About a week after the incident in the Forbidden Forest, we finally finished all of our end-of-year exams, with the History of Magic test being the last.
"Yay! It's over!"
The moment Professor Binns, the ghost, announced the end of the exam with his usual instruction to put down our quills and roll up our answer parchments, Daphne Greengrass let out a cry of joy.
"That was easier than I expected!"
"Indeed. There were no questions about the Werewolf Code of Conduct of 1637, or the rebellion of Elfric the Hot-Blooded, either!"
As Daphne and I chatted excitedly, a low, curse-like voice came from Pansy, who had collapsed face-down on her desk.
"It must be nice for top students to be so carefree…"
Seeing this, Millicent gently patted Pansy on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
"It's already over, so don't get so bitter."
"I didn't want it to end…"
"More importantly, what are we doing for the next week? Want to go hunt for some handsome guys?"
"Millicent, you should be worrying about failing first."
For the record, Millicent usually hovered right on the brink of failing, so she seemed to have already given up on a lot of things even before the exams started. Compared to Pansy, who was at a slightly-below-average level and thought, "It's a pain and I don't want to do it, but if I really try hard, I might manage somehow," Millicent had simply accepted that "things that won't work won't work, no matter how hard you try," which probably left her with fewer worries overall.
"Hey there, ladies! How'd the tests go?"
Interrupting us with a cheerful voice was Blaise Zabini, Slytherin's proud first-year playboy. He appeared with flair and immediately high-fived Millicent. It felt like a scene straight out of an American high school movie.
"Same as always on my end. What about you?"
"Same here. Nothing special."
Zabini's grades were almost exactly average, making him a convenient benchmark. If you scored higher than him, you were considered smart; if you scored lower, you were considered not so bright.
"By the way, Zabini, what's up with Malfoy spacing out like that? His grades aren't that bad, are they?"
"A man needs some time to contemplate the Philosopher's Stone."
To clarify Zabini's nonsense, Malfoy's grades were actually above average. However, coming from an old pure-blood family meant that such results were considered the bare minimum. He was already worrying about the nagging lecture he would inevitably receive from his father, and had fallen into a daze, staring at an owl outside the window.
"How about Nott?"
"He's fine. No problems."
It seemed Nott was not destined to die here just yet.
"And Crabbe and Goyle… never mind."
There was no need to ask about those two. It was questionable whether they had even managed to write their names.
After the exams ended, I had dinner with Pansy and the others, then headed toward the Gryffindor common room.
"Come to think of it, I completely forgot to return Harry's Invisibility Cloak while we were busy studying for exams…"
I went back to the Slytherin dormitory to retrieve the cloak, and by the time I set out again, it was pitch-dark. I thought I could still make it back before curfew, though.
"Oh? Harry and the others… and Neville?"
When I reached the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, I saw four people arguing in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"You can't go out. If you get caught again, Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."
It seemed Neville was trying to stop Harry and the others from sneaking out at night.
"Um…"
When I spoke up, all four of them turned toward me with startled expressions.
"Elaina? Why are you at the Gryffindor common room?"
"I came to return something I forgot."
As I held up the Invisibility Cloak, Harry exclaimed, "Oh!" It appeared to be his.
"Thank you, Elaina! But how did you know it was mine…?"
"I am omniscient and omnipotent, so I have complete knowledge of all things in the universe."
More importantly—
"I couldn't help overhearing earlier. Are you planning to sneak out again, even after everything that happened?"
When I said that, the three of them looked visibly uncomfortable.
"I don't know if you're just thinking you've got nothing left to lose, but no matter how you look at it, I think Neville is absolutely right here."
"There are things you wouldn't understand, but this is really important."
"Then please explain it in a way I can understand. Otherwise, I'm not giving the Invisibility Cloak back."
The three of them exchanged glances, and Hermione stepped forward to explain.
"The Philosopher's Stone is hidden at Hogwarts, and Snape is after it. He plans to use it to bring Voldemort back."
…
…
Neville and I instinctively looked at each other.
"Harry, getting into conspiracy theories is one thing, but don't you think this is a bit too much?"
"You should probably go see Madam Pomfrey. Sorry for trying to stop you earlier."
"Why do both of you react like that!?"
Even so, from a common-sense perspective, weren't Neville's and my reactions the normal ones?
