After You Left, The Castle Felt Empty

Eliana was busy.

She was returning to the orphanage tomorrow and still had a lot of packing to do.

She had only recently learned that underage wizards like them had trace spells on them—useless for anything else, but if they secretly used magic outside of school, the Ministry of Magic could track and warn them.

This meant her plan to bring only a little stuff back to the orphanage and then secretly enlarge it with magic was completely ruined!

Damn the Ministry of Magic. What was wrong with a little wizard practicing magic outside of school? They meddled in everything. If they were so bored, couldn't they catch more rats? Or maybe donate some money to her?

Eliana hid in a secluded, empty classroom with a dejected look on her face. In front of her floated balls of blue flames, and above them hung a string of fish she had secretly fished from the Black Lake. With a poke of her wand, the small fish slowly spun, dehydrated, shrank, and finally turned into dried, golden-brown fish.

Eliana cautiously leaned in to smell them—this time, they smelled pretty good, not burnt to a crisp.

As for whether they tasted good—it was good enough if their orphanage had anything to eat. Besides, Mrs. Brown, who was skillful and kind-hearted, would find a way.

She baked them a little longer, completely drying out any remaining moisture, then wrapped the dried fish in oiled paper and stuffed them into a large sack in the corner.

The bulging sack's edge opened slightly with her movements, revealing layers upon layers of Rock Cakes, hard baguettes no one touched at the dining table, large pumpkins a bit bigger than normal but not ridiculously so, and other miscellaneous items.

Eliana conjured a long rope and tightly bound the full sack, then grunted as she pushed it into the corner, where three or four equally large sacks were already piled—all her spoils.

Eliana untied one of the sacks and, like a dragon admiring its hoard of gold, proudly looked at the high pile of dusty cloth inside.

Although the colors weren't bright and the fabric wasn't brand new, considering the quantity and thickness—and most importantly, she hadn't spent a single coin—what more could she ask for?

She was truly amazing; she was the little girl in the world best at discovering and utilizing the resources around her!

She proudly lifted her chin high, like a triumphant little cat after a successful hunt.

She was truly amazing!

Eliana generously praised herself again.

As for where she found the resources, the proud little cat felt a moment of guilt.

Well, maybe they were wild things from the castle... nothing too useful, and taking them wouldn't have any significant impact on the local environment.

—Why hang curtains in an underground classroom, anyway? It was already dark, and hanging them made it even darker, which wasn't conducive to their studies or their growth.

Eliana's round eyes darted around.

Her unfocused gaze fell on her several bulging bags of luggage, and then her eyes became focused again.

Forget it, she'd already done it... Professor Snape wouldn't kill her anyway.

Right... maybe...?

Eliana swallowed nervously, but clutched her large bags firmly and resolutely.

She would let her future self deal with future problems.

For now, she had to take them all with her.

She sneakily dragged the items out of the castle—few of these things, big or small, could be seen in broad daylight. She had to hide them outside the castle under the cover of darkness and then leave on the train tomorrow morning. She couldn't let anyone see them.

These items were too many and too heavy. Eliana's Levitation Charm could barely lift them a few inches off the ground. She struggled to maneuver them forward, like directing a herd of clumsy, dim-witted elephants crossing the road.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. The next day, Eliana found an unoccupied compartment without any trouble. She locked the door and sat down happily in the seat with her bags and luggage.

As the train swayed gently, the contents of the packages rustled, making a soft sound. Eliana, like a farmer hearing the sound of heavy wheat ears rolling into waves in the wind, had a smile full of anticipation on her face.

She could already imagine how shocked Susan and the others would be later.

Who could be as amazing as her—attending school and not only not spending money but also ripping off the school and returning with a full load?

"I don't know if it's just me, Harry."

In the Gryffindor common room at Hogwarts, Ron looked up hesitantly. "Or is it because everyone's gone home for Christmas, and there are fewer people, so I feel like the Gryffindor common room is empty?"

Harry pushed his glasses up his nose. "I don't think it's just fewer people… the cushions on the sofa are gone too. Is this some kind of magic that automatically adjusts the quantity based on the number of people? What about the fabric on the armchairs? Wait a minute, the backrests of the armchairs used to have antimacassars, right?"

He asked uncertainly.

Ron looked back at him, bewildered. "I think they did… maybe?"

"So where's the fabric?"

The two looked at each other, starting to wonder if they remembered incorrectly.

In the underground classroom, Professor Snape, with a stern face, conducted his daily castle patrol. Although it was the holidays, there were still some energetic and highly destructive Nifflers left in the castle, forcing him to take time out of his rest to ensure the safety of these little rascals—and the castle.

However, he could relax a bit when patrolling the dungeons—even the boldest Gryffindor lion cubs wouldn't choose to explore the dungeons at night.

Snape's gaze casually swept across the classroom, and just as he was about to withdraw it, he paused.

Why did his classroom suddenly look a little different?

—Wait, where were the curtains in his classroom?