Shrill screams filled the classroom.

If before Halloween only a handful of students in Dawn’s dormitory and House knew anything about him, then after the Daily Prophet printed his story, every student in Hogwarts remembered his face.

Draco Malfoy looked terrified, scrambling backward on hands and feet.

It was hard to blame him.

After what he experienced during the Halloween incident—being stripped of his clothes and hung from the ceiling—no one in Hogwarts believed more firmly than Malfoy that Dawn was a dark wizard through and through.

Any act of cruelty seemed possible.

So when a supposed murderer appeared in front of him in the middle of class, his panic was inevitable.

On the other side— Ron Weasley looked like Malfoy’s mirror image.

The red-haired boy’s face was pale. He jolted upright, grabbed Harry, and dragged him toward the crowd.

“Hurry, Harry! He must be here to kill you. He must be! We need to hide!”

Ron babbled nonstop as he pulled his friend away, fully convinced of Dawn’s evil nature.

After all, in order to enjoy the attention and admiration he’d been receiving for the past month, Ron had repeatedly exaggerated the conversation he overheard between Dumbledore and Dawn that night.

He claimed he had always known the truth about Dawn being a dark wizard. And the more he said it, the more he believed it.

Harry, caught off guard, stumbled along, grabbing Hermione by instinct as she was still frozen in shock.

Chaos erupted through the room.

“Strange. You’re not afraid?” Dawn looked down at Neville.

The chubby boy’s face was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes—whether from being punched or from staying up late was unclear.

But Dawn saw nothing like fear in his eyes.

“I… I believe you’re a good person,” Neville stammered.

A good person?

Dawn let out a quiet laugh.

He felt something complicated rise inside him and opened his mouth to reply—

But at that moment, a cold voice cut between them.

°Expelliarmus°

Snape raised his wand and fired, taking advantage of the moment Dawn looked away. At the same time, he cast a discreet Levitation Charm, attempting to drag Neville out of danger.

But—

A shimmering barrier appeared between them, blocking both spells. Shattered light scattered where the magic collided.

A silent, wandless Shield Charm?

Impossible.

Snape stared at Dawn’s young face, feeling a twitch in his eyelid. The scene looked like something out of a Muggle science-fiction film.

Dawn faced the dissolving spells with surprising calm.

If this had been before Egypt, or more precisely, before meeting Dumbledore, Dawn absolutely would not have been capable of a wandless, wordless Protego.

But after that ordeal…

He found the flow of magic within him far easier to command.

If this were a game, a glowing icon above his head would say: Silent Casting +1, Wandless Casting +1.

Dawn suspected it came from the sheer clarity of his conviction after nearly dying.

Magic, after all, was shaped by the will. Constant practice was nothing compared to one moment of true transformation.

Silence fell briefly.

Snape’s tone was sharp. “Richter, state your purpose.”

“No purpose, Professor. I was just passing through.”

Dawn closed his eyes slightly, trying to steady himself. But the increasingly foul smell of the classroom only worsened his nausea.

Most of the students’ potions had gone wrong during the chaos, producing bizarre, putrid fumes.

Dumbledore could appear at any moment.

Dawn had no desire to linger here, but the repeated Apparitions had left him weak, dizzy, and drained. No wonder he fell out of the air right on top of Neville.

He needed to rest.

Just as he tried to steady himself— His robe was tugged from below.

He glanced down instinctively.

Neville whispered, “D-Dawn… your Silver Star Herb… I’ve been taking care of it…”

What?

Dawn blinked, stunned.

Silver Star Herb?

It took him several seconds to even remember what Neville was talking about.

Back when Dumbledore had encouraged him to make friends, Dawn had given the herb to Neville to spare him embarrassment during a conversation.

Dawn had completely forgotten about it.

But Neville hadn’t. Even after Dawn fled Hogwarts and became a wanted wizard, Neville had continued caring for the plant.

And from his tone, it sounded like he’d been doing it just for Dawn.

A strange, soft feeling rose inside him. “Thank you, Neville. I’ve always known you were the best.”

He bent down and smiled.

The sincere praise turned Neville completely stiff with embarrassment.

Gradually, the chaos in the classroom quieted, leaving only a few stray screams and the crackle of flames beneath cauldrons.

Snape made no new moves.

Neville was still beside Dawn, and while Snape didn’t particularly like the clumsy boy, he wasn’t about to risk Neville’s life by provoking Dawn again.

And Dawn?

He was perfectly happy with the silence.

He downed a vial of mental restoration potion and forced whatever strength he could muster into his exhausted body.

Thankfully, Hogwarts’ anti-Apparition barrier—and the fact that Dumbledore did not have Fawkes with him—meant the old headmaster could not instantly appear here.

This gave Dawn precious minutes to recover—and a chance to escape.

Dumbledore had said Apparition was useless in front of him. But that applied only if Dumbledore saw him cast it.

If Dawn used Apparition without being seen, the old headmaster wouldn’t be able to track him as easily.

It was worth trying.

So he chose Hogwarts.

If he Apparated again before Dumbledore arrived, he might truly escape.

Boom!

A sudden explosion erupted in the corner.

One of the overheated cauldrons finally reacted violently, spraying droplets of thick green potion everywhere.

Snape instinctively cast a defensive charm to shield the students from the splatter.

And Dawn decided it was time.

“Sorry, Neville. I’m in a rush. We’ll talk next time.” He said softly, and before the boy could react, Dawn vanished in a flash of flames.

Neville reached out, grasping at empty air.

This time, Dawn did not leave the castle. He headed for the Room of Requirement.

If he Apparated inside that labyrinth, Dumbledore would need far more effort to identify the correct room—and Dawn’s traces would be harder to detect.

After Dawn left, the screams slowly faded.

Snape’s expression darkened as he ordered the students to clean the mess. A wanted criminal had appeared inside Hogwarts.

He wanted to alert the staff immediately— But he feared that if he stepped out, Dawn might return, putting the students in danger.

Especially that green-eyed fool.

Just as Snape decided to send a Patronus with the message… A burst of scarlet flame erupted at the center of the classroom.

°Stupefy°

Snape spun sharply, certain Dawn had returned. He fired without hesitation.

___________

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