"Do you have any evidence? And I mean actual evidence, not just testimony."
"Elaina, you saw it too. That hooded creature in the Forbidden Forest."
"I didn't see anything."
"Please, just face reality!"
Honestly, you really had to remind me of something unpleasant.
That thing was certainly abnormal.
"Snape has been drinking unicorn blood to keep Voldemort alive. But tonight, Dumbledore is away at the Ministry of Magic and not at Hogwarts. The Philosopher's Stone is in that forbidden corridor on the fourth floor…"
At Harry's words, I was reminded of what Headmaster Dumbledore had said during the opening ceremony.
Anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death should stay away from the corridor on the right-hand side of the fourth floor for the entire year.
Certainly, when you start thinking of it as suspicious, it does begin to seem that way.
Leaving aside Professor Snape, the Philosopher's Stone, and Voldemort for the moment, the idea that "there is something important in the forbidden corridor on the right side of the fourth floor, that the creature seen in the Forbidden Forest is after it, and that there is a high chance of an intrusion tonight while Dumbledore is absent" does not sound like a complete fabrication on Harry and the others' part.
At the very least, that much I can personally believe, and Harry and the others do not seem like the sort of people who would break school rules for no reason.
"Haa… I suppose it can't be helped."
"Elaina!"
Neville raised his voice in protest, but I turned to him and spoke as if trying to reason with him.
"Tonight, the professors will be completely occupied with grading exams. Security should be lax. And you saw the dead unicorn in the Forbidden Forest too, didn't you, Neville?"
"Y y… yeah."
"We have the Invisibility Cloak, and I made sure to feed Mrs. Norris ahead of time, just in case. It's fine. If we don't get caught, it's not really breaking the rules."
"Even if you don't get caught, it's still breaking the rules, Elaina. Remember that."
"You should learn to read the room instead, Hermione."
For once, it sounded like Ron was saying something more reasonable than Hermione.
That aside.
I turned back toward Neville.
"I understand how you feel, Neville, but please try to trust Harry and the others too. Look carefully into their eyes. Do they really look like the eyes of people who are lying?"
After I said something that sounded convincing enough, Neville shifted his gaze to the three of them. One by one, he met their eyes as if peering straight into the depths of their hearts, and then—
"…Alright."
You're convinced already?
"Then I'll go too."
"No, Neville. It's dangerous."
Harry was quite good at ignoring his own situation when saying that.
"But I'm a Gryffindor too! And I can't let my friends face danger alone."
"…Alright. Then come with us."
Harry finally relented, and Neville joined the group.
And with that, the matter was settled. Everything turned out perfectly. Nothing left to worry about.
"Well then, since Neville's misunderstanding has been cleared up, I'll be taking my leave here—ugh!"
As I tried to escape the impending trouble, Harry and the others grabbed me firmly by the back of the collar, and I let out a very ungraceful yelp.
When I turned around, their faces were wearing rough smiles that clearly said, "After hearing something this important, you don't seriously think you can just pretend it has nothing to do with you and walk away, do you?"
"You couldn't abandon poor Malfoy, but you're going to abandon us?"
"Harry, that sounds like something a needy ex would say."
"The heroic Elaina who beat up a troll wouldn't back out at a time like this, right?"
"I'm actually considering retirement…"
"Elaina, the Philosopher's Stone can turn any metal into gold!"
"Let's go protect the Philosopher's Stone right now."
I don't know why, but everyone's gaze felt incredibly cold.
After all, it's a stone that can turn any metal into gold. Of course I'd want to see it at least once. And if things went well, maybe something fortunate might happen, you know?
In the end, driven by sheer greed, I found myself dragged along on Harry and the others' adventure.
**
"Hey, Ron, stop stepping on my foot! That hurts!"
"You stepped on mine five times earlier!"
"Neville, could you maybe go on a bit of a diet?"
"That's not something you say at a time like this…"
"All four of you, be quiet!"
Due to various circumstances, we ended up moving as a large group. Naturally, we were crammed together under the Invisibility Cloak, shuffling forward while constantly stepping on each other's feet.
Honestly, this kind of brute-force solution was only possible because we were first-years who had just finished elementary school. Rather than wearing it properly, we were moving sideways with our backs against the wall, holding the Invisibility Cloak up like a curtain. It was a truly surreal sight.
(End of chapter)
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