Expressionless, Lin Yue walked out of the dormitory, drew her wand, tapped herself twice, and cast the Disillusionment Charm.
The Disillusionment Charm was a spell that only upper-year students at Hogwarts could learn, and it required considerable magical ability and skill.
Even though Lin Yue pronounced the incantation and moved her wand exactly as the book described, and had enough magic to cast the Disillusionment Charm, her spell still had some flaws.
After all, she was only a first-year witch and lacked experience. As she moved, mottled patterns still appeared around her, and anyone who looked carefully could make out her outline.
Lin Yue reached the Astronomy Tower without encountering a single professor along the way.
Even Mrs. Norris had been taken by the Hogwarts stairs to the place farthest from the Astronomy Tower.
Standing silently atop the tower, Lin Yue stared lifelessly at the door leading up to it, waiting for Harry and Hermione, who would arrive shortly.
She raised her right hand and glanced at the time. It was eleven fifty. If nothing went wrong, Harry and Hermione would be here in ten minutes.
Lin Yue's brain reacted automatically. She lowered her hand and leaned against the wall behind her, waiting with vacant eyes.
Ten minutes later, the door opened with a soft click.
But nothing came in. If someone looked closely, however, they could see two faint pairs of feet near the floor.
Lin Yue slowly drew her gaze back from the floor and remained perfectly still. As a result, neither Harry nor Hermione noticed her.
She watched as Harry and Hermione took off the Invisibility Cloak. They were carrying a fairly large wooden box.
The next moment, a soft voice came from the air behind Lin Yue. "Harry? Hermione?"
"That's us," Hermione called quickly to the person riding a Broomstick in midair.
"Hello, I'm Charlie. Is this Norbert?" asked a sturdy-looking boy, pointing to the box in Harry and Hermione's hands.
"Yes," Harry said with a nod. "We'll have to trouble you to take him away."
"No problem." Charlie waved a hand. He and one of his companions got off their Broomsticks, lifted the wooden box, then helped each other take off into the air again.
"We'll be going, then." Charlie nodded to Harry and Hermione, then disappeared into the distance with his companion.
As soon as Norbert had been sent away, Harry and Hermione let out a sigh of relief. Once they relaxed, they both felt rather giddy.
Even the usually dependable and cautious Hermione failed to notice that they hadn't put the Invisibility Cloak back on. The two of them brazenly opened the door and walked down from the Astronomy Tower, chatting as they went.
Seeing them, Lin Yue silently walked over to pick up the Invisibility Cloak, then followed behind Harry and Hermione.
She didn't interrupt their conversation. Interrupting people was impolite, her brain analyzed automatically.
When Harry and Hermione reached the bottom of the Astronomy Tower stairs, two voices rang out.
"Professor! You have to believe me. Harry Potter and the others really do have a dragon, and they're sending it away tonight!" Draco Malfoy said anxiously to Professor McGonagall beside him.
"That's absurd, Mr. Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "A dragon? How could that be?"
Even as she said this, Professor McGonagall led Draco toward the Astronomy Tower. Whether or not Harry Potter really had a dragon, if he had been out of bounds at night, he would have to serve detention and lose points.
By the time Hermione and Harry heard Professor McGonagall and Draco's voices, it was too late. They had already reached the bottom of the Astronomy Tower stairs.
Only then did they realize they had left the Invisibility Cloak upstairs. Just as they were preparing to surrender and let Professor McGonagall catch them, Lin Yue sprang into action. She unfolded the cloak and draped it over Hermione, covering her completely.
Harry saw Hermione suddenly disappear beside him, then noticed Lin Yue's faint outline. He understood at once what had happened.
Without a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward, making sure he was fully exposed so Lin Yue and Hermione would have time to hide.
"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall's eyes widened when Harry suddenly appeared on the Astronomy Tower stairs.
Her breathing quickened. "You really were out of bounds at night!"
Harry glanced sideways to make sure Lin Yue and Hermione were safely hidden, then relaxed completely and looked at Professor McGonagall with an apologetic expression.
"Yes, Professor. I'm sorry I let you down."
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. "And the dragon Mr. Malfoy mentioned?"
