[Third Person Pov]
When most of Gryffindor Tower had finally gone quiet and the steady rhythm of sleep settled over the dormitory, Arthur, Harry, and Ron all sat upright in their beds at the exact same moment. For a brief second, they simply stared at one another in the dim glow of moonlight spilling through the tall windows, a silent understanding passing between them. Then, almost in unison, they kicked off their blankets, revealing that none of them had bothered to change into proper pajamas. Instead, they were still dressed in comfortable, practical clothes—clearly prepared for a late-night excursion.
They slid quietly off their beds and began pulling on their shoes, moving with practiced care to avoid making any noise. At that moment, Sylvia leapt lightly from Arthur's bed and landed squarely on his shoulders, curling herself comfortably around his neck as if this were the most natural thing in the world. Arthur instinctively steadied her with one hand. Cosmo, on the other hand, didn't even stir; he merely shifted slightly and continued sleeping, having decided that whatever they were doing simply wasn't worth the effort.
Before they left, Arthur cast a glance toward Neville's side of the dormitory. Neville appeared to be asleep, lying on his side with his back turned toward them. Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly, then shook his head as if he already knew better. Without another word, the three boys quietly slipped out of the dormitory and made their way down the staircase toward the common room, where Hermione was already waiting for them.
"Is everyone ready?" Harry whispered once they reached her. He unfurled the Invisibility Cloak with careful hands. Hermione and Ron both produced the enchanted sheet imbued with an invisibility spell, nodding in confirmation.
Before they could proceed, a voice suddenly broke the silence.
"What are you doing?"
All three of them jumped.
Neville appeared at the foot of the staircase, clutching Trevor the toad tightly in his arms. Trevor looked disgruntled and damp, as though he had just been retrieved in the middle of another escape attempt.
"Nothing, Neville, nothing," Harry said quickly, shoving the Cloak behind his back with obvious guilt.
Neville's eyes flicked between their faces, taking in their expressions, the hidden cloak, the sheet, and the fact that none of them were dressed for sleep.
"You're going out again," he said quietly.
"No, no, no," Hermione replied hastily. "No, we're not. Why don't you just go back to bed, Neville?"
Harry glanced toward the grandfather clock by the portrait hole. Time was slipping away far too quickly. Somewhere in the castle, Snape could already be making his move—perhaps even putting Fluffy to sleep at that very moment.
"You can't go out," Neville insisted, tightening his grip on Trevor. "You'll get caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."
"You don't understand," Harry said urgently. "This is important."
"Oh, Arthur," Hermione groaned in exasperation, already slipping her hand toward her wand. "Why do you always have to be right about these things?"
Arthur gave an awkward, almost apologetic smile. "You could always come with us, Neville."
"What—? And get into trouble too?" Neville exclaimed, shaking his head fiercely. "If my Nan found out about this, she'd do my head in and skin me alive! I don't want you lot getting into trouble either, so if I have to personally stop you, I will. I swear it."
Hermione stepped forward, her expression firm but regretful.
"Neville," she said softly, "you've chosen a really unfortunate time to be brave. I'm really, really sorry about this."
She raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"
A jet of light shot from the wand just as Trevor leapt out of Neville's arms, croaking loudly as he hopped to safety. Neville's arms snapped to his sides, his legs locked together, and his entire body went rigid. He wobbled for a moment before tipping forward and landing flat on his face, stiff as a board.
Hermione immediately activated the sheet's enchantment, her form beginning to fade. "We'll try to explain everything later, Neville," she said gently.
"No hard feelings, mate," Ron added as he pulled the sheet over himself and vanished. "You'll understand soon."
"No time to explain—sorry, Neville," Harry said as he draped the Invisibility Cloak over himself.
Arthur lingered for a moment, looking down at Neville with a genuinely disheartened expression. "I really would've liked you to come with us," he murmured. He placed a hand over his chest, and a faint magic circle shimmered into existence beneath his palm. Slowly, his body began to fade from view, Sylvia disappearing along with him. She let out a small, apologetic sound, as if offering her own silent sorry.
Then, one by one, they slipped quietly through the portrait hole and out into the castle corridors, leaving Neville frozen on the floor beneath the watchful eyes of the Gryffindor common room.
…
After desperately evading Filch and his ever-watchful cat, Mrs. Norris, the Gryffindor squad sprinted through the long, twisting corridors of Hogwarts. Their footsteps were careful yet frantic, breath held tight in their chests as they ducked around corners and slid past suits of armor that threatened to clatter at the slightest touch. By the time they finally reached their destination, hearts were racing and lungs burned from the effort.
They came to an abrupt stop before the door they had been searching for.
It was already slightly ajar.
