That afternoon, Higgs had already decided to "sacrifice himself for the greater good."
Even if he got expelled after pulling this off, he could still enter the Ministry of Magic without taking the exam.
Using the Disillusionment Charm, he successfully infiltrated the Gryffindor dormitory.
It was brighter here than he had imagined, and even in the depths of winter, they did not need to huddle by the fireplace. The warm light streaming in through the windows was enough to chase away the chill.
Slytherin's dormitories were certainly nice too. You could see the giant squid and merpeople and such.
But—that place was really damn cold.
Higgs did not dare look around too much. He focused on following behind a Gryffindor student with an honest-looking face.
The boy was rather sturdily built, but judging by his appearance, he was probably only a first- or second-year.
Following the spiral staircase upward, he trailed after the boy into the boys' dormitory.
This place was equally spacious and bright, and there were not too many branching paths. It was basically impossible to get lost.
Yet the route taken by the student he was following was extremely complicated and ever-changing.
If Higgs remembered the start-of-term feast, he would definitely understand why.
Because Neville had genuinely gotten lost.
If there ever came a day when he did not get lost, Gryffindor would have to throw a celebration party.
Higgs, however, saw things differently.
This little boy who circled back to the starting point, then wound around again to the next corner, was definitely extremely cautious by nature.
Judging by appearances alone, he could really fool quite a few people.
"Neville, you got lost again?"
"Uh—yeah."
Seamus and Dean, who had happened to be returning to the dormitory, pointed toward the left-hand fork.
"Percy really ought to