"You're right," Ron said, managing a small, tired smile as he carried his Cleansweep broomstick with delicate care, wiping the thick sweat off his face with his sleeve. The sky had shifted into a deep indigo, making it obvious that it was getting late at night. "Blimey, Harry, I've honestly never met a worse, more toxic professor than Umbridge. I actually regret wiping out Gilderoy Lockhart's memories with that broken wand now; maybe he could have been brought back to teach us. At least his classes were funny."
By the time Harry and Ron finally reached the heavy oak doors of the castle, it was nearly the official curfew hour. As they stepped into the echoing stone foyer, their mud-splattered boots dragging, they instantly spotted Argus Filch descending the marble staircase.
The caretaker's weathered face immediately twisted into a sour, hostile expression when his eyes locked onto their messy practice gear.
"You two..." Filch began, his voice wheezing as he glanced suspiciously at the stone floor to check for wet footprints. Finding none thanks to the baseline charms of the pitch, he quickly adjusted his tone, his fingers twitching over his lantern, "Wandering about corridors so late... are you two planning a little unauthorized night tour of castle?"
"Mr. Filch, we just got back from our team training," Harry said calmly, keeping his voice level as his green eyes narrowed.
"You'd better be," Filch sneered, his breath smelling of stale cabbage. "Because if I catch you up to anything else outside your common room tonight, I am sure Professor Umbridge wouldn't mind me dragging your backsides down to the dungeons." His thin lips curled into a smug, triumphant grin. "After all these long years of neglect, the school finally has a real professor who knows what she's doing with discipline..."
Harry frowned deeply, his jaw tightening as the caretaker shuffled past them into the shadows. Leaning his shoulder closer to Ron's as they climbed the steps, he muttered, "Filch is getting annoying again."
"Yeah," Ron said dryly, his ears turning a faint pink. "Because someone with high Ministry authority is backing him up now."
Umbridge's arrival had emboldened Filch. With her seemingly aligned, tyrannical views on structural order, at least on the surface, the old caretaker had found an unexpected, powerful ally inside the staff room. His decades-long loyalty to Severus Snape, once the primary source of many of his empty threats to the children, had quickly shifted toward the new High Inquisitor.
Where he used to terrify younger students by threatening to report their infractions directly to Snape's office, he now leaned heavily on Umbridge's state authority. She, much to Filch's absolute delight, fully shared his harsh, archaic views on physical punishment, implementing rules significantly more severe than those enforced by any other professor in Hogwarts history.
She wielded enough political power from Fudge to change the school's internal policies at will, which only made the caretaker more arrogant and self-assured as he walked his rounds. He patrolled the Hogwarts corridors with a renewed, predatory zeal, desperate to catch students breaking the rules after dark.
In his twisted mind, if he caught enough offenders, it might finally justify the Ministry reopening the long-unused, chained dungeons for corporal punishment.
"What a nuisance..." Harry muttered under his breath once Filch was completely out of earshot. "And that horrible, twisted Umbridge..." he added in a hushed, venomous tone.
"Shh! Keep your voice down, mate," Ron warned instantly, a terrifying expression crossing his features as his hand clutched his broom handle. He looked around the shadows as if actively imagining the horrific sight of being dragged along the stone floor by heavy iron chains. "You don't want to be overheard by her spy wall. You know she's looking for a reason to lock you up again."
The warning made Harry quickly fall silent, but his inner sentiments remained perfectly clear. While Filch had always been thoroughly unpleasant and bitter, his behavior earlier in the year, before Umbridge arrived with her pink cardigans, had been perfectly tolerable in comparison.
Now, with her backing his administrative authority, he was becoming completely insufferable to the house tables.
xxxxxxx
At exactly a quarter to ten o'clock, Lucifer and Hermione made their silent way out of the Gryffindor common room. They were scheduled to patrol the corridors on the first floor this evening, using their Prefect status to watch for any younger students who might be wandering late after the curfew hour.
The sun had long since set over the mountains, leaving nothing but a pale, cold moonlight to peer in from the high arched windows as the two Gryffindors walked the empty stone halls.
However, the vast autumn sky was rapidly being covered by large, dark storm clouds; the air pressure plummeted, and it looked as though it was going to rain heavily before the clock struck midnight.
The magical candles were lit along the stone walls, shining just bright enough for them to clearly see what was right in front of them. The castle looked, for a total lack of a better word, absolutely magical after the sun set, the moving portraits whispering softly in their sleep as the torches flickered.
"I've always loved the castle at night," Lucifer admitted in a low, smooth whisper as he walked alongside his girlfriend, his large hand brushing against her sleeve. "Ever since our very first year here."
