As Alan hurried out with William, Charles was also accompanying Gryffindor's seventh-year Prefect, Pascal Hogg, to the Astronomy Tower. However, Pascal kept wiping cold sweat from his forehead and occasionally took deep breaths along the way.
"Charles, what do you think Alan wants to talk to us about? He wouldn't try to ambush me under the cover of night, would he?" Pascal glanced nervously at his companion and wiped his brow again.
"Prefect, you really don't need to be so nervous; Alan is very easy to talk to," Charles said with a helpless shake of his head.
"Oh, but that's Alan Wilson! Wouldn't anyone else be nervous?" Pascal felt even more flustered after speaking the name.
Why was Gryffindor's seventh-year Prefect so nervous, even a little afraid to mention his name? That was because Alan's reputation in Gryffindor was not as low-key as it was in Slytherin. Moreover, Charles had a part in this—or rather, it had to do with both Charles and Bill.
Gryffindor was not like Slytherin; there wasn't as much scheming within the House. The Gryffindor wizards were generally cheerful, and everyone got along well. However, while the House was united, their ability to cause trouble was far too strong. They weren't particularly eager for House points, preferring to act as they pleased.
Charles himself had a good character and a solid personality, so he got along well with everyone and had many friends. Naturally, not long after Charles enrolled, most people in the House knew he had a good friend named Alan in Slytherin, but no one held any prejudice against him because of it. But ever since Charles started training and studying with Alan, he gradually became an "Alan fanboy," constantly bragging in the common room about how amazing and powerful his Slytherin friend was.
At first, everyone took it as a joke; how powerful could a young, unknown student be? Bragging was common in Gryffindor, and everyone enjoyed telling tall tales to each other.
But things changed two years ago. Two things happened that year: first, the second "Alan fanboy," Bill, enrolled. This boy practically treated Alan as his older brother, and his praise was as exaggerated as could be. Most importantly, Bill himself was very capable and a top student; when even he corroborated the stories, the credibility increased significantly.
The second thing was, of course, Alan's feat of independently defeating five Death Eaters that year, coupled with being awarded the title of "Battle Hero," and his exploit of single-handedly taking on ten people at the awards banquet. Gryffindor students loved to play the hero. Now, Hogwarts suddenly had a true hero whose strength had been tested, which led many people to develop a strong interest in Alan.
Under multiple halos, combined with the tireless praise from the two fanboys in the House, the sentiment in Gryffindor changed dramatically. Soon, Alan became a figure like a hidden master in the eyes of many Gryffindor students. He was powerful, low-key, and an irreconcilable enemy of dark forces like the Death Eaters.
Pascal actually understood Alan more deeply because he had obtained his O.W.L. in Care of Magical Creatures and had a very good relationship with Professor Kettleburn. Last year, by chance, Pascal learned from the Professor that Alan had done another terrifying thing: he had defeated at least four werewolves and rescued dozens of magical creatures.
Pascal was not one to keep secrets, and the matter quickly spread. With Charles and Bill joining in the fun, the story became increasingly exaggerated. It started with defeating four werewolves, but eventually turned into Alan single-handedly taking down dozens.
Alan actually knew about this, as Charles loved to brag to him. He found it quite amusing that these boys managed to guess the outcome correctly through their imagination. But this led to a leapfrog increase in Alan's status in Gryffindor. Many wizards regarded him as an idol, and Charles and Bill, known as Alan's top followers, saw their own status rise. Part of the reason Charles was so smoothly elected Prefect this year was because having him in the role was like being protected by the House's hidden boss.
The reason no one from Gryffindor had provoked Alan in all these years was not just because he was low-key, but because his reputation was simply too great.
As for Alan being chosen as the Slytherin Prefect, from the perspective of the Slytherin insiders, it was like watching a suspense film; they initially had no idea what Alan was trying to do. But for the young lions of Gryffindor, learning that Alan had become the Slytherin Prefect was like playing a horror movie for someone in the middle of the night.
*No, shouldn't you be a reclusive master? Charles and Bill said your relationship with those Slytherins wasn't good.* They had fought with Slytherin so many times and had never seen Alan step in.
So, after seeing Alan's figure in the Prefect's compartment, the other Gryffindor Prefects were left with only expletives in their minds; this was too horrifying. When Louis informed them this morning that Alan wanted to meet tonight, Pascal had been filled with anxiety. It was a mix of apprehension before meeting an idol and panic when facing a big boss.
*Why does Alan want to meet at night? Will he abandon his image as a master and personally deal with Gryffindor? Will he back up those young wizards from Slytherin and force the lions to comply?*
Thinking of these things, sweat again dripped down Pascal's forehead.
"Charles," Pascal swallowed again, "Brother, I've always treated you well. If Alan really tries to do something strange later, you can't just stand by and do nothing!"
"Prefect, I've told you, don't be so nervous. Alan must have a reason for seeking us out." Although Charles said this, being influenced by Pascal all the way made even him feel a bit uneasy.
"What I'm afraid of is that there is a reason!" Pascal's mind couldn't help but wander. Now, not only his forehead, but also his chest and back began to sweat.