Charlie carefully slipped out of his warm bed, moving as quietly as possible.
All around him, his roommates were snoring in chorus. Ernie was even mumbling something about Victoria's Secret in his sleep.
[Your Majesty is staying out past curfew. Tyrant Points +1!]
The system prompt instantly woke Charlie up like a shot of espresso.
He crept out of the dorm, sneaking into the dimly lit common room.
The cozy yellow glow from earlier had vanished; only the faint flicker of the fireplace remained.
Charlie groped around until he found the passage hidden behind the barrel entrance and carefully crawled out.
He started climbing the stone steps, headed straight for the fourth floor.
The more Dumbledore forbade it, the more points there were to be gained by breaking the rule.
As for the danger? Come on, if it was really that dangerous, would Dumbledore just leave it sitting there in plain sight?
Charlie knew teachers, talking about "certain death" was just their usual scare tactic.
Like when they said, "If you don't study, you're doomed," or "Forget your homework and you're finished."
(Student should study hard, sure, but I've got a system, and I'm cheating with style.)
Even if there was danger, Charlie had the system. He was confident he could handle it.
But Hogwarts staircases weren't having it.
Just as he reached the second floor, the stairs began to tremble.
Startled, Charlie clutched the railing for dear life as the staircase slowly shifted directions, taking him to an entirely unfamiliar corridor.
"What the hell?"
He frowned, glancing around.
All the portraits were snoring, moonlight spilling through the windows onto the floor. The entire corridor was quiet as death.
Still, Charlie pressed on, trying to find his way to the fourth floor.
But not long after, another staircase betrayed him, this one delivering him to some unknown corner of the castle.
"Are these stairs drunk or what?" Charlie grumbled.
"Little wizard, shouldn't be wandering after curfew."
A sudden voice startled him.
Charlie spun around, expecting to be caught by a teacher, but it was just a painting.
The speaker was a rotund knight in silver armor, lounging lazily inside his frame.
"Judging by your age, you're a first-year, eh? Sneaking around at night already, you must be from Gryffindor!"
"I'm from Huf, "
Charlie caught himself and quickly changed his tune.
"Yep, you got it. Gryffindor."
The knight burst into laughter.
"I knew it! Gryffindors have never been ones to follow rules. I like that! That's the true spirit of a knight!"
Charlie decided to milk it.
"Then, noble Sir Knight, might I request directions to the fourth floor?"
The knight seemed flattered and pointed to the left corridor.
"Go that way. If you see stairs going right, climb them. If they go left, keep walking straight."
Then he stopped, frowned, and pointed the opposite way instead.
"No, wait. That way."
Charlie raised an eyebrow but didn't question it.
Paintings, what do you expect? After hanging around for a few centuries, you're bound to lose a few screws.
"Thanks, Sir Knight."
He waved politely and continued down the right-hand corridor.
…
Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore chuckled in front of a wall full of portraits.
"The little one's quite curious. But no one can enter that place just yet."
An old wizard in another frame poked his head out.
"Then why mention it at all, Albus?"
Dumbledore twirled his beard with a twinkle in his eye.
"Because… only certain people are meant to find it."
"Well, you're the Headmaster," the other portrait muttered.
"You get to decide how the staircases move, and which doors stay locked."
A glint flashed across Dumbledore's eyes.
"Some things… must happen at just the right time."
…
Back in the castle maze, Charlie stumbled along, following the rotund knight's directions, only to grow more and more suspicious.
Why does this corridor look so familiar...?
By the time he reached the end, he was speechless.
There they were, those familiar barrels. Just ahead was the Hufflepuff common room entrance.
He'd somehow looped back to the first floor.
"What the hell?!"
Charlie couldn't help swearing.
"That damn fat knight tricked me!"
Fuming, he turned back, ready to march over and dismantle that stupid painting.
If I don't tear that frame apart tonight, I'll write "Harry Potter" backwards for the rest of the year!
But before he could storm off, a door nearby creaked open.
Two hands shot out and pulled him inside.
Familiar voices followed. As Charlie's eyes adjusted, he saw Fred and George Weasley grinning mischievously at him.
"Told you Charlie would sneak out tonight," Fred crowed.
"Fine, fine, you win," George shrugged. "I thought he'd be too tired to move."
Charlie blinked. "What are you two doing here?"
"We came to find you, of course. Remember what we said on the train?" George reminded him.
He glanced toward the direction Charlie had come from and asked, "Wait, why were you coming from that side? Isn't Hufflepuff's dorm the other way?"
Charlie groaned.
"Don't even ask. I was trying to get to the fourth floor, ended up lost in the castle. I asked this fat knight painting for directions and that damn guy sent me on a wild goose chase, I ended up back where I started!"
Fred and George looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, you got tricked by Sir Cadogan!" Fred slapped his thigh.
"Yeah, that guy's brain's a bit scrambled," George said. "But wait, you wanted to visit the fourth floor?"
Charlie nodded, eyes sparkling.
"The more Dumbledore says 'don't go,' the more I want to go."
Fred raised an eyebrow.
"Great minds think alike! We tried earlier, but got blocked."
"How so?" Charlie asked curiously.
George sighed.
