Chapter 15

After the morning's Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, Mike started wandering around Hogwarts, needing to walk off the full breakfast he had eaten during class.

He didn't want to return to Ravenclaw; he had already explored it thoroughly. After some thought, he decided to check out the Gryffindor area.

The distance between the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and the Gryffindor common room tower wasn't far. Riding a segment of the automatically moving staircase like a free lift, Mike soon arrived in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.

At the Fat Lady, who was grooming her hair in the painting, Mike remembered the password to the Gryffindor common room was supposed to be... "Caput Draconis."

"The password has changed, dear," the Fat Lady paused her grooming to look at Mike, "Oh, a Ravenclaw student. The handsome little Ravenclaw, what brings you to Gryffindor?"

The Fat Lady struck a vain pose, making Mike feel utterly disgusted.

"Look who it is, our very own Prince Charming!"

"That's right! It seems our Prince Charming has decided to visit his Gryffindor friends."

The Weasley twins happened to walk by at that moment.

"You guys couldn't have come at a better time, George and Fred. I was just about to look for you," Mike said with a shrug, "Also, what's this about Prince Charming?"

"Don't you know? Your deed in the dining hall has become the talk of the school," George said with an exaggerated expression of shock.

"Poor Cinderella Hermione was cornered by the bully Malfoy in the dining hall. Just at the last moment, her Prince Charming stepped in and saved her from the villain's clutches," Fred dramatized with his hands clasped over his chest, looking dreamily into the air.

Mike was speechless, not expecting the dining hall incident to be transformed into a damsel-in-distress story. But considering the prankster nature of the brothers in front of him, they were likely the culprits behind this spin.

The Weasley twins didn't continue to tease Mike. They knew where to draw the line with their jokes, which was one of the reasons Mike enjoyed their friendship.

George eyed the dark-skinned young man following Mike and asked, "Is this your new buddy?"

"That's right, meet Franklin, my latest friend," Mike responded, his tone mixing resignation and acceptance.

True enough, Franklin had been shadowing Mike in silence since their Defense Against the Dark Arts class concluded, without uttering a single word, simply accompanying him.

To mitigate the uncomfortable quiet, Mike had initially attempted to engage him in conversation.

However, as they traversed multiple staircases, with Franklin showing no inclination to part ways, Mike eventually ceased trying to maintain dialogue.

"Mike, how did you get into the Gryffindor common room?" Hermione's response was sharp, reflecting the usual rule against students from other houses entering. However, sensing her tone might have been too severe, she quickly softened, "What I meant was... what made you decide to come to the Gryffindor common room looking for me?"

"I was worried about you, Hermione. I noticed you seemed a bit off when we left yesterday," Mike lied smoothly, "Also, where are Harry and Ron?"

Hermione scoffed dismissively, "They're in their dormitory, playing wizard chess. I'll take you there. I don't see what's so fun about it; it is a waste of time."

Following Hermione's lead, the two quickly arrived at Harry's dormitory. The door was open, and Mike could hear Harry and Ron shouting from the hallway.

Hermione marched into the dormitory first. Girls could freely enter the boys' dormitories, but the reverse was not the case, and boys who tried to enter the girls' dormitories often met with a miserable fate.

"Oh my God! Hermione, this is the boys' dorm! Even if you're going to come in, knock first, okay? Ron exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Hermione burst in, hurriedly trying to hide his underwear scattered on the floor. Catching sight of Mike, his surprise turned into enthusiasm, "Mike! Did you come to visit? Fantastic, Harry and I were playing wizard chess. Would you like to join us?"

Mike and Franklin didn't refuse; both being Muggle-born wizards, they were curious about wizard chess. After introducing everyone, the four gathered around the wizard chess set.

However, Mike lost interest after a few moments. Aside from the chess pieces talking and moving independently, it was essentially just like regular chess, which Mike found somewhat dull.

Realizing Mike shared her disinterest in wizard chess, Hermione seemed very pleased and began to chastise Harry and Ron. Franklin looked on awkwardly, evidently one of those Hermione criticized for being too engrossed in games.

Mike didn't join in Hermione's criticism but instead suggested they all go to the dining hall for lunch. He had almost finished exploring, and it was nearly time for lunch.

As they left the dormitory, Franklin immediately reverted to his previous silent following behind Mike.

Mike strode ahead unconcerned while Harry and the others seemed to notice something but said nothing.

Today's lunch was roast chicken with mashed potatoes, clearly to Harry's liking as he devoured a chicken leg in each hand, his hands and mouth smeared with grease and sauce.

"You should try this; it's delicious," Harry offered Mike an untouched chicken leg, "By the way, Mike, Ron, and I planned to visit Hagrid this afternoon. Want to join?"

Before Harry could inquire further, Hermione cut in, "Exactly, Mike isn't preoccupied with games all day like you two. We should head to the library this afternoon for some reading." She directed the latter part of her statement towards Mike, suggesting a shared plan.

"Uh, actually, Professor Flitwick asked to see me this afternoon," Mike invented an excuse on the spot, sensing Hermione's attitude towards him was a bit strange.

"Alright then," Hermione said, disappointed, aimlessly poking at her chicken with a fork.

"Can I come along?" Franklin asked, seemingly attached to Mike, and quickly inquired about joining him for the afternoon visit to Professor Flitwick.

Mike, feeling resigned, realized he might have to find something for Franklin to do this afternoon, or the kid might follow him to Professor Flitwick's office door.

"Well, Franklin, could you do me a favor this afternoon?" Mike came up with a plan on the spot.

Looking as if preparing for battle, Franklin immediately nodded and stood up, seemingly ready to skip lunch.

"Sit down, Franklin, there's no need to rush. It's just a small favor," Mike quickly told him to sit back down, "I really liked the beverage I had this morning during class. Could you find out what it was for me?"

Hearing Mike's request, Franklin sat down again and started wolfing down his food, mumbling through mouthfuls, "Don't worry, I'll get right on it after lunch. I'll make sure it gets done!"

Mike watched as Franklin quickly finished his lunch and headed towards the Hufflepuff common room, thinking to himself, "That kid is hopeless."

"But maybe he could be a useful pawn," Mike pondered.