Midnight Duel

"Order of Merlin" had left, but Klein still hadn't gotten a moment to himself.

A team of healers from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries took up all his free time.

If Severus Snape hadn't appeared with a cold expression and gotten him out of it, Klein figured they would have kept pestering him for a very long time.

"Don't forget your detention tonight."

Having more or less placed himself between the healers and Klein, the esteemed Headmaster was just as stern as ever, his face drawn into a long scowl.

"Mm."

Feeling the other man's support from the bottom of his heart, Klein smiled and nodded.

"Hmph."

Seeing that the healers no longer dared approach and bother him, Snape gave a cold snort and turned to leave.

Klein took the opportunity to escape the major headache Mister Aberdo had left him with, then ambled back to the Slytherin Common Room.

A lot had happened today. He needed to take some time to digest it all and refine his plans with Dumbledore.

And now that the matter of the Order of Merlin was settled, he finally had time to go and have a look at "that place."

Leaning comfortably in an ornate chair, Klein gazed at the snake-head carving on the stone wall and smiled faintly.

At the same time, in the Hogwarts Dining Hall.

"Enjoy your last dinner in the castle, Potter."

Draco Malfoy raised an eyebrow. Crabbe and Goyle stood behind him, one on either side, grinning to themselves.

"What, Malfoy? Now that you're back on the ground and have your lackeys at your side, you've gotten brave?"

Harry Potter said coldly.

That afternoon, he and Draco had clashed over Neville's Memory Ball. Fortunately, Professor McGonagall had made an exception and let him join the Gryffindor Quidditch Team because of his flying talent. Otherwise...

He might have been expelled from school!

Thinking of that made Harry even angrier.

"Ha, you're mad?"

Draco lifted his pointed chin, as if he couldn't even see the look in Harry's eyes.

"How about this? I'll give you a chance, Potter. I'll face you myself and show you the difference between us.

"How about tonight? Wands only, no physical contact.

"I take it you've never heard of a Wizard Duel?"

"Of course he has!"

Ron Weasley couldn't help sneering from beside him.

"Harry's assistant is me. Who's yours?"

"Uh..."

Draco thought it over for a few seconds, then finally pointed to the larger of the two boys.

"Crabbe."

After a pause, he continued.

"Then it's settled. Midnight, in the Prizing Room. The door there doesn't lock. Heh, don't you dare chicken out."

"Just you wait. We'll teach you a lesson."

Ron put on a stern face and fired back at Draco without backing down.

"Very well. See you then."

Having set a time, Draco didn't want to say any more. He left the Gryffindor table with Crabbe and Goyle.

"What's a Wizard Duel? And what do you mean by being my assistant?"

Only after the annoying Slytherins had left did Harry ask Ron.

"Oh, nothing. If you die, your assistant takes over."

Ron answered casually and went back to tackling the cold pie on his plate.

"Die?"

At that word, Harry's expression turned quite something.

"Hey, don't be scared. We haven't learned much magic yet. At most, we'll shoot a few sparks at each other. No one's going to get hurt.

"Still, I thought you'd refuse."

Ron shrugged and gave Harry a reassuring smile.

"What if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"

After hearing Ron's explanation, Harry felt a lot better, but soon realized there was another problem.

He didn't know any magic at all!

It wasn't as if he could use the spell that turned a matchstick into a needle on Malfoy.

"Then toss your wand aside and punch that damn pasty face!"

Ron suggested with a mischievous grin.

"Sorry to interrupt."

As Harry and Ron discussed what to do, a girl's voice suddenly sounded beside them.

"Tch. It's 'Know-It-All' Granger."

Seeing who it was, Ron quietly curled his lip.

Hermione ignored him and turned straight to Harry.

"I overheard your conversation with Malfoy by accident..."

"Ha, I knew it."

Ron muttered under his breath.

"Wandering around the school at night? You must be mad. Think about it: how many points will you cost Gryffindor if you're caught? You're definitely going to get caught. You're so selfish!"

"It's none of your business."

Harry didn't know what to say, so he just shook his head at Hermione.

He exchanged a glance with Ron, and the two of them stood up and left the table together.

"I'll stop you!"

Angry and upset, Hermione stamped her foot. She no longer felt like enjoying dinner, either.

She sat down in a huff, blinking her big eyes a few times as if she had made up her mind about something.

Late that night, half past eleven.

"I can't believe you really went through with it!"

Hermione had deliberately stationed herself outside the Gryffindor Common Room. She looked at Ron and Harry as if they'd sorely disappointed her, her little face so cold it seemed ready to freeze over.

"Why do you have to interfere in everything?"

Ron gave an irritated snort.

Harry also thought Hermione was going too far. This clearly had nothing to do with her.

"Let's go."

Acting as if Hermione wasn't there, Ron pulled Harry through the opening of the Lion House Common Room.

"I won't let you cost Gryffindor any more points! I don't want you ruining the points I earned from Professor McGonagall!"

Hermione hissed under her breath like an angry goose, and without realizing it, followed Harry and Ron through the opening of the Lion House Common Room.

"Go away!"

The endless nagging finally got to Ron. He snapped at "Know-It-All" Granger.

Harry sighed but said nothing.

"You... you..."

She had only meant to help, yet they treated her like this.

Hermione felt terribly hurt, and her eyes reddened.

"When you get expelled tomorrow, don't say I didn't warn you!"

After saying that, she tried to return to the Gryffindor Common Room, only to discover in horror that Fat Lady had disappeared from the portrait at the entrance.

"Ah!"

Hermione cried out.

Fat Lady had gone visiting another portrait, which meant...

She was locked out and couldn't get back in!

"What should I do?"

Panicking, she hurriedly asked Ron and Harry.

"That's your problem."

Ron shrugged, looking as if there was nothing he could do.

"Why don't you come with me?"

Harry was kinder. He asked tentatively.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Before Hermione could answer, the three of them heard a series of footsteps.

"Is that Filch?!"

Hermione was so frightened she was on the verge of tears. She couldn't bear to imagine being expelled the next day and boarding the train home.

"No, it's not Filch."

Though they were badly frightened too, Harry and Ron managed to keep their wits about them.

Filch's shoes were old and worn. When he walked, they made a "creak, creak" sound.

If it wasn't Filch, then...

Who would be roaming the castle so late at night?