Chapter 172. The Room of Requirement
"Phew, that was close, that was close.
We almost got cornered by that old bat in the Restricted Section."
Fred sat beside an oil painting at the fourth-floor corner, one hand rubbing his chest as if he'd had a terrible fright.
The effects of the potion were about to wear off, and bits of them were appearing here and there, which looked rather comical.
"Oy!"
George smacked his own forehead with a couple of sharp slaps and said in vexation, "We forgot something very important!"
"What?"
Duncan turned his gaze to George, blinking blankly.
He ransacked his head but couldn't come up with anything important.
Before George could answer, Fred sprang up from the floor, hands on hips, chest thrust out, looking extremely pleased with himself.
He cocked his head slightly and said with a grin, "Don't worry, George.
What you've thought of, I've thought of too, and I've already taken action.
I left a precious gift for our most dearly revered Professor Snape!"
Duncan narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in them, and asked distrustfully, "You haven't done something stupid again, have you?"
"How could I!"
Fred's mouth brimmed with an excited smile.
"Heh heh... just wait a bit and you'll have your answer."
Not long after he finished speaking, an angry roar came from the second floor.
It was Snape's voice: "Weasley, don't let me catch you!"
"Heh heh..."
Fred pumped his fist in excitement.
"Plan achieved.
The Dungbomb I left behind just got triggered by Snape!"
George's eyes rolled.
"Shall we go back and have a look at what Snape looks like now?
Judging by his voice, it has to be quite a spectacle!"
"Of course we're going!"
Fred didn't hesitate.
"Duncan, get out the Invisibility Potion.
Slap a bit more on and we'll set off!"
So the suspects always go back to the scene of the crime to admire their masterpiece and then get themselves exposed, huh?
Duncan rolled his eyes.
He raised his hand and flicked each of them smartly on the forehead.
"Is my precious potion for you two to risk your necks with?"
"Ah—"
George clutched his head and hissed through his teeth, then argued, "How can this be risking our necks?
This is a rare, grand spectacle!"
"If you're going, go on your own—don't drag me into it."
Duncan waved them off, glaring as he spoke.
Then he took a pale-blue magic book out of his pouch, wanting to see what reward came after answering the earlier question correctly.
"How did we forget this!"
Fred immediately stared at the book in Duncan's hands with anticipation.
"Quick, flip to the back and have a look."
Duncan held the book up on his right palm, opened it from the last page with his other hand, and the three of them pressed their heads together to read.
Two short lines were written simply on the page:
"Eighth floor of the castle, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls.
Concentrate on envisaging the place you need and walk past that stretch of wall three times in succession; you will see a very smooth door, and through this door you will reach the place you desire."
"You are welcome to come again in a month.
I hope your wisdom will not by then have been diminished amid a great heap of troublesome affairs."
"What does this mean?"
George stared at the first line three times over, frowning.
"Any sort of place will do?
If we want somewhere we can both brew potions and make magical devices, can it manage that?"
"I think so," Duncan said, raising his eyebrows.
He'd been so busy since starting school that he'd actually forgotten about the Room of Requirement.
"Really?
How do you know?"
Fred's eyes went wide with delight, his big face nearly pressed to Duncan's.
Duncan shoved Fred away, flicked a Cleaning Charm over his own face, and said, "I heard from my grandad that there's a magical secret room in the school.
I think it's called the Room of Requirement.
When you really need it, it appears and fulfils your wish.
I've just been too busy lately and forgot about it..."
Anyway, there's no way the Weasley twins will go ask Newt.
Pinning this sort of thing on Newt is best.
Truly, having an elder at home is like having a treasure!
Fred and George exchanged a suppressed snigger, then jumped up together, punching the air and cheering, "Brilliant!
Doesn't that mean we'll have a workshop of our own?"
Pro, standing on Duncan's shoulder, was all excited too.
It asked anxiously, "Duncan, Duncan, can it conjure up the place a Niffler wants?"
If it could, wouldn't its Golden Mountain Nest plan finally be within reach?
As Pro imagined this, a thread of crystal drool dangled from the corner of its mouth.
"That I don't know," Duncan said with a shrug and a smile.
"After all, I don't know whether any Niffler has tried it before."
"Duncan, stop with the irrelevant chatter.
Come on, let's go and take a look!"
Fred took one stride to Duncan's side.
George stood on Duncan's other side.
The two of them hooked Duncan by the arms and sprinted forward.
"Eighth-floor troll tapestry, yeah?
Here we come!"
"Charge—charge—charge, Golden Mountain Nest, here I come!"
Pro hooked all four paws into Duncan's clothes, bouncing like it was riding a horse and flicking the reins in excitement.
They had scarcely raced up a single floor when footsteps sounded above their heads, accompanied by miaowing from a cat.
"Filch?"
Duncan and the other two stopped at the same time, pressing themselves to the wall to watch the movement above.
Pro gave a frightened shiver and slipped into the back of Duncan's collar, poking out just a little head, blinking its round eyes and peeking furtively.
"Professor McGonagall, I didn't see wrong—it was definitely those two little Weasley brats!"
Filch's exasperated voice drifted from the staircase.
"I just don't know why, but as I chased them they suddenly vanished, and to this moment I haven't found them!"
"Perhaps they made themselves invisible, or someone helped them get away," came Professor McGonagall's stern voice.
Hearing this, Duncan suddenly felt that the person Professor McGonagall meant was very likely him.
He glared at Fred and George, saying silently with his eyes, "See?
All thanks to you two!"
Fred pursed his lips, hunched his shoulders, and pulled a woeful face, as if to say, "Nothing we can do.
We didn't want things to turn out like this either!"
"Forget it, we'll come back another day.
Going up now is too risky."
Duncan lowered his voice to the two Weasleys.
"All right..."
Fred sighed softly.
With Filch and Professor McGonagall both on the warpath, going up to provoke them face to face would indeed be a bit too brazen.
The three turned to leave, hoping to sneak downstairs and make a quick escape before Filch found them.
But they had barely edged down two steps when a long shadow spilled from around the far corner, stretching along the floor and inching towards them.
A nauseating stench spread through the air, as if someone were dragging a cesspit towards them.
"Merlin's beard, how has Snape found his way here too?"
George clamped a hand over his nose, fighting the urge to retch.
"This way!"
Duncan waved, leading Fred and George to bolt to the far side of the corridor.
The candle-flames swayed gently with their footsteps.
As they passed a tall suit of armour, Fred yanked Duncan by the sleeve, pointed left, and hissed rapidly, "There's a door open over there.
Duncan, let's hide in there.
Once Snape and the others have gone, we'll come out again."
Without waiting for Duncan's opinion, Fred and George hauled him bodily through the doorway.
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