When there was much to tell, the story ran long; when there was little, it ran short.
Before long, the day had passed.
Hogwarts was rather eerie after curfew, with many places left unlit.
Draco carried an oil lamp along the dim corridors, occasionally illuminating the assorted portraits on the walls.
"Child, put that lamp out. You're interrupting my contemplation of life."
"Heh heh, little fellow, care to play hide-and-seek with me?"
Whenever he encountered a particularly creepy portrait, Draco jumped.
He rather regretted not bringing Goyle and Crabbe. Why had he made them stay in the dormitory to practice spells?
What Draco didn't know was that someone had been following him all along.
It was Shawn, concealed by a Disillusionment Charm.
After winding his way through the corridors, Draco finally reached the Trophy Room.
Seeing that Harry and the others hadn't arrived yet, he eagerly examined the various honors won by former students.
Then he spotted a plaque recording that James Potter had played Chaser and led Gryffindor to five consecutive Quidditch championships.
"No wonder Harry's so talented at flying. So that's why. Still, it doesn't matter. Shawn's right-fighting ability is everything."
Soon, a nervous Harry arrived with his roommates, four boys in all.
"Draco, you're here. Nobody spotted you, did they?"
Draco sounded both suspicious and displeased.
"Why are there only four of you? I said I wanted to take on ten!"
Harry was caught in an awkward position.
"George and Fred went to lure Filch and his Mrs. Norris away. They'll be here soon."
Beside him, Ron looked exceedingly smug now that he and Harry had "made up."
"Hey, blondie, you're pretty full of yourself. There are four of us here, and I could take you all by myself."
Draco raised his pointed chin, his eyes filled with contempt.
"You? An idiot who can't even manage a Levitation Charm thinks he's fit to fight me? Shawn put it perfectly: the waters are deep and the winds are strong-if you haven't got the strength, keep your mouth shut!"
"Damn you!"
Ron's face flushed scarlet. He rolled up his sleeves and tried to go for Draco, but Harry held him back firmly.
"Ron, don't do anything rash!"
Draco drew his wand and continued contemptuously.
"How barbaric. Shawn said we're elegant wizards, not monkeys squatting in trees and fighting."
Draco's switch from "My father says" to "Shawn says" infuriated Ron. He shoved Harry aside and charged at Draco with a roar, intent on punching him.
Draco was a little nervous, but forced himself to stay calm. Holding a playing card in his left hand, he pointed his wand with his right.
"Levicorpus!"
A streak of yellow light struck Ron at close range. His body instantly flipped over, leaving him suspended in midair. His robes slid down, exposing the woolen trousers on his legs.
"Ah! Ah! Put me down, you bastard!"
Although Harry was annoyed by Ron's recklessness, he still pleaded with Draco on his behalf.
"Draco, could you put Ron down first?"
Draco curled his lip.
"Later. The duel's already started. Who's next?"
Harry sighed. Perhaps hanging there for a while would help Ron clear his head. Shawn really was right.
The waters are deep and the winds are strong-if you haven't got the strength, keep your mouth shut!
Harry drew his wand and said to Draco,
"Seamus and Dean haven't learned any spells yet, so let's settle this between us. I'll count down from three, and then we start."
Draco nodded solemnly, tightening his grip on his wand.
Harry had been working just as hard as Draco these past few days, often dragging Hermione along to study with him.
Besides the Levitation Charm, he had also learned what would become his signature offensive spell: Expelliarmus.
Some people truly did have a particular talent for certain spells, like Goyle, who could learn Fiendfyre at such a young age.
"Three, two, one! Expelliarmus!"
"Levicorpus!"
Two streaks of light, one red and one white, crossed in midair. After casting their spells, Draco and Harry each dodged to one side. They had at least some sense of how to fight.
But aside from their first reasonably well-aimed shots, the two were simply firing spells at random.
One shot from you, one shot from me.
Who won and who lost was entirely up to fate.
Still concealed by his Disillusionment Charm, Shawn watched with great interest from a short distance away.
Camera in hand, he crouched in the shadows like a paparazzo, ready at any moment to capture life's beautiful moments.
He watched Draco and Harry's love-hate battle continue for several minutes without either gaining the upper hand.
Judging by the time, McGonagall was about to come storming in.
Shawn had no choice but to intervene secretly. He drew his wand and cast a silent Levitation Charm.
In the dueling area.
Harry was about to roll across the floor to dodge a spell when something suddenly tripped him. That brief delay was enough for the yellow light to strike him.
His body instantly flipped over as well, leaving him hanging in midair. His wizard's robes slipped downward, revealing his bare...
Dangling upside down, Harry hurried to cover himself and said helplessly,
"Draco, you won. Put me down."
Draco was feeling very pleased with himself. He had beaten the Chosen One!
He had no objection to Harry's request, but suddenly realized that he hadn't learned the countercurse yet!
Draco's face fell.
"Um, well, Harry... I haven't learned how to undo it yet."
The blood was already rushing to Harry's head, and he was mortified as he kept trying to cover his little fellow.
But Draco's words made Harry wish he could die on the spot.
Ron was even more desperate.
"Ah! Then what are we supposed to do? I can't hang here all night! I'll be the laughingstock of the whole school!"
Draco looked anxious too, but just then, a voice full of disappointment rang out.
"I think hanging there all night might not be such a bad idea. It could teach you that spells aren't to be used carelessly."
The three boys, along with Seamus and Dean, who had been cheering from the sidelines, all turned toward the voice.
A stern-faced Professor McGonagall approached slowly, followed by the twins, who were winking and pulling faces.
"Gentlemen, would you care to explain why you are here after curfew, covered in bruises?"
The young wizards all kept silent, though Draco managed to remain composed.
Shawn had assured him that even if he was caught, there would be no punishment beyond losing points.
McGonagall pressed her lips together, her chest rising and falling sharply. She was clearly furious. Then she said sternly,
"Roaming about at night as a group, engaging in a brawl, and making a fool of the castle caretaker. Very good. Very good indeed."
"Thirty points from Gryffindor for each of you, and a month of detention. As for you, Mr. Malfoy, twenty points from Slytherin. I shall inform Snape about your detention."
Harry and the other newcomers looked utterly devastated. Aside from their detentions, Gryffindor had just lost nearly two hundred points.
The others would probably tear them apart tomorrow.
The twins, long past caring about further punishment, looked completely unbothered.
Meanwhile, McGonagall had already made up her mind. Gryffindor could not be allowed to sink any further. Besides, they hadn't won the House Cup in ages. The cat thought this was simply unacceptable!
When Draco returned to the dormitory, he wasn't dejected about losing points at all. Instead, he was extraordinarily excited.
He immediately began boasting about his victory to Shawn, who had returned ahead of him.
"Shawn, I won! I won! Haha!"
Shawn waved a hand to stop his laughter, then stepped forward and carefully straightened Draco's collar.
He thought that if he wanted Draco to mature quickly, he would have to keep knocking him down a peg.
"Draco, when will you learn to be a little more composed? A minor victory isn't worth boasting about. When have you ever seen me get cocky?"