The Anger.

Taken aback by the response, Filch said, "The Headmaster announced it the evening after the Sorting. You know this!"

"He did no such thing," said Daphne. "He said, and I quote, 'Stay out of the third floor corridor on the left unless you wish to die a most horrible death'. So, by his own words, if someone wants to die by such a death, they're more than welcome to be here. Is that not so?"

"That's not what he meant!" snapped Filch.

"And yet, that's what he said," she snapped right back.

The caretaker just stood there staring back, a little confused.

"There you have it, Mister Filch," said Harry. "As the lady said, we are not anywhere that is forbidden as you erroneously believe; we have not broken any rules; and you are currently blocking our exit. Please, step aside."

With a growl of anger, the caretaker glared back at Harry before spinning on his heel and storming from the room. "Come, my pet!" he growled. "We shall talk to the Headmaster about this."

As the caretaker, closely followed by his ugly pet cat, left and stormed up the corridor back towards the grand staircase, the Seven and the twins more slowly followed.

One of the twins came forward as they were walking and said, "Ickle Harrikins! That was a brilliant piece of deductive reasoning..."

"Just so, old chap!" said the other.

Harry just shook his head in response and kept walking.

As they reached the grand staircase, the twins continued up it. Harry was about to follow when he turned to the others and asked, "Ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes," replied Daphne as she was heading down.

At lunch, both Harry and Daphne received summonses to the Headmaster's office. With a sigh he crumpled the note and placed it in his robes.

"Here we go again," he said to the others.

"Another summons from the great and oh-so wonderful Headmaster?" asked Neville. "Neville!" cried Hermione. "Show respect."

"He, is, Hermione," said Harry. "Respect can be lost even faster than it is earned. The Headmaster has lost any respect most of us have for him. Ergo, Neville is showing the proper amount of respect for the man."

"But, he's Hermione.

still

the

Headmaster,"

said

Harry just snorted in response. "Only because I fear there is not yet enough evidence to fire him. And only because he made sure he wasn't using his authority as Headmaster when he decided to interfere with my life."

"Oh!" she replied meekly.

"Hermione," said "Power corrupts..."

Harry,

almost

tenderly.

"... and absolute power corrupts absolutely," she finished.

"Precisely," he replied with a smile. Again, escorted by Professor Flitwick to the Headmaster's office, Harry was beginning to think he should be Headmaster considering how many times, compared to any other student, he was in the office. With a smirk towards Daphne, Harry pulled his spectacles from his pocket and donned them. Daphne quickly copied him. He then used his wand to cast the Eye Twinkle cantrip on them both.

Again, he allowed Daphne and the small professor to enter the room before him. And, again, he approached the Headmaster's desk with his betrothed on his arm. And, again, there was only one chair sitting before the desk. None of the three chose to sit in it.

Professor Snape was in his usual spot. This time, Mr Filch was also present with his pet cat in his arms. He was whispering quietly to the cat while glaring at the two pre-teens.

Harry decided to play it different this time.

"Ah! Harry, my boy!" welcomed Dumbledore. "Ah! Albus, my unwanted and unwelcomed stalker!" Harry snapped back with his own eyes twinkling and a mock-jovial voice.

That jolted the old man in his seat before he exclaimed, "Harry!"

"Albus!" Harry exclaimed right back.

Dumbledore did his over-acted collapse in on himself of great disappointment. "I'm so disappointed in you, Harry."

Harry sniggered and said, "You know, Albus; that whole act may fool a lot of people, but not me."

That was it for Snape. He snarled, "Potter! You're an arrogant brat; just like your father."

Wearing a stone-like mask as a shield, Harry said right back, "You will watch your tone and language with me, Snape. My guardians have not yet decided their punishment for you. And they will be informed of this latest behaviour." He then sneered back before turning back to the Headmaster.

Snape huffed up, turned a little paler than usual, but shut up.

Sitting a little straighter, Dumbledore looked sad. Ignoring the jibe he said, "Harry; Miss Greengrass; I have summoned you here, this afternoon, as I have received a disturbing report from Caretaker Filch that he found you and your friends in the third floor corridor on the left, earlier today.

"I thought I made myself quiet clear that students were not allowed in that corridor, Harry."

"Really?" asked Harry, putting on a blatant act of surprise. "Gee-whiz! Whenever did you do that?"

"It was the day after the sorting, Mister Potter - Oh, you were not here on the day after the sorting, were you?"

