The Midnight Duel
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, Somewhere in Scotland, Slytherin Common Room - 12 September, 1991
“I’m telling you that this is a stupid idea, Malfoy.” Bulstrode grumbled from her spot on the large, green, leather couch by the primary fireplace. She had a book opened and was meant to be reading something, as of what Draco didn’t know. All he knew was that she was getting on his nerves.
“And I’m telling you, Bulstrode, to mind your own business.” Draco glared as he went back to waiting on the couch opposite of her, trying to ignore her. ‘Why is he taking so long?’ Draco complained internally.
“If you go out to that duel tonight you will lose points.” She glared right back at him with her grown, almost black, eyes.
“Is that a threat, Bulstrode?” Draco challenged and turned to the pureblood, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow to her.
“A threat? Never” Bulstrode said before she got up and crossed her own arms, “A promise, however? Perhaps.” She said before she stormed off, passing by Blaise and going to the girls wing of dormitories. Draco quickly stood as he saw him, fixing and straightening his robes.
“What’s her problem?” Blaise questioned as he came to stand next to Draco, staring off after the cranky pureblood.
“I don’t know,” Draco said, looking after her for a moment before looking at Blaise questioningly. “Are you ready to go? We have about ten minutes to get up to the trophy room, since you took forever.” He motioned to the large, ornate clock above the primary fireplace which read 11:50.
“Oh, like you don't take ten times as long to get ready.” Blaise said, rolling his eyes as he turned and began to walk towards the spiral steps that led out of the common room.
“Hey! It takes time for perfection!” Draco insisted as he quickly followed Blaise, catching up quickly and moving to walk in sync with the taller boy.
“And the same applies to me, although we both know who uses that time better.” Blaise quipped back, motioning towards himself.
Draco gawked for a moment before huffing, “Why thank you for the compliment, Zabini.” Draco said snidely as he quickened his way up the last few steps out of the common room, coming to stand between a small fountain with a snake adorning it and a blank wall. The wall only lasted a moment before a dark wooden door appeared.
Draco stole himself for a moment before carefully opening the door and peeking his head out and looking around the Slytherin dungeons. It was pitch black, with the fires having been put out hours ago and with what little light that had made its way down into the dungeon in the daytime dying under the covers of night. Luckily, Draco didn't see hide nor hair, after he gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness.
“Anything out there?” Blaise questioned from behind Draco, keeping his voice low and barely audible.
“I don’t see anything.” Draco replied, slowly opening the door some more and slowly stepping out and into the seemingly empty dungeon.
“Good, then let’s hurry up to the trophy case, we have to get past a lot of sleeping portraits.” Blaise said, also stepping out into the dungeon and carefully shutting the door, which disappeared as the bricks of the wall built back into place over the door.
Draco nodded silently and quickly, yet quietly, began to walk up the stairs that were directly across from the common room entrance that led up to the Lower Grand Staircase. Blaise followed quickly as they easily made it to the door that opened out and into the grand staircase. ‘Thank Merlin there are no portraits down here.’ Draco thought to himself as he carefully opened the door.
This time it was easier to see because of the few windows that flitted light into the large staircase. The coast looked to be clear so Draco slowly opened the door, cautious in case the door creaked like some of the older, unused doors at the manor did. Luckily there was none, but Draco didn’t wish to take any chances and get caught. ‘Father would kill me.’ Draco thought grimly.
From there the two first years hurried quickly, yet quietly up the moving stairs, being especially careful not to wake any of the paintings. Before they knew it they had somehow made it to the trophy room without being caught. Draco looked around the large trophy room, but did not see hide nor the ginger hair of Weasley. “We must have gotten here first.” Blaise whispered to Draco..
“Maybe, or he chickened out. Weasley’s don’t have honour.” Draco whispered back as they edged towards the walls of the circular room that was filled with medals and plaques. Draco spared them no mind as they waited, more so focused on watching the doors.
However, as they waited, Draco’s eyes couldn’t help but catch on the glittering golds and silvers in the moonlight from the cups, shields, plates, and statues. ‘They are… almost beautiful in a way.’ Draco thought for a moment, before he was startled by a sound.
He quickly tensed as he heard the footsteps of people, it sounded like about 4 people. Draco quickly looked towards Blaise, shaking his wand free from his wrist holder that he hid under his sleeve. ‘I knew Weasley’s have no honour, but breaking the terms of a Wizard's duel?’ Draco thought worriedly as Blaise also readied his own wand.
“Honestly Ronald, this was a stupid idea! Wizarding duels haven’t been allowed in Hogwarts since 1984! And even then there had to be a teacher present and it was confined to one room–”
“Oh my Merlin, shut up Hermione! You could have stayed by the portrait but nOoO, you just had to come here and run your mouth!” Weasley snapped back at the know-it-all.
