Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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The group finished all the necessary preparations in just half a day.
The two exploding books were placed on the fifth and sixth floors, directly above the corner corridor, just the right distance to lure Filch there at any time.
Everything was ready.
But shortly after they decided to go on a nighttime adventure to the third floor, an unexpected situation arose.
The Gryffindor upperclassmen didn't even wait for curfew; they sneaked off to the third floor while everyone else was eating dinner.
Unlike the Weasley brothers, however, they hadn't made any plans beforehand, nor did they have any strategic tools like the Marauder's Map; they just went on a whim.
The result was predictable: they were caught red-handed by Filch, who had been lying in wait nearby, before they could even open the door, and taken to Professor McGonagall's office.
Soon after, fifty points were missing from Gryffindor's hourglass.
But that wasn't the end of it.
For a while afterward, people from Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff were sneaking out of the common room and heading towards the third floor.
Fred and George, who were staring at the Marauder's Map, were dumbfounded. The usually quiet corridor was now filled with names popping up every now and then.
Apparently, there were just too many caught young wizards. After a brief discussion, the professors decided to come out of their offices and take turns waiting near the third floor for the students who were out at night.
Whoever was caught would face ten extra days of detention.
It has to be said, the professors were much more troublesome than Filch…
George lit a few magical fireworks that bloomed upon contact with water on the first floor, trying to distract them.
Unsurprisingly, Filch, upon hearing the commotion, grumbled and went downstairs, with Professor McGonagall following behind him with a serious expression.
Near the second-floor staircase, Fred, hidden in the shadows, looked at the Marauder's Map and sighed softly, "Professor McGonagall didn't go too far."
On the map, Professor McGonagall's name was still listed near the third floor, and Filch had come down alone.
Clearly, the Professor McGonagall they had just seen was an imposter, likely using some kind of advanced shapeshifting technique. Given the current situation, further exploration seemed unlikely. The group discussed it and decided to wait until things calmed down before returning to their dormitories.
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Three days passed.
Late at night three days later, the four of them stealthily appeared in the school corridor.
"Fred, George..." Cedric, walking at the back, whispered, "Are you sure the professors aren't going to the third floor anymore?"
"We kept watch for a long time last night," Fred said quietly. "The professors haven't been to the third floor since the weekend, and today shouldn't be an exception."
"Almost there."
The group stopped near the third floor, and George looked down at the Marauder's Map.
"We're lucky, the professors aren't here, and Filch is too… Oh, Merlin, guess who I saw!"
"Who?" Fred said with a laugh, "It couldn't be Percy , could it?" "No, it's Ron…" George said in surprise, "And Harry, Hermione, and Neville, those four first years are in the prize room right now."
"Aha…" Fred couldn't help but chuckle, "A night out with friends right after the start of the semester. Tsk, typical of our little brother…"
"Clang…"
Suddenly, a series of crisp clanging sounds rang out.
It seemed someone had knocked over the armor in the corridor; the sound of the metal parts hitting the ground was very loud, especially in such a quiet environment, it sounded exceptionally jarring.
"Oh, damn it, they've been spotted!"
George looked up and said, "There are two pieces of news. The good news is that Filch's attention is all on Ron and his group, which is a good opportunity for us to act. The bad news is that they're making too much noise and could attract the professor at any moment."
"Looks like we need to hurry."
Fred glanced at the map and quickened his pace toward the fourth floor.
On the map, Harry and Ron were moving rapidly in this direction; at this rate, Filch would soon be drawn here.
After reaching the third floor, the group quickly followed the Marauder's Map to a door at the end of the corridor.
"Students aren't sleeping!"
Peeves' angry roar suddenly came from not far away, "Students aren't sleeping, in the corridor of the Charms classroom!"
"I take back my previous opinion; Ron really is an idiot."
George put down the Marauder's Map and reached behind him.
Soon, a bronze key appeared out of thin air in his hand.
"Thanks, Kyle…"
George inserted the key into the lock and gently turned it to open the door.
"They're almost here, come in... Oh, damn it, what is that?!"
Just as George was about to enter, he looked up and saw three pairs of bright, beady green eyes staring intently at him.
In the hallway behind the door was a monstrous dog; those were the dog's eyes he had just seen.
It had three heads, so large they filled the entire space from ceiling to floor.
After the door opened, the three-headed dog stood up, its three noses twitching and trembling in their direction.
Three drooling mouths snapped open, revealing rows of grotesque, yellowed teeth.
"Damn it, Dumbledore really didn't lie to us this time... Run!"
George didn't have time to think; instinctively, he turned and ran.
Fred and Cedric, of course, also saw the three-headed dog. The moment it pounced, all their adventure and curiosity vanished.
They knew all too well what those deafening roars meant.
Without a word or need for communication, the two quickly caught up with George and began sprinting down the corridor.
Although doing so might lead to discovery, they preferred Filch to becoming dog food.
The three didn't look back, stopping only at the kitchen door.
"Headmaster Dumbledore's serious!"
George exclaimed breathlessly. "Merlin, he actually left a fully grown three-headed dog in the school! What's he up to?!"
"I bet there's something hidden in there," Fred said, his eyes gleaming. "Did you notice? The dog's standing on a trapdoor."
George sighed. "It's no use. You can't expect it to make way for us."
"Wait..."
Cedric suddenly said, "Has anyone seen Kyle?"
"Didn't he come back with us?" Fred was startled, realizing there were indeed only three people there.
Kyle was nowhere to be seen.
[End of the chapter]