We're at the door of the Charms classroom now," Ryan said to Ron. "Sure enough, my worries were justified. But tell me, are pure-blood wizards always this untrustworthy when it comes to duels?"
"Absolutely not," Ron retorted. "Only the vipers of Slytherin would stoop to that level. We Weasleys would never do such a thing."
"The Weasleys?" Ryan mused. "I think I met one—a Ministry official named Arthur Weasley. He guided me into the wizarding world and helped us a lot. He seemed like a really warm and kind person."
"Thank you for the compliment," Ron said, smiling proudly. "That's my father."
"Looks like we finally got rid of him," Hermione said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Like I said before—"
Before she could finish, Harry cut in. "We need to hurry back to the dormitory. We can't stay here."
His expression suggested that he might have agreed with Hermione but didn't want to admit it outright.
As soon as they turned to leave, a door in the hallway burst open. Peeves the poltergeist floated out, cackling gleefully at the sight of them.
"Ahh, naughty little first-years, sneaking around at night. Tsk, tsk, tsk! Naughty, naughty! You're gonna get caught!"
Hermione stepped forward, probably to plead with him, but Ryan grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "It's no use, Hermione! It's Peeves! He won't listen—just run!"
Harry hesitated for a split second, but Ron reacted first. He grabbed Harry's arm and bolted down the corridor. They no longer cared about being quiet—footsteps thundered against the stone floor as they ran at full speed. Peeves floated behind them, shrieking at the top of his lungs.
"Students out of bed! Students out of bed! In the Charms corridor!"
At the end of the hallway, they reached a door—but it was locked. Behind them, the sound of Filch's footsteps grew closer.
"We're done for!" Ron whimpered as they all pushed desperately against the door.
Ryan sighed. Maybe getting caught by Filch wouldn't be so bad—certainly better than what was behind this door.
"Move aside!" Hermione suddenly rushed forward. She snatched Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "Alohomora!"
With a soft click, the door unlocked.
Ryan's expression changed immediately. He opened his mouth to warn them, but before he could say anything, Hermione yanked him inside.
He barely had time to register his frustration—why did girls always seem to develop physical strength earlier?—before the door slammed shut behind them.
Outside, Peeves continued his mischief. Filch cursed angrily, but in the end, he had no choice but to give up and leave.
Inside the room, Harry exhaled. "He must have thought the door was locked. We're finally safe."
Ryan swallowed hard. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," he said in a trembling voice.
The others turned—and froze.
Standing before them, taking up nearly the entire room, was a monstrous, three-headed dog.
It was huge—so massive that its heads nearly touched the ceiling. Three sets of gleaming, menacing eyes fixated on them, and three noses twitched as they sniffed the air. Drool dripped from its yellowed fangs like thick, sticky ropes.
The beast stood utterly still, watching them.
Ryan knew from the books that this dog—Fluffy—could be put to sleep with music. He had once believed that knowing its weakness would make facing it easier. But now, as he stood before the towering creature, he realized something crucial: fear could make a person forget even the simplest of plans.
His gaze darted downward, and sure enough, a trapdoor lay beneath the beast's massive paws.
This had to be Dumbledore's test for Harry. It was suspicious that Peeves had driven them straight here tonight.
Ryan's mind raced. Dumbledore could control the Hogwarts ghosts—if he truly wanted to keep students away, why not have the ghosts steer them elsewhere? And those so-called "traps" protecting the Philosopher's Stone? Too simplistic to stop Voldemort, yet perfectly suited to test three first-years. It all seemed too convenient.
Fortunately, this was only the beginning of the story. Ryan reassured himself—Dumbledore wasn't about to pick him as the hero. Even Neville, despite his bravery, had never been chosen.
The dog's six eyes remained locked onto them.
Ryan's heart pounded. If it lunged at them now, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Then, just as tension reached its peak, Harry—trembling—turned the door handle. The lock clicked open.
Without hesitation, they sprinted out, slamming the door behind them.
They didn't stop to catch their breath. They ran as fast as they could, their legs burning, up the moving staircases and through the castle halls, all the way to Gryffindor Tower.
As they reached the eighth floor, the Fat Lady had returned to her portrait. She peered at them curiously. "Why do you lot look so shaken?"
No one answered. They simply mumbled the password, stumbled into the common room, and collapsed onto the sofas.
For a long moment, none of them spoke. The only sound was their heavy breathing.
Then Ron finally broke the silence. "Why does the school keep a beast like that in the castle? What if it did attack someone?"
Hermione, still catching her breath, stood up and crossed her arms. "Didn't you see it was standing over a trapdoor? It's obviously guarding something."
She turned a sharp glare on them. "I hope you realize how lucky we were. We nearly got bitten to death—or worse, expelled. I, for one, am going to bed."
Ryan couldn't blame her for being angry. She had been dragged into this situation completely against her will, and it had nearly cost them their lives.
After sitting in silence for a few more minutes, the boys finally stood up and headed to their dormitory. At the door, they exchanged quiet goodnights before slipping into their respective rooms.
Ryan fell onto his bed, every muscle aching. He didn't even bother washing up—he simply pulled off his robes and buried himself under the blankets.
As he lay there, he reflected on everything that had happened.
Tonight had been reckless. Even knowing the future, he had still felt powerless. That was the worst part. He wasn't strong enough yet.
He had been avoiding it—avoiding facing the unknown, avoiding stepping into the new world hidden inside his mysterious grocery store.
But that had to change.
With newfound resolve, Ryan made up his mind.
He would open that