"Really? Would you care to tell me more about that?" Hermione smiled warmly, her amber eyes turning to look at his handsome profile, thoroughly intrigued by his rare nostalgic mood.
"It's quite strange, if I'm being perfectly honest," Lucifer chuckled softly, his deep voice rich in the quiet corridor. "I used to regularly sneak out late at night during many periods of our early terms. There was always something new, some hidden rooms or riddle pathways to explore. Damn, there are probably still secret places tucked inside this castle that I have yet to physically see with my own eyes."
Hermione tightly clenched her fists in a sudden wave of mock anger, a familiar spark of jealousy and possessiveness flaring up in her chest at what he said. She hadn't known a single thing about his dangerous, late-night sneaking activities back then; she had been too busy sleeping or studying the rules. She tried her absolute best to ignore her sudden irritation for the time being, forcing a teasing smile onto her face. "I'm sure you found plenty of alternative ways to entertain yourself in the dark, Lucifer," she joked, giggling a bit to hide her blush. "I bet you know the blueprints of this castle better than most of the faculty."
"Oh, absolutely," Lucifer smirked wickedly, feeling a slight, proud wave of satisfaction cross his features as he looked around, taking in the grand sight of the shifting staircases. "I bet I could give Hogwarts: A History a real run for its money if I wrote down my notes." He smiled to himself, remembering that Gellert Grindelwald's great-aunt, Bathilda Bagshot, had once historically tried to prevent the Ministry from awarding him his 'Order of Merlin, First Class,' out of pure, antiquated blood prejudice, and Age-line. That old historical writer was still somehow breathing down in Godric's Hollow, a testament to how slow witches time moved.
"Is that right?" She teased, her shoulder lightly bumping against his bicep. "And I am supposed to take your arrogant word for it, am I, Mr. Morningstar?"
Lucifer smiled mischievously, his eyes glinting as though a direct challenge had just been laid out for him by his clever girl. Within a fraction of a second, his long fingers reached out, taking Hermione's small hand firmly in his and pulling her body forward.
He shifted his stride, heading away from their assigned first-floor coordinates and walking straight toward the grand oak entrance doors that led outside to the dark grounds.
"Uh... where are we going, Lucifer?" She inquired in a breathless whisper, taken aback slightly by his sudden movement, yet she did nothing to protest his firm grip through her fingers, "What about our mandatory duty of patrolling halls?"
"Use your brilliant mind, Hermione. No student who is sneaking out after the curfew hour would ever be dumb enough to be found wandering on the main first floor," Lucifer laughed softly, checking the gold watch inside his pocket. "I want to show you something secret." When they reached the heavy oak threshold, he turned his body back to face the bushy-haired girl.
Their hands remained tightly interlocked in the dim light as his dark pupils gazed deeply into her eyes. "Do you trust me, pet?"
She gave a slow, bashful nod of her head, completely failing to hesitate for even a microsecond. Lucifer smiled warmly before turning back around and sliding the heavy entrance door open, just wide enough for the two of them to cleanly slip out onto the cool school grounds without alerting Filch's cat.
At night, the vast lawn in front of the castle transformed into an absolute grotto full of twinkling fairy lights. Hundreds of actual, living magical fairies were sitting quietly in the dense rosebushes that had been conjured there by the staff, their translucent wings fluttering softly over the stone gargoyle statues.
Lucifer led Hermione hastily past the glass greenhouses where their Herbology classes took place, navigating through the shadow of the vegetable patches toward the thick outskirts of trees surrounding the property. The secluded area was located perfectly between the edge of the Black Lake and the old stone boathouse.
"Lucifer, what the..."
Hermione's voice trailed off into a breathless gasp as she took a few more steps through the thick foliage, only to be led cleanly through to a hidden, beautiful clearing.
There, an old, peaceful-looking wooden dock stood as a quiet bridge between the dark water and the land. The dock looked incredibly worn and silvered by the weather, yet it was completely sturdy, as though it had been anchored there for decades, entirely overlooked by the public eye due to the dense weeping willows blocking it from the castle view.
The only visible light was the cold, smooth moonlight reflecting off the glass-like water, and yet the entire clearing was illuminated by a comforting, deeply romantic glow from the luminescent moss growing along the logs.
Lucifer stood back a pace, a satisfied smile on his lips as he watched his girlfriend step forward onto the wood, her face full of awe as she took in the private sight before her. The secret dock wasn't well-known to the student body at all, not many people in Hogwarts history knew of its coordinates but his instincts had felt like it was something Hermione would deeply appreciate.
"It's really beautiful," She breathed out in pure awe, her hand lifting to her chest. "How on earth did you find this place...?"
"Just a series of meaningless, late-night wanderings, pet," Lucifer said softly, answering the exact question that had yet to be finished by her lips. "It's one of the few places in this realm where I could actually sit and clear my head from the noise."