“Both of you need to calm down.” The unmistakable sound of Potter’s voice scolded them, making Draco smirk a bit at being right.
“Yes, Weasley, do shut your mouth,” Draco said snidely, stepping out of the shadows, to which Blaise followed suit. “Unless you wish to get us caught? And really, do you have no honour when it comes to a duel?” Draco questioned as he looked at the three who accompanied Weasley. As expected Potter and the muggleborn, know-it-all were with him, but Draco was a bit surprised to see Longbottom there.
“Oh like you have any honour to speak of you Snake!” Weasley said right back, making Draco scoff.
But before he could respond, Potter stepped in, “There isn’t gonna be a duel tonight.” He stated firmly, crossing his arms and stepping in front of Weasley as the blood traitor guffawed.
“Oh really?” Draco questioned, crossing his arms as well and raising an eyebrow. “And you think I believe that when he threw down a challenge and insulted mine and my family’s honour?” Draco questioned as he heard the distant ringing of a bell, signalling midnight had arrived.
“What honour?” Weasley asked and glared at Draco, making him flush a bit.
“More honour than a blood traitor!” Draco lashed back with.
“Fighting won’t get us anywhere, Ron is gonna apologise and then we can all just go back to the common rooms.” Potter said, uncrossing his arms and holding his hands out in front of him, as if trying to calm a spooked animal.
“It isn’t that simple, Pott–” But before Draco could finish and explain there was a noise just outside of the room. Draco jumped a bit, just barely avoiding letting out a hideously embarrassing squeak of terror.
“Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner.” The unmistakable sound of Filch’s voice cooed in the most awful way, right outside the trophy room entrance. Horror filled Draco so suddenly, as he was struck with how they would get caught.
‘Father will take me out of school,’ Draco thought, ‘he’ll send me to Durmstang and Mother won’t be able to stop him.’ He felt the horror and terror mix and he was frozen with it.
Until a hand grabbed his —
~1~
– A flash of fire
The smell of burning flesh
A gut wrenching scream
The grabbing of a hand pulling –
~2~
— pulling him along, forcing Draco’s feet to move quickly, yet quietly.
It took Draco a moment to blink the vision out of his eyes and adjust back to the dark light, but when he did he saw Potter quickly waving Longbottom, Weasley, and the muggleborn to follow. They moved around the cups and shields, barely avoiding Filch and his cat, until they finally were able to make it to the entrance and get out of the trophy room.
Draco’s ears were still ringing from his vision, one of the most intense he had while awake, and he could barely hear a thing. He barely noted that they were still walking, quickly yet quietly still as Filch kept searching the trophy room, but now they were moving towards the stairs back down to the Grand Staircase.
That is, until Longbottom suddenly toppled into a suit of armour, grabbing onto Weasley at the last second. They all froze for a single second, before Potter belted “RUN!”
Potter’s yelling was all the five needed before they were all scrambling and running down the gallery and down the steps, Potter’s hand tightening on Draco and practically dragging him along. No one looked back to see if Filch was following
Before Draco knew it, they had somehow made it all the way to the Charms corridor, miles away from the trophy room.
“I think we’ve lost him.” Potter panted, leaning against a cold, stone wall, still not letting go of Draco’s hand. Longbottom was bent double, wheezing and sputtering and even looking a bit green.
“I — told — you,” the muggleborn gasped, clutching at a stitch in her chest, “I — told — you.”
“We’ve gotta get back to Gryffindor tower,” Weasley panted, “quickly as possible.”
Draco finally snapped back into his own mind enough that he processed what Weasley had said. “Hey!” Draco exclaimed, although luckily it wasn’t very loud since he was still out of breath. “Me and Blaise need to get back down to Slytherin dungeons–” Draco pointed out, before looking around and realising Blaise wasn’t with them.
“Oh no.” Draco gasped.
“Oh bloody hell,” Weasley cursed, “He’s gonna tell Filch and we’ll all be expelled!” He bemoaned, making Draco quickly collect himself and rise to defend Blaise.
“Excuse you! Blaise would never! We may be snakes but we are not rats!” He glared at the ginger scornfully, painfully insulted on behalf of his fellow Slytherin. This, surprisingly, made Weasley go quiet, although his cheeks did go a bit red.
“Let’s just go, we gotta get up to the tower and you have to get back down the dungeons, Draco.” Potter said, before he went to move and finally noticed his hand holding Draco’s. “Oh, sorry.”
However, before Draco could say a word, and after Potter had barely taken more than a dozen paces, a doorknob from a classroom just down the hall in front of them rattled. Not a moment later something came shooting out from the knob, inflating into full size quickly.
