Carefully, Harry and Hermione carried the crate step by step.
George had initially wanted to tell them that if anyone were following outside with a Disillusionment Charm, it would be wise to bring an extra box to move faster. But seeing the pair work together so seamlessly, he held back.
The three of them made their way down the marble steps of the hall toward the base of the tower. It was already midnight, and the corridors were completely empty. They reached the top of the tower safely.
Just then, a noise came from ahead. Harry and Hermione nearly dropped the crate, but George's sharp eyes caught it in time. Everyone quickly slipped into the shadows. A little over ten meters away, under a lamplight, two figures were struggling.
After a moment, the silhouettes came closer, and everything became clear. It was Professor McGonagall and Malfoy. McGonagall was tugging Malfoy by the ear as she approached. "You won't be running away this time. Malfoy has been locked up."
Her voice remained icy and strict. "I don't tolerate wandering the castle at night. Slytherin will lose twenty points. Let's see if you dare try this again."
Malfoy looked uneasy, trying to explain. "Professor, it's not what you think. It was Harry Potter—he brought a dragon. I was just trying to catch him."
"Don't argue with me or try to lie. I'll hand you over to Snape and let him deal with you," McGonagall said, eyes wide with disbelief, clearly not buying Malfoy's excuse.
As McGonagall dragged Malfoy away without listening to him, Harry and Hermione felt both relieved and exhilarated. "Good luck, Malfoy—he's getting locked up!" they whispered to each other.
The tension from the spiral staircase's last stretch melted away, leaving everyone in high spirits. When Hermione set the crate down at the top, she even danced lightly on her toes for a moment.
"Malfoy's schemes today were no smarter than last time," Harry said, laughing at the boy's misfortune and recalling his own past embarrassment when tricked into a duel.
"Haha, I'm finally back!" Hermione added, still teasing Harry about his last duel mishap.
After a short wait, four brooms descended from the night sky onto the tower—it was Charlie and his friends.
Charlie's friends were full of energy, thanking everyone before taking Norbert away. They joined the four brooms into a network, tying Norbert in the center so his weight wouldn't overwhelm the brooms.
As Charlie and the others disappeared into the endless night, Harry and Hermione exhaled in relief—they had finally sent Norbert off and were free from the dragon's chaos.
"Want to keep a dragon now?" George teased.
Harry and Hermione shook their heads. "We don't even want any more pets."
Seeing the look of realization on their faces, George felt a small sense of satisfaction.
The three of them quietly descended the stairs, having resolved the Norbert problem. Harry and Hermione were in high spirits. Harry nearly dropped the invisibility cloak but was reminded by George to head back to the dormitory. Everyone remembered to maintain their Disillusionment Charms.
As soon as Harry stepped into the corridor, he almost ran into Filch and had to back up repeatedly to avoid him.
"He didn't notice anything dangerous," Harry whispered to himself after leaving the tower.
"Looks like it wasn't Malfoy being clever last time—we just got lucky this time," Hermione realized, seeing Filch appear unexpectedly. She understood that Malfoy's warning must have triggered him, and Malfoy's presence was merely incidental.
"Alright, let's head back to the dorms. McGonagall might show up again later," George urged. With Norbert sent away and Malfoy captured, he insisted that Harry and Hermione hurry back.
They could hardly imagine being caught and locked up with a group of children, shivering at the thought, and left without another word.
Seeing George warn that McGonagall might still appear, Harry and Hermione felt nervous and ran back to the dorms.
Fortunately, they returned safely last night without encountering McGonagall. But the next day, they were surprised to find that Neville had been caught.
"Harry, I'm sorry—I got caught by McGonagall. I heard Malfoy say you hid a dragon and he came after you. Just so you know, I got caught on the way. The Professor caught me, and the school docked me fifty points," Neville said, tears streaming down his face.
Seeing Neville cry, Harry and Hermione felt deeply ashamed. They had inadvertently dragged him into trouble. Though they hadn't been discovered, Neville had been implicated.
"It's alright, Neville. You helped Harry a lot yesterday. He did go to the tower, but fortunately wasn't seen. After you were caught, McGonagall went to the tower and caught Malfoy. He almost got locked up."
The lost house points could be regained, and with Malfoy locked up, the fifty-point penalty could be celebrated. George reassured Neville, summarizing what had happened the previous night.
Neville had always been timid, but with Harry's help, he had made great progress. Running out that night to report back to Harry had been a huge step for him. George didn't want this incident to scare Neville back into shyness.
"Yes, thanks to you, Neville! You got Malfoy locked up—well done!" Harry said, following George's advice, encouraging Neville.
"Yes, Neville, let's celebrate! I'll continue earning points and get all those fifty points back," Hermione said, feeling guilty but determined to recover the lost house points.
"That's right. I'll keep winning Quidditch matches—we'll get those points back soon," Harry added when Hermione came up with the idea.
"Only fifty points to turn Malfoy's punishment into something else? That's cheap. Good job, Neville," Ron said, stepping forward to give Neville a big hug.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Neville choked out, tears in his voice.
Although he had been caught and docked fifty points, he felt wronged, pitied, and embarrassed.
But hearing Harry's words, he realized that his actions had ultimately led to something good. Harry's encouragement deeply moved him—especially knowing that Malfoy had also been docked twenty points and locked up—so losing fifty points himself didn't seem so terrible after all.
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