Chapter 10: Insufferable Emotions

As I entered the Great Hall, the chatter and clinking of silverware filled the air. The usual warm, golden glow of the enchanted ceiling was marred by my own simmering frustration. Harry and Ron were seated together, laughing and talking as if nothing had happened. Their carefree expressions irritated me more than I cared to admit.

I glanced toward the hourglass tracking our house points. The rubies inside the Gryffindor column hadn't moved. No points lost. I didn't know if I felt relieved or annoyed. Harry had broken the rules and there were no consequences. If anything, it seemed like he'd been rewarded, judging by how jubilant they both looked.

I sat down stiffly, piling a portion of steak and kidney pie onto my plate. Normally, the savory warmth of the dish would have lifted my spirits, but today, it felt tasteless.

As I pushed my food around with my fork, I noticed Draco Malfoy swaggering toward the table, his smirk as self-satisfied as ever. Curiosity peaked, I leaned in slightly to listen.

"Having a last meal, Potter?" Malfoy sneered. "When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"

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

Malfoy's smirk widened. "I'd take you on anytime on my own. 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," Ron said quickly, leaning forward. "I'm his second, who's yours?"

Malfoy's gaze flitted to Crabbe and Goyle before settling on Crabbe. "Crabbe," he decided. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."

With that, Malfoy turned on his heel and strode off, his hulking sidekicks following close behind.

"What's a wizard's duel?" Harry asked, frowning. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"

Ron grinned. "A second's there to take over if you die."

Harry looked shocked. "Die?"

"But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards," Ron said quickly, as if to attempt to reassure him. "The most you and Malfoy will 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."

Harry still looked uneasy. "And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"

"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron said with a grin, clearly enjoying himself.

I couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Excuse me," I said, my voice cutting through their conversation. Both boys turned to face me, their look of irritation not lost upon me.

Ron groaned audibly, his head dropping into his hands. "Can't a person eat in peace in this place?"

Ignoring him, I turned to Harry. "I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying—"

"Bet you could," Ron muttered.

"—and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night," I continued, my tone firm. "Think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."

Harry's polite demeanor vanished. "And it's really none of your business."

I glared as I got up from the table, keeping my enraged feelings at bay.

"Goodbye," snapped Ron.

I lifted my chin and stalked away. I thought I would make it seem like their words meant nothing.

They did in fact, hurt.

Back in my dormitory, I paced furiously. How dare they speak to me like that! They were the ones breaking rules, jeopardizing Gryffindor's chances at the House Cup, and yet somehow I was the villain?

I briefly considered telling Percy. He was a prefect, after all, and Ron's older brother. Surely, he would put a stop to this nonsense. But the idea of being labeled a tattletale made me hesitate. My reputation was already precarious enough.

No. I would handle this myself.

Later that night, after Lavender and Parvati had fallen asleep, I slipped out of bed and grabbed my pink bathrobe putting it on as I headed out the door. The castle was eerily quiet, the only sound the faint creak of the staircase as I descended to the common room. The dying embers in the fireplace cast flickering shadows across the walls.

I waited by the stairs, my heart pounding with anticipation.

Soon enough, Harry and Ron appeared, whispering to each other as they crept toward the portrait hole.

"I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry," I said, stepping out of the shadows and cutting on a nearby lamp.

Ron nearly jumped out of his skin. "You!" he hissed. "Go back to bed!"

"I almost told your brother." I harped, folding my arms. "Percy , he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this. folding my arms.

"Come on," Harry muttered, pushing open the portrait.

Without hesitation, I followed them.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor?" I demanded quietly. "Or do you only care about yourselves? I don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup, and you'll lose all the points I earned from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells!"

"Go away," Harry snapped, his voice icy.

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

I glanced over my shoulder and realized the Fat Lady was gone from her portrait. I groaned. Looks like I was stuck out here. With these two troublemakers.

Mama and Papa would be beside themselves if they knew.

"Now what am I going to do?" I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

"Sounds like a personal problem." Ron said. "Look, we've got to go. We're going to be late."

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

"Like hell you are." said Ron.

I glared at him. ""Do you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me?" I protested. "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."

Ron began to raise his voice at me, his tone sharp and his face reddening. "You've got some nerve, you—"

"Shut up, both of you!" Harry hissed, his voice cutting through the tension. "I heard something.""

I froze, my hand instinctively gripping the sleeve of Ron's robe. It was a sort of a snuffling sound.

"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.

"Mrs. Norris?" Ron whispered, glancing around nervously.

To my immense relief, It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as we crept nearer.

"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't

remember the new password to get into 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." said Ron.

"How's your arm?" said Harry.

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

minute."

"Good," said Harry, as if he was trying to rush Neville off. "Well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you

later -"

"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to

stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."

Ron looked at his watch and then frowned. He clearly did not want us around.

"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about and used it on you," Ron said, glaring pointedly at Neville and me.

