0237 Morning

Words : 2365 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

After bidding farewell to Hagrid and Dumbledore at the forest's edge, Adrian made his way back through the castle's corridors to his chambers. With the castle now confirmed safe from immediate threat, students no longer needed to continue their uncomfortable sleep in the Great Hall, sleeping on makeshift bedding under the vigilant eyes of the staff. The emergency protocols had been lifted, and the familiar rhythms of castle life were slowly returning to normal. Hogwarts had regained its former tranquility or so it appeared on the surface. At midnight, when the castle bells chimed their mournful song across the grounds, Adrian was lying in his four-poster bed, staring up at the carvings on the ceiling above. He was actually suffering from a strange bout of insomnia, something that had never plagued him before in all his years at Hogwarts. "Something's not quite right..." Adrian muttered to himself. Restless and unable to find peace, he turned over and sat up, his bare feet touching the stone floor. The chill sent a shiver through his body as he looked out through the tall, arched window. A crescent moon hung in the star-studded sky like a celestial smile, its silver light streaming through the glass and casting patterns on the floor. Everything appeared perfectly normal, peaceful even, the kind of peaceful night that should have soothed him into deep, dreamless sleep. Yet for some inexplicable reason, he had a lingering sense of unease that sat in his stomach. At that moment, Devil's Snare emerged from beneath Adrian's bed, nuzzling against his cheek. "You feel it too, don't you?" Adrian murmured softly. It was reassuring to know that his unease wasn't simply the product of an overactive imagination. The Devil's Snare responded with a gentle squeeze, its vines wrapping around his arm. Adrian sighed and lay back down, trying once more to try to sleep. After several minutes of fruitless tossing and turning, he attempted to roll over, only to misjudge the edge of his bed and tumble toward the floor. The Devil's Snare reacted with lightning speed, its vines shooting out to catch him before he could hit the floor. The plant lifted him and carried him across the room to his desk. "Thank you," Adrian said with a smile, settling into the chair and accepting that sleep would not come easily this night. "I suppose if I'm going to be awake, I might as well make good use of the time." When dawn finally began to break, Adrian stood up from his chair and stretched his stiff muscles. The night had passed in a blur of focused concentration and research. Due to his persistent insomnia, he had spent the entire evening immersed in the study of potion formulas—specifically working on improvements to a new generation of purification potions that could be more effective against dark magic residue. He had learned long ago not to waste precious time lying in bed when sleep refused to come. Such hours were better spent in study or research. After downing a large bottle of Pepperup Potion, Adrian immediately felt the familiar warmth spread through his body as the magical stimulant took effect. Steam began to pour from his ears, it was a harmless but amusing side effect and his fatigue melted away. His mind cleared, and his energy returned with vigor. Of course, he was well aware that potions could only provide temporary relief from exhaustion. Under normal circumstances, adequate sleep and rest were still essential for maintaining both physical, mental and magical health. But for now, the artificial energy would have to do. With time to spare before his first class and feeling remarkably alert despite his sleepless night, Adrian decided to leave his chambers and head to the Great Hall for breakfast. The corridors were still relatively quiet, with only a few early-rising students and staff members moving about their morning routines. The Great Hall, when he arrived, was bathed in the warm golden light of the rising sun streaming through the tall windows. The enchanted ceiling reflected the dawn sky perfectly, creating an atmosphere of peace. Most of the tables were empty, with only a scattering of students who had risen early to begin their day. Two familiar figures with red hair were already at the Gryffindor table, but their behavior was particularly odd. They were hunched over their plates, sneakily stuffing bread into their mouths with furtive glances around the hall, like two mice stealing food. Adrian found himself somewhat puzzled by their behavior. Was it really necessary to eat with such stealth? Breakfast was, after all, a perfectly normal and encouraged activity. "George! Fred!" He called out, approaching the twin brothers from behind. He placed his hands gently on their shoulders, feeling them tense immediately under his touch. "What exactly are you doing?" The twins immediately froze as if struck by a Stunning Spell, their movements coming to an abrupt halt. Pieces of bread hung half-chewed in their mouths, and their eyes widened with unmistakable panic. They turned around slowly, their identical faces wearing expressions of caught-in-the-act guilt. Upon seeing that it was Adrian rather than a more stern professor, they visibly relaxed, their shoulders were sagging with relief. "Professor Westeros," Fred complained, one hand dramatically placed over his heart as if to slow its racing pace. "You move like a ghost! You nearly gave us both heart attacks!" "Please answer my question," Adrian said with amusement, his gaze sweeping between the two mischievous faces. "I sincerely hope you're not engaged in anything that violates school rules. It would be most disappointing to have to assign detention on such a beautiful morning." "Absolutely not, Professor!" both twins said simultaneously, their voices having the kind of overly innocent tone that immediately said the opposite. "We just left the common room," Fred added with what he clearly hoped was a convincing smile. "Couldn't sleep, you know. Thought we'd get an early start on the day." Though they spoke with apparent sincerity, their shifty eyes and tense shoulders completely betrayed them. Clearly, they weren't nearly as well-behaved as they were attempting to appear. Adrian had seen enough guilty students over the years to recognize the signs immediately. "Very well," Adrian raised an eyebrow with obvious skepticism. "But I should remind you that after engaging in mischievous nighttime activities, you should really clean the mud off your trousers before appearing in public." The twins immediately began frantically checking their trouser legs. Sure enough, both of them were stained with fresh mud that hadn't even had time