Late that night, at ten minutes to midnight, a barrel in a corner of the Castle's basement corridor shifted, and a young wizard in a dressing gown crept out.
He sighed softly, glanced around, and jogged up the stairs.
Meanwhile, an argument had broken out by the portrait at Gryffindor Tower.
It ended with two young wizards storming out of the common room, with another two trailing far behind.
"Brr, I should've worn more." Su Er rubbed his hands, hiding in the shadow of a shield-bearing statue outside the Trophy Room and peering through a gap toward the corridor.
"They're here!"
Moonlight streamed through the tall windows, illuminating the entire Third Floor Corridor and making the newcomers' faces perfectly clear.
So clear that he could see every trace of excitement and nervousness on Harry's and Ron's faces as they hurried ahead.
The two tiptoed past the statue where Su Er was hiding and went straight into the Trophy Room. A moment later, Hermione and Neville appeared as well.
None of the four noticed Su Er hiding by the door.
In the otherwise deserted Trophy Room, even the quietest words carried clearly outside.
Listening to their "whispered" argument, Su Er knew it was time to show himself.
"Malfoy isn't coming." Su Er's sudden voice made everyone in the Trophy Room jump.
Harry whipped out his wand and pointed it at Su Er, clearly thinking he was Malfoy.
"Su Er, what are you doing here too?" Hermione pressed a hand to her chest, still visibly shaken.
"Looking for you lot, of course." Su Er glared at all four of them and casually invented an excuse. "After dinner, I saw Malfoy sneak a note into Filch's office."
"So we've been tricked?" Harry lowered his wand and asked blankly.
"I knew it..." Hermione said. "I knew Malfoy was up to no good! But you wouldn't listen! I almost told Professor McGonagall."
"That's not all," Su Er said. "Filch must be nearby."
No sooner had Su Er finished speaking than Filch's voice rang out from the next room. "Professor, I heard it. There's something moving in there."
A professor?! All four stared at Su Er in horror.
"What are you looking at me for? Hide!"
The five scattered. Su Er glanced around, grabbed Hermione, and raced ahead to the largest trophy display.
He stepped onto the stand, gripped the trophy's rim, and peered inside. It was huge and hollow, with enough room to hide a person.
"Quick, climb in," Su Er whispered urgently.
"What about you?" Hermione shook her head.
"I'll manage." Su Er nudged Hermione, urging her to climb in and hide. "Don't make a sound."
Curled up inside the trophy, Hermione held herself rigid and stopped breathing as Su Er's footsteps faded into the distance.
Then footsteps and voices echoed through the empty Trophy Room again.
"My potion was at a critical stage, and you summoned me here over a note of questionable authenticity..."
Professor Snape's voice! Hermione was so tense she could barely blink.
"Professor, I'm certain I heard something. There was movement in here just now," came Filch's aged voice.
"But the fact remains that there is no one here," Snape said coldly. "I have no time to search the entire third floor with you."
With that, Snape turned and left. Hermione could recognize his distinctive footsteps.
Snape was the only person in the entire Castle whose wizard robes swished through the air as he walked.
"My sweet kitty, there's someone here. Let's find them." Filch clearly hadn't given up. He spoke to his cat. "Have a sniff around."
"Meow..."
Filch's footsteps wandered around the Trophy Room for quite a while before finally disappearing.
After another little while, Su Er's voice rang out.
"Come out, Hermione. It's safe," he said.
By the time Hermione climbed out, Ron, Harry, and Neville had already gathered around Su Er. She had no idea where they had hidden.
"You two nearly got us all killed." Hermione glared fiercely at Harry and Ron, clutching the front of her clothes as she spoke angrily.
Ron opened his mouth as though he wanted to protest, but Harry tugged at him, and both boys lowered their heads in shame.
"All right, let's get back to our common rooms. Filch could return at any moment," Su Er said, coming to their rescue.
Everyone agreed, and the five tiptoed toward the door.
The corridor was silent, with only moonlight streaming quietly through the windows.
They parted at the stairs, Su Er heading down and the other four going up.
"Good thing you came to warn us," Harry said. "We'd have been done for if we'd been caught."
Neville also looked at Su Er gratefully.
"Don't mention it." Su Er waved a hand. "See you tomorrow, Hermione, Neville, Harry."
Ron: Don't I deserve a name?
Though it was almost midnight, the wall-mounted lights on the Castle's ground floor still crackled and burned, casting light, though it was much dimmer than just after nightfall.
Su Er was about to descend the final flight of stairs when he heard footsteps from the floor below.
Damn it, am I about to run into a professor going for a midnight snack?
He had heard the older Hufflepuff students talk about the many times they had encountered professors in the Kitchen. It was one reason Hufflepuff's points were never very high.
Su Er drew his foot back and quickly surveyed his surroundings. There was nowhere to conceal himself.
The footsteps drew closer, and a sliver of wizard robes was already visible around the turn in the staircase.
With no other choice, Su Er ducked into the shadows by the stairs, hoping the professor wouldn't look into that corner.
He held his breath, trying to tuck himself entirely into the shadows. In the dim firelight, he saw the approaching figure: an elderly professor who walked with a limp. One of his arms had a wooden sheen, and it ended in something shaped like a hook, from which a metal bucket hung.
The bucket swung back and forth with his limping steps.
Professor Kettleburn?
Smack... A bloody chunk of meat flew out and landed close to Su Er.
Su Er's heart tightened. Professor Kettleburn had stopped, glanced at the fallen meat, and set down his bucket.
Now, if Professor Kettleburn looked up while bending down, he would spot Su Er.
Fortunately, Professor Kettleburn simply snagged the meat with his hooked arm, tossed it into the bucket, then picked the bucket up in the same motion and turned away.
Only after Professor Kettleburn's stooped figure had swayed out through the Castle's front doors did Su Er emerge from the shadows, wearing an odd expression.
Should he count himself lucky, or had Professor Kettleburn's behavior just now been rather strange?
His movements had been strange, and so had his expression. He had looked very... serene? Su Er didn't know how to describe the feeling.
But he soon put that little doubt out of his mind. Hogwarts had plenty of peculiar people, so a few inexplicable quirks were perfectly normal.
Su Er couldn't help rubbing his arms. The English Highlands were far too cold late at night. What he needed most right now was the big, soft, warm bed in his Hufflepuff dormitory.
Just as he was about to climb into the large opening revealed by the rotating barrel, Su Er distinctly heard a series of loud crashes and clatters overhead.
It sounded as though something had fallen over.
What was that noise?
Perhaps Peeves was up to mischief. During his days in the Castle, Su Er had encountered its most mischievous ghost more than once, and plenty of older students had been victims of his pranks.
Su Er shook his head, climbed deftly into the barrel, and hurried along the passage toward his dormitory. Right now, the most important thing was sleep.
Otherwise, he would be in serious trouble during the first Potions Class after daybreak.
No young wizard had ever dared fall asleep in Snape's class.
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