Chapter 24: A Night's Capture
At Hogwarts, the professors had an unspoken understanding.
If they didn't catch a student red-handed, it was generally considered proof of the student's ability.
Few professors would punish someone based only on suspicion.
Of course, very few students had ever tried running away after already being caught by a professor.
But Fred and George Weasley were not typical students.
Under normal circumstances, they would never be caught during a nighttime excursion.
Even Filch—who prided himself on knowing every secret passage in the castle—rarely managed to catch them.
And ever since they had obtained the Marauder's Map, they had never failed.
Tonight was simply bad luck.
Part of the reason they dared to run was their familiarity with Douglas and their family's relationship with him.
But that same relationship also terrified them.
If Douglas complained to their mother, Molly Weasley would surely hear about it.
The twins knew Hogwarts better than almost anyone.
They knew countless hiding places and secret passages.
Surely they could escape before Douglas caught them.
Unfortunately, years of outwitting Filch—who never used magic—had made them forget something important.
Douglas could use magic.
Just as they reached the entrance to a secret passage leading to the fifth floor—
Bang.
Bang.
The two small spheres exploded.
The noise wasn't particularly loud, but Filch's ears were famously sharp.
From the first floor, he heard something unusual on the fifth.
Clutching Mrs. Norris tightly, he immediately slipped into a nearby secret passage.
"My dear," he muttered excitedly to the cat, "this time we'll catch them red-handed!"
Upstairs, the Weasley twins heard the explosions behind them.
They turned—and their faces fell into pure despair.
A thick cloud of yellow-brown smoke enveloped them.
In their final moment of dignity, they reached across the stairwell and shouted dramatically at each other.
"George! George!"
"Oh, my Fred!"
They knew perfectly well what those dungbombs were capable of.
As the foul smoke spread, the twins found themselves covered in sticky, yellow filth.
Their hands were so coated that neither dared reach for a wand.
What made matters worse was the figure emerging from the nearby secret passage.
The one person who had been hunting them for years.
Filch.
They had no doubt what would happen if he caught them.
They imagined being dragged into a dark cellar and whipped daily.
Meanwhile, Douglas approached at a calm pace.
He frowned slightly and cast a Bubble-Head Charm around himself.
He genuinely couldn't understand how Filch—who was even closer to the explosion—still looked so delighted.
Compared with the caretaker's wild excitement, Mrs. Norris seemed far more sensible.
The cat leapt straight out of Filch's arms, carefully avoided the miserable twins, and landed neatly on Douglas's shoulder.
"Well, Mrs. Norris," Douglas said fondly, "it's been a few years. You've gained weight."
His shoulder dipped noticeably.
He chuckled and added a small protective charm around the cat as well.
Filch approached with a paraffin lamp, shining its light across the twins' faces.
He muttered something under his breath, clearly savoring their despair.
Fred and George realized their situation was hopeless.
Filch blocked their escape behind them.
Douglas stood in front.
This was their first true defeat since second year.
Douglas noticed Filch's bloodshot eyes and slightly manic expression.
He couldn't help worrying about the man who had spent over twenty years guarding the castle corridors.
Gently stroking Mrs. Norris, Douglas spoke.
"Mr. Filch, leave these two to me."
Filch continued staring at the twins, smiling strangely.
"No, Professor Holmes," he said without looking up. "You're too kind. You don't understand how troublesome these two brats are."
He chuckled darkly.
"Leave them to me. I'll make sure they never forget this lesson."
Douglas frowned.
The twins, despite their hopeless situation, were now looking at him with pleading eyes.
He genuinely couldn't imagine what crimes they had committed to make Filch hate them this much.
Even the worst troublemakers during Douglas's own school days had never drawn such personal fury.
For everyone's sake, Douglas spoke firmly.
"Mr. Filch, you should remember that I caught them."
"As a professor, my authority over disciplinary action is higher than yours."
Ignoring Filch's resentful stare, Douglas turned to the twins.
"George Weasley. Fred Weasley."
"You violated school regulations by leaving your common room after curfew. When discovered by a patrolling professor, you attempted to attack that professor."
His tone remained calm and formal.
"According to school rules, fifty points will be deducted from Gryffindor for each of you."
"Additionally, both of you will serve two months of detention."
The twins cried out instantly.
"No!"
"Professor McGonagall will kill us!"
In that moment, they truly regretted not surrendering to Filch.
Filch couldn't deduct house points.
Whenever he caught a student, he had to report the matter to the student's Head of House, who then decided the punishment.
As the twins howled in despair, the large house-point hourglasses in the entrance hall rattled.
A shower of rubies fell from the Gryffindor hourglass.
Filch glared at them bitterly.
Still, school rules were clear: when a professor was present, the caretaker had no authority to punish students.
Even so, he was secretly delighted that the two boys who had tormented him for years were finally suffering consequences.
Douglas glanced around the corridor.
The twins—and much of the floor—were still covered in foul residue.
With a quick flick of his wand, he cast a Cleaning Charm, restoring the corridor to normal.
Fred and George inhaled deeply once the smoke cleared.
They had nearly suffocated moments earlier.
Douglas handed Mrs. Norris back to Filch.
"Mr. Filch, I'll take these two students now."
"The rest of the patrol is yours."
Filch accepted the cat reluctantly.
"Professor Holmes," he muttered, "other professors have punished them before. It never worked."
He leaned closer.
"My methods might be more… effective."
He hesitated, then added,
"If they still refuse to behave, I hope you'll let me handle them."
He shot the twins a vicious glare before turning away.
Once Filch disappeared down the corridor, Douglas removed his Bubble-Head Charm.
The foul smell had finally dissipated.
He looked at the miserable twins.
"You two. Follow me."
George asked cautiously,
"You're not taking us straight to Professor McGonagall… are you?"
Douglas snorted.
"Do you think Professor McGonagall won't notice the missing house points tomorrow morning?"
Fred nudged George with relief.
"Fortunately it's only the first few days of term."
"If the house points were higher, Percy would tear us apart before McGonagall even got the chance."
George hugged his brother dramatically.
"Thank you, Fred. Wonderful news!"
Then both of them remembered the two months of detention.
Their faces twisted in agony.
Douglas walked ahead while the twins followed behind, whispering.
"George… did you hear Filch call Douglas kind and gentle?"
"Yes, Fred. I heard it."
"I think Filch has fallen for the greatest scam in Hogwarts history."
Douglas stopped walking and turned around.
Even now, they were joking.
"I believe Mr. Weasley's detention should be extended by another two weeks."
The twins looked at him with the calm resignation of men already condemned.
More punishment hardly mattered now.
By the time they reached Douglas's office, the twins had fully accepted their fate.
They sat down casually without waiting to be invited.
Fred even grabbed a sweet from Douglas's dessert tray and popped it into his mouth.
Seeing Douglas's expression, George generously pulled a toffee from his own pocket and offered it.
"Professor," he said cheerfully, "let's make a trade."
If Douglas hadn't known the twins' notorious talent for creating experimental sweets, he might have fallen for it.
Still, he accepted the toffee and placed it aside.
He chose not to expose their trick.
"Take it out," Douglas said calmly.
He raised an eyebrow at them.
George and Fred exchanged a glance—and slowly stepped backward.
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