Chapter 145: In Search of the Weasley Twins
Chapter 145: In Search of the Weasley Twins
At this moment, silence filled the dormitory.
Lee Jordan had already realized that something was amiss. Fred and George were most likely missing, otherwise, they would have returned to the dormitory by nightfall.
"I'll head to the common room and ask around to see if anyone has seen them," he said immediately, and set off to do just that.
Albert scanned the dormitory, suppressing the drowsiness that threatened to overcome him. He popped a large piece of chocolate into his mouth, washed up in the bathroom, and gently patted his cheeks in front of the mirror to fully wake himself up.
Lee Jordan had returned, and his expression wasn't a good sign. As soon as he saw Albert, he hurried over. "They're not in the common room."
"They didn't go into the Forbidden Forest to look for some so-called secret treasure, did they?" Albert asked, his mind clearing after washing his face. "Did you guys discover something on the map?"
"Well..." Lee Jordan hesitated.
"If Fred and George went into the forest, things could be problematic." Albert's expression turned grim as he noticed new activity on his task panel.
Mysterious Disappearance Two of your good friends have not returned to the dormitory before curfew and are presumed missing. As their roommate and friend, you should make an effort to find them.
Reward: 1000 experience.
"Come with me, we'll talk as we walk," Albert said, grabbing George's wizard hat and striding towards the common room.
"You mean they went into the forest?" Lee Jordan also realized the seriousness of the situation. If Fred and George had entered the forest and still hadn't returned, it was a cause for great concern. The Forbidden Forest was dangerous at night.
There weren't many students left in the common room. A couple was whispering to each other, completely absorbed in their own world, and students doing their holiday homework had their attention fixed on their parchments. None of them noticed Albert and Lee Jordan leaving the room.
"I'm not sure if they went into the forest," Albert said, looking at Lee Jordan. "Come on, tell me. Did you guys discover something on that treasure map?"
"Yes, they noticed some changes on the map," Lee Jordan admitted reluctantly. "They found out that you seemed to be unaware, so they asked me to keep it a secret and not tell you for the time being."
"Go on," Albert urged.
"Fred and George believe the map is real, and you know they've ventured into the forest before," Lee Jordan said, following Albert.
"I had no idea," Albert said, surprised. "And they didn't even tell me?
Albert stopped in his tracks and turned to Lee Jordan, his expression less than pleased.
"Fred said that if you knew about this, you would definitely stop them from venturing into the forest," Lee Jordan explained with a sigh.
"Of course, I would. The outskirts of the forest may not be dangerous, but that doesn't mean it's safe to go deeper," Albert said, raising his wand to cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and Lee Jordan.
"Are we going into the forest?" Lee Jordan guessed Albert's plan, shocked at his boldness. "I think we should go find Professor McGonagall."
"No, we're going to find Hagrid. We need his help," Albert immediately vetoed Lee Jordan's suggestion.
"But we can't get out. The castle gates are closed, and we can't open them," Lee Jordan reminded him.
"I know a secret passage out of the castle," Albert added. "Fred told me about it last time we snuck out at night."
"But... why don't we go find Professor McGonagall?" Lee Jordan still didn't understand. He thought they should be looking for the professor at this moment.
"Hagrid knows the Forbidden Forest better than anyone. With his help, we can safely enter and exit the forest," Albert explained as he led Lee Jordan through a shortcut. "Let's not make a big deal out of this, or Fred and George will be in big trouble. Besides, we can't even be sure if they went into the forest."
"We indeed can't be sure about that," Lee Jordan mumbled. "Maybe they're still somewhere in the school."
"It's simple to confirm that. Shh." Albert made a shushing gesture as he heard approaching footsteps. He immediately extinguished the light from his wand and pulled Lee Jordan into hiding.
"How odd. I could have sworn I heard voices," Filch said as he walked towards them, holding a lamp and peering into the dark corridors. Finding nothing, he turned and walked away.
Once the footsteps had faded, Albert and Lee Jordan stepped out from their hiding spot near a vase on the third-floor landing.
"Is the passage out of the castle here?"
"Left, right."
Albert stepped forward and tapped the vase twice with his wand.
The vase began to emit a faint friction sound.
Lee Jordan was astonished to see a black dot appearing on the landscape painting hanging next to the vase. The dot gradually expanded, soon revealing a door.
"Let's go."
Albert stepped forward, grasped the doorknob, and gently pushed. The original frame of the painting opened, revealing a hidden entrance.
"So secretive."
Lee Jordan mumbled, "Don't tell anyone else."
"Got it," Albert replied.
After a few minutes, the two finally exited the secret passage and Lee Jordan was surprised to find himself on the path leading to the boathouse.
