5k reads! thank y'all so much <3

Hyunjin looked back, and silently told Changbin to be quiet – he didn't speak, but the index he brought to his lips and the dead stare he sent the friend were pretty explanatory in themselves.

Changbin simply rolled his eyes, because that was not the first time they were doing something similar and he was not really feeling to undergo the friend's drama queen attitude for the whole night.

Luckily, Hyunjin didn't see him, as he had already turned around and started advancing again: that night, they were going to try and solve the mystery of their second to last mischief's failure.

The fact that it hadn't gone according to plans still incredibly bothered the Ravenclaw, and the boy was ready for everything that it would take to see an end to it.

Changbin had agreed simply for the pleasure of taking part to a prank – and, although he would never actually admit it, also because he didn't want Hyunjin to do it all on his own. Either way, he was not concerned at all about the unsuccess they'd had, even if it had been their very first one.

"It was bound to happen", he had said, trying to convince the friend to yeild to reality. "Something wrong happened, it's not like we can controle the whole castle!"

And that was true, they couldn't – but why had they always managed to beforehand?

Hyunjin stopped, and heard Changbin do the same behind him, although he didn't turn around to check. They had just reached an intersection, which was the place in which they would be more likely to come across Prefects – for some reason, in fact, they didn't like to dwell in the middle of School corridors.

The two friends looked carefully both left and right, and also at the corridor opposite the one they had stopped in – and that in which they were going to move into.

Before starting to walk, they briefly looked at each other: their gazes looked confident enough. None was there – yet.

Hyunjin quickly but silently set off to reach the end of the other corridor: he and Changbin had casted a disillusionment spell to the other, that was true, but disillusionment didn't mean invisibility (their last cloak had in fact worn off), nor did it do much to hide from noises or scents.

Their crossing went smoothly, but when they had only just walked in the corridor they heard the unmistakable noise of steps. They blocked abruptly, and started listening carefully.

Throughout the years he'd spent at Hogwarts, Hyunjin had learnt to recognize the way some of the Prefects walked: his sister Yeji was the easiest, obviously (and also the only one he would sometimes show himself to), and the new Head Boys as well – they'd had been around for long enough that Hyunjin had learnt to identify them.

These steps, however, clearly didn't belong to any of them: they sounded too unconfident and indecisive to be theirs. Furthermore, they didn't belong to just one person: that could only be the sound two people might make. Hyunjin slowly turned towards Changbin, and mouthed: "Newbies".

Changbin nodded, making it clear that he had also come to the same conclusion. The two friends waited for the Prefects to continue their patrolling – hopefully not in the corridor in which they had stopped.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Hyunjin heard one of them asking the other.

"It's the best I could come up with", answered the second –  a girl, undoubtedly. "Besides, it's about time he got a grip. He's been dragging this for years, and he supposedly is a Gryffindor. He'll find some courage if he needs to".

Changbin mimed the action of whistling; his face said it all: "Newbies Prefects also have their secrets!"

Hyunjin smiled at that, but immediately got serious once again and urged the friend to move: the Prefects had continued straight, which meant they had not even glanced to where the two Ravenclaws were staying.

The rest of the way that separated them from the infamous corridor from which students entered their History of Magic lessons – basically: the place none would willingly head to, no matter if average student or Prefect. Not even teachers ever went there.

At the beginning, they had thought of setting the prank up in one of the corridors on the seventh floor; but luckily Changbin had remembered that Woojin always patrolled that area and it would be very hard for him not to notice them. In the end, they simply had to come to terms with the fact that Yeji had probably suggested they went there to get them caught – although Hyunjin had not taken it too well, obviously, and it had taken Changbin all his persuasion skills to have him understand that the Slytherin had looked so mad at them for having done what they'd done, that it would've been extremely irrational for her to help them redo it once more.

So, at the end, they had decided to stick with the original corridor (that overall would've been much easier for their alleged stalker to guess). As expected, it was completely empty, so the two boys – not wanting to lose any more time – immediately started the work.

