The Midnight Duel
The trio were shot disapproving looks by all the adults in the room, especially the staff.
"What duel was this Potter?" Minerva asked.
"I have no clue what you're talking about Professor. I've never partaken in a duel that was at midnight," Harry replied, deliberately leaving out that yes, he had duelled unsupervised at other times during the day, thinking about his second year, and especially about what they were doing in the DA session. Hermione and Ron shot him confused looks and he just shrugged.
"I'm not lying. There wasn't actually a duel," he said quietly, which they both nodded in agreement with, conceding that he wasn't wrong.
Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy.
"Really?" Ron asked, surprised.
"Yeah. Malfoy has the ability to curse me as well as everything else that Dudley could do."
Still, first year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much.
"Thankfully," many of the Gryffindors in Harry's year said.
Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.
"It's strange, isn't it. Why would they put the two most aggressive houses together in the two most dangerous classes," Luna said dreamily, causing many people throughout the hall to look at her and consider what she had said.
"Probably so that the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs could have peace during the two most dangerous classes," Tonks said.
To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."
"It was really the other way around," Ron said, nudging Harry who grinned. The Gryffindors who had been at that lesson all smirked or laughed quietly, remembering who had been made the fool that day.
"Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."
"It was not," Draco called across the hall, disgruntled. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Says the one who couldn't catch the snitch when it was on top of his head," Harry shot back, causing the Gryffindors who remembered that particular match to laugh loudly.
He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams
"Unless you're Potter," Draco grumbled.
Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom.
"When were you on my broom?" Charlie demanded.
"I don't remember," Ron said quickly, trying to get his mum to stop glaring at him.
Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly.
The Quidditch fans around the hall turned to stare at Dean.
"Hey, I'd never seen anyone fly, let alone a game of Quidditch. I like Quidditch now," Dean said defensively.
Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.
"That's true," Neville said, nodding, before any of the adults could reprimand Harry for being rude.
"You're much better now though," Harry said, smiling at his dorm mate and getting a smile back.
Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was.
"I'm scared of heights," Hermione said. Harry put his arm around her to comfort her, knowing how much she really didn't like flying.
Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later,
"Not that it helped," Pansy sneered.
"Gran knows I forget things, this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do.
"They're useless. They never tells you what you actually forgot," Seamus grumbled, having received one as a gift when he was younger.
Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh…" His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "…you've forgotten something…"
"I still don't know what I'd forgotten that day," Neville said. Those who had been around him that morning thought back, trying to see if they could remember what he had forgotten.
"I don't think you were wearing your tie that morning," Hermione said slowly. Harry nodded.
"That sounds about right. Or it could have just meant the password. You said later that day that you couldn't remember it," he agreed.
"That's true," Neville agreed, "I can never remember them."
They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy,
Remus sighed in a resigned way.
but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.
"She always keeps a close eye on her lions," Remus said, Fred and George nodding in agreement.
"I wonder why," Minerva commented. She knew that majority of the pranksters and troublemakers in Hogwarts came from her house, so always kept an eye on them to try and reduce the chaos they could create.
It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.
"Perfect flying conditions," many of the people on the Quidditch teams said.
"Perfect for Quidditch, as Oliver would say," Angelina said with a smile. Those who had been on the original team shot her looks of surprise.
"What?" she asked.
"Oliver would say that any weather was perfect for Quidditch," Katie said slowly.
"Remember all those times we came in wetter than the ground," Alicia added.
"And that time we had a three-hour practice," George started.
"In the middle of a snow storm," Fred finished. Angelina just grinned.
"How did none of you get sick from that?" Minerva asked, while mentally questioning how much of Wood's antics she had missed.
"All of us did, even Oliver. Oliver made us practice while we were sick," Alicia said.
"Not all of us. Harry somehow managed to not get sick," Katie disagreed.
