When she looked back, it was Hermione. She had a small bag slung over her shoulder and her wand clenched in her hand, her expression resolute. "I'm coming with you to duel."
"What did you say?" Ron's eyes widened.
"Granger, have you gone mad? You're top of the class, the professors' favorite, and you're actually going to break the rules? I thought you were going to snitch!"
"That was what I'd planned to do." Hermione admitted it frankly, then added, seeing the color drain from their faces.
"But Tom was right. Winning is what matters. You two, honestly, I don't even know what spells you can cast. Are you really going to fight with your fists? You're wizards, not boxers!"
Harry and Ron felt ashamed and embarrassed. They lowered their heads and agreed to let Hermione join them. At least she knew more spells than the two of them combined.
The three of them left the common room. As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they heard someone panting heavily.
Harry's heart tightened. Thinking it was Filch and Mrs. Norris, he turned to run, but the Fat Lady was out, and the common room door had already closed.
"Don't run, it's me!" A familiar voice came from around the corner. Hermione narrowed her eyes and saw Neville.
"Neville, what are you doing here?" Harry relaxed.
Neville scrambled to his feet, eyes brimming with tears. "I forgot the password, so I couldn't get back in to sleep. Luckily, you found me."
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, then tactfully looked away. They hadn't even noticed Neville was missing from their dormitory.
"Is your hand all right now?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"It's fine!" Neville held up his hand and waved it. "Madam Pomfrey just waved her wand and fixed it. She's amazing!"
"Good." Ron checked his watch, looking impatient. "The password is 'Pig Snout.' The Fat Lady's out, so wait here for her. We've got something urgent to do."
"Don't leave me behind!" Neville hurriedly grabbed Harry's arm. "I'm scared on my own. I'll come with you. I can help!"
Harry and Ron had no choice but to bring him along. Their group of two became a team of four. Harry consoled himself that there was strength in numbers and they could teach Malfoy a lesson.
The four of them crept along carefully, peeking around every corner for fear of running into Filch. Luckily, they made it to the door of the Trophy Room on the fourth floor without incident.
But there was no sign of Malfoy. Instead, they heard Filch's voice. He and Mrs. Norris were heading their way.
"Malfoy tricked you!" Hermione angrily smacked Harry and lowered her voice. "Come on, run through that door!"
Harry and Ron's faces darkened. Trembling with anger, they could only sprint after Hermione. Harry cursed Malfoy a thousand times in his head. All that worry for nothing.
"Clang!" Ron, panicking, ran straight into a suit of armor and knocked it over. The crash was loud enough to wake the whole castle.
"They're over there! Norris, hurry!" Filch's voice rang out, his footsteps drawing closer.
"Run!" Harry shouted. The four of them raced wildly through one corridor after another.
They had barely shaken Filch when Peeves suddenly appeared and yelled, "Thieves! Filch, they're over here!"
The four of them panicked and took off running again. Hermione was exhausted; her legs gave way, and she tripped over her own feet, falling hard.
Hermione closed her eyes, bracing for the pain, but the expected impact never came. A strong pair of arms caught her, carrying a faint scent of caramel.
Hermione's eyes flew open. Seeing who was in front of her, her pupils widened and her voice trembled. "Tom, what are you doing here?!"
At Hermione's startled question, Tom stuck out his chin and answered indignantly, "I'm out roaming the castle at night. What, did you think I came to rescue you? I'm just like you lot—a rule-breaker."
Hermione wanted to roll her eyes. He made breaking school rules sound like a trip to the market.
But Filch's footsteps were drawing closer behind them, and she had no time to complain. She grabbed Tom by the wrist and ran. "Quit fooling around! Filch is after us. Hurry, hide!"
Tom stumbled as she dragged him along, watching helplessly as the four hopeless direction-finders led him into a dead end. There was just one door at the end of the corridor, and it was locked tight.
"We're doomed!" Ron's knees buckled. Filch's footsteps and Mrs. Norris's meows were almost at the corner.
"Move!" Hermione pushed Ron aside and pointed her wand at the lock, speaking rapidly. "Alohomora!"
The lock clicked open. All five of them darted inside and clapped their hands over their mouths, listening as Filch and Peeves bickered outside. They only dared breathe again once the footsteps had faded away.
"Are we safe?" Harry whispered. Neville immediately tugged at his sleeve and added tearfully, "N-no, we're not!"
They turned around and sucked in a collective breath. It wasn't a classroom behind the door, but a narrow passageway.
A Three-headed Dog crouched at the far end, its enormous body filling the space from floor to ceiling. All six eyes stared straight at them.
Drool dripped from its jaws, and its gaze was just like theirs when they looked at a roasted chicken leg.
"ROAR!" The Three-headed Dog roared furiously, making their ears ring.
Hermione turned to twist the lock. She'd rather be punished with copying the school rules than become a giant dog's snack.
But she'd pressed the lock button earlier, jamming the old lock. No matter how she pressed it, it wouldn't pop back out.
"Tom! Don't go near it!" Hermione watched the Three-headed Dog lunge forward, her soul nearly flying out of her body. But Tom didn't retreat. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and went to meet it.
"Stupefy!" The white flash struck the Three-headed Dog's middle head squarely. The head yelped in pain, but only showed a white mark, and lunged at Tom even more furiously.
Tom pursed his lips and muttered, "Should've known better than to go easy on you. You think you can get away with that?" He flicked his wrist and hurled spells as if they cost nothing.
"Concussive Impact!" "Hurricane Blade!" "Wind Sweeps Away Clouds!"
Harry and the others stared in stunned disbelief. Tom was like a one-man magical artillery battery, firing spell after spell, some they'd heard of and many more they hadn't.
The Three-headed Dog was so huge he couldn't miss, even without aiming. It was a full-on barrage.
No single spell did much damage, but there were so many of them that even the thick-skinned Three-headed Dog couldn't take it. It howled and retreated.
Finally, it huddled at the end of the passage, tucking all three heads down and whimpering like a giant puppy.
Tom stopped and looked back at Hermione, who was still struggling with the lock. His voice was lazy and irritating, with a hint of excitement. "Still haven't fixed the lock? Keep dawdling and the big dog will recover. Then we'll all be its midnight snack."
"Huh? Oh!" Hermione snapped back to attention and fumbled with it for several seconds. Click—the lock finally worked.
Ron was the first to squeeze out, with Harry and Neville close behind.
Before leaving, Hermione glanced at the Three-headed Dog peeking its heads out. Tom raised his wand, and several soft white lights fell on the dog—it was a Healing Charm.
"Whimper..." The Three-headed Dog let out a low whine. Whether in gratitude or fear, it tucked its heads back down.
Tom ignored it, left last, and casually shut the door behind him.
Before you continue