Chapter 80

Fred's heart raced, his pulse quickened, and his blood pumped with adrenaline as he raced through the echoing corridors. Hide-and-seek with Argus Filch turned out to be a much more exciting adventure than he had imagined.

Filch had just passed through a secret passageway, so he tried to cut them off in front of the stairs. But Fred refused to be caught. He and George were soon out of Filch's path, their steps calculated and swift, always one step ahead of their pursuers. They knew that Filch's mind wasn't sharp enough to predict their movements and that his old legs couldn't keep up with them.

But the real challenge was to escape the watchful eye of Mrs. Norris, Filch's clever and agile feline companion. Dodging her piercing gaze was an arduous task.

A flicker of pure evil flashed through Fred's mind—to give Mrs. Norris a good kick and send her yowling into the night. However, he quickly dismissed the idea. Time is of the essence, and provoking the cat will only unleash Filch's wrath and make her escape even more dangerous.

"Why can Filch keep up with us?" Fred gasped. "I swear I can hear his footsteps behind us."

"Don't worry, brother. He won't catch us. Follow me! ' George asserted himself in his unwavering, confident voice. Fred and George were less familiar with the intricate layout of the castle than Filch, but they relied on the Marauders' map to guide them every step of the way and secure their strategic advantage.

"He's gone. I can't hear him," Fred explained with a mischievous smile. "Turn right and go down the stairs. Aim for the 4th floor."

"We must be insane for enjoying this," George laughed with excitement.

Filch was well versed in secret passageways and castle layouts, but it didn't matter. They had the upper hand because they had the marauder's map. Even if Filch predicted their path and tried to intercept them, all they had to do was turn in the opposite direction, leaving Filch with a trailing shadow and an empty hallway.

Fred slowed down, took his eyes off the map, and caught his breath. "Filch stopped. I think he's completely confused."

"This chase is so much fun," said George after a moment of exhaustion. "We will retell this story in the coming months countless times until those people get fed up."

"Chuck, chuck. There are conniving first-years roaming the halls at this un-wizardly hour." Peeves emerged from the trophy room, effectively blocking their way. The poltergeist laughed with wicked glee.

"Good midnight," said George, raising his hand. "Will you help us out by keeping Filch distracted?"

"Why should I? In fact, I hope Filch catches you," Peeves sneered with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"But he won't. Filch is running around in complete circles like a headless Diricawl," Fred replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. He retrieved his wand, cast a spell that unlocked with a deft movement, and swung open a wooden door to reveal another hallway.

"Oh, maybe I should let Filch know where you are," said Peeves, pretending to be solemn. "At the end of the day, it's you two that are going to get in trouble."

"Come in," replied George, tapping his wrist and closing the door. "That said, I hear you and Filch aren't best friends. Do you really want to see him happy when he catches us?"

Fred waved at Peeves with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"You two do me a favour." You have until the count of five to run as far as you can. One,... Two,... Five! Students, get out of bed! Quick, hurry, they're running away!" Peeves screeched angrily at the last bit as he floated around the trophy room.

"Peeves is annoying," George muttered, his eyelids twitching in frustration.

"But surprisingly helpful," joked Fred, his eyes returning to the Marauders' Map. Filch was rapidly approaching their position.

"Good job, Peeves," one of them said.

"Isn't it better if we used the secret passageway near the trophy room?" the other said as the other face-palmed himself.

Fred and George have returned, but Peeves was still in the trophy room doing laps.

"No, no, tell Peeves to shut up," Fred said. "Filch is close by."

"Too late."

And just as Fred and George reappeared in the room, the mischievous poltergeist cried out, "Over here! I've caught them. Two Gryffindors aren't in bed."

Fred made a rough gesture at Peeves, turned him around, and disappeared into the dark hallway alongside George.

"Tell me!" Moments later, Filch arrived, breathless and dishevelled. "Tell me where they went."

"Maybe both of you should keep your voice down," a voice interrupted. Severus Snape emerged from the hallway in his pyjamas. "You'll wake up the entire castle at this rate."

"But Professor, the students are roaming the halls, and I'm trying to catch them." Filch gritted his teeth, his voice sounding irritated. "Peeves knows what they look like but refuses to reveal it."

Snape looked up at Peeves, narrowing her dark eyes, and asked, "Peeve, who are they?"

"The two first years. Gryffindor, if I recall," Peeves replied, scolding Filch with a mischievous look. "Those kids are so impudent. They said that they'd never get caught!"

Enjoying Filch's growing anger, Peeves leaves without revealing what they look like.

"Professor, the Gryffindor students are probably going to head back to the common room. We need to intercept on the eighth floor. I know the shortcut." Filch quickly devised a plan to catch the wayward students and gestured for them to follow Snape. Snape nodded in agreement, curling his lips into a wry smile. He had no hesitation in detaining two first-year students, especially Gryffindor, and depriving them of a good deal of house points.

Meanwhile, Fred and George on the 8th floor notice that Snape has joined the chase. They exchanged worried looks, recognising the urgency of reaching the safe common room.

They were confident they could escape Filch's grasp, but Snape's presence posed an even greater challenge. Falling into the hands of a strict potion professor is no fun. It was well known that Snape harboured a deep-seated animosity towards the students of Gryffindor. They experienced it firsthand.

The two brothers weighed their options carefully. Disappointed that the Fat Lady was still not there, they found themselves with no choice but to avoid both Snape and Filch and continue what they were doing.

"Oh no, Filch went to the 8th floor through a secret passageway. We must find a hiding place quickly," Fred commanded, staring at the magic map. The gravity of the situation hit him, and a sense of urgency hit him.

"And be careful of Snape," added George.

"I know that," Fred replied with growing concern. He quickly went back down, realising that going to the seventh floor would inevitably lead to a dangerous encounter with Mrs. Norris and Snape. This combination was far more dangerous than Filch alone.

"There's an empty room nearby. We can take refuge there," George suggested, pointing to the empty room on the right side of the eighth floor.

"No, they will easily catch us there. We persevered and outwitted Filch for this long. We must escape through a secret passageway guarded by the lion and the eagle statues. That's our only hope," Fred suggested in a voice of despair. The realisation that their capture was imminent overshadowed their previous jovial mood.