Chapter 8: Midnight Duel

"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go. "

"Where are you going?" Edward yawned as he woke up.

"Draco chalened us to a duel, and he wants you to become his second."

Edward fully woke up now. The fact that Draco wanted him to be his second definitely meant that he was looking to make things up with him.

They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows.

They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry. WHy would you even go along with these idiots Edward? "

A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.

"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"

"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy -- he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this. "

"Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole.

Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells. "

"Go away. "

"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so--"

But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.

"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.

"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late. "

They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

"You are not. "

"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up. "

"You've got some nerve -- " said Ron loudly.

"Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. I heard something. "

It was a sort of snuffling.

"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.

It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.

"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get into bed. "

"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere. "

"How's your arm?" asked Edward.

"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute. "

"Good -- well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later--"

"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already. "

Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.

"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned what the Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you. "

Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward. Edward felt like it was pity

They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.

Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. The minutes crept by.

"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.

Just then, Draco entered alone. Edward was surprised. In the original plot, Draco had skipped the duel, but this time, he came. Perhaps Draco was confident that if he acted as a second, he would win easily.

"Surprised I came weasley."

"Che- where are your friends Crabbe and Goyle."

"I dont need them, Edward is strong enough."

"Really," Harry looked skeptical. He had seen Edward have decent transfiguration skills, but how could he be considered strong just based on that.

Just then, a noise was heard. Everyone in the room whirled backward to see an old battered cat staring at them.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner. "

It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.

"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding. "

"This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.

The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.

"RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following -- they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going -- they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.

"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.

"I -- told -- you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I -- told -- you. "

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible.

"Speak for yourself, I need to go back to Slytherin. WHich idiot alerted Flinch."

"Maybe it was Norris who found us. Her nose is pretty good for her age."

"Let's go. "

It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.

It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.

"Shut up, Peeves -- please -- you'll get us thrown out. "

Peeves cackled.

"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caught. "

"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please. "

"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know. "

"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves. This was a big mistake.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door -- and it was locked.

"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"

They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts.

"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "Alohomora!"

The lock clicked and the door swung open -- they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.

"Hermione, what was that spell?"

"Really Edward, is now the best moment you can think of."

"Just explain it."

"Its just a simple open spell. God, why are you so talented yet stupid at the same time."

'Congratulations to the host for learning the elementary spell "Alohomora". The host has learnt the magic Dimensional Door Key. Using the spell can shape the key that is meant for opening the lock."

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me. "

"Say 'please. '"

"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go ?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.

"All right -- please. "

"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.

"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered.

"Harry, I think we have more important things to worry about. Like the dog behind us." said Edward.

"Aah, you stupid muggle born, you brought us to the 4th floor."

"Shut up Malfoy. No offense Edward. How are you even bloody related?"

They ran out of the door and Draco split up. The portrait had been waiting for them. After they got in Hermione scolded them for being reckless, while Edward zoned out and after she was done, they went to sleep.