Third Floor Corridor
Childe had been in a horrible mood ever since the eyeball incident. It was creepy knowing that somebody was stalking him and Zhongli, and he could tell that Zhongli was worried as the brunette was frowning more, smiling less, which was another part of the reason why Childe was in a bad mood. The other reason was Draco, of course, the blond boy won't cease taunting him.
It was Thursday today, two days after the creepy eyeball incident, and Childe hated Thursdays. (Yet another reason, he was in a bad mood.)
First, he doesn’t have an class with the Hufflepuffs, meaning that he’ll have to survive a whole day without seeing Zhongli. Unacceptable.
Secondly, the most boring classes are on Thursday: History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfigurations and two other classes that Childe completely forgot about. These are also the classes that give out the most homeworks. Sigh.
Third of all, Draco and his "bodyguards" are always very bold on Thursdays. That was probably a coincidence though, but who cares, maybe Draco has a schedule of taunting Childe. The only reason he was even tolerating the pale kid was because of Zhongli, if the brunette doesn’t want Childe to attack Draco, then he won’t. Plus, all the blond boy was doing was calling Childe names, that was harmless, although a little infuriating.
Anyways, today’s Thursday had a pleasant surprise which elevated his spirit a bit: Broomstick class, or whatever it was called, he didn’t really listen to the announcement.
Over the few weeks at the Burrow, He had learned about Quidditch, a wizard sport that Fred and George won’t stop babbling about. Childe took interest, it seemed like a cool competitive sport! And he was dying for a spar, he supposed flying on a broomstick while whacking balls would be a fun alternative.
They’re having broom class with Gryffindors, which is rather upsetting as that is the house that attracts trouble like a magnet. It’s only expected though, as Neville is in Gryffindor, and that boy had the worse luck Childe had ever seen. Just this morning Draco had attempted to steal that kid’s Remembrall.
At three-thirty that afternoon, Childe and the other Slytherins hurried down the front steps into the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns towards a smooth lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the Forbidden Forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.
They were just arriving at the field, when Draco started bragging about how he would ace this class. Childe scoffed.
Pansy, a slytherin girl who had a weird addiction to Draco, was undoubtedly nervous.
Crabbe and Goyle were…Well, Crabbe and Goyle.
Theodore was like a second Draco but much more explosive, lets say. He is loud and annoying and very punchable.
Blaise was walking next to Childe, apathetic as ever. His face showed no trace of emotion at all, kind of creepy. It may seem that Blaise may not be popular, but no if anything, he’s almost as popular as Draco. His mother, apparently, was a rather important figure.
There were some other Slytherins, a sturdy girl, a blonde girl and another boy who Childe had never bothered learning the names of.
Glancing around, The Gryffindors were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. He had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if they flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.
Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair and yellow eyes like a hawk.
“Well, what are you all waiting for?” she barked. “Everyone, stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up.”
Childe glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.
“Stick out your right hand over your broom,” called Madam Hooch at the front, and say, "Up!” ”
“UP!” everyone shouted.
Childe’s broom went straight up to his hand, but then sadly bounced back down. He furrowed his brows, was he going to be as bad at flying as he was at magic? Hopefully not. He can’t possibly fail all subjects.
Draco’s broom had shot up to his hand at once- he was one of the few who actually managed that. Glancing at the Gryffindors, Hermione was glaring at hers, which only rolled, and Neville’s hadn’t moved at all. That made Childe feel slightly better.
Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows, correcting their grips. It made Childe’s day when she told Draco he’d been doing it wrong for years.
“Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard,” said Madam Hooch. “Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle – three – two –”
But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch’s lips.
“Come back, boy!” she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle– twelve feet– twenty feet. Childe saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and –
WHAM– a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay, face down, on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher and started to drift lazily towards the Forbidden Forest and out of sight.
Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.
“Broken wrist,” Childe heard her mutter. “Come on, boy – it’s all right, up you get.”
She turned to the rest of the class.
“None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you’ll be out of Hogwarts before you can say “Quidditch”. Come on, dear.”
Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.
No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter. Childe frowned, laughing at an injured was never proper.
“Did you see his face, the great lump?”
The other Slytherins joined in.
“Shut up, Malfoy,” snapped Hermione.
“Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?” said Pansy Parkinson, “Of course a muggleborn would like fat little cry babies.”
“Look!” said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. “It’s that stupid thing Longbottom’s gran sent him.”
The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up, and something inside Childe snapped.
“Give it here, Malfoy.” He spat. Everyone stopped talking to watch. Originally, he wasn’t planning to help Neville, but it was something his grandma sent. His family, no one deserves to lose a gift from a family member.
Malfoy smiled nastily.
“I think I’ll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to collect– how about– up a tree?”
That bastard.
Replicating Draco’s nasty smile, Childe said, “Okay. I dare you.”
The air was tense, The pale boy faltered slightly, before simply deciding to mount his broom, shooting up towards the sky.
That fucking bastard.
The boy hovered by a nearby elm tree shouting, “Come and get it Weasley!”
That was tempting, but Childe was sure he wouldn’t be able to mount a broom, so he picked up a nearby rock, about the size of his hand, and threw it.
The moment he did, he knew he was dead. Even in this form, Childe’s not feeble, he’s not strong either, but he knew the techniques of throwing far. His aim had always been perfect as well, so it was expected when the Gryffindors and Slytherins all watched in horror as the stone zoomed forward with great speed, then rammed into Draco’s forehead, knocking him out cold, falling from his broom.
Pansy shrieked, and in the distance he could hear Mrs. McGonagall screamed something.
Oops, he thought.
He was so dead.
Zhongli decided to skip History of Magic. Under different circumstances, he wouldn’t have had, but currently he had gotten wind that Childe was in the hospital.
Naturally, he had to go check, what if he’s injured?
As the Hospital Wing came into view, he saw Madam Pomfrey leave the room in a hurry. Perfect.
Waiting until she disappeared, Zhongli slowly opened one of the double doors and sneaked inside.
Within the Hospital Wing were many rows of beds with white sheets, privacy screens, and bedpans.
“Zhongli?”
He snapped his gaze towards the voice, Childe. The ginger was sitting on a stool, Zhongli frowned, he didn’t look hurt.
“Don’t you have class?” Childe asked, confused.
He shrugged, “It’s History of Magic, he won’t even notice me gone.”
Childe grinned, surprised, “I didn’t take you as the type who’d skip class,” Zhongli didn’t either, but here he was. “What are you even doing here?”
He crossed his arms, “I came to check on you, heard you got hurt, but…” He trailed off, examining him once again.
The ginger’s expression then turned sheepish, “Uhm, it’s not me who got injured.” He said, then gestured to a lump covered in a white blanket that Zhongli just noticed.
He moved closer, peering at the lump. It was Draco, head wrapped in bloody bandages, unconscious.
Putting two and two together, he groaned. “Childe, please don’t tell me you did that.”
“He stole Neville’s Remembrall! I was only trying to get it back.” He defended himself, indignantly.
“And you threw a rock at his head?”
“Well- wait how did you even know it was a rock?”
“I can tell.”
Childe sighed, and muttered, “Of course you can. Look, I'm sorry, I don’t know what came over me, I just wanted to hurt him.”
His eyes softened, “It’s alright, he has been bothering you a lot lately, perhaps he’ll stop now.”
The ginger snorted and glared at the unconscious body. “I doubt it, he’d probably bother me more.”
“If that happens, I’ll talk with him- he might listen, we aren’t on bad terms after all.” Zhongli doubted it though, it was clear that Draco wanted to maintain a friendship with him, but it would take years for a person like him to mature, a talk wouldn't do.
Childe didn’t say anything, instead, he sighed.
They sat there in silence for a moment, before Zhongli would ask why he was staying here.
“I’m here to watch over him. Part of my punishment is to help him recover,” He explained bitterly. “Like, I have to help him with his homework now, since apparently, he got a concussion.”
A concussion was expected, it was a miracle that that was the only thing Draco suffered from the throw.
“You’ve got good aim.” Zhongli acknowledged. Childe had managed to hit Draco right in the middle of his forehead.
At that Childe beamed, “I know, thank you! Glad that all those training with spearfishing didn’t go to waste.”
Spearfishing? How far did he throw the rock?
“Childe, what exactly happened?” He asked.
