With the entire school in an uproar, trying to sneak in a few more hours of sleep was clearly unrealistic.
So, still bleary-eyed, Lewis let himself be dragged toward the Great Hall by his roommates.
He had barely stepped out of Ravenclaw Tower when a hand suddenly seized his.
Before he could react, he was pulled into a tight embrace.
The scent of shampoo filled his nose, and the soft warmth pressed against his chest told him immediately that the person hugging him was a girl.
Being openly embraced in public by a girl left Lewis momentarily embarrassed.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his roommates already grinning and nudging one another.
When he looked closely, he realized it was Cho Chang.
"Why did you do something so dangerous last night?"
She tightened her arms around him.
"When I heard what happened, I thought… I thought I was going to lose you."
More students began noticing the scene, whispering and pointing.
Only then did Cho seem to realize what she had done.
Flushing, she reluctantly released him.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Cho."
Lewis smiled reassuringly and flexed one arm.
"See? I'm perfectly fine."
He casually cast a Muffliato field around them, blocking out the surrounding noise and granting them a measure of privacy.
"That's… good."
Without all the eyes and ears around them, Cho seemed to relax, though her voice remained hesitant.
"Could you… maybe not do things like this again?"
"I was really scared."
She truly was.
Cho had always been the type of girl content with a simple, peaceful life.
She liked Lewis because he was handsome, brilliant, famous within Ravenclaw, and a fellow Chinese student.
But Lewis's tendency to throw himself into increasingly dangerous adventures was far outside the sort of life she imagined.
Lewis sighed.
"For that request, all I can say is… I'll try."
Cho frowned.
"Why?"
She genuinely didn't understand.
"Why do you all keep doing these dangerous, reckless things?"
"Is it really that exciting?"
"Why do you have to risk your lives to prove yourselves?"
"Why not leave it to Professor Dumbledore? That's his responsibility."
Lewis met her eyes steadily.
"Because I have the ability to do it."
"Because I believe I can."
"I believed I could defeat Quirrell."
"I believed I could kill the chimera."
"I believed I could handle the basilisk."
"I believe I can become someone who changes things."
"So I act."
"That's who I am."
He paused before continuing.
"I'm very happy that you like me, Cho."
"But I'm sorry."
"I can't promise to stop."
For a moment, Cho lowered her gaze in disappointment.
Lewis assumed this was where she would give up.
The Cho Chang of the original story was a girl rooted firmly in ordinary life.
She wanted romance, stability, and a normal school experience.
She admired heroes—but she did not want to live their lives.
Harry needed someone who could fight beside him through life and death.
Cho had always seemed more like a flower blooming safely inside a greenhouse.
Lewis had thought her feelings for him were merely a mixture of admiration and a schoolgirl crush.
He had underestimated the stubbornness of a teenage girl.
A few moments later, Cho raised her head.
In her eyes, Lewis saw a determination he had never noticed before.
"I understand."
Her voice was calm but unwavering.
"Maybe I can't fight beside you like Ciri or Hermione."
"But I'll do my best to keep up with you."
"No matter what happens, I'll be here waiting for you."
Then, ignoring the students watching nearby, she hugged him once more before turning and walking away.
Lewis watched her retreating figure, genuinely caught off guard.
Was this reaction born from competitiveness with Hermione and Ciri?
Or simply from her unwillingness to lose him?
Whatever the reason, Cho Chang had taken a step onto a path very different from the one he remembered.
After dealing with Cho, Lewis acted as though nothing unusual had happened and continued toward the Great Hall.
Their embrace outside Ravenclaw Tower spread quickly as gossip, but thanks to Lewis's reputation—and the fact that the Chamber of Secrets was still the school's hottest topic—he encountered surprisingly little harassment.
Only a few of his roommates dared tease him.
When he entered the Great Hall, he received another enthusiastic welcome.
Fred and George Weasley were waiting by the doors.
The moment they saw him, they rushed forward and took turns hugging him.
"Thanks for saving little Ronnie!"
Even Percy approached and solemnly offered his thanks.
Many other students came over as well, especially Muggle-born students and friends of those who had been Petrified.
Looking around, Lewis saw that Hermione and Ciri were receiving similar treatment.
"Since you spent all night in the Chamber, you probably missed dinner."
Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater set down several chilled goblets of pumpkin juice and a large plate piled with food.
"I originally prepared this for Ciri," she said, "but there's enough for you too."
Then she added with a mildly reproachful tone:
"Why do you always drag Ciri into such dangerous situations?"
Lewis blinked.
"You think she shouldn't come?"
He glanced toward Ciri.
"She actually enjoys these adventures."
Penelope sighed dramatically.
"Damn it."
"You understand her better than I do, and I'm her best friend."
She crossed her arms.
"Fine. Either don't take her next time…"
"Or bring me too."
At that moment, another wave of cheers erupted.
Rubeus Hagrid, freshly released by the Ministry of Magic, had entered the Great Hall.
A short while later, Dumbledore rose to make his announcements.
He awarded Lewis, Ciri, and Hermione one hundred points each for solving the mystery of the Chamber, defeating the basilisk, and rescuing two students.
While slightly fewer than the extravagant two hundred points Harry had received in the original timeline, the award felt comparatively fair.
Ravenclaw, already leading by a substantial margin, now secured an overwhelming advantage in the race for the House Cup.
Lewis stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"It seems Dumbledore is starting to take special care of me too."
He quickly understood the headmaster's reasoning.
The old wizard was probably trying to avoid repeating his mistakes with Tom Riddle.
He did not want excessive suspicion or neglect to push another exceptionally gifted young wizard toward the dark side of magic.
When Professor McGonagall stood to speak, the excitement in the Great Hall reached its peak.
To calm everyone after a semester of fear and anxiety, the school had decided to cancel the end-of-year exams.
The only exceptions were the Ministry-administered O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. examinations, which had already been completed.
The Great Hall exploded with deafening cheers.
Among the celebration, however, a handful of academically minded students let out tragic groans.
Hermione Granger's wail was by far the loudest.
After the feast, Lewis headed to the hospital wing to visit Harry and Ron.
There, he arrived just in time to see Lucius Malfoy storming out, clutching the tattered remains of Tom Riddle's diary.
Behind him, Harry stood with a smug grin.
Beside Harry was the house-elf Dobby, positively radiant with joy.
Apparently Harry had just managed to trick Lucius into freeing Dobby, costing the Malfoys their house-elf.
Seeing this, Lewis's eyes gleamed.
An idea struck him.
Without hesitation, he cast Greater Invisibility on himself and silently followed after Lucius Malfoy.
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