"Huh?" Harry looked at Professor McGonagall with bewilderment. His acting was perfect.
"What dragon? There's one at our school? How come I've never seen it? Is Headmaster Dumbledore raising it?"
Professor McGonagall's mouth twitched uncontrollably. "No, Mr. Potter, there are no dragons at Hogwarts. Mr. Malfoy said you'd be bringing one tonight."
"What?!" Harry stared wide-eyed at Professor McGonagall, then looked at Draco beside her. He spread his arms.
"I... I didn't bring one. How could I get a dragon? I mean, that's illegal, isn't it?"
"Yes, Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall nodded, then turned and gave Draco a stern look. "Mr. Malfoy, I'll take you to see Professor Snape about your lying and being out of bounds at night."
"What?" Draco was stunned. "But, Professor... I was trying to report Harry Potter and the others."
"But you were out of bounds at night," Professor McGonagall said, leaving nothing to chance. She stepped forward, took Harry with her, and started to leave.
As she stepped forward, her gaze naturally fell on Lin Yue, standing beside Hermione and hidden by the Disillusionment Charm.
When still, Lin Yue's Disillusionment Charm could indeed fool all the students at Hogwarts and most adult wizards, but not an elite witch like Professor McGonagall.
She saw through Lin Yue's spell almost at once. Lin Yue stood silently where she was, looking at Professor McGonagall with eyes as lifeless as still water.
She knew perfectly well that Professor McGonagall had spotted her. Next, she would surely face the professor's scolding and punishment.
But things didn't unfold as her brain had predicted. On the contrary, Professor McGonagall's expression softened, and even her gaze toward Harry grew gentler.
Lin Yue was here, and Potter was here too. Granger was probably nearby as well. Had they brought Lin Yue out with them to wander the castle at night?
If it had been any other students, Professor McGonagall would have made sure to catch them, no matter how well they did in class or which house they belonged to. She would have been completely fair.
But Lin Yue was different. All the professors could tell how much pressure the girl put on herself. Studying took up nearly all of her time.
So if other students could bring her along to have some fun, even if they broke a school rule or two, the professors were willing to let it slide as long as everyone was safe. They might even be glad to see it.
Professor McGonagall coughed lightly and cleared her throat. "Mr. Potter, we'll deal with your punishment when we get back. Come with me."
With that, she led Harry away without sparing Lin Yue another glance, as though she hadn't noticed her at all.
Lin Yue watched Professor McGonagall leave, and her brain paused again.
Professor McGonagall had seen her but hadn't exposed her. She felt no confusion, either. A question simply appeared in her mind.
Why...? Lin Yue blinked mechanically. Perhaps Professor McGonagall was waiting for her to admit her mistake on her own...
Yes, that was probably the final answer. Lin Yue's brain automatically settled on the most reasonable analysis.
Only after Professor McGonagall had gone some distance did Hermione dare to breathe out the breath she had been holding in.
"Phew..." Hermione slowly rubbed her chest, then turned to look toward the spot where Lin Yue had just been.
"Lin Yue... was that you?" Other than Lin Yue, she couldn't think of anyone who would know they were taking Norbert away tonight and help her avoid Professor McGonagall's "capture."
"It was." Lin Yue's emotionless voice rang out. As she nodded, the outline of her head appeared in Hermione's view.
"Wow... is that the Disillusionment Charm?" Hermione's eyes lit up as she looked at the place where Lin Yue stood, amazed.
"Mm."
"That's incredible! The Disillusionment Charm is only taught to upper-year students!" Hermione exclaimed, marveling at what she was seeing.
"No, my Disillusionment Charm has major flaws. I haven't learned it properly." Lin Yue shook her head, stating the facts without a hint of emotion.
"You're already amazing," Hermione said, pressing her lips together. "Don't talk about yourself like that."
"And thank you for helping me just now. Otherwise, Professor McGonagall would have caught me too, and Gryffindor House would have lost points."
"It's nothing." Lin Yue shook her head indifferently.
Hermione tilted her head, feeling a strange sense of anticipation. "Why did you come here? I mean... did you come because you were worried about me? About us?"
