Penny smiled to herself as she climbed up the side of Gryffindor Tower. She hadn't been able to share dinner with Harry earlier because of the way the flying classes were scheduled, but she was looking forward to hearing how he did. She hoped he did well, it would be fun to go flying with him once they both were allowed to. In the meantime, maybe she could teach him how to climb? Ron, Hermione, and Neville would probably enjoy it too.

As she clambered in the window of the Gryffindor common room, she blinked in surprise. Despite the time, it wasn't empty. She did recognize who was there by scent, though. "Hermione?" she asked in surprise. "What are you doing still up?"

"P-Penny?" Hermione gasped in stammering shock. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Climbing up to spend the night cuddling with Harry," Penny explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "You didn't answer-"

"Do you have any idea how many school rules that breaks?" Hermione hissed out, barely keeping herself under control. "If Professor Sprout or Professor McGonagall find out-"

"They know," Penny interrupted easily with a smile. "Professor Sprout caught me on the way back in the first night, and told me if she caught me out of bed during her bed checks after curfew, there would be lost points and detention. I asked when she did bed checks." She did her best not to laugh at Hermione's expression. She could only describe it as 'croggled'. "She talked to the Headmaster about it, and that night told me when the bed checks were."

"But...but..." Hermione began as she struggled to wrap her head around it. "But the rules!"

"Hermione," Penny began carefully, "didn't you notice that everything the teachers say about the rules end with 'if you get caught breaking them'?"

Hermione blinked in confusion. "Well, yeah, but that's just standard for teachers-"

"Among non-magicals, yeah," Penny agreed as she ambled over to the portrait door. "But magicals think differently. After all, there are spells on the castle that let the Headmaster know where everyone is if he just thinks to check, and even where everyone was if he checks backward. All it'd take for him to know if anyone was out after curfew in the halls is take a look first thing in the morning...or just ask the House Elves."

"House elves?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"Magical creatures that are bound to either a magical family or location," Penny explained easily. "Because of some covenant from ancient times, they give their service at those locations and to those families. No one knows why...and I only know about the covenant because I asked one, but she said it wasn't time for anyone to know more than that. Mom says there are at least 200 in Hogwarts, and they're always at work."

"Don't they get breaks?" Hermione gasped in shock.

"Dumbledore keeps trying to give them time off, from what Dad said," Penny pointed out with a smirk. "But they're workaholics culturally. If they don't have something to do, they get fidgety and panicky, like they're doing something wrong by not being at work." She shrugged. "Something about how their magic works, I think. But yeah, they all report to the Headmaster, and could easily keep track of every living thing in the entire castle..." She leaned against the wall beside the portrait door. "But instead, the halls are patrolled by a total of 50 fifth through seventh years at most spread out over the week to give them all a chance at an uninterrupted nights sleep, and a few teachers...and Filch and his cat. Even the ghosts don't weigh in on that."

Hermione frowned in confusion. "But...the rules..." she pointed out uncertainly.

"Great Uncle Merry always told me that part of early magic training is as much about training the spirit as the body or mind," Penny pointed out with a grin. "That's why while he would lecture me about the messes I made in his workrooms, he never banned me from them."

"But that's your family!" Hermione pointed out. "You...you can't really mean the teachers expect us to break the rules...can you?"

"If they were really serious about no one being out of their common rooms after curfew..." Penny began before reaching over and gently pushing the portrait hole partway open. "Why isn't this locked?"

Hermione slumped down in her chair, eyes wide. "It...sealed doors except in an emergency and a head count before curfew..."

"A lot more effective than patrol schedules, don't you think?" Penny pointed out impishly. "Unless, of course, effective isn't what they want..."

"Cor," Ron murmured as he came down the stairs from the boy's dorms. "Never thought of it that way...though I bet Fred and George did..."

"I was wondering where you were, Penny," Harry offered as he stepped down behind his friend, only to rock back slightly from glomp-propelled squirrel girl impact.

"Hermione and I were discussing the school rules and the meaning behind them in magical society," Penny offered happily as she nuzzled him as they shared an embrace. "She still hasn't told me why she was up, though."

"She overheard Malfoy challenging Harry to a Wizard's Duel," Ron pointed out mulishly, glowering at Hermione. "She's been trying to convince Harry to back out all evening because of the rules it breaks."

"I still think you're being unconscionably reckless in just marching out blithely to have this Duel," Hermione growled irritably as she stood up to glare at him right in the eye.

"Oh?" Ron demanded angrily. "What, you think Harry should back down? Get called a coward? Have Malfoy laughing at him about it?"

"No, not anymore," Hermione admitted, catching Ron off guard. "But did you even think to ask Fred and George if they knew what the Prefect patrol schedule was for tonight? Or for a path to the trophy room that the ghosts don't frequent?" As Ron blinked in surprise, she continued, "Apparently, part of growing up magical is breaking the rules safely without getting caught...so if we're going to do that, we should at least do it properly with effective planning and preparation!"

Ron simply stood there, gaping like a fish and staring. Harry frowned contemplatively. "We've still got more than an hour before we need to be there," he offered thoughtfully. "Do you think Fred and George are still up?"

Ron blinked in surprise before shutting his mouth. "I'll go check," he decided before racing back up the stairs.