What Harry didn't know, however, was that after that whole Snape-and-Filch incident, the older students had to change their practice spots daily, so he'd assumed no prefects would be patrolling here.
Because of this, Harry had only cast Silencing and Disillusionment Charms, not taking any further precautions. This meant they didn't hear the footsteps echoing down the corridor in time. By the time Harry and Hermione heard Percy's voice, it was too late to leave, so they quickly ducked under the Invisibility Cloak.
Harry hoped Percy would leave quickly and, more importantly, not spot their belongings on the floor.
"What's wrong, Percy? Doesn't look like any young witches and wizards are out on a date here," Penelope Clearwater teased.
"Er, Prefect Clearwater... I mean, Penelope, would you like to, um, come in and sit down for a bit?" Percy stammered, his face turning a furious shade of red.
Penelope's cheeks also flushed. She knew exactly what Percy was hinting at, and she found herself not wanting to refuse. Slowly, Percy took Penelope's hand.
Seeing Percy and Penelope enter the classroom, Hermione nervously clutched Harry's arm, making him hiss in pain. Thankfully, Percy and Penelope were entirely preoccupied with each other at that moment, or Harry would have been utterly exposed.
Just as Harry was wondering whether he should simply stun them, a sudden argument erupted from the staircase.
Penelope, in that moment, had no desire to involve herself with whatever was happening outside. All she wanted was a quiet moment with her boyfriend, as Percy certainly wouldn't behave like this during the day.
But Percy couldn't abide by anyone breaking school rules right under his nose. So, he gently pushed Penelope aside, not even offering an apology as he rushed towards the staircase. Penelope stood there, stunned, then stamped her foot and chased after him.
Harry and Hermione instantly let out a collective sigh of relief.
"I'm Percy Weasley, Gryffindor Prefect! What in Merlin's name are you doing out here, not in bed—Bloody hell, Ginny?!" In his mind, Ginny was always the perfect little angel, so Percy's rare outburst of profanity was genuinely shocking.
(Now, some might argue that Ginny's a fiery little redhead, but to Percy, her older brother, his youngest sister was indeed a goodie-two-shoes. This is also why Ron was so furious in the original story when he learned Ginny had dated several boys.)
But then, another pale-faced boy emerged from the darkness. He was the one Ginny had been arguing with.
"What in the blazes—Draco Malfoy?!!" Percy exclaimed, utterly stunned.
Penelope arrived on the scene at that moment, frowning at the sight of these two, who by all rights, should never have been out together at night. Before tonight, if anyone had suggested Malfoy and a Weasley would be out past curfew together, Penelope would have thought they had a brain full of Fanged Geraniums...
Penelope shook her head, pushing all irrelevant thoughts from her mind. The immediate priority was to calm Percy down, otherwise, she truly feared Percy might, in a fit of rage, hex Malfoy.
"Percy, calm down. Don't attract the professors," Penelope said, placing a hand on Percy's shoulder. Percy took a few deep breaths before he managed to compose himself.
While his future ambition was to become Minister for Magic, and thus he usually turned a blind eye to powerful pure-blood wizards, this evening involved his sister. He absolutely had to find out what was going on.
(At this point, Percy hadn't yet experienced the trials of war. While he deeply loved his family, he was still an utter careerist, even capable of sucking up to Fudge after graduation. So, it was perfectly understandable that he'd usually give pure-blood nobles some leeway.)
"Ginny, come with me, and you too, Malfoy," Percy snapped.
Percy dragged Ginny back to the empty classroom. All of this happened so quickly that Harry and Hermione only had time to hide their belongings before Percy and the others returned. Harry and Hermione once again hid beneath the Invisibility Cloak. Hermione noticed a red handprint on Draco's face.
Penelope, understanding the situation, wisely stood guard in the corridor. She knew Percy was concerned with appearances and wouldn't interfere in his family matters. Percy first used a white light to check Ginny, and only when he saw she was unharmed did the expression on his face soften slightly.
"Alright, out with it. What exactly happened?" Percy asked Ginny gently.
Ginny didn't answer, glancing around a few times to confirm something before finally looking at her brother. "Just, er, bumped into each other, then we argued," Ginny said curtly.
Percy frowned. He wasn't stupid. Ginny out past curfew, just happened to run into Malfoy? What a convenient coincidence. Percy pressed for more information, but Ginny merely looked at him with an air of brazen confidence.
Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of Ginny, Percy reluctantly turned to Malfoy. "This ginger weasel was following your Lordship to..." Draco suddenly trailed off mid-sentence, realizing something.
The only son of the incredibly wealthy Malfoy family, the leader of the pure-blood wizards in Slytherin, out late at night, carrying Muggle alcohol, specifically to visit a magical creature, and then caught by a Weasley! If his father ever found out about this... Draco shivered.
"Draco Malfoy, did you just say Ginny was following you? Why?" Percy pressed. Draco merely gave Percy a dismissive glance and said nothing.
Percy had a splitting headache, but he also didn't want to involve Professor Snape, given that one of them was his sister, and Penelope was still waiting outside. "Just go back to your dorms, and don't you dare be caught out after curfew again. I'm letting you off this time," Percy finally conceded.
Having said his piece, Percy took Ginny by the arm and left. He intended to walk her all the way back himself. Penelope saw Percy and Ginny emerge and didn't ask a single question. The three walked back to Gryffindor Tower in silence.
"I'm sorry, Penelope," Percy suddenly said. Penelope shook her head, indicating it was fine.
"I hope you'll keep this quiet, after all..." Percy said apologetically.
"I will, Percy," Penelope replied softly. If the circumstances weren't so terribly public, Percy would have pulled Penelope into a tight embrace, but with Ginny right there, he had to restrain himself.
Meanwhile, Ginny's eyes were wide as she watched them. Her emotional intelligence was far superior to Ron's, and she could clearly see that their relationship was more than just a casual friendship.
Just before entering the Gryffindor common room, Ginny couldn't hold back any longer. "Percy, are you two... dating?" Ginny asked.
At this, Penelope looked at Percy expectantly, but Percy didn't answer directly. "That's none of your business. Now, off to bed with you!" he snapped.
Percy's reaction, however, only confirmed Ginny's suspicions, making her wear an expression that clearly said, "I knew it."
"If you don't tell Mum I was out tonight, I'll keep your secret," Ginny said, then walked inside without waiting for Percy's reply.
"Ah, the youth of today, tsk-tsk-tsk," the Fat Lady suddenly chimed in.
Percy opened his mouth, as if to explain something to Penelope, but Penelope simply left without a word.
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