Harry hesitated but then muttered, "We can't just go back to the common room feeling defeated. We still haven't found that ship."
"Seriously? After all that just happened, you still want to go out?" Hermione looked at him in disbelief.
The recent encounter had been enough to give them nightmares, yet their minds were already shifting to other thoughts.
"Even though"
"That monster caught us off guard. We're all safe now, right?" Ron said, his voice betraying a mix of relief and curiosity.
The lure of some legendary item seemed to distract him from the fear they'd just faced.
Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"You're impossible," she muttered.
Harry and Ron had clearly made up their minds, and despite his pounding heart, Neville showed his loyalty and willingness to follow them.
Seeing this, Hermione realized she stood no chance arguing with the two of them.
She could only go along with their plan, even if it meant stepping into the unknown.
After carefully avoiding Filch and making their way downstairs, the group couldn't stop talking about the room they'd stumbled into by mistake.
"What do you think that room was for? It's obviously special; there was a stone statue that could even talk," Ron said, looking around with an exaggerated expression before turning to Hermione, who he saw as the most thoughtful.
"Didn't you hear it call us intruders? There has to be some hidden purpose there."
Hermione nodded, trying to piece things together.
"And did you notice the circular stone slab in the middle of the room? It looked like it could move, maybe a door, or even a well."
"A well?" Harry echoed, eyes wide.
"Yeah, didn't that statue say something about 'the well of the abyss'? That must be the same place."
Neville frowned, still filled with questions.
"But why would there be a well inside the school? And why put such a terrifying monster there?"
Hermione's memory kicked in.
"Remember, the statue said 'the first layer of guards.' Maybe that monster is there to protect something important. Otherwise, why call it a guard?"
Harry's eyes grew even wider.
"So, does that mean there are more floors beneath the well? If the first floor guards are that scary, I can't imagine what's down below."
"No wonder Dumbledore declared that place off-limits," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"It's not just for students; probably not even a professor could mess with whatever's down there."
Neville shook his head in amazement, still unable to shake the terrifying image of the three-headed dog's fierce jaws.
Suddenly, Hermione seemed to have a thought.
"Professor? Do you think Professor Wilson created that room?" she asked, as if inspired.
Ron quickly agreed with her idea.
"It's possible. That stone sculpture looks like some kind of alchemy tool, and no one else at Hogwarts seems to have that kind of skill."
Hermione nodded.
"So, we're really going to look for Professor Wilson's boat now? Aren't we just walking into a trap?" she hesitated.
The others exchanged looks, realizing the risk for the first time.
Just then, a voice interrupted them from nearby.
"Why are you guys so slow? If you don't come soon, I'm going on my own."
Malfoy appeared from behind a stone pillar near the entrance, looking annoyed.
It was then that Harry and the others noticed they had unknowingly left Hogwarts Castle and were now standing where everyone gathered for morning exercises.
A short walk ahead led to the cliff stairs down to the dock.
Hermione quickly lowered her voice.
"Shh, we have to keep what just happened a secret."
Seeing Malfoy, she knew there was no turning back.
The three younger students nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Malfoy stepped forward impatiently.
"What are you whispering about? Still planning to find that boat? You're moving too slow."
Harry looked at him curiously.
"Are you coming alone? I thought you'd bring your usual friends."
Malfoy sneered.
"Those idiots wouldn't help much. The only ones who matter are elites like me and you, Potter; others are just tagging along for fun."
He pointed first at himself, then at Harry, completely ignoring the three others nearby.
Ron clenched his fists in anger.
"You bastard!" he growled, but Neville quickly grabbed his arm to hold him back before things got out of hand.
"Stop talking nonsense and let's hurry downstairs. I don't even know if what you said is true," Harry said, feeling annoyed when Malfoy called his friend lazy.
He didn't bother to hide his irritation.
Malfoy sneered and asked, "By the way, where were you just now?"
Then he walked over to the stone pillar where he had been hiding and pulled out a neatly folded blanket.
