"Why are you two here?" Edward asked, a bit surprised.
"From the way you were rushing around earlier, I knew something was up. I'm here to help," Daphne said calmly. "Pansy wasn't in the common room, so I couldn't find her."
"I… I'm here to help too," Malfoy added, his face looking even paler in the flickering torchlight.
"Draco, you don't have to force yourself," Edward said, picking up on the conflict in Malfoy's voice.
"My head's a mess, but I feel like I need to do something," Malfoy replied, his hands twisting together as he struggled with his emotions. "I don't like Potter, but I never wanted him dead. And I definitely don't want you dead either."
Edward gave him a reassuring pat on the back. He'd always known that, despite the family Draco grew up in, deep down, he was a good person. He just craved attention. Over the past year, Draco had changed a lot, and that was something Edward found truly comforting.
Daphne, on the other hand, didn't hesitate for a second. It was as if she'd made up her mind long ago.
"Let's go!" she said firmly.
With the decision made, there was no time to waste. Edward tapped both of their heads, and a strange sensation—like a raw egg cracking over their scalps—spread through Daphne and Malfoy, making them shiver. Suddenly, their bodies blended seamlessly into their surroundings, like chameleons.
Then Edward pulled out a half-empty vial and handed it to them. "Split it between you," he said.
"Disillusionment Charm and a bit of Felix Felicis. This way, quick!" he explained rapidly as they looked at him, puzzled.
Malfoy's eyes lit up at the mention of Felix Felicis. With a dose of liquid luck, facing Quirrell or even Voldemort didn't seem quite so terrifying anymore.
The three of them hurried through the dark passage, twisting and turning until they emerged from behind a portrait. The door to the right-hand corridor on the fourth floor loomed before them.
"That three-headed dog is behind that door! How are we supposed to get past it?" Malfoy's voice trembled with a hint of fear. Even though it had been nearly half a year, he could still picture the drooling, foul-smelling beast with its three hideous heads. For a long time, it had haunted his nightmares.
"Get a grip, Draco. Is a three-headed dog really harder to deal with than a dragon?" Daphne said, already drawing her wand.
"Leave it to me. You two stay back. If I don't pull this off, just go without me," Edward said, pulling out his wand and sword before pushing open the old wooden door.
The door, which had been locked, was already ajar.
A harp stood quietly in a corner, and beside it, a massive three-headed Cerberus—Fluffy—was scratching furiously at a trapdoor beneath its paws, clearly frustrated about how to open it and get to the intruders below.
Its six ears suddenly perked up, catching the sound at the door. It turned, growling menacingly at the three figures, its three mouths snarling in warning. It was not in a good mood.
But Edward stepped forward calmly, focusing all his attention on communicating with the beast. He could sense that Fluffy's mind was far easier to reach than the man-eating Acromantulas he'd dealt with before.
"Fluffy, easy now. We mean no harm. Hagrid sent us," Edward said soothingly.
Fluffy's name, which Edward had learned from Hagrid, worked like a charm. Mentioning Hagrid and its own name instantly made the dog less hostile.
Seeing his chance, Edward reached into his bag and pulled out some snacks. He hadn't brought raw meat or bones, but a dog that size would eat anything—Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans included.
At the sight of food, Fluffy's tail began to wag. Food and music were its favorite things, though music tended to make it sleepy. If a stranger had tried this, Fluffy would've reacted differently, but this boy knew its name and mentioned Hagrid. That had to mean he was alright, didn't it?
Edward quickly tossed a handful of Every Flavor Beans into each of Fluffy's three mouths. The dog obediently stepped aside, revealing the trapdoor.
Daphne and Malfoy, though no strangers to Edward's knack for charming magical creatures, still watched in awe. It was like something out of a fairy tale—walk up, hold out a hand, and the creature just listens?
What kind of magic was this?
Seeing them standing there, a bit dazed, Edward waved them over. With their wands glowing from Lumos, the three leapt into the dark opening of the trapdoor.
"Arresto Momentum!" Malfoy cast almost instantly. He had no interest in experiencing weightlessness again—Edward's rescue during that Quidditch match had left quite an impression.
As they descended slowly, the wandlight revealed what awaited below: a writhing mass of green, vine-like tendrils, twisting as if alive.
"Devil's Snare!" Daphne recognized it immediately. She remembered how, in Herbology, Blaise and Ravenclaw's Padma had nearly been strangled by an enlarged version of the plant.
"Incendio!" Daphne began to cast, but Edward cut her off.
"No need for that!" he shouted. His sword suddenly burst into flames. The slowing charm seemed to fail him as he raised the blazing blade and plumm2ed toward the tangled vines, slicing through them like butter. The three landed safely on the floor below.
There, they found two familiar figures: Hermione, dragging two broomsticks, and an unconscious Ron. She looked up, wide-eyed, at the approaching firelight and the trio descending like heroes from a myth—Edward, Daphne, and Malfoy.
It took her a moment to speak. "Why didn't I think of dealing with Devil's Snare like that?"
"Hermione, where's Harry?" Edward asked urgently.
"He—he went on alone. The last challenge was Snape's potions. The black flames blocked the way, but there was only a tiny bit of potion left, so Harry went through by himself!" Hermione said, wringing her hands nervously. "Ron got knocked out by a giant chess piece. Harry told me to take him back on a broomstick, but you showed up before we got through the Devil's Snare."
"How did you know we were here? Where's Professor Dumbledore? Is he back?" she asked, firing off questions like she'd just spotted a lifeline.
"No idea, but Professor Snape and the others are on their way. You'll meet them if you fly up! Rennervate!" Edward shouted at Ron.
The Reviving Spell countered Stupefy and could help with physical knockouts too. Ron, sporting a large lump on his head, stirred awake, blinking in confusion at Hermione, Edward, Daphne, and—Malfoy?
"Where am I? Edward? What are you doing here? And… Greengrass and Malfoy? I must be dreaming!"
Malfoy opened his mouth to snap back, but Edward held up a hand to stop him. Now wasn't the time for bickering. They could duel later if they wanted—Edward wouldn't stop them then.
"Hermione, besides Snape's potions, what other traps are there?" Edward pressed.
"Um, one room has loads of flying keys—you need a broomstick to catch the right one. Then there's a room with a giant chessboard, and after that, a room with a knocked-out troll. Then Snape's room!" Hermione recounted quickly.
"You're not planning to go through all that again, are you?" Ron exclaimed, realizing what they were up to. "Except for the troll, those traps seem to reset!"
It hadn't been long since Harry passed through, so they could still catch up if they moved fast.
"No time to explain! Fly up and find the professors—hurry!" Edward shouted, sprinting off with Daphne and Malfoy, leaving a bewildered Hermione and Ron behind.
They charged into the first room, where winged keys fluttered chaotically overhead.
"I can grab that key—I see it!" Malfoy said eagerly, spotting a battered key with a half-broken wing limping through the air.
"No one doubts your Quidditch skills, Draco, but we're in a rush," Edward said. "Accio Flying Key!"
He pointed his wand, focusing on the key Malfoy had spotted. With a whoosh, it shot straight into his hand.
Malfoy stared, dumbfounded, at the broomsticks leaning unused against the wall. That worked?
They shoved the key into the lock and hurried through to the next room, where a giant chessboard awaited—McGonagall's challenge. Each player had to take the place of a black piece and defeat the white side. The board, which Ron had already beaten, had reset.
But they didn't have time for a game.
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