Chapter 55: A Normal Occurrence
Chapter 55: A Normal Occurrence
As the quartet left the kitchen, their bellies were filled with cream cakes and milk tea, and their robe pockets were stuffed with egg and milk biscuits, as well as pies given to them by the house-elves.
"Curfew starts in ten minutes, so we'd better head back to our common room," one of them said.
As they passed through the entrance hall, they caught the attention of the caretaker's cat. Not long after Mrs. Norris had scurried away, Filch appeared before them.
For some reason, Fred and George felt a twinge of guilt as they saw Filch approaching.
Fred even unconsciously reached into the right pocket of his robe, where they kept the Marauder's Map they had stolen from Filch's office.
"You two..." Filch called out to the Weasley brothers, his lips curling into a malicious grin. "Detention tomorrow evening at seven o'clock. You will be polishing all the trophies in the Trophy Room. I hope this lesson will instill some sense of house pride in you. By the way, Gryffindor is once again at the bottom of the house points standings."
The four friends remained silent, quietly listening to Filch's lecture.
Of course, the fact that one of them had a pie stuffed in his mouth did slightly affect the atmosphere.
"Now, get back to your common room. Don't let me catch you wandering the castle after curfew, or it won't just be a detention next time," Filch threatened before turning away.
"What an annoying old man," George muttered, making a rude gesture at Filch's retreating back.
"I thought you were going to teach us the Scouring Charm," Fred said, turning to Albert and winking.
"There's no time for that now. There's no way you can master the Scouring Charm in a day," Albert replied, checking his pocket watch before heading towards the moving staircase.
"Don't worry, you're just polishing the trophies in the Trophy Room. It's better than scrubbing bedpans, right? Think of poor William. And there are two of you, so it shouldn't take long," Jordan said, patting George's shoulder comfortingly.
However, his tone sounded a bit too gleeful at their misfortune.
"Get lost, you jerk!" Fred glared at Jordan, then turned to Albert. "Can you at least use the Scouring Charm to help us with..."
"The Transfiguration Club," Albert interrupted.
"What?" Fred was momentarily confused.
"He means the Transfiguration Club is tomorrow evening at seven, too," Jordan explained, putting an arm around Fred's shoulder. "So, give up the struggle!"
As they spoke, the group reached the third floor via the moving staircase and then made their way through several secret passages, eventually arriving at the eighth floor of the castle.
As they turned a corner, they nearly collided with Professor Quirinus Quirrell, their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
"Good evening, Professor Quirrell," Albert greeted him first.
"Good evening, Mr. Anderson," Professor Quirrell replied, his eyes scanning the group before settling on Albert. He studied him for a moment, then continued, "Curfew is almost upon us. I suggest you return to your common room promptly."
"Professor Quirrell actually knows you!" Fred exclaimed in surprise after the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had left.
Professor Quirrell was no spring chicken, yet he had managed to remember Albert in such a short time. After all, they had only met a handful of times.
"I'm not sure," Albert said doubtfully, glancing towards the direction of the Room of Requirement. He had a feeling that he had just seen some changes in the wall there a moment ago.
Moreover, there was something odd about the way Professor Quirrell had looked at him, as if he were scrutinizing something.
"Speaking of which, there's no secret passage behind this tapestry of the giant clubbing a babbling barbarian," Jordan said, pointing to the tapestry depicting a giant clubbing a babbling barbarian. "I checked it out at noon, but I didn't find anything."
It wasn't surprising that Jordan would have such thoughts, considering that most of the tapestries in Hogwarts concealed secret passages.
In fact, Jordan's guess was correct. This particular tapestry did hold a secret, but it wasn't behind the tapestry itself. Instead, it was on the wall opposite the tapestry, where the Room of Requirement was located.
However, most students were unaware of its existence.
As they reached the portrait of the fat lady at the end of the eighth-floor corridor, they were surprised to find her softly humming a tune.
"Pig snout," George said, giving the password.
Instead of opening the door, the fat lady continued humming, seemingly intending to make them her captive audience.
"Pig snout," Fred repeated.
The fat lady glared at them, clearly annoyed at the interruption. She reluctantly opened the entrance to the common room.
"I must say, she has absolutely no talent for singing," Albert remarked as he entered the common room.
At that moment, there were still a few people scattered around, working on their homework.
"Where have you lot been?" Charlie asked, approaching them in his pajamas. "There's Quidditch practice tomorrow afternoon. You can come to the Quidditch pitch after 6:30, and I'll give you half an hour of intensive training."
"Sorry, Charlie, but I don't think we can make it," George said helplessly.
"Why not?"
"We have to go to Filch for detention!" Fred said dejectedly.
"What about you?" Charlie asked, turning to Jordan. After thinking for a moment, he sighed. "Never mind, we'll practice together next time! If you want to officially join the Quidditch team next year, you should seize every opportunity to practice and improve. That way, you'll have an advantage over the other players."
Not long after Charlie left, Percy arrived, having just finished his homework.
"Don't nag, Percy. Charlie already gave us an earful," George said irritably to his older brother.
"We're off," Albert said, gesturing to Jordan to follow him towards the stairs.
"Don't provoke Filch. It won't do you any good!" Percy Weasley warned Fred and George. "You're the reason our house is in last place..."
"If you keep acting up and wandering around the castle during curfew, I'll write to Mother," George said, imitating Percy's voice and tone as he teased his roommates.
"As far as I know, Gryffindor hasn't won the House Cup in several years. It's as if you're blaming us for the loss of house points," George added.
"Isn't it normal for Gryffindor not to win the House Cup?" Albert asked earnestly.
"Wow, you think so, too!" George exclaimed, smiling at Albert as if he finally understood them.
"Don't look at me like that. It's the truth!" Albert rolled his eyes. "Unless we win three Quidditch matches, the House Cup will remain out of reach."
"You make a good point," George nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Percy definitely knows that, he's just looking for an excuse to lecture us!" Fred huffed dismissively.
Albert glanced sideways and noticed a new task prompt:
Gryffindor Glory:
Gryffindor House has not won the House Cup for five years. It's time to showcase your true strength and help Gryffindor win the House Cup.
Reward: 1 Skill Point.
After reading the task, Albert couldn't help but twitch his mouth. Was this even a task for people to complete?
Well, there didn't seem to be a time limit.
Albert could simply wait for the savior, Harry Potter, to make his appearance and then reap the benefits.
That was a brilliant idea.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
