163: Chapter 163 Three Days of Excessive Sleep

"Wake up, McGonagall is watching you."

Draco's voice drilled in from the left, carrying an irrepressible urgency.

Allen Potter was slumped over his desk in Transfiguration Class, his forehead hair obscuring his eyes, a quill still clutched between his fingers.

A beetle sat on the desk; other students had already turned their beetles into buttons, but the one in front of him was just crawling around the inkwell.

Draco nudged him with his arm.

Allen Potter didn't move.

Professor McGonagall stood before the podium, her gaze from behind her spectacles falling on the back row of Slytherin.

"Mr. Potter."

The classroom went silent.

Ron turned his head to look, muttering, "Is he asleep again?"

Hermione sat in the front row, her quill stopped, no smile on her face.

She looked at Allen Potter, then at the two extra drafts on Draco's desk.

Professor McGonagall walked down from the podium. "Mr. Potter."

Draco braced himself. "Professor, he might have been studying too late last night."

"Mr. Malfoy, I am calling Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall stopped by the desk, her voice suppressing the entire classroom. "Hogwarts classes do not encourage students to participate by sleeping."

Zabini lowered his head, swallowing his laughter.

Nott wrote "Third time" on the edge of his textbook.

Allen Potter finally lifted his head; there were bloodshot streaks in his eyes, his fingertips pressing against the edge of the desk.

"Professor."

Professor McGonagall looked at him for two seconds. "Please turn the beetle into a button."

Allen Potter picked up his wand.

The moment the tip of his blackthorn wand pointed at the beetle, the space on the desk shifted slightly.

The beetle vanished from beside the inkwell in an instant, appearing the next moment under Draco's quill.

Draco's hand shook, and he nearly crushed the beetle.

The whole class let out a low chuckle.

Professor McGonagall's brows furrowed. "Mr. Potter, is your target over at Mr. Malfoy's side?"

Allen Potter paused for a second. "A mistake."

"Five points from Slytherin." Professor McGonagall turned back to the podium. "Write a twelve-inch make-up essay on the transformation process after class. Mr. Malfoy, no ghostwriting."

Draco's face immediately stiffened.

Ron laughed until his shoulders shook, only to be poked by the corner of Hermione's book.

After the bell rang, Professor McGonagall called Allen Potter over.

"Mr. Potter, you have slept in class four times in the last three days."

Draco, holding his books, stood nearby and spoke up preemptively. "Professor, he overtrained during the summer."

Professor McGonagall looked at him. "Mr. Malfoy, I believe Mr. Potter has his own tongue."

Allen Potter put his books into his bag. "A sleep issue. I will adjust."

"You need to go to the Hospital Wing."

"Not necessary." Allen Potter answered quickly.

Professor McGonagall's gaze grew heavy. "This is not a suggestion."

Draco immediately interjected. "Madam Pomfrey gave him rest advice last time, Professor. He just didn't sleep on time."

Nott turned back from the door and handed over a piece of parchment. "Professor, Potter has indeed been catching up on essays recently. Professor Snape added extra assignments."

Professor McGonagall took it, and seeing the dense list of Potion essay topics, her expression hardened further.

"Severus shouldn't make third-year students write so much."

Zabini added from the doorway, "There's also the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class book report, Professor."

Professor McGonagall returned the parchment to Nott. "Mr. Potter, go to sleep before ten tonight. If you continue to sleep in class tomorrow, I will personally escort you to the Hospital Wing."

Allen Potter nodded. "Yes."

Walking out of the classroom, Draco immediately dragged him over to a suit of armor in the corridor.

"Did you hear that? Personally escort you to the Hospital Wing. Once Madam Pomfrey examines you, Dumbledore, Snape, and Lupin will be lining up at the door."

Zabini shifted his bookbag to his other shoulder. "And Granger. She'll pretend to be passing by to borrow books."

Nott opened his notes. "In three days, your sleep duration has increased from six hours to ten, yet you still black out during the day. The Laws of Time are draining your stamina."

Allen Potter leaned against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment. "The assessment is consistent."

Draco laughed in anger. "Are you satisfied?"

"It means the method is effective," Allen Potter said. "The cracked pocket watch permeates during sleep; it's gentler than active contact."

Nott frowned. "Gentle enough that McGonagall wants to send you to the Hospital Wing?"

"The cost is controllable."

Draco shoved three assignments at him. "What's not controllable is me. Transfiguration Class, Potion Class, Defense Against the Dark Arts; three drafts. I was writing until one last night."

Allen Potter took them and flipped through two pages. "The handwriting is too much like yours."

"No kidding, of course it's like mine," Draco lowered his voice. "You're still being picky?"

"Next time, have Nott draft the sentence structure."

Nott nodded. "Fine. Draco can transcribe it, keeping a few spelling errors to reduce suspicion."

Draco glared at the two of them. "What do you take me for?"

