When Draco opened the door, two kerosene lamps were still lit in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, casting dappled shadows on the wooden bed frames and suitcases with their warm yellow light.
His four roommates each occupied a corner, clearly waiting for him.
After all, it's quite eye-catching enough that a freshman doesn't return home late on their first night of school.
" Draco! You're finally back!" Neville jumped up first, his round face filled with a mixture of excitement and worry.
"I thought something had happened to you. I wanted to tell the professor, but I was afraid you were just lost..."
As he spoke, he quickly moved closer to Draco, his gaze sweeping over him with adoration.
"You're amazing! You came back safely on your first nighttime outing. If it were me, I probably would have been caught by Filch by now!"
Seamus also put down his wand, a gentle smile on his face:
"It's good to be back. We heard the portrait of the Fat Lady move just now, and we thought it was you. We wanted to go to the door to check, but we were afraid of disturbing her."
He then asked with concern,
"You didn't run into Filch, did you? Or... those wandering armors?"
In stark contrast to their concern was Ron's undisguised hostility.
He sat on the edge of the bed with his legs crossed and arms folded over his chest. "Night stroll? Malfoy, you've got some nerve, breaking school rules as soon as you enter Gryffindor. I think you shouldn't be here at all; Slytherin is where you belong!"
"Tell me, what are you doing out in the middle of the night? Stealing something? Or are you trying to tip off the Slytherin?"
Harry sat in the chair by the window, showing neither Ron's hostility nor Neville's fanaticism.
His gaze fell on Draco, and he advised Ron, " Ron, don't say that yet. Maybe he's just lost."
He turned to Draco and asked, "Did the Fat Lady give you a hard time? Did she say anything?"
Draco casually draped his school robe over the bedpost, ignoring Ron's provocation, and nodded slightly to Neville and Seamus.
"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine. I was just so engrossed in reading at the library that I lost track of time and got lost on my way back, which made me a little late."
His fabricated reason was exactly the same as the one he had previously agreed upon with Hermione.
"The library?" Ron scoffed, clearly unconvinced. "Who would go to the library to read in the middle of the night? Do you think we're fools?"
"Why not?" Draco finally turned to look at Ron.
"Is Gryffindor's courage only manifested in making unfounded accusations against classmates? Or does Mr. Weasley believe that only recklessness and impulsiveness are worthy of the Gryffindor crest?"
His words left Ron speechless for a moment.
Neville quickly smoothed things over. "I believe Draco! He loves studying so much, he must have gone to the library for his homework!"
He added worriedly, "Don't come so late next time, it's too dangerous."
Seamus nodded in agreement. "Libraries do make it easy to lose track of time, especially the Restricted Section; I've heard there are many interesting books there."
He didn't press for details, but kindly reminded her, " The Fat Lady... didn't say anything, did she? If she tells the professor, it could be troublesome."
" The Fat Lady was very kind. She just reminded me to come back earlier next time, since it's not uncommon for freshmen to get lost."
Draco deliberately emphasized the freshmen getting lost.
This both echoed his earlier statement to the Fat Lady and cleverly deflected everyone's questions.
Seeing Draco's calm expression, Harry didn't press further, simply nodding, "It's good that you're alright. Get some rest; you have class tomorrow."
Although he felt Draco's reasoning was somewhat far-fetched, he had no evidence and could not say anything more.
Ron wanted to say something more, but Harry stopped him with a look.
He snorted angrily, turned away, and refused to look at Draco again, but his shoulders remained tense, clearly still angry.
Draco ignored everyone's reactions and went straight to his bedside to sit down.
He took off his shoes.
Neville was still excitedly talking about tomorrow's Herbology, with Seamus occasionally chiming in.
Harry gazed thoughtfully at the night sky outside the window.
Hermione, holding onto the stair railing, slowly made her way back to the Gryffindor' dormitory.
She had already splashed cold water on her face, combed her messy curly hair, and straightened her school uniform.
She tried her best to suppress the redness in her eyes and her lingering shock, leaving behind a pale and tired look, barely managing to regain her usual appearance.
As soon as the door opened, Parvati and Lavender immediately looked up from the bedside, their eyes falling on her.
The warm yellow light in the dormitory made her face appear even more unnaturally pale.
" Hermione! You're finally back!" Lavender spoke first, her voice filled with curiosity and worry.
We've been waiting for you for so long!
Parvati also put down the mirror he was holding and walked over to look her up and down:
"Yeah, it's too risky for a freshman to stay out all night on their first night out! Where did you go? Did you run into Filch?"
Her gaze lingered on Hermione's slightly tense lips.
Why do you look so pale? Did something happen?
Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips instinctively clenched the hem of her clothes.
She forced herself to steady her breathing, and when she looked up, she spoke as calmly as possible, repeating exactly the same words she had agreed upon with Draco:
"Nothing much, I just went to the library to look up some things, got so engrossed in reading that I lost track of time, and then got lost on the fourth floor on my way back. It took me a while to find my way."
"The library?" Lavender blinked, clearly surprised. "Going to the library in the middle of the night? You're really pushing yourself!"
She leaned closer and said in a gossipy, excited tone,
"Could it be... that she went with someone?"
Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and her fingers almost dug into her palms.
She suppressed the tightness in her throat, subtly avoiding Lavender's gaze, and said calmly, "No, it's just me."
Parvati frowned, clearly not so easily fooled:
"You're really just lost? I heard the armor on the fourth floor moves at night, and some people say they've seen ghosts wandering there... It's so dangerous for a girl like you!"
" Hermione, don't hide it from us, is something wrong? If anyone is bullying you, we'll tell Professor McGonagall for you!"
"No one bullied me." Hermione's voice was slightly strained, but she remained calm.
"I just got lost and I'm a little tired, nothing else."
She avoided their probing gazes, quickly walked to her four-poster bed, and picked up her pajamas.
"I'm going to wash up now. I have to get up early for class tomorrow, so you guys should get some rest too."
Lavender wanted to ask more questions, but Parvati gently tugged at her arm.
Parvati watched Hermione's slightly stiff back, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, but she ultimately didn't press for more information, only saying softly:
"Okay, then hurry up, don't catch a cold. If anything happens, be sure to tell us."
"Mmm," Hermione responded, practically fleeing the dormitory.
Then she fled to the bathroom.
The moment the door closed, she leaned against the cold door panel and slowly slid down to sit.
My heart was still pounding wildly in my chest; the composure I showed at the dormitory entrance was all a facade.
She covered her face, a suppressed breath escaping through her fingers.
Tomorrow, I still have to attend class with him and fulfill that absurd "protection" agreement.
The cold light from the bathroom shone on her, reflecting the lingering fear and despair deep in her eyes.