Chapter 265: The Twins and the Whomping Willow Trap
Chapter 265: The Twins and the Whomping Willow Trap
The next morning, a mix of freezing rain and snow fell from the sky, turning the ground into a slick, transparent ice layer. The young wizards had to carefully navigate the courtyard and open spaces.
“Ouch!”
Ron, who had just been released from the hospital wing, stumbled and fell flat on the ground. He struggled to get up, but the ground was incredibly slippery. Fortunately, Harry helped him up.
He watched enviously as the twins conjured a pair of ice skates and glided around the courtyard, weaving through the students.
“Want to try, Ron?” Fred appeared in front of him, winking.
“No thanks—” Ron muttered. He would only end up falling more if he tried. “Don’t you have class?”
“Don’t be silly, of course we do,” Fred said, “Hey, George, watch out—”
Harry watched as George skated quickly over, flailing his arms. “Oh no—” he exclaimed, and then he and Fred tumbled together, rolling into a snowbank. Snow filled their clothes, cuffs, and collars, even dusting their eyebrows white. They pointed at each other’s ridiculous faces and burst into laughter.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances. “Come on, we have several classes today.”
“Wait, Harry!” Fred caught up to them, placing his arms on Harry’s shoulders and pulling him aside. “Listen, the secret passage has been sealed off...”
“What?” Harry said, taken aback, not quite understanding.
“The secret passage to Hogsmeade, Harry.” Fred gave him a meaningful look, and Harry suddenly understood.
He stammered, “The map...”
“It’s not about the map. We tried to go to Zonko’s yesterday to stock up, you know—” Fred winked, “Dungbombs, fireworks, that sort of thing. But the one-eyed witch statue on the fourth floor just froze up, and then Filch’s cat appeared. We had to run for it.”
Harry realized it was a reaction to the black attack. The professors were on high alert, and if anyone tried to break in, the castle’s defenses would fail, potentially trapping him and Ron in the dormitory.
“Harry—” Ron called from a distance.
“Anyway, we’ll have to rely on the passage behind the Whomping Willow. George and I are going to check it out. Wait for good news.” Fred then left.
“Don’t—” Harry watched the twins run away, wanting to tell them that Dumbledore had put him under house arrest in the castle. He couldn’t go anywhere except to class or with a professor, and even Hagrid’s hut was off-limits.
In the afternoon, the weather finally cleared up. After lunch, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the Great Hall, breathing in the fresh air.
“By the way, Harry, what did Fred tell you?” Ron asked curiously.
Harry explained the situation to Ron and Hermione. Ron was visibly disappointed. “So you can’t even go to Hogsmeade with the invisibility cloak?” Hermione, however, looked relieved.
She said to Ron, “Don’t forget, you can’t either. Professor Mcgonagall told you personally that until Black is caught, you and Harry are treated the same.”
Ron’s face twisted. “I’ve been trying to forget that.”
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances. They hadn’t told Ron about their suspicions regarding the rat. Despite Ron’s complaints about Scabbers being useless, Harry knew Ron still cared for the pet. He changed the subject. “Maybe we can check out the Ancient Runes practical classroom this weekend. I heard it’s quite popular, and we didn’t get to explore much during the club assessment last time.”
“I’d rather try out your Firebolt.”
Harry’s mood darkened. “Forget it. Wood went to Professor Mcgonagall, but it did no good. We can only wait.”
Hermione immediately turned her head, pretending to be interested in the distant landscape. But then she suddenly pointed. “Oh, my God, look at that—”
They were standing on a slope, from which they could see Hagrid’s hut and a corner of the Forbidden Forest. At that moment, the Whomping Willow was thrashing its whip-like branches wildly, and two small black dots were running frantically towards them.
“It’s Fred and George Weasley!”
They hurried toward the Whomping Willow, slipping and falling several times on the icy path. By the time they arrived, out of breath, they found Professor Mcgonagall angrily berating the twins.
“I don’t know what you were thinking—haven’t you learned anything in Herbology! You actually dared to provoke the Whomping Willow… Gryffindor loses fifty points, and you both get a week of detention—can’t you show a bit more sense at a time like this—”
Professor Mcgonagall’s anger hadn’t subsided. She turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. “And you three, Potter, Weasley, Granger, why are you here? I told you yesterday to stay in the castle.”
“Professor, we saw Fred and George Weasley in danger…” Harry said.
Professor Mcgonagall’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly. “Well, there was a reason. I hope you won’t use similar excuses in the future. Follow me—”
The Weasley twins hung their heads and followed Professor Mcgonagall. As they passed the three, Fred exaggeratedly mouthed the words:
“T~r~a~p~”
It wasn’t until later that evening that they saw the unfortunate twin brothers again.
Fred plopped down between Harry and Ron, not at all depressed about his detention. He said excitedly, “You wouldn’t believe what we encountered today.”
“A wild Willow Spirit?” Ron asked, feigning a guess.
“Much more interesting than that,” Fred’s eyes sparkled. “George and I were actually quite cautious, always ready to retreat, until we spotted an entrance near the Whomping Willow’s roots, very well hidden. George found something strange and green…”
“It was probably some kind of branch, a bit familiar but not enough to identify it,” George said regretfully.
Fred continued, “So we moved a bit closer. The Whomping Willow went wild, like a goblin that had just ingested weed killer. We ran, hoping it would calm down. But then…”
“The professors descended on us,” George said with mixed feelings. “Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Hup, and of course, Professor Mcgonagall.”
Harry and the others listened, wide-eyed. This was far more thrilling than what they had witnessed.
Ron looked incredulous. “So you’re still alive?” He lifted Fred’s arms, which suddenly drooped. Fred made a silly face at Ron.
George concluded, “Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Hup took one look and left, leaving Professor Mcgonagall to clean up the mess—us, I mean. I think she regretted becoming Head of Gryffindor at that moment…”
The twins soon left, having gleaned some information from Harry, such as the Whomping Willow trap likely being aimed at Black. “Cool~” But they also sobered up, focusing on the dueling competition that had been rumored before the holidays.
“We can make a bit of money out of this.”
Ron watched his brothers’ backs as they walked away. “I know what they want—a shop in Diagon Alley. The family can’t help them.”
Harry’s lips parted, but he didn’t offer to lend them money. He knew the twins wouldn’t accept it.
The common room door opened, and Neville walked in.
“Have you noticed anything different about Neville?” Hermione mused.
“Different? How?”
“I can’t quite describe it, maybe he seems more energetic?”
Harry observed for a while. “He looks more confident. I had a similar expression after my training.”
“Did Professor Hup say something to him? He was the only one kept after class today.”
(End of Chapter)
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