Nighttime Wandering Invitation

Nighttime Wandering Invitation

"So, you want to... sneak around tonight?"

At nine that evening, Albert was writing a letter to his family when he overheard the Twins' conversation, and his face twitched.

He seemed to have an unfinished task related to sneaking around at night, didn't he? No! Absolutely not!

He couldn't court death!

Not yet! Albert reached up and lightly slapped his cheeks. If he went sneaking around now, Filch would definitely catch him.

"Albert, want to come with us?" the Twins asked in unison.

"I heard..." Albert put down his Quill, turned to look at them, and said, "the caretaker, Filch, knows most of the Secret Passages in the castle. That means he can easily catch you, since you don't know Hogwarts."

"If you don't want to get caught and thrown into detention before term has even officially begun, you'd better not take risks so lightly."

"That's what I said too. If we sneak around now, the caretaker will definitely catch us," Lee Jordan quickly changed his tune and chimed in.

"No, no. I think that isn't the most important part. If you want to sneak around at night, you need to prepare yourselves first. Otherwise, you'll definitely get yourselves caught." Albert shook his head in warning. "Gryffindor courage isn't recklessness. At the very least, you need to master the Lumos Charm first."

"Don't you think carrying an oil lamp would be a pain? You wouldn't even be able to run easily if the time came." Albert set down his wand and pointed at Nineteenth Century Spell Selection, which he had borrowed from the library. "This book records the incantation for the Disillusionment Charm. As long as you master that spell, Filch will have a hard time catching you."

"So, you're willing to sneak around with us?" The Twins clapped hands with each other, as though celebrating some happy occasion.

"You wouldn't happen to..." Albert immediately figured out what they were planning and could not help shaking his head. "It's not impossible for you to ask me along, but not now. I don't want Filch to catch me. I suggest you first master some useful spells. Then we can wander around the school without being caught by Filch."

"Brilliant! With you joining us, we're much more confident about our nighttime wandering plan." George excitedly linked arms with Fred, and the two began doing a strange tap dance.

In the eyes of the Weasley Twins, their roommate was very reliable.

"Tomorrow, George, Lee, and I are planning to go to Hogsmeade again. Do you want to come with us?" Fred brought up the next day's plans again. "Only Third Year students are qualified to go to Hogsmeade. But we can secretly slip over through a Secret Passage. It's the only Wizard Village in all of Britain."

"I want to buy some things from Zonko's Joke Shop. I didn't bring any money last time," George said excitedly.

"It's the best in all of Britain—" Lee Jordan had just started to agree when Albert interrupted him.

"I'm not particularly interested in those prank items, but... seeing a Wizard Village would be nice."

There really were quite a few panel tasks today. He glanced over them, then froze.

The Beginning of an Adventure.

This is the beginning of a great adventure. Travel to Hogsmeade through a Secret Passage and experience the thrill and joy of adventure.

Reward: 100 experience points, George Weasley Favorability +5, Fred Weasley Favorability +5, Lee Jordan Favorability +5.

Favorability? What the hell was that?

Why did this suddenly feel like a dating sim?

Could it be that once their mutual favorability reached 100, they could become legendary gay lovers? Albert hurriedly shook off the chilling thought.

As for gay men, he, as an ordinary person, found it impossible to accept.

"Let's go together after breakfast." Albert agreed, then lowered his head and continued writing. Based on the photos, he described many things about Hogwarts in the letter. Albert was a professional at this sort of thing; although he had not written in a long time, it had once been a skill he used to make a living.

Fred and George did not disturb him. The three of them flipped through Standard Book of Spells, Beginner, looking for spells they could use. Albert was right: oil lamps were too heavy. They should learn some spells instead.

A few minutes later, Albert suddenly smelled burning paper. He turned his head and found that a copy of The Daily Prophet had somehow caught fire. The Twins were hopping about, trying to stomp out the flames.

"What are you doing?!" Albert put the unfinished letter back into its box, walked over, and opened the window to let the smoke out of the room.

"George was trying the Fire-Making Spell." Fred coughed lightly. "The newspaper was successfully set on fire."

"You nearly burned the carpet too. Don't start fires in the room." Albert said irritably, "You still can't control magic perfectly. What if you set the room on fire?"

"I think I might be quite talented at Charms."

"How did you do it?" Lee Jordan asked curiously. He could hardly wait to try casting the spell himself.

"Don't use it here. Go to the Common Room and aim at the fireplace!" Albert irritably sent the bunch of them away.

What a troublesome bunch.

"If you still want to go to Hogsmeade Village tomorrow, you'd better learn the Lumos Charm. I don't want to carry an oil lamp through a Secret Passage, so don't expect me to carry that thing for you."

"All right, I think you're right. Let's practice the Lumos Charm first. It's quite a useful spell." George and Fred both agreed with Albert's suggestion.

Much like when Albert had first used the spell, their light could not last for long. Lee Jordan had not even managed to light up his wand yet.

"You're not focused enough. Concentrate all your attention on the wand." Albert put the box back beside his bed and watched the three practice the Lumos Charm. "Don't hesitate when you wave your wand. Pronounce the incantation clearly and accurately. Beginners need to focus their willpower."

"You sound a bit like a professor. Maybe you should consider going into that line of work someday," Fred joked.

"I think I'll pass!"

"Why?" George was very puzzled.

"Because being a professor is too tiring, especially when you have to deal with a bunch of naughty children. My patience isn't actually very good, especially with strangers who aren't family or friends." Albert sat on his bed and picked up the Rubik's Cube from the table, turning it over in his hands.

"What's that?" Fred's attention was immediately drawn to the Rubik's Cube.

"A Rubik's Cube. A Muggle toy used to train spatial thinking, memory, and reaction speed," Albert answered casually. He only played with it because he was bored.

Of course, it also improved his Rapid Memory and Rapid Reaction. The experience gained was little, but better than nothing, and it helped pass the time.

The three of them mastered the Lumos Charm in one evening.

As long as they were willing to work hard, they could quickly master simple spells, though they still were not very proficient with the Lumos Charm.