"...That's not real fire. It's too incredible."
Ron was still studying the flames above Harry's head. He held a squealing Wizard Chess piece, trying to throw it into the fire, while the knight persistently poked Ron's finger with its lance, to no avail.
"It's because I drank the Magic Potion Dumbledore gave me. It's gotten much smaller since noon..."
Harry turned his head to look at the reflection in the window. After confirming that the flames had indeed shrunk considerably, he snatched the chess piece from Ron's hand.
"Magic Potion? But I don't recall any potion side effects that make your head burst into flames... and green ones at that?"
Hermione looked a bit drained, lacking her usual energy. Hearing the conversation between the two, she suspiciously eyed the flames atop Harry's head.
"Ha, Hermione, you can't possibly know everything..."
"I memorized 'Powerful Potion' before Christmas, along with 'Advanced Potion Making' and 'Magic Potions and Elixirs' — uh, Ron, what did you just say?"
"...No, nothing. Maybe it's a potion not recorded in those books?"
"Oh, maybe?"
Hermione stopped staring at the top of Harry's head. She leaned on the table, poking at a sadly mistreated slice of apple pie.
"Hey, Hermione, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing the girl clearly not in her right state, Ron and Harry exchanged glances and then sat down together on the sofa across from her. Before Ron's butt even touched the sofa, he urgently asked.
"...I don't know," Hermione shook her head, her brownish-yellow hair swaying behind her. She stared at Harry's face for a long time, making the boy feel a bit uneasy, before finally speaking again, "A few days ago, I think I entered your dream? But after that..."
The girl narrowed her eyes, probably trying to recall, but it was clearly to no avail.
"Dream..."
Harry's expression was equally perplexed. The dream that should have been clear was now completely blurred, except for seeing Mom and Dad, everything else was becoming fuzzy —
Forgetting, sometimes is a good thing, so we don't have to dwell on the past...
Dumbledore's words seemed to echo in Harry's ears again.
"I definitely saw something in there, but now I've actually forgotten—"
Hermione irritably scratched her hair, while Ron, who was otherwise uninvolved in the matter, felt he couldn't contribute at all. He coughed once, drawing the attention of the two, "Hey, let's not think about this now—" He grabbed the chess piece Harry had placed on the table, "How about a game of Wizard Chess?"
"..."
"...Okay."
Hermione paused for a moment, then nodded. She took the old chess set from Ron, eagerly rubbing her hands together.
...
Thus, fifteen minutes later, Ron began to regret it.
"...Oh, you shouldn't have moved like that. Look, now I'm doomed... Oh, stop kicking my butt, I'll go down myself." The queen kicked off the chessboard adjusted her crown, and grumbled at Hermione with a sulky expression, "Can we have someone else directing us—"
"...Again."
Hermione sat up straighter and took a deep breath, placing the still muttering queen back on the board.
"Cough, how about we... play tomorrow?"
Looking at Hermione's face darker than before, Ron felt a surge of retreat in his heart.
"I said, again."
Hermione lifted her head and stared intently at Ron, her tone calm.
"Uh, Harry, where are you going?"
Watching Harry stand up, Ron seemed to have grasped onto the last straw, quickly asking.
"Oh, didn't I tell you? Dumbledore asked me to go to the hall tonight..."
As Harry stood up, brushing away snack crumbs on him, he walked past the sofa to the other side of the fireplace.
"Now?"
Hermione glanced at her watch in bewilderment, "But it's already curfew."
"Yes, he also asked me to bring the Invisibility Cloak."
Harry's tone was a bit odd. He wanted to ask Dumbledore why, but the other seemed reluctant, never providing a clear answer...
Wait a minute, perhaps?
A figure flashed in Harry's mind. If his guess was correct...
"Then I'll go with you—"
Ron immediately stood up, not caring what Harry was up to, as long as he didn't have to play chess with Hermione—
"Play chess with me one more time, Ron."
"..."
"...If you still want to pass the finals." Hermione's tone was laced with threat.
"But, Professor McGonagall said..." Ron argued stubbornly, attempting to refute.
"However, Professor Snape said this afternoon that all students must take his exams — I believe you are included in that." Hermione calmly arranged the chess pieces, her tone peaceful, "Moreover, this week's Magic History paper..."
Ron sank back into the sofa, close to tears.
"Sigh," Harry sighed, sympathetically patting Ron's shoulder, "Maybe you should let her win?" he quietly suggested.
"No, this concerns my honor and principles—"
A moment ago, Ron was distressed, but he suddenly said resolutely.
"...Then you deserve it."
No longer lingering, Harry turned away from the fireplace, heading towards the dormitory.
...
"Cluck cluck?"
"..."
In the hall, staring at the rooster perched on the table locked in a staring contest with him, Harry felt puzzled—hadn't he covered himself with the Invisibility Cloak?
"Hey."
"?"
Startled by a pat on his shoulder from behind, Harry instinctively tried to turn away, but before he could move, his Invisibility Cloak was suddenly lifted, spinning around his head twice and a half.
"...William?" Once the dizzy boy finally saw who was in front of him, he breathed a sigh of relief, "I knew it was you."
"You guessed it? It seems you're not entirely daft."
William unfurled the Cloak that was wrapped up, wearing it while sitting next to Harry, "Come on, give me some room—"
"Did you ask me to come tonight?"
Seeing William cover them with the Invisibility Cloak, Harry instinctively lowered his voice, "And about that potion—" the flames were still atop his head, though they seemed not to ignite the Invisibility Cloak.
"Don't talk, I'll explain in a bit—"
William nodded and moved the rooster obstructing his view aside. He took out the Marauder's Map from his chest pocket, staring intently at the black dot gradually approaching the hall location, his brows furrowing tightly.
"..."
Upon hearing this, Harry sensibly shut his mouth. He bent down as well, peering through the Invisibility Cloak with William at the hall's entrance.