The French version of this story can be found on Wattpad
La version française de cette histoire est disponible sur Wattpad

CHAPTER 4 - Curfew

The prefect passed without noticing the three figures huddled in the shadow of the statue at the far end of the corridor. After a quick glance, he turned and disappeared with a click of his heels. A chorus of relieved sighs greeted his departure. Sebastian, Elisabeth and Ominis immediately fled in the opposite direction, trying hard not to make any noise. Although students were not allowed to wander the corridors after dark, anyone who knew the infernal trio would not have been surprised to find them out of their dormitory at this late hour. A certain young lady, in particular, seemed to be keen on nocturnal expeditions and took great pleasure in circumventing the rules whenever she could.
The group descended a grand staircase, crossed the clock hall and crept up to a small door leading outside. A fountain surrounded by four griffins gurgled peacefully in a courtyard surrounded by a cloister. On the other side, a stone archway led to a small dirt path outside the castle. If you followed it, you would pass close to the gamekeeper's hut and it was possible to reach the forbidden forest.

— Remind me again why I'm here?" muttered Ominis.

— Because you insisted on following me when I left the dorm. You said, and I quote, "there's no way you're breaking curfew on your second night and getting into trouble. I intend to keep an eye on you". A wise choice of words, I must say.

Sebastian smirked. Nothing seemed to faze him and he had an answer for everything, which could be particularly irritating. However, he wasn't the one behind this little escapade. Elisabeth was leading the group, perfectly at ease despite the risk of being caught. She had talked about collecting materials in the forest for the potions class, arguing that they were of better quality if she collected them herself, fresh and close to the school. The heir to Salazar voluntarily chose to believe this lie so as not to have to worry about the real reason why they were taking so many risks. By Merlin, this girl was quite capable of taking them out just for the pleasure of a walk in the woods!

— I know what I said. But I'm beginning to think that, for the sake of my health, I'd be better off worrying about you than accompanying you," grumbled the young man as he quickened his pace to reach the shadows of the cloister.

The trio made their way quickly to the exit when a noise caught their attention. They immediately froze, pressed against the wall. A ghost? Or another prefect, perhaps? The noise seemed to be coming from their direction.

— If we run, we can reach the hut," Elizabeth murmured hurriedly.

— Great idea, love! says a far too enthusiastic Sebastian.

This boy lived only for the thrill of risk, it was frightening. Instinctively, his hand found that of the young Slytherin girl and their fingers intertwined tightly. It wasn't the first time they had run to escape danger.

— Go on, I'll cover for you," assured Ominis with a knowing smile. Without a distraction, you'll never get to the hut fast enough and I don't want us to lose points because my best friends are idiots. I didn't feel like hiking anyway.

He had a ready-made excuse to avoid being punished and he was delighted to be able to help in his own way, before going back to bed. A firm grip briefly squeezed his shoulder and he felt his two comrades run away.
Holding out his wand, he drew a spiral in front of him and whispered an incantation. A powerful gust of wind swept through the corridor, followed by a thick blanket of fog. In an instant, you couldn't see more than two metres in front of you. Satisfied with the result, Ominis left his hiding place and hid in a small stone alcove a little further on, hoping to escape the gaze of the intruder who had almost surprised them.

For a moment, everything was perfectly silent. All he could hear was his own heartbeat. Then the thud of a body hitting a hard surface reached his ears. He had to try hard not to laugh, but his mirth disappeared as soon as he realised that the person was swearing in an unknown language. Was it a hallucination? He couldn't believe it, it couldn't possibly be her. Not here, not at this time, not tonight. However, the rhythm of the footsteps had resumed, hesitantly, accompanied by angry murmurs that he didn't understand. And yet he spoke English, Irish and parseltongue!

— This is a bad joke. Tell me it's a bad joke," he grumbled through gritted teeth, gripping his wand tighter.

Perhaps by petrifying her, she would remain motionless until morning and then be punished when the teachers discovered her here? The idea was tempting, but he wasn't cruel enough to carry it out.
Ominis found it hard to admit, but he was curious. The coincidence was too strange to be true, and yet he couldn't believe that the girl had followed them on purpose. How could she have known they were breaking curfew? No, it was simply a strange coincidence that she too had decided to go on a little late-night expedition. The question was why. He would have thought that she was the type to follow the rules and above all to behave herself for her first few weeks in an unknown school.

