Chapter 113: Discovered
Chapter 113: Discovered
"The Disillusion Charm should last a few hours, maybe less. The effect will gradually fade away, so pay attention to any changes," Albert reminded Fred as he cast the Disillusion Charm on him. "And if the spell wears off and you get caught, don't give me away."
"I have faith in you," Fred replied nonchalantly. "After all, if you're confident enough to use it on yourself, the spell's effectiveness is guaranteed."
"Filch has been roused and is on his way to catch us," George reported, his eyes glued to the Marauder's Map. "He's up and about."
"Have you spotted any other professors?" Albert asked. He had a task related to Filch, and if the squib was alone, Albert wouldn't mind completing it.
"Not yet. Filch will likely start his search on the third floor. Let's head to the fourth floor and make some noise there. Then..." George trailed off as the trio huddled together to finalize their plan.
On the third-floor corridor, a disgruntled Filch stomped down the hallway, his thick cloak billowing behind him. His mood soured further as he realized he had been fooled again; the students roaming the castle in the middle of the night had vanished, and even Peeves was nowhere to be seen.
But soon, Filch's spirits lifted as he heard hurried footsteps nearby.
The culprit was still in the vicinity, and he wouldn't get away.
Gritting his teeth, Filch quickened his pace, rounding a corner and catching a glimpse of a disappearing figure.
"You won't get away," Filch muttered, holding his lamp high as he pursued his target.
However, to his dismay, Filch soon realized he had lost track of his quarry.
Lost them! Filch would stake his reputation on the fact that there were no secret passages nearby. Where had that pesky student disappeared to?
"What's this?" Filch muttered as he felt something squishy underfoot a few steps later. He lifted his lamp to inspect the object, his face darkening.
He had stepped on a Dung Bomb! Filch's head snapped up, and he frantically scanned the surroundings with his lamp, searching for the prankster.
Unbeknownst to him, the very person he sought was crouched in the corner of the corridor, desperately holding back laughter and trying to stay invisible.
Undoubtedly, Albert's Disillusion Charm had successfully concealed Fred from Filch's prying eyes.
Filch didn't linger long, as the clatter of falling armor reached his ears from upstairs.
Had the student fled upstairs?
Was there a secret passage he didn't know about?
"Impossible," Filch grumbled. He prided himself on knowing all the secret passages of Hogwarts.
Fuming, he rushed in the direction of the noise, muttering under his breath, "You won't get away. I'll hang you by your ankles from the highest tower and give you a good whipping."
Once Filch's footsteps faded, Fred finally exhaled, feeling as if he had been holding his breath forever.
Filch, moving as swiftly as his squat legs would carry him, reached the fourth-floor corridor, the Armor Corridor, only to find a lone helmet lying on the ground.
The noise he had heard must have been the helmet falling.
As Filch approached, he caught a whiff of a familiar, unpleasant scent.
Indeed, it was the smell of a Dung Bomb, which had landed on his boot. Filch's eyes narrowed, and he set off in pursuit.
He knew he was being played.
Were those detestable students responsible, or was it Peeves?
"Peeves, get out here! I know it's you causing trouble! Show yourself!" Filch bellowed, his face reddening like a volcano about to erupt. Hiding in the shadows, Fred watched Filch storm off, thrilled that he could pin this on Peeves.
This was a good thing.
After all, neither side was particularly pleasant, and it would be best if they turned on each other.
In another corridor, Albert snapped his pocket watch shut and, estimating the time, cast a spell to create a loud snapping noise. As he prepared to leave the scene, he heard hurried footsteps approaching.
"Drat," Albert muttered, holding his breath and ducking into a corner.
A few seconds later, a pale light entered his field of vision, and he found himself face-to-face with Professor Quirinus Quirrell, who was clad in a purple cloak. The professor raised his wand and scanned the area, his gaze lingering on Albert's hiding spot for a moment.
"Oh no," Albert thought, his heart pounding. He wasn't sure if his Disillusion Charm would fool Professor Quirrell.
Filch was also making his way towards them.
"Professor, have you heard anything?" Filch asked, his face contorted with annoyance. "There are students roaming the castle, and I believe there's more than one of them."
Albert caught a whiff of a foul odor and knew instantly that the Weasley twins were behind it. They must have thrown a Dung Bomb at Filch.
"Students roaming the castle?" Professor Quirrell arched an eyebrow and glanced in Albert's direction. "I haven't seen anyone. I only heard the noise and came to investigate. What happened to your boot?"
"A Dung Bomb, most likely by that Peeves. He's invisible," Filch explained irritably.
"Peeves?" Professor Quirrell repeated, his eyes narrowing. With a casual flick of his wand, he cleaned the mess off Filch's boot.
"Thank you," Filch said gratefully.
"You're welcome. You search over there, and I'll take a look in this direction. If it was a student, they can't have gone far," Professor Quirrell suggested, pointing to another corridor.
"Very well. We'll catch them tonight," Filch said determinedly, turning towards the corner with his lamp raised. Professor Quirrell also turned and walked away.
Albert faintly heard Professor Quirrell's voice: "Don't let it happen again."
Albert was certain that Professor Quirrell had spotted him but chose to let him go, which puzzled him.
After the two had left, Albert tiptoed away from the scene and made his way to the rendezvous point to meet up with the Weasley twins.
Now, why had Professor Quirrell suddenly appeared?
Could he be the person who had entered the Room of Requirement?
Albert shook off these thoughts and carefully made his way to the meeting spot.
"Are you alright?" George asked worriedly. "I just noticed that Professor Quirrell showed up as well. Did he see through your Disillusion Charm?"
"Yes, he did, but he let me go," Albert replied helplessly. "Get Fred back here quickly. We're heading to the eighth floor."
"Why the eighth floor?" George asked, confused.
"To the Room of Requirement. It should be accessible now. If so, we can hide there for a while until Filch returns to his office. Then we'll head to the library," Albert explained. He wanted to confirm if Professor Quirrell was indeed the person he had seen in the Room of Requirement earlier.
"Alright," George agreed. They had caused enough mischief for one night.
"Where are you meeting Fred?"
"He's on his way," George replied.
"Albert, are you alright?" Fred soon arrived, breathless and concerned.
"I'm fine. Let's get out of here first. Filch is still looking for us, and so is Professor Quirrell. The Disillusion Charm won't fool him," Albert interrupted.
(End of Chapter)
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