Hogwarts was lit by bright candlelight, but most of the students had already gone home, leaving the castle deserted.
The Astronomy Tower stood on the castle's western side. Hoffa had some impression of the place, since Ravenclaw Tower and the Astronomy Tower were both among Hogwarts' tall towers, connected by several elevated corridors.
With the help of Ravenclaw Tower's magical staircases, Hoffa rapidly raised his position step by step.
As he neared the Astronomy Tower, the scenery began to change. The paintings on the walls vanished, replaced by rows of scopes and astrolabes.
These astrolabes slowly rotated along the passageways, emitting soft, rhythmic ticking sounds. Everything operated in perfect order.
Hoffa slowed his pace and carefully searched for the possible location of the teleportation array.
After searching for a while, Hoffa found no teleportation array. But at the end of the corridor, he spotted a painting—the only painting in the corridor.
It was a strange portrait. The other paintings all depicted either one person or a group of people chatting.
But this painting showed two people: an adult wizard and witch.
The pair seemed to be lovers or husband and wife. The man had gray hair, a high nose bridge, and a gentle smile on his face.
The witch had chestnut hair and delicate features. She leaned lazily against the wizard's chest, seeming to see through Hoffa's stealth at a glance.
"Merry Christmas, child," she said softly.
Then silence returned, leaving only the ticking of the rotating astrolabes.
Hoffa frowned and canceled his stealth, staring at the man and woman in the portrait.
There was an inexplicable hint of familiarity in the man's appearance. Hoffa had seen him somewhere before.
At last, one small detail made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
He wore a