By the time the four of them left the kitchen, their stomachs were stuffed with cream cake and milk tea, and the pockets beneath their robes were crammed with egg-and-milk biscuits and pies handed to them by the house-elves.
"Curfew starts in ten minutes. We'd better get back to the common room quickly."
They had barely passed through the Entrance Hall when they caught the attention of the caretaker's cat. Not long after Mrs. Norris scampered away, Filch appeared before them.
For some reason, Fred and George felt inexplicably guilty when they saw Filch heading their way.
Fred even unconsciously slipped his hand into the right pocket of his robe, where they had hidden the Marauder's Map they had stolen from the caretaker's office.
"You two..." Filch called out to the Weasley twins, baring his teeth in a malicious grin. "Detention is at seven tomorrow evening. You'll be polishing every trophy in the Trophy Room. I hope this lesson gives you a little sense of house pride. Gryffindor's points have fallen to last place again, by the way."
None of the four spoke. They stood quietly and listened as Filch finished.
Of course, someone still had a mouthful of pie, which seemed to spoil the atmosphere somewhat.
"Now, get back to your common room. Don't let me catch you wandering the castle after curfew, or detention will be the least of your worries." After delivering his threats, Filch turned and left.
"What an obnoxious old git." George made a rude gesture at Filch's departing back.
"I seem to remember you were going to teach us the Scouring Charm." Fred turned to Albert, blinking as he spoke.
"There's no time. You can't learn the Scouring Charm in a day." Albert took out his pocket watch to check the time again, then