Undercurrents and Starlight (Part 2)

The four people under the Invisibility Cloak froze instantly, their blood seemingly turning to ice. Hermione instinctively gripped Linley's arm tightly, her fingernails almost piercing his skin through the fabric. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would leap out of her throat. In the darkness, Linley could clearly feel her body tense and tremble slightly. He squeezed her wrist back, conveying a silent command: Calm down!

Linley reacted with extreme speed. At the same time Ron gave a warning, he had already lightning-fast returned the deep purple Potions Book to its drawer, casually brushing away any dust he might have left. His movements were smooth and silent, as if practiced thousands of times. With his other hand, he quickly and firmly pulled Hermione towards him, guiding her away from the desk and into a corner completely shrouded by the shadow of a tall bookshelf.

"Hide!" he whispered, a breath of air only the three people beside him could hear.

Harry and Ron also reacted, scrambling towards the same corner. The four of them huddled together under the Invisibility Cloak, pressing against the cold, rough stone wall and the back of the musty bookshelf, desperately shrinking into the deepest shadows, not daring to breathe.

Creak—

The office door was pushed open.

Professor Quirrell's figure appeared at the doorway. He was wrapped in his signature purple scarf, his face looking exceptionally pale and haggard in the dim light. He seemed very tired, muttering something about "translated wrong... Madam Pince really..." as he rubbed his temples and shuffled in. He didn't turn on the lights immediately, instead fumbling in the darkness towards the desk.

Under the Invisibility Cloak, four hearts were squeezed by invisible hands, rising into their throats. Hermione pressed against Linley's chest, clearly hearing his steady, powerful heartbeat. This sound, miraculously, slightly suppressed her own panic. Linley's hand remained steadily on her waist, his warm palm conveying a reassuring strength through the fabric. He lowered his head slightly, his warm breath brushing past her forehead, bringing a tickle and an indescribable flutter. In the darkness, the Moon White Stone and Star Stone, through their clothes, simultaneously emitted a strange, soothing warmth that resonated.

Quirrell fumbled for the dim oil lamp on the desk and lit it. The dim yellow glow barely managed to illuminate a small space. He sank heavily into the chair behind the desk with a long, pained sigh. He irritably tugged at his scarf, his fingers tapping nervously on the tabletop, his eyes staring blankly at the flickering flame, seemingly anxious about something. He continued to mumble vaguely words like "Master... time... pain..."

He didn't notice the shadows in the corner of the office that were slightly denser than usual, nor did he sense the almost stagnant, faint breaths behind the bookshelf. He sat there for several minutes, sometimes sighing, sometimes nervously wringing his fingers. For the four under the Invisibility Cloak, these few minutes felt as long as centuries.

Finally, Quirrell seemed to make up his mind and stood up abruptly. He walked over to the drawer Linley had rummaged through and pulled it open! Hermione's heart leaped into her throat! If he found the book had been moved...

Quirrell fumbled inside the drawer and took out a small black bottle containing a viscous, dark red liquid. He uncorked it, his face contorting with extreme disgust and fear. Pinching his nose, he tilted his head back and downed the liquid in one gulp! Immediately, he let out a suppressed, extremely painful groan, his body convulsing violently. Large beads of sweat instantly broke out on his forehead, and his face turned even more ashen. He leaned on the desk, panting for a while before tossing the empty bottle back into the drawer and locking it again. Then, without glancing at any other part of the office, he stumbled out, seemingly in a hurry to find somewhere to alleviate the pain caused by the potion.

It wasn't until Quirrell's footsteps completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, and after a while, that the four under the Invisibility Cloak dared to slowly, silently exhale a long breath they had been holding.

"Merlin's beard..." Ron's voice was filled with the exhaustion and trembling of a narrow escape. "What the heck was that he drank?"

"It looked like... blood?" Harry's voice was also strained. That scene just now was too bizarre.

"He mentioned 'Master'!" Hermione's voice was extremely low, filled with shock and a chill. "And the way he was in pain... Linley, that book..."

Linley pulled Hermione, signaling for everyone to leave this dangerous place. The four once again became flowing shadows, returning to Gryffindor Tower with the fastest speed and lightest movements.

When the Fat Lady's portrait closed behind them, and they were safely back in the noisy, warm common room, the four pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, their faces pale with lingering fear.

"That book belongs to Snape!" Linley said concisely, quickly relaying the key information he had seen, especially the passages Quirrell had marked regarding suppressing parasites, Devil's Snare, and Fluffy's weakness. "Quirrell is using Snape's research to try and break through the barriers protecting the Philosopher's Stone. He has someone behind him; he calls them 'Master'."

"Parasite... pain potion..." Hermione's expression was grave as she quickly analyzed. "Combined with how he looked when he drank the potion... Professor Quirrell is likely controlled by some powerful dark magical creature or... dark wizard? Is he being forced? Is that why he was so scared?"

"Snape threatened him! That day in the third-floor corridor!" Harry suddenly remembered. "Was Snape forcing him to help 'Master' steal the Philosopher's Stone? Or stop him?" The clues tangled together, pointing to a darker conspiracy.

"No matter who wants to steal it, Fluffy is only the first obstacle," Linley's gaze swept over everyone. "Devil's Snare is the second. We need to prepare a strong light source. Hermione, you're good with spells."

"The extreme version of Lumos, or... precise control of Incendio," Hermione immediately got into character, her mind racing. "I need to practice."

"And that bottle of potion..." Ron rubbed his arm, as if he could still feel the pain Quirrell experienced when drinking it. "He seemed very reliant on that stuff."

