Christmas was over, and the Hogwarts students, after spending the holidays with their families, were once again aboard the Hogwarts Express.
Most of them were weary from the journey.
The dinner on the final day of the Christmas holidays had been particularly lavish. Everyone had eaten heartily, enjoying the delicious food at their respective House tables.
It was easy to imagine how much hard work the house-elves must have put into preparing it all.
But Hermione had no time to care about that.
If Voldemort's plot succeeded, the future of most wizards and Muggles would not necessarily be much better than that of the house-elves.
The three of them sat at the long table, their minds uneasy. They barely ate more than a few bites, having little appetite.
At The Hogs Head Pub that day, they had come up with a rough plan.
Tomorrow was the day they would put it into action.
Tomorrow, the Christmas holidays would officially end—and it would also be the day of the duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
The news had been kept extremely secret, and The Daily Prophet had made no mention of it.
No one knew.
Professor McGonagall had refused to believe them, so they had no choice but to inform Dumbledore themselves.
Night fell, and bright moonlight bathed the entirety of Hogwarts.
The night was so quiet that not a word was spoken.
But as dawn approached, everything began to change.
A rustling sound came from the Gryffindor boys' dormitory.
Two figures quietly slipped out of their beds.
They had barely slept all night, afraid that something might go wrong.
Harry picked up his glasses and put them on, then fumbled his way into his clothes.
Ron did the same.
At that moment, Neville's snoring was deafening, which reassured them considerably.
This was the plan the three of them had agreed upon: leave the school early in the morning, go to the Ministry of Magic to find Dumbledore, and warn him.
"Harry?"
"Ron?"
The two of them confirmed each other's presence.
Then, on tiptoe, they slowly and gently opened the dormitory door.
At the top of another spiral staircase, illuminated by the dim, almost-fading moonlight, they saw Hermione standing there and waving at them.
They climbed the spiral staircase and entered the common room.
Then, just as they were weaving around a few tables and chairs, preparing to leave through the door...
Their bodies suddenly froze.
"What are you going to do?"
Neville's voice rang out abruptly.
He stood at the bottom of the staircase, his nightcap crooked on his head. He raised his wand and pointed it at their backs.
His somewhat round face was filled with determination and seriousness.
As their roommate, he had noticed Harry and Ron's movements and been awakened by them.
"Professor McGonagall specifically warned us that it's very dangerous outside the school right now. Besides, Ron, you're a Prefect, so you must..."
He spoke meticulously, his expression focused.
"Stupefy!"
A bright spell suddenly shot out from behind Neville and struck him on the back of the head.
Neville shuddered. His eyes closed, his body swayed, and he fainted, falling forward onto the red-and-gold carpet.
History always repeats itself.
"Phew."
The Weasley twins let out long breaths and brushed the red hair from their foreheads.
Then one of them grabbed hold of the ladder and waved to the others.
"Brother?" Ron whispered.
The two of them descended the spiral staircase.
The twins walked over to the three of them.
"There are always some sacrifices to be made for the sake of a good prank, right? So, what are you two planning to do now?"
They grinned as they rubbed their hands together.
It was obvious at a glance that they wanted to join in and make their mark.
"Can I join?"
A muffled voice startled them.
"Lovegood?"
The twins frowned as they looked at the girl standing behind Hermione.
Ron turned his head. He first stared at her in astonishment, then pointed at her and demanded, "How did you get in?"
Luna's misty eyes darted around. She tilted her head and looked back at the portrait beside the common-room entrance, where the woman in the painting was fast asleep.
"There was a password in her sleep-talking."
At that moment, the Fat Lady in the portrait seemed to turn over again.
The group looked at one another in bewilderment.
"By the way, continuing our previous topic, what kind of prank are you planning to pull?"
The twins asked excitedly.
"We're not going to pull any pranks," Ron emphasized.
"It's something very important."
That was all Hermione could say.
"Judging from the way you're dressed, it seems you're planning to leave Hogwarts?"
Fred glanced at the two boys and noticed that they were wearing clothes suitable for traveling.
Harry wore a blue-black jacket.
Ron wore a thick trench coat—a gift from Mrs. Weasley.
Hermione wore a long-sleeved, hooded black-and-white striped sweatshirt, making her look particularly capable.
"Then I have to remind you that the nearby Floo Network connections are out of service."
Fred was very well-informed.
Harry and Ron's expressions immediately changed.
Harry suddenly realized what Professor McGonagall had sent Filch to do earlier.
Another problem had arisen.
Hermione immediately lowered her head and began thinking.
"Looks like we really do have to go. Is it far?"
"Hmm."
Harry nodded.
Just as Luna was about to speak and offer some advice to help them, the twins had already begun making their own arrangements.
"Fred? Take out your improved Extendable Ears. It's time to put them to use."
George pursed his lips in annoyance.
The two were truly of one mind.
"I suspect Angelina is going to beat me to death later."
He shrugged, but still pulled a model ear from his pocket. Thick, flesh-colored cords were wrapped around it.
As it moved, the shape of the ear gradually transformed into a pair of lips.
The magical device wound its way around and around, traveling up the spiral staircase toward the girls' dormitory.
Fred spoke into the ear in his hand.
Very quickly, they saw Angelina open the door, straighten her pajamas, and hurry down the stairs.
The group was startled.
"Flying brooms? What are you planning to do?"
She looked at the group in front of her.
"This is a man's most important calling," Fred said. "I hope you won't ask about it for now."
"Wait, we can't involve you!"
Harry immediately shouted.
"This isn't a joke. If something goes wrong, you could very well get expelled," Ron said anxiously.
"And you could be putting yourself in danger," Hermione added.
She instinctively didn't want to involve any more people.
"If I get expelled, I'll just go on an adventure with my dad and search for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. Or maybe the Bubble-Snot Monster."
Luna bent down, her eyes carefully examining the Extendable Ear in Fred's hand.
"He doesn't really care whether I graduate or not. Being happy is the most important thing."
"You're afraid of getting expelled? And you still call yourselves Gryffindors?"
The Weasley twins shook their heads as well.
"And if you and Harry start causing trouble, I won't care."
George stroked his chin.
"But if even the usually cautious and law-abiding Hermione is following you, then this definitely isn't something we can ignore."
Hermione was speechless for a moment.
"You wouldn't want those brooms sitting around gathering dust in the warehouse, would you?"
Fred looked at his girlfriend.
"The warehouse?"
Harry asked, somewhat surprised.
"We've secured quite a few sponsorships over the holidays. They may not be as luxurious as Slytherin's Firebolt team, but they're still much better than our old brooms."
George spoke proudly.
Clearly, facing Slytherin's superior Quidditch equipment and the formidable opponent it created had made them put considerable effort into finding a way to overcome the disadvantage.
"But it seems we weren't very lucky. We bought them, and they've been gathering dust ever since."
"They're still locked in the warehouse, and the key is with the captain."
The twins looked at each other and shook their heads in tacit agreement.
Those brooms were property intended for public use.
It seemed that now they would have to be put to use for something beyond their original purpose.