"We're heading to the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor today. There must be something there. Ethan, are you coming with us?"
After some casual chat, George got down to business.
They didn't go on a night tour every day, but today they were stirred by Dumbledore's words from the previous day. It felt just like Roger's famous last words to pirates: "Do you want my treasure? If you do, go find it! I've hidden it all there!" The lure of adventure was irresistible for the Gryffindor lions, proud of their boldness.
"No, I'm heading to the eighth floor!"
Ethan didn't bother to hide his plans. With the Marauder's Map, it was clear where everyone was. Although the Room of Requirement didn't appear on the map, and anyone inside it wouldn't be shown either, their last known location before entering was still visible.
"The eighth floor? You mean the room opposite the tapestry where the troll hits Barnabas with his club?" George asked in surprise. Apart from the headmaster's office, that was the only room he could think of on the eighth floor.
But that room was notoriously difficult to find. They'd seen Dumbledore disappear in front of that wall using the Marauder's Map. House elves also vanished there, only to reappear later, which had sparked their curiosity.
"Yes, that's the one. You know it?" Ethan was surprised. The twins knew about it? In the original story, Harry had learned of the Room of Requirement from Dobby, who had overheard it from the house elves at Hogwarts. Ethan hadn't expected the twins to discover it so early.
"We use that place as a base for our product research and development," the twins said, glancing at each other. Their secret spot had been uncovered. They had always assumed no other students knew about the room. "It's really handy. We use it for making potions and alchemy. Too bad it can't give us Galleons, though!" they added, looking a bit disappointed.
"I found it mentioned in an old, note-filled textbook," Ethan lied smoothly. After all, the Room of Requirement had been around for a thousand years, and many students had known about it.
"The room is opposite the tapestry of Barnabas being clubbed by the troll. If you walk past that wall three times while focusing on your need, a door will appear. It's as simple as that," the twins explained.
"Got it," Ethan confirmed with a nod.
"Now, are you coming with us to the fourth floor, or are you going straight to the eighth floor?" Fred asked as they left the abandoned classroom.
"Dumbledore said there might be life-threatening danger there," Ethan reminded them. He was pretty sure the Mirror of Erised was still in Dumbledore's office and the Philosopher's Stone hadn't arrived yet, but the Cerberus should still be guarding the trapdoor. That creature was dangerous—classified as XXXXX by the Ministry of Magic. Even adult wizards could be mere snacks for it, so underage wizards would be practically volunteering as food. Was Dumbledore really so confident no accidents would happen?
"There's no way Dumbledore would allow anything truly life-threatening at Hogwarts," Fred countered. "It's probably just part of the adventure."
"Exactly," George agreed. "We've been to the Forbidden Forest several times and haven't run into any real danger."
Clearly, Hagrid had been having headaches ever since the Weasley twins arrived at Hogwarts. Their reckless spirit was something else. The Forbidden Forest had plenty of dangerous creatures, some of them classified as XXXXX, especially after Hagrid took up residence. They were just lucky not to have been torn apart.
"Alright, I'll come with you guys," Ethan conceded. They had already discussed it so much that backing out now would have been cowardly.
Following George and Fred, who knew Hogwarts well, they arrived at the corridor on the fourth floor. After some searching, Fred pointed to a locked door.
"This is it. Let's open it!" George said, raising his wand and casting the unlocking spell. There wasn't a lock in Hogwarts he feared opening.
Ethan's eyes twitched, and he warned, "Wait. Let's take it slow. We need to be careful."
George shrugged and spread his hands. "Ethan, you're being overly cautious."
Ignoring him, George stepped in first, with Fred close behind—bold as ever, typical Gryffindor.
As soon as Ethan entered, he saw why they had stopped. George and Fred were frozen in place, shaking slightly.
Ethan tilted his head and saw a massive Cerberus sprawled on the floor, fast asleep, drooling all over the ground from its three heads. Just like in the movie, it was ugly, more like a Cane Corso than the legendary hellhound. Ethan suspected it was a crossbreed.
Fred whispered nervously, "That's Fluffy. I didn't expect him to be here."
"You know him?" Ethan asked.
"I do, but he doesn't know me!" Fred replied, motioning for everyone to back out quickly.
Unfortunately, they had already woken the creature. The Cerberus began to stir, its heads lifting slowly.
"Go! Go! Ethan, you first!" George said, brandishing his wand. Though they were third years, they could at least try to hold it off.
The Cerberus fully woke, towering four meters tall with its heads brushing the ceiling. It tensed, ready to attack, its jaws drooling ominously.
The situation had escalated fast.
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