"No, I didn't find her! I ran all the way here, but Filch was the only one I saw. Before I could ask whether he'd seen Hermione, he grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up. Thank goodness you two caught up, or else..."
"Harry, don't you usually carry your wand?"
"I do!"
Harry pulled his wand out of his robes and stared at Luo Bin in confusion, apparently unable to understand why he would ask that.
"Every time Filch sees you, he either glares and swears at you or grabs your collar and puts you in a headlock. This corridor is empty, with nothing blocking your view. You should have spotted him when you came out of the stairwell. Why didn't you take out your wand, just in case?"
"Y-yeah, that's true!"
Ron nodded in agreement.
"I... doesn't the school say we're not allowed to use magic except in class or for practice...?"
"So you just let someone who can't even use magic bully you however he likes? Harry, if you can't even protect yourself and stay alive, what's the point of following the rules?"
Harry frowned at that. He looked at Argus Filch, who lay fast asleep on the floor, then at the tightly shut doors of the Council Chamber.
In fact, when he first came out of the stairwell, he had considered drawing his wand, but he had subconsciously dismissed the idea. This was the Council Chamber, he had reasoned, and it was packed with professors. If he faced even the slightest danger, those doors would open, and whoever came out would rescue him immediately!
But he had shouted for so long that his voice had gone hoarse, and those doors had remained firmly shut!
"I... Luo Bin, you're right. Next time, I'll have my wand