章 64: Chapter -63 Who says I'm Coward?
Chapter -63.
"Ron, are Dean and Seamus asleep?"
It was around eleven-thirty at night when Harry suddenly sat up in bed and whispered to Ron, who was snoozing in the bed beside him. Unlike Dudley, who could enjoy his own room, Harry shared a four-person dormitory with others in Gryffindor.
Earlier that day, during flying lessons, Harry had just gotten into a scuffle with Malfoy and chased him around on their broomsticks. They spent hours in the air trying to outdo each other until Madam Hooch finally intervened.
After class, Malfoy had defiantly challenged Harry to meet for a duel at midnight in the trophy room. With that plan in mind, both Harry and Ron knew it was best to turn in early after dinner, just missing the moment when Hermione came back.
Harry was completely unaware of what Hermione had been up to in Gryffindor, especially since she hadn't said anything to Dudley, making his knowledge even more limited. Honestly, with his straightforward nature, he wasn't one to pick up on such subtleties. Besides, lately he had been consumed with thoughts of Malfoy—specifically, how much he wanted to give him a good thrashing.
The two friends quietly dressed and crept out of their dormitory, relying on the moonlight to guide them through the common room. However, Ron accidentally knocked over a table near the fireplace, creating a loud clatter.
"Who?"
A voice suddenly broke the quiet, making both boys jump. They almost clung to each other in fear, convinced that something spooky was lurking. But once they calmed down, they realized it was just Hermione.
"Hermione? What are you doing here?" Harry asked with genuine curiosity.
After the night's earlier events, Hermione hesitated to head back to the dormitory. McGonagall's earlier words echoed in her mind; she wasn't sure who had stirred trouble in the dorm that morning, but she knew something had happened. Initially, she had planned to curl up on the common room sofa with a book, but perhaps she had been too exhausted from her visit to the Forbidden Forest and ended up dozing off.
"Where are you two going?" she asked, her curiosity piqued as she woke.
While she could easily admit that she had fallen asleep while reading too late, she was curious about Harry and Ron's late-night plans. With the moonlight filtering in, she could tell they weren't wearing pajamas.
"You're going on a night adventure?"
Hermione exclaimed in surprise, "I can't believe you want to sneak out at this hour!"
"Shh, be quiet!" Ron quickly replied, worried she might wake the others.
Ignoring Ron, Hermione's gaze focused on Harry: "Don't you realize this could cost Gryffindor points? Do you really want to hand the House Cup to Slytherin?"
"I can't let you do this," Hermione asserted, blocking their path. Even being alone, she felt a responsibility to stand up for her house, even if no one else seemed to care.
"You're breaking school rules!"
If it were someone else, Harry might have brushed them off. But he valued his friendship with Hermione, and considering that Hedwig was a gift from her and Dudley, he felt a bit caught. Plus, he knew Dudley and Hermione shared a close bond, which left him feeling a tad uneasy.
'He's my brother,' he thought, but it was only a slight discomfort.
Should he back out of the duel?
It didn't seem impossible; Malfoy could always be dealt with another time.
He hesitated.
But Ron was steadfast in his stance, firing back, "Aren't you also breaking school rules? I saw you skip class this afternoon!"
Hermione was momentarily speechless, realizing he was right about her earlier transgressions.
Though she could argue that she could make up for lost points if caught, she didn't want to sound hypocritical.
Her brother Dudley often said that to earn people's trust, you had to lead by example.
"Nothing to say? Then move aside, we're going back to sleep."
Seeing Hermione stay silent, Ron thought he had outsmarted her and started pulling Harry toward the door.
"Wait!" Hermione's voice rang out again. "I'm coming with you."
"What?" Harry asked, convinced he had misheard.
What was going on? This was the same Hermione who was typically so cautious about breaking even minor school rules—what was different today? Skipping class with Dudley in the afternoon and now ready to go out?
However, Harry, with his average grades, hadn't been able to go to Oxford as an exchange student like Dudley, so he was unaware that Hermione had skipped class with Dudley before.
"I said I'm joining you."
With a sigh, she pulled out her wand: "Dudley is right; as long as we don't get caught, we're not breaking any rules."
Seeing their startled faces, she insisted, "Let's hurry; the longer we wait, the higher the chance of getting caught."
Ron and Harry exchanged glances.
"Just so you know, you can tag along, but I won't babysit you outside. If we get caught, don't rat us out."
Hermione shot back, "I know more spells than you; just look out for yourself."
The trophy room was on the third floor of Hogwarts Castle, a bit of a trek from Gryffindor but certainly closer than the Slytherin dungeon.
The main concern while sneaking around at night was Filch, the grumpy caretaker. He was a hunched, surly man known for being extra tough on young wizards.
If he caught them, they were sure to lose points.
And then, of course, there was Peeves, the mischievous poltergeist who could show up at any moment.
True to her word, Hermione had a vast knowledge of spells that surpassed what Harry and Ron had learned.
Thanks to Hermione's little charm to avoid detection by Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, they managed to slip out without being caught soon after leaving the dorm.
Having narrowly evaded Mrs. Norris, the trio walked softly down the corridor, with moonlight streaming in through the tall windows and illuminating the floor in silver.
When they reached the third floor, they quietly opened the door to the trophy room, which was eerily silent and empty.
"Looks like we showed up too early," Ron said as he stepped inside. "When Malfoy and his friends show up, I'm going to make sure to give him a hard time."
The three of them found a spot in the trophy room to settle down and waited patiently for Malfoy and his gang.
Seconds ticked by in silence; not even a mouse scurried by, and definitely no sign of Malfoy.
After what felt like an eternity, Ron finally let out an impatient huff, tugging at his hair in frustration. "Darn it, I knew this would happen. Malfoy and the others won't come; Slytherins are all cowards. I should have seen that coming."
"Harry, we've been played."
Just as Ron wrapped up his complaint, someone pushed open the trophy room door.
"Who said I'm a coward?"
Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.
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