"Listen."
Lynn lowered his voice. "The method of using it is very simple. Desperately imagine the appearance of the room you want most in your mind, then walk back and forth three times in front of this section of the wall.
"Remember, your thoughts must be focused!"
Edgar was the first to volunteer. He closed his eyes, his face full of longing, muttering under his breath:
"I want a room with all kinds of the latest broomsticks that I can ride whenever I want..."
He walked back and forth in front of the wall three times, just as Lynn had instructed.
As he turned for the third time, a door really did emerge silently on the originally smooth wall!
"Merlin's beard!"
Edgar exclaimed and impatiently pushed the door open.
Behind the door was a huge space, similar to a Quidditch equipment storage room.
The shelves and walls were covered with all kinds of broomsticks, ranging from the most antique "Portsmouth Comet" to the latest "Nimbus 2000" models.
Edgar cheered and lunged toward the broomstick that looked the coolest.
The group then walked out of the room.
William also became interested. He stepped forward and concentrated:
"I need a quiet library with a rich collection of books, especially on Ancient Runes and Advanced Transfiguration..."
After three laps, another door appeared.
Behind it were floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with heavy tomes. The air was permeated with the scent of books and old parchment.
William nodded with satisfaction, and it was Ollie's turn to try.
Ollie hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice:
"I want a... a place where I can see the starry sky, very quiet, where I can be alone."
The door appeared again, revealing a terrace-like space with a brilliant magical starry sky overhead. A soft breeze blew gently, and there was only a comfortable lounge chair in the corner.
Ollie's eyes brightened slightly, and he walked in quietly.
Lynn watched the three of them get what they wanted and felt a surge of playfulness himself. He tried "a laboratory with the most complete Alchemy tools and a stable, fireproof magic circle," "a super fish pond that could simulate famous fishing spots around the world," and "a lazy man's paradise piled with cushions and snacks."
The group went back and forth, trying out over a dozen rooms with different functions.
Finally, the four of them sat in the "Lazy Man's Paradise" that Lynn had conjured. They were sprawled on soft cushions, holding mediocre-tasting Pumpkin Juice that had appeared out of thin air.
Edgar burped contentedly. "Fantastic! This place is simply paradise!"
William adjusted his glasses. "The functionality is indeed incredibly powerful, meeting almost any immediate spatial need. The Castle's magical mechanisms are unfathomable."
Ollie nodded in agreement.
Lynn took a sip of Pumpkin Juice, smacked his lips, and gave his final concluding remarks:
"Well, overall, this place is not bad. It's more comprehensive than my trunk; you get whatever you think of. But—"
He drawled, "it's not as convenient as my trunk."
"This thing can't be carried around. Every time you use it, you have to run to the eighth floor and walk back and forth like an idiot in front of a wall. It's not low-key enough, and it doesn't fit my style."
"My trunk is still better. Although it's still a large, rough-cast room right now, it wins in privacy and portability. Its development potential is huge!"
Lynn's evaluation was as stubborn and picky as ever.
"Let's go, time to head back. We have Potions class tomorrow. If Snape catches us with dark circles under our eyes, he'll treat us like ingredients for slugs."
William rubbed his slightly sore eyes and was the first to suggest leaving. Playing with various settings in the Room of Requirement was exciting, but it was indeed mentally exhausting.
Edgar gave the Nimbus 2000 model one last touch, still wanting more, while Ollie silently rose from the lounge chair on the starry terrace.
They once again put on Lynn's "low-quality version" of an invisibility cloak.
The fact that it was low-quality couldn't entirely be blamed on Lynn's Alchemy.
It was mainly due to a severe shortage of funds recently. Most of the Galleons had been invested in the trunk's renovation and Levi's "Nutrient Solution," so the budget for purchasing cloak materials had been squeezed to the limit.
Being able to create a rough outline that could barely confuse the eye in dim light was already a miracle of Primal Resonance.
Lynn: Can saving money be called being stingy? That's called cost reduction and efficiency improvement—resource optimization!
The three of them were like a string of conjoined mushrooms, moving carefully under the still-crowded cloak, returning along the way they had come.
Lynn led the way with the Disillusionment Charm active, and Peter's Jolt was never turned off. Like a living radar, he sensed the dangers ahead.
"Turn left, stick to the wall!"
The three under the cloak immediately pressed themselves tightly against the cold stone wall like geckos.
The next moment, Professor McGonagall's stern figure turned the corner from the side corridor. She seemed to have noticed something; her sharp gaze swept over the shadows where they were hiding, paused for a few seconds, and then she continued walking forward.
The four under the cloak didn't even dare to breathe.
Just as they breathed a sigh of relief and hadn't gone far, Lynn suddenly stopped again, signaling the others under the cloak to crouch down.
Filch was seen carrying his dim oil lamp, muttering about which suits of armor needed oiling. Madam Norris followed at his feet, her bulbous eyes glowing in the dark, her nose twitching constantly as if she smelled the unfamiliar scent of magical fabric.
The four held their breath, almost able to hear each other's heartbeats, until the footsteps of the man and the cat gradually faded away.
The most thrilling moment was when they almost bumped head-on into Peeves coming down the stairs.
Fortunately, Lynn sensed that unique chaotic aura and gave an early warning. They scrambled into a broom niche, listening to Peeves hum an out-of-tune prank song as he floated past outside.
In this way, under the leadership of Lynn—the "humanoid danger warning device"—the four passed through layers of checkpoints without mishap and finally saw the familiar stack of barrels leading to the Hufflepuff common room.
After tapping in a specific rhythm, the barrel lid swiveled open.
They filed in one by one, crawling into the warm common room. It was late at night, and the room was empty, with only the embers in the fireplace still emitting a faint glow.
They pulled off the low-quality cloak, which was almost soaked with sweat, and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Merlin... every time I go on a night stroll with Lynn, it feels like going through a secret war,"
Edgar collapsed into the nearest armchair and said weakly.
"But it was worth it, wasn't it?" Although William was also tired, his face was full of satisfaction; tonight's sights were enough for him to reminisce about for a long time.
Ollie nodded silently. Although he didn't speak, his eyes were bright, clearly very satisfied with this adventure as well.
Lynn casually stuffed the cloak back into his trunk and gave a big yawn.
"Alright, warriors, time to rest. We have to face Snape's 'care' tomorrow... I hope he won't find out we went to explore the Castle's 'illegal structures' last night."
With the exhaustion following the excitement—and a bit of "longing" for tomorrow—the Hufflepuff Night Stroll Squad finally disbanded, each crawling back into their own warm beds.
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