HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

"He borrowed a book from me today, but I think he was clearly there to mock us..."

"Did you lend it to him?" Harry asked.

“Of course I lent it to him,” Ron replied. “I need to keep him calm, don’t I? Otherwise, what if he really goes to the Ministry of Magic to complain?”

Hermione closed the book and checked with Ron again, "It's midnight tonight, right? That's what the letter said, isn't it?"

“You’ve asked several times already,” Ron replied helplessly. “Yes, that’s right. If you’re still not convinced, I can show you the letter again…”

As he spoke, he opened his textbook, then suddenly froze under the gaze of Harry and Hermione.

"Oh no..." He looked up in alarm, his voice hoarse, "I just remembered, I put the letter in the book..."

Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief as she asked him, "Don't tell me it's the one Malfoy borrowed!"

“I really want to tell you no, but it is that book…” Ron said with a bitter face, while Harry and Hermione sighed in unison.

“It’s too late to change our plans now,” Harry said to the two. “We don’t have time to send the owl to Charlie anymore. This is our only way to get rid of Norbert, and we have to get rid of him tonight…”

“But Malfoy won’t let us off the hook…” Hermione said pessimistically, “If he reads the letter, he’ll know this is his last chance to expose us!”

“Don’t forget we also have an invisibility cloak,” Harry reminded him. “Malfoy doesn’t know we have one.”

“Harry is right, no matter how smart they are, they can’t imagine that we can become invisible,” Ron quickly agreed.

That night, when the three of them went to find Hagrid wearing invisibility cloaks, they found Tooth standing guard in front of the cabin, its tail wrapped in bandages.

With tears in his eyes, Hagrid placed the baby dragon into a wooden box, almost sobbing as he bid farewell to Norber inside: "I've packed some rats and brandy for you. Eat them if you get hungry on the way."

His voice was hoarse and deep as he turned to the three people who had lifted the invisibility cloak and said, "I also put its teddy bear inside, to keep it from getting lonely on the journey..."

A loud tearing sound came from inside the wooden box, and Hermione guessed that the teddy bear had already completed its mission ahead of schedule.

“Goodbye, Norbert!” Hagrid cried. “I’ll come to see you, don’t forget me…”

Harry, Harry, and his two companions were also saddened by their separation, but it was already late and they could not linger any longer.

Harry covered the wooden box with his Invisibility Cloak, and the three of them crawled under it. Hermione took out her wand and used the Levitation Charm to make the box float. Harry and Ron were ready to lift the box at any time to prevent Hermione from running out of magic.

They don't know how they transported the wooden crates to the top of the astronomical tower; every step felt like an ordeal.

They even had the misfortune of encountering Peeves while walking up the long staircase.

The other person was applying oil to the steps with a bucket and brush, humming an unknown tune. Harry and his two companions had to do almost everything they could to avoid being noticed.

"Just a little longer, we'll be there soon." Harry gasped for breath as he made his way to the corridor below the top tower.

A sudden noise ahead startled them so much they almost dropped the box they were carrying. Luckily, they remembered they were invisible, so they quickly retreated into the shadows and closely observed the area only ten steps away.

Two dark figures were entangled together, one tall and one short, with a lamp flickering slightly.

It turned out to be Professor McGonagall, who was wearing a plaid nightgown and a hairnet, and was tightly gripping Malfoy's ear with one hand.

"Solitary confinement!" she shouted sternly. "Twenty points deducted from Slytherin! What are you doing wandering around the castle in the middle of the night?"

"No, Professor, let me explain! Potter and his men are coming, and he's bringing a fire dragon!" Malfoy pleaded urgently.

"You're spouting nonsense! You can't even come up with a decent excuse! Come on, let's go to Snape and see what he does to you!" Professor McGonagall said angrily, pulling Malfoy away in another direction.

The three people under the Invisibility Cloak were overjoyed to see Malfoy being captured by Professor McGonagall. Ron was one thing, but even Hermione, who had been looking gloomy lately, couldn't help but smile.

Charlie carried the wooden crate to the top of the astronomical tower, but his colleagues had not yet arrived.

"I never expected that Professor McGonagall would be the one to solve our problem in the end. I'm so happy, I even want to dance to celebrate!" Hermione danced lightly, her previous dejection gone, and she was in a very good mood.

"No!" Harry and Ron stopped her. "I think you need to calm down—"

“Okay…” Hermione shrugged easily, “but Malfoy’s reaction just now was just too funny…”

As they recalled the scene of Professor McGonagall dragging the other person away by the ear, they couldn't help but chuckle.

A few minutes later, four young men riding brooms landed out of the darkness, interrupting their conversation.

Charlie's friends greeted the group with smiles, tying the wooden box containing Norbert to their brooms with straps, and reminiscing about their time at Hogwarts.

They were talking a little loudly, and Harry even reminded the other person, somewhat embarrassed.

With everyone working together, they secured Norber, then the trio shook hands with each of them before riding away from the tower on their flying brooms.

The matter was finally over. They got rid of Norber, and the wooden crate no longer weighed them down on their way back. The three of them seemed to walk much more lightly.

There couldn't be a better ending—the dragon was safely sent away, Slytherin lost points, and Malfoy was put in solitary confinement.

"I'm so happy, nothing can spoil this joy!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

A hoarse voice suddenly appeared, followed by Filch's pale face appearing from around the corner of the stairs.

The three young wizards were stunned. They had been so pleased with themselves that they had forgotten about the invisibility cloak on the roof, which led to Filch catching them red-handed.

"Look what I've run into!" A smug look shifted to Filch's face.

He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the three of them: "Alright, alright, although I really don't want to spoil your joy, I still have to say: you're in trouble!"

Chapter 32 The Fire Dragon Incident (Part 2)

Filch led the group to Professor McGonagall's lounge on the second floor, but unexpectedly ran into Sagrais, who had just left the library, on the way.

“Professor!” Filch was startled. He bowed and called out respectfully.

“Good evening, Filch.” Sagles glanced at him and roughly understood what had happened.

"Good evening, Professor. I've caught a few young wizards sneaking out at night and I'm about to take them to Professor McGonagall..."

Sagles nodded without speaking, and did not move aside. Filch's expression slowly turned somewhat awkward.

“Professor…you can deal with these little wizards. I’ll pretend I never caught them…” Filch said with difficulty. He thought that this professor, who used to go out at night during his student days, was trying to give Harry and the others a special treatment.

“You’ve misunderstood, Filch,” Sagrais stopped him from continuing, also extinguishing the budding hopes of the three young wizards.

“This is what you should do; handing them over to Professor McGonagall was the right decision.”

After saying that, he ignored Filch's surprised expression, walked up to the trio, and after a moment of silence, spoke again: "Harry, it seems you didn't take my words to heart."

He was referring to the warning he had given Harry in front of the Mirror of Erised, and the other man clearly understood what he meant, lowering his head in disappointment and embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Professor."

“No need to apologize to me.” Sagres shook his head and interrupted, looking at the three men’s pitiful state without a trace of pity in his voice.

“I only hope you have a valid reason for breaking school rules, and not just for some pointless pranks…” He glanced meaningfully at the slightly brightening eyes of the group, then added, “At the same time, I also hope you’ve ended up in this situation because you had no other choice, and not because of your own stupidity, arrogance, or complacency…”

The trio felt even more ashamed.

After Sagles finished speaking, he stepped aside, turned and nodded to Filch, who bowed in gratitude. Then he led the three of them to Professor McGonagall's lounge.

Filch led them to Professor McGonagall's study on the second floor, where they stood without saying a word.

Excuses, pretexts, and clever little lies swirled in their minds, but none of them worked. This time, they really didn't know how to get out of their predicament.

The group was filled with regret, and they realized that Professor Greengrass was absolutely right—they had been too complacent and had been so foolish as to forget the invisibility cloak on the roof!

Most importantly, Professor McGonagall also reprimanded Malfoy for them, which is tantamount to vouching for them in a roundabout way. She must be very angry now.

They even considered telling Norbert, but then changed their minds and abandoned the idea.

“Mr. Filch said you climbed to the top of the Astronomy Tower in the early morning. To be honest, I’m reluctant to believe that. So, can someone step forward and explain?” Professor McGonagall asked them coldly.

This was probably the first time Hermione couldn't answer her teacher's question. The three of them lowered their heads, staring at Professor McGonagall's slippers, their mouths opening and closing, but ultimately saying nothing.

"None of you will tell? Then I will tell you..." Professor McGonagall's expression was stern and angry. "It doesn't take much intelligence to find out the truth. You fabricated a whole lie about dragons out of thin air, just to trick Draco Malfoy out of bed, to prank him, and to embarrass him. And you actually succeeded. Do you find that amusing?"

The trio remained silent.

"I simply can't believe it..." Professor McGonagall said seriously, "Playing pranks on classmates, breaking school rules, and wandering around the castle at night! I've never heard of anything like this before!"

“You, Miss Granger, I thought you were very sensible. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought you knew how to think of the school. And you, Mr. Weasley, your brothers have never done anything like this; they have always prided themselves on following the rules.”

Ron couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly when he heard this: That's only because you didn't catch George and Fred!

"All three of you will be put in solitary confinement, and Gryffindor will lose fifty points as a result!"

“Fifty?” Harry gasped – wouldn’t they lose their first place? He had worked so hard to earn that score in Quidditch.

Hermione's eyes widened. Fifty points? How many questions would she have to answer in class to earn fifty points?

Ron found it even more unbelievable, after all, Malfoy only lost twenty points!

“Fifty each,” Professor McGonagall added angrily, her long, pointed nose flaring as she looked more like a dragon than Norbert.

Hermione pleaded earnestly, "Professor McGonagall, please..."

Harry cried out urgently, "Professor, you can't..."

Ron was about to speak when Professor McGonagall rudely interrupted them, roaring in an unquestionable tone, "Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do!"

The three young wizards immediately fell silent.

"Now, everyone get back to your beds and go to sleep, immediately!"

The trio returned to their dorm like zombies, completely lost and silent.

Losing 150 points in one go, the three of them barely slept all night. Lying in their respective beds, they had never been so afraid of the arrival of dawn.

As expected, the Gryffindor students were incredulous when they heard the news, and Potter became even more famous. However, this time he became the target of ridicule, and he could hear people mocking him wherever he went.

Hermione and Ron were in a slightly better position because people talked about "Harry and his two henchmen," and Harry obviously drew a lot of attention to them, but it wasn't much better for them either.

George: "Hi, Ronnie..."

Fred: "I heard you guys made Gryffindor lose 150 points?"

The twins approached with big smiles. Since what happened last night, they were the only two who had taken the initiative to talk to the three of them.

"Haven't you two been losing points ever since you enrolled?" Ron retorted angrily.

“That’s right…”

"But we've never lost 150 points even once!"

"Not even half."

"Maybe it's enough when you add them all up?"