Chapter -64 My name is not Robert!

Chapter -64.

There it was, that unmistakable greasy vibe, and then I spotted the striking platinum blonde hair.

Who else could it be but Malfoy?

"Robert, do you really think I'm someone else? I'm Malfoy, the Malfoy who keeps his promises."

"Don't lump me in with others."

Malfoy shot Ron a disdainful look, trying to stand taller by raising his heels. Unfortunately for him, he was still a bit shorter than Ron, so they ended up eye to eye anyway.

"But you're late."

Ron's voice rose a notch, clearly annoyed as he yelled at Malfoy, "And my name is Ron, Ron Weasley, not Robert!"

"Alright, Robert."

Malfoy waved his hand dismissively, clearly not interested in chatting with Ron. His gaze shifted to Harry, which only made Ron angrier.

"Potter, where's your assistant? Is it this Robert, or... uh..."

Malfoy was ready to poke fun at Harry, but when he noticed Hermione hesitating, he realized that everyone in Slytherin was aware of Dudley and that little Gryffindor girl's close bond.

"It's Ron, it's Ron," Harry quickly corrected Malfoy, adding, "Hermione just came out of curiosity; she won't get in the way."

He didn't want to drag Hermione into this.

Ron glared at Malfoy, itching for a fight. "So, Malfoy, what about your assistant? What about those two chubby guys with you? Or are you going solo?"

"Hmph, if you want to make it two against one, bring it on."

Malfoy wasn't fazed by Ron's threat at all; Potter was at least a worthy opponent, but little Ron Weasley?

Plus, he had a pretty reliable assistant now.

"Cool guy, you're not talking about me, are you?"

A booming voice came from outside, blocking the light at the entrance.

"Dudley?!"

Two surprised voices echoed in the room at the sound of that familiar voice.

"Hmph, this is my assistant."

Malfoy said proudly, raising an eyebrow at Harry.

Honestly, Malfoy had thought about ditching this whole thing, but after spending time with Dudley, he had changed quite a bit.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Malfoy's habit of stirring up trouble for Harry.

He just didn't like Harry.

Before, he wondered why Harry wouldn't be friends with him; now, he was just curious why Potter got to have such a brother.

"I never agreed to this, did I?"

Dudley shook his head, looking a bit helpless.

'You want me to deal with my brother?'

Malfoy had definitely changed; he wasn't as annoying as before, or Dudley wouldn't have kept mentoring him.

"What are you two doing here in the middle of the night?"

Dudley had just finished exercising and was on his way back to Slytherin when he spotted Malfoy sneaking out. When he heard Malfoy was meeting Harry, he decided to tag along.

Harry shot Malfoy a glare and started explaining.

'This is my brother!'

"A wizard duel?"

Dudley looked even more puzzled at Harry's explanation.

He glanced around the cramped room, barely able to fit a few people.

"Here?"

It seemed ridiculous that these two would think of dueling in such a tight space... were they going to decide the winner by playing cards?

Hey, it's just right for three people.

Of course, Dudley's idea of "moving" was based on his own size.

"Hermione, if they're going to duel, why are you here?"

Dudley walked over to Hermione, took off his jacket, and draped it over her.

The castle was a bit chilly at night.

"I couldn't sleep worrying they'd get caught and lose points, so I came."

Hermione stammered a few sentences, leaving out what had happened in the Gryffindor common room, and sighed in relief when Dudley didn't ask more.

Originally thinking it was just a playful duel, seeing Harry and Malfoy lock eyes made it clear sparks were flying, and Dudley instantly became interested.

So he asked, "Really want to fight?"

"Yeah!" both replied in unison.

"Then go ahead and fight."

Dudley showed no intention of stopping them.

"Dudley?" Hermione looked at him in surprise; Harry was his brother.

Dudley just shrugged.

Even though he didn't understand why these two disliked each other so much, he figured... Why not let them go for it?

In reality, whether they won or lost wouldn't hurt either of them at this point, so why stop it?

With the magic they currently knew, it was already impressive for the two of them to conjure a spark from their wands; more often than not, it ended up being a physical scuffle, maybe leaving a black eye. The potions Dudley was working on could easily fix those minor injuries; not everyone was like Hermione, who had nearly finished previewing the second-year curriculum in her first year.

Plus, friendships among boys often grow through a bit of roughhousing.

"Tomorrow morning at six, same place."

If they really wanted to duel, Dudley would definitely suggest moving the location outside Hogwarts Castle; it's spacious, and early in the morning, there wouldn't be many people around, allowing them to fight freely.

"Now! Go back to sleep!"

Dudley was against staying up late because it's bad for your health, but he was all for waking up early.

With Dudley stepping in, even if the two wanted to fight, they couldn't for now.

They obediently followed Dudley back.

The group headed in the direction they came from; Dudley would definitely drop Hermione and the others back at Gryffindor before returning to Slytherin with Malfoy.

To be fair, Hogwarts Castle is quite large, much bigger than it looks from the outside. It's clear that Hogwarts has been magically expanded, as the entire castle has one hundred and forty-two staircases. Just counting those staircases can make your head spin!

But simply remembering that there are one hundred and forty-two staircases is pretty useless because they're always moving and changing. Just think about it—how many routes can you create with one hundred and forty-two staircases?

It's like a giant maze; just not getting lost is a challenge!

There's even a saying at Hogwarts: if you haven't gotten lost, you haven't really been to class there.

Luckily, most of the time, they still work as they should.

Otherwise, young wizards would have nothing to do but wander around every day.

The magic of Hogwarts' staircases doesn't stop there; every Friday, they connect to some strange places, and there are always unfamiliar rooms or paths leading to mysterious spots. So, many young wizards love exploring Hogwarts because you never know what surprises await!

Dudley looked thoughtfully at a corridor he definitely didn't remember.

Clearly, he was feeling that surprise now.

But he wasn't happy about it at all.

"This seems to be that forbidden corridor on the fourth floor?! How did we end up here?" Ron exclaimed, surveying the surroundings in disbelief.

Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.

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