"Knock on this protruding rock three times?" Albert pointed to the protruding rock and said, "The password to open the entrance is 'Open up quickly'."
"Damn, do those two guys know a lot of secret passages and not tell me?" Lee Jordan muttered.
"Keep up," Albert said as he walked towards Hagrid's hut.
"How do you plan to confirm if Fred and George are in the Forbidden Forest?" Lee Jordan asked anxiously.
This was important; he didn't want to rush into the forest blindly.
"We'll use owls," Albert explained. "Owls have tracking abilities, and we can use them to determine if Fred and George are in the forest."
Indeed, Albert didn't possess tracking magic, but owls had that capability, and with their help, he could ascertain if the twins were in the forest.
"I never thought of that," Lee Jordan said, astonished by Albert's clever idea. But it seemed like a good plan, so he quickened his pace to keep up with Albert.
The two finally arrived at Hagrid's hut, but it was dark inside, and perhaps Hagrid had gone to bed. However, their approach immediately drew the attention of Fang, who barked alertly.
"Hagrid, Hagrid, we need your help!" Albert raised his fist and knocked loudly on Hagrid's wooden door.
In the night, a series of loud bangs echoed, but only Fang's barks could be heard from inside the hut, and Hagrid didn't come to open the door.
Something seemed amiss.
"Do you think he..." Lee Jordan was about to say that Hagrid might be asleep, but then he felt that something was off. If Hagrid had been asleep, he would have reacted to the loud banging.
Albert pointed his wand at the door lock and muttered, "Alohomora."
The lock clicked open, and Albert pushed the door open. The wand light he held swept through the hut, revealing that Hagrid was indeed not there; he might have gone out for some reason.
"Is it okay that we broke in like this?" Lee Jordan anxiously followed Albert into the hut.
Fang, unable to see them, circled the two, sniffing the air.
"Of course, it's not okay," Albert said as he dispelled the Disillusionment Charm on himself and crouched down to calm Fang, lest he get too excited.
"Then why did you..." Lee Jordan's words trailed off as he heard the sound of flapping wings outside, and he turned to see a large owl, Hedwig, fly into the hut and land on the wooden table.
Albert's owl always appeared whenever her master needed to send a message.
"Deliver this to George," Albert instructed as he handed over Hagrid's quill to the owl, along with his own handkerchief. "Make sure it gets to him personally."
Hedwig grasped the handkerchief in her talons and took flight, heading in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.
The direction in which the owl flew caused the expressions of the two boys to turn grim. If Fred and George were still within the castle grounds, the owl would have flown in that direction. But now, it seemed to confirm their fears that the twins had indeed ventured into the forest.
"What now? Should we go back and find Professor McGonagall?" Lee Jordan asked anxiously, taking a deep breath.
"Yes, let's go find Professor McGonagall," Albert nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Lee Jordan breathed a sigh of relief. He was truly afraid that Albert would suggest going into the forest to search for the twins. To be honest, he didn't have the courage to venture into the forest at this hour; the nighttime forest looked eerie and foreboding.
"Where did they enter the forest from?" Albert asked.
"You're not planning to..." Lee Jordan trailed off, a sense of foreboding filling him.
"I'll go into the forest, and you go back to find Professor McGonagall. Rest assured, I can ensure my own safety, and it's important that you return so someone can inform Professor McGonagall about this," Albert explained to Lee Jordan. "This matter is quite urgent."
"But..."
"If I can't find them within two hours, I'll come back on my own. Don't worry, I have a way to ensure my safety, and you know I wouldn't risk my life recklessly," Albert reassured, patting Lee Jordan's shoulder gently. "Plus, do you think I would joke about something like this?"
"But how do you plan to find them?" Lee Jordan asked, perplexed.
"With Fang, of course," Albert replied.
Lee Jordan looked at the boarhound and then at the wizard's hat Albert was holding. It suddenly dawned on him why Albert had taken George's hat; it was for this reason! "Follow me," Albert said, leading the way.
Lee Jordan accompanied Albert to the secret entrance that Fred and George had used to sneak into the Forbidden Forest without Hagrid's knowledge.
Albert handed Fred's hat to Fang and whispered, "Fang, help me find Fred. I'll get you a tasty treat later."
Fang sniffed the hat and then began to trot along a narrow path leading into the Forbidden Forest.
"Remember, first, go find Professor McGonagall, and if possible, bring Hagrid along as well," Albert reminded Lee Jordan once more.
"Actually, you really don't have to take this risk," Lee Jordan hesitated before speaking up. "It's too dangerous to go in there at this time."
