So Close

The news of a Three-Headed Dog in the Fourth Floor Forbidden Area Corridor quickly spread within a small circle, and more and more students began sneaking into the restricted corridor. Filch had to spend more time patrolling the area to prevent other students from sneaking into the forbidden corridor.

Albert would occasionally overhear students huddled together whispering about Three-Headed Dog, and even some Gryffindor students took pride in taking a stroll through the Forbidden Corridor.

Of course, most of the students who were prepared to court disaster were thwarted by Filch. The Mr. Filch had increased the intensity of patrols more than once, and anyone who went there would be chased away or taken to Filch's office.

Albert wasn't in a hurry to complete the "Brave Game" mission, which required passing through a series of levels to Protect the Philosopher's Stone.

So, is the Mirror of Erised that Dumbledore prepared also part of the challenge? What if you manage to get through it, only to find that the Mirror of Erised hasn't been placed yet and you can't find the Philosopher's Stone? Wouldn't that be awkward?

Moreover, the Forbidden Corridor is currently attracting attention, so it's not the right time to go there.

Albert stuffed the remaining homework into his schoolbag, preparing to go to the Room of Requirement to do it. He also planned to take Tom out for a walk, so that Tom wouldn't stay cooped up in the room sleeping all day. It was getting on Albert's nerves that Tom hadn't lost any weight since coming to Hogwarts.

As Albert was about to leave with his homework, he ran into Fred and George, who had just finished training, at the entrance to the Common Room.

"Wood couldn't find a suitable player."

The Weasley Twins told Albert the bad news.

"Wood wants you to get ready and remember to attend the next training session."

"The first week of the month isn't even over yet!" Albert bent down to scoop Tom up, then turned to the Twins and said, "And when have you ever seen me lose?"

"Isn't he a bit too confident?" Fred asked, nudging George with his elbow as he watched Albert disappear into the Common Room entrance.

"Speaking of which, Albert thinks Harry is the Seeker, right? But how can Harry join the team in his first year?" George was equally puzzled. "Don't forget, first-year students aren't allowed to bring brooms to school, let alone join the Quidditch team."

Of course, becoming a substitute for the team is an option, just like them.

Albert had no idea what Fred and George were talking about. He was staring at Tom, who was running around wildly in front of him. The guy had probably been locked up for a long time, and as soon as he was released, he ran off and disappeared from sight.

"Honestly, you always cause me trouble."

Albert waved his wand, and Tom, with all four feet off the ground, flew towards them, making terrified meowing noises.

When Tom landed in Albert's arms, he was trembling all over and dared not move. Flying is hardly a friendly experience for a cat.

"What a coward!" Albert patted Tom's head reassuringly, put the cat back on the ground, and nudged it with his foot. The coward just huddled there and wouldn't move. In the end, Albert had to carry it into the Room of Requirement.

Tom lay on the table for a long time, finally managing to escape the shadow of flying only because of the lure of dried fish.

"Your cat?"

As Isobel entered the Room of Requirement, she immediately spotted Tom fiddling with a ball of yarn on the floor. She bent down to examine the fat cat and asked him curiously.

Its name is Tom.

"Hello, Tom!" Isobel greeted Tom. She could tell the cat was wary of her, so she didn't reach out to pet it, even though she really wanted to.

"How was your week?" Albert put away his Quill, looked up at the girl sitting in front of him, and asked with a smile.

"I'm very busy. I've started preparing for the O. W. L. exams, and I hope to get good grades." Isobel looked at the somewhat lazy Albert and said gently, "And you?"

"They're just as busy. They're either in class or on their way to class every day. I really don't know how other people manage to spend three years in such a busy academic environment." Albert beckoned Tom over, bent down, picked up the cat, and placed it on the table.

"If you're so busy, what about everyone else?" Isobel didn't believe Albert's words. She knew his abilities very well, and it would be difficult for him to stump her when it came to studying.

"I don't know, I remember Percy also chose all of them." Albert said, smiling as he turned to Isobel, "You're Ravenclaw Prefect now, congratulations!"

"Hmm." Isobel didn't really care about that, and nodded slightly, saying, "The Prefect have some privileges, which seems pretty good."

"What privileges?"

Albert asked, as he only knew there was a separate luxury bathroom, and not much else.

"There's a very luxurious bathroom..."

"A bathroom? This will do too. If necessary, the Room of Requirement can also be turned into a very luxurious bathroom," Albert interrupted, shaking his head.

"That's true." Isobel didn't mind Albert interrupting her and said with a smile, "I was originally going to tell you the location."

"The door next to the statue of Boris the Bewildered?" Albert recalled. "I think the password was something like, 'Fresh Pineapple.'"

"You actually knew about this? By the way, you haven't already been there, have you?!"

"I haven't been there yet, but I know some secrets. I know much more about Hogwarts Castle than you do." Albert wasn't really interested in these things.

"I believe that. I've heard that your two red-haired friends know just as much about the secret passages as Filch." Isobel had also heard about this.

"But is the Prefect's bathroom really that luxurious?" Albert suddenly asked. "When shall we go together?"

"Going together? You mean the Prefect's bathroom?"

"Um."

Albert avoided looking into Isobel's eyes, lest he reveal something.

"If you want... it's not impossible," Isobel said nonchalantly.

Of course, this is just a figure of speech; for the two of them, a little too much flirting is nothing.

"When are we going together? I can't wait." Albert tried his best to put on a lecherous expression, which made Isobel giggle.

After a moment, Isobel's smile faded, and he changed the subject. "Katrina isn't doing well. She's under too much pressure. When you have time, could you help her out?"

That's your sister.

"She's stubborn in some ways," Isobel sighed helplessly. "Actually, this is a problem that you'll encounter when choosing any course; you usually have to overcome it on your own."

Have you encountered this before?

"It took me two weeks to adjust, but you seem completely unaffected." Isobel didn't see any fatigue in Albert. Using the Time-Turner to attend classes can sometimes be exhausting, which is something that impressed Isobel.

"Because I'm a genius!" Albert said shamelessly.

"Yes, yes," Isobel replied perfunctorily. She didn't deny it, but her gaze fell on Tom beside her, and she couldn't help but ask, "Can I touch it?"

"Of course you can. However, Tom isn't very friendly to strangers." Albert said, taking a packet of dried fish from his shirt pocket. "If you try to feed Tom some food and build a good relationship with him, he'll let you pet him."

As soon as the packaging was torn open, Tom pounced on it. Even though Albert gently pushed his head to the side, the guy still desperately tried to bring his head closer.

Isobel, watching this scene from the side, laughed heartily.

She reached out and took the dried fish Albert offered, then handed it to Tom Albert, saying, "I used to want a cat too, but our family situation didn't allow it. Doesn't your cat eat food from strangers?"

"I used to teach it not to eat random things."

As he spoke, Albert reached out and took Isobel's hand, offering the dried fish to Tom. This time, the fat cat cautiously approached, ate the dried fish, and then licked Isobel's hand.

"So cute!"

Isobel reached out to touch him, but Tom dodged her.

"After a few more times, it won't reject you anymore." Albert looked at Isobel and leaned his head closer. Just as their faces were about to touch, the sound of a door opening startled them.

Albert turned his head resentfully to look at the person who came in; in fact, he knew who it was without even having to guess.