Mischief-Making for Dummies: Epilogue

Two boys snuck out of the History of Magic classroom, closing the door gingerly behind them.

???C???mon!??? the first whispered. ???We aren???t going to get a better chance than this, George!???

The boy called George cast one more glance at the door, guiltily.

???Won???t he notice we???re gone, though????

The other boy rolled his eyes. ???We???ve only been here for one week and I already know that no one notices if you skip Binns??? class. Now come on, we???ve got two floors to go up!???

After saying this he began to sprint down the hall, leaving George in his proverbial dust.

???Oy???Fred! Wait up!??? George panted, trying to catch up with his twin. ???What???re you in such a rush for, anyway????

???What d???you mean???? Fred had now slowed to a brisk walk, and George jogged the few remaining meters to walk alongside him. ???Aren???t you excited to see if it???s really there? Seriously, this is a secret room of some sort! This could be the start of a wonderful career!???

???Yeah, I???m excited and everything,??? George began, ???but what if Charlie was just messing us around? I don???t want to have a ruptured appendix and nothing to show for it.???

???Oh, please,??? Fred snorted. They had now reached a statue of a particularly ugly, stooped, and cycloptic witch, and both began to contemplate it curiously. ???Your precious appendix will be just fine???.???

He pulled out his wand and tapped the witch???s hump, murmuring, ???Dissendium.???

The hump opened up enough to admit a sizeable person, and the two stared into the darkness, mesmerized.

???It???s sort of???.empty,??? Fred started, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. ???Shouldn???t there be something in there????

???Reminds me of your brain,??? George returned eloquently. ???It???s a secret passageway, duh.???

???Really???? Fred???s face brightened. He put a foot on the edge of the opening and gestured for George to follow him. ???Let???s go!???

???Hang on,??? George said abruptly. Fred looked impatient. ???We should light our wands first; you know, in case there???s something in there we could trip over.???

???You really need to lose that common sense,??? Fred told his brother sternly. George nodded agreement, but they lit their wands anyway. A long, cavernous tunnel was spread out before them.

???Where d???you reckon it goes???? George asked. ???Hogsmeade????

???Probably, that???s the only place around here worth escaping to.???

Fred almost climbed in again, but George, once more, held him back.

He had seen the wandlight glance off something in the corner, something that caught his attention instantly. Was it the cracked leather cover? Was it the thick, yellowed parchment pages? Or was it the words on the front, embossed in gold, which read: ???MISCHIEF-MAKING FOR DUMMIES????

???I dunno about you, but this looks like my kind of book,??? George said, picking it up and brushing it off.

???Agreed. Open it,??? Fred replied. George opened the book to the first page and they began to read???.

Ten minutes later, the twins stood up. George tucked the handbook under his cloak and they exited the passage.

Hogsmeade could wait. They had a date with Filch.