"They make Filch sound like some kind of evil devil." Albert found the twins' assessment of Filch quite amusing, somewhat like the immediate feeling of students in the past when they thought of a strict dorm supervisor as an old witch.
"No, everyone hates him," Fred said earnestly. "Even someone like Percy says so, I can't think of any other reason not to believe him."
"What do you mean by 'Lien Percy'? Isn't he your brother? Is it really okay to talk about your family like that?" Albert suppressed the urge to retort, took out his pocket watch to check the time, and turned to the three of them, saying, "Alright, it's about time. Let's go to the hall for breakfast first, and then take a walk around the castle."
This time, they took the same route Albert had taken that morning, and the twins showed great interest in the secret passage. They passed the moving staircase without waiting and arrived smoothly at the foyer.
When we entered the auditorium for breakfast, the four long tables were mostly empty, and the ceiling, which seemed to have been enchanted, was a hazy gray, as if it might rain at any moment.
"We're probably among the first to get up," George Weasley said with a hint of helplessness as he cut potatoes on his plate with a knife, looked around the empty auditorium, and said. "I can't even remember the last time I got up this early."
"Three years ago," Fred suddenly said.
"You actually remember?" George looked at his brother in disbelief. "You weren't just guessing, were you?"
"Of course it's just a guess," Fred couldn't help but laugh. "You actually believed it?"
"Just as I thought."
"What are you drawing?" Li asked.
"I'm going to draw a map of Hogwarts, documenting the places we just visited." Albert turned over the parchment and showed them its contents.
"I'm more curious about what's that in your hand?" Fred stared at Albert's pen. He noticed that Albert had been drawing but hadn't dipped it in ink, which was unusual.
"You mean this? A fountain pen. Muggles use it to write. A quill pen can't be carried around and used easily, and it's not very convenient." Albert handed his fountain pen to Fred. It was a birthday gift from Herb. Although it wasn't a fancy pen, it had been used for many years.
"It feels a bit like a quill pen," Fred said, glancing at the tip.
"Of course, the principle of a fountain pen is similar to that of a quill pen. Its advantage is that it can store ink and last a long time." Albert handed the parchment to the three of them. "We are currently in the Great Hall. Going out will take you to the foyer. Going up the marble steps will lead to the moving staircase. Filch's office is nearby. There are also two doors leading to the basement. The left door leads to the kitchen (to the left after coming down the stairs). I haven't been to the right one yet. The kitchen is probably here. The entrance is a huge silver bowl filled with fruit. Touching the big pear will reveal the doorknob."
"Your notes are really detailed." Li took the parchment and looked at the location of the kitchen. He figured he could find it if he went there. He handed the parchment to one of the twins and asked, "Where are we going later?"
"I'm going to find the exact location of the classroom first, so I won't get lost next time I go to class," Albert said, putting away the parchment George had handed him back. "Then, I'll see if I can find any secret passages along the way. These passages are usually hidden behind tapestries, stone carvings, stone walls, or even portraits."
"If that's the case, finding the secret passage shouldn't be too difficult." Fred finished off the roasted potatoes on his plate and was already eager to try.
"No, the point is that some secret passages require specific passwords or touching certain special locations," Albert shook his head and said. "I was able to find the kitchen by chance because I touched the portrait all over the place."
"Why do you think that painting holds a secret?" A girl's voice rang out from the side. Albert turned his head to look and saw Angelina, a freshman from the same college, whom he had chatted with a few times last night.
"Of course it's because it's too suspicious. The size of that fruit painting is almost the same as the fat lady's painting, as if it's blatantly telling everyone that there's a secret passage here," Albert said matter-of-factly.
"Oh!" After listening, the four of them couldn't quite understand Albert's logic.
However, as it turned out, Albert's guess was correct.
Seriously, this guy is really smart.
"Johnson, are you alone?" Albert asked, puzzled. "Where are your roommates?"
"You actually remembered my last name?" Angelina looked surprised. In fact, even her roommate couldn't remember her first name.
After all, we've only known each other for a short time, and haven't even exchanged many words. It's normal that we don't remember each other.
"My memory has always been pretty good," Albert said with a smile. "This is Lee, and the other pair of twins are George and Fred. Of course, don't ask me who's who, I can't tell them apart either."
"I am George, George Weasley."
"No, no, no, I am George, he is Fred," the other twin retorted.
"Many twins like to play this trick; they like to wear the same clothes and dress up the same way, making it hard to tell who is who." Albert suddenly looked at the owl flying towards them.
"You forgot to introduce yourself, Albert," Lee Jordan reminded him.
"Oh, sorry, I saw my owl." Albert picked up a piece of bread, tore it into pieces, and fed it to Shera, who had landed on the table.
"My name is Albert Anderson."
"Anderson, aren't you going to eat?" Angelina asked, puzzled, as she made herself a sandwich.
"I just ate in the kitchen. Just call me Albert." Albert stroked his owl and said, "I have some things to send home this weekend, so remember to come to the lobby in the morning."
Shera called out, indicating that she understood.
Another owl flew into the hall and tossed a copy of the Daily Prophet onto Albert's desk. However, its aim was mediocre; it nearly knocked over George's pumpkin porridge. Had Fred not been quick, the porridge would have been soaking in it, and with a dip in jam, it would probably have been eaten.
"Can I borrow it?" Angelina asked, picking up the newspaper. "I want to read the Quidditch section."
Albert said, "Oh, of course."
"Do you like Quidditch too?" the twins asked in unison.
"Of course I like it, but unfortunately, first-year students can't participate in the Quidditch selection." Angelina was quite disappointed about this.
"Sure, if Quidditch is short of players and you can get Professor McGonagall to agree." Albert noticed that everyone was staring at him and shrugged helplessly. "They say first-year students can't participate in the selection, but there are always exceptions, right? Rules are meant to be broken."
"Sigh, never mind." Angelina didn't think she could change Professor McGonagall's mind. "I've already found out that a Gryffindor Chaser will graduate next semester, and I'm planning to sign up and give it a try then. What about you guys?"
The twins said in unison, "A batter is a better fit for us."