127: Brave Neville and the Lazy Foolish Elf

Harry turned to the other two and said, "Let's assume, for a moment, that Draugr is innocent—"

"Harry!" Hermione looked exasperated, almost furious.

"I said assume," the Boy Who Lived pressed, his resolve unshaken. "Assume Draugr's not involved. Then who let Voldemort escape that night in the Forbidden Forest? My guess? It was Snape."

"But wasn't he following you and Malfoy?"

"He disappeared for a while," Harry mused, then added, "and he came up with some lame excuse about it. I don't think any decent professor would abandon their students in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. No, he must've gotten a signal from Voldemort—gone to kill Quirrell. If it weren't for him, Draugr might have actually caught Voldemort…"

There was a bitter edge to his voice, as though Nolan had snatched something Harry deeply valued.

"Snape's too dangerous," Harry continued. "He's one of Voldemort's followers, and Dumbledore trusts him. That's what makes him so much worse…" Harry paused, sucking in a sharp breath. "And now Dumbledore's not even at Hogwarts! He's gone to London tonight!"

"With his biggest enemy away from Hogwarts, Snape will definitely make his move tonight!" Ron exclaimed. "We can't let him get away with it!"

"I'm going to get past the professors' maze and take the Philosopher's Stone first," Harry declared, determination etched across his face.

Ron clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm coming with you!" Then he turned to Hermione. "What about you?"

Hermione hesitated. "I don't know… Nolan said we shouldn't get involved…"

"You've been brainwashed by Draugr," Ron snapped, visibly annoyed. "I've told you before, Hermione, you need to keep your distance from him. I bet he's casting spells on all the girls… Hermione, which is more important—us, or that Slytherin?"

Hermione didn't like the question, but her silence didn't stop them.

That night, the three Gryffindors tiptoed out of bed, only to be stopped before they could even leave the common room—by Neville.

No. To be precise, it was Voldemort.

Harry's scar throbbed painfully, but he didn't think much of it. His scar had been hurting on and off for days now. After all, who would suspect sweet, bumbling Neville Longbottom of anything? Even Nolan hadn't.

"Hey, guys—" Voldemort chose his words carefully.

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Guys? Neville, since when do you talk like that?"

"I mean… uh, Harry? Everyone?" Voldemort resisted the urge to curse himself for his poor choice of words. "So, where are you all off to?"

"Don't worry about it, Neville," Harry said impatiently, rubbing his forehead. "We've got something important to do!"

"Can you tell me about it?" Neville's tone was strange, but no one seemed to notice.

Ron gave Neville a little shove. "Step aside, Neville. What we're doing tonight is going to decide the fate of the wizarding world!"

"You're going up against the Dark Lord?" Voldemort asked, feigning curiosity.

Hermione frowned. "Why would you say that? Isn't the Dark Lord already dead?"

"Uh… well, because only the Dark Lord could determine the fate of the wizarding world," Voldemort stammered, scrambling for an excuse. He quickly added, "If that's the case, then let me come with you! I want to help!"

"Blimey, Neville, when did you get so brave?" Ron exclaimed, delighted, and gave Voldemort a hearty pat on the shoulder—which Voldemort immediately brushed off in disgust.

Harry checked the time. "If you're not scared, Neville, then come with us. We could use the extra help."

Hermione still looked uneasy. "But, Harry, I think Neville's acting a bit… off…"

"Maybe that trip to the Forbidden Forest changed him," Harry said with a shrug, picking up the Invisibility Cloak. "That's a good thing. Let's go!"

And with that, the four of them—three Gryffindors and one uninvited Dark Lord—set off into the shadows of the castle.

The Invisibility Cloak was a highly advanced magical artifact, and the trio relied on it to sneak around undetected during their nighttime escapades. It was crafted with such precision that no professor could possibly see through its enchantments.

This time, however, they had a new addition—Neville, the chubby boy. Surprisingly, the cloak was still large enough to cover all four of them.

What Harry didn't know was that his father had also used this very cloak to roam Hogwarts at night. Back then, James Potter had three close friends accompanying him. They had never been caught, but tonight, things would be different.

"Huh?"

On the fourth-floor corridor, the group ran into someone completely unexpected. It was the golden-haired elf, Ligeitoli, who was lazily strolling from the direction of the kitchens.

Halfway across the corridor, Ligeitoli paused mid-step, her gaze narrowing as she looked suspiciously at an apparently empty patch of space. She murmured to herself, "Am I imagining things?"

Without hesitation, she reached forward and began to feel around. In just a few moments, her hands found the fabric of the Invisibility Cloak, and she yanked it off with a triumphant tug.

"Well, well, naughty children," Ligeitoli said with a mischievous grin. "Four little rule-breakers—oh, and look who we have here! The chubby one from the Forbidden Forest and... ah, Miss Otter!"

"I am not Miss Otter!" Hermione snapped indignantly. "My name is Hermione Granger!"

"Whatever you say!" Ligeitoli laughed, clearly enjoying herself. "What brings you lot out here? Midnight stroll? Looking for trouble?" She smiled playfully and added, "Nolan forbade me from disrupting your classes, but I've always been curious—how do wizards learn? Do you wave your wands around like fools, practicing the same motions over and over? Kind of like how we elves practice our archery stance?"

Hermione, trying to defuse the situation, answered softly, "Wizards rarely do physical training. We focus mostly on learning knowledge... I mean, Miss Ligeitoli, we're in a hurry tonight. Could you please not tell anyone about seeing us out here?"

"But..." Ligeitoli pouted, clearly enjoying her little power play.

It was obvious that she wanted to tease the young wizards further, finding their nervousness highly amusing.

"If you don't help us," Hermione said quickly, her mind racing for a solution, "I'll tell Nolan that you've been sneaking out at night to steal food from Hogwarts!"

"!" Ligeitoli gasped, visibly startled. She hurriedly hid the snacks she was carrying behind her back, glancing nervously around to ensure the person she feared wasn't nearby. Then, in a hushed tone, she said, "I was just helping! If I didn't eat these, the adorable pastries would go bad. How could you be so heartless?!" She huffed and added defensively, "If you've ever been to the kitchens, you'd know how pitiful the house-elves are! They prepare grand feasts for late-night snacks, but hardly anyone ever goes. I'm doing this to keep them happy!"

"But I don't think Nolan would see it that way," Hermione said with a sly smile. "He always says, 'A parasite should know its place.' He'd expect you to behave."

"Please, don't tell that annoying brat!" Ligeitoli pleaded, panicking. "He'll mock me endlessly! I can't take it! He never stops digging up old dirt on me—it's unbearable!"

"Then don't mention our little outing to anyone," Hermione said firmly. "We'll keep your secret from Nolan, too."

"Deal!" Ligeitoli exclaimed happily, clapping Hermione's hand in agreement before skipping away with her snacks, humming a cheerful tune as she made her way toward the stairs.

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