“Well, in short, Malfoy stole Neville's Remembrall, flew away on his broom, taunted at me to come get him, so I threw a rock to knock him down, which promptly knocked him unconscious. In the end, Professor McGonagall managed to cast a floating spell before he, unfortunately, could crash."
"..."
Childe sheepishly smiled. “Are you surprised? Cause I sure am! Who knew my child form was so powerful."
Zhongli smiled back. "Surprised? Yes, I'm also impressed."
The ginger had adapted quickly, turning back into a kid, and learning his strength. Zhongli, admittedly, still has some troubles. He, himself, is a shifter, and has a great many forms but the body of a kid was not one he takes often, if ever. He had been practicing his geo powers in secret, and he found out that; while the amount of his powers stayed the same, in this form, he was prone to get more weary the longer he uses them.
They talked for another few minutes before he glanced at the clock and grimaced.
“I should go, Transfiguration is about to start.” Zhongli said, turning back to face Childe.
The ginger slouched on his stool and groaned. “Can you at least visit me later? It’ll be extremely boring without you.” He sulked.
He tipped his head thoughtfully, “Maybe, will Madam Pomfrey let me in?” He doesn't want to sneak in again.
Childe shrugged, “I don’t know, let's hope so.”
Zhongli stood up, “I’ll see you later then.” With that, he left.
He only had about five minutes till Transfiguration started, so he decided to hurry. McGonagall doesn’t tolerate unpunctuality.
However as he made his way towards the classroom down a hallway. He passed a room that buzzed with magic.
A different kind of magic, it was similar to the weird ancient magic he sensed on the third floor corridor.
The classroom looked disused, and Zhongli couldn’t help but stop and check it out. He stood at the entrance, opening the door, he glanced around. The inside was dark, and dusty. He raised a sleeve and tried to fan away all the dust that blew around the room.
Distantly, he could see something glinting in the dark. Hm? The object was buzzing with magic, not the room, like he originally thought.
As he took a step into the class, he noticed that the magic felt… familiar. Like he felt it before. No, he was sure he felt it before, but… when? And who? Who produced the spell? It was from Teyvat, but then… it wouldn’t make sense. What is Teyvat magic doing here?
…were they not the only ones from Teyvat?
Zhongli closed his eyes. He doesn’t want to deal with this right now, so he stepped out of the room. He’ll… tell Childe about this, they’ll check the object out together later, right now he has Transfiguration. He still had a minute before class started.
Someone’s following him, Zhongli decided.
He was on his way to visit Childe, when he felt it again.
The same sensation he felt when he caught the eye watching them, back in the library. Whoever was spying on them then, was here.
Good thing he was not alone, Wayne was with him. He had gotten a headache, so Zhongli decided to accompany him to the Hospital Wing, also as an excuse to visit Childe again.
So it surprised the other Hufflepuff when Zhongli came to a sudden stop.
“What?” Wayne asked, glancing at him.
Zhongli shook his head, “Nothing, sorry.” Whoever was following him, was… invisible? He couldn’t see anyone around.
“Wayne?” He whispered, the dirty blond hair boy grunted, “Are there any spells that can make one invisible?”
Wayne scowled, “Why would I tell you. My head is killing me, and I can’t think straight, plus how in the world would I know?”
“...so do you know?”
“Shut up.”
“...”
Usually, other Hufflepuffs would be elated to answer his question, like Ernie and Justin, but Wayne was different. Sure, he got a headache, but he was always like that. Difficult.
Unlike the main character trait in Hufflepuff: kind, Wayne was not. Well, Zhongli wouldn’t exactly know, perhaps the boy was kind, but just hiding it. He doubts it though. The first thing Wayne did when he saw Osial was try and commit animal abuse. If Zhongli didn’t intervene, the boy would have been bit by a venomous snake.
Oh, and yes, all his dorm mates now know he has a snake. Unfortunately, one day, Osial had snuck out from his spot under Zhongli’s bed when all the Hufflepuffs were present, it gave them all a nasty shock.
However, not all of them hated Osial, Ernie loved the blue snake. Stephen, Kevin and Justin were… cautious of him, but Wayne absolutely detested his snake. Thankfully, everyone agreed to keep Osial a secret.
As they arrived in front of the Hospital Wing, Wayne knocked on the door. Whoever was following Zhongli had come to a stop, he could sense the person behind them, a just a few steps away. It was extremely off putting. Hopefully, the invisible man does not enter the room with them.