Gabrielle knocked herself about three more times before finding her way out of the cloister and escaping the mist. Her knee was hurting, probably badly scratched when she had hit a stone bench. However, it wasn't a bit of mist that was going to hold her back. It must have been a rudimentary defence system to prevent students from leaving the castle after dark, right? She knew the effects of a spell when she saw them, and the bad Scottish weather was not to blame.
Initially, she had expected to encounter a guard of some kind, a teacher or a prefect, but as no noise had alerted her and no one had come to meet her, she had taken the risk of continuing on her way. Good for her, she was now on the path leading to the aviary. The slope was a little steep, but the moon was shining high in the sky and at this distance from Hogwarts, there was no risk of her being caught. She set off at a brisk pace, not realising that a shadow was following her closely.

The climb was long, due to the French girl's regular breaks, and Ominis had to be particularly careful in his shadowing. The glow of his wand wasn't strong enough to give him away, as long as he kept his distance, but he had to admit that his handicap didn't help him to walk discreetly. Avoiding running into a tree was one thing, but avoiding the crunch of gravel under his shoe was quite another. Luckily, the person he was following liked to talk loudly to herself, all the better to cover the noise he occasionally made. Gabrielle de Lauzanne was quite a character.
The climb came to an end anyway and he could hear the Ravenclaw's groan of agony as she set foot on the last step. The little princess must have been used to having everything handed to her on a silver platter and was clearly lacking in exercise. He couldn't help smiling with satisfaction.
The sound of the aviary door indicated that the witch had entered, then closed the door behind her. It was the perfect moment to catch her in the act and give her a good scare.

With wolf-like steps, Ominis climbed the stairs to the door and placed his hand on the handle. He held his wand firmly in his hand, still hesitating about what to do: speak and then cast a spell on her, or the other way round? On reflection, this kind of plan sounded much more like something Sebastian might have suggested. So he let his own instincts guide him and gently turned the handle, pushing the door open without hurrying to avoid making it creak.

The countless birds in the tower greeted his entrance with intrigued hooting. All perfectly awake at this time of night, they must not be used to receiving visitors after sunset. The Slytherin listened for the tired breath of the student he had been following. She was making as much noise as a steam locomotive as she entered, so there was no way she could recover so quickly. He could locate her easily. One step at a time, he approached the ladder that led upstairs, on the lookout.

The tip of a wand gently sank between his shoulder blades, telling him to stop.

— Bonsoir monsieur Gaunt.

He gritted his teeth and slowly raised his hands in surrender. How had that nasty pest managed to take him by surprise? Had she heard him come in after her? At last he heard the unmistakable sound of heavy breathing held for too long. The minx had deliberately stopped breathing so that he wouldn't notice her presence. Clever, admittedly. And it also meant that she was expecting him to come in.

The pressure on his back shifted, sliding towards his ribs, passing under his raised arm to come to rest against his heart. She wasn't about to let him get away with it.

— How long have you been noticing me? he asked nonchalantly.

— Halfway, I'd say. I had turned round to admire the view. I wasn't disappointed.

The young wizard clicked his tongue in annoyance. His plan had backfired and the humiliation had an unpleasant taste.

— There's no need to prolong your pleasure. Let's just get it over with, shall we? What can I expect? Petrificus? Reducto? Or will you be tempted by a family classic with Crucio?

A silence answered him.

Gabrielle raised her wand and tucked it away in her pocket before tapping her victim's chest with the flat of her hand. She was pleased by the expression that passed over the young man's pale features.

— Nothing, really. I don't need to cast any spells on you because you're my accomplice.

With her arms folded across her chest, she waited with a small smile on her lips for her stalker to realise what she had just said. She saw him lower his hands and frown. No doubt if she listened carefully, she would be able to hear the workings of his mind in motion. When he suddenly pointed his wand at her and threatened to defend himself if she tried to bamboozle him, she simply pushed it away with the tip of her finger.

— Calm down, Gaunt. What kind of monster do you take me for? Where I come from, we don't put curses on people, even when they've been particularly rude.

— To others, Lauzanne. You and I both know how our bloodlines deal with problems. You know it's forbidden to go out at night. What's to stop me turning you in if you don't cast a spell to stop me?

— It's probably because you don't want to go to detention and lose points. After all, I don't see a prefect badge on your blazer. What are you doing out of bed at this ungodly hour, hm?

A hint of mischief had crept into her tone. Without waiting for a reply, the young girl turned towards the ladder and began to climb the rungs to reach the upper floor of the aviary. Stunned by the insolent confidence with which she acted in front of him, Ominis found nothing better to do than follow her, calling out to her in a stern voice.

— Hey! Come back here! Where are you going? You have no business here! I'm warning you, I won't hesitate to take this up with the headmaster if I have to. He's a good friend of my father's and the consequences for you could be much more serious than you imagine.

