Chapter 35
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Dumbledore forbids young wizards from going to the corridor on the fourth floor when school starts. But human nature is curious. The more something is prohibited, the more people want to do it. From the first day, students were curious and many acted on it. The results were often tragic.
Professors had anticipated this. They patrolled the corridor daily. Those caught were either deducted five points or placed in solitary confinement. There are dozens of names on the current punishment list, half of which are Gryffindors. This meant that after a week, Gryffindor had no points. If negative scores existed, they would owe points.
Cedric looked at the twins in shock. "Are you two crazy? Derek is still cleaning the bathroom every night. He smells when he comes back to the dormitory."
"Of course not, we're very sober," said George Bear, spreading his hands. "Don't doubt our professionalism in night tours."
"A night out?" Cedric's voice grew louder.
Fred replied, "There are too many people during the day. We must move at night."
"We have investigated. Filch will guard the corridor tomorrow night. He's easy to deal with. When Lee makes trouble elsewhere, Filch will rush over like a leopard cat in heat," George explained.
Wayne asked curiously, "Why did you call me? It doesn't seem like I need to help, right?"
"Just in case," the twins said together. "If something goes wrong, we need someone to back us up. As long as we run faster than you, we'll be safe."
"Wayne, aren't you afraid? You can refuse if you want," they added.
This was a plan devised by the twins. They didn't have bad intentions. If Wayne got caught, it would be his own fault. Wayne understood this and agreed without hesitation. The twins walked away arm-in-arm, smiling, while Cedric looked at Wayne.
"You really want to go?" Cedric asked.
"Of course, we agreed," Wayne replied.
"It would be terrible if you got caught. You might be the next to clean the bathroom."
"As long as I don't get caught, I'm fine. Are you going?" Wayne asked.
"I'll go."
"Then stop talking and let's go play another game."
On his first weekend at Hogwarts, Wayne slept in and didn't get up until around nine o'clock. There was no breakfast in the auditorium at this time. In other houses, students would eat snacks to satisfy their hunger until noon. But Wayne was different. He was a Hufflepuff!
As the elves bowed respectfully, Wayne walked out of the kitchen with two tuna sandwiches. He walked out of the castle and to the Black Lake. He sat on the lawn and ate breakfast. Students were in groups of two or three, walking and chatting.
Not far away, cheers came from the Quidditch pitch. It was unknown which house was practicing. While eating, Wayne looked at his system panel. There were no changes in other attributes. He had more than 500 points, with over 400 earned this week.
He has really been lazy this week, and he gained some of his points by cheating the twins and making things difficult for Quirrell. Another part of his points came from casting a spell on his roommate every night before bed. He started by gaining five points at a time, but now he gains only two points at a time. It seems that his points will decrease further. The process is too slow.
"But I'm going on a night trip tonight, and I don't know how many points I can earn," he thought.
After dinner, Wayne went to the library and borrowed a book titled "Insight on Black Magic: How to Protect Yourself Safely." He saw Hermione there, hidden behind a thick book. He watched her reading with fascination before leaving without disturbing her.
In the afternoon, he wandered around the entire castle and tested all the stairs in the main castle area. Gradually, he built a mental three-dimensional map. Many people forget the rules of the stairs before graduation. Wayne realized there were many business opportunities here. He already had an idea from previous inspirations but lacked technical ability. He needed to earn more points for lottery draws and hoped to gain some knowledge related to alchemy.
"Wayne, don't you do your homework?" his two roommates asked when they saw him strolling back leisurely.
"Why are you so anxious? Isn't there another day tomorrow? Besides, I don't have Transfiguration homework. Professor McGonagall exempted me from it," Wayne replied.
"It's good to have talent," Toby said enviously. The transfiguration assignment was a full six inches long.
His roommates wrote until the evening and only finished half of their homework. Seeing them nearly asleep, Wayne took out his wand. He worried they might wake up and expose him by yelling if he wasn't there.
"Dizzy..." Wayne started, then corrected himself, "No, I read it wrong. Sleep peacefully."
When the hypnotic spell took effect, his roommates showed no change but would sleep until dawn unless disturbed.
In the common room, Cedric was already waiting.
"Let's go," Cedric said excitedly. Although he had gone out at night before, this was the first time they had done it as a group, especially into a restricted area the principal had sternly warned against.
Wayne, behaving as if it were a regular trip, said, "Calm down. What if Filch is attracted?"
"Where shall we meet?" Cedric asked.
"Fred and George are probably in the trophy room on the second floor," Wayne answered.
"Let's go," Cedric agreed.
They walked out of the barrel door and reached the first floor. As Wayne stepped onto the first floor, his system sent a notification.
"Host's night outing violates school rules, points +20. Points +5 for every hour it lasts."
Wayne's lips curved into a slight smile. "Isn't this great? Going out for a walk every night and gaining 20 points is practically free," he thought. He regretted behaving like a good student for a whole week.
Seeing Wayne suddenly smile, Cedric was confused but reminded him in a low voice, "Step softly. Filch's cat has very sharp ears."