"Neville, what are you doing here?"
In the corner, a shadow looked like a lump, startling Harry and Ron, making them nearly back away instinctively.
Once they recognized him, they stopped retreating.
"Thank goodness! Did you come looking for me because I'm not in the dormitory?"
"I forgot the common room's password and got stuck outside."
The chubby boy climbed up off the ground with tearful eyes, and his words left Harry and Ron momentarily speechless.
"Sorry, we really didn't notice."
"The password is 'Pig Snout,' but Neville, you don't need it now," Harry turned around and pointed to the empty portrait frame.
"The Fat Lady must have gone for a walk; knowing the password won't help you get in."
"What now?" Neville suddenly panicked.
"Come with us," Ron stepped forward. Since Malfoy had two followers, if they didn't play fair, Neville could act as an extra set of hands.
Though he doubted Neville's spellcasting skills, at least as a shield, he would be competent.
"Where are you going?" the chubby boy asked dumbly.
"We don't have time to explain; if we don't hurry, we'll be late!"
Harry replied hurriedly, pulling Neville along as they headed downstairs.
During their descent, when Neville heard they were going to a duel, his mouth fell open in shock.
"That's against school rules! I can't let you go; you'll get expelled!"
Harry had not anticipated that the usually timid and clumsy Neville would explode like this, but he kept moving forward.
Suddenly recalling something he once heard Wayne say to Hermione, Harry cleared his throat.
"Neville, you wouldn't want your grandmother to find out you can't even remember the password, would you?"
At this, the chubby boy was left speechless and could only sulk behind the two.
Compared to breaking school rules, what Neville feared most was his grandmother.
When they arrived at the trophy room, Draco Malfoy was already there with Crabbe and Goyle, waiting for them.
Seeing that three people had shown up instead of just one, Malfoy's expression shifted slightly.
"Potter, you're not playing fair! We agreed you would only bring one assistant!"
Having rushed, Harry was out of breath, taking a moment to respond. "Neville just happened to join us on the way; Ron is my actual assistant."
Upon hearing this, Malfoy's expression relaxed somewhat.
Then, the atmosphere grew more tense as both of them drew their wands.
"I'll count to three, and then we can cast our spells, okay?" Ron said, having read quite a bit about dueling recently and feeling comfortable with the routine, stepping in as the impromptu host.
"Three!"
As the number left his lips, Ron found he could no longer shout.
Harry and Malfoy both twitched as they raised their wands, pointing them directly at each other, as if they shared a mental connection.
"Big Tooth Enchantment!"
"Grin Be Gone!"
Both of them overperformed, their spells hitting their targets perfectly.
In an instant, Malfoy's front teeth protruded out beyond his lips, stretching down to his neck. Harry laughed uncontrollably, doubled over and unable to continue casting spells.
However, their magic was too weak, and the effects of the spells disappeared in less than a minute.
Harry was the first to return to normal. Taking advantage of Malfoy still being disoriented, he swung his wand and delivered a swift kick.
"Oh!"
Malfoy emitted a yelp, hitting Harry's chin and causing him to bite his own tongue. The scene descended into chaos as their magical duel ended, giving way to a fierce brawl.
Worried that Harry might be at a disadvantage, Ron took the opportunity to kick Malfoy twice, only to be noticed by Crabbe, who then joined the fray.
Crabbe was significantly larger than Ron, but luckily Neville came over crying to help, using his weight to pin Crabbe down.
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