As midnight approached, the group carefully carried Fluffy up the marble steps of the entrance hall, through the pitch-black corridors, climbing flight after flight of stairs.
"Hold still!" William suddenly whispered.
Boba Tea perked up its ears, signaling that someone was nearby.
Sure enough, a moment later, a figure emerged from one of the rooms.
—Professor Tywin!
Tywin was dressed in checkered pajamas, holding his wand cautiously as he walked down the stairs.
It was odd. His quarters were on the third floor, yet here he was, heading down to the first floor in the middle of the night.
William and the others held their breath, hiding in the shadows of a corner, not daring to make a sound.
Fortunately, with the help of the Disillusionment Charm and the surrounding darkness, Professor Tywin didn't notice them.
A few moments later, his footsteps faded into the distance, and the four of them quickly resumed their journey up the stairs.
"Why would Professor Tywin be wandering around this late?" Cho whispered.
"Maybe he's on patrol?" Cedric guessed.
"Have you ever seen anyone patrolling in pajamas?" William pointed out.
Charlie glanced around warily and muttered, "We should move faster. I've got a bad feeling about this."
They quickened their pace, and from that point on, everything went smoothly. They didn't run into any more professors, nor did they encounter Filch or Peeves.
By the time they reached the eighth floor, Cho even started humming a little tune.
—They were almost free of Fluffy.
The Room of Requirement was located on the eighth floor of Hogwarts, directly opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls.
To make the room appear, one had to walk past that section of wall three times while concentrating on what they needed. After the third pass, a smooth door would appear.
Charlie thought for a moment before saying, "We need a place to hide things."
He walked to one end of the corridor, near a window, then turned back toward a tall vase at the other end. On his third pass, a smooth door materialized in the wall.
William stepped forward, gripping the brass handle, and opened the door, leading the way into a vast chamber.
The sight before them stunned the group.
The room was as large as a cathedral, filled with towering structures that resembled a cityscape. William quickly realized that these massive walls were built from countless items that students had hidden here over the years.
In the distance, they could see thousands of books—banned books, defaced books, or books stolen from the library.
Cho picked up a wolf-tooth frisbee and tossed it lightly. The frisbee whizzed through the air with a "beep" and smashed into a pile of contraband items, sending a cloud of dust into the air as the pile collapsed.
Cedric grabbed a rusty sword, swung it twice, and it snapped in half, nearly landing on his foot.
The place was essentially a giant junkyard, but it also felt like a treasure trove waiting to be explored.
The four of them ventured down a narrow alleyway, passing a giant troll statue and running a short distance before stopping in front of a broken Vanishing Cabinet. They carefully opened the crate containing Fluffy.
Fluffy was still fast asleep.
William was quite satisfied with the environment. There was so much junk here that Fluffy could unleash his destructive energy to his heart's content.
"Have fun tearing this place apart, kid," William thought with a smirk.
They took a moment to catch their breath and then began rummaging through the piles of discarded items, looking for some hidden treasures.
Most of the magical artifacts were damaged due to the passage of time, but there were still plenty of valuable books and intriguing trinkets. Each of them collected a few items before leaving the Room of Requirement.
"Where to next?" Cho asked.
"We could head to the kitchens for a midnight snack," Cedric suggested.
"Won't the house-elves be asleep at this hour?" William asked.
"Nope, some of them work night shifts to make sure no rats steal food," Charlie said with a grin, clearly experienced in this matter.
The group chatted happily as they made their way downstairs.
Boom!
A sudden explosion echoed through the castle, followed by a deafening alarm. The shrill sound pierced their ears and reverberated through the entire building.
The group immediately crouched down at the landing on the fifth floor, peering through the cracks in the banister. Downstairs, the entire floor was lit up.
Cho gripped the railing, her voice trembling. "Do you think we've been caught?"
William had already spotted Professor McGonagall descending the staircase. He shook his head. "No, it can't be us. This must be some sort of alarm triggered by something else. We're not involved."
Charlie listened closely to the "beep, beep" of the alarm for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "That's Snape's potion storage room alarm. I've heard it before. Some students once tried to break in, and it made the same sound."
"Could there be other students out sneaking around too?" Cedric asked in surprise.
As they whispered, the professors had already gathered on the first floor.
Professor McGonagall, wearing floral pajamas adorned with a golden lion, held her wand high and called out loudly, "Who's there?!"
"It's me, Professor McGonagall, don't hex me!" Professor Tywin, also in his pajamas, was crouched near the damaged door, inspecting the scene.
"It's bad," Tywin said, standing up. "Someone broke into Professor Snape's potion storage room. I heard the noise and rushed down here."
"Any idea who did it?" McGonagall bent down to examine the shards scattered on the floor.
"Not sure," Tywin replied, frowning. "Whoever it was, they fled quickly. Maybe it was some students trying to vandalize the place, thinking they could get away with it since Snape's not here."
Professor McGonagall's face darkened with anger. "This is outrageous. I'll make sure they're severely punished if I catch them!"
Filch came rushing over, carrying a lantern, with Mrs. Norris at his heels.
He glanced around, then declared smugly, "It's got to be those Weasley twins. Someone deliberately led me away earlier—it's definitely them!"
Professor McGonagall's expression grew even more stern. "Without solid proof, Argus, you shouldn't jump to conclusions and accuse my students."
Filch's face flushed red, but he muttered, "If I catch whoever did this, they'll be spending the night in the Forbidden Forest."
Through the haze of smoke, Filch shot a glance at the storage room, looking somewhat pleased.
This room was filled with Snape's most treasured possessions, and no one—not even Dumbledore—was usually allowed inside.
Now it had been raided.
Filch couldn't help but wonder what Snape's reaction would be when he returned.
Dumbledore arrived shortly after, wearing a long, pointed nightcap, complete with a dangling white pom-pom, and dressed in pristine French-imported pajamas. He was wearing thick woolen socks, and his expression was one of deep confusion.
"Good evening, everyone. It seems there's been a bit of trouble in Snape's storage room," Dumbledore said calmy.
"This wasn't just trouble, Headmaster! This was a break-in—a terrorist attack! I say we break out the handcuffs, whips, and candles for whoever did this!" Filch spat, his anger barely contained.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Have we caught the culprits, Argus?"
"Well… no," Filch admitted, puffing up his chest. "But I know who it was! It had to be those two brats, the Weasleys. No one else could be this wicked!"
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