A sunny laugh drowned out the owls' hooting, bouncing off the tower walls. This girl was either crazy or stupid. He had just threatened to have her expelled and she found that amusing! Even Elisabeth had felt obliged to defend herself when he'd said the same thing to her the day he'd caught her leaving the Undercroft.
Not paying attention to where he was stepping, the young wizard took a step to try to grab the dissident and felt his shoe slip on the gooey surface. All his weight went backwards and it was only thanks to a providential grip that he didn't fall backwards down the ladder. A small hand had clung firmly to his wrist. The palm was very warm despite the night-time temperature. She pulled him forward to help him regain his composure and he shoved her away with a hurried, uncomfortable gesture.

— It's true, you could do that," said the young girl serenely. Then I'd have to pull out all the stops and start crying as I recounted the awful things you said to me by way of welcome. I already have a ready-made explanation for my presence here: distressed by the animosity you showed me this morning, I wouldn't have had the strength to wait until tomorrow to write a letter to my parents, asking them to organise my return home. Pretty convincing, don't you think?

Ominis was speechless in front of her. He wasn't quite sure who had the advantage over whom in this conversation and his correspondent's response was unexpected. It was almost as if he was listening to a Slytherin.
A long sigh finally greeted the declaration. Since sniping and threats would get him nowhere, he agreed to give up. She didn't seem even a little upset about the whole situation, so the young man felt stupid for getting angry on his own. In the end, perhaps she wasn't as spineless as he'd thought.

— Very well, you've won," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders sullenly. It's in no-one's interest for us to denounce each other. But you still owe me an explanation as to why you're here.

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow at him before remembering that he couldn't read her expression. He was very demanding for someone who had just been caught at his own game, but she didn't have the heart to kick an enemy when he was down. If he agreed to bury the hatchet, she would do the same.

— You're persistent, I'll give you that. Well, if you must know, I'm looking for a place.

— ... A place?

— Yes, I'm looking for a particular place in the castle or its immediate surroundings. I've got less than ten months to find it, so I don't want to waste a single second.

— Hmm. If only there were people who had spent more than six years at Hogwarts who you could ask questions of to speed up your research.

It was Ominis' turn to raise an eyebrow. There was something charming about his glibness when he wasn't insulting his interlocutor directly. He had that little accent that made his English sing in a way that was both precious and caustic. Now that she had made the good resolution to stop getting angry at the young man's attitude - a strategy which had not borne fruit the first time and from which she had learnt after brooding all afternoon - Gabrielle could fully savour the bite of her comrade. In return, she launched into a parody of simpering:

— But who is this charming boy offering me his unselfish help under the moonlight? Mr Gaunt, I was mistaken about you. Your generosity goes straight to my heart and I accept it with great pleasure. Please instruct me as soon as possible.

She caught a fleeting quiver on the Slytherin's face. It wasn't enough to make him laugh, but it was close. In the end, playing the game of sarcasm seemed to be the right decision since they were finally able to talk a little. If the stars were willing, they would soon be able to talk like normal people.
Taking advantage of the fact that the atmosphere had eased a little, Gabrielle extended a hand towards her correspondent to propose a deal.

— I understand that you don't want my company, and I don't intend to force it on you. Far be it from me to spoil your final year. But in exchange, please help me to find this ideal place that I'm looking for. Please, it's very important.

Ominis was still not convinced of the wisdom of having any contact with the heiress of an ancient Pureblood family. From personal experience, it never ended well for him. However, he recognised that he had been wrong about her. She was surprising, mischievous, secretive and outspoken. This agreement seemed reasonable to him and would allow him to sleep soundly in the knowledge that there would be no more surprise run-ins like earlier in the day. His arm reached out and she took his hand. A firm, honest, burning grip. Her hands were so hot.
The young girl allowed herself a relieved sigh now that she was no longer in danger of being barked at at the corner of a corridor.

— Well, if I'm going to help you find this famous "place", start by describing it to me. I might already know where it is," sighed the young wizard as he went to sit on the edge of a window, arms folded.

A few owls brushed his hair as they took flight, but he paid them no attention.

— It's both simple and complicated. It has to be an enclosed space, quiet and safe. It must be away from prying eyes and ears. The best would be a secret room or a place forgotten by everyone, so that there's no risk of running into anyone on the way there.

The description matched the Undercroft perfectly and Ominis almost asked her if she wasn't trying to trick him into revealing its location. But it was an absurd thought, and he immediately dismissed it. Paranoia would get him nowhere, but talking about his sanctuary was out of the question, no matter what.

