Hogwarts' Golden Glory

The corridors of Hogwarts at night were fragmented by the moonlight, creating a play of light and shadow.

Kane Malfoy's footsteps were completely swallowed up by the thick carpet.

He stared down at the Marauder's Map in his hand, the castle structure clearly outlined in ink on the parchment.

And in the corner representing the small kitchen, a name is faintly flashing—Peter Pedirou.

Kane narrowed his grey-blue eyes, his fingertips lightly tracing the name.

"finally found you."

He silently drew his wand, the tip of which shone with a faint silver light, enough to illuminate the way without alerting the patrolling professor.

In the picture frame at the kitchen entrance, a pear in a fruit bowl was dozing off. Kane reached out and gently scratched it—the pear giggled and wriggled, and the picture frame slid open silently.

The warm aroma of food wafted over, but Kane's gaze was fixed on the storage cabinet in the corner—from which came a faint rustling sound.

"Immediately imprison them."

A flash of silver light, and the locker door sprang open.

A fat gray rat screamed as it was bound by a magic rope, dangling in mid-air and writhing wildly.

Kane strode forward and grabbed the rat by the scruff of its neck.

"Long time no see, Mr. Pediru," he said softly, his voice as cold as ice. "Or should I call you 'Spotty'?"

The rat's black eyes suddenly contracted, and it began to struggle wildly, its right paw, missing a toe, desperately scratching at Kane's fingers.

"Save your energy." Kane pulled a small iron cage enchanted with a sturdy charm from the inner pocket of his robe. "You have a lot of explanations to give tonight—"

"Mr. Malfoy?"

A hoarse voice suddenly came from behind.

Kane turned quickly, hiding the cage in his sleeve—Filch stood at the kitchen entrance with an oil lamp, and Mrs. Lorris grinned at his feet.

Kane greeted the other person calmly.

Good evening, Mr. Filch.

Filch forced a fawning smile onto his sallow face, the dim light of the oil lamp making the wrinkles around his eyes appear even deeper.

"Mr. Malfoy, it's so late, are you hungry?"

He was hunched over, his voice much softer than usual, "I have some corned beef sandwiches in my office, if you need them..."

Kane shook his head slightly, the iron cage in his sleeve remaining completely still.

"No need, thank you for your kindness."

His gaze swept over Mrs. Lorris, who was grinning at him from the sidelines at Filch's feet. "I was just practicing some spells."

Filch's eyes suddenly lit up, and his withered fingers rubbed together excitedly.

"Ah! It's that...you know..."

He lowered his voice, almost reverently, and asked, "Research on magic?"

Kane nodded slightly, a hint of understanding flashing in his gray-blue eyes.

Filch had held the young Slytherin in almost worshipful regard ever since he successfully cast a spell for the first time with Filch's help.

"Don't worry, just drink my potion on time."

"Oh, right!"

Filch suddenly seemed to remember something, his cloudy eyes narrowing into slits. "I just saw those Potter kids out for a night stroll around the corner on the fifth floor! I've already notified Professor McGonagall."

He grinned smugly, revealing a few yellowed teeth. "You'd better take the west staircase when you go back; the professor is probably catching someone over there right now."

The rat in the cage suddenly struggled violently, and Kane subtly pulled his sleeve back. "Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Filch. You're very thoughtful."

Mrs. Lorris suddenly meowed, raised her tail, and circled around Kane's feet, her nose twitching incessantly.

Filch quickly and gently nudged it away with his foot. "Go away, don't disturb Mr. Malfoy!"

Kane gave a slight bow. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"Of course, of course!"

Filch nodded hurriedly, even stepping aside, "Watch your step... Oh, by the way!"

He seemed to suddenly remember something important, and lowered his voice, saying, "On Thursday night, Pipi Ghost dismantled all the armor on the seventh floor, and now the corridor there is full of debris... I'll definitely clean it up tomorrow morning!"

A barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of Kane's mouth. "I'll be careful to avoid it."

As he turned to leave, he heard Filch whisper behind him, scolding Mrs. Lorris: "...Stop smelling it! That's Mr. Malfoy, who helped me before..."

After turning two corners, Kane stopped and, after confirming that no one was around, he lifted his sleeve to check the cage.

Banban was frantically gnawing at the iron bars with its teeth, its claws, missing a toe, scratching desperately.

"Save your energy, Pediru."

Kane said coldly, "Your old friend Sirius will be very much looking forward to... the reunion."

The rat in the cage suddenly froze, a hint of human-like fear flashing in its beady black eyes.

How could this little wizard named Kane, who was often cursed by Ron, possibly know about this?

No, he can't fall into their hands; he must escape!

Kane tucked the iron cage back into his sleeve, his fingers lightly tracing the edge of the Marauder's Map.

The ink lines flowed across the parchment, and the names of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom were squeezed together, next to the words "Moving Staircase".

His grey-blue eyes narrowed slightly.

"interesting."

Neville actually came out and went for a night stroll with them!

Kane walked silently down the corridor, moonlight streaming in through the high windows and casting a long shadow. As he rounded the corner, he heard Professor McGonagall's stern voice—

"Fifty points deducted from each person! Gryffindor is now at the bottom of the class this semester!"

Kane stopped in the shadows and saw three Gryffindor students standing stiff as statues at the top of the moving staircase—clearly petrified.

Harry Potter remained in the position of trying to escape, his glasses askew to one side; Ron Webbton looked terrified, his mouth half-open, as if he was about to explain something.

Professor McGonagall was so angry that her chest heaved violently, and the tip of her wand still emitted a faint silver light.

"Nighttime outing! Attempting to defy the professor! All three of you are to be put in solitary confinement! Now—immediately—back to the dorms!"

She waved her wand and broke the petrification spell.

Neville nearly collapsed to his knees, Ron staggered and grabbed the wall for support, only Harry managed to steady himself, but his face was as pale as paper.

"Professor, we are just—" Harry tried to explain.

"I don't want to hear any excuses, Potter!" Professor McGonagall interrupted sharply. "Now, immediately, go back!"

The three were somewhat frustrated at this moment. Losing these 150 points was equivalent to destroying all of Gryffindor's hopes of winning the House Cup.

It's important to know that because Kane and Slytherin won that Quidditch match last time, Slytherin was now nearly two hundred points ahead of the other houses.

At this moment, because of them, the gap between the academies has become even more pronounced.