On the fourth-floor corridor, a place explicitly forbidden for young wizards by Dumbledore at the beginning of the school year.
Yet, that's just human nature; the more something is prohibited and reiterated, the more it stirs curiosity.
Since the first day of classes, students have been filled with intrigue about this area, and many have already taken action.
The consequences, however, have been severe.
The professors had anticipated this, so there are patrols there every day. Young wizards caught would face penalties—some merely losing five points, while others may find themselves in detention.
Currently, there are dozens of names on the casualty list, with Gryffindor accounting for half of them.
This has resulted in Gryffindor's points column remaining empty even a week into the term.
Fortunately, there's no such thing as negative points; otherwise, they would have owed quite a few.
Cedric looked at the twins in shock. "Have you both lost your minds? Derek is still cleaning the restrooms every night! He comes back to the dorm smelling awful."
"Of course not; we're quite clear-headed," George said nonchalantly, raising his hands. "Please don't doubt our professionalism in night adventures."
"Still going on about night adventures?" Cedric's voice rose an octave.
Fred replied confidently, "With so many people during the day, we have to act at night."
"We've already done our research. The corridor guard tomorrow night will be Filch; he's easy to deal with. Meanwhile, Lee will create a distraction elsewhere to lure him away, like a frenzied cat."
"Why am I being called in?" Wayne asked curiously. "This doesn't seem to require my effort, does it?"
"Of course, it's for contingency," the twins said in unison. "If things go awry, we'll need someone to take the fall."
"At that point, as long as we can run faster than you, we'll be safe."
"Wayne, you're not afraid, are you? If you are, you can decline."
Each twin took turns speaking, their synergy impeccable.
This was the twins' grand scheme. They held no ill will, yet if Wayne were caught, it would be due to his own shortcomings, and he couldn't blame anyone else.
Wayne understood this as well and agreed without hesitation.
With their objective met, the twins happily linked arms and swaggered away, leaving Cedric watching Wayne.
"Are you really going?"
"Of course, I've already agreed."
"If you get caught, it'll be dire. You might be the next one cleaning the restrooms."
"It's fine as long as I don't get caught. Are you coming or not?"
"I'm in."
"Then stop talking and go back to your game."
...
On the first weekend after arriving at Hogwarts, Wayne slept in and didn't wake until after nine.
By the time he got to the Great Hall, breakfast was over. Other houses had to settle for snacks to stave off hunger until lunch.
But who is Wayne?
A Hufflepuff!
Could he starve while guarding the kitchen?
In the presence of the respectful house-elves, he walked out with two tuna sandwiches, heading out of the castle to the edge of the Black Lake, casually seated on the grass to enjoy his breakfast.
Students were scattered on the lawn, some walking while others chatted.
Not far away, cheers echoed from the Quidditch pitch, indicating which house was in training.
While eating, Wayne glanced at his system panel.
Other attributes showed no change, but his points were over five hundred, with more than four hundred earned this week alone.
He had indeed been quite lazy this past week, with part of those points earned from pranks on the twins and troubling Chiara.
Another portion came from spells cast on his roommates while they slept, starting from five points and now down to two.
It was likely to decrease further.
The speed of earning points was too slow.
However, with the night adventure tonight, he wondered how many points he could earn.
After breakfast, he made a trip to the library and borrowed a book titled *Dark Magic Insights: How to Protect Yourself Safely*.
There, he spotted Hermione, the little witch buried deep in a thick book.
Seeing her engrossed in her reading, he chose not to disturb her and left quietly.
In the afternoon, he roamed the entire castle, taking note of all the staircases in the main castle area. Gradually, a mental map began to form in his mind.
Many students forget the staircases' routines for various reasons before graduation, and Wayne keenly sensed there was significant potential for opportunity here.
With some previous inspiration combined, he began to formulate an idea.
What he lacked now was the technical ability.
He still needed to earn more points for lottery draws, hoping to get some knowledge related to alchemy.
"Wayne, aren't you going to do your homework?"
Watching Wayne saunter in, doing nothing like an old man, his two roommates stared at him in confusion.
"What's the rush? There's still tomorrow."
"And I don't have to write the Transfiguration assignment; Professor McGonagall excused me."
"Having talent is great," Toby said enviously, as the Transfiguration assignment was a full six inches long.
The two of them continued to write until the evening, finishing only half of their homework. Watching them nearly collapse into sleep, Wayne pulled out his wand.
He worried that if he left and they woke up, they might panic and reveal his absence.
It was better to take precautions.
"Sleep softly..."
Wait, that's not right, he mispronounced it.
"Slumber in peace."
The glow of the hypnosis spell settled over them. Although they didn't show any immediate changes, as long as no outside forces affected them, they should sleep soundly until morning.
In the common room, Cedric was already waiting for him.
"Let's go."
The model student was somewhat excited. He had been on night adventures before, but this was his first time with so many people.
Let alone going to a restricted area that the Headmaster had sternly warned against.
It was thrilling!
Wayne's demeanor was much more composed, so it felt like any other outing. "Calm down; what if we attract Filch's attention?"
"Where are we meeting up?"
"By the trophy room on the second floor; Fred and George are probably already there."
"Let's go."
They exited through the wooden door, reaching the first floor.
As soon as they stepped into the first floor, Wayne's system chimed.
[Host is violating school rules by exploring at night, +20 points. For every hour spent, +5 points.]
Wayne couldn't help but smile slightly.
This works out!
If he ventured out every night, he could rack up 20 points easily—wasn't that practically free?
He had been a well-behaved student for a week, which felt like a massive loss.
Noticing Wayne suddenly smile, Cedric was puzzled but still whispered a reminder:
"Step lightly; Filch's cat has very sharp ears."
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TL Note:
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