A loud "crack" broke the silence of the Gryffindor common room. Fortunately, no students were staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays this year, so there was no need to worry about the sound of a house-elf's Apparition inadvertently disturbing anyone's rest.
The common room was pitch black, and the air carried an inexplicable chill.
Hermione instinctively pulled her cloak tighter around herself, wrapped up more securely, and then drew her wand to cast a Wand-Lighting Charm. Using the faint glow from the tip of her wand to survey her surroundings, she gave a friendly smile to the house-elf beside her: "Thank you, Dobby. I can manage on my own from here."
Chapter 1515