As for the Gori, there shouldn't be any movement tonight. Since Dumbledore dared to put him in the dungeon, he must have taken sufficient precautions.
Instead of worrying unnecessarily, I should focus on improving my skills.
And judging from how Quirrell and Professor Quirrell are inseparable, there shouldn't be any problems.
With that thought in mind, Herman quickened his pace and headed towards the Room of Requirement.
Upon arriving at the Room of Requirement, Herman stopped in front of the tapestry, took a deep breath, and, as usual, thought about the practice room he needed.
Then he began to silently recite the name of the special room where he needed to practice magic, while pacing back and forth. After walking past it for the third time, Herman stopped in front of the wall, waiting for the familiar door to appear.
The walls remained unchanged.
The bare stone surface, illuminated by the candlelight, cast a warm yellow glow, revealing clear patterns without a single crack. Herman stared at the wall for a few seconds, his brows slowly furrowing.
Is it a lack of conviction? Or network latency?
Herman hesitated for a moment, then walked through it again.
This time I walked even slower, making sure each step was firm and solid, repeating the thought in my mind three times.
After he finished walking, he took a step back and stared at the wall.
There's still nothing there.
Herman turned to look at the tapestry depicting Troll dancing ballet, tilting his head to confirm.
The location is correct; it's right across from the tapestry.
He returned to the wall and stared at the stone wall for a while.
It seems this situation was mentioned in the original work.
When the Room of Requirement is occupied, outsiders cannot enter.
Once a room is opened, it will remain in its current state of use until the person inside leaves.
Even if later generations know how to use it, they'll only be hitting a bare wall and can't do anything about it.
Is anyone inside today?
Herman's mind began to race.
Who's inside? Did Dumbledore go in to find the toilet?
Although the original book doesn't specify how many people knew about the Room of Requirement, we can infer from the few words mentioned that this room has been used by countless people throughout the history of Hogwarts.
Some people used it as a storage warehouse, some used it as a temporary shelter, some just happened to pass by and discovered the door, and some were in a hurry to find a toilet.
There aren't many people who can master the method of opening it, but there are definitely more than just one or two.
Did I bump into someone in the car today?
Herman, somewhat curious, walked to the far end of the corridor and hid behind an empty suit of armor.
The suit of armor stood in the corner, a thin layer of dust on its arms, the helmet askew, looking like it hadn't been touched in a long time.
He crouched behind his armor, peering through the gaps between his armpits and waist armor into the doorway of the Room of Requirement, waiting for the person inside to come out.
After waiting for about ten minutes, the wall remained unchanged.
After waiting another ten minutes, Herman's legs began to go numb.
He shifted his weight from left to right, then back to left, and finally sat down on the floor with his back against the cold wall.
The candles in the corridor burned quietly, occasionally bursting into a spark or two that flashed in the air before going out.
Indistinct voices came from a distant direction, probably someone chatting at the other end of the corridor. Most of the sound was absorbed by the stone walls, and only a hazy hum reached this side.
Herman waited a while longer, then drowsiness began to creep in.
The debt from not sleeping last night hasn't been fully settled yet. Although I managed to take a few naps during the day, sitting in the dimly lit, quiet corridor with my back against the wall, my eyelids are starting to droop again.
He forced his eyes open and pinched his palm with his fingernail to suppress the drowsiness.
What are the people inside doing?
An hour passed, and the wall remained bare.
Herman finally gave up.
When he stood up, his legs were numb from squatting, and his legs below the knees felt like they were filled with lead. It took him a couple of steps to get his blood flowing again.
He glanced at the unmoving wall and silently made a mental note of it, wondering if he would ever encounter this destined person who had discovered the Room of Requirement again.
It's a pity that today's plans have to be changed.
Since I can't enter the Room of Requirement, my magic practice will have to be postponed.
He originally planned to finish reading the second chapter of Dumbledore's book here, practice his talent magic a few more times, and then go find Professor Malin when it was almost time.
Now he had no choice but to go to Marlene ahead of time. Herman turned and walked to the other end of the corridor, bypassing the empty armor, and headed up the stairs toward the tower.
It was already getting dark.
The candles in the corridor were lit one by one by the House-elf, but there were far fewer than during the day, and the light was dim and quiet.
The last rays of the setting sun were being swallowed by the gray-blue twilight outside the window, and the distant treetops had become dark silhouettes.
By the time Herman reached the tower where Professor Malin's office was located, it was completely dark.
Only a few wall lamps were lit in the corridor, their light so dim it resembled the flickering glow of a candle stub.
He stood in front of the bronze door and knocked twice.
There was no movement.
Herman waited a moment, then knocked three more times. The bronze door made a dull thud that echoed in the quiet corridor for two seconds before dissipating.
There has still been no response.
Herman pressed his ear against the door and listened for a while.
The door was cold, and the side closest to my ear was eerily silent, without a sound.
There was no sound of turning pages, no sound of a wand being waved, no bubbling of a cauldron—nothing at all.
It seems I've come up empty-handed.
Herman took a step back, looking at the bronze door, feeling that everything was going wrong that day.
I couldn't sleep at night, and I wanted to work hard, but someone occupied my room. I've come all this way to ask the professor for advice, but he's not here yet.
He stood in the corridor for a moment, hesitating.
I'm unwilling to go back like this.
But if we just wait here, we don't know when Professor Malin will return.
She might have gone to eat and hasn't come back yet, or she might have left school to run errands. If it's the latter, we probably won't see her tonight.
Just as he was about to turn back to Slytherin, footsteps came from the depths of the corridor behind him.
The sound was very distinctive. The rhythm of the heels tapping on the stone floor was clear and steady, lighter and finer than ordinary boots, coming from afar in the quiet stone corridor.
Herman had heard this sound in the corridors where he wandered at night, and he had also heard it in this office.
He turned around and, sure enough, saw the blue figure.
Marlene walked over from the other end of the corridor, her dark blue robe gleaming with a somber hue in the dim candlelight.
Her steps were unhurried, her hair was neatly styled, and her expression was not clearly visible in the shadows, but her overall aura was as cold and focused as ever.
She wasn't carrying a book or a wand, but there was a bulge in her robe, as if she had something in an inner pocket, probably something she had just bought.
Herman quickly stood up straight. " Professor Malin."