As it turned out, the Weasley twins were professionals.
A few carefully placed scraps of food were enough to send Mrs.
Norris trotting off after a completely different scent trail.
Naturally, Filch followed right behind his beloved cat.
Just like that, the threat disappeared.
Hidden in the shadows, Alvin watched the pair’s handiwork and couldn’t help smiling.
The twins had always been among his favorite characters.
Even in his previous life, Fred and George had a talent for stealing every scene they appeared in.
No matter how serious the situation became, they always found a way to turn it into something ridiculous.
The thought of Fred’s eventual fate left an unpleasant heaviness in his chest.
Still…
That didn’t mean he couldn’t get a little payback.
After all, these two troublemakers had completely ruined what should have been a peaceful night of studying.
As Fred and George strolled down the corridor, blissfully unaware of the danger lurking behind them, Alvin quietly raised his wand.
A nearby suit of armor trembled.
Its helmet wobbled.
Then slipped free.
CLANG!
The metal crashed onto the stone floor with explosive force, the sound ricocheting through the corridor like cannon fire.
Fred and George nearly jumped out of their skins.
Both spun around instantly.
Nothing.
No students.
No ghosts.
No obvious culprit.
Just an innocent-looking helmet resting on the floor.
Then, from somewhere in the distance, came the familiar yowl of Mrs.
Norris.
Moments later followed the rapid footsteps of Argus Filch.
The twins exchanged a glance.
No discussion was necessary.
They turned and sprinted for the nearest staircase.
Alvin nearly burst out laughing.
Keeping a safe distance, he followed after them.
“Students out of bed!” “I’ll tell Filch!” A shrill voice suddenly echoed from above.
Alvin looked up.
Peeves.
Of course it was Peeves.
The poltergeist drifted around the corner, grinning so widely it looked painful.
Peeves had been enjoying a perfectly pleasant evening of harassment when he’d heard running footsteps.
Naturally, he’d gone to investigate.
The discovery of the Weasley twins immediately brightened his mood.
True, the pair were kindred spirits.
They appreciated chaos.
Mischief.
General public suffering.
But that only made tormenting them even more entertaining.
After all, Hogwarts could only have one true King of Pranks.
And that was Peeves.
“Hehehehe!” Peeves spun upside down in midair.
“Caught you, Weasley boys!” The twins skidded to a stop.
Peeves crossed his arms smugly.
“If you admit that Great Peeves is the greatest prankster in Hogwarts, I might let you go.” Fred and George exchanged a glance.
Then Fred smiled.
“Great Peeves.” “The greatest prankster in Hogwarts,” George continued solemnly.
Peeves puffed up proudly.
His grin widened.
Then both twins broke into laughter.
“In your dreams!” “The greatest pranksters are obviously us!” And they ran.
Again.
Leaving Peeves floating there in stunned silence.
A second later, the corridor erupted with an outraged screech.
A laugh escaped Alvin before he could stop it.
The twins were unbelievable.
Even while fleeing for their lives, they still found time to prank someone.
“What was that?” Peeves whipped around.
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Someone’s hiding!” The poltergeist immediately began searching the corridor.
Alvin had no interest in getting dragged into that mess.
His gaze swept across the floor and landed on several abandoned pieces of chalk.
A grin spread across his face.
He raised his wand.
“Waddiwasi.” The chalk shot forward like miniature cannonballs.
One after another.
Directly into Peeves.
“OW!” “HEY!” “STOP THAT!” Unlike ordinary objects, the magically launched projectiles actually hurt.
Peeves shrieked and fled down the opposite corridor, clutching himself dramatically.
Alvin deliberately guided him farther away from the twins.
Problem solved.
Then a thought suddenly struck him.
His steps slowed.
Wait.
The corridor the twins had taken…
Why did that sound familiar?
His expression changed.
Fourth floor.
The forbidden corridor.
The place Dumbledore had explicitly warned students to avoid during the Welcoming Feast.
The site of Harry’s first major adventure.
The room that contained— “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” Fluffy.
If Fred and George wandered into that room without knowing the giant dog’s weakness…
Things could get ugly.
Even Snape had come away from an encounter with the beast sporting a shredded leg.
Alvin immediately cast a Lightening Charm on himself and hurried after them.
Several minutes later, he found exactly what he’d feared.
The twins stood outside an old locked classroom.
Trying to get inside.
“Got it.” Fred pointed his wand.
“Alohomora.” A click echoed through the corridor.
The lock released.
The door swung open.
Without a second thought, both twins rushed inside.
Alvin covered his face.
Honestly.
Dumbledore’s security measures were embarrassing.
Not even an Anti-Alohomora Charm?
At this point, it felt less like protecting a secret and more like actively inviting curious children to investigate.
Shaking his head, Alvin slipped through the doorway after them.
Then he saw it.
Fluffy.
The enormous three-headed dog filled nearly the entire room.
Its gigantic body sprawled across the floor, each massive head resting atop paws larger than dining tables.
And beneath the creature sat a wooden trapdoor.
Exactly where it should be.
What Alvin hadn’t expected was the smell.
Merlin’s beard.
The thing smelled lethal.
A wave of foul air slammed into him the moment he entered.
It was less an odor and more a physical assault.
Alvin immediately stopped breathing through his nose.
Apparently Fluffy possessed biological warfare capabilities in addition to everything else.
Unfortunately, the twins reacted a moment too slowly.
One of them inhaled.
Then blurted out— “Bloody hell, that stinks!” Silence.
Three pairs of eyes snapped open.
Two heads locked onto Fred and George.
The third slowly turned toward Alvin.
The Disillusionment Charm concealed his appearance.
Not his scent.
A low growl rumbled from Fluffy’s central throat.
Then came a roar powerful enough to shake the room.
The next second, the giant dog lunged.
Straight at the twins.
To their credit, Fred and George reacted instantly.
Their wands flashed.
“Impedimenta!” “Impedimenta!” Two spells slammed into Fluffy.
The massive beast staggered.
For about half a second.
Then kept coming.
Their magic simply wasn’t strong enough to stop something that size.
Alvin let out a sigh.
So much for staying hidden.
The Disillusionment Charm dissolved.
“Depulso!” A brilliant red beam erupted from his wand.
This time, he didn’t hold back.
The spell struck Fluffy head-on.
BOOM!
The giant dog was hurled backward like a battering ram.
Its enormous body smashed into the far wall with enough force to rattle the entire room.
Fred and George stared.
Apparently discovering a hidden first-year was almost as shocking as discovering a giant three-headed dog.
Alvin ignored them.
A simple Knockback Jinx wasn’t enough.
Fluffy was far too durable.
And every second this continued increased the odds of attracting attention.
Professors.
Possibly Dumbledore.
Neither option appealed to him.
He needed the dog asleep.
Immediately.
Then a memory surfaced.
The Welcoming Feast.
The school song.
The funeral march.
Alvin pointed at the twins.
“Sing.” Fred blinked.
“What?” “Sing.” “The version from the feast.” The twins looked utterly bewildered.
But Alvin’s tone left no room for argument.
And there was currently a giant three-headed monster trying to eat them.
That helped.
Without further questions, Fred and George launched into their infamous rendition of the Hogwarts school song.
To the tune of a funeral march.
The effect was immediate.
Fluffy froze.
One head tilted.
Then another.
The giant dog’s movements slowed.
Its eyelids began to droop.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Alvin felt relief wash through him.
It was working.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help reflecting that if anyone ever needed proof that Fred and George’s singing possessed magical power, they now had it.
Even a monstrous three-headed guard dog preferred unconsciousness to listening any longer.