. Green could just write out the answers directly, they could even skip the understanding step.
In the Chamber of Wishes, Hermione curiously looked at the notes she'd helped write. The Daily Prophet said they were good enough to be archived by the Ministry of Magic, and the Ministry was apparently actually considering it.[3]
As she walked into the room holding her book, she realized Sean was standing there also holding a book, with Justin looking surprised.
"Well, this is what the Chamber of Wishes really looks like..." Sean said, holding the Book of Ghosts he often read. While he'd anticipated changes to the Chamber of Wishes, he was still slightly surprised.
Not to mention Hermione and Justin, who'd returned to school early.
"What a huge kitchen," Hermione exclaimed, somewhat at a loss.
Before her, the Chamber of Wishes had changed dramatically. Though the main area they'd decorated remained exactly the same, a small door had appeared in the back, and behind it was an enormous kitchen.[3]
It was warm and gleaming clean.
Every kind of facility was there: above the fireplace mantel were self-stirring pots, beside the twisting air over flames sat all kinds of ovens, countless ingredients filled the bright shelves hung with ribbons and little lanterns...
On top of the refrigerator in front of the shelves sat breakfast pudding: a huge pile of whipped cream decorated with frosted violets... A large roast sizzled in the oven.
There was even a small garden where seasonal flowers bloomed intensely despite the winter.
Sean naturally knew this was a place for gathering and eating, but more than the little garden, he was concerned about the suddenly appearing ingredients.
"Mr. Owl, are these from Hogwarts' kitchen?" Sean asked.
His voice echoed, and only then did Justin—whose face was full of happiness—and the astonished Hermione notice the owl portrait that had entered the room.
"Obviously, I carried them out of the painting—" Mr. Owl said, head held high.
"Oh, is that so?!" Justin said, suddenly understanding.
"...Hopelessly stupid," the owl portrait muttered. He should have known this guy always trusted owls far too much.
"But won't the kitchen...?" Hermione said, worried after her initial delight.
"Foolish young wizard—your demands are hardly worth mentioning..." the owl portrait snorted, then pursed his beak.[3]