“So where is this duel supposed to be?” Harry asked. He and Lina were in the common room, just a bit before midnight. Harry felt bad leaving Ron behind; he had really wanted to come but was also quite clear that the rules of these kind of duels said seconds only when they were secret. Harry didn't see the point, but he wasn't going to lose four galleons on a technicality.
Lina frowned slightly. “Third floor corridor, right-hand side, the furthest part from the stairs.”
“Isn't that the horribly painful death place?” Harry asked.
“Yeah,” Lina agreed.
“Malfoy doesn't seem the type to put himself in danger like that,” Harry said. “Think he was trying to get us to chicken out?”
“Of course he was,” Hermione interrupted. She got up from behind of the chairs and faced the Inverse twins. “He's setting you up, obviously.”
“What are you doing here?” Harry asked angrily.
“I'm trying to keep you from making a huge mistake,” Hermione answered. “First he goads you into a fight and now he's trying to get you to go to a place you're not supposed to be that probably has loads of guards on it if it's really that dangerous. He's trying to get you in trouble.”
Lina nodded. “She's got a point, Harry,” she agreed. “This has to be a trap.”
“THANK you,” Hermione sighed. “Now can you two head back to bed, please?”
“Nope, sorry,” Harry said.
“Yeah, that just wouldn't be right,” Lina agreed.
Hermione could not believe her ears. “What!? But...but it's a trap!”
“Yeah,” Harry said. “So I just have to make sure I don't fall for it.”
“By going anyway?” Hermione asked incredulously.
“Of course,” Harry said, walking to the portrait hole.
“How else are we going to get paid?” Lina asked, following.
“But he won't be there!”
“Keep your voice down,” Lina asked.
“And that just means we collect tomorrow,” Harry added.
“But why would he pay?” Hermione tried.
Lina gave her a flat look. “Then he would be in my debt.”
“Bad place to be,” Harry offered. “C'mon, sis.”
Hermione's mouth just worked silently as she tried to process the illogical Inverses.
Lina was not the most subtle sorceress in any world, but she could sneak when she had to. She and Harry made good time getting to the great staircase.
“Hey, Lina!”
Lina spun around and shushed at Gourry. “Yogurt-brain!” she hissed. “What are you doing here?”
“Huh? Oh, Filtch wanted me to take a shift watching for students up after hours,” Gourry said, walking over with an lantern in hand. “Have you seen any? Oh, hi, Harry.”
Harry waved nervously at his idiot friend. “Uh, hi Gourry. Um, we haven't seen any students out of bed.”
“Although that Slytherin kid, Malfoy, might be up on the third floor,” Lina said suddenly.
“He shouldn't be there!” Gourry exclaimed. “He might run into Fluffy!” The blonde swordsman ran up the stairs.
“Fluffy?” Harry and Lina mouthed silently. They traded a look and followed Gourry.
Gourry made it to the third floor and quickly headed down the right-hand corridor. The last door on the end was locked tight, and he sighed with relief. “Good.”
Lina was right behind him. “What's behind the door?”
“Aah!” Gourry jumped, spun. “Lina! You shouldn't be here! It's not safe for little girls. Or boys, Harry.”
“Huh?” Harry asked.
Gourry's face was unusually serious. “C'mon, Fluffy's behind that door and she's dangerous. I'm going to take you back to the common room.”
“You know where the Gryffindor Common Room is?” Harry asked as he let the big man push them to the stairs.
“Behind the Fat Lady,” Gourry said. “I saw some kids go in when I was looking for the dungeon.”
Harry boggled, not for the first time, at the idiot-savant his sister had hooked up with.
They made it halfway there when the worst possible meeting happened.
“Well well, Mr. Gabriev,” came Snape's smooth voice. Low and sinister, he emerged from the shadows. “I see you caught two students out of bed.”
“Huh?” Gourry asked. “I was taking them back to their tower.”
“Indeed?” Snape asked. “Have you forgotten to punish them for breaking the rules? Students aren't allowed out on their own at night.”
Gourry blinked. “But they're not alone. They're with me.”
Snape grit his teeth. “And were they with you the whole time?”
“Yeah, but we didn't catch him.”
“Catch him?” Snape repeated. “Who?”
Gourry thought for a moment and turned to Lina. “Um, what was his name again?”
“Malfoy,” Lina answered quickly. “He told us that he was going up to the third floor. We found Gourry to get him to stop him.”
“And we've been with Gourry ever since,” Harry added.
Snape snarled slightly. “Is that so? Well Mr. Gabriev, I suggest in the future you report such expeditions before taking it on yourself to hijack a couple students. We wouldn't want them to get in trouble, would we?”
“Of course not,” Gourry said, completely lost.
“Hmph. Well, you two had best get to bed,” Snape said. “Now.”
“Yes sir,” they chirped. “Come on, Gourry,” Lina added.
“Oh,” Snape said evilly. “Five points from Gryffindor. Staff are to be addressed formally, Miss Inverse.”
Lina ground her teeth. “Fine, Professor Snape. Let's go, Mr. Gabriev.”
“Lina why are you calling me...” Gourry's confused voice echoed as the trio left Snape behind.
Snape spun and walked off. So, the Malfoy boy was talking about lurking around the entrance to the Stone's dungeon. Coincidence, surely. Some childish prank he tried to pull on the Inverses. The Dark Lord was out there, that was certain, but he would not risk his revival on a callow youth. No, this wasn't the attack they were waiting for. Hogwarts was at peace.
For now.
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(Posted Sun, 06 May 2012 06:24)
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