"Oh yeah, that's true. I always wondered about that," Angelina agreed, nodding. The three girls all turned to face Harry questioningly, everyone else in the hall turning to look at him in question too, wondering how he didn't get sick from spending three hours in the air during a snow storm. Harry shrugged.
"I have no clue how I didn't get sick. I just don't get sick."
"You don't get sick?" Remus asked.
"Nope. I've never been sick," Harry confirmed. Madame Pomphrey frowned at that. When she examined him later, she would have to check his magic core and see how much was going into super charging his immune system; at least some of it had to be, since that had to be the only reason that he didn't get sick after spending so long outside in a snow storm. If she could work out why his magic charged his immune system to not get sick, she would be able to fix whatever the problem was, meaning he would have more magic to use in everyday things.
Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.
"We really should get new brooms," Pomona said as many of the students nodded in agreement of the assessment given by the Weasley twins.
"They really aren't the safest option for learners," Madame Hooch agreed, Madame Pomphrey nodding her agreement; there was always at least one first year in each class who came to her for one injury or another from their flying lessons due to the brooms.
Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did.
"You really are a natural, just like James was," Remus told him, gaining a bright smile from Harry and a bark from Snuffles.
Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry;
"That is an interesting theory Mr Potter," Madame Hooch said.
there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.
"I did," Neville agreed.
WHAM
Many people who didn't know what had happened that day winced, some of them shooting looks over at Neville, worried about what had happened to him.
— a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay face down on the grass in a heap.
"Were you ok?" Mrs Weasley asked worriedly.
"I was fine. Madame Pomphrey healed me easily," Neville assured her.
"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy — it's all right, up you get."
"Thank Merlin it was only a broken wrist. It could have been so much worse," Harry said, thinking back to all the injuries he got from Quidditch.
You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."
Harry whistled innocently as those who had been there turned to look at him.
No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.
"Mr Malfoy," Minerva reprimanded fiercely, while majority of the other three houses turned to glare at the Slytherin.
"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.
"Thanks Parvati," Neville said, sending said girl a smile.
"Of course, Neville," Parvati replied with a smile.
"Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."
"Sod off Parkinson," Ginny snapped across the hall at the Slytherin in question, who was sneering at those who were defending Neville.
"Ginny," Mrs Weasley reprimanded her. Ginny ignored her.
"It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."
"You need to learn to keep your hands to yourself," Filius said.
Everyone stopped talking to watch.
"Oh no," Remus sighed, knowing that Harry was going to do something both noble and stupid.
He hadn't been lying, he could fly well.
Severus narrowed his eyes towards Draco. The Slytherin had told him a very different story about what had happened, making it seem like it was Potter's fault, even saying that Potter had been the first in the air, when the book was showing that it had been Draco who started it. The only reason he wasn't more annoyed at his godson was because he had heard the true story from the other first years talking in the common room.
"Madam Hooch told us not to move — you'll get us all into trouble."
"Hermione, when did you start breaking the rules with the boys?" Ginny asked curiously, since at the moment it seemed like Hermione would never break a rule. Hermione shrugged.
"Around Halloween. It's the next chapter. You'll see."
"Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"
"I wouldn't have done it. I just wanted to scare him to make him give Neville's Remembrall back," Harry said quickly, noticing the looks that many of the teachers were sending him. "I didn't want to kill him, and he would have died if he fell from that height."
"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.
"Severus, you need to get control of that boy," Minerva hissed at Severus, who gave a sharp nod, glaring down at Draco, wondering what other stories he had told extremely differently from what happened.
Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall.
Harry nodded absently, remembering how Quidditch always seemed to go in slow motion when he spotted the snitch. The other seekers in the all nodded their agreement, all of them knowing what he meant, all of them experiencing the same thing when they spotted the snitch.
He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down — next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball —wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching — he stretched out his hand — a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.
Those Gryffindors who had witnessed it grinned in remembrance, and the Slytherins who had been present scowled at the memory. Those who hadn't seen it were looking at Harry in awe.
