[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
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Harry and the others hadn't told Draco about the plan to send the baby dragon away. While Draco hadn't provoked them during this time, he was still far from being trustworthy enough for Harry and the others to confide in him.
The agreed time was Sunday night, and of course, the earlier, the better.
That night, Harry and Ron, who had been excited earlier, began to feel a little nervous. Harry had no appetite for dinner, but knowing he had something to do that night, he was persuaded by Hermione and Neville to force a little more food into his stomach.
The curfew at Hogwarts was at ten o'clock. Unless you were leaving the library at this time, you'd be caught by teachers or prefects and lose House points.
Of course, there were exceptions. If you were caught by Snape, you'd probably lose points even if you were leaving the library. Most of the students returned to their common room before eleven. There was no time limit there. If you wanted to do homework or other things all night, that was fine.
However, after nine o'clock, very few students wandered the castle. After all, there was no electricity in the castle. While there were torches on the walls for illumination, they were actually maintained by magic. By nine o'clock, the torches would shrink considerably.
This made the corridors very dark after nine, and even though you might be a brave Gryffindor, not everyone was willing to take a walk.
Of course, as Charlie Weasley had said before, a Gryffindor who doesn't walk through the castle at night isn't qualified. While most didn't like it, many little lions had done it more than once.
Harry and Ron had hidden their brooms in the Astronomy Tower early, then returned to their dormitory to wait for the agreed time.
At eleven o'clock, Harry and Ron quietly got out of bed and listened carefully. Seamus and Dean were asleep, their breathing steady and constant.
Neville, who was lying a little farther away, heard the noise and jumped out of bed, his two eyes wide open.
Neville's attitude was clear: "I want to go too!"
Harry thought about it and felt there was no problem. He turned to Ron, who also showed no objection. The invisibility cloak was big enough for the three of them to fit under, even if they had to squeeze.
However, when they arrived at the common room, they were surprised to find Hermione there as well.
"Hermione? You're still awake?" Ron looked at Hermione, who had an expression that seemed to say: I've been waiting for you for a long time. "Don't tell me you didn't go back to the dormitory. Won't your roommates get suspicious?"
"I usually study here late, and they're all asleep when I return. They must be used to it by now." Hermione shrugged and appeared unfazed. Then she changed her expression and said seriously, "I have to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't cause any more trouble this time."
"I think you want to take one last look at the baby dragon too." Ron looked at Hermione suspiciously. "Don't think I don't know that, even though you find dragons dangerous, you're still very interested in them."
Hermione's face immediately turned red, and it was clear that Ron had guessed what she was thinking.
…
Though Hagrid appeared very reluctant, he had still made preparations in advance.
He nailed a wooden crate shut and covered it with some sort of animal hide that Harry and the others didn't recognize. The hide was very tough and seemed fireproof. Although the baby dragon inside was wriggling, it didn't damage the crate, and no flames came out.
There was also some food prepared in the crate, but Harry and the others found it unnecessary. As long as they were outside the Hogwarts grounds, whether by Apparition or any other method, wizards could travel long distances quickly. During this time, it wouldn't matter if the baby dragon missed a meal.
Hagrid was a huge, strong, and hairy man, and his hiccups were unpleasant to watch. Harry and the others decided not to stay and watch, so they quickly made their way to the castle.
It was already late, and the castle was empty, but Harry and the others were still careful to cover themselves with the invisibility cloak.
But something awkward happened. When they arrived, it was a bit difficult for four people to squeeze under the cloak. With the addition of a large crate, it seemed even more cramped.
You need to understand that the baby dragon had grown over a meter long by this point, so the crate it fit in had to be quite large.
But then something magical happened. As Harry was worried that the invisibility cloak wouldn't be large enough, it actually grew a bit bigger.
Harry found this very interesting and thought to himself that it would probably keep growing. Well, it actually did grow just a little bigger.
This change naturally caught the attention of Hermione and the others, and the three of them found it very magical. But now, of course, wasn't the time to study this, so the four of them simply put on the cloak, which had grown just enough to cover them, and silently entered the castle.
The Astronomy Tower wasn't a separate building, but rather an exceptionally tall tower in the main part of the castle. Even after the four of them carried the crates upstairs, they were still out of breath from exhaustion.
The crate with the baby dragon wasn't exactly light, at least not for four kids who were only twelve or thirteen years old.
But after they reached the first floor, Hermione slapped her forehead.
"I'm so stupid." Hermione scolded herself, then raised her hand, and her wand slipped out of the wrist holder. She gave a light flick to the crate: "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Then, things became much easier.
Harry, Ron, and Neville all felt very embarrassed. They had completely forgotten they were wizards and had foolishly done the work of movers. Though they didn't speak about it, the three secretly decided that this matter should remain a secret, or else they'd be mocked.
