Harry realises where they are and rips open a tapestry, leading his friends down it until they come out in the charms corridor. They come to a stop and lean against the wall "I think we've lost him." Harry pants, leaning against wiping his forehead as Neville bend over wheezing and spluttering. "How did you know that passage was there?" Eliza asks. "Padfoot and Moony told me about it." Harry responds. "We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower, quickly as possible." Ron says. "Malfoy tricked you. You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you. Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off." Hermione tells Harry, who sighs and nods. "I know. Let's go." he says. Just then a doorknob rattle and Peeves zooms out of the classroom in front of them, squealing in delight when he sees them "Shut up, Peeves. Please, you'll get us thrown out." Eliza pleads. "Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty." Peeves cackles. "Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please." Matty tells him. "Should tell Filch, I should. It's for your own good, you know." Peeves responds.
"Please Peeves, I have a perfect prank I want to play on Filch later this week. I need your help for it, but I can't do it if I'm in detention." Harry tries. Peeves looks at him "Okay but you let me in on the prank." Peeves tells him. "I will, you think you could distract Filch enough for us to get back to the Gryffindor common room?" Harry asks. Peeves nods and shoots down the corridor "STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" he shouts. "Quick, in here." Matty says, using his wand to unlock a door. They all hide inside it "I thought he was helping!" Ron groans. "He is, listen." Harry tells him, making everyone listen to Peeves talk to Filch. "Which way did they go, Peeves? Quick, tell me." Filch tells the poltergeist "Say 'please'." Peeves tells him. "Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?" Filch asks him. "Shan't say nothing if you don't say please." Peeves tells him in annoying singsong voice. "All right -- please." Flich concedes. "NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" Peeves laughs zooming off, Filch grumbling before walking away. "He thinks this door is locked. I think we'll be okay -- get off, Neville! What?" Harry asks, turning around to see what Neville is staring at.
Harry freezes when he sees that they're in the forbidden corridor on the third floor, a large three headed staring at them. Breathing heavily, Harry grabs the doorknob and swings the door open. All of them fall out the corridor, Harry quickly slamming the door shut behind them. The group of friends run all the way back to the seventh floor, not stopping until they reach the Fat Lady "Where on earth have you all been?" she ask, looking at their dressing gowns hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces. "Never mind that - pig snout, pig snout." Harry pants, the portrait swinging forward. They all scramble into the common room and collapse, trembling, into armchairs "What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school? If any dog needs exercise, that one does." Ron says after a minute. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you? Didn't you see what it was standing on?" Hermione asks. "The floor? I'm one, no offence but I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads." Harry tells her. "No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." Eliza pipes up. "We should all get to bed, we have class tomorrow." Matty yawns. The others nod in agreement "Night Eliza. Night Mione." Harry says, heading up to the dorm with the other boys. Harry collapses into his bed, closing his eyes as he thinks about the corridor and the three headed dog.