"Why are you showing it to me tonight?" Hermione asked, a sudden wave of self-doubt and vulnerability making her voice drop as she looked at her shoes. "I mean... I am incredibly flattered, Lucifer, truly. But I can't help but feel like I'm intruding on a sanctuary that is private and special to you."
Lucifer gazed at her soft face curiously for a long, quiet moment, taken aback slightly as to why his clever girl would ever think such a highly illogical thing. He saw her shift her weight awkwardly under his intense stare, her deep-seated insecurities about her heritage and her worth visible in the tight line of her shoulders.
Acting with a sudden, protective speed, he moved forward, cupping her warm cheeks securely in his large hands to force her face upward so she had no choice but to look him straight in the eyes.
"Hey," he called out in a comforting, velvety whisper, his thumbs gently wiping a trace of the wind from her skin. Hermione's eyes radiated an intense interest, locking onto his. "You're the most special thing in this entire world to me, pet. You know that, don't you?"
He watched her entire stance melt into his hands, her stubborn pride evaporating as she gave a soft nod against his palms. He leaned his forehead gently down against hers, closing his eyes as he whispered her family name against her lips. "Granger."
Hermione's ears immediately perked up at the sound, a heavy shiver running straight down her spine. Any remaining sense of anxiousness or self-doubt she had felt moments prior vanished entirely into thin air at the submissive whisper of her name.
"Morningstar," She whispered back, reciprocating the exact same firmness, depth, and confidence in their love as he did.
Lucifer smiled widely, a genuine warmth filling his chest as though he would never get tired of hearing her voice say his name. He knew his time in this timeline would eventually face its own cosmic end. Which was precisely why he savored every single microsecond he could possibly steal with Hermione, acting as though each private moment would be his last every time they touched.
Especially moments like this, where the rules of the Ministry didn't exist, and it was just the two of them in their own little world.
He leaned down smoothly, connecting their lips in a soft, deep, and lingering kiss that tasted of autumn air, before separating slowly. He moved to the very edge of the wooden dock, pulling Hermione along by her fingers. They both took a seat next to one another on the silvered wood, their legs dangling over the dark water as they looked out across the reflection of the stars.
Lucifer wrapped his long arm securely around Hermione's shoulders, pulling her soft body flush against his chest and placing a series of tender, lingering kisses against her forehead. She completely melted into his embrace, her head resting over his heart, finding the utmost safety and comfort inside his arms.
These were the good moments, the quiet, hidden ones that truly mattered in the grand calculus of his existence. Lucifer couldn't logically explain the mechanics of it, but whenever he was sitting with Hermione like this, she possessed a unique power that made him forget about all of his crushing cosmic problems.
His mind, his heart, and his soul were entirely consumed by her and only her; yet, he didn't seem to care about the lack of control. Instead, he considered himself the single luckiest guy in the world as he peered down to his right, his mouth falling slightly agape at the beauty that sat next to him. The pale moonlight reflected flawlessly off of Hermione's face, accenting her soft features and her long eyelashes in a beautiful, ethereal glow. This year or the next could very well be their last one together in this world, and wanted to breathe her in.
The autumn sky grew darker above the lake, the massive black clouds bunching together as they prepared to launch a heavy downpour across the grounds, and yet the silver moon still peered through the gaps in the vapor, making its presence known on the water.
"I think it's going to rain in a few minutes, pet," Lucifer whispered against her hair.
"I honestly hope it does," She admitted with a content, happy sigh, her fingers tracing the fabric of his robes. "I've always loved heavy thunderstorms."
Lucifer was intrigued by the detail, shifting his gaze back down upon his girlfriend's face, a soft smile curling on his lips as he rested his head back against hers. "Why is that?"
"I have no idea," She giggled softly, her nose nudging his collarbone. "They just always seemed so intensely romantic to me when I was younger... every girl wants a real, passionate kiss in the pouring rain, just like in the old movies."
"Is that right?" he murmured, an amused, deeply affectionate smile curling on his lips as he tightened his arm around her waist, his head resting against hers as they waited for the first drop to fall.
Hermione nodded happily into his chest; she had been smiling so much during their walk that the muscles in her cheeks had actually started to hurt. She wanted nothing more than to stay frozen in this exact moment for eternity, locked safely inside Lucifer's wrap.
She loved him more than she ever thought was humanly possible for a mortal soul, and inside his arms was the only place in the entire world where she truly felt at home.
Lucifer sighed, pulling her from her thoughts, as he looked down at his pocket watch, "We should probably get going, it's late."
"Noooo," She drawled, burying her head further into his chest and pouting slightly. "Just a little bit longer."
xxxxxxx
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