Chapter 356: Dementor
The rain continued to pound against the train, turning the windows into a murky sheet of grey. Before they knew it, darkness had completely fallen outside.
The compartment door slid open again, and Fred and George slipped in, trying to be inconspicuous in the dim light.
"Percy didn't come after us, did he?" George whispered.
"No," Cedric replied, eyeing them curiously. "But really, why isn't he letting this go? It's just a badge prank—it's not like it's a huge crime."
"Well, maybe it's because he hasn't actually caught us yet," George replied, grinning as he closed the door behind him. "We spent a good part of the trip dodging him all over the train."
Cedric's brows rose in disbelief. "You're joking, right?" The train was only so big, with a single aisle running from front to back. And since the compartment doors were glass, Percy should have easily spotted them by now if they'd been on the run.
Kyle seemed equally skeptical. "Did you use a Disillusionment Charm?" he asked. "Or maybe Harry lent you his Invisibility Cloak?"
"Neither," George said with a smirk, sliding into the seat next to Cedric. "We hid in the snack trolley. It's hollow underneath with a false bottom—just enough space for two people to squeeze in."
"Percy walked right by us three times," Fred added proudly, "and he didn't even notice."
"He even stopped once to buy a Liquorice Wand and a piece of Cauldron Cake," George laughed. "We recognized his shoes."
"So, you've been hiding in the snack trolley this whole time?" Cho asked, looking at her watch incredulously. "That's been, what, five hours?"