Madam Pomfrey, a tired looking woman, opened the door to let them in. The person does not enter. Relieved, Zhongli sighed.
“What's wrong, dears?” Madam Pomfrey asked.
“Headache.” Wayne muttered.
The nurse turned to Zhongli.
“I'm just here to visit Childe.” He replied. Better not lie to a healer.
Madam Pomfrey nodded, “Go on then.” So Zhongli did. Distantly, he could hear the nurse discussing with Wayne.
Childe was in the same spot when he last visited him. This time however, he was too busy arguing with a now awake Draco to notice Zhongli.
“-if you hadn’t stolen the Remembrall, then this wouldn’t have happened! So stop putting all the blame on me!” The ginger was saying.
Draco rolled his eyes, which made Childe angrier.
“Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me, you bastard!”
Draco merely rolled his eyes again, his gaze then flicked to Zhongli. “You,” He said. “Please tell him to shut up.”
Hearing that, Childe snapped his head around to face Zhongli, “You're here!” He cried happily, “It’s been so annoying with you gone!”
He would have smiled, but he needs to tell Childe about the person outside, “We need to talk.” He announced.
The ginger frowned, but rose up from his stool. Much to Draco’s displeasure, they moved farther away, and in a quieter tone, he told Childe about the person outside.
“That’s a problem… You don’t have any idea who they are?” The ginger whispered, raising a brow.
He shook his head, “That’s not only one thing,” He paused, hesitating on whether he should tell him or not. Deciding that Childe should know, he continued, “We're... likely not the only ones from Teyvat who got transported.”
That stunned Childe, his blue eyes widened in surprise, “We’re not?”
“I sensed an object produced by Teyvat magic, it had similar energy from the one on third floor corridor.”
“Then let’s go and check it out.”
“Now?”
Childe shrugged, “Madam Pomfrey’s busy with your Hufflepuff friend, we could sneak out.”
“Wayne only has a headache, she’ll be done in a heartbeat.” Funny enough, the moment he said this, Madam Pomfrey ushered Wayne out.
“Welp, there goes our chance.” Childe commented dryly.
The nurse glanced over at Zhongli, “Five more minutes, then you must leave.” She demanded.
He nodded.
“Don’t worry, I have a plan,” Childe then whispered, smirking, “Let’s check out the Third floor corridor first, I’ll meet you there at exactly midnight.”
Zhongli gave him a glare, “Don’t try anything stupid.”
Childe winked at him, “It won’t be stupid unless I get caught.”
He huffed, exasperated, and bid Childe, Draco and Madam Pomfrey a goodbye. He would have actually preferred to visit the room with the Teyvat object, but he suppose the forbidden third floor corridor was more important. The entire corridor buzzed with magic.
As he left the Hospital Wing once again, he immediately tensed up. The person was still here. Whoever was following him had not left. He was alone now, without Wayne. Deciding to ignore them, he started to walk towards the Great Hall where dinner will be held.
He wasn’t scared, just uncomfortable and a tad bit annoyed.
Zhongli had experienced stalking before, of course. Though, that was back when he was Morax, back when he could just throw a boulder at whoever was following him.
Now, well, technically he still could, but he won’t because throwing a boulder at an invisible man at Hogwarts would be extremely unwise. He would be questioned of why he could even throw a boulder.
So Zhongli merely kept ignoring the presence.
Along the way to the Great Hall, the person had paused. Zhongli had, triumphantly, thought they would leave, but instead a bright blue light shot from behind him.
Sensing the spell coming, he barely managed to dodge it. A non-verbal spell. He mused, They're experienced.
Another spell was shot, he dodged it again. Foolish mortal.
"What do you want?" He spat. This was getting irritating.
He could use his wand to defend himself, he knew some spells, but he decided to just flung a nearby loose brick at the person’s face instead. It was easier, and more efficient.
As the brick hit, he heard a gasp, then a tumble. A man, he realized. Some drops of blood leaked onto the floor, creating a red puddle.
Feeling a little bad now, he decided to leave, warily, in case the man decides to continue attacking. He did not.
Good. He thought, because the temptation of throwing a boulder at the man was growing stronger now.
