My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 50. The Strangest Person

The day after the conflict.

In the Slytherin common room, Betty approached Lynn again.

This time, Lynn didn't hide; in fact, she was waiting for her here on purpose.

"I heard about Lynn. Raphael gave you trouble yesterday. He even used that swear word to address you. Are you alright?"

Lynn sighed inwardly, thinking that childhood sweethearts really can't compete with someone who suddenly appears out of nowhere. Raphael had been taught a lesson by him yesterday, and Betty's first question was whether he was alright.

"I'm fine, senior." Lynn still wanted to express her gratitude for her kindness.

"As for senior Raphael, he probably isn't doing too well."

Betty didn't look too happy when her ex-boyfriend was mentioned.

"He deserved it. After this incident, Professor Snape might even strip him of his prefectural status. Saying such things was absolutely despicable."

Betty twirled a strand of hair around her shoulder with her fingers and said casually.

"Why have you been eating at that Ravenclaw table all the time lately? Are you free tonight? My family sent me some snacks, we can eat them together by the Black Lake..."

"I'm sorry, senior." Lynn took a deep breath. Although he had never been in a relationship in either of his two lives, this was not the first time he had rejected a girl.

To describe it using two idioms, one must be proficient through practice and familiar with the path.

"I know you like me, but I'm too young and don't plan to have a girlfriend right now. Besides... you're a good person."

Lynn's rejection was too direct, not giving Betty even the slightest chance, which left Betty feeling disappointed and embarrassed.

"Okay, fine."

……

It's better to be direct.

This will prevent any lingering attachments and the possibility of some melodramatic twists or turns in the future.

After herbalism class on Thursday, Lynn prepared to search for the Room of Requirement hidden in the castle.

He definitely couldn't go back to that Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom anymore; who knew if something similar would happen again?

He only vaguely remembered one clue about the Room of Requirement: there was a tapestry of a troll and a ballet teacher on the opposite wall.

I don't know the exact location.

However, there were plenty of "people" to ask for directions in Hogwarts Castle. He asked for clues from the portraits on both sides of the corridor and unknowingly arrived at the third floor of the castle.

There weren't many people here, and there was a statue of a one-eyed, hunchbacked old woman.

Just as he was passing by the statue, a hand suddenly reached out from behind it and grabbed his arm.

Lynn was not alarmed because he recognized the owner of the arm.

"What are you two doing hiding here?"

He looked at the grinning Weasley twins with a helpless expression, feeling that they always seemed to appear out of nowhere.

George put his arm around Lynn's shoulder.

"We've all heard about what happened to you, Lynn. I've had my eye on that Raphael guy for a long time. He's always looking down on everyone. Who's looking down on whom?"

Lynn had no way to deal with these two troublemakers who seemed to thrive on chaos. He glanced at Fred, who was furtively hiding something behind his back.

"Don't change the subject, you haven't answered my question yet."

The twins looked at each other, as if they had reached an agreement on some issue.

"We're planning to sneak off to Hogsmeade to buy some materials to make dung bombs," Fred said.

"Behind this statue, there is actually a secret passage leading to the cellar of the Honey Duke candy shop. We plan to go there from here in a bit."

Then, the two brothers pulled Lynn behind the statue, and Fred mysteriously took out something he had hidden behind himself.

"We were just observing the people in the castle. Otherwise, if someone had passed by when we opened the secret passage, things would have been very bad."

Lynn looked at the thing Fred was holding in his hand. It was a tattered piece of parchment covered with dense, dark lines that clearly outlined every part of the castle, including all the secret passages.

Besides that, the most amazing thing is that it also shows the location of every person in Hogwarts, and as they move, their names also change positions.

Lynn saw Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape in their offices. Professor Dumbledore's name was not on the map, so he may have left Hogwarts. Professor Sprout, as usual, was in the greenhouse tending to the precious magical plants.

Professor Fox is also not in the castle; his name suggests he is in a cabin with Hagrid near the Forbidden Forest, possibly discussing matters concerning the Red Hat.

He also saw Raphael, who was walking around in the Hogwarts infirmary, as if he was about to be discharged.

And then there's Filch and his cat, whom the twins are most worried about. They're somewhere on the first floor of the castle, so there's no need to worry about them suddenly appearing.

The location where Lynn and his companions were now was completely deserted, except for the Weasley brothers. Clearly, it was safe for their plans to leave.

"What is this?" Lynn asked, feigning curiosity, even though he knew the name of the parchment.

"The Marauder's Map!" George proudly proclaimed its name, as if introducing a priceless treasure to a friend.

"This is something Fred and I found in Filch’s office when we were in first grade. At first, we thought it was just a piece of parchment, but it took us a lot of effort to figure out what it was for."

Fred boasted as well.

"Because of it, George and I were never caught by Filch during our night outings or trips. We kept track of everyone's movements in the castle."

Lynn nodded slightly, then suddenly remembered something.

"Did you pay any attention to the Marauder's Map on the morning of the attack on Hubert?"

George and Fred both shook their heads.

"No, we usually wake up close to class time, and we were still asleep when the attack happened."

"Lynn, we're leaving now. Would you like to come with us? There are lots of interesting shops in Hogsmeade."

Lynn shook his head; he wasn't very interested in that wizard town.

"No, maybe next time."

George shrugged.

"Alright then, but I hope you can keep this a secret for us."

"no problem."

Just as the Weasley brothers opened the secret passage and were about to go inside, Lynn suddenly asked again.

"Since the start of this semester, have you noticed any strange people moving around on the Marauder's Map?"

Fred and George both thought carefully about Lynn's question, and eventually they both said the name of one person.

"If we're talking about the strangest one, it has to be Professor Fox."

Thank you for the donation, Brother Xiangzi! Thank you for your support, sir!

(End of this chapter)