"You managed that, on a school broom?" Charlie asked, shocked.
"Yeah," Harry said, embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck, the action in both embarrassment and to stop himself rubbing his shoulder, which had taken most of the hit when he had landed, however gentle the landing had been; it hadn't been that impressive. Everyone just continued to stare at him, giving the book the chance to continue the story.
"HARRY POTTER!"
"Ooh, bad luck," George said.
"You'll get a detention for that," Fred added. Harry did his best to hide his smile; only Ron and Hemione knew that he was put on the team instead of punished, not even the team knew how he had got put on, just that he had.
"Never— in all my time at Hogwarts —"Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "— how dare you — might have broken your neck."
"Yes, he could have," Mrs Weasley said faintly, started to reach for a calming draught. Ron saw what she was aiming to do and moved quickly, moving the bottles out of her reach.
"Ron, I want one of those calming draughts," Mrs Weasley said, only for Ron to shake his head. Hermione passed a bag to him and he quickly put the draughts inside it.
"You'll want them later," was the only explanation he gave. He was glad that he had spotted what his mum was doing early, since they all knew she would need one for the next chapter, as would the others in their group. He was also glad that Hermione had given him a bag since he was pretty sure his mum, and others, would have tried to get one when they met Fluffy.
"That's enough, Mr. Weasley.
"Thanks for trying guys."
He was going to be expelled, he just knew it.
"Pessimist," Hermione grumbled.
"Hey, for all I knew I would be. Madame Hooch said it," Harry said, getting a huff from Hermione.
What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep?
Harry winced and then shivered at the thought. He was glad he hadn't had to find out.
Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to him.
Minerva frowned slightly, not realising that she had scared him so much by remaining silent.
Hermione and Ron exchanged glances and grimaced. They both knew that that was the worst thing to do with Harry when he was in trouble; the longer you left him to stew, the worse the punishment he would imagine would be. You had to tell him his punishment straight away.
His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while he stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.
Many people shot him sympathetic looks, which he ignored.
Wood? thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?
"I would never," Minerva exclaimed, horrified, "I would never, ever use corporeal punishment on a student."
Those who were close to Harry were shooting him worried looks, wondering if his home life was even worse than the books let on.
"Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry could immediately tell what she was asking by her tone and shot her a reassuring smile.
"No Hermione, they didn't. They threatened it, but they never did." He was only slightly lying. Vernon had threatened to give him a good thrashing, or to beat the freakiness out of him more times than he could count, but it had never actually happened, apart from the one time when Vernon had been furious to hear that he had been on the school roof. The only beatings he normally received though, were from Dudley and his gang, and they did it to anyone they didn't like, and the occasional slap or frying pan he had to duck from his Uncle and Aunt, respectively.
But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.
"Wait, Wood? Oliver Wood?" Charlie asked. He remembered the boy who had been the keeper on the team in his last year, wondering if it was the same boy. He had recommended the boy for Captain after he left. Harry nodded, grinning.
"You didn't," Charlie exclaimed. Harry's grin only grew wider, while those on the team started to realise what was happening, having clicked at Wood's name and their thoughts confirmed at his description.
"Mind filling us in?" Bill asked, only for Charlie to shake his head, staring at Harry in wonder.
Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.
"How many of those did you teach him?" Bill asked Fred and George.
"A third, maybe half of what he still uses."
"I taught him the other half," Remus said to Harry.
"What about Dad?" Harry asked. Remus chuckled.
"Your father lived with older parents and your godfather lived in a household stuck in the middle ages. Neither of them knew any swear words when they started school. Then they happened to befriend me."
"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood — I've found you a Seeker."
"I can't believe you made it in first year," Charlie said amidst the cheering from the Gryffindors, still staring at him.
Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.
"Of course, it did," Fred said.
"You made his month," George agreed.
"We wouldn't have had a seeker otherwise. No one tried out," Angelina said.
Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."
