Hogwarts' Christmas break was long. Compared with the usual quiet emptiness of previous years, almost all the students had chosen to stay in the castle this year.
After breakfast, Hermione and the others spotted a new piece of graffiti on a corridor wall as they headed toward the Owl Court Club common room.
It depicted a pink toad with Fudge's oversized head, with a line written beneath it: Beware! I spray mucus of lies!
There was no need to guess. This was definitely Fred and George's work, and Filch would have plenty to keep him busy again.
Parvati quickly sidled away. "I'd bet it'll spray something if you touch it."
Lavender nodded in complete agreement.
At the turn of the stairs on the fifth floor, they ran into Harry and Ron hurrying downstairs, each holding a sheet of parchment.
"Hurry up, Harry! If we're late, Snape will definitely make us copy even more!"
A few days ago, Snape had apparently gotten his period out of nowhere. Instead of sleeping late at night, he had been wandering around the castle.
Harry and Ron, who had sneaked into the kitchens, had been unlucky enough to run into him. Snape had caught them red-handed and punished them for violating the holiday curfew by making them copy all of this term's Potions Class notes.
It was nearly noon by the time the dejected pair finally entered the common room.
Hermione did not pry. Seeing that it was about time, she said goodbye to her roommates and left the castle alone for the Forbidden Forest.
Jormungandr was still the same as ever, charging ever farther down the road of horizontal expansion.
Hermione vigorously rubbed its enormous snake head, which had become much rounder and less rough to the touch, then took a huge pile of