Noticing the curious looks from Harry and the others, Malfoy asked with surprise, "Don't you all know how to prepare gifts? We're about to meet that Mr. Ship next!"
Harry exchanged awkward glances with the others.
They had wanted to bring gifts too, but with everything that happened earlier, who would dare stay on the fourth floor?
Just then, Neville reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of candies.
"Who said we don't have anything? Right?" he said.
Malfoy burst out laughing.
"You're joking, right? You actually brought candy? I'm dying of laughter."
Ron shrugged.
"Who knows what Mr. Ship likes? Maybe he likes candy."
Then Ron looked at Malfoy curiously.
"What's that you're holding? Did you bring a special gift before school started?"
Malfoy raised his chin proudly.
"I'm not as clueless as you. This tapestry is a treasure from Slytherin House. I managed to sneak it out of the common room today."
Harry and the others looked even more embarrassed.
They hadn't expected Malfoy to have the same idea and even steal from his own house.
Hermione clicked her tongue in frustration.
'Why were all these boys so sneaky? Weren't they afraid of getting caught stealing from the school?'
But regardless, the five of them quickly gathered and rushed down the mountain, excited to see this legendary living ship.
Even Hermione couldn't help but feel a strong curiosity about it.
As everyone slowly made their way down the steps toward the dock at the foot of the mountain, the boat moored on the Black Lake gradually came into clearer view.
Even though it was the middle of the night, the strange three-masted sailing ship glowed with a faint, pale blue light.
The light seemed to pulse gently, almost like the ship was breathing, which made it feel almost alive.
But that eerie, dim glow cast a shadow over the entire dock, giving the whole scene a ghostly, unsettling atmosphere.
As they got closer, everyone couldn't help but swallow nervously.
The five of them instinctively huddled together, as if staying close would help push away the growing fear.
Even Malfoy, who had been confident and defiant before, now felt a flicker of unease.
How could the ship look so much like a ghost ship?
From afar, it hadn't seemed this way at all.
No matter what everyone felt deep down or whether they regretted it now, they found themselves drawn closer and closer to the mysterious ship.
"Look!" Ron whispered urgently as he stepped nearer, his voice low and tense.
Everyone followed his gaze and saw the sailboat, which had seemed quiet from afar, now looking strangely alive.
Thick ropes twisted and writhed like maggots, shimmering faintly in the moonlight.
The silence of the night, combined with an eerie glow, made the whole scene feel unsettling, almost terrifying.
Only then did Hermione finally believe the stories they had heard before: this ship was truly alive.
But despite agreeing that it was, none of them felt safe.
The ship wasn't friendly; it seemed more like a giant predator, ready to hunt and devour.
Hermione instinctively took a few steps back, her heart pounding, and noticed that several others around her were doing the same.
They were all clearly scared of the looming giant before them.
Harry swallowed nervously and glanced at Malfoy.
"So these are the unicorns and phoenixes you mentioned? You're the one who brought us here, so why aren't you the first to approach?"
Ron chimed in, nudging Malfoy forward.
No one could stay calm in the face of such a scene, but Malfoy felt all eyes on him, and although he was terrified, his pride and stubbornness flared up.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to take a few steps closer.
Seeing nothing happen, he kept moving forward, trying to steady his nerves.
"Boat... Mr. Boat, hello!" he called out, stopping about ten meters away, his voice shaky.
At that moment, the ship responded with a strange sound, a creaking and rubbing like wooden boards grinding against each other.
The ropes in front of them suddenly twitched and writhed, as if stirred to life.
To everyone watching, it seemed as if the ship before them had been resting peacefully until their arrival suddenly roused it, as if it were stretching after a long sleep.
The shifting of the hull made Malfoy, who was standing closest, shiver with fear.
He desperately wanted to turn and run away right then and there, but his pride and sense of shame held him back from doing anything so humiliating.
His legs had already started to feel weak.
Suddenly, a deep, muffled voice echoed, sounding as though it came from inside a cave, making it impossible to tell whether the speaker was male or female, or even how old they were.
Hearing the ship speak eased Malfoy's nerves considerably.