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Upon Josephine's return to her dorm, she makes a deliberate effort to maintain silence while recording the acquired information.
Subsequently, she faces the task of concealing it effectively, leveraging the nightstand adjacent to her bed with its myriad of covert compartments.
Gently, Josie cracks it open and discreetly tucks the piece of paper beneath her belongings.
Upon completion, she exhales a sigh of relief, noting her surprise that the majority of her dorm mates have already succumbed to slumber, despite the relatively early hour. Notably, Dorcas is conspicuously absent.
With that, Josephine proceeds to prepare for bed.
Once her head meets the pillow, she swiftly drifts into a deep slumber.
~~~
Sleep continued to elude her, plagued once more by yet another nightmare. However, at least the day is drawing to a close, and she finds herself seated next to Regulus in Potions.
With the class winding down, time seems to stretch endlessly. Leaning her head upon her hand, she attempts to take notes, though the professor's voice appears to grow fainter with each passing moment.
Her head involuntarily dips forward before she quickly straightens up. Regulus casts her a mixed look of amusement and concern.
A few moments later, a discreet note slides her way.
"Are you okay?"
She responds, "Yes, just tired," though Regulus continues to eye her with worry.
When Professor Slughorn finally declares the end of the class, Josephine gathers her books and exits alongside Regulus.
"I doubt I took any legible notes," she confesses.
Regulus chuckles softly. "You can borrow mine."
"Thanks."
"Do you want to go sit by the Black Lake?" he suggests, tilting his head.
"Sure," she agrees, realizing she has no pressing engagements for the day except for later patrol duty with him.
They stroll through the Hogwarts corridors until they reach the doors and step outside, making their way towards the Black Lake.
Despite the lingering chill, snow covers the ground sparingly.
As they approach the Black Lake, Josie discreetly scans their surroundings to ensure no one is nearby. She reaches into her bag and extracts a blanket, a bag she has expanded through a series of concealed charms and spells. This bag, which is usually hidden from prying eyes, is distinct from her regular school bag, which is currently undergoing repairs by Pandora.
Josephine is acutely aware that the alterations she has made to her bag is technically illegal, and she has studied the rules enough to know there is no official loophole—at least none recognized by the Ministry. Moreover, when she had enhanced the bag's capacity with advanced charms, they weren't scrutinizing for anything suspicious at the time. Things have changed since, but her bag is already altered.
