But the Iron Triangle knew the deputy headmistress well—when they saw McGonagall down two glasses of wine, her cheeks flushing with alcohol as she began joking with Dumbledore...
They knew their chance had come!
Harry asked Seamus and Dean to keep Percy, who was closest to them, occupied with idle chatter, so he wouldn't notice and report them to the professors.
Hermione clutched her stomach and hurried to open the Great Hall doors. The movement drew the attention of the professors at the staff table, but given her usual reputation for good behavior, none of them asked any questions.
She ran back to Gryffindor Tower, found Harry's Invisibility Cloak, stuffed it into her shoulder bag, and hurried back to the Great Hall.
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron had used her absence to slip behind a pillar. Once Hermione returned to join them, all three pulled on the Invisibility Cloak and slipped "completely unnoticed" out of the Great Hall through the doors she had deliberately left open.
Everything went smoothly.
So smoothly that Dumbledore couldn't resist raising his glass and leaning toward Vaughn. "See? That's Gryffindor courage and adventurous spirit. I told you, give them the slightest opportunity, and they won't disappoint us!"
Vaughn sipped his pumpkin juice. "There's usually no clear line between courage and recklessness. You'd better really be able to keep them safe."
"I swear, my dear, plenty of old friends are helping me keep an eye on Lucius and Jacob, including friends who normally serve only as decorations. What we need to consider now is how to help Harry and the others catch up with them."
"Hermione will think of something," Vaughn said calmly.
Dumbledore clinked glasses with him, his eyes smiling. "That cat of yours? Hmm, she's certainly a good choice. She's been quite active around the