— A secret place, out of sight... What possible use could that be to you? I hope you're not up to anything illegal.

— That's none of your business," she said peremptorily.

— All right, don't tell me! It's better for me not to be involved in your little scheme anyway. If you get caught, I'll wash my hands of whatever happens to you.

— I'm touched by your concern, but it's unfounded. I'm not planning anything reprehensible, I assure you.

He exclaimed contemptuously. Him, worrying about a complete stranger? They had agreed to stop fighting, not to become best friends.

A silence fell between them, punctuated by the ruffling of feathers and the cries of birds of prey. Ominis searched his memory looking for a place that could satisfy Gabrielle's request. And Gabrielle was watching Ominis. The pale light falling from the window drew shadows on the young man's face, accentuating the angle of his jaw and emphasising the height of his cheekbones. Dark circles hollowed out his blind eyes, but did nothing to dull their milky brilliance. They always seemed vague, staring at something far beyond the wizard's surroundings. She would have liked to come closer to get a better look, but her curiosity would have been misplaced. She was lucky to be able to stare at them without their owner noticing.

— Come on, behave yourself, Miss de Lauzanne.

The Ravenclaw felt her cheeks catch fire. How did he know? She looked away immediately, clearing her throat.

— What's wrong? Can't we watch birds in peace any more?

The excuse was a little too simple, the tone a little too abrupt. The young man held back a mocking smile. She was as subtle as an Erumpent in a china shop. He swept the air with a wave of his hand as he straightened up.

— I might have one or two ideas for you. But it's out of the question for us to go there in the middle of the night. We've lingered long enough, let's go in unnoticed.

— Hey, wait a minute! When are you going to take me if not tonight?

— In a hurry, I see. How about tomorrow morning, after our Transfiguration class? Or would you prefer the afternoon?

— No, morning would be perfect. I have to go to Muggle Studies in the middle of the afternoon, so I might be out late.

Ominis raised his eyebrows so high they could have flown off. He had never heard of a Pureblood pursuing this kind of course after their OWL. The subject was largely shunned by all the purists and it was rather frowned upon for children from good families to dwell too long on the subject.
The witch laughed at his incongruous expression. He lost all his threatening aura when he made a face like that.

— So what, you've forgotten how to breathe? I got an Optimal in my OWL in this subject and I'm hoping to get another one for my NEWT. Although, if I take the exams here, the answers might not be as obvious as they were at Beauxbâtons... All the more reason not to miss my classes.

— Are you... interested in Muggles?

He didn't dare give too much intonation to his question for fear of appearing interested. He himself had been instructed to abandon the subject once he had passed his fifth-year exam. That a Gaunt could waste his time on such a dishonourable subject was impossible in his parents' minds. Yet he had an Exceptional Effort which would have allowed him to continue into the sixth year.

— Of course! rejoined the young girl with aplomb. I have a Muggle-born friend who introduced me to some fascinating things in first year and I really admire their ability to live without magic. Living with them hasn't always been easy for wizards, but I think we can all benefit from understanding them better. Their inability to use magic makes them very ingenious, it's fascinating.

Taken aback by this statement, the Slytherin heir found himself nodding assentingly. His biggest misconception about his pen pal had just gone up in smoke and he now felt helpless, realising that he had prepared to fight an enemy that didn't exist. By the time he had digested what he had just heard, Gabrielle had gone back downstairs and was ready to leave the aviary. He followed in her footsteps.

The two students retraced their steps, taking the same route they had taken on the outward journey, quickly rejoining the cloister. When it came to descending a slope, the French girl didn't complain as much. Preferring to be cautious, they skirted the walls to return inside the castle where a perilous circuit to their respective common rooms awaited them. Luckily, the Ravenclaw tower and the Slytherin dungeons were almost on top of each other, so they could make the journey together. After all, two pairs of ears were better than one when it came to avoiding Peeves.
They managed to evade the rounds of two different prefects before reaching the bottom of the stairs, where they had to separate.
Ominis turned off without waiting, one foot already on the first step when his comrade called out to him in a whisper. He heard the hurried sound of her footsteps as she approached him. Her voice was barely more than a whisper, yet he understood every syllable.

— I wanted to say that... I'm sorry for what I said to you this morning. It was cruel and unfair of me. I got carried away and I wanted you to know that I regret it and it won't happen again. Have a good night, Ominis.

He didn't have time to reply as she trotted off in the opposite direction, leaving a scent of cedar and night breeze in her wake.