As they turned the final corner, the lights by the gates of Hogwarts Castle came clearly into view.
But just as they stepped onto the marble stairs leading to the main building, a familiar figure emerged slowly from the shadows.
Professor Minerva McGonagall.
She was still wearing her dark green robes, which made her look especially solemn in the snowy night. Her eyes, behind square spectacles, were as sharp as an eagle's, and the tip of the wand in her hand glimmered with bright silver light.
Clearly, she had been waiting there for quite some time. Beside her stood Draco Malfoy, wearing a smug grin.
"Good evening, children." Her voice was terrifyingly calm. "Or should I say, good evening, 'night wanderers'?"
The five of them froze on the spot. Harry and Ron looked as if they'd been hit by a Full Body-Bind Curse, while Hermione's face flushed scarlet and her lips trembled as if she wanted to explain something.
Yulian instinctively stepped forward, putting himself in front of Lyria. The gesture did not escape Professor McGonagall's notice.
"Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall said, her tone tinged with bewildered disbelief. "This afternoon, we were discussing the stability of living forms in Transfiguration Club. I remember you seemed... quite mature at the time."
Her gaze shifted to Lyria, and her brow furrowed even more deeply. "And you, Miss Lyria. You always listen attentively in class and never misbehave. I wonder what could have led you two 'model students' to get mixed up with Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger—" She paused pointedly at Granger's name. "—like this?"
Hermione's face turned even redder. Since when had she become the poster child for bad behavior?
"Professor," Harry said, summoning his courage, "this has nothing to do with Yulian or Lyria. It was us—"
"Mr.