As it turned out, Fred and George were still awake, and were more than happy to assist Ron in sneaking Harry down to the Trophy Room for the midnight duel...if they were allowed to tag along and watch. Ron was put out about that when they came down with him, but the pair looked shocked at the group there.

"What ho?" Fred asked in surprise. "Bit of a field trip, is it?"

"Haven't brushed up on my tour guide," George pointed out with a grin. "We taking all of you down?"

"Yes, you are," Hermione stated firmly. "Someone has to keep them from being reckless idiots." Ron's growl in response highly amused the twins.

"Right then!" Fred stated warmly. "We'll get you there or my name isn't Fred!"

"Hang on, I'm Fred!" George complained irritably.

"Oh that's right!" Fred agreed with a smile. "We'll all probably get caught, then!"

"No, I can tell you apart by scent, remember...Peanut?" Penny pointed out playfully, making Hermione stifle a giggle, leading to both twins pouting. Fred and George shot each of them an unamused look before moving over to the corner while checking something they were holding between them. Penny's nose then twitched again, and she went to the portrait hole and pushed it open again. "Neville?" she asked in surprise. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Penny?" Neville asked in surprise. "I was on my way back from the hospital wing, but I forgot the password!" He clambered in through the hole. "Thanks for letting me in-what's everyone doing up?"

"Harry's heading to a Wizard's Duel with Draco Malfoy," Hermione pointed out somewhat irritably. "We're going with."

"But...but doesn't that break the rules?" Neville asked in confusion.

"From what Penny says, it's expected of us to break the rules and get away with it," Hermione allowed ruefully. "That's why punishment is phrased to come if we get caught-"

"She's right, you know!" Fred pointed out with a smile.

"Surprised a Firstie put it together, though," George added.

"After all, the big rule of the Wizengamot is the Statute of Secrecy."

"Which says 'don't get caught being magical'."

"So rule breaking at school..."

"...and getting away with it..."

"...is just training for adult life!" the twins concluded together. "Follow us!"

As the pair headed for the portrait hole, Neville glanced around at the group in shock, then turned to Hermione. "C...can I come?" he asked nervously.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled. "The more the merrier," she offered ruefully, moving off after the group as everyone trundled after the twins.

The group carefully followed the twins as they made their way towards the trophy room. Every so often, the pair would signal everyone to stop, look at something they had with them, and then change direction for seemingly no reason. Everyone stayed as quiet as possible, with Penny having made sure to fully manifest her squirrel ears for a better chance at hearing someone who might catch them. She also had her tail out for balance, and was glad her onesie kept her toe claws covered while walking so there wasn't the click of them on stone. While she was just as nervous as Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Neville, the twins seemed completely at ease, which gave her a bit of calm.

It wasn't long before the group reached the trophy room. Harry and Ron moved to the center hall to await Malfoy and Crabbe, while Fred, George, Hermione, Neville, and Penny hid behind various displays to watch the upcoming duel. As they waited, Penny could see the others beginning to calm down...but Fred and George started to get agitated. That was worrisome.

Her tail went straight as she heard the sound of Mrs. Norris' footsteps, and Filch's labored breathing, both slowly approaching the trophy room directly with none of the meandering either of them showed in normal patrols. "We've got to go!" she whispered as she dashed over to Harry. "Filch is on his way!"

"And still no sign of Malfoy," Fred growled out angrily.

"He was never going to come duel," George snapped irritably. "This was a setup."

"Which way do we go?" Ron asked desperately as Hermione and Neville came over.

Fred and George both glanced at whatever it was they'd been carrying, and Fred let out a muffled curse. "Only one way," he grumbled irritably.

"Well, we did want to check out what was there," George pointed out. "Guess now we've got an excuse."

"This way!" they said together, rapidly leading the group to the side.

The group rapidly followed, dodging around Peeves the Poltergeist without catching his attention thanks to the twins' directions. They then came to a door at the end of a corridor...only for it to be locked. "We need to get through," Fred whispered urgently.

Hermione quickly stepped forward. "Alohomora!" she declared, waving her wand at the knob. A click sounded as the door unlocked.

"Not bad for a Firstie," George praised as he pulled the door open and they all dashed inside. He quickly closed the door behind them...

...and Penny's fur on her hands, ears, and tail all promptly stood on end.

Fluffy was of three minds about his current situation. This was normal for him, given he had three heads. On the one mind, there were students in his chamber, something he was not supposed to allow. On the second mind, the Playful Pair were with them, so did that mean it was game time? On the third mind, none of them seemed at all interested in the trapdoor he was guarding, so was it really his responsibility? He decided to let out a little growl to get their attention, just to make a point.

Three of them were now looking his way. One girl had her eyes on the trapdoor. One boy seemed paralyzed. The other girl let out a scream of terror and dashed away, nearly taking the door off its hinges.

Fluffy was of three minds about that. One the one mind, he was here to guard the trapdoor and what was beneath it. On the second mind, the reason he was the guard was to keep the students safe from the dangers that guarded further down the path, so he really should make certain the scared girl was okay.

On the third mind, SQUIRREL!

Fluffy Left sighed as he was summarily outvoted. The poor wall didn't stand a chance.

Argus Filch raised his head as he heard the scream, and grinned. "Has some ickle firstie gone and scared themselves wandering the corridors?" he asked wickedly as he turned towards the sound...only to pause when he noticed his cat making a break for it. "Mrs. Norris? What's-"

Something furry dashed around him too fast for him to register while shrieking in fear.

"What in the-" he demanded as he turned to see what it was...only to get flattened into the floor by a massive paw as booming barks echoed over his head. Shortly thereafter, several feet raced over his back, two sets of which he would have sworn felt familiar. He let out a groan as he attempted to struggle out of the hole he'd been pushed into in the floor. He really hated the castle's sense of humor sometimes...