Zabini answered quickly, "A legal transcribing tool."

Draco nearly drew his wand.

Allen Potter put the assignments away. "Starting tonight, change the training rhythm. The cracked pocket watch will only make contact for fifteen minutes during deep sleep; the Void will be responsible for cutting it off. No touching it during the day, no expanding the Portable Space, no researching fangs, and no interrogating Peter."

Nott recorded it. "Add one point: drink hot pumpkin juice before class to reduce the chance of passing out directly."

Zabini added, "If he falls asleep, Draco blocks first, Nott records the Professors' reactions, and I'm responsible for luring Granger away."

Draco looked at him. "How will you lure her?"

Zabini tapped his candy box. "Ask her if the time-turner violates school rules."

Allen Potter opened his eyes. "Don't touch her tools."

"I'll just ask about the class schedule," Zabini shrugged. "She'll spend three minutes correcting me first."

Draco looked at Allen Potter. "What about Madam Pomfrey?"

"Block her."

"How?"

Allen Potter looked at him. "You said I overtrained during the summer. Since the Malfoy Family private healer has already seen me, Madam Pomfrey might be unhappy, but she won't immediately force-feed me the full set of diagnostic Potions."

Draco heard this, his expression turning even worse. "You've even planned out how I should lie."

"You're prone to causing trouble when improvising."

"Thanks a lot."

At lunch, Hermione stood up from the Gryffindor table with her plate and walked to the edge of the Slytherin table.

She didn't get too close; Harry and Ron followed behind, Ron's face showing his reluctance.

"Allen Potter," Hermione began, "you've been in a very bad state recently."

Draco blocked them first. "Granger, Slytherin students don't need Gryffindor's concern."

Hermione didn't look at him. "In Transfiguration Class, your beetle vanished for an instant. That wasn't an ordinary mistake."

Ron whispered, "Hermione, leave him alone."

Harry looked at Allen Potter. "Have you touched something dangerous again?"

Allen Potter picked up his cup. "I haven't slept enough."

Hermione immediately retorted, "You've clearly been sleeping more."

Draco's expression changed. "You've been spying on him?"

"Anyone in the Library can see him sleeping slumped over," Hermione placed a book on the corner of the table. "Adolescent Magical Imbalance and Excessive Spellcasting. The Hospital Wing has a copy. You should go get checked."

Allen Potter glanced at the title. "Your borrowing period isn't up yet."

Hermione spoke quickly. "I can return it early. Don't treat your physical abnormalities as a secret; enough people almost died in the Chamber of Secrets last year."

Draco stood up. "Stop bringing up the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry pulled Hermione. "Let's go."

Hermione, however, looked at Allen Potter. "If you are having problems because of Spatial Magic, letting it drag on will leave permanent damage."

The circle of Slytherins at the table went quiet.

Nott's pencil stopped.

Zabini's candy box didn't make a sound.

Allen Potter looked up. "Granger, as for the books on Spatial Magic in the Library, don't borrow the version with the missing seventh chapter."

Hermione was interrupted. "What?"

"The missing pages will mislead you," Allen Potter pushed the book back. "I am not going to the Hospital Wing. And you shouldn't pack your schedule so full."

Hermione picked up the book, her face tight. "You really did know."

"I know you'll wear yourself out."

Ron was confused. "What time?"

Hermione turned around immediately. "Nothing."

After the three of them left, Draco sat down, suppressing his anger. "She guessed about the Spatial Magic."

"She guessed it long ago," Allen Potter said. "There just wasn't enough evidence."

Nott drew a line under "Granger". "She has started linking your physical abnormalities with the spatial mistakes."

Zabini looked towards the Gryffindor table. "She's about to hit her limit too. Right now, both sides are losing health."

Allen Potter finished his pumpkin juice. "That's why we need to stabilize before she does."

In the evening, after the lights in the dormitory went out, Allen Potter entered the Portable Space.

The cracked pocket watch lay in the ebony box, its blue light calmer than the previous night.

The Void coiled on the lid of the box, its tail wrapped an extra circle, like a living lock.

Allen Potter sat before the box and took out the new plan.

"One, pause active contact. Two, fifteen minutes of permeation during sleep. Three, physical recovery is priority. Four, Draco does make-up homework, Nott drafts, Zabini lures Granger away."

The tip of the Void's tail pressed onto the third point.

Allen Potter looked at it. "I know. Physical recovery is priority."

Peter lifted his head in the cage, seemingly wanting to laugh, but afraid to.

Allen Potter raised his wand, and the cage tightened by half an inch.

Peter lowered his head immediately.

Inside the ebony box, the cracked pocket watch made a soft sound.

Click.

This time, the blue light didn't explode but flowed along the cracks.

Allen Potter closed his eyes, and sleepiness instantly pressed down on him.

He whispered, "Sleep is also a form of training."

The Void's tail tip pressed against the cracked pocket watch.

The space fell quiet.