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"A very good question!"
Dudley desperately wanted to know the answer himself. He was a hundred percent certain he had followed the exact path they had taken before. He was sure of it for two reasons: his memory was excellent, and this was the one and only staircase leading from the third-floor Trophy Room to the Gryffindor common room.
It was crystal clear now that as soon as they had entered the Trophy Room, the staircase had moved, swapping its usual route for a direct path to the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor.
"Should we go?" Harry asked, though inside he was itching to find out what was down that hallway. Ever since Dumbledore had mentioned the place, he'd been incredibly curious but had never had the chance to get close. Now, with such a perfect coincidence, surely this was a sign from destiny, right? If they didn't take this corridor, how were they supposed to get back to Gryffindor Tower?
Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. And a lion is a type of cat, after all.
Destiny my foot, Dudley thought with a sneer. There was no such thing as a coincidence this big in the world. He wasn't about to fall for such an obvious trick.
He turned to the others. "Come on, follow me to the Slytherin common room."
After all, the Slytherin dorms had plenty of space for three more people. It wouldn't be a problem. All they had to do was go back the way they came, using the downward staircase.
"Look, the way back is gone!"
Draco's panicked voice rang out behind them. They all whipped around to see the bottom of the staircase was completely empty. The end of the stairs was now suspended in mid-air—there was no path to go back.
Dudley's face went blank.
If they didn't go down the forbidden corridor now, they'd have to wait for the staircase to slowly shift to another location. There was no telling how long that would take; it might not change at all before morning.
Dudley let out a cold smirk. "Whatever the reason, I, Dudley Dursley..."
"...love nothing more than to say 'NO' to those who think they know best!"
"Hermione, hold on to me."
Hermione simply stared at him.
With a low grunt, Dudley wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist, stepped onto the edge of the staircase, and with a powerful leap, sprang forward. As Hermione let out a shriek, he landed squarely on the nearest staircase. The entire process took less than three seconds.
After depositing Hermione, Dudley bounded back like a monkey, grabbing Draco, Harry, and Ron one by one, and dragging them like baby chicks to the next staircase. What looked like a simple jump was, in reality, a leap of at least fifteen feet.
"You nearly scared me to death! Give me some warning next time!" Hermione complained, her face pale as she pummeled his chest with her fists.
Ron was equally terrified and looked a bit green, but you wouldn't catch him complaining to Dudley.
That was exhilarating, Harry and Draco thought. They, too, had been frightened, but the thrill of the moment had left them feeling a little excited.
"Alright, let's keep going," Dudley said, clapping his hands together and gesturing for them to continue toward the Gryffindor common room. Harry looked back at the corridor with a hint of regret. He was still curious about what was inside. But now that they were on the fifth-floor stairs, no matter how the staircase moved, it would never take them back to the fourth floor unless they went down on their own or the stairs somehow turned upside down.
Meow!
As they were about to pass through the corridor, a sudden cat meow sent their hearts into their throats. A bony, scruffy-looking cat with large, bulging eyes appeared at the end of the hall, walking with an elegant stride.
"Oh no! It's Mrs. Norris!" Ron cried out, clearly recognizing the feline.
There was only one cat like this at Hogwarts: the one belonging to the caretaker, Filch. And if Mrs. Norris was here, it meant Filch was nearby. All it took was a single cry from the cat, and Filch would come running. They were sure to be caught!
"We're done for! This is it!" Ron groaned in despair. He could have sworn he saw Mrs. Norris's lips curl into a grin—she was smiling! Was she mocking them because they were about to get caught? She must be.
"We can go back! We'll hide on the fourth floor!" Draco's reaction was faster and calmer than Ron's. He quickly came up with a plan. Even if Filch was close by, it would take him a while to get here. If they could use that time to get back to the fourth floor, they might be able to hide. Getting caught was no longer the main issue—the most important thing was to not get caught at all.
Hermione, too, was a bit panicked, gripping her wand so tightly her knuckles were white. Her mind raced, trying to find a spell to solve their problem.
Should I just hit it with a Body-Bind Curse?
While the other students were completely at a loss, Dudley did something completely unexpected. Instead of running, he crouched down and gently beckoned to Mrs. Norris, making a strange rumbling sound in his throat.
From a distance, Ron couldn't quite make out the sound, but it sounded like...a purr?
Is he mad?
But then, a jaw-dropping sight unfolded before them. Instead of summoning Filch right away, Mrs. Norris ran quickly to Dudley's side, rubbing against his legs as if... as if she was trying to please him?
"Ten pieces? Don't get greedy," Hermione heard him whisper under his breath.
"You're talking to a cat? How is that possible?" Hermione thought.
But then again, they were in the wizarding world. What wasn't possible? Cat-speakers, though not widely documented, did exist.
Draco and Ron, seeing that there was a glimmer of hope, were so relieved they nearly hugged, but they quickly recoiled as if they'd been shocked by a jolt of electricity, grabbing onto the stair railing and gagging.
Soon, to their astonishment, Mrs. Norris—the aloof, cunning, and malicious cat who never accepted food from a single student and only ever stayed by Filch's side—lay down in front of Dudley, rolling around on the floor, purring, and even exposing her soft belly.
Was... was she being affectionate?
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