I opened my mouth to correct him (it wasn't a curse you could simply "learn," after all), but Harry cut me off with a hurried "Shut up!" as we crept further down the corridor.

The trophy room loomed ahead, its polished surfaces glinting faintly in the dim light. My heart thudded loudly in my chest as we slipped inside, every creak of the floorboards echoing in the quiet.

But Malfoy and Crabbe were nowhere to be found.

"He's late," Ron whispered, his eyes darting nervously around the room. "Maybe he's chickened out."

Before anyone could respond, a noise from the next room made us all jump. It wasn't Malfoy.

"Sniff around, my sweet," came Filch's unmistakable voice, each word dripping with menace. "They might be lurking in a corner."

My breath hitched as Harry gestured for us to follow him. We moved as quickly and quietly as we could, slipping out of the room just as Filch's silhouette appeared in the doorway.

"They're in here somewhere," Filch grumbled. "Probably hiding."

"This way," Harry mouthed, leading us into a long gallery filled with suits of armor.

The silence was deafening, broken only by the faint creaks of the floor beneath our feet. Filch's footsteps grew louder, and I could feel the tension in the group rising. Suddenly, Neville let out a panicked squeak and bolted forward.

"No, Neville—!"

But it was too late. He tripped over his own feet, crashing into a suit of armor and pulling me down with him. The clatter was deafening, and I cringed as the echoes reverberated through the corridor.

"RUN!" Harry shouted, and we didn't need to be told twice.

We sprinted blindly, the sound of Filch's furious shouts spurring us on. My heart felt like it would burst as we turned corner after corner, desperate to escape. Harry led us through a tapestry that concealed a hidden passageway, and we finally slowed, panting heavily.

"I think we've lost him," Harry said, leaning against the cold stone wall.

Neville was doubled over, gasping for air. I clutched my side, my breaths coming in short, sharp gasps.

"I...told...you!" I managed to say between breaths, glaring at the boys. "I—told—you!"

Ron waved a dismissive hand. "We've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower as quickly as possible," he said, ignoring my scolding.

But I wasn't finished. "Malfoy tricked you, Harry. Don't you realize that? He was never going to meet you. Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room—Malfoy must have tipped him off!"

Harry huffed, clearly irritated, and started walking without another word. I followed, my frustration simmering just beneath the surface.

As we made our way back, Peeves suddenly appeared, his cackling laughter echoing through the corridor.

"Wandering around at midnight, ickle firsties?" he sang gleefully. "Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty!"

"Shut up, Peeves!" Ron whispered harshly. "Please! You'll get us thrown out."

Peeves tilted his head, his grin widening. "Should tell Filch, I should," he said in a mockingly thoughtful tone. "It's for your own good, you know."

"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves. Please," I begged, trying to sound as reasonable as possible.

"Get out of the way," Ron snapped, swiping at Peeves.

The poltergeist darted out of reach, shrieking with delight. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Panic surged through me as we bolted down the corridor. We reached the end and slammed into a locked door.

"This is it," Ron moaned. "We're done for! This is the end!"

I pushed past him, snatching Harry's wand. "Oh, move over!" I hissed.

With a flick of the wand, I whispered, "Alohomora."

The lock clicked, and the door swung open. We tumbled inside, slamming the door behind us.

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch's voice drifted closer.

"Say 'please,'" Peeves replied smugly.

"Don't mess with me, Peeves! Now where did they go?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," Peeves sang.

"All right—please."

"NOTHING!" Peeves screeched. "Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha!"

I pressed my ear to the door, straining to hear. When silence fell, I let out a shaky breath.

"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be oka—get off, Neville!"

Neville was tugging at Harry's sleeve, his face pale as a sheet. "What?" Harry snapped, but Neville's eyes were fixed on something behind us.

I turned, and my breath caught in my throat.

We were staring into the eyes of a massive, three-headed dog. Its six eyes gleamed in the dim light, its yellowed fangs bared in a low growl that reverberated through the room.

For a moment, none of us moved. My mind raced, desperately trying to comprehend what I was seeing. This is the third-floor corridor. Dumbledore's warning echoed in my head. And now I knew why it's forbidden.

I happened to napping a quick glance at a trapdoor that was under the don's massive paw. The wheels in my head wanted to turn, but I willed them to stop before they could start. I did not need to get my head bitten off.

Harry flung the door open, and we stumbled out, our legs weak and shaking. We didn't stop running until we reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Where on earth have you all been?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing.

"Never mind that! Pig snout, pig snout!" Harry gasped, and the portrait swung forward.

We collapsed into the common room, the adrenaline finally fading.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" Ron ranted, his voice high and panicked. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

I stared at him, incredulous. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" I snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Harry said, still catching his breath.

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

I glared at them, my anger boiling over. "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could have been killed—or worse, expelled!"

Without waiting for a response, I turned and marched up to my dormitory.

Let them stew on that, I thought grimly, climbing into bed. Maybe next time they'll think twice before breaking the rules.