Arthur lifted a hand, just about to announce everyone to halt—when he suddenly slammed straight into something solid and unseen. A startled yelp left his throat as invisible, panick arms grabbed hold of him and dragged him downward. With a soft shimmer, his invisibility unraveled, and beneath him, two more figures flickered into view as their concealment vanished as well.
Gwyneth and Lance lay tangled on the floor beneath him.
"Hi," Arthur greeted cheerfully, flashing a bright, utterly unfazed smile.
"Hello!" Gwyneth replied with equal enthusiasm, waving from where she'd landed.
Lance, meanwhile, stared up at the ceiling in utter exasperation.
Arthur laughed as he scrambled to his feet, offering a hand to pull both of them up. Gwyneth accepted happily, still giggling, while Lance allowed himself to be hauled upright with a long, tired sigh.
"Were you two the ones who opened the door," Hermione asked, choosing that moment to undo her own invisibility, "or was it like that when you arrived?"
Ron followed suit, appearing beside her.
"It was like that when we got here," Lance answered, brushing dust off his sleeves.
"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, pulling back the hood of the Invisibility Cloak. His face was tense. "Snape's already gotten past Fluffy."
Arthur's expression sharpened immediately. "Where's Mer-lynn?" he asked, scanning the area. "Is she still not here?"
"I'm right behind you."
Arthur barely had time to register the voice before a finger jabbed lightly into the side of his neck. He jolted violently, instinct taking over as he spun around and swung a backhanded fist.
Merlin blocked it effortlessly with her forearm.
In one smooth motion, she grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm, and forced him downward, pressing him into a brief but very effective submission hold. Sylvia squeaked and leapt from Arthur's shoulders, fluttering out of harm's way.
"Uncle, uncle, uncle!" Arthur cried, clutching his shoulder dramatically.
Merlin released him with a huff, straightening up with a victorious smirk. Arthur rolled his shoulders and glared at her, pouting just slightly.
"If you two are done fooling around," Hermione snapped, hands on her hips, "let's get going already."
The door creaked open further.
Low, rumbling growls echoed from within, sending a shiver down everyone's spine. In the darkness beyond, three massive snouts lifted into the air, sniffing madly in their direction despite being unable to see them.
"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.
"Looks like a harp," Ron murmured. "Snape must've left it behind."
"Okay, but can anyone seriously imagine Snape playing a harp?" Gwyneth asked, glancing around.
Everyone paused.
Then, almost in perfect unison, they shook their heads.
"Let me handle this," Arthur said confidently, stepping forward.
"Oh, what—are you going to start barking at it again?" Lance teased, one hand rising to cover his mouth as his voice trembled with restrained laughter.
"Pffft—" Gwyneth and Merlin both had to clamp their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing.
Arthur's ears turned faintly red as he shot Lance a glare. "No," he said stiffly. "That was going to be my second option if my first one didn't work."
Hermione and Harry both tensed, ready to pull him back, but Merlin calmly placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Just watch."
Arthur stepped into the darkness.
Fluffy greeted him with a deep, menacing growl—but the moment the massive dog caught his scent, the sound softened. One of the heads let out a small, almost apologetic bark.
"Hey there, buddy," Arthur said gently, crouching down. "How've you been?"
He reached up, scratching beneath all three chins, then moved to pat each enormous head in turn. The growls faded entirely, replaced by contented rumbles.
The Golden Trio watched in stunned silence. Hearing about Arthur's rapport with Fluffy was one thing. Seeing it in person was something else entirely.
"Would you mind letting us through the trapdoor you're guarding?" Arthur continued softly.
There were soft barks as a response.
"Hagrid gave you an important job, I know—but see that harp? Someone already snuck past you. We're just trying to stop them."
All three heads let out pitiful whimpers.
"Oh, come on now," Arthur cooed. "It's not your fault. They used your weakness, that's all. Hagrid'll understand—you've been doing an amazing job."
He then proceeded to start caressing them over and scratching them in spots that made their massive tail wag.
Arthur started to rain kisses across all three heads, speaking in a shameless baby voice. "You're a good boy. And you're a good boy. And you're also a very, very good boy. Yes you are—oh yes you are."
The others watched in awkward, disturbed silence.
Merlin snickered, then cleared her throat loudly. "Art."
"Huh—oh! Right, sorry," Arthur muttered, rubbing the back of his head as he straightened.
At his nod, Fluffy obediently moved aside. Arthur flicked his wand, and the trapdoor creaked open, revealing a yawning drop into darkness below.
Arthur crouched, scooped up Sylvia, and gave the group a playful salute.
"See you down there, folks."
With that, he hopped forward and vanished through the opening, an excited—
"Weeeeeee!"
—echoing up after him.
Ron stared after the hole, lips twitching in disbelief.
"That bloke seriously has no fear."
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