It was Peeves.
He must have heard them talking or heard them somehow because he immediately turned to them and gave a delighted squeal.
“Shut up, Peeves — please — you’ll get us thrown out!”
Peeves cackled, shaking his head and disturbing the bells that was attached to his jester hat, causing even more noise. “Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you’ll get caught!” The poltergeist cackled again, this time at his own rhyme that he made up.
“Not if you don’t give us away, Peeves, please.” The muggleborn begged, her bottom lip trembling and tears threatening to pour from her eyes at the idea of being caught.
“Should tell Filch, I should,” Peeves said in a saint-like voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. “It’s for your own good, you know!”
“And it’ll be for your own good to keep this to yourself, otherwise I’m sure the Bloody Baron would love to hear what you were doing in the classroom!” Draco threatened, moving closer to the front and closer to Peeves, glaring at the wicked trickster.
Peeves’ light dimmed for a moment and he stilled fearfully at the mention of the Baron, everyone in Slytherin knew he was terrified of him. Merlin, the Baron had even told the Slyterhin’s that if Peeves did anything to come to him.
Draco knew he could get Peeves to move, he just needed another moment, if it hadn’t been for Weasley pushing him aside and standing in front of Peeves himself. “Get out of the way,” the idiotic first year snapped, before he did something even stupid-er. He swiped at a poltergeist.
Peeves snapped out of his terrified stupor, quickly gaining a red hue and becoming visibly angry at the ginger. “STUDENTS OUT OF BED!!!” Peeves bellowed, practically shaking, “STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!”
His bellowing sent all five of the students into action, running for their lives in the opposite direction. They turned right and ran to the end of the corridor, where they all slammed against a door — and it was locked.
“This is it!” Weasley moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, “We’re done for! This is the end!”
They could hear footsteps fast approaching, no doubt Filch running to catch them.
“I don’t have anything to pick it with! No key!” The muggleborn cried, tears dripping down her face.
The word ‘key’ struck Draco as he pushed everyone aside and took out his wand, “Move over!” he quickly pointed his wand at the lock, tapping it lightly, and whispered “ Alohomora! ”
The lock clicked quietly and swung open — to which they quickly flew into the room it opened into and shut the door quietly, before pressing their ears to the door, listening.
“Which way did they go, Peeves?!” Filch was saying. “Quick, tell me!”
“Say ‘please’ ”
“Don’t mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go? ”
“Shan’t say nothing if you don’t say please,” said Peeves in an annoying singsong voice.
“All right – please .”
“NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn’t say nothing if you didn’t say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaaa!” And with that they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.
“He thinks this door is locked,” Potter whispered, “I think we’ll be okay if we — get off , Neville!” This brought Draco’s attention to the insistent tugging that Longbottom had been doing to Potter’s bathrobe. “ What ?”
Potter turned around so Draco followed suit — and they both saw exactly what. For a moment Draco was sure that this was another nightmare but it wasn’t, it was far too real.
For it wasn’t a room the door had been blocked, as Draco had thought, but a corridor. A corridor that was home to a giant, monstrous dog. A dog that filled the whole space, from the floor to the ceiling. A dog with three large heads; three pairs of eyes, all staring at them, three noses sniffing the air around them, three large mouths filled with sharp, yellowed teeth readying to bite at them.
‘I hate dogs.’ Draco thought faintly, feeling quite stupid as that might just be his last thought before he was eaten alive.
It was standing quite still, all six of its eyes staring at them. Draco knew that it wouldn’t be long until the surprise appearance of five first years wore off. It was already getting over that, if those growls meant anything.
But before Draco could worry a moment more, the door opened and he fell back alongside the others. He saw Potter move quickly as soon as everyone was out the door, slamming it shut and falling with his back to it as if his weight would stop that monster.
Potter’s eyes were wide and looked just as terrified as Draco felt. Merlin, Draco couldn’t stop shaking in fear as he quickly moved his eyes to watch the door, as if the beast would somehow break through and eat them all.
“What in the bloody hell was that?!” Weasley said, his hands grabbing his own ginger hair and pulling at it.
“That was a cerberus.” The know-it-all answered, but it seemed to be a reflex as when the other four whipped around to stare at her and she blushed in embarrassment. “Well you asked.” She whispered.
Draco would have laughed, usually, but he was just so- so terrified.
“We should get back to the common room.” Weasley said, but Draco barely heard. He could barely focus, he couldn’t seem to breathe properly.
He blinked, and it felt like just a moment, but when he opened his eyes it was just Potter and him in the Charms corridor. Potter was looking at Draco worriedly, something that Draco hadn’t seen before from anyone. “Draco? Are you ok?” He asked, approaching him carefully.
