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At this moment, a fine layer of sweat had already seeped out from his forehead.
Entering the shadows is truly a torturous experience.
I really don't know why people feel that fireworks are a relaxing and pleasant thing.
...
After finishing his practice of the Shadow Technique, Maurice lay on his bed and began reading the miscellaneous books he had brought with him in his luggage.
Today he was reading a history book about wizards called "The 100 Most Famous Wizards in History".
He had always been exposed to Muggle culture, so it was essential for him to learn about wizarding society through books.
"Albus Dumbledore".
He saw a familiar name in the book's table of contents.
Isn't that their principal?
Morris became interested and turned to the corresponding page.
The book describes things in great detail.
"The greatest wizard of our time," "Recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class," "President of the International Federation of Wizarding Societies," and so on—these are all titles held by Dumbledore.
It also mentions his early research achievements in various fields and his famous feat of defeating the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in 1945.
The photo next to it was of a middle-aged man with gentle eyes, long reddish-brown hair, and a beard.
That must be Dumbledore in his youth.
The book is filled with praise and reverence for Dumbledore, portraying him almost as a flawless modern-day saint.
"He's a great man," Maurice thought.
However, although he had no impression of this character in his previous life, he always felt that the description in the book was too exaggerated.
This gave him a strange feeling.
He knows that no one is perfect.
"Knock knock—"
Just then, there was a knock on the dormitory door.
Chapter 34 The Missing Spider
Who will visit at this time?
Morris put down his book, feeling somewhat puzzled.
He walked to the door and opened it.
"Oh, it's you, Prefect Robert."
The person knocking on the door was none other than Robert Hilliard, the prefect of Ravenclaw.
"Is there something you need so late?" Morris asked.
"Good evening, Morris," Robert said. "There are two people looking for you outside the lounge. They're the red-haired twins from the third year of Gryffindor."
"Looking for me?" Maurice asked in surprise. "Did they say why?"
The Weasley twins came to our door... Could it be that there's something wrong with that eight-eyed spider hatchling?
"I don't know." Robert shook his head. "But they found me, so I came to let you know. Also, they seem to be in a hurry, so you might want to go check on them right away. They don't seem like they're here to cause trouble."
"Thank you for your help, Prefect Robert," Morris replied.
"You're welcome." Robert smiled slightly. "But please remember to come back before curfew, or I'll be in trouble too."
"Also, don't go around causing trouble like those twins. The two of them took away almost half of Gryffindor's points last year. I don't want Ravenclaw to have any like that."
"These twins seem to have a bad reputation," Morris thought.
...
Morris arrived at the door of the lounge, walked down the spiral staircase, and immediately saw two red-haired figures.
It was the Weasley twins.
The two paced back and forth at the door, looking anxious, their steps almost in sync.
Morris was about to greet them when he realized he couldn't tell which was George and which was Fred at all.
They're twins, no wonder; even their expressions are like they were made from the same mold.
"Maurice!"
One of the Weasleys spotted Maurice's arrival and immediately stepped forward, his tone grave, "The worst has happened!"
"Don't rush," Morris said. "Tell me first whether you are George or Fred, or the conversation might not get going."
"I'm Fred," the other person replied somewhat helplessly.
"Looks like I guessed right." Maurice nodded in satisfaction. "So? What happened? Did that eight-eyed giant spider escape?"
Upon hearing this, the Weasley twins exchanged a glance.
"How did you know?" Fred asked in surprise.
"Just a guess," Morris smiled slightly. "Because you two don't seem very reliable."
"What!"
Fred feigned a hurt expression, "Is that how you see us?"
George silently took out the wooden box that had previously contained the eight-eyed giant spider.
A large hole was clearly visible on the side of the box, which was created by Morris's transmutation magic.
The edges of the opening were jagged, as if it had been violently torn open by something.
"We left the box in the Charms classroom, and the giant spider escaped while we were eating," George explained. "Although it doesn't have the ability to secrete venom yet, it tore a hole with its mouth. We searched the neighborhood but couldn't find it. It's small, and there are plenty of places to hide in the castle."
"Is it troublesome?" Morris asked. "I think such a small spider should be harmless."
"Probably," Fred said, "but there are always students who can't handle spiders."
"Like our brother," George said with a sly grin.
"Ah, yes, like our brother." Fred agreed.
Looking at the two grinning foolishly at each other, Morris raised an eyebrow. "So what are you worried about? As long as someone sees the spider and catches it, we'll just pretend we don't know anything."
In his view, this was not a major matter that required him to come specifically to him.
Although the spider was a size bigger than his head, it was still just a spider.
It's important to know that the vast majority of spiders are beneficial insects.
Since it's a beneficial insect, why bother with its behavior?
"There could be trouble," Fred said, his smile fading and his expression turning serious. "Keeping or carrying dangerous magical creatures—even young ones—without permission is against school rules and could even violate laws enacted by the Ministry of Magic."
"If this spider were to roam freely in the castle, regardless of whether it poses any danger, any professor who discovers it will certainly trace its origin."
George chimed in, "No matter how well we cover it up, they'll always find the culprit. We've learned that the hard way too."
Morris understood now.
The meaning of "twins" is that once the professors discover the spider, they can use various methods to trace it back to them.
There will be all sorts of problems then.
Morris sighed. "Well, it seems we can only try to find this spider now. You said it went missing near the Charms classroom, right?"
"Yes," Fred confirmed, "but we've already searched that area once, so perhaps we can expand the search area."
"Let's go." Morris was the first to set off. "Let's go look around the teaching area first."
...
Most of Hogwarts' classrooms are located on the second, third, and fourth floors of the main castle, as well as some of the towers.
It's not easy for new students to find these classrooms; they can easily get lost if they're not careful.
The teaching area was exceptionally quiet at night; even the portraits hanging on the walls had fallen asleep. Fortunately, the magic lamps on the walls still shone, providing some illumination.
Maurice and his two companions did not intend to split up, because a caretaker named Filch would be patrolling the castle at this time of day.
If they were to run into each other, the three of them could at least look out for each other.
However, even if you get caught, it won't be a big problem.
It's 8 p.m. now, and there's still an hour until curfew.
Fred observed the possible spots where the spider might appear and remarked casually, "At this time of day, most students have already returned to the lounge. Even if someone discovers a spider, it won't cause much panic."
"The problem is," George continued, checking the gaps behind the armor, "that tomorrow morning, the hallways will be packed with people at breakfast time. If it suddenly jumps out then and scares the younger students, or worse—like biting Snape's butt—we're really doomed."
"Snape?" Morris asked. "Who's that?"
"Our Potions professor," Fred said, scoffing, "is Severus Snape, the head of Slytherin. A troublemaker; you won't like him in class."
Maurice silently memorized the name.
After checking the two classrooms, the three returned to the corridor.
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