After leaving the Headmaster's office, Harry decided it was time for some nighttime exploring. He pulled on his Invisibility Cloak, wandering from the Astronomy Tower to Ravenclaw Tower, and then from Ravenclaw Tower to Gryffindor Tower. He found nothing out of the ordinary.
At the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, the Fat Lady was already asleep.
Suddenly, a voice in the air spoke, "Courage."
The Fat Lady grumbled, opening her eyes, but saw nothing. "Another Disillusionment Charm?" she complained. "It's a special time, you know. You have to tell me who you are, or I won't open up."
Harry had no choice but to take off his Invisibility Cloak.
The Fat Lady nodded, satisfied. "I knew it was you. You were the only one who left the tower tonight, after all."
Harry looked calmly into the Fat Lady's eyes. "Can you let me in now?"
The Fat Lady nodded, and her portrait swung inward, revealing the passage behind it. Harry stepped inside, stopping just outside the common room door. He put the Invisibility Cloak back on, making sure no part of it showed, before pushing the door open.
However, the moment he stepped in, Harry sighed in disappointment. The common room was empty. Hermione had clearly gone to bed already, and only the fire in the hearth was still burning.
"I was going to give her a fright," Harry mumbled, pulling off the Invisibility Cloak, folding it to the size of his palm, and tucking it into his pocket. Then he headed for the boys' dormitory stairs.
---
In the dormitory, only Neville was still awake. Everyone else was fast asleep, and only Ron was snoring. Harry was used to it. He skillfully cast a Silencing Charm on Ron, and the snoring instantly vanished.
Harry shoved the Invisibility Cloak into his trunk. His trunk was no longer the dull, plain thing it once was; Harry had cleverly divided it into three sections: Humphrey's den, a sofa lounging area, and his own wardrobe.
Right now, a large bonfire was blazing at the entrance to Humphrey's den. Humphrey, seeing the trunk open, hissed with all three of his heads. "Master, get rid of this blasted fire! These Ashwinder eggs are too bright! I can't sleep a wink—"
Harry glanced at Neville, who was nearby, before sticking his head into the trunk. "Just bear with it a little longer. I'll definitely build you a bigger den soon."
"...And you promised Hedwig could live in the trunk too, but all I see are a few of Hedwig's feathers!" Humphrey continued to ramble, so Harry simply closed the trunk. Humphrey's complaints immediately ceased.
Neville looked over, as if about to say something, but then held back. Harry, meanwhile, casually grabbed his towel and headed to the bathroom. Truth be told, Neville was far more astute than his classmates realized. He had long suspected Harry's trunk was enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Neville guessed there was a pet inside, but he didn't know what it was. Seeing that Harry wasn't in the mood for a chat, Neville sighed and turned back to tending his Mimbulus Mimbletonia.
---
After washing up, Harry lay in bed, but the distinct scent of dung in the air kept him from falling asleep. He sat up. "Neville, why don't you use dragon dung? At least that doesn't smell so strong."
"I can't find an owl to send for dragon dung by mail," Neville's ears turned bright red. "Professor Sprout has helped me so much already, I don't want to bother her again..."
Harry blurted out, "Even if you can't go to the Owlery, why don't you just borrow an owl?"
At Harry's question, Neville stood by the window, at a loss. Mimbulus Mimbletonia, which had been comfortably enjoying Neville's gentle loosening of its soil, felt him stop and immediately shook its pustules in displeasure. Neville instinctively placed his hand on the Mimbulus Mimbletonia's head. "Sleep, little baby, sleep. Tomorrow I'll take you out for some sun—" He didn't finish his sentence before a spurt of foul-smelling liquid sprayed all over his head.
Harry couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Haha... Tomorrow, you can use my Hedwig. She's gained nearly a pound; a little exercise would do her good."
Seeing Harry lie back down, Neville silently wiped the liquid from his face. "Thank you, Harry."
"Don't mention it. Just stop using owl droppings as fertilizer, alright? It really stinks. I don't know how they manage to sleep," Harry said lazily.
---
The next morning, Hermione burst into Harry's dormitory without an invitation. It was her first time entering the boys' dormitory, and without an invitation at that, but she was just too eager to know what Dumbledore and Harry had discussed yesterday.
Harry was lying flat on his bed, one arm draped over his head, still sound asleep. Hermione first gazed at Harry's sleeping face for a moment, then reached out and mercilessly shook him. "Harry, Harry! Wake up!"
Harry's eyelashes fluttered. The hand on his forehead slid down, covering half his eye, clearly still struggling to shake off the deep slumber. With Hermione's persistent efforts, Harry finally opened his eyes.
Harry looked at Hermione, wanting to say something, but only managed a muffled groan from his throat. "Uh, you..."
"What's all the racket so early in the morning?!" Ron's voice suddenly boomed from his bed. He sat up, his red hair a messy bird's nest, and squinted sleepily at Hermione. His leg accidentally knocked the bed frame, making him wince in pain. Ron instinctively pulled his blanket up to cover his bare chest. "Merlin's beard! How did you get in here?!"
Seamus, in the corner, was also woken by Ron. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. Seeing Hermione standing by Harry's bed, he chuckled softly. "Are you two not even trying to be discreet anymore? At least give us a heads-up so we can leave."
At Seamus's words, Ron looked utterly bewildered, clearly not understanding what Seamus was implying, but Dean was already snickering. Hermione's face instantly flushed red. She glared at Seamus, both embarrassed and angry.
Harry was now fully awake. "Hermione, go wait for me outside. I'll be right out."
The moment Harry finished speaking, Hermione dashed out. "Sorry, I forgot you were still asleep..."
After Hermione left, Harry calmly got dressed, then took out his wand and pointed it at Seamus. "Petrificus Totalus. For the sake of being in the same dormitory, I'll only give you a small lesson, so you understand that some things shouldn't be said lightly."
Dean's laughter abruptly stopped. He was startled by the sudden spell. "It was Granger's fault! She woke us up first!" Dean whispered.
"You're very clever," Harry said. "Too bad Hermione is my good friend." Harry then picked up his trunk and walked out.
Neville opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, said nothing, simply stroking his Mimbulus Mimbletonia in silence.
After Harry left, Ron finally processed what had happened. "Merlin's red underwear! How could Harry do that!"
Neville also climbed out of bed. "Seamus really went too far this time. It's no wonder Harry got angry over a joke like that."
Ron didn't bother arguing with Neville. He took out his battered wand, pointed it at the petrified Seamus, and nothing happened. Ron's ears turned red as he put away his wand. "Who here knows how to undo a Full Body-Bind Curse?"