12: Twins and Quidditch

In class, John earned points from Professor Flitwick, slightly boosting Slytherin's standings from their bottom position.

After a day of classes, John wandered around the castle. Each time he passed a large tapestry, he walked back and forth three times, mentally repeating his need for a training room.

This behavior might seem strange to some, but those familiar with the Harry Potter series would recognize it. He was searching for the Room of Requirement.

John's memory of the details was hazy. He recalled the entrance being opposite a large tapestry, though the exact appearance and location were unclear.

Fortunately, Hogwarts didn't have too many large tapestries. After his third pass by the tapestry on the seventh floor depicting Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls, a wooden door appeared across from it.

John pushed the door open and entered a room designed for spell practice. Several humanoid targets, looking quite old, filled the room. He frowned at the thick layer of dust covering everything, making it look as if it hadn't been cleaned in decades.

"Scourgify," John incanted, using a newly learned spell to clear the dust. He finally relaxed, examining the sturdy targets and a dark wooden training sword in the corner. Judging by the size of the sword, its original owner must have been quite strong.

John hefted the sword, finding it heavier than the medieval swords he was used to. With his current strength, he couldn't wield it effectively.

Despite that, the room was perfect for his spell training. All the equipment could also be used for physical exercise, making it doubly useful.

With no offensive spells yet, John could only practice basic ones. His relentless effort paid off when his Disillusionment Charm leveled up to 2.

"Disillusionment," he cast, his wand waving as a liquid-like substance coated him, gradually blending him with his surroundings.

He lifted his hand, noticing it looked like a mass of water. From a distance, he'd be nearly invisible, though up close, the distortion could still be noticed.

"It's like optical camouflage," John mused, satisfied with his explanation.

With the help of the Disillusionment Charm, his upcoming nocturnal explorations would be much easier.

After his training, John left the Room of Requirement. It was bedtime, so he headed to the trophy room to clean.

He took out some cat treats from his pocket as a reward for Mrs. Norris's previous assistance, carefully grooming her matted fur.

"Have you gained weight?" John asked, lifting Mrs. Norris and noticing she felt heavier.

Previously, it seemed Filch hadn't been feeding her well enough, leading to malnutrition. John even brought a bottle of hairball remedy, considering Mrs. Norris's habit of licking her fur.

Leaving the trophy room, he saw Filch looking more displeased than usual, with a lingering smell resembling rotten durian.

This was likely the work of the Weasley twins.

Not long after leaving the trophy room, John encountered two sneaky figures with red hair. Their identical faces and mischievous grins made it clear they were the infamous Weasley twins.

John's eyes twinkled as he cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself, stealthily following the Weasley twins and listening to their conversation.

"George, we could toss the dungbomb in there."

"Wait, Fred, John Wick is still in the trophy room. I don't want to get John Wick involved."

"Alright, we can throw it into Filch's office instead. What do you think?"

"Brilliant, George. It's about time that annoying git got a taste of his own medicine."

George and Fred Weasley, the infamous Weasley twins, were notorious troublemakers at Hogwarts. Their ongoing feud with Filch, the caretaker, was well-known, as their love for pranks naturally put them at odds with him.

The twins planned to give Filch a hard time, believing that a couple of dungbombs in his office would be the perfect revenge.

John, following closely behind them, shivered at their conversation and felt grateful for his decent rapport with people. If he had been hit by a dungbomb, it would have taken at least ten showers to get rid of the stench.

Unaware of John's presence, the twins reached Filch's office and tossed in the dungbombs. The resulting stench was so vile that John couldn't help but pity Filch, wondering where the poor man would sleep that night.

The smell was unbearable even for the Weasley twins, who quickly ran out after throwing the bombs.

John peeked into the office from the doorway. Filch's office was cluttered with various items, and one drawer labeled "Confiscated, Highly Dangerous" caught his attention. It seemed to contain numerous forbidden objects.

Before he could examine further, John heard Filch's furious shouts. The twins increased their speed, and as they dashed past John, a piece of parchment fell from their pockets.

Picking it up, John recognized the clean parchment and immediately thought of a specific item.

"The Marauder's Map?"

This wasn't the time to check it out, as Mrs. Norris's meowing could be heard nearby. Under the Disillusionment Charm, John ran in the opposite direction of the twins.

Filch, in a rage, chased after the twins. Back in his dormitory, John felt the lingering smell of dungbombs on him.

He took out the parchment and his wand.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"

The blank parchment began to transform, ink lines spreading across it like watercolors, forming words.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs."

John remembered that one of these names belonged to Harry's father.

With the map now activated, John studied it, seeing the detailed layout of Hogwarts and the locations of everyone within. This invaluable tool would undoubtedly aid him in his nocturnal activities and avoid any unwanted encounters with Filch or other staff.

John opened the parchment, revealing a map that displayed the movements of people within Hogwarts, complete with their footprints.

"Filch is still wandering around there. If he turns the corner, he'll spot the Weasley twins."

The map was incredibly detailed, recording all the secret passages of Hogwarts and even showing the names of the individuals present. Possessing this map essentially meant having control over all the hidden routes in Hogwarts.

Filch, however, didn't turn the corner. Instead, he changed direction and headed in the opposite direction.

The Weasley twins started moving towards the Gryffindor common room, taking a shortcut on the fourth floor.

John studied the map and noticed a particular name: Quirinus Quirrell. Seeing Professor Quirrell active outside at night, John wanted to see if he could spot the one who must not be named.

Unfortunately, he failed.

"It seems the Marauder's Map doesn't show everything."

John felt a bit disappointed, but such instances were rare. He watched with amusement as his head of house, Professor Snape, approached a pair of unfortunate students out on a night stroll. John guessed that the couple would lose quite a few points.

"Mischief managed."

John tapped the parchment with his wand to close the Marauder's Map, then stashed it under his pillow. Now, he wouldn't have to worry about getting caught on his nocturnal adventures—a comforting thought.

...

There was good news and bad news.

The good news was that, besides attending classes and training, John found a new pastime: watching the savior Harry perform fancy flying at the Quidditch pitch.

It was remarkable how Harry seemed to have inherited his father's talent for Quidditch, though John couldn't fathom how a nearsighted kid with glasses had such impressive dynamic vision. The Golden Snitch was tiny, about the size of a walnut, and moved incredibly fast in a vast, three-dimensional space.

John was almost dizzy watching it, but Harry always managed to spot and lock onto it.

This didn't stop John from enjoying the show, as it was amusing to witness Harry's awkward training sessions. After Harry crashed into the stands for the third time, Hermione's voice sounded next to John.

"In 1269, Chief of the Wizard's Council, Barberus Bragge, introduced the Golden Snidget into Quidditch and offered 150 Galleons as a reward for catching it. Later, releasing the Golden Snidget became a common practice in Quidditch matches, and catching it earned the team 150 points. 

As the hunting of the Golden Snidget became popular, the number of Golden Snidgets decreased sharply, and the Golden Snidgets was later replaced by only one Golden Snitch."

Hermione was showing off her knowledge, which John found exasperating.

It seemed Hermione was gradually viewing John as a rival.

As a genuine academic achiever, Hermione displayed a strong determination not to be outdone by John, who had been earning more points in class than she did.

This was bad news.

At least before John was really an academic master, this news was too bad.

It was like someone was holding a whip behind you, and you would be whipped as long as you slowed down.

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