The Great Hall was empty beneath a starless midnight ceiling. Though curfew hadn't struck, a thick quiet muffled the castle corridors. Inside the library, the air smelled of old parchment and dust dancing in the dim light of magical lamps.

A girl with bushy hair sat hunched over a massive volume on ancient runes. Her quill scratched steadily against parchment, adding to a neat stack of notes. Nearby, a boy wearing a red tie struggled with his Potions homework, his brow furrowed in a look of near despair. He tapped his quill in frustration, the sound echoing through the silence.

A slight shift in the air signaled the approach of the grumpy caretaker. Moving with a predatory glide, he paused at the entrance, his face hidden in shadow as he sniffed the air suspiciously, searching for any sign of trouble before moving on.