If you asked which House common room felt most unfamiliar to every Slytherin student, the first answer would undoubtedly be Gryffindor House, the House they could practically call their sworn enemy.
It could even be said that most Slytherin students at Hogwarts had never set foot in the Gryffindor common room by the day they graduated, let alone seen what it looked like.
Although the four Houses were all more or less the same in that their common rooms were not places where students from other Houses could simply wander in at will, none were quite as extreme as Slytherin and Gryffindor.
Every now and then, students who were on good terms could still be seen appearing in another House's common room.
In fact, there was no school rule explicitly forbidding students from entering another House's common room.
Hermione was a perfect example.
And today, Slytherin seemed about to break that precedent.
Though admittedly, they were doing it in a way that could not exactly be spoken of openly.
...
The eighth floor of the castle.
Compared to Slytherin House, which lay deep underground, Gryffindor House was located very high up in Hogwarts Castle.
It was worth mentioning that the Headmaster's Office was also on the eighth floor. Perhaps that said something about the wizarding world's fondness for Gryffindor.
In any case, as footsteps sounded, a boy and a girl in Gryffindor robes appeared in the eighth-floor corridor known as the Fat Lady Corridor.
As for why it was called the Fat Lady Corridor, that was apparently because a portrait of the Fat Lady hung at the end of it, and behind that portrait was the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.
"This should be the place."
"According to Hermione, as long as we give the right password, the Fat Lady will let us through, right?"
No one knew the witch's real name. Everyone simply called her the Fat Lady.
Although the Fat Lady was only a portrait, she took her duties very seriously. Not only did she strictly guard the entrance to Gryffindor, she would also remind and lecture the Gryffindor students from time to time, especially the ones who were always causing trouble.
Sometimes, even if you knew the password, she would not easily let through any wizard she found suspicious.
Rather than calling her a guard who watched the entrance, it was more accurate to say she was something like a dormitory matron.
"All right? We're going in."
"Phew, I'm ready, Dra... yes, I mean Neville."
The boy glanced at the girl beside him. "Don't forget to call me Neville Longbottom, Miss Ginny Weasley."
"Ahem. I won't forget."
If anyone had passed by and overheard their conversation, they would definitely have found it strange and rather off.
After all, no one talked like that.
On top of that, to anyone who knew the situation, this boy-and-girl pairing also seemed odd and unexpected.
Because the girl here was Ginny Weasley, who was fairly popular across all the Houses.
But the one walking beside her was Neville Longbottom, the boy with a round face, a slightly chubby build, and an utterly unremarkable appearance.
One was a pretty girl who was well liked wherever she went.
The other was an ordinary wizard with poor grades and somewhat muddled behavior.
Although they were not exactly a beauty-and-the-beast pair, they truly did not look harmonious walking together. There was even something faintly jarring about it.
Not to mention, the two of them were not exactly close friends.
And yet Ginny and Neville, who normally would not have exchanged more than a few words, had somehow ended up together today, even whispering to each other intimately as though no one else were around.
Anyone who saw this scene would definitely wonder whether there was something wrong with their eyes.
...
The Gryffindor Common Room.
Compared to Ravenclaw's private library, Hufflepuff's plain simplicity, and Slytherin's design, which seemed more suited for dealing with enemies than resting, the Gryffindor Common Room was more like a banquet hall meant for wizards to play and celebrate in.
The wine bottles that had not yet been cleared away said plenty about what had just happened here.
Red.
It represented Gryffindor's passion and courage, and it was also the dominant color of the common room.
It was a very comfortable-looking circular room, filled with soft armchairs. As for the small tables that should have been used for copying... for reviewing lessons, they were instead covered with all kinds of toys and games.
Wizard chess, prank props, miniature Quidditch. Anything but textbooks and homework.
It was worth mentioning that on one wall, there was actually a portrait of Professor McGonagall.
And it was Minerva McGonagall when she was young!
It made one wonder whether it had been placed there to warn these little lions not to forget that their Head of House was watching them.
Step.
After Ginny Weasley passed first through the doorway behind the Fat Lady's portrait, Neville... no, Draco, who had drunk the Polyjuice Potion not long ago and transformed into Neville Longbottom, also stepped into the circular room.
To avoid suspicion, Draco gave Pansy a small nod, then took the initiative to put some distance between them.
After all, Hermione had made it very clear that Ginny and Neville were not the sort of friends who could casually chat with each other.
Yes.
The ones who had just entered the Gryffindor common room were Draco and Pansy, who had drunk Polyjuice Potion mixed with the hair of Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom.
After giving Pansy a look that told her to keep her expression as natural as possible, Draco narrowed his eyes and began observing everything around him.
According to Hermione's information, there were not many wizards in the common room right now. This was their chance.
While imitating Neville's usual unconfident steps, Draco quickly swept his gaze over the entire common room.
And just as Hermione's information had said, there were not many little lions in the common room at the moment. Most of them were in their dormitories.
Most importantly, the real Ginny and Neville were not here.
That meant Hermione had completed her task perfectly.
After making a quick scan of the room, Draco confirmed that his identity would not be exposed right away. Only then did he turn his gaze toward the target of this operation.
It was the figure sitting in front of the fireplace, staring blankly into space.
It was Gryffindor's... Harry Potter!