"Hey!" Charlie yelled before pausing in consideration. "No, actually, that's true. I couldn't have done it on a school broom." Those who heard him laughed.
Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.
"They had," Angelina, Alicia, and Katie agreed.
"Light —speedy — we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor — a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."
Harry smiled slightly in remembrance of his first broom. He loved his firebolt, but he would always have a special place in his heart for his first broom.
"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you.
"It makes so much sense now," Katie said with a sigh.
"What?"
"Why Harry takes the games so seriously," Angelina said.
"And why he never complains about all the training Wood made us do, despite the early or late hours," Alicia added.
"What? Why?" Minerva demanded.
"He probably thought that he would get kicked off if he complained or if we lost a match," the twins said together. Harry ducked his head and blushed but didn't deny it; that had been what he thought, especially in first year.
"We sometimes had to drag him off this pitch after an evening session in first year," George said.
"We started calling him Wood Junior," Fred said.
"I wasn't that bad," Harry protested.
"Yes, you were," all three chasers replied, and Harry sighed, knowing he wouldn't win the argument.
"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."
"He was. And he really would be. Your mum too, after she finished shouting at you for being so reckless," Remus told him, while Snuffles barked his agreement, tongue lolling out of his mouth.
"Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."
"Nothing stays secret in Hogwarts," many people said throughout the hall. Ron, Hermione, and Harry exchanged glances, hiding their grins and laughter behind their hands. They knew of a lot of things that had stayed secret and would have stayed secret if not for these books.
"What?" Neville asked, noticing their reactions.
"We wouldn't necessarily say that nothing stays secret in Hogwarts," Hermione answered, being the first to pull herself together.
"Wood told us. We're on the team too — Beaters."
"Best beaters ever," the Gryffindors agreed. Fred and George stood and took a bow.
"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred.
"And, you jinxed it," Harry sighed.
You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."
"He was," they said, nodding.
"He was when he told me too," Katie agreed with a smile.
"Same," Angelina and Alicia agreed.
"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."
"You found that in your first week? It took us at least a month and a half," Remus said, looking at the twins proudly.
"We'll have to seal that passage up," Umbridge declared. Fred and George shrugged.
"No point," Fred said.
"It collapsed last summer," George said. Umbridge scowled.
"Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only — no contact."
Severus looked at Draco in disbelief. He wouldn't have believed that he would be stupid enough to be the one to suggest the midnight duel that the chapter was named after.
Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
"Of course not. I'm only muggle-raised," Harry said, rolling his eyes.
"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested.
"Good, always have a back-up plan," Moody said in approval, making a few people jump since they had forgotten he was there. Harry and Ron glanced at Hermione.
"Punch him like Hermione did?" Harry asked lowly, causing Hermione to blush at the reminder and for Ron to grin.
"Just like that," Ron agreed.
"Good-bye," said Ron.
"Ronald. That was rude," Mrs Weasley reprimanded. Ron shrugged.
"We already apologised. Just like we have for all the other arguments or rude things we say to each other in these books," He replied.
Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them."
"That's not bad advice," Tonks said, nodding.
"Tonks, you are not teaching my children how to duel." Tonks just shrugged.
"I'm just giving them advise on how to not get hit."
That would be a good session for the DA. A session of just dodge practice to make sure they don't get hit, Ron suggested after getting Harry's attention.
I had been considering it but wasn't sure if we would lose interest if we did that, or if anyone would actually participate.
Just start shooting hexes at them and let them work out what to do, Hermione suggested. Harry and Ron looked at her before grinning. Now that was an idea.
There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today.
"Why do I feel that that didn't stop you?" Remus sighed. He couldn't really reprimand them without being a hypocrite, but it wouldn't stop him hoping or worrying.
"Because you know me and the legacy I inherited?" Harry suggested.
"And it didn't," Ron added helpfully.
"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."
"It was only the second week of term. Why were you already thinking about the house cup?" Ginny asked. Hermione blushed and didn't answer.