Harry didn't even bother to verbally respond. He merely smirked and cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, well," said Dumbledore. "Nevertheless, Miss Greengrass is well aware it is forbidden..."

"No, Headmaster," she interrupted. "I am not."

Surprised, he said, "I thought I made it quite clear in my address to the students after the evening meal, Miss Greengrass, that the third floor corridor was forbidden to all students to enter."

"No, Headmaster, you did not," she softly corrected. "Your exact remarks were, 'The third floor corridor on the left is out of bounds to all students who do not wish to die a horrible death'. As such, and by your own words, you stated it is not out of bounds to any student who actually seeks that form of death'. Is that not the case?"

Both pre-teens chuckle behind

heard them

Professor Flitwick while Dumbledore looked at her in shock.

"You have to admit, Headmaster," said the little professor dryly, "She has a point."

In a glance at Professor Snape, Harry detected the hint of a smirk he was trying to suppress. And, was that an expression of pride in his Slytherin student of which he saw a hint?

Clearly flustered, Dumbledore said, "Yes. Well. Errr - I see that I will have to address the student body, this evening, and make my decision in this matter much more explicit."

"That would be wise, I think, Albus," said Harry. "You may also want to tell the few who until now don't know that it's a Cerberus that awaits them behind a simple locked door, easily opened by a First Year Charm, the Alohomora, that it actually isa Cerberus. Or, that it's name is 'Fluffy'.

"Or that, if they get past the Cerberus through simply starting a music box in it's presence and, thus, lulling it to sleep - they may be killed by the giant Devil's Snare that awaits them next.

"I cannot determine how the flying keys may harm them, but, still..." with a throwaway gesture, he said, "What am I saying? Of course, you know all the traps and puzzles that await those who enter. You don't need me reminding you of them.

"But the student body is going to be most disappointed they're not allowed to go there anymore. There are some who think it's all been set up for their amusement. I think there may even be a betting pool among some of them as to who can reach the end of the traps and puzzles first."

Looking at Dumbledore with an expression of mild interest on his face, Harry could see the old man was shocked to his very core.

"Others?" he quietly asked in an almost squeaky voice.

With a mock frown, Daphne replied, "Surely you jest, Headmaster. After all, it only requires you to look down at the floor in the room of the locked door to see just how many footprints of all different sizes there are in the dust upon said floor."

Pushing the proverbial knife in even further, Harry mock-mused and said, "Hmm - I'm actually surprised no one has thought it might be just a bit too dangerous to students to have those things in the castle and decided to contact Aunty Amelia - sorry, Madam Bones or the Board of Governors, and made a formal complaint to either office."

Dumbledore's face was ashen. Harry was beginning to wonder if they'd pushed him just that little bit too far and the old man was going to have a heart attack on the spot.

He gestured a wave-off motion towards them, while his mind was obviously on other matters, and quietly said, "Very well. Thank you. You may go." Once they were out past the gargoyle and a little ways down the hallway, Professor Flitwick burst out laughing and they had to stop.

Harry and Daphne were both amused to see the little professor bent at the waist with his hands on his knees uncontrollably laughing his head off.

"Dear Professor," said Daphne, sweetly. "Has some miscreant hit you with a Tickling Jinx?"

That tipped the professor right over then, almost literally. He collapsed onto his butt and fell over onto his back. He was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes.

After a few moments, he was able to regain control of himself and, with Harry's help, climb back to his feet.

"You two!" he gasped, still trying to regain his breath, "Are the best thing that's happened to this school in a long time!" Professor McGonagall had just set aside the last of her OWL Year students' submitted assignments and was thinking of moving on to the First Year assignments when her wards alerted her to her friend and colleague, Filius Flitwick, standing at her door.

She rose from her seat, walked over to the door and saw him standing there.

He had his small, shrunken crate she knew he carried his portable pensieve within under one arm, while he carried a bottle of Ogden's Finest in the other. He was also sporting a large grin.

"Filius?" she asked.

"I thought, tonight, I'd supply both the entertainment and the libations, dear Minerva," he said.

"This is about Mister Potter and Miss Greengrass being summoned by Albus again?"

With his grin widening even further, the small professor simply nodded.

🧿Visit my site at tiendup for more advanced content...🧿

🧿Read the complete novel in PDF, available at my Store!…🧿

✨🪄https://fictiontopia.tiendup.com/🪄✨