Before curfew, Hufflepuff Dormitory.
After a busy day, Master Lynn finally returned to his faithful Hufflepuff dormitory.
To put it plainly, Lynn, who had sat by the water all afternoon and finally returned dejectedly with an empty fish basket, collapsed onto his faithful four-poster bed.
Lying in the soft bed, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got:
'Why? Why is it that Edgar and the others can catch something with a casual cast, while I, after careful preparation and patient waiting, don't even get a single fish?'
'Even though coming home empty-handed every day has become a habit, it doesn't stop me from feeling frustrated every single time!'
Just as he was sulking at the air, Edgar lowered his voice and asked excitedly, "Guys? It's a long night, do you want to... go on a night adventure?"
"That's not a good idea... it's against the school rules..." This was Ollie's voice, coming from the bed opposite him, sounding hesitant.
But in the darkness, the rustling sound of him starting to put on his shoes could be heard.
"Hmm, won't it be a bit dangerous? It'll be trouble if we get caught by Filch or Madam Norris..."
William's voice came from his bed; he sounded like the most conservative of the group.
"That's why we have to go early!"
Edgar had plenty of reasons. "Late at night is more dangerous; there are more Peeves and patrolling Professors! Right now is the perfect time!"
This slightly conservative opinion was quickly drowned out by the passion for adventure.
"What about you, Lynn? Lynn?" Edgar didn't hear Lynn's response and peered over the edge of the bed to look at him.
"What are you looking at?" Lynn's voice came from the direction of the door. "Let's go."
He had already put on his cloak, wand in hand, clearly having quickly converted his earlier "anger" into action.
Four dark shadows slipped quietly out of the Hufflepuff Common Room, relying on their preliminary familiarity with the Castle's layout.
They narrowly avoided several patrolling suits of armor and a distant meow from Madam Norris, successfully reaching the Castle gates.
The Hogwarts grounds at night were shrouded in moonlight and starlight, appearing quiet and mysterious.
"We're out. Where to?"
Lynn took a deep breath of the cool air, feeling his frustration dissipate quite a bit, and turned to ask the initiator of this adventure, Edgar.
"How about the Forbidden Forest?"
Edgar's eyes lit up. "We can wander around the Castle anytime during the day, but the Forbidden Forest is strictly forbidden at all times! That's what I call a real adventure!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Lynn's excitement was also piqued. "Go! Go! Go!"
The quartet stepped onto the lawn and headed toward the Forbidden Forest. They passed a... well, a vegetable patch?
"Why are there vegetable patches at Hogwarts?" William pushed up his glasses, identifying some pumpkins by the moonlight.
Lynn rubbed his chin. 'Should I apply for a small plot of land myself to grow something? It would be a waste not to use the [Abundance] talent. Maybe I could even make some money by growing rare herbs?'
He felt this idea was worth considering.
Passing the vegetable patch, they officially arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Ancient towering trees with interlacing branches formed what seemed like a natural black barrier; the rustling of unknown creatures and distant cries came from deep within the forest.
The group looked at each other and tacitly decided not to venture too deep, choosing instead to wander around the outskirts just to soak in the atmosphere.
"Rustle, rustle~" A faint sound came from the nearby bushes.
"What kind of magical creature is that?" Ollie pointed at the source of the sound, both nervous and curious.
Under the moonlight, a small creature made of twigs and bark was parting the leaves, looking at them curiously.
"It should be a Bowtruckle. I'll go take a look."
Lynn wasn't sure either; it was a bit too far to see clearly, but relying on his [Affinity] talent, he was quite bold.
As soon as he approached, the Bowtruckle reached out a small hand made of twigs and handed him a... wand?
"Here, I found it," a tiny voice whispered in Lynn's ear.
Lynn was stunned and took the wand, which looked a bit old but well-maintained.
'It seems some unlucky Wizard lost their wand in the Forbidden Forest.'
"Did you see who dropped it?" Lynn instinctively communicated with the Bowtruckle.
"A... red-haired... human... dropped it..." the Bowtruckle conveyed the information intermittently.
Lynn instinctively repeated, "Red-haired..."
Well, no need to ask further; it must be a Weasley! Probably another one of them accidentally dropped it while "exploring" the Forbidden Forest; I just don't know which one.
"No, wait," Edgar's eyes widened in disbelief as he asked, "Lynn... you... you can communicate with magical creatures?!"
William and Ollie also crowded around, their faces full of shock.
"Did I not tell you guys?" Lynn blinked, playing dumb.
"Never!" the three said in unison, their voices sounding exceptionally loud at the quiet edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Oh, well, now you know..." Lynn muttered under his breath, tucking the wand away. (´ε｀*)
Since they found a "lost item," the group decided to walk a short distance into the Forbidden Forest to see if they might be lucky enough to run into the wand's owner.
Along the way, they did indeed encounter many magical creatures.
Bowtruckles, fluffy Puffskeins, and even a cat-like creature with a cunning look in its eyes followed them from a distance.
"What are they saying?"
Every time they encountered a creature, Edgar couldn't wait to ask Lynn.
"It says... 'Hello,'" Lynn translated the Bowtruckle's words.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Quite polite," William commented.
Such conversations were repeated who knows how many times.
Although Ollie didn't say much, his eyes were shining the whole time, clearly envious of the ability to communicate with creatures.
Lynn suddenly stopped in his tracks, raising his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, his expression turning solemn.
"What's wrong?" Edgar asked in a whisper.
"Something feels wrong... very wrong." Lynn lowered his voice; the feeling of his hair standing on end became increasingly apparent.
"It might be too late to run. Quick! Find a place to hide!"
Although the others didn't know why, seeing Lynn's unprecedentedly serious expression, they immediately complied.
They quickly scattered, hiding behind several exceptionally thick ancient trees and in dense bushes, holding their breath so tightly that even their heartbeats sounded deafening.
They had been hidden for less than a minute when two figures wearing black hooded robes, their faces obscured, stepped out from the shadows not far away.
They didn't look like good people at all.
"Fuck, where did those two brats run off to?" a short Wizard spoke irritably, his voice raspy.
"I told you you were talking too much! You let those two brats get away!" the other tall Wizard's tone was extremely impatient, carrying suppressed rage.
"Not only did those two little punks slip away, but we didn't even catch the main target for tonight—the Mooncalf! What rotten luck!"
Lynn hid behind the tree, complaining wildly in his mind: 'Merlin's lace-trimmed suspenders! What kind of luck is this today? To run into poachers while out on a night stroll!'
However, it seemed luck could always get worse.
The tall Wizard was clearly more than just impatient; he was absolutely livid.
Perhaps feeling too frustrated at coming up empty-handed, he suddenly raised his wand without warning, seemingly wanting to vent by firing Spells wildly at the surrounding woods.
"Diffindo!"
A Spell tore through the air, heading straight for the face of Lynn, who was under the Disillusionment Charm!
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Read my other novel: Naruto: Multiverse Adventures.