“Of- Of course I am! Where are the others, me and Weasley still need to have that duel!” Draco insisted, although he knew if he and Weasley duelled that he would lose, he could barely see straight, there was no way he would be able to cast even a simple lumos.
“I sent them all back to the tower, I said I’d walk you down to the dungeons since you weren’t listening to us and you looked all pale.” Potter explained, “And like I said in the trophy room, there will be no duelling tonight from either of you.”
“It isn’t as simple as that Potter,” Draco insisted, “and I am fine!”
“No, you aren’, you look like you’re gonna puke and then faint.” Potter said bluntly, “but that’s alright, I don’t mind walking you down there.”
And just like that Potter began to guide Draco back to the Grand Staircase and back to the Slytherin common room.
~3~
“So, I gotta ask, why was it so important that you and Ron duelled? Why isn’t him apologising enough?” Potter whispered to Draco as they shut the door to the Grand Hall behind them and moved into the Slytherin Dungeon.
“Oh Potter, you have a lot to learn about wizarding etiquette,” Draco sighed and shook his head.
“It’s because he insulted not just my honour, but also my family’s honour by challenging me,” Draco explained, “the only way to settle that kind of insult is by duelling. You fight with nothing but spells and defend against whatever the other wizard, or witch, did to insult you. For Weasley, I insulted you, his friend, by apparently getting you expelled,” to which Potter looked incredibly guilty as Draco rolled his eyes. “While for me, he insulted me and my family by insinuating I would do such a thing and challenging me.”
“I see.. So you guys would have had to fight no matter what? Even if he apologised?” Potter questioned curiously,
“Well, in a way,” Draco said, looking off, “in a wizard's duel you have a second. Before the duel begins you are meant to send in your second, to which they talk to the other second from the competing wizard and they try to reach a compromise. This can include a formal and written apology.”
“Oh! So it’s just like a normal duel then?” Potter questioned, which made Draco stop as they stopped in front of the wall that would turn into the entrance to the common room once Draco said the password.
“Normal duel?” Draco questioned.
“Oh well uh– I meant a muggle duel, it’s the same thing but instead of wands it’s with guns.”
This made Draco blink, extremely concerned with what muggles were doing.
“It’s outdated! They don’t do it anymore, I learned about it in history in year 5.” Potter quickly explained, shaking his hands back and forth when he must’ve seen Draco’s very concerned expression.
“But– guns kill, how does that settle anything??” Draco was just– he knew muggles were primitive but just killing something and considering that fixed seemed wildly stupid.
Potter shrugged before saying, “I don’t know, but you should probably head into your common room and get some sleep.”
Draco nodded slowly, trying to shake his head of whatever that conversation just was. “I guess I should thank you, then, for walking me down here.” Draco said, trying to mind his manners.
“Nah, you don’t have to. Consider it a.. Thank you!” Potter said with a grin and a laugh before he turned and left Draco standing there confused.
‘Weird’ Draco thought before he turned and stepped closer to the wall, “basilisk.” He quickly said, rushing through the door as it appeared and down the spiral steps and into the common room. Only to stop short as he saw Blaise relaxing on one of the couches.
“Blaise? How did you– ? Where did you– ?” Draco moved closer to the couches in front of the primary fireplace where he sat.
“Easy, while you and the Gryffindor’s panicked and ran, I hid in the trophy room and after Filch ran after you five I came back down here, simple really.” Blaise shrugged, yawning a bit.
Draco groaned and collapsed face first onto the couch opposite of Blaise.
“If it helps I have confirmation that it was Bulstrode who ratted us out.” Blaise said, which made Draco’s head pop up to look at him.
“What?” He questioned, the thought not even crossing his mind as to who it was that told Filch.
“Yes, she seemed very upset when I came back here, it seems after we left she came back in here to watch us sulk on the couches after we got caught. Of course, she was mistaken.” Blaise answered confidently. “You didn’t get caught, right?” He checked.
“Of course not.” Draco grumbled.
‘But we went into the forbidden corridor that has a giant cerberus in it!’ Draco thought a bit hysterically.
“Just checking, those Gryffindor’s do not know how to sneak properly. You all were so loud.” Blaise complained before getting up and stretching. “Well, I’m going off to bed. It may be a Saturday tomorrow but not all of us can be like Vincent or Gregory and sleep in.”
He moved to go to the first year boy dorms, but stopped and looked back at Draco. “Oh, and even if this was fun, I don’t wanna hear another clever excuse to get us expelled just because you and Weasley have a blood feud.” And with that he went to the dorms, leaving Draco alone to groan and stuff his face into the couch cushions.
‘Why me, Salazar?’ Draco thought before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep right there on the couch in the common room.