Care of Magical Creatures ended, but the excitement had yet to fade from the students' faces.
Those who hadn't gotten to ride a Hippogriff were all bitterly disappointed.
Lewis was frustrated too. He hadn't succeeded.
Hagrid said the Hippogriff had rejected him because his bow wasn't proper.
But he had clearly performed a proper Wizard King's salute.
Lewis couldn't quite wrap his head around it.
It didn't even occur to him that, to a Hippogriff, a Wizard King's salute wasn't proper at all.
"Forget it. Let's not talk about that." Lewis shook off his mood quickly and leaned toward Stella, whispering, "We'll set off after curfew."
"Huh?"
"To explore!" Lewis said, keeping his excitement hushed. "Imagine how great it would be if we solved the three great legends. Hogwarts would definitely remember our names."
He was already imagining the future. Perhaps one day, he would become a great explorer like Mr. Diggory.
Stella grew excited too, imagining how her parents would finally stop treating her like a little child.
The two of them dreamed of a wonderful future.
They hadn't even thought about the Invisibility Cloak.
Only when they were almost back at the tower did they see Stephens, panting for breath.
"Was neither of you going to ask me for the Invisibility Cloak?"
Stephens was breathing hard. Running from the Hufflepuff dormitories to Gryffindor Tower meant crossing practically all of Hogwarts.
Belatedly remembering that little detail, the two thanked him over and over.
"You can borrow this too, Stella."
Seeing his good deed through to the end, Stephens took his treasured badge from his pocket.
It was a beautiful badge, its surface depicting a night sky that shifted like the weather.
"Do you have any extras?" Lewis asked hopefully.
"I only have one," Stephens said irritably. "My father gave