Dragon had just left, and in their carelessness, Harry and his friends forgot their invisibility cloak, which was then discovered by Filch, who intended to take them to Professor McGonagall.
Suddenly, Ron and his friends realized that Allen, who had been standing next to them watching, had disappeared, and so had Hermione, vanishing without them noticing.
The next day, news of Gryffindor losing one hundred and fifty points spread among the students, and soon, everyone knew that Harry Potter and his friends had lost the points.
Harry, once the most admired, suddenly became the most despised, and many people began to attack him.
Every time Slytherin students saw him pass, they would whistle and cheer, saying, "Thank you, Potter, our great benefactor!"
"Who would have thought Norway got caught too? Luckily, Allen, you didn't get caught. By the way, why didn't you help Harry and the others?" Hermione asked, both relieved and puzzled.
"I went upstairs to get the invisibility cloak. Help them? With that cat around, if we got too close, we would have been discovered!" Zhao Lun explained.
He could have used his divine realm to help them escape from Filch, but he didn't. The divine realm, unless you're someone close to him, no stranger would ever know about it. Even if they wanted to, they would need his approval, and very few people could earn it.
He didn't have absolute power, and Harry and the others hadn't gained his approval, so Zhao Lun naturally wouldn't share his secret with them.
"What happened with Norway?" With Zhao Lun's help, Hermione hadn't been caught, but she was unaware of what happened in Professor McGonagall's office that night.
When they arrived at Harry and the others, they were all looking glum.
Norway was burying his face in a pillow, sobbing, the pillow completely soaked, and their attempts to console him were futile.
"Harry, this is yours," Zhao Lun handed him something.
"Oh! The invisibility cloak?!" Harry and Ron exclaimed.
"You forgot it yesterday, so I went to retrieve it. When I got back, you all…" Zhao Lun said, helpless.
"Luckily, you weren't caught. Otherwise, our points would have been completely deducted," Harry said, feeling somewhat relieved, then sighed again.
"What's there to fear about lost points? You can earn them back later," Zhao Lun comforted them.
"There were too many points deducted; we can't earn them back," Ron said.
Losing so many points was a huge blow to them, and their spirits were deeply affected. What made them even more miserable was that, aside from Zhao Lun and Hermione, no one else would speak to them. Others looked at them with disdain.
As a result, Harry and Ron decided to become obedient students, no longer causing trouble.
The exams were approaching, which pleased Harry because the intense revision allowed him to temporarily escape this gloom.
Every night, the two of them would study late into the night, trying to memorize the complex ingredients of potions, repeatedly reciting the incantations of spells and magic, and memorizing the dates of great inventions and devilish rebellions.
"They're really trying to correct themselves."
"They don't seem to be causing any trouble anymore."
Hermione observed them from afar, looking pleased.
"Heh."
"I'd bet, within a week, they'll be back to their old selves."
Zhao Lun laughed at her.
Hermione, who didn't believe him, replied, "No way!"
"Don't believe me? Just wait and see."
Zhao Lun didn't explain further; time would prove everything.
As Zhao Lun predicted, within a few days, Potter, who had decided to be a good boy and a righteous hero, began to rally his friends to defeat Snape.
"See, Hermione? I wasn't wrong."
When they split up, Zhao Lun waved at her.
"This... this can't be blamed on them," Hermione was at a loss for words.
Finally, their overdue punishment arrived: at eleven o'clock that night, Ron, Norway, and Harry were summoned to Filch's office.
"Harry, can I borrow your invisibility cloak?"
Before they went to face their punishment, Zhao Lun asked Harry if he could borrow the cloak.
"Sure," Harry replied.
"Thanks. Here, try some golden apricots."
Zhao Lun handed him a handful of golden apricots.
"Such beautiful apricots... Oh! They're so sour!" Harry exclaimed.
The apricots were indeed beautiful, with a lush golden hue. As soon as they were taken out, their fragrance filled the air. Harry couldn't resist and took a bite, only to have his teeth nearly sour from the taste.
"Harry, these fruits are specially cultivated to refresh the mind. If you eat one at night, you won't feel tired the next day."
"And the first bite may be sour, but the second will taste sweet."
Zhao Lun explained, taking a bite himself and clearly enjoying it.
"Don't you find it sour?" Harry asked, his teeth still aching.
"No, I like sour things, and sweet ones too. Hmm, now it's sweet," Zhao Lun said. Recently, he had developed a particular fondness for sweet and sour foods.
Harry took a cautious bite, and as Zhao Lun said, the golden apricot did indeed become sweet.
Just a few minutes before eleven, Harry arrived at Filch's office with Ron and Norway, but Zhao Lun was already nowhere to be seen.
"Hey! Allen!"
Just as they were about to leave, they saw that Hermione had already arrived.
"Hmm, Hermione."
He nodded without saying a word and walked out.
"Allen, where are you going?" Hermione asked, catching up with him.
Zhao Lun couldn't shake her off, so he decided to let her follow.
This was his second time wearing the invisibility cloak. Honestly, this cloak had an incredibly powerful concealment ability. Only wizards of Dumbledore and Voldemort's caliber, like Snape, might detect them. But unless they were very close or making large movements, they would remain undetected.
The Forbidden Forest was a student's restricted area, off-limits to all students.
Those who entered were either being punished or sneaking in, like Zhao Lun and his friends.
The forest was eerily quiet, with only the distant sound of insects, and the faint glow of the crescent moon illuminating the surroundings.
Hermione, who had followed Zhao Lun into the forest, regretted it immediately. She clutched his cloak, trembling.
Zhao Lun could feel the usually brave girl shivering.
"Don't be afraid, just stay alert. There's nothing to fear here," he reassured her, walking steadily.
Though the Forbidden Forest was dark, it didn't faze him. With the moonlight and the help of his mind's eye, he could easily navigate the terrain, moving through it as easily as in broad daylight.
With Zhao Lun's reassurance, Hermione's fear eased.
In the original book, the Forbidden Forest was home to centaurs, werewolves, unicorns, and even the giant spiders that Hagrid kept, as well as Hagrid's brother—the giant.
It could be said that the forest was a sanctuary for all kinds of strange creatures.
The forest had already been claimed by these creatures, and even wizards who entered could be attacked.
The invisibility cloak worked well; they walked through the forest, witnessing things they had never seen before, and those creatures never noticed them.
At that moment, Zhao Lun had already taken out his wand, a gold-red wand that emitted a gentle aura, making both him and Hermione feel at ease.
"Look! What's that!"
Under the silver moonlight, a silver-white figure was running in panic.
"A unicorn!" Zhao Lun recognized it immediately.
Whoosh! Thud! In the dark forest, a gray-green light was repeatedly attacking the unicorn.
"Someone's attacking it!" Hermione said, her hands shaking as she drew her wand, determined to save the unicorn.
"Hold on! You signal, and I'll save it!" Zhao Lun grabbed her, speaking firmly.
"But—"
"No time! Hurry!"
At that moment, the unicorn had been struck and lay on the ground, motionless. Its attacker, a cloaked wizard, appeared, holding a knife, preparing to drain the unicorn's blood.
"Shadowstrike!"
A silent spell was cast.
Boom! The target was hit.
"Idiot! You're under attack!" a cold, raspy voice echoed.
"Master... Master..."
"Kill him!"
The black-robed wizard was suddenly surrounded by two voices.
"Avada!"
A sickly green light shot toward them.