Midnight Duel

Just like that, Allen's daily rhythm became extremely regular. Outside of class, if you wanted to find him, you would either look in the dining hall or the library. Until this day...

"Allen, we knew you'd be here." Flag, Ron, and Harry arrived at the library together and found Allen.

"Oh? It's been quite a while since you last came to see me," Allen said with a smile.

"We don't have classes together, and apart from that first Transfiguration lesson, we haven't managed to get together at all. Look at you, the library has become your base of operations. Everyone knows the Ravenclaw point-hoarder is a bookworm, but you can't just forget about us," Flag complained, sounding aggrieved.

"How could I? Your exploits often reach my ears. For instance, Harry did a good deed today by helping Neville retrieve his Remembrall from Malfoy," Allen said, smiling to soothe them.

"Yeah, you have no idea how amazing Harry was today... He dove from fifty feet in the air and caught the Remembrall," Flag said, beaming as if he were the one who had caught it himself.

"Hey, keep it down! This is a library," Madam Pince, the librarian, warned Flag while waving her feather duster.

"But Malfoy challenged us to a wizard's duel. And Allen, you know me—I know so little magic," Harry said, looking troubled. He could always let his guard down in front of Allen, feeling that Allen could solve any problem.

"Malfoy's seconds are Goyle and Crabbe. I intended to be Harry's second along with Flag, but they both agreed that you would be a better choice," Ron added from the side.

Allen really wanted to tell them that Malfoy wouldn't show up for this ridiculous duel. And so he did: "Haven't you considered that Malfoy might not even show up?"

"Regardless, a wizard can't back down from a duel once it's been issued. That would be so shameful!" Ron said dismissively. He didn't see it as a problem; he was more focused on how satisfying it would be to beat Malfoy to a pulp.

Allen had to admit that Ron made a valid point. Under normal circumstances, wizards wouldn't avoid a duel. Although Malfoy had successfully tricked Harry and the others, he likely wouldn't want to be looked down upon by his own house for such behavior, even if he was the wealthy Malfoy.

"Allen, be my second," Harry said, looking expectant.

"Alright, as you wish, my friend." Allen felt he couldn't refuse anymore, and besides, he could take the opportunity to see that legendary three-headed dog that supposedly loved music.

"Great!" Flag and Harry jumped up in excitement.

"Get out! All of you, get out! It's too noisy!" Madam Pince waved her feather duster furiously.

"Then Allen, see you at the trophy room at 11:30 tonight." The three of them quickly ran out of the library.

"Are you going to duel Malfoy and the others? That would be against school rules," Anna asked, emerging from the shadows of the bookshelves with a worried expression.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems." Allen was certain he wouldn't be caught.

"That's true. At our age, what would a duel even be? Shooting sparks at each other?" Anna laughed, as if she had realized something. "And if you get caught, the worst that happens is you lose some points, which you can earn back in a single day."

If you ignored this little interlude, Allen's day had been quite fulfilling. He had successfully finished One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and felt as satisfied as if he had eaten a full meal.

At 11:30 that night, Allen climbed out of bed on tiptoe; Edward was already fast asleep. Activating the stealth function of his Miaomiao Wizard Robe, Allen quickly arrived at the trophy room. He hid behind a massive display cabinet and waited for a while before seeing Harry and the others appear.

"Why so late?" Allen asked. "Weren't you all looking forward to tonight's duel? Oh, and there's an extra person."

"Yeah, Allen, this is Hermione. She insisted on coming along, and we couldn't stop her," Ron complained to Allen, looking annoyed.

"What you're doing is against school rules, I'm going to..." Hermione was also very angry.

"Calm down, Hermione. You're breaking the school rules too, right now," Allen pointed out calmly.

"Oh, Allen, I've heard of you. You've been praised by almost every professor, except Professor Snape. You don't think this ridiculous duel is right, do you?" Hermione tried to win Allen's agreement.

"You're right, it is a ridiculous duel. But since a challenge was accepted, one should honor their promise. It's a matter of dignity. Now, Harry, is this where you agreed to meet?"

"Yes, it's almost midnight. Malfoy and the others should be here soon." Harry checked the luminous watch Allen had once given him.

Under the moonlight, the crystal glass cabinets displaying the trophies shimmered. In the darkness, cups, shields, plates, and statues glinted with silver and gold light. The five of them moved along the wall, eyes fixed on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy suddenly burst in to duel him. Time ticked away, second by second.

"He's late. Maybe he's too scared to come," Ron whispered. Just then, a sound from the next room made them jump. Harry had just raised his wand when he heard someone speaking—it wasn't Malfoy. "Sniff around, my sweet. They might be hiding in a corner somewhere."

Filch was talking to Mrs. Norris. Harry was terrified and frantically waved his wand at the other four, signaling them to follow him as quickly as possible. They crept toward the door furthest from Filch's voice. Soon, they heard Filch enter the trophy room.

"They're somewhere around here," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding."

"This way!" Harry signaled silently to the others. Except for Allen, they were all nearly paralyzed with fear, creeping along a corridor lined with suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting closer and closer.

Clang, clatter... Flag accidentally bumped into a suit of armor, and the sound of it clattering to the floor was piercingly loud in the silent night.

"Run!" Allen took the lead, and the five of them sprinted down the corridor at full speed, not daring to look back to see if Filch was following. They rounded a pillar and dashed through corridor after corridor. Finally, they emerged near the classroom where they had their Charms lessons. Allen knew clearly that the forbidden area housing the three-headed dog was on this very floor.