Chapter 23: Secret Passage and Filch

Speaking of which, could it be that my interface is a stripped-down version? It doesn't even have a map function. Albert couldn't help but make fun of his interface's limited capabilities. However, he was in a good mood after finding the Room of Requirement.

There's nothing he can do. In the online novels he used to read, the systems that the main characters had were usually incredibly powerful. They could scan and reveal everything, leaving nothing hidden.

Now, thinking about it carefully, his own interface was truly lacking in features.

Actually, Albert would be happy to have any sort of interface like this golden finger.

"I remember that the Headmaster's office is also on the eighth floor, but I don't know which part of the eighth floor," Albert murmured to himself.

Of course, he had no intention of sneaking into the Headmaster's office. If Dumbledore, that old man, noticed him, life at the school would become difficult for him. After all, Hogwarts Castle was filled with portraits, and it would be easy for Dumbledore to find out what a student was up to.

Albert turned two more corners and found a staircase leading downward.

He walked down the stairs, aimlessly wandering around the castle, only to reluctantly realize that he had gotten lost.

Well, maybe it wasn't exactly getting lost. It was just that he had never been here before.

Albert stopped in front of a wall, and the light from his wand glided across the engravings on the wall. He reached out and gently tapped on it—it felt solid.

However, Albert suspected that there might be a secret passage here. He couldn't help it; the lion-eagle creature depicted in the wall's sculpture was too suspicious. Typically, such places would hide secret doors or passages.

"Child, what are you doing here?" Nearly Headless Nick emerged from the nearby wall, looking surprised as he observed Albert examining the painting.

The sudden voice startled Albert, and he felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

Albert quickly took a few deep breaths, calming down his racing heart. Unable to help himself, he complained to Nick, "Don't appear out of nowhere like that. You'll scare people to death."

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect to startle you," Nick raised an eyebrow and asked again, "What are you doing here?"

"Just taking a walk," Albert honestly replied.

"A walk at this time?" Nick looked puzzled at the corridor; it was still quite early.

"Yes, a walk. Sir Nicholas, I was wondering if you have the time to introduce me to Hogwarts. It's like a maze here, and I accidentally got lost while walking," Albert smiled at Nick. If he was willing to help, it would save him a lot of time.

"Oh, I believe exploring the castle is one of the great pleasures for new students," Nick politely declined.

"You're right," Albert didn't mind Nick's refusal. After exchanging greetings, he continued to study the lion-eagle creature sculpture in front of him.

Watching Albert's back, Nick shook his head and reminded him, "If you want to open that door, the switch is on the lion-eagle creature's claw."

"Thank you." Albert reached out towards the lion-eagle creature's claw and tapped it gently. The stone door slowly opened, revealing a narrow passage inside.

"Goodbye, Sir Nicholas." Albert nodded slightly to the ghost in gratitude, raised his wand, and walked into the secret passage.

It was very narrow inside, allowing only one person to pass through. It was definitely not a good place for someone with claustrophobia.

Albert could feel himself descending as he walked, unsure of where the secret passage led. But being able to discover its existence was good news for Albert.

Indeed, the ghosts and portraits living in the castle had a better understanding of Hogwarts.

The exit was hidden behind a painting, and after Albert moved the painting aside, a pajama-clad old man appeared, looking displeased and complaining about Albert disturbing his rest.

"Apologies for the disturbance!" Albert apologized to the old man in the painting and continued walking. He felt like he might get lost again.

However, this time Albert found a moving staircase.

No matter how many times he saw it, he found the sight of the moving staircase spectacular.

It was said that both the moving staircase and the Room of Requirement were the creations of Rowena Ravenclaw. He wondered if he could reach that level in the future.

By the way, could there be any secrets hidden in the Room of Requirement by Rowena Ravenclaw?

After all, Slytherin had kept a basilisk in his Chamber of Secrets.

It made sense when he thought about it. The next time he went there, he could try it out. Perhaps he would truly uncover some secrets.

It took Albert ten minutes to walk down the stairs. Along the way, the staircase changed once, and he had to wait in place until the staircase returned to its original state. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait too long. He was truly grateful—no, he should thank Merlin now.

Just as he entered the entrance hall, Albert was drawn to a cat's attention. It was a slightly thin cat with a dark gray coat, quite different from his own Tom.

He bent down to play with it, but the cat ran away swiftly, disappearing in no time.

Albert knew that it was probably Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris. Although he had read the Harry Potter book and watched the movies, over time, he had forgotten some less important details, especially the names of minor characters.

If it weren't for the fact that he had written fanfiction before and researched a lot of information, he would probably have forgotten even faster.

The cat ran off, probably to fetch someone. Albert wasn't worried that Filch would cause trouble for him.

After all, it was already past six o'clock, and the sky was still dark due to the rain outside.

As Albert was about to enter the Great Hall, he heard a creaking sound. Filch, looking elderly, walked towards him carrying a lantern.

Albert noticed that Filch was still in a sleepy state, draped in a cloak, and had a faint smile on his lips, the smile of someone who had caught their prey.

"Good morning, Mr. Filch," Albert greeted him with a raised hand, as if meeting a familiar friend.

"Good morning?" Filch reached out to grab Albert but easily evaded him with a step back.

"Of course, it's already 6:15, Mr. Filch." Albert took out his pocket watch and checked the time before handing it over to Filch. He asked, "When does the hall start serving meals?"

Filch was taken aback because Albert intentionally moved his wand closer to the pocket watch, allowing him to see the time better.

Filch, who had thought he caught a nighttime wanderer, instantly lost his composure, resembling a child who had just heard that the Halloween feast was canceled.

In fact, it was already morning, even though the sky was still dark, and no other students were awake yet.

"Seven o'clock," Filch replied curtly, then turned and left, leaving behind a parting remark, "You better not let me catch..."

Albert didn't catch the last few words, but it didn't matter; they weren't important.

However, it seemed that Filch really despised the students. He would love to lock them all up.

Pushing the door open and entering the Great Hall, it was dimly lit, with the floating candles extinguished. The lively scene from last night was no longer there.

Albert turned around and left, ready to continue exploring the castle's kitchen while he had the chance.

(End of this chapter)