"Every path to the right-side corridor on the fourth floor was shut tight. Either magically sealed doors or staircases turning mid-route."
Charlie's eyes widened.
Wait, that place might really be dangerous? Dumbledore's playing hardball?
[Your Majesty has slandered your Grand Tutor. Tyrant Points +1!]
Okay, maybe the system was worse.
The system wisely said nothing. Charlie rolled his eyes and turned to the twins.
"So, what are you two planning now?"
George's eyes gleamed.
"We're about to give Filch a little surprise."
"You mean that cranky old caretaker?" Charlie remembered seeing him at the feast, rumor had it, the guy was a real menace.
"Exactly!" Fred rubbed his hands together.
"He blamed us for everything last term."
"Even though most of it was our fault…" George added.
"And even if we did find some cool stuff in his office…"
"That doesn't mean we can't thank him with an exploding toilet seat!"
Charlie's eyes lit up. "Count me in."
And just like that, the trio was off.
Fred and George clearly knew the castle better than most professors. They snuck and weaved through the corridors until they reached Filch's quarters.
"See that bathroom?" George pointed.
"Technically it's a public restroom, but Filch uses it so much it might as well have his name on it."
Fred snarled.
"Time he learned his lesson."
Charlie nodded and followed them stealthily to the door.
Fred pulled out what looked like an ordinary toilet seat, though it shimmered faintly with magical energy.
"Anyone who sits on it gets a blast of rainbow-colored paint," George whispered.
"And it doesn't wash off. Not for at least a week."
Charlie gave them a thumbs-up.
"Genius. This is a weapon fit for a tyrant."
"Thank you!" George beamed. "Fred and I made it ourselves."
Charlie was genuinely impressed. These two were still students and already making tools of mayhem. Give them two more years and they'd become official department heads in the Empire of Chaos.
The three slipped inside. The bathroom was empty.
Fred quickly swapped the toilet seat for their custom model.
But just as they were about to sneak out,
A shrill cackle echoed from above.
"Ahahaha! Naughty little wizards doing naughty little things!"
Peeves the Poltergeist dropped from the ceiling, pointing and screeching.
"Crap!" Fred's face paled.
"Damn Peeves!" George cursed.
But Charlie acted fast. He raised his wand in a flash.
"Silencio!"
He had no idea if the spell would work on a ghost-like entity, but hey, it was worth a shot.
A blue streak shot from his wand and hit Peeves dead-on.
The poltergeist opened his mouth to yell, but no sound came out.
Stunned, Peeves clutched his throat and flipped through the air in a panic.
Fred and George were ecstatic.
"Brilliant move, Charlie!"
But Charlie's face was grim.
"That noise must've woken Filch. We need to run, now!"
Sure enough, angry shouts echoed in the distance.
"Who's out there?! Show yourselves!"
The trio bolted.
"This way!" Fred led them down a narrow corridor.
They darted through twists and turns, Charlie desperately keeping pace behind the twins.
Luckily, the brothers knew every inch of Hogwarts and soon left Filch far behind.
When they finally stopped, breathless but safe, they were all grinning.
"We did it!" George fist-pumped.
"Filch is in for a colorful surprise tomorrow," Fred said, eyes gleaming.
Charlie imagined the scene, and couldn't stop laughing.
[Your Majesty pranked the royal guards and defiled public property. Tyrant Points +2!]
The notification made Charlie grin even wider.
But the real payoff would be tomorrow when Filch triggered the trap.
After this stunt, the bond between the three deepened significantly.
"Charlie, that spell of yours was epic," Fred said.
"Bah, it was nothing. Next time you've got something fun planned, count me in."
"Already planning the next one, huh? You've got spirit!"
"Don't worry, we'll make sure you're included."
The three chatted a while longer. Fred and George even showed Charlie some of the secret passages around the castle.
Charlie memorized each one, vital knowledge for future midnight excursions.
Time flew by, and soon dawn's pale light crept over the horizon.
"We should get back before someone notices," George said, glancing out a window.
Fred clapped Charlie on the shoulder.
"Tonight was a blast. If you come up with anything wild, don't forget us."
"You too," Charlie grinned. "Whatever chaos you're brewing, count me in."
They parted ways at the corridor junction.
Back in the Gryffindor common room, Fred sighed.
"Charlie really should've been in Gryffindor."
"Totally. That Sorting Hat must've been drunk. He's got more Gryffindor in him than Ron."
They exchanged a look, and burst into laughter.
Charlie, meanwhile, tiptoed back into the Hufflepuff common room and slipped into his dorm.
His roommates were still sound asleep. Ernie was muttering something in his dreams again.
Charlie stripped down and dove into his warm blankets.
"All right, little system, start the draw!"
"One pull at a time!"
[Your Majesty, single pulls are inefficient, may I suggest a ten-pull?]
"Nope. One. At. A. Time."
[Tyrant Points +1.]
"You calling me names now?!"
[Humble servant wouldn't dare.]
"Then get on with it."
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! +20 Floating Charm Proficiency]
[Congratulations! +100 Bird Flock Spell Proficiency]
…
As the system continued announcing his rewards, Charlie slowly drifted off to sleep.
He didn't even hear the last prize.
[Congratulations! You've unlocked: Animagus (Custom Form)]
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters