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...
At noon, after having lunch, Maurice set off for the library.
Just as he stepped out of the auditorium, the canned food suddenly jumped down from the eaves and circled around him.
The silly cat had disappeared somewhere; its fur was covered with a few blades of grass and some suspicious, shiny slime, and its head was wet.
Where did you go?
Meow~~
Morris was a little disgusted and used several cleansing spells on it before he could hold it in his arms.
The canned animal snorted contentedly and nuzzled his chin with its head.
In recent days, his two pets have been mostly away from him.
Fireworks comes back every night, but Canned Food is almost always missing; who knows what trouble it's gotten into outside.
Holding the cat, Maurice walked to the library entrance.
As soon as he entered, a man with a serious expression stopped him.
She is Irma Pines, the librarian at Hogwarts.
Mrs. Pince stared at the can of food in Morris's arms and said coldly, "Sir, pets are not allowed in the library."
"No problem, madam."
Morris obediently put down the can.
The black cat, with remarkable intelligence, pushed open the door with its head, darted out like a shadow, and disappeared behind the door.
"That's fine," Mrs. Pince said with a very faint smile. "Go in, but be careful not to damage any books or make any noise."
This was Maurice's first time in a library. He looked around and found it to be incredibly large, bigger than any library he had ever seen, which must have been achieved through some kind of space-expanding magic.
Towering bookshelves stood in the dim light, piled high with books. The air was thick with the distinctive smell of parchment and ink, creating a heavy, somber atmosphere.
It's a nice place, he thought.
Because it was the weekend, the place was very crowded.
The desks were almost completely occupied, and the aisles between the bookshelves were bustling with students, mostly older students.
What bothered Morris the most was that there was an area next door enclosed by an iron fence.
Restricted Book Section.
Through the railing, Morris could still see a familiar figure—Robert Hilliard.
The Ravenclaw prefect was looking down at a tattered notebook.
He seemed to sense the gaze, looked up, and met Morris's eyes.
Robert was taken aback at first, then smiled slightly, closed the book in his hand, stepped over the iron gate, and walked up to Maurice.
"Good afternoon, Morris," he said gently.
"Hello, Prefect Robert," Morris greeted him in return.
There's someone in Chapter 41!
"Doesn't the Hogwarts library look amazing?" Robert introduced with a hint of pride. "The collection here is one of the largest in the entire wizarding world. Many rare documents that cannot be found elsewhere can be found here as copies or original records."
"It's really great," Morris answered honestly. "I think I'll like this place."
Robert smiled and said, "Every Ravenclaw loves it here... Oh, what kind of information are you looking for? Feel free to ask me anytime if you have any questions."
"Thank you, but I was just browsing."
Maurice did not reveal that he was searching for the recipe for the Water of Life and Death.
Revealing to the other party that he was interested in a dangerous and controlled potion recipe would be tantamount to asking for trouble—even if he had a good impression of Robert and the other party was very likely to know about the potion of life and death.
His gaze fell on the iron gate to the side. "Is that the restricted book area?"
When Robert came out just now, the iron gate was automatically locked.
"That's right," Robert replied.
Morris paused, then asked, "How do I get into the restricted section to find information?"
Robert glanced at him in surprise. "You just need to apply to a professor. As long as you have a valid reason, I think most professors won't refuse. I recommend Professor Flitwick; he's our dean."
"What if there's no legitimate reason?" Morris said casually.
Robert chuckled twice, lowering his voice, "You can come at night. The locks here aren't enchanted; you can get in with just a lockpicking spell. Also, try to come after midnight; Filch rarely patrols then..."
Morris looked at him with a hint of surprise.
Their prefect seemed to be very familiar with the procedure of sneaking into the restricted book section.
They were even passing on their experience to him.
"Don't look at me like that, Morris," Robert shrugged. "I never sneaked in; I have the professor's approval."
Morris understood without saying a word.
Just then, Mrs. Pince walked over from a distance and said to Robert, "Mr. Hilliard, have you found the book you wanted to borrow?"
"Yes, madam."
"Then come here to register."
Before leaving with Mrs. Pince, Robert winked at Maurice and said casually, "Well, Maurice, I hope I won't hear from you again that you've lost points for staying out at the library at night. Goodbye."
Morris watched his retreating figure and understood that the other man was reminding him.
Moreover, he realized something.
Robert Hilliard was not a very rule-abiding guy.
Just like him.
"An interesting person."
Morris snapped out of his thoughts and turned to walk towards the bookshelf.
...
For the next week, Maurice spent almost all his time in the library, except for attending classes.
Of course, he wasn't in a hurry to find the recipe for the Water of Life and Death.
While slowly working towards his goal, he also read many other books on various topics.
The Hogwarts Library has almost every kind of book, covering virtually all areas, and even some newly published essays or poetry collections by wizarding authors.
As Maurice had previously stated, he enjoys reading books.
This place might be paradise for him, who knows?
He quickly became engrossed in it.
Under these circumstances, progress on the formula for the Water of Life and Death was naturally slow.
In addition, he visited Hagrid this week to inquire about the progress of the centaur matter.
According to Hagrid, the centaur community felt very sorry for what had happened to him and wanted to apologize in person.
But Morris rejected the offer; he now had absolutely no goodwill towards centaurs and even thought it was a trap.
He also inquired about the condition of the centaur named Bain, and heard that it had taken him a week to recover from the injury Morris had inflicted on him.
Regarding this, all Maurice can say is that he deserved it.
...
Mid-September, Saturday, midnight.
Morris had been meditating in his dorm room for three hours straight.
"It's almost time."
He changed into dark casual clothes, carefully placed his wand at his waist, and silently slipped out of the dormitory.
The moonlight was cool and clear, casting silvery dapples on the floor through the window.
The lounge was quiet, empty except for the faint sounds of the wind outside the window and the hooting of owls.
He is now going to the restricted section of the library.
He might find information about the Water of Life and Death or methods for faking death in the forbidden book section.
He had been curious about that place for a long time, and now was the perfect time to go.
Because he was already able to use the Shadow Technique skillfully without chanting.
Even if he encounters an unexpected situation, such as running into Filch head-on, he can easily escape—unless the other party can also disappear into the darkness like him.
With his understanding of the castle's nighttime patrol patterns gained over the past week, he was very confident.
Stepping out of the lounge, Maurice avoided the main staircase densely covered with portraits and successfully circled around to the library entrance via a less-traveled corridor in the north wing of the castle.
The library was quiet and deserted. He walked straight to the iron gate of the restricted book section.
Looking at the lock on the door, he suddenly realized something important.
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