Once his stomach was full, Charlie set down his fork and looked toward the Gryffindor Common Room's long table.
The Weasley Twins were chatting with their classmates over there, gesturing animatedly.
Charlie got up and walked toward them. The Twins had taken him on nighttime adventures for so long that he now knew how to deal with Fluffy. Of course, he had to bring the Twins along.
"Fred, George!" Charlie reached the Gryffindor long table and lowered his voice.
"Interested in doing something big tonight?"
Fred's eyes lit up. "How big?"
"Going to the Chamber of Secrets on the fourth floor."
George's eyes widened.
"You know how to deal with that Three-headed dog?"
"That's right."
The Twins exchanged a glance, their eyes shining with eagerness.
Just then, Harry came over, his eyes filled with excitement.
"Charlie, I heard Hermione say you're going to the Chamber of Secrets on the fourth floor."
Charlie raised an eyebrow.
"You want to come too?"
"Of course!" Harry nodded without hesitation.
"There must be someone at school with ill intentions toward what's inside—you know what I mean."
"I want to see whether it's being properly protected."
Ron heard every word from nearby. Although he felt a little uneasy, seeing his friends and brother join in made him grit his teeth and step forward.
"Count me in."
"Of course you can." Charlie clapped his hands.
"Meet in the Third Floor Corridor at eleven tonight."
After the feast ended, the students returned to their dormitories.
In the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry and Ron spread out their homework and began frantically catching up.
They had had far too much fun over the holiday and had completely forgotten about their homework, so they wanted to finish it quickly before going on their nighttime adventure.
"Damn it, I haven't written a single word of my Potions Class essay."
Ron clutched his hair, his face filled with despair.
Harry wasn't doing much better. His entire table was covered with parchment, all of it crammed with unfinished assignments.
Hermione sat beside them. Although she didn't want to let them copy her work, she patiently explained the key points to them.
"The key to Transfiguration is focusing your attention and imagining the process of the object's transformation..."
As she spoke, she marked the parchment.
Harry looked at her gratefully.
"Hermione, you're our lifesaver."
Just then, Hermione saw the notebook on Harry's desk.
The notebook's cover felt very familiar to her.
It was exactly the same as the one Charlie had given her.
Hermione frowned, reached for the notebook, and opened it.
The contents, handwriting, and even the page layout were all identical to hers.
"Harry, how did you get this?"
Harry jumped and explained, "Charlie gave it to me as a Christmas present."
"A Christmas present?"
"Yeah." Harry nodded as though it were perfectly natural.
"It's a great notebook, but to be honest, I can't understand some of the contents."
Ron also raised his head and pulled an identical notebook from his schoolbag.
"I have one too. Charlie said it's a study notebook he made specially."
Hermione's eyes widened. "One for each person?"
That damn liar!
Before long, it was eleven o'clock, and everyone in the Common Room had returned to their rooms to rest.
Harry closed his homework book and stretched.
"Finally finished."
Ron also set down his quill and shook his aching wrist.
"I swear, I'm never putting off my homework during the next holiday."
That promise was about as trustworthy as a fart.
The two were just preparing to sneak out when Hermione suddenly stood up from behind the sofa.
"Wait."
Harry and Ron jumped and looked at her in confusion.
"I'm coming with you," Hermione said.
Harry's eyes widened.
"What?"
Ron opened his mouth even wider.
"Hermione? Voluntarily coming night wandering with us?"
"She couldn't have been possessed by Peeves, could she?" Harry muttered.
Hermione's face flushed slightly as she explained awkwardly, "I'm worried you'll get caught and lose House Points."
"Gryffindor has already lost quite a few points because of you two."
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance. They both felt that something was off about Hermione today.
But since she had volunteered, they had no reason to refuse.
Harry took out his Invisibility Cloak. Dumbledore had given it to him at Christmas.
Harry had used the cloak plenty of times to go on nighttime adventures during the holiday.
Ron was already used to it, but this was Hermione's first time seeing it.
Although her face was full of astonishment, she said nothing.
The three of them quietly left the Common Room and walked through the corridors under the cloak.
When they reached the fourth floor, Charlie and the Weasley Twins were already waiting there.
Harry lifted the cloak, revealing himself before Charlie and the other three.
"Harry, what's this?"
Charlie was extremely surprised. A person's head had suddenly appeared in front of him—and it was only a head at that. Who wouldn't be surprised?
"It's an Invisibility Cloak, an heirloom my father left me," Harry explained.
Charlie looked at the cloak with envy. As expected of the Pure-blood families, they really had plenty of good things.
If all those Pure-blood families were raided, just how many good things would there be?
Harry had no idea about Charlie's dangerous thoughts. He took off the cloak and put it away.
Only then did Charlie see Hermione and Ron following behind Harry.
What concerned him even more was the resentful look Hermione was giving him.
"What's wrong with her?" Charlie asked Harry quietly.
Harry shook his head.
"I don't know. She became like this after seeing the notebook you gave her."
Charlie immediately understood.
She knows she was tricked.
With an expression of reluctant pity, he walked over to Hermione.
Hermione thought he was coming to apologize, so she turned her head away and pretended to be aloof.
Charlie said pitifully, "When are you going to jump from the Astronomy Tower?"
Only then did Hermione remember what she had said on the train.
Her face instantly turned scarlet. She spun around and glared at Charlie.
"Charlie White! Doesn't your conscience hurt?"
Charlie grinned.
As if I have one.
Before you continue