"Harry! Over here!"
Ron's voice came from the landing ahead.
Harry had only just grabbed the railing when the stone steps beneath his feet began to turn slowly.
Ron had run fast and already reached the landing. Goyle and Crabbe were still at the other end; they hadn't even had time to step onto the staircase.
Only he and Malfoy were caught in the middle.
Just a few steps apart, yet the landings on both sides were growing farther and farther away.
"Miss!"
Goyle stepped forward.
"Don't jump!"
Harry spoke up quickly. A gap had already opened between the staircase and the landing.
Behind them, Filch's footsteps were still drawing closer.
"Get out of Filch's way first!"
Harry had barely finished speaking when the staircase swung past a stone wall, hiding the other three from view.
A moment later, the steps beneath their feet finally settled.
Ahead lay a corridor they had never been down before.
There were no burning torches, only a few tall windows letting in a little pale moonlight.
Malfoy looked ahead, then behind her. "...Weasley certainly runs fast when he's escaping."
"Yeah." Harry put his outer robe back on properly.
Brave Ron was, of course, just as brave when it came to running away.
Still, at least there was no need to worry about him staying where he was, waiting to tussle with Filch.
"Goyle and Crabbe will know to hide," Malfoy said.
"That's good."
Harry glanced toward the other end of the staircase. Suddenly, a cat meowed below.
He immediately looked away.
"We need to go too."
"Lumos."
A ball of white light lit up at his wand tip.
Harry reduced his magic a little, lighting only the ground at his feet as he walked down the corridor.
Malfoy followed beside him, gripping her wand tightly.
During the day at Hogwarts, the portraits talked, the ghosts greeted people, and even the suits of armor seemed rather interesting.
At night, though, it felt completely different.
They had just passed a portrait when a muffled grumble came from inside. "Who... what's all the noise..."
Malfoy's steps faltered, and Harry immediately moved the light away.
"Sorry."
The figure in the portrait rolled over and began snoring again.
They walked a little farther, until at last they could no longer hear the footsteps behind them.
Harry breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Potter," the girl suddenly said.
"Hmm?"
"Do you know this place?"
"No."
Malfoy's steps paused for a moment. "Then why are you walking so fast?"
"But I do know the man behind us."
The girl opened her mouth. That did seem to make some sense.
Harry glanced at the doors on either side. Some of the door signs had faded; others simply hung crooked to one side.
He knew perfectly well that there were places in this castle he couldn't just wander into.
Yet a duel that was only supposed to last ten minutes had still landed him in an unfamiliar corridor.
When the Malfoy in the original story hadn't shown up, he'd had to run.
When this one had come in person, he'd still had to run.
Great.
The young lady had changed, but that hadn't spared him the nighttime excursion.
At the end of the corridor was a short flight of steps leading down. Harry extended his wand a little farther ahead.
Malfoy was just about to step down when the stone step in front of her toes suddenly sank.
The step disappeared.
The girl stopped short.
It was pitch-black below, with no way to see how deep it was.
Harry had already reached out with his free left hand and taken hers.
"Don't step down."
He stepped over the missing stair first, then turned back once his footing was secure. "Watch where I step."
Malfoy pressed her lips together and stepped across with the help of his hand.
Only when her soles landed on the stone step did she breathe a little easier. Then her gaze slowly shifted downward.
Her hand was still in Potter's.
The girl's ears immediately reddened a little.
"Harry Potter!"
"What is it?"
"Who gave you permission to touch my hand whenever you please?!"
Harry glanced down.
"Shall I let go, then?"
"You..." The girl had only just spoken when another stone step ahead wobbled slightly.
Her voice caught at once. Malfoy lifted her chin, but didn't dare take her eyes off the ground again.
"We'll discuss it once we're across!"
This time, Harry didn't tease her again.
He moved the light ahead, checking each step and avoiding the unstable spots before leading her down.
Malfoy followed behind, for once without urging him on.
Back in the corridor, she had thought Potter was walking too fast. Now, slower was better.
Harry didn't let go until both of them had reached level ground.
The girl immediately withdrew her hand and straightened her cuffs. "I simply didn't see the steps clearly."
"You're not allowed to laugh."
Harry looked at her.
"I haven't started laughing yet, Miss Malfoy."
Malfoy fell silent. Still, when they continued onward, she no longer tried to get ahead of Harry.
A faint jingle of keys suddenly came from a side corridor.
They both stopped, and Harry dimmed his wandlight even further.
Filch.
He had actually circled around by another route.
A little lamplight was already showing around the corner ahead.
Malfoy's gaze swept quickly over their surroundings, and she reached out to push a nearby door.
The door moved.
"In here," she whispered.
Harry followed her inside without hesitation.
The girl gently closed the door, held her wand close to the crack, and recited a spell.
Harry glanced at her. "A Sticking Charm?"
"I can't only know how to stick your filthy robes." With that, she withdrew her wand and lifted her chin at him.
That familiar hint of smugness had returned.
Harry nodded. "It's more useful this time."
