Animal Friend, Taming Fluffy

Full and satisfied.

Under the lead of the Weasley twins, Tom headed straight upstairs.

The upper areas of the castle were currently the least explored part of Tom's map, because those rotating, shifting staircases were far too complicated—impossible to figure out the pattern in a short time.

But with Fred and George, the twins, leading the way, it was much easier.

The two of them guided him ahead while explaining the staircases' quirks.

Some stairs moved along fixed routes, some only shifted when stepped on hard, and others required a gentle breath of air...

In short, not a single one of those one hundred and forty-two staircases was simple.

"Tom, you're a true Slytherin through and through—you walk just like a silent snake," Fred couldn't help turning back to whisper in praise.

At night in Hogwarts, besides Filch patrolling the castle, the portraits hanging in the corridors also served as a layer of security.

Though most portraits ignored students sneaking around after hours, each had its own personality, and some with a strong sense of duty would actively tattle.

In their first few years, the twins had often been reported by portraits.

Fortunately, portraits shared habits similar to the living—they all slept at night, so as long as you kept quiet, you could avoid waking them.

And Tom, only just enrolled, had already mastered the art of stealthy footsteps, keeping up with the brothers effortlessly.

"Piece of cake," Tom said in a low voice.

Back when he'd tried to cultivate a [mage] persona, he'd learned plenty of magic tricks, and some close-up illusions required silent footwork too.

Having older students lead the way was indeed convenient. After a few simple turns, they finally arrived.

Behind the corridor on the right side of the Fourth Floor was an unlocked door. The moment they cracked it open, a thick wave of dust hit them.

Beyond the door lay a dusty hallway. The three covered their mouths and noses before stepping inside.

"Places the school marks as forbidden are usually extremely dangerous. What is the school planning, hiding dangerous items inside the castle?" Fred complained.

After all, the Charms classroom was right next door.

"Who knows? It's an old tradition of the school. Forget the Whomping Willow planted in the courtyard—just the plants breaking containment in the Herbology greenhouse could easily kill a crowd of graduated wizards."

"Wizards really are carefree," Tom remarked.

Take the Triwizard Tournament's Goblet of Fire, for instance—what decent school would knock a student unconscious and tie them underwater?

At the end of the corridor, they finally came across a locked door.

The lock was purely mechanical, with no magic covering it.

"Alohomora~"

Tom pulled out his wand, gave it a flick, and a simple unlocking spell clicked the lock open.

"Nice unlocking charm."

"If only my little brother were half as capable as you."

The twins finally understood today why Ron had chosen to follow Tom into Slytherin back then.

Staying close to someone excellent really did make it easier to improve yourself.

The door unlocked and swung open on its own, and a melodious tune drifted out.

Behind the door lay a large black dog with three heads, fast asleep, while a magical harp played automatically beside it.

"Three-Headed Dog?"

"Quiet."

The twins each reached out a hand and covered each other's mouths.

Though their reaction was timely, luck didn't seem to be on their side.

The magic in the harp cut off at that very moment, and the Three-Headed Dog stood up, groggy.

Silence—

Three people, one dog—seven eyes stared wide at each other.

"ROAR—!" The beast bellowed.

Meanwhile.

In the bedroom behind the headmaster's office, Dumbledore's snoring cut off abruptly. His eyes snapped open.

"Couldn't resist already, could they?"

He raised a hand, and the Elder Wand by his pillow flew into his grasp.

Just as he prepared to set out, an old phoenix with many feathers missing flew over and chirped something in his ear.

"So it's just someone sneaking around and wandering in by mistake."

As a linguistic prodigy fluent not only in human languages from around the world but also in the language of phoenixes, Dumbledore understood.

Upon learning that the intruder in the restricted area wasn't a Death Eater, his anxious heart settled.

"What? You're saying Tom broke in?"

The heart that had just settled lurched back up again.

"Fawkes, let's go!"

Too lazy to change clothes, he stomped his wool socks over to the Old Phoenix and slapped a hand on him. Together, they turned into a streak of red light and shot out of the office.

"Help! Why is the Three-Headed Dog only going after us?"

In the dusty corridor, Fred lay sprawled on the floor. One of the Three-Headed Dog's paws had reached through the doorway and pinned his leg, while George pulled desperately at Fred's arm, trying to rescue his good brother.

As for Tom.

He was still in the room the Three-Headed Dog guarded, staring right at that massive black dog's rear end.

He had to admit, the [Animal Friend] persona was certainly useful, but its effect didn't quite reach the level of truly befriending animals.

The Three-Headed Dog Fluffy wasn't small, but it wasn't bigger than the doorframe either. If it wanted to chase them out of the room, it could manage. The reason it didn't leave was to keep Tom from escaping. Once it dealt with the twins, it would naturally turn back to handle him.

"Not a bad persona." Tom nodded to himself.

[Animal Friend] was only Lv.1 right now—too low a level to brainwash beasts into liking him. But when facing a beast, it could lower his priority in the beast's eyes. If he had companions nearby, the beast would attack them first.

As everyone knew, when you run into a beast in the wild, you don't need to outrun the beast—you just need to outrun the others.

"Hang on, Fred! I'll get you out!"

Seeing he couldn't pull him free, George quickly drew his wand, planning to use an attack spell. Attack spells might make a big racket and attract Filch on patrol, but that was better than letting Fred get eaten.

But before he could even raise his wand, the Three-Headed Dog's three heads suddenly whipped around. It stopped pressing down on Fred and instead dug its claws into the floor.

It seemed to be trying to brace itself.

But it was useless.

"Woof—"

Its body was still yanked backward into the room by an unstoppable force, its claws carving deep grooves into the ground.

"What's going on?"

"No idea."

The twins looked into the room in confusion.

There was Tom, riding on the Three-Headed Dog's back like a brave bullfighter.

Seeing the dog stubbornly refusing to submit, bucking wildly while frantically clawing at its own back, Tom didn't budge an inch.

"Since that's the case, I won't hold back."

Tom slowly raised his little fist.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Three sharp knocks, and three swollen red bumps rose on the three black dog heads.

"Whine~" The fierce dog begged for mercy.