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"Max!" Hermione hissed at me angrily as soon as I sat down at the House table next to her. "You behaved extremely irresponsible and reckless! Harry told everything, and to be honest, I didn't expect this from you.

"What could I do?" I shrugged my shoulders, smiling and putting the stewed meat on my plate. "It was necessary to decide something."

"And you decided to go hunting a magical creature of the fifth hazard class? Perfectly! I want to hit you with something hard. You said by yourself that we need to be careful, so what?"

"But I killed it."

"And it could be the other way around!"

Hermione glared at me for a few more seconds but calmed down, seeing that she was starting to draw too much attention to our persons.

"I suppose you also got points for breaking all the rules."

"No, you didn't guess."

"What then?"

"I asked the headmaster for admission to the forbidden section. For the two of us. For a year."

Hermione looked at me in surprise and immediately climbed up to hug me.

"Great! How great!"

However, she pulled back after a second.

"But the exchange is not equivalent."

We started eating, during which the headmaster, who was sitting at the head of the teacher's table with a contented look, asked no one to leave after the meal - he had an announcement."

"For those who were unable to participate in our humble midnight feast," Dumbledore said, rising from the table. "I am happy to inform you that in connection with the elimination of the threat to the school, the professors and I considered it permissible to cancel the annual exams. Except to the ministerial O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. Unfortunately, you have to take these exams."

For a while, Dumbledore said something about his beloved unity and solidarity in difficult times, but I did not listen to him. The main thing is that everything is in order. Yes.

Until I left school, there was not a cloud in the sky, which added to the atmosphere of general relief. Apparently, Harry and Ron hadn't told anyone other than Hermione and the professors about our adventure. And Dumbledore, this time, did not announce to the whole school about who and for what he was awarded four hundred points. But even so, it was clear that it was Potter. At least everyone thought so, I bet.

The cancellation of exams somewhat upset Hermione because she was preparing, albeit not as fanatically as last year. But we were finally able to do enough magic, arranging fierce duels with each other, repeatedly smashing our beloved class into dust. We made a couple of notes about what books to look for during the holidays, made a more or less decent-looking plan for further study of subjects, in general, had a pretty good time.

On the train, on the way to London, the local Gryffindor gossips, Lavender and one of Patil ... What is it?! Can't I remember which of them is in which House? Something is wrong here. In general, this couple managed to "squeeze" Hermione out of me, so I went in search of adventure.

It turned out that it was not so easy to do this because the only source of trouble, Draco Malfoy and Company, were completely quiet after Lucius was expelled from the school board of trustees. The rest, both the elders and the younger ones, usually arrange squabbles directly with their peers. So I walked through the wagons until I came across a cheerful compartment. There were Harry, Ron, Ginny, the twins, and, oddly enough, Justin. Justin Finch-Fletchley. Like, he apologizes so much for his words and delusions that he even traveling with the "insidious heir" in the same compartment now?

I distracted the guys from playing some kind of magical card game. I have never been interested.

"Hello. What are you doing?"

They looked at me as if I personified the "Second Coming."

"Max? Hello," Potter waved his hand amiably, straightening his slightly rickety glasses.

"Something died in the forbidden forest," George or Fred looked at George. Or Fred.

"Something very big ..."

"... and very dangerous ..."

"… Since the Gryffindor Knight decided to reveal himself to the people."

"Am I the only one who thinks that the twins should have been born as one person, but something went wrong?"

"You're right," Justin waved his hand while everyone else smiled at a simple joke. "We are not represented. Justin. Justin Finch-Fletchley."

The guy got up and held out his hand.

"Max. Max Knight."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Mutually. Well, I walked through the wagons and looked for problems for myself. Do you have them?"

The twins looked at each other, but I immediately said:

"Not you two. Your problems are too problematic."

"And what else should they be?" they asked at the same time but stopped reaching for their luggage on the upper shelves.

"Well, you can practice spells with us. We are just trying to conjure up enough before the holidays."

"Hmm, sure, why not."

I went into the compartment. There was still plenty of room.

"What spell are you practicing?"

"Harry shows us disarming," Ginny said with such pride, shaking her fiery red hair that I smiled.

"Yes? Come on, show me," I took out my wand and slowly pointed in the direction of Potter, but pointing at the ceiling.

"Okay," a little shyly, he pointed his wand at mine.

"Expeliarmus," his movement was careless and fast, his diction was of high quality. The ray was weak, but strong is not needed here.

My wand popped out of my hands and, in a short arc, flew right into Harry's hand.

"Hmm, not bad," I praised the guy.

"Not bad?!" the redhead was indignant but with a smile. "Harry is the best of us with this spell."

"Even we agree with that," one of the twins confirmed, exchanging glances with the other.

Harry handed me my wand.

"Since we're talking about magic," I put my wand into the holster. "Harry. Are you going to develop your talent?"

"Talent?"

The guys looked at each other, wondering which one.

"Parseltongue."

This made everyone silent.

"Don't get it wrong, folks, but ... I noticed that you have to concentrate for a very long time to speak it."

"Yes. It's hard to speak the snake tongue," the guy nodded without enthusiasm.

"I mean, you never know what can come in handy in life. Imagine that snake from the dueling club for a second. Justin, I'm sure you remember that."

"Yeah. I was very frightened."

"That's it! What if that snake would have been more fearful or more aggressive? While you were "warming up," it would have time to bite someone.

"But it's a dark gift," Ron shook his head. "If Harry will speak serpentine very well, then people will think that he is very good at dark magic as well."

"The whole Hogwarts already knows that Harry speaks in Parseltongue," I could hardly restrain myself from shrugging the shoulders. "And so, one day, it can save someone's life because snakes are obliged to obey the Parselmouth if they don't have an owner. Who knows what will come in handy in life.

They seemed to agree but without enthusiasm. I don't know what prompted me to issue such an offer.

For about half an hour, I hung out with the guys, conjured little things, transfigured every little thing into buttons, according to the school curriculum, then into something else. When Ginny started to tell Percy's secrets, I tactfully left the compartment and walked back.

Entering our compartment with Hermione, I found the girl alone and in a very exhausted state.

"What happened?"

"These gossips buzzed all over my ears. Incredible! How can girls talk so much about such nonsense?! It's just phenomenal!"

The rest of the time, we drove under my story about the Chamber of Secrets. This is the third story already, Hermione needed details. Well, I shifted the accents so that she couldn't learn anything new about me. Sooner or later, in order to maintain a friendship, I will have to reveal several cards, but it seems to me that the longer I wait, the more difficult it will be to do this — a typical problem of those who hide something from others.