This whole operation had been far too thrilling for Silvan. He wasn't even sure whether he had heard someone shouting in the castle.
Of course, it could also have been the wind, or some other sound.
Fortunately, Silvan didn't run into Filch or Professor Sprout in the end and made it safely back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
"If there's a next time, I'll tell the professors!" the Fat Lady threatened as she opened the passage to the common room.
Silvan simply pretended not to hear her.
The Weasley brothers had told him long ago that the Fat Lady was all talk. She would never report young wizards for sneaking around at night, since that would only cause trouble for herself as well.
What surprised Silvan was that, despite it already being the middle of the night, the common room was still lit.
Then he noticed Fred and George sitting in armchairs, fiddling with a pile of junk they had scavenged from who knew where.
They remained remarkably calm at Silvan's sudden appearance, since they had known about it all along.
"We were just saying you should be back soon," Fred said, turning to glance at Silvan.
"What are you holding?"
"A branch," Silvan said.
"You broke school rules and snuck out of the castle in the middle of the night for a branch?" George couldn't understand it.
Weren't those things everywhere? Did he really need to risk getting caught just to make a special trip outside in the middle of the night?
"This is a branch from the Whomping Willow," Silvan emphasized as he walked over and sat in the armchair opposite them.
"What's different about it?"
"It sells for three Galleons an ounce, twice as expensive as dragon blood of the same weight."
"How much?" Fred and George