Chapter 23
On Monday, Alan taught the second-year kids, and he had classes every day after that, with one day even having four classes.
Fortunately, he was already very proficient in Charms, so teaching these kids was quite easy; at most, he had a full schedule for five days, and with some preparation time in the tight schedule, he just didn't have that much free time.
It wasn't until the weekend that he could finally rest for a while.
But still he didn't plan to rest. Since this way he could also practice the spell casting and grow stronger bit by bit, and with some free time he had, he wished to explore ancient Hogwarts' castle thoroughly, hoping to find a few magical items or books left over from long times. If they contained useful knowledge about combat and such, that would be even better.
On Saturday night, he strolled slowly through the corridors of Hogwarts Castle, looking around.
If he remembers it right, when Hogwarts was built, it was used as a refuge, helping wizards stay away from densely populated areas and avoiding persecution by Muggles. The four founders left many things in Hogwarts Castle, such as the Chamber of Secrets left by Slytherin and the Basilisk.
Though the Basilisk is a living creature, not a magical item; at most, it can be considered a magical being, and at this point he still didn't feel that he was one hundred per cent ready to face that creature.
Because his main worry was that creature's gaze, the Basilisk's gaze can kill in an instant; even contact through a mirror or water surface poses a risk of petrification. He felt that at his current level of magical power and combat experience, it was better not to approach the Basilisk carelessly.
"Fred, hurry up! Filch is coming; don't let him catch you!" Suddenly, Alan heard George's voice among the Weasley twins.
"Don't worry, George; he won't expect us to come out from that place!" Fred replied with a grin.
"Did you hide everything inside?" George asked.
"Of course! I guarantee Filch won't find it!" Fred answered.
"Wait, Fred! Look at this name on the map," George suddenly exclaimed.
"Who?" As the two brothers turned a corner, they happened to bump into Alan, which instantly made things a bit awkward.
"Ah, Professor Smith, it's already late in the night. Are you not feeling sleepy? What a coincidence to run into you here," George said, trying to make conversation while secretly hiding a piece of parchment behind his back.
"Yes, Professor Smith; anyway, do you need something from us? If not, we'll be on our way," Fred said, covering for George.
Alan had already guessed what the parchment in the twins' hands was likely about; it was probably the Marauder's Map, which belonged to the two brothers for now and later will be given to Harry, who didn't have permission from his guardian to visit Hogsmeade, allowing him to access the wizarding village of Hogsmeade through Hogwarts' secret passages.
That was during Harry's third year, and although it was currently Harry's second year, the twins had discovered a
blank piece of parchment while being confined by Filch in his office, which they secretly took from Filch's office and eventually figured out how to use.
Their late-night excursion was clearly for some prank preparation, but they almost got caught by Mr Filch, the
Hogwarts caretaker.
The Marauder's Map was a magical item created by Harry's father, James Potter; Sirius Black; Remus Lupin; and the traitor Peter Pettigrew. When the incantation "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" was spoken, the blank parchment would reveal the names of wizards within the castle, making it a very useful magical item with no side effects.
"By the way, I wonder if the Marauder's Map has useful information about any place that could help me get stronger?" Alan thought, taking on a serious professor demeanour as he looked at Fred and George and asked, "What do you have there?"
"Nothin' serious, Professor, just an ordinary piece of parchment," George replied with a smile.
"Is that so? Anyway, let me have a look at it," Alan said.
"Uh, Professor..." Initially hesitant, sensing Alan's stern gaze, George said, "Alright, Professor, as you wish."
Seeing that he could no longer hide it, George had no choice but to take out the Marauder's Map from behind him. and hand it to Alan.
The twins looked pained, as one careless mistake while avoiding Filch's pursuit meant losing such a perfect item for pranks, which had helped them countless times over the past two years.
"Ah?" Alan indeed noticed many names on the parchment; his own name almost overlapped with that of the twins, while the name of caretaker Filch appeared a few corridors away.
Dumbledore's name was moving around in a small room; the headmaster seemed to still be awake.
But this was not what Alan was looking for; what he was trying to look for was any secret room or sort, but it seemed like there wasn't such a location nearby, and he could only sigh helplessly.
"You're not going to deduct points from us, are you, Professor? We were just going back to the dormitory to sleep," Fred said, thinking Alan's sigh meant he was going to punish them, and losing house points was their least concern despite knowing that if Gryffindor students were to wake up in the morning to find their house had lost points for some unknown reason, only he and George would get scolded.
"Professor, please," George said, playing a troubled young man.
"Who said I was going to deduct points?" Alan raised an eyebrow in surprise, as he was about to return the
Marauder's Map to the twins, since if he had to find a location while being near them or had to follow certain rules, it was better to just roam around the castle with an open mind; that way he could create a map of his own for future use.
****
^Throw some powerstones ^
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