With the help of magic, everything went smoothly, and they soon reached the entrance to the Astronomy Tower on the eighth floor.
The four of them were quite familiar with the Astronomy Tower. They had taken Astronomy lessons there and knew the place well. But just as they were about to go up, they heard footsteps, accompanied by an unpleasant buzzing sound.
"It's Filch!" Ron whispered so only the four of them could hear.
"Don't pay attention to him, we're almost there," Harry said, looking at the clock. He had been wearing a watch tonight. Electronic clocks couldn't be used in the castle, but purely mechanical ones were allowed. Harry had tested this when he first arrived at Hogwarts.
The four of them carried the crates and quickly climbed up to the Astronomy Tower. After a while, they saw four figures flying in the sky.
The four of them stopped about ten meters from the top of the Tower, and it seemed they wouldn't be able to go any further.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, grabbed the flying broom that had been hidden for a long time, and flew high into the sky.
Charlie's friend clearly knew what he was doing, he was well-prepared and efficient. Without any unnecessary greetings, he grabbed the rope of the box, lifted it, and the broom smoothly left the Hogwarts grounds.
They waved at Harry and the others in the air before flying off into the distance.
Although the protective barrier of the castle only extended to this point, its magical protection against dark magic and Apparition was much stronger. They couldn't just teleport away from here immediately.
Watching them disappear into the night sky, Harry and Ron let out a sigh of relief and descended from the air.
"Finally, it's finally done," Harry exclaimed sincerely. At that moment, he felt more relaxed than ever.
"Yes, yes. My heart was in my throat just now. I was afraid a professor or Filch would come here at any moment." Neville had an expression as if he had just survived a disaster and spoke with great relief.
"Alright, let's head back quickly." Hermione seemed relaxed and happy, but she still urged them to return quickly to the common room. It wasn't a good idea to be wandering the castle at this time.
"I'll take the broom to the broom shed first. Can you wait here for a bit?" Ron said. He was a bit worried that Wood might suddenly decide to go check the broom shed to inspect the brooms for the next morning, something like that had happened before.
"Put on the invisibility cloak and don't let anyone see you on the way. We'll be waiting for you at the back of the Astronomy Tower." Harry handed Ron the cloak.
"Okay." Ron replied, took the invisibility cloak, and put it on.
Harry and the others walked slowly through the Astronomy Tower with relaxed and happy smiles on their faces. But soon, their smiles froze.
At the corner of the Astronomy Tower's exit, Professor McGonagall, dressed in a purple robe, was staring at them with a cold expression, though her eyes showed a deeper anger than usual.
Beside her was Filch, wearing a sinister smile, and Draco, who had a smug look on his face.
"Mr. Malfoy said you were here, but I didn't believe it. What happened?" Professor McGonagall's voice was so cold it seemed as though shards of ice were falling from it. Hermione and Neville instinctively lowered their heads, especially Hermione, whose body was trembling slightly.
"Miss Granger, you've disappointed me." Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione, her tone carrying an undeniable sense of disappointment. "I thought the incident after Halloween would have cleared your mind."
Hermione's body trembled even more violently after hearing this. Her eyes turned red, like a rabbit's, and she seemed on the verge of tears.
Dozens of versions of a lie passed through Harry's mind in an instant. But after thinking it over, he realized none of the explanations made sense, so he could only glare at Malfoy fiercely.
It seemed Malfoy had somehow found out about the plans for tonight, likely through Hagrid.
He then informed Filch and Professor McGonagall, who was on patrol that night.
Now, Harry just hoped that Ron was using the Invisibility Cloak when he returned, otherwise, he'd be caught as well.
"Whatever your reasons, you're still running around the castle at this hour. I don't need to know now," Professor McGonagall took a deep breath and said. "Fifty points. Each of you four will lose fifty points."
"What?" Harry and the others exclaimed almost in unison. While they knew they would lose points, fifty points each was still far worse than they had anticipated.
"I think this will teach you a lesson so you don't make the same mistake again," Professor McGonagall's tone returned to indifference.
"Sorry, Professor McGonagall, I'm not sure if I misunderstood." Draco stepped forward, a suspicious look on his face. "Did you just say four people?"
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy." Professor McGonagall looked at Draco and replied calmly and indifferently, "Whatever the reason, you were also in a place you shouldn't have been during curfew, so you'll be punished as well."
Professor McGonagall paused for a moment and added, "In addition to the deduction of points, you will also be given detention. I need to make sure you remember this lesson well."
Harry looked at Draco's teary expression and, inexplicably, felt his mood improve just a little.
Well, there was one more thing to be thankful for.
Ron had apparently returned wearing the Invisibility Cloak and noticed what was going on. He quietly left. At least Gryffindor's already low score wouldn't get any worse.
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