"The Obscuring Charm worked!" Ron said excitedly as he watched Filch.
"Shh!" Li Mu and Harry jumped, raising their index fingers to their lips at the same time to signal silence. Ron knew he had gotten too excited and done something stupid. The color drained from his flushed face.
They nervously stared at Filch again.
"Huh? What was that sound?..." Filch truly deserved his reputation as the students' most hated detective. Though Ron's voice had been quiet, it had not escaped his ears.
Li Mu's heart pounded too. It was his first time using an Obscuring Charm. In theory, the charm could mislead vision, but it had no effect on smell or hearing. Could they hide from Mrs. Norris?
As Filch, led by Mrs. Norris, closed in step by step, they carefully kept backing away, nearly squeezing themselves flat against the Iron Gate.
Filch was already close enough that they could smell the stench on him—a foul mixture of fish, garlic, and all sorts of other strange odors.
"All right." Hinata's gentle voice suddenly came from behind them, sounding like heavenly music.
They turned around.
Hermione and Hinata had already opened the Iron Gate together. Beyond it was pitch-black, and they could not see what lay inside. But they had no time to think. With Hermione in the lead, they cautiously rose onto their tiptoes and quickly slipped through the door one by one.
Then Hinata carefully closed the door. With a soft click, they were temporarily safe. But none of them felt reassured. They piled their heads together, trying to peer outside through the narrow gap in the Iron Gate.
Filch did not come any closer. He muttered in confusion, "Where could those little brats have run off to?"
As he spoke, the castle caretaker habitually looked toward Mrs.