But what they were, they didn't find out.
"Why not?" Luna asked curiously.
The Fat Lady had gone on a night time visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.
"I hate it when she does that," George said.
"So inconvenient," Fred agreed. Majority of the Gryffindors, past and present, were nodding their agreement, all of them having experienced the Fat Lady just leaving.
"Always at the wrong times."
"Makes us so late when we have to grab our books and she's gone."
"Always leaving to talk to her friend Violet." The Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins all shot confused looks at the Gryffindors as they continued to mutter complaints about the Fat Lady. At least that explained why McGonagall was so understanding if a Gryffindor told her a muttered 'Fat Lady' after showing up late or without the right books. It made them much more appreciative that they didn't have a portrait guarding their common rooms.
If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."
"I would have backed her up," Harry said with a shrug when people looked at her in disbelief.
"Yeah, probably," Ron agreed with a sigh.
I've been out here for hours,
"Why did it take so long? Can't she fix bones in a minute?" Luna asked curiously.
"She kept me for observation," Neville replied.
"She does that," Remus and Harry agreed, having been kept in the hospital wing much longer than they thought they needed quite often.
I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."
"I can never remember them," Neville said with a sigh.
"You could always write them down like you did third year," Harry suggested.
"I lost them in third year. And almost got Ron killed because of it," Neville replied. The trio all winced slightly, having forgotten that it was Neville's sheet of passwords that Crookshanks had taken to give to Sirius.
"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."
Ginny grinned, gaining wary looks from those around her. Everyone knew that the Bat-Bogey Curse was her favourite, and she was very good at it. Bill eyed his sister warily; he half regretted teaching her that curse now, but he was at least glad that she could protect herself.
Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet.
"They didn't show up, did they?" Remus asked. The trio all shook their heads.
Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once.
"Good Potter. CONSTANT VIGILENCE," Moody called, his shout making many people jump.
"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."
"Ah, that's not good," Fred said.
"Yeah, best to run in that situation," George agreed.
"RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following — they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going — they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.
"Nice. You found a passageway without even trying."
"I —told— you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I — told — you."
Hermione's head was in her hands as she groaned at her actions.
"It was so not the time for I-told-you-so's," she muttered to herself.
Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her that.
"You're always right though, so I don't know what I was expecting," Harry said, making Hermione blush slightly.
It was Peeves.
The hall was filled with groans at the mention of the poltergeist.
"It is not your night," Remus said wearily. Ron and Harry exchanged looks, Hermione's head still being in her hands.
"Then we shouldn't tell you that it gets worse?" Ron asked, getting sighs from many in their group.
"I'm not sure that I want to know."
"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves this was a big mistake.
Fred, George, and Remus groaned at that, while Snuffles whined slightly.
"Whatever you do," George said.
"Never try to hit Peeves," Fred said. Ron blushed slightly, his ears starting to turn red as well.
"I didn't know that then," he replied.
Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door — and it was locked.
"Oh no," Minerva whispered, working out what door they had reached. Pomona paled, while Severus' eyes widened, slightly in shock and slightly in horror. Filius was looking between the four that had been out that night, hoping that they hadn't gone through the door.
She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "Alohomora!"
"No," the four heads of house said, knowing what was behind that door. Minerva only just managed to stop herself from taking a calming draught, knowing what was coming in the next chapter and the advice from the trio.
"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.
"Triple negative," George said with a sigh.
"He won't say anything," Fred added.
"You'd think Filch would have learnt that by now," Harry added.
Harry turned around — and saw, quite clearly, what.
"What was it?" Tonks asked.
"Where were you?" Charlie added. None of those who had been there answered.
For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare — this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.
"What?" Mrs Weasley asked worry growing the longer it took to find out what had happened to her son, two children she considered her eighth and ninth children, and one of their friends. Again, none of the four answered.
And now they knew why it was forbidden.