As he finally entered the busy Great Hall, where dinner was served, he saw Ernie waving energetically at him. He waved back, smiling.
However, before he could peacefully make his way over, two gingers appeared out of nowhere and dragged him out of the Great Hall, into a empty classroom.
He groaned inwardly.
Zhongli glared at the twins. He had finally just made it in.
“Woah, don’t be mad, mate!” One of them chirped.
“Maybe he’s hungry, Fred.” George suggested, handing Zhongli an apple.
Warily, he accepted it, he was hungry. “It’s not poisonous, is it?” He asked, examining the fruit.
George scoffed, “We prank, not murder.”
“Exactly. Plus we need you alive for this.” Fred added.
He frowned, “For what?”
“A little chat-”
“about one of our brothers-”
“specifically-”
“Ajax Tartaglia Weasley.”
Zhongli took a bite of his apple, it was surprisingly sweet. “Okay.”
George grinned, “Great, you're his friend, correct?”
He nodded.
“That Malfoy brat has been annoying him lately, correct?”
He nodded. This was beginning to sound like an interrogation.
“Well, we heard they got into a fight.”
He frowned. A fight? No, not really. The rumours were traveling quite fast.
“Who won?”
Zhongli squinted at them. Huh?
Fred grinned brightly, “Come on! Tell us! We want to know if our baby brother won his first fight or not!”
“Ajax definitely won. Malfoy stood no chance.” said George, confidently. “Well?”
“Uhm,” He started, “They didn’t fight. Not exactly.”
Their expressions fell.
“However, he did throw a rock at Draco’s head.”
He watched as the twins processed this, brightening up.
“Holy- a rock? So that’s why Malfoy’s in the Hospital Wing!” George chortled, grinning even broader somehow.
Zhongli nodded again.
Fred laughed, “He threw a rock at Malfoy’s face- ha! I wish I was there! How badly is Malfoy hurt?”
“He has a concussion, but he was awake when I went to visit Childe.”
Fred and George exchanged a confused glance.
“Childe?” They asked, simultaneously.
Zhongli blinked, he didn’t tell them?
“Oh, just a nickname he enjoys.” He replied.
“Childe. Hm, does fit him very well. You guys must be very close.” said Fred thoughtfully.
Zhongli took another bite of his apple. “We are.”
George suddenly sighed. “He’s been having trouble making friends, so it’s great you’re his friend, Morax.”
“He’s great company, and oh, I prefer Zhongli please.”
“Zhongli hmmm… do you not like being called Morax?” Fred asked curiously.
He hummed, “You could say so, can I go for dinner now?” He liked the twins, sure, but dinner was ending soon, and he still haven't eaten.
“Sure! Have a nice day!” They said, simultaneously again. Is this how Traveler and his sister act? Zhongli wondered.
With that they finally left.
He sighed tiredly, and entered the Great Hall once more.
Childe waited till Madam Pomfrey headed to bed, he glanced towards the clock: 11:50
Good. Now all he had to do was sneak out.
Unfortunately though, Draco was awake.
“Where the hell are you going?” The brat asked, getting up.
Childe glared at him. “None of your business.” He spat.
Draco sneered. “As far as I know, you are not allowed to leave.”
“What are you gonna do? Stop me? Want another rock to the head?”
The pale boy paled, but scoffed, “You’re meeting up with Morax, aren’t you? I’ll tell the professors.”
Childe gritted his teeth, oh no he will not. Crossing back towards Draco, he hissed, “Then you’re coming with me- and stop calling him Morax.” He wasn't sure why the name was bothering him, but it was. Zhongli wasn't Morax no more. He's no longer the Geo Archon, he was just Zhongli, and Childe knew Zhongli.
Before Draco had time to open his mouth again, he was abruptly grabbed by Childe.
“Bloody hell- what are you-”
“Shut up.”
“Let go of me, stupid Weasley! Wait till my father hears about this!”
“Shut up.”
“Be gentle at least! I have a concussion, you know.”
Childe ignored all his protest as he dragged Draco towards the third floor corridor.
As they went, Draco lowered his voice. “If we get caught by Filch, my father will hear about this.” He whispered.
“If you don’t shut up about your father, we will get caught.”
Annoyed, Draco grumbled something under his breath.