"I can take care of myself," Albert said, pulling out his pocket watch and checking the time. He turned to Lee Jordan and said, "It's twelve o'clock now. If I don't find them, I'll be back within two hours."
"You know how to get back to the castle, right? Knock on that protruding rock three times and say the password, 'Open up quickly,'" Albert reminded him. "If Professor McGonagall asks, tell her that Fred and George didn't return to the dormitory and may have gone into the forest."
"Got it," Lee Jordan nodded reluctantly, looking unsure. He couldn't understand why Albert insisted on going into the forest.
Albert had his reasons for wanting to venture into the forest.
After confirming through the owls that Fred and George were indeed in the Forbidden Forest, Albert noticed a new task on his task panel:
Rescue Mission.
The Weasley twins, for some reason, entered the Forbidden Forest and have not returned. As their fellow Gryffindor student, roommate, and friend, you cannot stand idly by. Enter the forest, find the Weasley twins, and safely bring them out.
Reward: 2000 experience points, 2 skill points, George Weasley favorability +10, Fred Weasley favorability +10.
This task likely meant that finding the twins wouldn't be too difficult, but getting them out of the forest safely would be the real challenge.
Albert had his own methods—he could use Disillusionment Charms, and he had enough experience to upgrade his skills. If necessary, he could ensure that he could always appear at the edge of the forest through his magic.
Most importantly, he had recently learned the very useful 'All-Around Protection' spell from Professor Flitwick. With this defensive magic and his Disillusionment Charm, he could ensure his safety.
However, if possible, Albert didn't want to reveal that he could use Disillusionment Charms. That was his last resort, so he needed someone to come to his rescue, either Professor McGonagall or another teacher, as a first line of defense.
As Albert followed Fang into the dark and eerie Forbidden Forest, Lee Jordan was already making his way back to the castle at top speed.
Meanwhile, Albert's owl, carrying his handkerchief, took flight and ventured deep into the forest.
For owls, the night was their time to be active, and the owls of Hogwarts often foraged in the Forbidden Forest.
Albert had instructed his owl, Sheera, to deliver the handkerchief to George. The owl immediately locked onto George's location and swiftly flew towards him.
As Albert had suspected, Fred and George were in a tight spot. They were surrounded by a group of Acromantula spiders.
Sheera did not descend; the situation below seemed threatening. Instead, she dropped the handkerchief she was carrying, and it landed right on George's head.
"What is this?" Fred reached out to grab the handkerchief, but missed, and George was quick to snatch it back.
There were some words written on the handkerchief, and George, with the help of the light from his wand, read them aloud, "Shoot red sparks into the sky, and you can seek help from the centaurs. They will escort you out of the forest."
"Albert's owl." George looked up and spotted Sheera, exclaiming excitedly, "We're saved!"
"Centaur? Where are we supposed to find a centaur!" Fred looked at the mass of huge spiders below and shuddered involuntarily.
The twins' luck was simply abysmal. They had ventured out based on the treasure map to search for Gryffindor's secret treasure, and the outcome was predictable—they had gotten lost.
Later, they somehow stumbled upon an Acromantula, and it nearly ate them. Fortunately, George had used the Impediment Jinx in time, allowing them to escape.
Somehow, more and more spiders began chasing them, and it was then that Fred remembered passing by an ancient tree guardian on their way there.
Thanks to paying attention in class and knowing about Albert's use of tree guardians to make protective bracelets, they had some knowledge to draw on.
The two ran to the tree guardian and narrowly escaped.
However, their troubles were not over yet.
The number of Acromantulas increased, surrounding the tree guardian, and some even tried to climb over it to attack them.
The two had no choice but to climb the tree, and in doing so, they angered the bowtruckles living on the tree, resulting in several scratches.
"Quick, there are more giant spiders coming!" George screamed.
"Impediment Jinx!"
The two pointed their wands at the Acromantulas attempting to approach the tree guardian, and the spells hit their targets, sending one of the large spiders flying.
"Good thing we learned the Impediment Jinx from Albert," George muttered.
"Shoot red sparks into the sky," Fred said, raising his wand and shooting red sparks into the air.
When they were first surrounded by a group of large spiders, the two of them had almost gone crazy. The dense mass of spiders was quite a sight, and in their nervousness, they had forgotten about this plan.
"Don't do that," George stopped Fred immediately.
"Why?"
"If Albert comes alone and runs into this group of spiders, what will happen?" George looked at the army of spiders below, his face filled with worry.
"I think Albert will probably seek help from other professors. With his personality, it's unlikely that he would venture into the Forbidden Forest alone," Fred said, knowing Albert well enough to doubt that he would take such a risk.
(End of Chapter)
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