Hyunjin was using his very last Water Ball for that experiment, so when (at last) he carefully placed it so that it would levitate on top of the cord, he sincerely prayed it would work out well.

When he was done with that delicate movement, he stepped back to look at the work they had done: it looked immaculate. The cord was basically invisible – you had to either look at it under a very specific lighting, or step on it to notice that is was there – and the Water Ball blended in beautifully with the dark surroundings. Unless their stalker decided to show up to ruin their work, the upcoming morning would definitely be a fun one.

Changbin gave Hyunjin thumbs up from the other side of the cord: they had decided they would each stay at the opposite ends of the corridor, so that it would be impossible not to notice if the stalker actually decided to show up.

Before parting, they casted once again the disillusionment charm to one another: that way, it was supposed to last until morning. Moreover, Hyunjin had judged that if they were to lean against the dark walls unmoving, it would be ten times harder for anyone to detect they were there. He could only hope he was right.

"See you!" said Changbin, and left. Hyunjin did the same, only in the opposite direction.

I will not sleep until I find out who you are, he thought wearily, in a way to try and keep him well awake.

Time passed, however, and the silent look of the corridor didn't seem to change at all.

Hyunjin was trying hard to remain awake, repeating those words in his head, alongside all the different formulas he had ever learnt during Arithmancy: anything he could occupy himself with during that time of wait was welcome.

But nothing was happening, and boredom was starting to get the best of him. Slowly, the boy started to doze off.

Maybe Changbin was right, he thought. Maybe I was really only being melodramatic. There's nothing here that could ruin the prank. We'd best get back to the dorm and get some sleep...

But right when the thought ended, he heard a loud scream: it could not be mistaken, it was Changbin's.

Hyunjin flashed up to his feet, and ran towards the middle of the corridor.

Had he not done it!
There stood the biggest, slimiest – more simply the most horrifying – creature he had ever seen in his life.
It had round eyes, blood red – and they were looking directly at him.

Hyunjin wanted to scream, move, disapparate; but he was completely paralized. The only thing that managed to escape his mouth was a rather chocked "Changbin!", that the friend didn't even hear.

The ladder, in fact, was occupied in much more concerning matters – though luckily he didn't seem to have lost control over his lungs.

"Aaaaaaaaaa!" he screamed in fact, appearing on one side of the creature. "A giant Snake! Every man for himself!"

Above him, Hyunjin noticed a slight silvery shadow, moving excitedly: it took him a few seconds to match it with the new screams that had joined the friend's; but when he did, he was able to make out Peeves' silhouette. The Poltergeist seemed to be having the time of his life – most likely, Hyunjin reasoned, it was not even the first time he saw the creature.

"Ha! Ickle Changbinnie is scared of the serpent!" he cooed while twisting his ghostly body around, "poor Ravenclaw is about to faint!"

"Shut up, Peeves!" snorted Changbin, managing to find the time to snap back at the Poltergeist despite the situation. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

The clear answer was no: Peeves loved hanging around whenever Hyunjin and Changbin were up to any mischief, and today was no exception. He'd probably spotted them when they'd first left their Tower.

Face still turned around at the Poltergeist, Changbin had never stopped running, the fear for the creature slowly crawling right behind him too big for him to possibly forget about it. Because of that, the Ravenclaw didn't spot the cord in time, and stumbled over it falling to the ground.

Immediately understanding what he had done, the Ravenclaw quickly got up and quickly moved away from the Water Ball: that had exploded in a sudden waterfall, and had caused the creature to set off to reach it.

Hyunjin, though, interpreted the situation differently. He's coming for us!, he thought, and sped off to reach Changbin.

The untaming flow was behind them, as was the dreadful thing.

~🤍~
We're (finally?) getting into the thick of things🥳🥳.

what do you guys think is going to happen in the next chapter?🤭

to find out, stay tuned for monday!!

love you all💙

Vic🌙.