"Neville..."
Lynn looked at the chubby boy in front of him and reached out to gently pat his shoulder.
"Do you believe in miracles?"
"What?"
Neville wiped his eyes and looked at Lynn, the rims of his eyes slightly red.
"A miracle with a probability of one in nineteen hundred, or perhaps even lower."
"I... don't really understand." Neville shook his head in confusion, but then nodded. "But I do believe miracles exist in this world."
He suddenly grinned. "Being able to say goodbye to the person I used to be—that in itself is a miracle to me."
"I believe you! But what is this miracle?"
"I'll tell you when it actually arrives. Ah, fate... once it's revealed prematurely, it ceases to be a surprise. Life shouldn't be that boring."
"Mm."
"So, what are your thoughts on Quirrell?"
Lynn asked, steering the topic back on track, genuinely curious.
"Whatever Quirrell is trying to do, I'm sure it's nothing good."
Neville pondered as he carefully chose his words. "Maybe he's looking for some treasure that Professor Dumbledore is protecting? But it's strange. If Professor Dumbledore really hid something in that room that he didn't want anyone to find, he wouldn't have announced it..."
"Unless Professor Dumbledore did it on purpose!" Neville nodded slightly, analyzing the situation carefully. "Maybe Professor Dumbledore knew from the start that Quirrell's drastic change in personality was suspicious. He might be using this method to test him, or to catch him red-handed."
"But clearly, Professor Dumbledore is confident about this. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hinted at it to everyone like that. He's certain that Quirrell can't hurt us at Hogwarts because he's here. So, maybe Professor Dumbledore is treating this as some kind of test?"
"Professor Snape said that Dark Wizards don't write the words 'Dark Wizard' on their faces. They disguise themselves as harmless—yes! Quirrell is playing the fool on purpose. He's hiding his true self to appear non-threatening to everyone. That must be it!"
This unexpected answer brought a smile to Lynn's lips. "You're definitely going to become an excellent wizard in the future, just like your parents—someone worthy of admiration."
"Actually, not really..." Neville gave a bashful, silly grin. Being praised made him very happy. "So, should we do anything?"
"Since Professor Dumbledore has set up this test, we can't let his arrangements go to waste."
"Perhaps we can play a little game of cat and mouse. Quirrell will show his true colors sooner or later."
"Just consider it our final exam."
Saying this, Lynn stood up from his chair. "I'm glad you were willing to share the secret you discovered with me. But now, we should go back and get some rest. It's almost twelve o'clock."
"Yeah, it is late." Neville stood up as well. However, as he turned to walk toward the dormitory, he stepped closer to Lynn and whispered, "Actually, there's one more thing."
"Is there? What is it?"
Lynn paused and looked at Neville.
"It's... Ron..." Neville spoke somewhat helplessly. "The effect of the graduation certificate wore off, and Ron changed back. He's started asking Seamus, Dean, and me to lend him our homework to copy again."
"Didn't I give him a chance? Everyone is treated fairly."
Lynn shrugged indifferently. "That's his own choice. It has nothing to do with us."
"Sometimes you need to let go of the urge to help and respect other people's fates. It's all a choice of destiny."
"That's true."
Neville seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and followed Lynn back to the dormitory. The lights inside were already out, and the sound of snoring from deep sleep could be heard.
Christmas approached day by day. As the rare long holiday drew near, the young wizards grew increasingly restless, eager to go home.
"I wish the holidays would start right now!"
When Hagrid placed the decorated Christmas tree in the Great Hall, Harley looked at the tree, adorned with colored lights and small gifts, and spoke full of longing.
"This is the first time I've ever looked forward to Christmas so much."
"Aunt Petunia wrote to me saying we're going to spend this Christmas away together. Uncle Vernon closed a big deal at his company, so we're going skiing in the Alps for Christmas."
"That sounds pretty good. Have fun."
Seeing that the Dursleys' change in attitude toward Harley wasn't just a temporary phase, Lynn felt happy for her.
"But before we leave for Christmas, I want to go visit Mom."
"Professor Snape told me that the house is still standing. It's in Godric's Hollow, the birthplace of Gryffindor and where the first Golden Snitch was made."
"The Professor is willing to take me there before Christmas. Mom loved lilies the most, so I want to bring her a bouquet."
Harley didn't like James much. Partly because of the Dursleys' influence, partly because of Snape's attitude, but the most important reason was that Harley herself had discovered that her dad didn't seem to have been a very good student during his school days.
She had asked Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Sprout, but the conclusions she got were pretty much the same as what she learned from Snape.
Breaking school rules, pranking classmates—he was a problem student who gave the professors ten thousand times more headaches than the Weasley twins, Fred and George.
His "behaving himself" only started in his final year. The professors all said it was Lily who made James turn over a new leaf and become a better person.
This only increased the space her mom occupied in Harley's heart. The more she compared them, the more she felt the gap between them—a difference as vast as heaven and earth.
"Give your mom a bouquet for me."
Lynn flicked his wrist, grabbed at the air, and suddenly held a bouquet of blooming lilies.
"Wow!"
Harley exclaimed. "Is that Transfiguration? Lynn, you'd be amazing at tricking girls with that move!"
"I usually don't need to trick them." Lynn stuffed the bouquet into Harley's arms. "If I meet someone I like, I usually just go up and ask her out. It's very effective. Try it if you don't believe me."
"Then why don't you ask Cho out? I haven't seen you two stargazing after dinner much lately."
"Because making a move on a minor is illegal, and I'm not that desperate. Compared to dating girls, I prefer spending my time reading books right now. I plan to start experimenting during the holidays; I've got the materials ready. I also need to go find Mr. Ollivander over Christmas."
"Also, it's snowing right now. There aren't any stars to see."
"Then give Cho back to me later. She's so pretty and gentle, yet you don't know how to cherish her."
"Then I'll leave it to you, Harley, to take good care of Cho for me."
As they were talking, the two suddenly stopped. A figure they both knew well walked out of a classroom ahead of them.
"Neville? What were you doing in an empty classroom? You're covered in dust."
Harley stepped forward with a smile, drew her wand, and chanted, "Scourgify!"
The dust on Neville was instantly cleaned away.
"Thanks, Harley."
Neville nodded gratefully, then pointed at the classroom door with a bit of excitement. "I think you guys should come in and take a look. I found an incredible mirror."
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