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Rounding the final corner, the warm lights of the Hogwarts castle doors came clearly into view.
However, just as they stepped onto the marble stairs leading to the main building, a familiar silhouette stepped slowly out of the shadows.
Professor Minerva McGonagall.
She wore her usual dark green robes, looking exceptionally stern in the snowy night. The eyes behind her square spectacles were sharp as a hawk's, and the tip of her wand glowed with a bright, piercing silver light.
Clearly, she had been waiting here for quite some time. And standing right beside her, wearing a malicious smirk, was Draco Malfoy.
"Good evening, children," her voice was terrifyingly calm. "Or rather, good evening, 'night wanderers'."
The five of them instantly froze. Harry and Ron looked as though they'd been hit by the Full Body-Bind Curse. Hermione's face flushed a deep red, her lips trembling as if she were desperately trying to formulate an excuse.
Julien subconsciously took a half-step forward, shielding Liriya behind him—a subtle movement that did not escape Professor McGonagall's sharp eyes.
"Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall's tone carried a trace of bewildered disbelief. "Just this afternoon in the Transfiguration Club, we were discussing the morphological stability of animate transfiguration. I recall you acting... quite maturely."
Her gaze shifted to Liriya, her frown deepening. "And you, Miss Liriya. You always pay close attention in class and never cause trouble. I am incredibly curious as to what led two 'model students' to get mixed up with Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger—" she paused deliberately on Granger's name "—in the middle of the night?"
Hermione's face burned even brighter. Since when had she become the poster child for bad students?
"Professor," Harry gathered his courage to speak up. "This has nothing to do with Julien and Liriya. It was us—"
"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall cut him off coldly. "Kindly do not interrupt me while I am speaking. Furthermore, I note that there are six of you present out of bed, which means all six of you will face the exact same consequences."
She waved her wand, and six ribbons of silver light flew from the tip, wrapping securely around each of their wrists like living things. "This is a variation of the Tethering Charm," she explained. "To ensure none of you 'wander off' halfway. Now, follow me."
"Professor McGonagall, I think you might be mistaken. Did you say six? Why am I tied up as well?" Malfoy was clearly taken aback.
"Mr. Malfoy, it is quite obvious that you are not in your dormitory either. Rest assured, I will be explaining this matter to Professor Snape."
Professor McGonagall turned and headed toward the castle, the six ribbons of light gently pulling the six crestfallen young wizards along in her wake.
Julien could feel the temperature of the magic around his wrist—not burning hot, but carrying an undeniable, binding force.
They walked through the silent corridors, the dying embers in the fireplaces stretching their shadows long and thin against the stone walls.
Liriya suddenly spoke up in a soft voice, her first time addressing Professor McGonagall directly all night. "Professor, Mr. Hagrid didn't do anything wrong. He won't be in any trouble, will he?"
Professor McGonagall turned her head slightly. "Oh?" She gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"It is rare for you to be thinking of others at a time like this, but that is not something you need to concern yourselves with."
"He's raising a dragon! He's illegally keeping a dragon! I saw it!" Malfoy shouted, acting as though spilling this secret would somehow commute his sentence.
The Golden Trio wore identical expressions of absolute doom while glaring murderously at Malfoy.
Only Julien noticed that while Professor McGonagall frowned, there was no surprise whatsoever on her face.
"That dragon," Liriya's ice-blue eyes flickered in the dim firelight. "It was deliberately given to Hagrid."
Professor McGonagall's gaze grew profound. She naturally knew of Hagrid's obsession with magical creatures, and she knew exactly what that obsession had cost him in the past.
"Oh? And what is your proof, Miss Liriya?"
"The patterns on the eggshell," Liriya answered clearly. "Norwegian Ridgeback eggs are usually perfectly smooth—Ron should know this—but that egg had a grey-black, web-like pattern on it. Those are the traces of artificial maturation potions. Someone wanted it to hatch as quickly as possible, and they wanted Hagrid to be caught as quickly as possible."
Julien looked at the girl beside him in genuine surprise. He had thought Liriya was simply captivated by the baby dragon's cuteness; he never expected her to have observed the situation in such meticulous detail.
Professor McGonagall remained silent for a long time. When they finally stopped outside her office door, she turned to face the six children, her expression entirely unreadable.
"The six of you," she said slowly. "Ten points will be taken from each of you. Furthermore, appropriate detentions will be issued after discussion."
"Ten points each?!" Ron wailed in horror. "That means Gryffindor just lost thirty points in one go!"
"Correct. Mr. Weasley's arithmetic skills are adequate," Professor McGonagall's mouth twitched, but she continued to emphasize her point. "I hope this serves as a harsh reminder that the price of breaking school rules is never borne by the individual alone. It drags down your entire House!"
Her gaze swept over each of their faces one by one, finally settling on the lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead, a fleeting, elusive emotion flashing in her eyes.
"As for that dragon," she added softly, "I will handle it personally. Hagrid will receive a warning, but he will not be prosecuted—if Miss Liriya's observations are correct, then he is a victim as well."
She flicked her wand, and the six ribbons of light dissipated simultaneously. "Now, return to your common rooms. If I catch any of you wandering the halls at night again—" She didn't finish the sentence, but the threat was abundantly clear.
The six of them slunk away from her office, eventually parting ways in the corridors.
On the walk back to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione finally burst into tears. "This is all my fault! If I hadn't suggested we go see Hagrid..."
"We decided to do it together," Harry said firmly. "And we did discover something important."
"Yeah, if we're blaming anyone, blame that foul git Malfoy!" Ron added angrily.
Julien escorted Liriya back to the Hufflepuff basement first. Outside the kitchens, Liriya suddenly turned around. "Julien, do you really think Hagrid will be alright?"
"Professor McGonagall knows what she's doing," Julien said with a reassuring smile. "She knows just as much as we do, if not more. You don't need to worry."
Liriya stopped right before stepping into the Hufflepuff common room and whispered to him, "Thank you. Earlier..."
"For what?" Julien was momentarily confused.
"For stepping in front of me. That subconscious reaction." A very faint smile appeared on her lips, like the first snowflake blooming on a barren ice field. "No one has ever done that for me before."
Julien paused, then smiled warmly in return. "That's... what friends do."
"Friends, then. Yes. Warriors of the North always protect each other."
Something quietly melted away in Liriya's ice-blue eyes. She didn't say anything else, merely giving a soft nod before turning and heading down the corridor.
Later, outside the door to the Ravenclaw common room, the bronze raven's eyes flickered with a faint, spectral blue light.
"What is it," the knocker asked, "that becomes easier to find the more you try to hide it?"
"A secret," Julien answered without hesitation. "Or perhaps... the truth."
The raven blinked, seemingly satisfied with the answer. The door swung open, revealing the sky-blue dome inside, where the early morning light was already beginning to spill in.
Outside the window, the towers of Hogwarts were waking up in the dawn. Meanwhile, in some unknown, hidden corner of the castle, a barely audible, snake-like hiss echoed through the dark.