The last three found Li Jordan in a suit of armor on the fifth floor.
"Filch is going crazy! He chased me from the fourth floor to the eighth. I jumped into a secret passage to get back to the sixth, and he caught up again."
In the kitchen, Li Jordan was animatedly talking while eating a sandwich.
Escaping from Filch felt almost as intense as surviving the Battle of Sword's Barricade, combined with his unique racial talents, it was like listening to rap.
The house-elves thoughtfully prepared a large round table filled with food and drinks for them.
After finishing a sandwich, he said a bit anxiously:
"But I can't shake the feeling that Filch might know it was me. What if he comes looking for trouble later?"
Fred comforted him, "It's not a possibility; it's a certainty."
"There are only you few black wizards in the school. You're the least trustworthy, so Filch definitely knows."
"Damn." Li froze, shaking with anger. "So you two deliberately set me up?"
"Don't worry," Cedric said, finishing a cup of lemon juice to console him. "As long as he doesn't catch you in the act or have evidence, he has no right to punish you."
Fred scoffed, "Right? After following us around for years, you still don't know these basic rules."
"It's because I follow you guys that I've been locked up so many times," Li shot back, irked, and then asked the most pressing question.
"What was in that corridor? Did you see anything?"
Talking about it excited the group.
"Let me tell you… You won't believe it…"
Li's mouth opened wide enough to fit a pear.
"A three-headed dog? A trapdoor?"
Then he looked at Wayne, who had been showing off his food.
"Do you think it was Wayne who defeated the three-headed dog?"
"I didn't defeat it," Wayne corrected. "I just held it off for a while."
"That was us holding you back," Cedric interjected. "From the way you were acting just now, you wouldn't rest until you had killed the three-headed dog."
"How did you practice your magic to be so powerful?" George said enviously.
"Compared to you, I'm practically useless as a first-year."
"We're also useless right now," Fred quipped, not holding back even on himself.
"With just those few moves, he could turn us four into Muggles."
Cedric twitched a corner of his mouth. If you're going to self-deprecate, fine, but don't include me.
"Do you have any tips?" Cedric couldn't resist asking.
"I can't really teach you anything," Wayne shook his head. "Magic is an innate talent; you can only tap into it, not really improve it much."
"Becoming stronger means mastering more spells or gaining a deeper understanding of magic."
He wasn't just trying to fool them; it was the truth.
Dumbledore and Grindelwald's strength came from a combination of both innate and acquired factors.
During their school years, they showcased extraordinary talents combined with hard work, achieving those terrifying accomplishments.
In this realm, talent forms the foundation; only with that foundation can hard work yield results.
The most notable example is Hermione.
Harry spent his entry year just playing and only charged in headfirst when faced with problems, while Hermione had already mastered many spells by that time.
However, after Lupin's guidance, by the third year, Harry's magical prowess had already surpassed Hermione's and continued to widen the gap.
That's the difference in talent.
Cedric's talent, while decent, ranked as only average among normal people; based on the system's levels, his comprehensive evaluation was merely B-grade.
He managed to maintain the top spot in his year mainly through being well-rounded and diligent.
The twins were even a bit worse, as their minds were more focused on having fun.
"I really hate you talent freaks," Fred pouted.
The group dropped the topic and focused on their late-night snacks.
Half an hour later, Wayne and the others left the kitchen, heading back to their respective houses.
However, after watching Cedric enter the dormitory, Wayne left the common room again.
He had already checked in on the fourth-floor corridor and earned fifty points.
After tonight's rounds, he had accumulated over a hundred points.
Wayne didn't go out simply to rack up points.
He intended to visit the restricted section of the library to see if he could find any books he needed.
He had purchased a beginner's alchemy textbook from the Liheng Bookstore, which was also Bousbattin's alchemy course book.
Due to Nicholas Flamel, Bousbattin was far ahead in alchemy; young witches could opt for alchemy by their third year.
At Hogwarts, you only qualified after passing the OWLs.
More advanced books weren't mass-produced; alchemy is a discipline with a high threshold and isn't suited for widespread teaching.
Wayne could only try his luck in the restricted section to see if he could find anything useful.
Just as he was going back and arrived on the second floor, Dumbledore and Snape were already on the fourth-floor corridor.
Looking at the oak door that seemed unchanged on the surface, Snape leaned his wand against the handle and sensed it.
Then he spoke darkly,
"Unlocking charm? Looks like your warning completely failed, Dumbledore."
"That's understandable, Severus," Dumbledore replied calmly, not angered by someone violating his warning.
His tone was casual, as if discussing a mischievous grandchild with a friend.
"Weren't you the same back then? Oh, right, one time you even…"
"Shut up!" Snape interrupted irritably. "Stop reminiscing about the past as if it was a pleasant experience! They should all be expelled!"
"And so should the little witches who intruded here!"
"It's not that serious yet," Dumbledore blinked, taking out a key to unlock the oak door.
"Let's first see how far they've gotten."
Snape snorted coldly, not entering first.
That stupid dog only recognized Hagrid and Dumbledore; everyone else would be attacked on sight.
After Dumbledore stepped inside, he followed behind.
The three-headed dog was about to growl but immediately laid down upon seeing the familiar white beard, its three tongues lolling out in a whimper.
"Is this…" Snape's gaze sharpened.
The wand emitted light, allowing both men to see the injuries on the three-headed dog.
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TL Note:
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