"The priority is to get past Fluffy and the Devil's Snare," Linley made a decision. "Ron, you need to have your lullaby recorded by tomorrow. Hermione, the strong light spell is up to you. As for Quirrell and the 'Master' behind him..." He looked out the common room window at the deep night, the Star Stone under his collar emitting a faint, warning warmth. "We'll wait and see, gather more information. They are more anxious than we are."

The plan proceeded with tension and order. Ron got the recording device and recorded an ancient lullaby sung by a house-elf in the Hogwarts kitchens, a melody extremely soft and soothing. The machine, modified by the twins, played it back, loud and clear. Hermione, meanwhile, threw herself into spell practice, often spending hours in an empty classroom, her goal to elevate "Lumos" to a strength sufficient to illuminate an entire room and make the Devil's Snare retreat instantly, or to precisely control "Incendio" to only burn the vines without starting a fire.

During the tense days of preparation, the castle also quietly underwent changes. As January deepened, signs of ice and snow melting became more apparent. The wind blowing through the castle corridors was no longer bone-chilling but carried a hint of damp earth. Students' heavy winter robes gradually gave way to slightly thinner woolen robes. A more noticeable change was the restless and sweet atmosphere that permeated the air.

The atmosphere of Valentine's Day, like vines, had quietly crept all over Hogwarts.

Pink and gold ribbons conjured by magic began to appear on the window frames of the corridors. Enchanted paper cranes, carrying love letters or small gifts, flew about clumsily, occasionally bumping into suits of armor or portraits, eliciting good-natured laughter. Peeves was exceptionally excited lately, scattering blushing bubbles and magical confetti singing off-key love songs everywhere.

"I can't stand it!" Ron said on the way to the Great Hall for breakfast, waving away a silver paper crane carrying a heart-shaped candy that almost hit his nose. "It's only the end of January! Two weeks until Valentine's Day!"

"Hogwarts tradition," Hermione shrugged, but her gaze was involuntarily drawn to a blue paper crane gracefully flying by, carrying a small bunch of magical roses. "I heard the notice board already posted that this year's special Valentine's Day event is the 'Starlight Ball'."

"A ball?" Harry and Ron exclaimed simultaneously, their expressions varied. Harry looked bewildered, while Ron looked somewhat terrified.

"Yes," Hermione nodded, a hint of undisguised longing on her face. "On Valentine's Day night, in the Great Hall. It's said to be a way for everyone to relax after intense studies. It requires... ahem, a dance partner."

"Dance partner?!" Ron's face instantly turned bright red, like a boiled lobster, his eyes darting around nervously. "This... this is too sudden! Who... who would..."

Harry also awkwardly ran a hand through his messy black hair.

Hermione's gaze, seemingly unintentionally, swept over Linley beside her. He remained expressionless, walking quietly, as if the surrounding festive Valentine's atmosphere and the word "ball" had nothing to do with him. The small flicker of anticipation and nervousness in Hermione's heart deflated like a pricked balloon. She pursed her lips slightly.

In the following days, the "Starlight Ball" became the hottest topic in the castle. Girls gathered, excitedly discussing what formal dresses to wear, while boys began to clumsily practice their invitation phrases (or, like Ron, try to shrink themselves into the Invisibility Cloak). Even the library was not spared; hushed discussions and the low giggles of successful invitations could often be heard from the corners.

This afternoon, Hermione was practicing "Lumos Maxima" in a disused spell practice room on the seventh floor of the castle. She was completely focused, and dazzling white orbs of light erupted from her wand tip time and again, illuminating the dim classroom as bright as day. Sweat soaked the stray hairs on her forehead. After another casting, the orb hovered stably and brightly in the air, lasting three seconds longer than last time. Satisfied, she let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve.

"Great progress." A calm voice came from the doorway.

Hermione jumped, almost dropping her wand. Turning around, she saw Linley standing there, leaning against the doorframe. He held two books in his hand, his gaze fixed on the light halo that had not yet completely dissipated at the tip of her wand.

"Linley? How did you..." Hermione's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

"No seats in the library," Linley explained concisely and walked in. "Heard the commotion on the way." He walked to the center of the classroom and looked up at the residual magical light traces on the ceiling. "The luminosity and stability are sufficient to repel Devil's Snare. What about Incendio?"

"Still practicing control," Hermione answered honestly, walking to the side to pick up her water bottle and take a drink. "Precise control of fire without spreading is a bit difficult."

"Mm," Linley nodded, seemingly unsurprised. He put down the books in his hand, his gaze sweeping over Hermione's flushed cheeks and bright eyes from practicing, pausing for a moment. The classroom was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of students' laughter and the flapping of paper cranes' wings from outside the window. The sweet atmosphere unique to Valentine's Day seemed to have quietly permeated the air.

Hermione felt a little uncomfortable being looked at by him and lowered her head to tidy her wand. She could feel her cheeks getting warm.

A brief silence. Linley's gaze passed over Hermione and landed on a small object hanging from her schoolbag in the corner of the practice room—a small music box inlaid with tiny blue sapphires, a Muggle gift from her parents at Christmas, which she had enchanted to play a simple melody.

"Starlight Ball," Linley suddenly spoke, his voice still flat, betraying no emotion. "Do you have a dance partner yet?"

Hermione suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting Linley's deep, calm gaze. Her heart felt as if it were squeezed by an invisible hand, then it began to beat wildly, pounding against her chest like a drum. The temperature of her cheeks instantly soared. He... he asked that? What did he mean? Was it a simple inquiry? Or...?

She opened her mouth, feeling her throat a little dry, her mind a complete blank. Her normally proud logical thinking and sharp wit had all gone on strike. The secret expectations that had quietly swirled in her heart, only to be forcefully suppressed by herself, now surged like a lake disturbed by a thrown stone.

Outside the practice room window, a golden magical paper crane happened to fly by, scattering a string of tiny light spots and a tune that was both sweet and off-key.