You pause just long enough that Hartmann doesn't know what you're about to do, and then you cross the room to the window and slide it open. "No one gets hurt," you say. "All that happens is we get some spare time."
Hartmann draws themself up to their full height, but you stand firm, meeting their gaze. Very deliberately, you duck out of the window, and Max follows.
There's a strong trellis to cling onto, and well-worn footholds in the wall; you climb enthusiastically while Max guides you down, and your feet quickly hit solid ground.
Next
Max circles past Clemency and leads you around the quad to the Grace Building. "I made a stash last year," he tells you, rummaging beneath one of the box hedges. "And the fifth-years are too stupid to find it. Ah!"
Triumphantly, he shows you a dark bottle and tosses it to you. You catch it with ease.
"Thanks for sticking up for me with Hartmann," Max says as you stride away from the quad, to the edge of the woods. "They can be a real prig. Ever since Lady Renaldt made them a prefect, they've been even worse."
He throws himself next to a tree and holds out a hand for the bottle.
"Come and sit. You don't have to have any of this if you don't want it."
He takes a generous swig and wipes his mouth, leaning against the tree.
An Owl Hoots
Max startles at the sound of the owl, and then laughs freely. Tilting his head to survey the stars, he says, "Do you ever get the feeling that you're standing still when everything's rushing around you, and you need to rush along with them to keep up?"