Many people started to look fearful, shooting looks over at the four who had been involved. Mrs Weasley started to reach towards the table that the calming draughts had been on, making the trio glad that they had already moved them; they hadn't even introduced Fluffy yet.
Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.
"There was a Cerberus in the school?" Charlie exclaimed, torn between horror and amazement. Horror that anyone would put a Cerberus, which was a XXXX creature, in a school full of children, behind a door that a first year was able to unlock. And amazement because they were incredibly rare and there hadn't been any sightings in years.
"Why was that monster in the school?" Mrs Weasley asked. Charlie frowned, torn between two opinions; on one hand, he could agree that a Cerberus shouldn't be in a school, especially with only a low-level spell separating the students from the animal; on the other hand, he didn't like his mum calling such a rare creature a monster, even though he would never tell his mum that.
"There was a necessary reason," Harry replied vaguely. Mrs Weasley didn't seem to think that any reason would have been necessary to have such as creature in the castle but didn't say anything.
"And let me guess. You know this reason?" Remus asked, rubbing his temples as he silently wished for a calming draught, even though he knew that the trio wouldn't give him one, which didn't give him much hope for the next few chapters.
"You'll see," Harry said.
Everyone who had been in the school that year had paled at the thought of such as creature being in the school with them, but everyone was so shocked that nothing else was said. Harry noticed the pale faces and wondered how they would all react when they found out that a Cerberus wasn't the most dangerous thing in the school with them all year; Voldemort had literally been in the same room as all of them every day.
It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.
If possible, many people paled even further at the thought, while the silence around the hall seemed to grow heavier.
Harry groped for the doorknob — between Filch and death, he'd take Filch.
"Good choice," Tonks agreed faintly, her face whiter than anyone else's, mainly due to her special ability.
Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared — all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster.
"Completely understandable," Bill said.
"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.
"I don't know why she still asks," Hermione said.
"No one ever tells her," Ron agreed.
"And you know this how?" Minerva asked.
"Definitely because I lost track of time while studying at the library and not because I snuck out at all," Hermione said, smiling innocently.
"Definitely through word of mouth alone and not through our own actions," Ron replied quickly, his friends snickering at his answer. Minerva sighed and rolled her eyes. Harry didn't say anything, doing his best to catch his breath, feeling like he had just run like he had in first year; he hated these books.
Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.
"I felt like that," Neville agreed.
"I don't blame you," Ginny said.
"If any dog needs exercise, that one does."
"If only that exercise had included eating Quirrell," Harry muttered quietly, having managed to catch his breath enough to talk without huffing or anything else that would gain attention.
"At least it included taking a bite out of Snape," Ron muttered in return.
"I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."
"There were three of them, if you hadn't noticed," Harry said, continuing on his statement from first year.
It's obviously guarding something."
"Of course, it was guarding something. Cerberuses are excellent guard dogs, just like the original guards the gates to the Underworld," Luna said, as if everyone should have known that.
could all have been killed — or worse, expelled."
"Once. I said that once," Hermione groaned, blushing under all the looks she was given.
"At least you've sorted your priorities out now," Harry said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and giving a small squeeze.
"How did I not notice that conversation?" Neville asked, turning to the trio.
"You were just staring at the fire in shock. Ron and I had to help you up to your dorm," Harry replied. Neville nodded, that made sense; he didn't really remember how he had gotten to bed that night either.
Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide — except perhaps Hogwarts.
"Good instincts," Moody said, Kingsley and Amelia nodding in agreement.
"You put things together very fast," Tonks remarked, getting a shrug from Harry.
It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.
"Please tell me you aren't going to go back there," Mrs Weasley said. When the trio didn't reply, their group all groaned, not looking forward to hearing about them going back.
The trio exchanged looks that the groans. If they thought Fluffy begin in the school was bad, wait until they found out what else had been in the school. And Harry was pretty sure they would hate their next encounter with Fluffy, considering what they were trying to do when they went back in that corridor, and especially considering what they did after getting past Fluffy.