A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 19 Peeves' Pranks

"There's a little treasure behind this painting, but Pippi never tells anyone..."

Irving pushed aside an oil painting of a drunken noblewoman. The woman in the painting screamed and slid to the ground, sitting there weeping and lamenting her fate. The wall behind the painting had been hollowed out, revealing piles of broken porcelain shards and rotten scraps of paper, covered in dusty cobwebs.

It was probably left behind by some minor wizard from a very long time ago, and it has no use for anything now.

"Oh, they were destroyed by Pippi on the very day the baby hid them, and the poor baby cried and cried..."

Irving put the painting back in its place, ignoring the noblewoman's gaze that looked at him like he was a faithless man, and continued walking.

Pipi Ghost followed him shamelessly, sometimes soaring through the air and sometimes suddenly popping out from behind the wall with a big face, his smiling expression carrying a hint of flattery.

"There's a secret passage nearby that only Pippi knows about, and he's only willing to trade one secret for it..."

In a corridor on the fourth floor of the castle, Pippi said with a grin.

Irving looked around, nodded thoughtfully, and made a mark on his newly drawn map.

He then turned into another corridor and browsed the trophy room. It was filled with crystal glass cases displaying trophies, shields, medals, and statues that shimmered with silver and gold. Owen also saw a trophy awarded for a special contribution to the school fifty years ago, bearing the name TM Riddle.

"Mischievous Ghost knows this little brat did what the boss did," Mischievous Ghost grinned as he leaned closer. "For just one little secret, Mischievous Ghost can tell you even his favorite underwear color..."

Owen coughed a few times, staring strangely at the ghost standing upside down in mid-air. No, he had absolutely no interest in Voldemort's underwear!

Also, the way you're saying these things so loudly makes me feel like we're about to die.

"Hey, do you know what he's been doing since graduation?" Owen walked out of the prize display room without saying a word.

"Disappeared without a trace, probably died somewhere. Mischievous Ghost never cares about kids after graduation!" Mischievous Ghost said with a grin, completely unconcerned.

Well, it turns out this guy was also kept in the dark. Irving almost really thought Pippi knew everything.

Owen shook his head and made a mark on the map as he passed a statue of a one-eyed witch. He remembered that behind this statue was a secret passage leading to Hogsmeade Village.

On the eighth floor of the castle, Owen arrived at the Room of Requirement for the first time, but did not choose to go inside. He also passed by the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, and under the curious yet wary gazes of the Gryffindor students coming and going, Owen gave an elegant and polite smile to show his friendliness.

The mischievous ghost beside them chuckled and snatched the books from their hands, tossing the pages into the air with a rustling sound. It would lift the carpet from under their feet and pull it over everyone's heads, or suddenly disappear and then reappear out of thin air, grabbing someone's nose and spinning them around.

It was like pouring a bowl of water into a pot of hot oil; the crowd instantly erupted, screams and shouts rising and falling, people running around in panic or anger. Mischievous Ghost was like a rat crossing the street, everyone wanted to kill him, but no one could hit him; instead, they were made even more miserable by him.

Irving's lips twitched. He really hadn't come here to cause trouble, but Peeves was clearly a walking trouble-maker. However, seeing how much fun they were having, Irving had no intention of stopping them or explaining. He simply lowered his head and started scribbling on the map, then turned and walked away.

"Gah gah gah—run!" Pippi the Ghost screamed as it chased after them, the armor clanging along the way.

"Grab that Slytherin! He's the one who brought Peeves here to cause trouble!" Ron Weasley shouted angrily, his nose red from being pulled by Peeves.

The Gryffindor students were not about to tolerate this. This wasn't just provocation; it was an attack! They were practically blocking their common room doorway and trying to kill them!

In an instant, everyone was filled with righteous indignation, their burning gazes seeming to burn a hole through the back of Irving's robe.

Irving swiftly put away the map and pen, seemingly vanishing into thin air. He turned to the crowd with a bright smile, then took off running like a rabbit.

One person was running ahead, followed by a swarm of others, some of whom had even secretly drawn their wands. At this point, explanations were useless; the large group of young wizards, blinded by rage, wouldn't listen to a word.

"Stop right there if you dare!" the furious young wizards shouted as they chased after them.

What are you doing standing there? Want to have a grand, magical battle? Come on, it's a thankless task no matter who wins or loses, and you'll most likely get points deducted and detention for violating school rules... Owen may enjoy watching fun, but he doesn't want to become the fun himself.

Owen glanced at Peeves flying beside him, his face smirking and smug as if he'd pulled off a prank. He knew Peeves was doing it on purpose. Peeves' nature was to play tricks, and it was impossible to subdue him with just an interesting secret. However, Owen's intention wasn't to win him over.

He turned a corner with light steps, several curses striking the wall from where he had just been. Owen glanced at the grinning Peeves, a slight smile playing on his lips, and then stopped abruptly.

The Gryffindor students scurried into the corridor, watching the curtains at the end of it flutter and sway, as if someone had just passed by and the wind had stirred them.

"Quick, after him!" The scene before them made them instinctively believe that Irving had already crossed the corridor.

Owen hid behind the curtain at the entrance of the corridor, listening to the chaotic footsteps passing by. He played with his wand in his hand and glanced with a smile at Peeves, who only had his head sticking out of the wall.

Pippi's ever-malicious black eyes were darting around, and Owen knew without a doubt that the guy was trying to warn others of his location.

"Tongue-locking and throat-sealing," Irving murmured.

Pee-Pee opened his mouth wide, his tongue pressed tightly against the roof of his mouth. He struggled to open and close his mouth, but no sound came out. He covered his throat with both hands and, looking terrified, scurried into the wall.

After hearing the footsteps outside pass, Owen casually parted the curtains and slowly turned out of the corridor not far behind the crowd, resuming his original path.

"Hey, well done, George, your stomach ache came at just the right time."

"Fred, don't tell me you put this experimental menstrual potion in my drink..."

"You're definitely overthinking it, George."

"No, I mean, why doesn't your stomach hurt?"

A pair of twins appeared before Owen, their fiery red hair dazzling, their faces bearing identical grins. They exchanged a few banter, then looked at Owen together: "Hey, tell me, why does Pimp listen to you?"

"If he really listened to me, I wouldn't be being chased by him now," Owen shrugged and said with a grin. "What, are you guys trying to arrest me?"

"It depends, we can be bribed," the twins said, winking.

"In that case..." Owen's hands touched and then separated, the wand in his hand disappearing instantly, replaced by a white plastic tulip.

He flicked his finger, sending the fake flower flying into the air: "Then I'll use this to show my goodwill."

After saying that, Irving walked past the two people blocking his way with a cheerful smile and headed deeper into the corridor.

The twins exchanged a glance and frantically signaled to each other, but chose not to make a move. They simply watched Owen's figure walk away leisurely.

The artificial flower fell to the ground with a muffled "thud," and after a puff of white smoke, a white strip of cloth appeared beneath the flower, on which a simple smiley face was drawn in red pen.

"Is this a transformation technique? No, it should be some kind of Muggle mechanism..."

"Hey, this guy isn't so boring after all."

The twins huddled together in front of the artificial flowers, heads close together, whispering to each other.

(End of this chapter)