In Childe’s opinion, he may have just made the best decision of his life, bringing Draco along. If Childe and Zhongli get in trouble, Draco would too, and if Draco decides to rat them out, he’ll be outing himself out too. Perfect.
However, Zhongli did not think so, as Childe arrived in front of the corridor door with a grumbling Draco.
“So you were coming to see him.” The blond brat muttered.
The brunette looked extremely out of it, and sluggishly blinked in surprise at Draco.
“Draco?” Zhongli rubbed his eyes. “Childe, what’s going on?”
“Yes, why did you bring me here?” Draco hissed.
Childe loosen his grip on the brat’s arm. “So you don’t rat us out, now let’s get going.”
Zhongli tiredly sighed, “Childe, I thought I told you to not do anything stupid…”
“Huh? I think it’s very smart-”
“He’s injured-”
“Indeed, I am-”
“Shut up.”
Draco scowled at him. “You shut up.”
“Not before you, so shut the hell up already!”
“I’m not shutting up, stupid Weasley.”
“JUST SHUT-”
“Cease talking, both of you. I don’t want to hear another word.” Zhongli’s voice was cold, so unlike his usual warm tone, it made both of them freeze.
“As Childe said earlier, we should get going before Filch catches us,” He continued, “It’s been a long day, I assume you’re all tired, we should get this over with quickly.”
Childe nodded, giving him a thumbs up. "Okay."
"Hold on, why are you guys even trying to enter that corridor?" Draco asked, snottily. "It's forbidden, didn't you hear?"
Childe exchanged a glance with Zhongli. "That's... not important. You want to know what's inside, no?" said Zhongli.
Draco huffed.
However before they could enter, the brunette spoke up again. “Oh, before we enter, we shall sign a contract.”
“Contract?” Draco asked, frowning.
“Contract,” Zhongli confirmed, “Whatever we see in this forbidden corridor stays between us and us only, if you dare to break the contract, you shall face the wrath of the rock. Do you agree?”
Childe nodded immediately, but Draco hesitated. It was clear that the brat had been planning to snitch.
Though, Draco must also be mystified of what’s inside this “dangerous” corridor, because he nodded in affirmation as well.
“Then may Celestia bless us.” Before the blond had the chance of asking what the hell is that, Zhongli opened the door.
The three of them entered the dimly lit corridor, and Childe shuddered. Something isn’t right…
Next to him, the brunette had completely froze.
“What’s wrong-” Then he saw it himself.
They weren’t alone in the forbidden corridor, and now they knew why it was forbidden. Celestia certainly didn't bless them.
They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog which filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.
It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Childe knew that the only reason they weren’t already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.
It’ll be a challenge to fight that thing. He thought, grimacing, but together with Zhongli, they might just be able to defeat it. Draco could be bait.
However, before he could start jabbing it with his wand, he felt the door behind him open once more. He fell out of the room with a yelp.
He could only watch in dismay as Draco slammed the door closed.
The blond brat eyes were wide with terror, and his skin was as pale as a ghost. “Bloody hell…what was that?”
“A cerberus… how intriguing.” Zhongli muttered thoughtfully.
“Intriguing?! How- what- why are you guys so calm? We just saw- that's an actual monster! At Hogwarts nonetheless - Wait till My father hears about this!”
Zhongli frowned at him. “Your father will not hear about this, do you not remember the contract?”
“Contract be damn! That was an actual Ceberus!”
Childe snorted. “So? Calm down already, you’re being too dramatic. Let's go back in, that was just the entrance.”
“Too dramatic-LET'S GO BACK IN? What in Merlin are you guys- Gryffindors?”
He exchanged a glance with Zhongli. Sure, the Cerberus took them by surprise, but they had both seen worse before.
Zhongli then sighed. “Quiet now, it wouldn't be wise to go back in, at least not tonight. The dog would be more attentive now. Let’s meet up again tomorrow to talk about this, until then, Draco, don’t mention this to anyone.” He tiredly requested.
The blond seemed too traumatized and tired to disagree, so they bid each other good night, leaving for their separate destination.
Well, Childe and Draco walked along together, awkwardly at that. It was a wonder Filche didn’t show up.
Childe slept soundly on a bed in the Hospital Wing, and when he woke up, he gleefully discovered that Draco had been, apparently, too scared to sleep that night. Coward.