Chapter 47: A Three-Headed Rave
Vaisey's words hung in the air, and Percy's face, already pale, turned a shade whiter. Seeing his friend's distress, Vaisey quickly changed the subject. "Besides, Percy," he said, "even if the Headmaster was joking, do you really think a first-year would just happen to wander up here?"
"Of course not," Percy said, then realization dawned on his face. "What are you getting at?"
"If my tracking charm is still working," Vaisey said, a grim look on his face, "then Mr. Ron Weasley is right behind that door. Now, what could possibly possess our Mr. Weasley to come straight here, especially after alerting Filch?"
"He couldn't have just gotten lost, could he?"
Before Vaisey had even finished speaking, Percy lunged for the door. Even if Ron had just sold him out, he was still his brother. He couldn't just abandon him.
Just then, three terrifying growls echoed from behind the door. It burst open, and a red-haired figure stumbled out, looking back in a panic as if a monster were right on his heels.
THUD!
Ron, who had lost a shoe in his haste, collided with Percy. Both of them went down in a heap. Percy's wand flew out of his pocket, and he hit the stone floor with a sickening crunch. The most likely cause of injury for Percy that night had been a duel with Vaisey. Now, thanks to Ron, he was already down for the count, and Ron was the undisputed MVP of Percy-related injuries.
As he fell, something clattered out of MVP Ron's pocket. It sounded like a coin. He didn't even try to get to his feet. He scrambled across the floor, scraping his hands and knees, and slapped his hand down on the coin, trying to hide it.
Harry, seeing this, thought of Ron's embarrassment on the Hogwarts Express, and wondered if he should lend Percy some money to give to Ron.
Malfoy, standing closer, saw that it was a single Galleon, rolling towards him. "My, my," he sneered. "I didn't think the Weasleys had any Galleons to spare. Shouldn't this be going to someone who actually needs it? And you still haven't apologized for insulting my family, have you? You can do it tomorrow. I'll even pay you ten Galleons for it." He then kicked the coin, sending it skittering through the open door.
"MALFOY!" Ron let out a gut-wrenching sob and launched himself at Malfoy, a wild, feral look in his eyes. He clawed, bit, and kicked, his face a mess of tears, snot, and dirt.
"Are you insane?!" Malfoy yelped, trying to fend him off. "Filch will be here any second! Let me go! I'll give you a hundred Galleons tomorrow!"
But Ron just continued to sob and claw at him. Percy and the twins rushed in to pull them apart, but even the three of them together couldn't restrain the berserking Ron. The commotion was more than enough to alert Filch on the floor below. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed up the stairs.
Vaisey watched, unmoved. "I didn't lay a hand on him because Ryan respects the staff," he said coolly. "But I will not risk my life to save someone who is actively trying to get us all killed. Will you?"
"V-Vaisey," Harry stammered, his accent suddenly thick with terror. "Th-that thing… d-doesn't look… friendly!"
"I-it's a Cerberus," Hermione breathed, trying to keep calm. "The mythical guardian of the Underworld..."
The tangled group on the floor couldn't see the massive, three-headed dog that had emerged from the room. It stood there, its six eyes fixed on Vaisey, as if sizing up its prey.
"Don't worry," Vaisey said, his voice steady. "I've seen worse." Harry and Hermione nodded, either reassured by his words or too petrified to do anything else.
Just then, Filch arrived. He saw a pile of students on the floor and three others staring at an open door. "You won't escape this time!" he crowed. "Breaking curfew, using dungbombs on a school official! You'll all be expelled! I'll see to it that they bring back the whips and chains!" He advanced on what he thought was a cornered group of miscreants.
He was so focused on his "prey" that he walked right up to the open door and turned his back on it.
Ron, still locked in a death grip with Malfoy, was oblivious. Harry and Hermione, however, looked on with a kind of morbid pity.
Vaisey held his breath, waiting for an opening. A living, breathing piece of meat, standing right in front of the beast. Even an old, stringy piece of meat like Filch should be an irresistible target. And when the beast attacked, it would expose its weakness. He knew he couldn't defeat a creature like this head-on and protect the other students. I'm still too weak, he thought with a self-deprecating smile.
Just as Filch was about to launch into another tirade, he caught a whiff of something foul. Another prank from those red-headed little monsters! he thought, and spun around, ready to unleash his full fury upon them.
The words caught in his throat.
The three-headed dog lunged, its three slobbering mouths snapping shut. Vaisey saw his chance. He fired off three consecutive Freezing Charms, aiming for the beast's throats. It was one of his best spells, and he hoped the sudden shock of ice would be enough to distract it, to slow it down. It would be their only chance to escape.
His aim was perfect. The three spells hit their mark. The beast let out a strange, choked gurgle from each of its three heads. Its six eyes, a moment ago filled with mindless rage, now held a look of… surprise? It licked its chops, its still-frozen throats constricting.
The sound of the struggle and Filch's scream of terror finally snapped the others out of their own conflict. They scrambled to their feet and stared in horror at the giant beast.
Percy fumbled for his wand, trying to think of a helpful spell.
"What do we do?!" Fred and George whispered, backing away. "Our joke products are useless against this thing!"
Suddenly, a brilliant, terrible idea dawned on Fred's face. "George," he said, "a three-headed dog is still a dog, right?" He held up the last of his dungbombs. George's face broke into a massive, manic grin.
~~~
Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn