"I can't believe it, Kyle," Cedric said, his voice filled with dismay, as he stood near the barrel at the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room late at night. "You actually agreed to go on a nighttime tour with the Weasley brothers!"
"I've thought about it, and they're right," Kyle replied, rummaging through his Mokeskin pouch without looking up. "I really need to do something fun to cheer myself up."
"But you can't go on a nighttime tour..." Cedric said, clearly distressed. "That's against the rules! If you get caught, you'll not only lose points, but you'll also be put in detention! You're only a first-year, Kyle—you can't start breaking school rules ."
Cedric's concern was evident. He spoke earnestly, as if he truly feared that Kyle might be led down the wrong path by Fred and George.
"Don't worry, Cedric. With the Marauder's Map, no one can catch us," Kyle said confidently, finally finding what he was looking for in the pouch. He glanced up at Cedric and added with a smirk, "Besides, before lecturing me, take a look around. This is the castle corridor, not the common room. You're part of this night tour too."
"I, I don't want to go on a night tour!" Cedric protested, sticking his neck out. "I'm just coming along to keep an eye on you, to stop you from breaking more rules!"
Kyle raised an eyebrow and snorted, "As you wish. We'll turn back now and forget about going to the Forbidden Forest to watch the Mooncalves dance."
"Er, well..." Cedric's resolve wavered. His eyes darted, suddenly a little unfocused, as he mumbled, "No, that's not what I meant. I just want to..."
"You want to go to the Forbidden Forest, don't you?" Kyle interrupted bluntly, pointing at Kanna, who stood silently beside them. "You should learn from her. If you want to go, just wait quietly. Say one more word, and I won't take you."
Cedric chuckled awkwardly, immediately silencing himself.
Earlier in the Great Hall, although Kyle and the Weasley twins had spoken in hushed tones, Cedric and Kanna—who had been seated nearby—had inevitably overheard part of their conversation.
When Kyle snuck out of the dormitory later that night, he had turned around to find two pairs of eyes fixed on him in the moonlight. The sight startled him, sending a shiver down his spine. Any sleepiness he had left vanished, replaced by cold sweat.
The two figures, of course, were Cedric and Kanna, and their intentions were clear: they wanted to join him on his adventure to the Forbidden Forest.
And so, the scene that was unfolding now had come to pass.
After Cedric finally quieted down, Kyle pulled a bundle of long, striped items from his pouch and handed them over. "Pick one."
Cedric squinted at the bundle in Kyle's hands. Something about it seemed familiar. When he looked more closely, he realized they were scarves from the other three houses—Gryffindor's scarlet and gold, Slytherin's silver and green, and Ravenclaw's gray and blue. There were about a dozen scarves in total, so tightly bound together that at first glance, one could mistake them for a log.
Confused, Cedric blurted out, "Kyle, why are you giving me this? I already have my own scarf."
"These aren't for warmth," Kyle replied, still focused on his pouch. "They're just in case. If you get spotted, toss it on the ground as you run."
Cedric and Kanna exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do.
When they didn't move for a while, Kyle simply took two silver-green scarves and draped them around their necks, matching the one he wore himself.
Properly equipped, the trio left the kitchen corridor and made their way to the agreed meeting spot—the entrance of a hut near the Great Hall, where the first-year students would wait. It was a place rarely noticed by anyone, save for the occasional pile of branches, and even Filch seldom patrolled the area.
When they arrived, Fred and George were already there.
"Wow, look who's here," George said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "The Golden Boy Cedric, and the warrior who conquered Snape, Kanna."
Fred joined in, grinning widely. "I didn't realize our nighttime patrol team was so luxurious. This is really... wait!" His eyes suddenly widened as he noticed something unusual. "Why are you all wearing Slytherin scarves?"
Kyle sighed and explained the plan once more.
"What a genius idea..." Fred and George were clearly impressed. "Do you have more?" Fred asked eagerly. "Get us one, quick!"
Kyle shrugged and handed them two more silver-green scarves. All of them were Slytherin, purely out of convenience—definitely not because Snape had been particularly hard on him recently.
The twins donned their scarves immediately. Fred admired his new look and asked curiously, "Kyle, I don't remember you ever leaving Hogwarts. Where did you get these?"
"My mum sent them," Kyle said casually. "Along with the scarves, there was also a master key and an Invisibility Cloak with a Disillusionment Charm cast on it. I'm not sure why she sent them, but it turned out to be perfect timing."
Kyle said this lightly, but he didn't notice the astonished looks on the twins' faces, their eyes practically glowing red with envy.
"A master key..." Fred breathed in disbelief. "An Invisibility Cloak..."
George swallowed, then said earnestly, "Mrs. Chopper is simply the greatest mother in the world."
"Agreed," Fred added, nodding solemnly. "Her deeds and thoughts deserve to be written down and put in a book, placed in the most prominent spot in Flourish and Blotts. And in the school library too."
"If that day ever comes, I swear I'll buy it," George vowed.
"Even if it bankrupts me."
"And put it in the kitchen..."
"If that day ever comes..." Kyle grinned, shaking his head. "You'll probably end up hung up and beaten by Mrs. Weasley."
"No," Fred replied seriously. "Mum would never hang us up and beat us."
"She just twists our ears," George laughed. "I think she's trying to twist them off so she won't get our names wrong anymore."
"Though, to be fair, she's never mixed them up."
As Kyle and the twins bantered and laughed, Cedric and Kanna stood frozen, nervous and stiff. They were far too anxious to join in, terrified that Filch might appear out of nowhere and drag them off to the professor's office.
Noticing their discomfort, Fred unfurled the Marauder's Map with a flourish. "Don't worry, we've been watching the map the whole time." He pointed at the parchment. "Filch and Mrs. Norris are on the fifth floor. As long as we don't make too much noise, they won't—oh no, the cat's coming down!"
On the map, the name Mrs. Norris was speeding towards them.
George reacted quickly, pulling out his wand and aiming it at a nearby tapestry. "Revelio!"
The tapestry split down the middle, revealing a hidden passage.
"Quick, get in there!" Fred urged, his voice hushed but urgent. "We've got to move before that cat gets here!"
Without hesitation, the group hurried into the secret passage. George, the last to enter, slipped through just as the tapestry closed back up, restoring the corridor to its original appearance.
A second later, Mrs. Norris arrived. She sniffed around the now-empty hallway, lingering in confusion for a moment before eventually wandering off, leaving the corridor as silent as before.