That greasy, slick tone, paired with a head of shocking, platinum blonde hair… who else could it be but Malfoy?
"Oh, Robert, who do you think you're talking to? I am a Malfoy, and a Malfoy always keeps his word," Malfoy sneered, looking down his nose at Ron. He tried to stand on his tiptoes to seem more intimidating, but since he was a bit shorter than Ron, all it did was make them eye-level.
"But you're late!" Ron huffed, his voice getting louder as he snapped at Malfoy. "And my name is Ron, Ron Weasley, not Robert!"
"Right, Robert," Malfoy said with an exasperated wave of his hand, clearly not interested in a proper conversation. His gaze shifted to Harry, leaving Ron thoroughly fuming.
"Potter, where's your sidekick? Is it this 'Robert,' or… uh…" Malfoy's taunt got stuck in his throat when he saw Hermione. Everyone in Slytherin knew Dudley and this little Gryffindor girl were close, so he was smart enough to hold his tongue.
"It's Ron," Harry corrected him, quickly adding, "Hermione's just here because she was curious. She's not getting involved." He had no intention of dragging Hermione into this mess.
Ron, meanwhile, was sizing up Malfoy, looking for a fight. "What about your sidekick, Malfoy? Where are those two little trolls of yours? Or did you think you'd face us on your own?" He taunted, "If you want to fight two against one, bring it on!"
Malfoy was completely unfazed by Ron's threats. He was perfectly happy to duel with Potter, but a mere 'Little Ronnie' was hardly worth his time. Besides, he'd found a much more reliable partner.
"Draco, you didn't mean me when you said you had a partner, did you?" a new voice boomed from the doorway. The massive figure standing there completely blocked out the light from the hallway.
"Dudley?!" two voices shouted in unison, full of surprise.
"Hmph, this is my partner," Malfoy said proudly, giving Harry a challenging smirk.
Malfoy had originally intended to stand Harry up, but that plan quickly evaporated. Dudley's guidance over the past few weeks had changed him quite a bit. Of course, that didn't stop him from wanting to cause trouble for Harry. Before, his animosity was just about why Harry wouldn't be his friend. Now, it was more about why Harry Potter got to have a brother like that.
"I don't remember agreeing to that," Dudley said with a weary shake of his head. Me, fighting my own brother? Malfoy had definitely improved recently, at least he wasn't as utterly insufferable as he used to be, otherwise, Dudley wouldn't have continued mentoring him.
"What are you lot doing meeting up in a place like this in the middle of the night?" Dudley asked. He had been on his way back to the Slytherin common room after a late workout when he'd bumped into Malfoy sneaking out. When he heard Malfoy was meeting Harry, he decided to tag along.
Harry glared at Malfoy and started to explain. He's my brother!
"A wizard's duel?" Dudley's expression grew even stranger after hearing Harry's story. He glanced around the cramped room, which was barely big enough for a few people to stand in. "In here?"
He couldn't believe these two had thought of this. Dueling in a place where it was a struggle just to move? Were they planning to play a game of Exploding Snap to settle it? Actually, there were three of them, so that would work out perfectly. Of course, when Dudley said "struggle to move," he was thinking about his own considerable size.
"Hermione, they're going to duel. Why are you here?" Dudley asked, walking over to her and taking off his cloak to drape it over her shoulders. The castle could get a bit chilly at night.
"I-I couldn't sleep. I was worried they'd get caught and lose points, so I came along," Hermione stammered, leaving out the events in the Gryffindor common room. She breathed a sigh of relief when Dudley didn't press the matter.
At first, Dudley thought it was just a silly game, but then he saw the sparks flying between Harry and Malfoy as their eyes locked. Suddenly, he was interested.
"Do you really want to have a go?" he asked.
"Yes!" they both answered at the same time.
"Then go for it," Dudley said, showing no intention of stopping them.
"Dudley?" Hermione looked at him in surprise. Harry was his brother, after all!
Dudley simply shrugged. He didn't know why these two couldn't stand each other, but... why not let them work it out? Whether they won or lost, it wouldn't hurt either of them at this stage. With their current knowledge of magic, the most they could do was produce a few sparks. Most of the time it would just turn into a fistfight, and at most, someone would get a black eye. Dudley's potions could easily heal those kinds of minor injuries. It's not like everyone was Hermione, who had nearly finished her second-year curriculum in her first year. Besides, boys often forge their friendships through a good fight.
"Be at the same place at six in the morning tomorrow," Dudley said. If they really wanted to duel, he would definitely suggest they change the location to outside the castle where it was open and empty in the early hours of the morning.
"Now! Go back to bed!" Dudley was against staying up late because it's bad for your health, but he was all for getting up early.
With Dudley giving the orders, even the thought of dueling was put on hold for now. They obediently followed him back the way they came. Dudley planned to drop Hermione off at Gryffindor first, and then head back to Slytherin with Malfoy.
To be fair, the inside of Hogwarts was much bigger than it looked from the outside. It had clearly been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. There were 142 staircases alone, a number that was enough to make your head spin. But just knowing the number of staircases wasn't enough because they were constantly moving and shifting. Can you imagine the number of possible routes with 142 moving staircases?
It was like a massive, complex maze, and just not getting lost was an accomplishment in itself. There was even a saying at Hogwarts: If you haven't gotten lost at Hogwarts, you haven't truly been a student there. Luckily, most of the time they were well-behaved. Otherwise, students would spend their whole day just trying to find their way.
But the magic of the staircases didn't end there. Every Friday, they would connect to strange places, and you would stumble upon rooms you'd never seen before or end up somewhere completely unexpected. That's why so many students loved exploring Hogwarts; you never knew what kind of surprise the castle would have in store for you.
Dudley watched with a knowing look as he came to a corridor he was certain he'd never seen before. Clearly, he was now experiencing one of those surprises. But he wasn't happy about it.
"Isn't this the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor?! How did we end up here?" Ron exclaimed, looking around at their new surroundings.