Chapter 13: Midnight Duel
Chapter 13: Midnight Duel
After Madam Hooch took Neville away, Malfoy began taunting the Gryffindor students. Liam found it hard to understand how someone who boasted about having noble blood in the Wizarding world could behave like a street thug.
Then, Malfoy took Neville’s Memory Ball and flew up into the air, challenging Harry Potter. Hermione tried to stop Harry from recklessly following Malfoy, but she didn’t succeed.
After a tense aerial chase, Harry finally retrieved Neville’s Memory Ball, but he was also taken away by Professor Mcgonagall.
On the way back to the castle, Hermione was worried. "They won’t really expel Harry, will they?" "They shouldn’t", Liam replied. "Harry made a small mistake, and no normal school would expel someone for such a minor issue."
"How could Harry do that? Didn’t he think about how many points it would cost us?"
Liam stopped and turned to look at Hermione. "I know you’re concerned about the house’s honor, and you can’t accept Harry’s actions. But in that situation, Malfoy’s bullying was truly despicable. Harry was just acting out of a sense of justice. I don’t think it’s right to criticize him for that."
Hermione said, "You might be right, but I can’t understand why you boys are so reckless. Couldn’t the professors handle it?"
With that, Hermione shook her head and walked toward the Great Hall.
Since Flying Lessons were the last class of the day, people were already trickling out to eat. As Liam slowly entered the Great Hall, he saw Harry and Ron already sitting at the table, with Malfoy talking to them.
Liam saw Hermione nearby and moved over. He heard her say to Harry, "You can’t wander around at night." After being rebuffed by the two of them, Hermione left in a huff.
Liam walked over and sat down next to Harry and Ron. Ron looked at Liam and asked, "Are you here to lecture us like Hermione?"
"No, I’m not", Liam denied. "But have you considered the possibility that Malfoy might not show up and instead inform the teachers to get you in trouble? After all, you always say Slytherins are very cunning."
"No, he wouldn’t", Ron’s face twitched. "The Malfoys are one of the oldest pure-blood Wizard families. He wouldn’t be so dishonorable as to cheat in a Wizard Duel he initiated."
Liam looked at Harry, who said, "I think Liam has a point. There’s a chance he might do that, but if we don’t go and he does, we’ll be laughed at for the rest of our lives."
Suddenly, Harry seemed to have an idea. "Liam, I saw how well you cast spells when you saved Neville. Why don’t you come with us? That way, we’ll have an extra person to keep an eye on the teachers."
Liam thought for a moment. This was an important main quest, and to gain Deviation Points, it was necessary to build a good relationship with the Chosen One of this world.
With that in mind, Liam agreed to Harry’s request. They agreed to meet in the Common Room at eleven-thirty that night.
Liam felt a bit excited. After all, how could he miss out on a classic Gryffindor tradition like sneaking around Hogwarts at night? Besides, even if they were caught, the worst that could happen was losing a few points and doing some extra chores, which wasn’t a big deal.
After returning to the Common Room, Neville had already come back from the hospital, and it seemed that his injuries were less severe this time compared to the original version. When he saw Liam return, he grabbed his hand and stammered out his thanks. Liam comforted him.
At half past eleven, the dorm mates were all asleep, and Liam quietly opened the door. He saw Harry and Ron also slipping out from the room opposite.
After exchanging greetings, they quietly made their way toward the portrait hole. However, the light closest to the passage turned on. Hermione, wearing a cute pink nightgown, sat there with a frown. "You really went through with this, especially you, Liam. How could you get involved with them?"
"Relax, nighttime wandering is part of Hogwarts life. Look at the older students; how many of them haven't gone out at night? After all, we have to learn to fit in, and besides, I haven't even seen a Wizard Duel yet, which is a significant part of Wizard life."
"Shut up, or I'll write to your parents", Hermione said as she followed them through the hole. "Do you really think we should win the House Cup over Slytherin? I can't bear to see you lose all the points I worked so hard to earn."
"Don't worry, if we lose points, I'll help you earn them back. I promise."
The two continued bickering as they crawled through the passage.
"Fine, I won't bother with you anymore", she said, turning to head back to the dorm. But she found the Fat Lady's portrait empty; the Fat Lady had gone visiting late at night, leaving Hermione locked out of Gryffindor Tower.
"Oh no, what am I going to do?" Hermione asked.
"That's your problem", Ron said. "We have to go; we're going to be late."
"Since you've already broken the rules, might as well come with us. It's safer than standing here alone", Liam said to Hermione. Sometimes, the best way to avoid being reported is to drag the reporter along.
"Why?" Ron whispered in surprise.
"At least with two of us, we can keep an eye on the entire corridor. In case a night patrol teacher shows up, we won't be caught off guard."
"Alright", Harry said, turning back. "Let's keep it down, or we'll get caught on the way."
Tense and alert, they walked for ten minutes before reaching the third-floor trophy room. The various trophies gleamed under the moonlight.
Harry and Ron entered the trophy room, while Liam and Hermione crouched by the door, occasionally peeking out to check the corridor.
As time ticked by, Liam saw a cat dart out from the staircase, followed by a limping figure—definitely Filch.
Liam tapped Hermione, and she widened her eyes in alarm. They silently retreated to the trophy room to warn Harry. Then, the four of them tiptoed toward the door farthest from Filch, moving along the corridor lined with armor.
They moved slowly to avoid being heard by Filch, but his footsteps were getting closer.
Finally, in the tension, Ron tripped over some armor, and the clatter echoed through the entire corridor.
The four of them abandoned any pretense of stealth and sprinted down the corridor.
After running up and down several flights of stairs and through multiple corridors, they finally ran out of steam.
Bent over and gasping for breath, Ron asked, "Where are we?"
Liam looked around and felt a jolt of panic. They were near the fourth-floor Charms classroom, close to the restricted area guarded by Fluffy. Could the plot's inertia be that strong?
(End of Chapter)
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