Chapter 168. Go Duel the Filch Demon!
After getting through Snape's Defence Against the Dark Arts class smoothly, the following lessons felt much easier.
Only in Professor Binns's History of Magic class did Duncan accidentally fall asleep and wake with a stiff neck, which was finally eased with Madam Pince's help.
But once Fred and George found out, those two rotten scoundrels seized on it and mocked him for ages.
Whenever the Weasley twins ran into him, they would deliberately tilt their necks and imitate his comical look from then.
Once Duncan recovered, he deliberately found an opportunity to ambush Fred and George, turning both of them into clowns with painted faces.
Although he was later paid back in kind by Fred and George, after several rounds Duncan felt that, relying on his wits, he currently held the upper hand.
Time flowed swiftly amid cheerful horseplay.
The weekend arrived in no time, and after a leisurely day, the black curtain of the sky was studded with stars.
The clock hanging on the wall slowly pointed to twelve.
Duncan woke from sleep, turned his head, and let his gaze sweep across the dormitory.
The Niffler, Pro, was curled in the crook of his arm with crystalline drool at the corner of its mouth, while on the other side Neville slept soundly, a light snore rising from time to time.
Duncan bent over to look carefully at Pro.
He moved his arm with great care, wanting to slide it out without waking Pro.
But to his surprise, as soon as he moved a little, Pro whisked its eyes open and stared at him, hooked his clothes with a paw, and—full of wariness and curiosity—asked, "Where are you going?"
"Weren't you asleep?" Duncan said helplessly.
He dangled Pro and got up to change clothes.
Pro scurried back and forth over Duncan's body, so as not to get trapped inside the clothes, and said smugly, "I saw long ago that something was off with you.
It's like you're plotting some unspeakable scheme.
As I guessed, you actually want to ditch a Niffler and sneak out to play on your own!"
Duncan fastened the buttons on his school robes, smoothed out the creases, and raised a brow.
"How did I never know you were this clever?"
"There's a lot you don't know.
We Nifflers usually hide our true depths!" Pro climbed onto Duncan's shoulder, grinning until its mouth stretched to both sides.
Then it reacted, remembering the matter at hand, and patted Duncan's face with a paw.
"Hey, hey, don't change the subject!
What exactly are you going to do?"
Duncan's eyes turned, and he said with a smile, "Go challenge the castle's great villain—the terrifying Filch demon—to a duel.
Want to come along?"
A flicker of fear flashed through Pro's eyes.
Full of suspicion, it asked, "Are you tricking me again?"
"Come with me and you'll see.
But you must fight with me later.
You absolutely mustn't run away!"
Duncan firmly stuffed Pro into his pocket, finished in a low, cheerful voice, then strode to the dormitory door and pulled it open with one hand.
"Don't, don't—Duncan, I suddenly remembered I've got things to do.
I can't keep you company.
You go on your own.
I'll wait for you in the dormitory."
Blinking its beady little eyes, Pro was bluffed by Duncan's words.
It urgently poked half its body out of the pocket, waving its paws in an attempt to escape.
But Duncan pressed it back in with one hand, lowered his head, and showed a devilish smile.
"Sorry, it's too late.
You don't have a choice now."
Out of the dormitory, lightening his steps through the corridor and then out of the common room, Duncan brought Pro to the corridor in the dungeons.
A cold night wind blew from the far end of the corridor.
The flames burning in the wall sconces on either side trembled lightly.
Huge shadows flickered before Pro's eyes.
"Duncan, what's that?" Pro's voice quivered, pointing at a shadow on the floor—big head, small body, with sharp fangs—that looked very frightening.
"I don't know," Duncan replied.
He turned his gaze to a patch not far away where only specks of lamplight fell.
"Who's there?"
"Sorry, Mr. Scamander.
I frightened you."
A trembling, exceedingly nervous voice reached Duncan's ears.
Right after, a small creature stepped out.
Its head was large, its nose long and flat, and its big ears like bat wings.
It had a headscarf printed with the Hogwarts crest wrapped tightly around itself.
Its expression was flustered and afraid, as though deeply uneasy about having scared Duncan.
It bowed at ninety degrees and banged its head on the floor with a thud-thud.
"Oh, Merlin!" Pro was startled and cried out in a panic.
"N-no, it's fine." Duncan hurried over to help the House-Elf up and steadied its head to stop it from continuing to harm itself.
"Mr. Scamander is truly kind-hearted!" The House-Elf's huge eyes welled with tears, and it spoke with great emotion.
Duncan was a bit helpless about the House-Elf's behaviour, but felt nothing else in particular.
Because this was the habit they had cultivated over a long time.
Getting them to change would be very difficult.
"I remember you're called… Del?" Duncan furrowed his brow in thought, then ventured.
Back when his stomach had growled at night, he would often sneak to the kitchens for food, and he seemed to have seen this House-Elf.
The House-Elf's eyes instantly widened, bigger than carriage lamps.
Tears poured out without cease and ran down the furrows of its face to the floor.
It tugged one corner of its headscarf, wiping at its tears as it sobbed, "Del never thought that the esteemed Mr. Scamander would actually remember Del's name.
Del is so moved.
Mr. Scamander is a good man—the best person besides the great Mr. Dumbledore!"
Seeing Del's emotions about to spiral into collapse again, Duncan quickly said, "Right, what are you doing out so late?"
The House-Elves he had seen before never left the kitchens, let alone wandered the castle corridors at night.
"Del is fetching ingredients." Del wiped its face dry, pointed at a sack in the corner, and lifted its head.
In its tear-reddened eyes, Duncan's figure was reflected.
"Fresh ingredients are delivered every so often, but they cannot enter the school, so we need to go fetch them.
Tonight just happens to be Del's turn.
But Del never thought of frightening the esteemed Mr. Scamander.
It's all Del's fau—"
Duncan hastily stopped Del's self-punishing motion and said quickly, "Del, you should head back.
I happen to be a bit hungry.
Could I trouble you to help prepare something to eat?"
"Of course.
Del is delighted to serve Mr. Scamander!" Del instantly lifted its head, eyes wide with joy.
"Then I'll trouble you." Seeing Del return to normal, Duncan let out a small breath.
"Del will go back now and ask everyone to prepare for Mr. Scamander." Del tapped two fingers together, and it vanished along with the sack on the ground.
"It looked so strange…" Pro carefully poked its little head out of the pocket and gazed up at Duncan.
Although it had heard of House-Elves before, today was its first time seeing one with its own eyes.
Duncan nodded slightly.
Looking at Del, it seemed that implementing the takeaway plan might be a bit difficult.
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