Harry woke up late that Saturday morning, feeling groggy from staying up so late the night before. He took a moment to think over everything that had happened.
Somehow, they had not been caught. Harry had been too distracted at the time to realize how strange this was. It wasn't as if that door had exploded quietly. The few minutes they'd been distracted by the Cerberus should have been more than enough for Filch to find them. Perhaps his hearing wasn't nearly as sharp as the older students were always saying it was.
Then there was the reason they'd been sneaking around in the first place; the duel with Draco. Harry hadn't realized just how clever his nemesis was. The duel had been a ruse to get Harry in trouble for breaking curfew. That sneaky bastard. Harry should have expected something like that from a Slytherin. He supposed it had turned out well, all things considered. Draco's plan failed, and now Harry knew to expect these sorts of tricks from him. He wouldn't be caught unawares again.
Harry and his friends kept visiting the Cerberus. They first went back on Monday during their free period, right after the game of capture the snitch. The door had been reassembled and locked, but without Filch at their backs Hermione scrounged up the patience to pronounce "alohamora" correctly.
When they entered the corridor, a pair of eyes locked onto each of them, and a single large tail began to wag gently. As they approached, the Cerberus laid down so they could pet its heads, and they happily obliged.
This became part of their daily routine. By Wednesday, the Cerberus seemed to be expecting their arrival, and on Thursday it rolled onto its side to let them rub its belly. To Harry's frustration, however, at no point did it leave the trapdoor uncovered. It even growled softly when Harry attempted to move its paw. No matter how much it enjoyed the attention, it wasn't going to forget what its job was.
It turned out that this was too good to last. On Friday, they were just settling in next to their chosen heads when the door swung open again. Hagrid stood there for a moment staring, before allowing the door to fall shut and speaking to them.
"Now what're you three doing in here?" He asked.
"Pubby." Harry explained.
"You're, uh. Not supposed to be here." Hagrid added.
"Pubby." Ron insisted.
"I could get you lot in serious trouble for being here." Hagrid warned.
"Pubby." Hermione pleaded.
Hagrid sighed. "Is that all, then? You've been breaking into this corridor every day this week - don't try to argue, I knew somebody'd been here - just to see Fluffy?"
"Yes?" Harry answered.
Hagrid paused a moment before responding. "Well then," he said, sounding like he'd been forced to abandon a script and improvise, "if that was all, I suppose I could let you off with a warning, just this once. It's hard finding people who'll appreciate creatures like Fluffy. But you've got to promise me that you won't come back again, and I will be watching. If I catch you here again, you'll be in a lot of trouble. Probably have detention for the rest of the year. Understand?"
The trio stared at him in glum silence.
"And if you'd like," Hagrid continued, with a spark of inspiration, "you could come by to visit me tomorrow afternoon. Could show you some great pictures of different magical creatures. Think you'd like them, and you wouldn't have to go anywhere you're not allowed."
This, at least, drew their interest, and soon they were promising not to break into the corridor again. Then, Hagrid sent them on their way.
Before leaving, Harry turned to catch one final glimpse of the trapdoor under Fluffy's paw.