Rai_jin
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#45 WSWW
🕑 Added 2025-03-19 10:00:10 +0000 UTCThere was still an hour before curfew, and Professor Flitwick gave Ted an approving nod.
"Don't wander around too much, alright? Oh, and that slide spell—excellent work, Ted. The placement was impeccable."
He gave Ted a knowing smile before cheerfully making his way down the corridor. Watching their professor leave in such a good mood, the group couldn't help but laugh.
The three monstrous creatures had been dealt with, taken away by the professors, leaving Ted and the others with a brief moment of peace.
"Should we head back?" Neville asked as he reluctantly returned the newly cleaned longsword to the suit of armor it had come from.
Something about wielding it had changed him—it was as if he had just unlocked a part of himself he never knew existed.
Ron groaned. "I'm still hungry! Couldn’t Professor Quirrell have shown up a little later? That whole mess interrupted dinner, and all for just three monsters!"
The others turned to him, unimpressed.
'You were terrified just moments ago, and now you're acting like it was no big deal?'
Jerry reached into his pocket and pulled out a small block of cheese. "Want this?"
Ron didn’t hesitate—he snatched it and popped it into his mouth, chewing greedily. "Got any more?"
Jerry rolled his eyes. "What do I look like, a house-elf working the kitchen?"
Hermione dug into her bag, pulling out a few meat pies Ted had given them earlier. "It’s not much, but it’s something."
Ted, however, had a better idea. "Why don’t we just go to the kitchen and grab a proper meal? Consider it a celebration of our first victory!"
Ron and Jerry perked up immediately. "Now that sounds like a plan!"
"Do you even know where the kitchen is?" Harley asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ted smirked. "Follow me."
They made their way through the castle toward the Hufflepuff common room entrance. After a short search, Ted spotted what he was looking for—a painting of a large fruit bowl.
"This is it!" he said triumphantly.
Nearby, a row of large oak barrels lined the wall. Hermione pointed at them. "I read that the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room is behind those barrels."
Harley nodded. "And I heard you have to tap a specific rhythm on the right barrel. Get it wrong, and you get sprayed with vinegar."
"Tough luck for anyone with no sense of rhythm," Jerry muttered.
Ted, however, was focused on the painting. "I also heard that if you tickle the pear here, it’ll open up for us."
He reached out and lightly brushed the pear with his fingertips.
The pear shuddered, wriggling under his touch, and suddenly let out a small pop! It transformed into a doorknob. Ted grabbed it and pulled the door open.
Beyond the archway lay the massive Hogwarts kitchen. Long wooden tables stretched across the space, mirroring the layout of the Great Hall above. Dozens of house-elves, dressed in pillowcases embroidered with the Hogwarts crest, bustled around with a surprising lack of enthusiasm.
The moment they noticed the students, their large eyes lit up. "Little wizards! What can we do for you?!" they squeaked excitedly.
They had been preparing for the Halloween feast all day, only for the event to be ruined by Professor Quirrell’s emergency.
They were practically thrilled at the chance to be useful again.
Ted smiled warmly. "We didn’t get to finish eating earlier. Would it be possible to have something to eat?"
"Yes! Yes! Of course!" Several elves answered at once, and before anyone could stop them, platters of food began appearing on the long table before them.
"Whoa, whoa!" Ted raised his hands. "We don’t need a full second dinner—just a small meal!"
One of the elves hesitated before asking, "Would the little wizards like something to drink, then?"
"If you have juice, that would be great," Ted said. "But really, you don’t have to go all out. This is already amazing."
"We have apple juice, pumpkin juice, grape juice, orange juice!" the elf listed enthusiastically.
As the elves set everything out, the group eagerly dug in. The food was fresh, delicious, and still warm.
Ron happily tore into a drumstick while Jerry stuffed an enormous piece of cheese into his mouth.
Harley was eating with gusto, and Neville, still coming down from the adrenaline rush of battle, was all but inhaling his meal. Even Hermione, who was normally cautious about breaking rules, couldn’t resist and ate heartily.
