Chapter 80: Cat and Mouse

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"This way, this way," Fred shouted as they ran. He could feel his heart racing, his blood boiling. The game of hide and seek with Filch was more exciting than he had imagined.

Filch had just entered the secret passage and tried to intercept them, but Fred wasn't worried. They had already taken a different route before Filch could reach the spot.

Filch would never be able to catch them ahead of time, and besides, they had better stamina than him!

The only trouble was Mrs. Norris, who was more troublesome than Filch. The cat was fast and clever, and it wasn't easy to shake it off.

Filch's cat would alert its owner, and it was constantly keeping an eye on them. Fred wanted to kick it, but they knew they didn't have time, and injuring Mrs. Norris would only make Filch more furious.

"I hear footsteps again. How is Filch faster than us?" George complained, gasping for breath.

"Don't worry, he won't catch up. This way!" Fred was not as familiar with the castle as Filch was. He relied on the Marauder's Map to confidently leave the pursuer behind.

"He's out of the secret passage," Fred suddenly laughed. "Turn right up ahead, down the stairs, let's go to the fourth floor."

"I bet... he must be furious!" George said happily.

It was true that Filch knew many secret passages in the castle and was more familiar with the castle's layout than the Weasley brothers. But so what? They had the Marauder's Map. Even if Filch tried to intercept them ahead of time, as long as they went in the opposite direction, his detour would only make him lose track of them.

Fred slowed his pace and took a breath, looking away from the Marauder's Map with a joyful mood. "Filch has stopped. I think he's completely confused."

"Actually, it's quite fun, going in circles with Filch," George said, wide awake in the chase. "This will give us something to brag about for months."

"Tsk tsk, pesky newcomers, wandering around in the middle of the night." Peeves suddenly jumped out from the trophy room, blocking their path and happily shrieking.

"Good evening," George greeted Peeves with a raised hand. "Filch's cat is chasing us from behind. Do you want to give him some trouble?"

"I'd rather see you two get caught by Filch," Peeves' eyes sparkled mischievously.

"We won't. Filch is still chasing us everywhere," Fred shrugged, picking up his wand and using the Unlocking Charm to open the wooden door leading to another corridor.

"Oh, maybe I should tell Filch," Peeves said earnestly. "It's for your own good."

"Then go ahead and tell him," George replied, closing the door behind them nonchalantly. "But I heard you two don't get along. Would you really want to see Filch in a good mood?"

Fred waved his hand dismissively at Peeves. "I have reservations about that as well."

"Students shouldn't be wandering around!" Peeves suddenly yelled, being teased by the two. "Roaming outside the trophy room."

"Peeves is really annoying," George muttered, his eyelid twitching.

"If he doesn't yell, then he wouldn't be Peeves," Fred quickly glanced at the Marauder's Map. Filch was rushing towards their location at an incredible speed.

"Quiet, Peeves."

Fred and George retraced their steps, and Peeves was still in the corridor, not leaving immediately.

"No, you should make Peeves yell louder," Fred muttered. "Scream your lungs out!"

"As you wish."

Peeves saw the two returning and suddenly appeared in front of Fred, shouting, "They're here, they're here. Those annoying little newbies are right here!"

Before leaving, Fred made a rude gesture at Peeves and disappeared around the corner of the corridor with George.

"Peeves?"

A moment later, Filch arrived, panting heavily, and asked, "Quick, tell me, which way did they go?"

"You should say 'please.'"

Filch had no intention of wasting time talking to Peeves. He prepared to follow his cat towards the front. Tonight, he was furious. Those students dared to play hide and seek with him.

Never before!

Filch had never experienced such humiliation. He was determined to catch those students and punish them severely.

"What's going on?" Snape, dressed in his pajamas, appeared in the corridor.

"Professor, someone is wandering around at night, and I'm trying to catch them," Filch gritted his teeth and said, "Peeves knows who it is, but he won't say."

Snape looked up at Peeves and asked, "Peeves, who is it?"

"Two annoying Gryffindor newbies," Peeves stared at Filch and said slyly, "Those two little troublemakers said you can't catch them!"

Peeves looked at Filch's twisted face in amusement and flew away happily, without revealing Fred and George's names.

"Professor, those two Gryffindor students, after being startled by Peeves, are definitely preparing to return to the common room. We must intercept them on the eighth floor. I know a shortcut that leads to the eighth floor..." Filch, with his experience, quickly came up with a plan to catch the students and explained it to Snape.

Snape agreed. He didn't mind catching those two Gryffindor newbies and deducting a hundred points from them.

At this moment, Fred and George, on their way to the eighth floor, also noticed Snape joining the hunt. They frowned slightly and said, "We must hurry back to the common room."

If it was just Filch alone, they wouldn't be worried about being caught. But now with Snape added to the mix, the situation became more uncertain.

No one wanted to fall into the hands of this Potions professor. It would definitely end badly, as everyone knew that Snape despised Gryffindor students.

The two circled around outside and returned to the eighth floor, but the Fat Lady hadn't arrived yet.

Fred and George were both disappointed, which meant they had to wander around the castle and evade the pursuit of Snape and Filch.

"Uh-oh, Filch is coming to the eighth floor through the secret passage. We need to find a place to hide quickly," Fred suddenly said while observing the Marauder's Map. He immediately realized the danger and quickly prepared to escape.

"Be careful not to be cornered by Snape," George quickly reminded.

"I know." Fred felt anxious and hurriedly returned to the corridor. Going to the seventh floor now would likely lead to an encounter with Snape and his cat, a combination more dangerous than Filch.

"There's a room nearby. Maybe we can hide in there," George pointed to an abandoned room on the right side of the eighth floor.

"No, that won't work. We will definitely be found. Filch's cat is more sensitive than we imagine. We need to be patient and circle around with Filch, then leave through the secret passage behind the statue of the Gryffindor eagle and lion." Fred paused to catch his breath, realizing they had a high chance of being caught. His mood suddenly became very bad.

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(End of this chapter)