At dinner, Harry and Aveira told Ron what had happened.

"Your joking." the two shook their heads. "Seeker? And a chaser? But first years never- you two must be the youngest house players in about-"

"A century," Harry finished. "Wood told us."

Ron was in shock. He was amazed. He was impressed. He was absolutely ecstatic.

"And you both get Nimbus Two Thousands?" Aveira and Harry nodded.

"We start training next week. Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret." Aveira said. Ron just sat and gaped at them both.

Ron's older twin brothers came into the hall and hurried over, see Harry and Aveira.

"Well done. Wood told us. We're on the team too- Beaters." George said quietly.

"We're going to win that Quidditch Cup for sure this year." said Fred.

"Anyway, we've got to go. Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passage out of the school."

"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you." Fred and George left and three people took their place.

"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" It was Draco, of course. Aveira felt the anger run through her. Why did he have to be such a jerk?

You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you." Harry hissed.

"I'd take you anytime on my own," Draco replied. Aveira rolled her eyes. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only-no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a Wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

"Of course he has," said Ron.

"I'm his second, who's yours?"

Draco was slightly taken aback at his sister taking Harry's side, but got over it quickly. He looked at Crabbe and Goyle. "Crabbe. Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." he said, before leaving.

"What's a wizard's duel?" Harry asked the others once they had left. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"

"Well, a second's there to take over if you die." Ron said as casually as he would have if they were talking about homework.

"But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards." Aveira explained.

"The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway." Ron finished.

"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens."

"Throw it away and punch him in the nose." Aveira said, smirking. She was angered with her brother for being such a punk to her only friends.

"Excuse me."

They three of them looked up to see Hermione Granger.

"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" Ron said.

Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry. "I couldn't help overhear you and Malfoy talking-"

"Bet you could." Aveira murmured.

"-and you can't go wandering around the school at night, think of all the points Gryffindor will lose if you get caught! And i bet you will be caught! It's really very selfish of you."

"And it's really none of your business." said Harry.

"Good-bye," Ron finished.

...

At half-past eleven, they met in the common room. The three were almost to the portrait when a voice spoke, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry."

A lamp came on, shining light on the frown on Hermione Granger's face.

"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"

"I almost told your brother. Percy- he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."

"Come on," Harry said to the other two. He opened the portrait and they climbed out of the portrait hole. Hermione followed them out.

"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."

"Go away."

"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so—"

Hermione stopped, looking at the portrait. The Fat Lady must have gone on a night time trip, for the painting was empty.

"Now what am I going to do?"

"That's your problem," said Ron.

"We've got to go; we're going to be late." Aveira said. They started off down the corridor, but they didn't get far before Hermione caught up to them.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

"You are not."

"D'ya think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? 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."

"You've got some nerve-"said Ron.

"Shut up, both of you!" Harry said. "I heard something."

"Mrs. Norris?" Whispered Ron. It turned out to be Neville curled up on the floor asleep, until, that is, the other four came up to him.

"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours; I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."

Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now; the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere." Aveira said.

"How's your arm?" asked Harry.

"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."

"Good- well, look Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later—"Ron started.

"Don't leave me! I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."

Ron glared at Hermione and Neville.

"If either of you get us caught, Ill never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."

…

They went quickly and quietly as they could to the trophy room. When they got there, they saw that the others Malfoy and Crabbe were not there yet. They decided to wait a moment.

After a few silent minutes, Ron whispered, "He's late, maybe he's chickened out,"

Then they heard a sound. Thinking it was Malfoy, they pulled their wands. It turned out that it was not Draco Malfoy- but Argus Filch.

"Sniff around my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."

Extremely frightened, Harry led the others away. Neville got scared, tripped and took Ron down with them.

"RUN!" Harry yelled. They all took off running. They soon found themselves near the Charms classroom. Harry leaned against the wall, wiping sweat from his forehead. Aveira soon joined him.

"I think we've lost him," he panted. "Aveira- I still have trouble believing you are a Malfoy, you're too nice, especially compared to him." Aveira blushed even deeper, if it was possible; her face was flushed from running so much and so far.

"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you- Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off." she gave Aveira an inquiring look.

Aveira put her head in her hands.

"I should have known! I should have known he wouldn't show! He's too chicken to really fight; after eleven years, I still can't predict his moves. I am so stupid! It was so obvious!"

"Aveira, it isn't your fault your brother is a git." Harry said, looking at her. Aveira grinned.

"Thanks Harry."

So, after getting ratted out by Peeves, and ran. They found a door. They got in and shut the door. They heard Filch cursing as he stalked quickly away trying to find them.

"He thinks this door is locked," Aveira whispered.

"I think we'll be okay- get off, Neville!" Harry said, as Neville, again, tugged on Harry's sleeve. "What?"

The others turned around and saw what Neville was freaked about. They were in the forbidden corridor on the third floor, staring straight into the many eyes of a humongous three-headed dog.

Harry opened the door and they fell outside it again, landing on top of each other, Harry and Neville underneath the other three.

"Ow…" Harry said, as Aveira fell backwards on top of him.

"Sorry!" she squeaked. Hermione was halfway on top of her, so once Hermione helped her up, she helped Harry and Neville up.

…

They started running once again, all the way up to the seventh floor to the painting of the Fat Lady.

"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked them.

"Never mind that- pig snout, pig snout." Panted Harry, before scrambling through the portrait hole.

They all collapsed into armchairs.

What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron after a few minutes. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" Hermione snapped.

"I think I can see well enough to see three heads on that dog back there." Aveira retorted, still shocked by what they had just seen.

"Didn't any of you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Harry asked. "I wasn't looking at its feet; I was too busy with its heads."

"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." Hermione said, standing up.

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed- or worse, expelled. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." And with that, Hermione left.

"No, we don't mind." Ron said, staring after her. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"

After a few minutes, Aveira had yawned enough times to decide it was time to go up to bed. She bid the boys goodnight and climbed up the stairs to the girls dormitories. She plopped face first onto her bed, falling asleep almost instantly.