Ted, meanwhile, made sure to express his gratitude at every turn, complimenting each dish with genuine enthusiasm.
He raised his glass in a toast. "To the best cooks at Hogwarts! Happy Halloween!"
The house-elves beamed, gathering around them with wide, appreciative eyes.
By the time they finished eating, Ted had somehow won over nearly every house-elf in the castle. They hung on his every word, looking utterly charmed by his endless praise.
This had turned into their Halloween celebration, too.
While Ted and the others were enjoying their impromptu feast, the professors were still deep in discussion.
The three monstrous creatures had supposedly "escaped" from Professor Quirrell’s laboratory. Now, two were dead, and the remaining troll had been subdued.
But Dumbledore certainly couldn't allow Quirrell to continue experimenting with magical creatures at Hogwarts. A troll rampaging through the corridors was already beyond reason.
In the headmaster’s office, Dumbledore sat behind his grand desk, his fingers lightly tapping together as he listened to Snape’s heated complaints.
The Potions Master stood rigidly, his black robes billowing slightly from his sharp movements.
“I don’t understand why you allowed him to take the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in the first place!” Snape’s voice was laced with frustration.
Dumbledore remained calm, his piercing blue eyes unreadable. “Severus, I had little choice in the matter.”
Snape clenched his jaw. He despised that answer. After all, his own longstanding desire for the position had been denied yet again, this time for a stammering fool like Quirrell. It stung.
He had already endured watching Lily marry James Potter. That wound was still raw, and this only added to his grievances.
He exhaled sharply, trying to rein in his anger. “I inspected the third-floor corridor,” he reported stiffly. “The door had been opened. The three-headed dog attacked an intruder.”
Dumbledore nodded slowly, as if this news was not unexpected. “I see.”
Snape narrowed his eyes. “And yet you allow Quirrell to remain in this castle?”
“Keep an eye on him, Severus.”
Snape scoffed. “You doubt him, yet you let him stay?”
Dumbledore’s voice remained measured, but there was a firm weight to his words. “Severus, I have my reasons.”
Snape let out a cold laugh. “Damn your reasons.” He turned on his heel and stormed out, the door slamming shut behind him.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the school, six young wizards had faced off against three dangerous creatures that night. At least, Ravenclaw hadn’t caught wind of it yet.
Gryffindor, on the other hand? There was no chance that Harley, Ron, and Jerry would keep their “legendary feat” a secret for long.
Ted, however, remained composed. After parting ways with Hermione, they each returned to their respective dormitories.
After freshening up, Ted tossed a handful of potatoes to Anzu, his ever-watchful raven. The bird caught the morsel mid-air and devoured it swiftly. “Good job tonight,” Ted murmured, stroking its sleek feathers.
His roommates, however, were not as composed.
Terry Boot looked horrified. “Wait… those weren’t your pets? You—you’ve been feeding him real mice this whole time?!”
Ted raised an eyebrow. “What did you think?”
“I—I thought they were just… I don’t know, enrichment toys or something! Not… dinner!”
Terry’s shock lasted only a moment before his expression shifted into something like awe. “That was actually kind of cool,” he admitted. “Can I feed him next time?”
Ted smirked. “Maybe.”
That night, instead of his usual meditation, Ted went over his gains from the battle.
The experience from the fights was stacking up nicely. 150 from the first monster, 250 from the second, and 450 from the third.
Then, there was the quest reward—500 more points. On top of that, he’d scored a white-rarity card from the unknown horned beast: an [Experience Card (White)], which granted an extra 100 XP upon use.
All in all, he’d raked in a total of 1,450 experience points in a single night.
That was more than he had earned since the start of the school year combined.
Ted leaned back on his bed, staring at the ceiling with a satisfied grin.
Killing monsters and earning loot… he thought. Maybe this school year won’t be so bad after all.
And that wasn’t even counting the two other cards he had yet to inspect…
