“I only meant people can die in a proper duel between fully trained wizards,” Ron hurriedly explained.
“You and Malfoy will probably just shoot sparks at each other.
Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage yet.
Besides, I bet he was only bluffing because he thought you’d refuse.” “But what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?” Harry asked worriedly.
He really did not know much magic yet.
“Then throw the wand away and punch him in the nose,” Ron suggested.
“That would be against the rules of the duel.” Leo drew his own wand.
“Here, I can lend you mine.
If your spells don’t work, just stab Malfoy with it.” Harry stared at the twenty-inch weapon.
“…Wouldn’t that be against the rules?” “Sorry to interrupt.” Hermione had walked over.
“Can’t a person eat in peace around here?” Ron complained.
Hermione ignored him and turned to Harry.
“I couldn’t help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying.
You absolutely cannot wander around the school at night!
Just think how many points Gryffindor could lose if you’re caught!
And if you use Leo’s…
wand, you’re definitely going to cause even more trouble.” “This really has nothing to do with you,” Harry said.
“And no, I’m not going to use Leo’s wand.” “Malfoy just narrowly escaped death,” Ron muttered.
“Goodbye, Hermione,” Harry said pointedly.
“You three…” Hermione looked thoroughly exasperated.
“I don’t want Slytherin winning the House Cup again!” “Well, since we’re all here…” Leo gestured toward the food.
“We might as well finish eating first.” ..
That night, in the Gryffindor dormitory.
“It’s half past eleven,” Ron finally whispered.
“We’d better go.” “Am I coming too?” Leo asked.
“Yeah.” Harry nodded.
“Malfoy’s a sneaky git.
If he brings more people than just Crabbe, the two of us could be in trouble.” “Sure.” Leo agreed without hesitation.
He had been planning to go wandering around the castle tonight anyway.
They pulled on their robes, grabbed their wands, slipped through the dormitory, descended the spiral staircase, and entered the Gryffindor common room.
“I can’t believe you’re actually doing this, Harry.” The lamps in the common room suddenly came on.
Hermione was sitting in an armchair in a pink dressing gown, glaring at Harry with all the stern disapproval of a mother catching her son sneaking out after curfew.
“You!” Ron snapped.
“Mind your own business and go back to bed!” “I almost told your brother,” Hermione shot back.
“He’s a prefect.
He would put a stop to this immediately.” “But you didn’t tell him, did you?” Leo said cheerfully.
Hermione turned her glare on him.
“I can’t believe you’re going with them!
Are you seriously planning to kill Malfoy?” “Nothing that extreme.” Leo shook his head.
“I’m not even planning to fight.” “Do you care about Gryffindor at all, or only yourself?” Hermione demanded, turning back to Harry.
“Malfoy challenged me to a duel, and I already accepted.
If I don’t show up, he’ll never let me hear the end of it.
It’ll make Gryffindor look pathetic!” Harry said seriously.
Then, after a moment’s thought, he added, “Actually, why don’t you come too?
Malfoy’s a sneaky bastard.
He might have a whole group waiting to jump us.” “Let’s go!” Leo declared.
Before Hermione had even worked out how she had gone from trying to stop them to joining them, Leo had already dragged her out of the common room with the others.
Somewhere along the way, he also shoved a thick wooden club into her hands, one he had picked up in the Forbidden Forest.
Hermione stared at it in disbelief.
..
The trophy room was empty.
“Looks like Malfoy isn’t coming.” Leo yawned.
“I’m thinking of heading to the Forbidden Forest instead.
Anyone want to come?” “Maybe he got scared and chickened out,” Ron whispered.
“Shouldn’t we just go back?” “…Why exactly did I let you drag me out here?” Hermione looked down at the club in her hands and briefly considered using it on Leo.
“Sniff around, my sweet.
They may be lurking in a corner somewhere.” A voice drifted toward them from farther down the corridor.
“It’s Filch!” Harry recognized it at once, and suddenly everything made sense.
“Malfoy’s even more rotten than I thought!
He never planned to come at all.
He told Filch we’d be here!” “Move!” Hermione immediately hissed.
They had already broken the rules.
At this point, their only priority was making sure no one caught them doing it.
They had barely gone any distance before Peeves floated directly into their path.
The moment the poltergeist spotted them, his face lit up with delight and he let out a shrill cackle.
“Shut up, Peeves…
please!
You’ll get us expelled!” “Naughty little firsties, wandering around after midnight.
Tut, tut, tut…” Peeves giggled, putting on an absurdly solemn expression even as mischief sparkled in his eyes.
“You’ll be caught, you know.
I really ought to tell Filch.
It’s for your own good.” Thwack!
Leo chopped the side of Peeves’s neck with one hand.
The poltergeist went limp and dropped unconscious.
“Talks too much.” Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at Leo in absolute shock.
“You can touch Peeves?” Harry blurted out.
Hermione looked as though a fundamental law of reality had just collapsed in front of her.
“That…
that’s impossible!
Peeves is a poltergeist!
How did you even do that?” “Do you really think now is the time to discuss it?” Leo pointed behind them.
Filch’s footsteps were drawing steadily closer.
“Oh, no.
Run!” The four of them sprinted all the way to the end of the corridor and slammed into a door.
It was locked.
“We’re finished!” Ron whimpered.
“We’re done for!
This is it!” Hermione stared at him incredulously.
“Seriously?
Didn’t we learn the Unlocking Charm?” “I know this one.” Leo drew his wand and drove its pointed end straight through the lock.
“Alohomora!” Hermione stared at the ruined mechanism.
“What kind of fucking Unlocking Charm is that?!” This man was personally insulting the entire concept of magic.
“Less talking.
Get inside.” The other three rushed through the doorway, quickly pulled the door shut behind them, and pressed their ears against it to listen for Filch.
Leo did not bother joining them.
Instead, he walked several steps farther into the room and began rubbing one of Fluffy’s enormous heads.
The sounds from outside gradually faded away.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all breathed sighs of relief.
“He thinks the door’s still locked,” Harry whispered.
“I think we’re safe.” “…I wouldn’t be so sure,” Ron replied in a dry, strained voice.
“Er…
I think you two should turn around.” Harry and Hermione slowly looked back.
Leo was hugging a dog’s head almost as large as his entire body.
Unfortunately, the enormous dog was the size of a small room, and its other two heads were currently staring directly at them.
Harry swallowed.
“Wh-What is that?” “Why is there a three-headed dog in here?” Hermione’s face went pale.
“…Now I understand why Dumbledore told everyone to stay away from the corridor on the third floor.” “That warning sounded more like bait to me,” Leo said.
“The way Dumbledore announced it at the feast was practically him saying, ‘There’s a secret here.
Come and have a look.’ If he genuinely didn’t want anyone to know about this place, he could’ve simply said nothing.” “Leo, maybe we should leave…” Ron’s voice trembled slightly.
“I think it looks hungry.” “It’s fine.
He only has three mouths, and there are four of us.” Leo made a reassuring gesture.
“Besides, I can run faster than all of you.”