The corners of the girl's lips lifted slightly.
It was an old classroom.
The curtains hung down, their edges torn. Several desks were piled in a corner, and half a stick of chalk still lay on the teacher's desk.
There was a faint smell of dust in the air.
Harry hid his wand tip behind his robe sleeve, letting only a little light escape, and led Malfoy into hiding beside a tall cabinet.
They had barely settled into place when footsteps sounded outside the door. Then the handle moved.
The girl's shoulders immediately tensed, and Harry shook his head at her.
Neither of them made a sound.
The handle twisted again. The wooden door creaked softly, but didn't open.
"Jammed again..." Filch cursed under his breath outside. "That bastard Peeves. Sooner or later, I'll-"
"Meow."
The cat's cry interrupted him.
"What have you found now, my sweet?"
The footsteps paused for a moment, then headed toward the other end of the corridor.
The jingling of keys gradually faded too.
Harry didn't move at once. He waited a little longer before shifting the sleeve covering his wand tip slightly aside.
Malfoy finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Has he gone?"
"He should be."
Only then did the girl lower her head to straighten the robes that had been rumpled against their surroundings.
A wooden peg protruding from the side of the tall cabinet had caught a little fabric at her collar.
She frowned and carefully freed her collar from the peg.
"How long has it been since anyone cleaned this place?"
"Looks like a while." Harry moved the light toward the corner.
Suddenly, a glint of silver flashed beneath the cabinet.
It looked like a button.
But before he could get a clear look, that glimmer retreated deeper into the shadows.
A very faint rustling followed. Malfoy stopped straightening her sleeves.
"...Potter."
"I heard it."
Harry moved his wand that way. Something dark flashed past behind the cabinet.
It was very small, but quite fast.
By the time the light reached it, it was gone.
"A rat?" The girl frowned.
"Maybe a cockroach-rat." Harry stepped to one side and shone the light beneath the cabinet again.
There was only dust, and a gap leading toward the foot of the wall.
Malfoy tugged at his sleeve.
"Stop looking." She glanced toward the door. "What if Filch comes back?"
Harry looked away.
True. At least for now, getting back to the dormitory mattered more.
They went to the door. Malfoy lifted the Sticking Charm, and Harry peered out first.
The corridor was empty now.
"Let's go."
This time, they didn't choose their route at random again.
After rounding a corner, Harry finally spotted a portrait he had passed during the day.
The familiar knight was snoring with his sword in his arms.
He immediately recognized the staircase beside it. "Do you know the way now?"
Malfoy watched his expression. "Yes. Downstairs leads to the main building." The girl recognized it too, and her tense shoulders finally relaxed a little.
They didn't stop until they reached the next landing.
Gryffindor was upstairs.
Slytherin downwards.
Malfoy glanced at Harry and suddenly spoke. "Tonight's matter..."
"I won't run my mouth." Harry answered very naturally.
The young maiden paused slightly; she hadn't finished speaking yet. However, this Potter actually knew what she wanted to say.
"Especially the things Peeves said!"
"Understood."
Only then was Malfoy slightly satisfied. She turned and walked two steps, then turned her head back.
"The duel isn't over yet. Next time, this young lady will definitely win."
Harry smiled.
"Let's pick daytime next time."
The young maiden pursed her lips. She seemed to still want to say something, yet she hesitated somewhat.
Until Harry prepared to turn and leave, she suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"And also..."
"Hm?"
"Your robes..." Malfoy turned her face away, her voice much smaller than before. "This young lady will compensate you for them."
Harry was slightly startled.
Looking down, he only then discovered that his wizard's robes had been torn with a slash at some unknown point, and even the cuffs were worn away quite a bit.
It was probably ruined during the duel and running away just now, but he hadn't paid attention all along.
However, since someone took the initiative to offer compensation... Harry immediately revealed a smile.
"Then I want the best fabric."
"Hmph!" Malfoy immediately let out a cold snort.
The young maiden raised her chin again, her light grey-green eyes filled with undisguised disdain.
"It's merely a piece of robes, look at that country-bumpkin appearance of yours!"
"Since this young lady said she would compensate you, naturally I won't fob you off with those cheap goods!"
Speaking to this point, she gave Harry another disgusted glance.
"Rest assured, Potter."
"Whatever random piece of robes the Malfoy family takes out will be a hundred times better than the tattered rag on your body!"
Harry looked at her arrogant appearance that had recovered once more, and smiled helplessly.
Mn.
The familiar Malfoy was back.
Just now, that girl who lowered her head and whispered that she would compensate him for his robes was simply as though she had been possessed by some strange magic.
As expected.
The tsundere sort of thing still had to be paired with this sort of haughty temper to be considered authentic.
The two of them walked toward different staircases respectively.
Neither of them noticed that the exquisite silver ornament at Malfoy's collar had already vanished.
And inside that old classroom, behind the tall cabinet, the rustling sound rang out once again.
A bit of silver light quietly sank into the darkness.
Before you continue