Upon hearing about the Room of Requirement, Cedric raised an eyebrow.
Noticing his expression, William asked, "Cedric, do you know about it?"
Cedric nodded. "Well, you know our common room is close to the Hogwarts kitchens. Sometimes, when I sneak down for a late-night snack, the house-elves love to chatter, and one time, they mentioned a special room. They called it the 'Come and Go Room' or 'the Room of Requirement!'"
"Why do they call it that?" Cho asked curiously.
"Because the room only appears when someone truly needs it," Charlie explained seriously. "It's not always there, but when it does appear, it's exactly what the person requires at that moment."
"Once," Charlie continued, "I was coming back from visiting Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest at night, and I ran into Filch. I needed a place to hide, and the room just appeared. It took me a few tries to figure out when and how it shows up."
"How many people know about it?" Hagrid asked excitedly.
"Not many," Charlie replied with a smile. "I can assure you it's one of the most secret places in Hogwarts. Even Fred and George don't know about it!"
"It sounds perfect!" Hagrid said enthusiastically, his heartbeat quickening. "We could keep Fluffy hidden there for as long as we want, right?"
Hagrid's hopes for keeping Fluffy long-term began to rise again.
William shook his head. "That's not possible, Hagrid. If Charlie could find it, other students might stumble upon it too. We can only keep Fluffy there until next summer when Charlie can take him to Romania. After that, it'll be too dangerous. If a student accidentally enters, it could be disastrous."
"You're right, William," Hagrid sighed, reluctantly agreeing. "Let's do it that way."
With their plan in place, they decided to move Fluffy that very night.
This wasn't William's first time sneaking out at night. He had gone out a few times before with the Weasley twins.
Despite all of Hogwarts' strict rules, there was really only one that mattered: breaking the rules was fine, as long as you didn't get caught.
If you got caught, though, there was no escaping punishment—points would be deducted, and detentions would be handed out.
Thanks to the Marauder's Map, William hadn't been caught even once.
At half-past eleven that night, after everyone in the dormitory was asleep, William quietly donned his robes, grabbed his wand, and tiptoed through the castle. He descended the spiral staircase silently, careful not to make a sound.
Boba Tea, his cat, followed him like a silent shadow.
Boba Tea was essential for tonight's mission. Although William hadn't brought the Weasley twins with him, knowing that the Marauder's Map was in their hands, Boba Tea's sharp hearing and keen sense of smell would help them avoid Filch.
Most importantly, with Boba Tea around, Mrs. Norris would likely turn a blind eye to William's movements and avoid alerting Filch.
In the Ravenclaw common room, the fireplace still had a few flickering embers, casting a soft glow that made the armchairs look like shadowy figures. Boba Tea meowed softly, its eyes fixed on a dark corner.
William squinted, noticing that someone was already there—nodding off.
Cho jolted awake, yawning. "I've been waiting here since ten-thirty, William! Why did you take so long?"
William frowned. "Cho, what are you doing here? I thought Cedric told you not to come."
Cho shook her head, still groggy. Then, more awake now, she snapped, "Why shouldn't I come?"
She slid off the chair, her robes flowing as she held her wand. "I can help! I was the long-distance running champion for several years back in primary school. I'm known for my speed. If we get caught, I'll outrun you all and won't get caught by Filch!"
William blinked. "...Alright." He sighed, then nodded. "You can help carry the crate with Fluffy. He's heavy."
"..."
Cho looked taken aback.
The three of them met Cedric at the stairs.
Cedric grumbled all the way about William letting Cho tag along, as if she were a fragile child.
William glanced at Cedric, mentally comparing their sizes. He figured that in case of trouble, as long as he outran Cedric, he'd be fine.
Charlie was already waiting for them in the Entrance Hall.
"We need to move quickly. Filch just passed through here, but I managed to lure him toward the Trophy Room," Charlie whispered.
"Are we going like this?" Cho asked, looking around.
"Of course not, miss!" Charlie replied with a grin. He pulled out his old, battered wand and tapped each of them, including Boba Tea.
It felt like a wave of cold liquid was flowing from the spot where the wand had touched, spreading across their bodies. William looked down at himself—or rather, at what used to be his body. He hadn't turned invisible, but his skin and clothes had taken on the same color and texture as the stone floor beneath him.
He had become a walking, talking chameleon.
"That's awesome!" Cedric whispered excitedly. "A Disillusionment Charm!"
"It's a handy spell," Charlie whispered as he led the way. "The incantation is Illusio Integri. It took me a while to master it."
Cho looked down at herself in awe. "With this, we could sneak out whenever we want!"
William shook his head. "Not really. Powerful witches and wizards can see right through this spell."
Charlie nodded. "True. Once, I tried it at home, but Mad-Eye Moody saw through it instantly."
"Of course, Moody's got that weird eye of his, but I bet Dumbledore could do the same. As for the professors, I'm not sure, but it's good enough to fool Filch."
Filch, being a Squib, couldn't use magic, and ever since Professor Tywin had accidentally let it slip, everyone in the school knew about it.
When they reached Hagrid's hut, they saw Fang sitting outside, his tail bandaged.
Charlie dispelled the Disillusionment Charm and knocked on the door.
Hagrid cracked open a window to talk to them. "I can't let you in," he said, breathless. "Fluffy's figured something's up, and he's been restless—I can't control him."
Charlie climbed through the window, and after a lot of effort, he and Hagrid still couldn't get Fluffy to calm down.
Hagrid's usual lullabies had stopped working. Ever since Cho had sung to Fluffy a few times, the three-headed dog had grown to despise Hagrid's off-tune singing and refused to sleep!
Cho stood by the window and began singing softly. Only then did Fluffy, swaying, finally fall asleep.
They carefully placed Fluffy into a large crate. Hagrid's eyes filled with tears—though that might have been because Fluffy had just bitten him on the leg.
"Hehe, no worries. It just bit my boot—it was just playing," Hagrid said in his low, rumbling voice. "After all, it's still just a little pup."
"I've packed plenty of salted meat for him, and a few plump chickens—enough for him to last until tomorrow morning," Hagrid added in a somber tone. "I also put in his favorite stuffed toy, so he won't get lonely during the night."
William reassured him, "Don't worry, Hagrid. You can visit him by tomorrow noon."
Hagrid sniffled. "Poor little thing, spending a night away from his mum. He's never been away from me before. And don't forget to cover him with his blanket—he likes to kick it off when he sleeps!"
Hagrid had placed a blanket inside the crate, though William suspected Fluffy would tear it to shreds before morning.
William waved his wand, casting a Levitation Charm to make the crate float. The four of them each grabbed a corner and began carrying it toward the castle.
Merlin, let's hope nothing goes wrong tonight.
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