Hearing the word "worried," Lin Yue thought carefully about what it meant, then shook her head. "I don't feel that. I have no emotions. My brain simply told me I should come, so I did."
Hearing that familiar phrase again no longer frightened Hermione. It only left her feeling oppressed and hurt.
Taking a deep breath, Hermione tried to steady her voice. She opened the Invisibility Cloak and gestured for Lin Yue to come inside. "Come on. I'll take you back to Ravenclaw first."
Lin Yue nodded expressionlessly and ducked beneath the cloak. "Thank you."
While Hermione escorted Lin Yue back to Ravenclaw, Professor McGonagall took Draco to Professor Snape, then brought Harry to her office.
Harry stood in front of Professor McGonagall with his head lowered, waiting for the scolding he was sure to get.
But the scolding he expected never came. Instead, Professor McGonagall actually offered him some comfort.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter. Since I caught you, I have to take points from you. Gryffindor will lose fifty points."
Harry stared blankly at Professor McGonagall, not understanding why she was apologizing.
"I understand that you and Miss Granger took Miss Lin Yue out at night because you wanted to help her loosen up and relax."
"I'm proud to have students like you. You weren't afraid of difficulties or the possibility of facing consequences. You bravely helped your friend—you showed the courage befitting a Gryffindor!"
Harry opened his mouth, but no words came out. Only then did he truly realize what a wonderful group of professors he had found at Hogwarts.
Putting students first wasn't just something they said. They lived by it.
"But perhaps you could be a little more careful next time?" Professor McGonagall smiled at Harry, her expression full of mischief, just like one of the Little Lions of Gryffindor.
Harry couldn't help smiling too. "Of course, Professor McGonagall. We will."
Professor McGonagall nodded in satisfaction. "Good. But remember, you mustn't let yourselves be sleepy in class the next day, or I might change my mind."
"I understand." Harry nodded firmly.
Professor McGonagall walked to the office door and opened it. "Come along, Mr. Potter. I'll take you back. I'll let you know another time when your detention will be and what you'll have to do."
"All right. Thank you, Professor McGonagall." Harry nodded obediently and walked out of Professor McGonagall's office.
Hermione took Lin Yue back to Ravenclaw. As soon as Lin Yue returned to the dormitory, two upper-year girls looked her way.
"You're back?"
"How was it?"
Qiuzhang and Marietta poked their heads out from their beds, asking curiously.
Lin Yue paused briefly, surprised they were still awake.
Then she spoke mechanically. "Professor McGonagall saw me, but she didn't catch me. She's waiting for me to admit my mistake on my own."
"What?" Qiuzhang frowned in confusion. She understood every word Lin Yue said, so why couldn't she understand the sentence?
Marietta beside her looked just as confused.
At the two older girls' insistence, Lin Yue matter-of-factly recounted how Professor McGonagall had seen through her Disillusionment Charm but hadn't caught her. Of course, her brain instinctively made her leave out Hermione and Harry.
After hearing her story, Qiuzhang and Marietta first marveled that she could use the Disillusionment Charm, then put themselves in her place and realized why Professor McGonagall hadn't caught her.
Qiuzhang pulled Lin Yue over and had her sit on her bed. "Don't overthink it, Lin Yue. Professor McGonagall wasn't telling you to admit your mistake."
"She didn't mean that?" Lin Yue's voice remained perfectly flat, but it was clearly a question.
"That's right," Qiuzhang said with a nod.
Marietta chimed in beside her. "Professor McGonagall probably wants you to be happy. As long as you can be happier and more cheerful, and stop keeping yourself so tightly wound, she won't mind if you go wandering around the castle at night."
Lin Yue's brain raced, but lacking emotions, she couldn't understand what they meant. She only had the instinctive sense that her eyes and chest were burning.
"Breaking the rules calls for punishment. Admitting your mistake on your own... might lessen the punishment." She still spoke according to her brain's analysis.
Qiuzhang pressed her lips together, crouched down, and held Lin Yue by the shoulders. "Stop thinking about all that. You don't have to admit you did anything wrong."
"Or... you can, if you want," Qiuzhang said, raising her eyebrows. "But I guarantee the result will be absolutely nothing like what you expect."
Before you continue