to dry completely. "Oh! Professor—" Fred began as he tried to give some explanation that might salvage the situation. "I'll let it slide this time," Adrian interrupted him with a slight smile, waving away whatever excuse was about to emerge. Though it wasn't entirely proper for a professor to overlook such obvious rule-breaking, he genuinely didn't care what the twins had been up to—even if they had managed to blow up the headmaster's office, he wouldn't have minded much. After all, who among them hadn't participated in a few nighttime adventures during their own school days? He had fond memories of his own night wanderings through the castle, though he had been caught by several professors during his time as a student. Most of them had mercifully let him off with warnings or minor punishments. Well, except for Professor McGonagall, who had made him clean toilets for an entire week after catching him in the Transfiguration courtyard at two in the morning. Without magic, no less. "You're really not going to punish—" George began hopefully, but Fred immediately covered his mouth with his hand. Why say anything more at this point? They had been granted an unexpected amnesty—there was no need to press their luck or give the professor cause to reconsider his generous decision. Seeing this display of brotherly intervention, Adrian chuckled warmly and patted both their shoulders in a gesture of reassurance. "Just this once," He said with fake sternness. "Don't make a habit of it." George immediately raised his hands in celebration, his face lighting up with genuine joy. "Ah! You're truly a great professor!" He exclaimed with the enthusiasm. Fred also breathed a sigh of relief. However, despite the twins' escape from punishment, Adrian's interruption had effectively ended their breakfast. The atmosphere of secrecy had been broken, and they no longer felt comfortable lingering in the Great Hall where they might attract more attention. The two immediately stood up from the table, preparing to make their exit before any other professors arrived who might be less understanding of their early morning activities. Just then, as George rose from his seat, a roll of parchment that had been hidden beneath his robes fell from his chest, landing at Adrian's feet. The unexpected appearance of the mysterious document caused all three of them to freeze in place, like actors in a play who had suddenly forgotten their lines. For a moment, the silence in the Great Hall was absolute, broken only by the distant sounds of the castle awakening around them. The parchment lay there between them like an unexploded bomb. Adrian bent down and picked up the parchment. What this roll of parchment truly was self-evident to him. This was none other than the Marauder's Map. Without hesitation, Adrian immediately began to unroll the parchment "Don't—" Fred instinctively reached out to stop Adrian. But George, displaying remarkable presence of mind, pressed down firmly on his brother's shoulder, restraining him with a meaningful look. "It's fine," George whispered urgently to his brother, "He doesn't know how to use it. Without the proper incantation, it's just blank parchment." Fred relaxed slightly, his panic subsiding as he recognized the logic in his brother's words. Indeed, to unlock the Marauder's Map's secrets, one had to recite specific magical incantations that were known only to them. Without those words, the map would remain blank and useless. "What exactly is this?" Adrian asked with interest, waving the apparently blank parchment in his hand like a fan. The twins exchanged meaningful glances. "My Potions homework," George said with admirable composure. "But as you can see, it's currently blank. I was planning to complete it later today." "Hmm... a very convincing explanation," Adrian said, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he examined the parchment more closely. "So, what's the real story here?" George's mouth twitched slightly as he struggled to maintain his innocent expression, forcing what could only be described as a silly grin. "It really is my homework, Professor," He insisted with the kind of earnestness that only made his deception more obvious. "If you don't believe me, you're welcome to examine it as carefully as you like." "Very well, as you wish," Adrian said with a casual shrug, fully unrolling the parchment to reveal its complete blank surface. The twins watched with growing confidence as their professor stared at the empty parchment, clearly expecting him to find nothing of interest. Then, with perfect timing and clear pronunciation, Adrian spoke the magical words: "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Ink began to spread across the parchment's surface like living threads, flowing and branching in patterns. An exquisite map of Hogwarts gradually unfolded on the surface, showing every corridor, every room, every secret passage with remarkable detail and accuracy. In the center of the map, three dots appeared with names floating above them: Adrian Westeros, Fred Weasley, and George Weasley. Fred and George's eyes widened instantly, their identical faces filled with complete and utter disbelief. Seeing the twins' amusing expressions of shock and bewilderment, Adrian couldn't help but chuckle with amusement. "Ah, it seems you're quite surprised by this development," "This is absolutely impossible!" Fred grabbed his red hair in frustration, his voice rising with incredulity. "How did you figure out the activation phrase, Professor? We've never told anyone!" "We spent ages figuring out how to use it," George added. Adrian glanced at the distraught twins and smiled mysteriously. "Secret," He said simply, clearly enjoying their bewilderment. "But that's not the most important point here," he continued, his tone shifting to something more serious and professorial. "I think you must have used this map for some specific purpose this morning, correct? Your muddy clothes and nervous behavior suggest you've been on quite an adventure." The twins exchanged another glance, their faces showing a mixture of guilt and resignation. The game was up, and they both knew it. There was no point in maintaining their pretense any longer. Finally, Fred sighed heavily. "Actually, we were looking for someone," "Someone we don't know," George added. Adrian's finger gently tapped the surface of the parchment. He had a strong suspicion about who they might have encountered. "Who?" he asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer. "A guy named Peter," George said. "The map shows he's somewhere around the castle grounds, but we've never seen him before." Hearing Peter's name spoken by the twins, Adrian nodded. As expected, it seemed the Weasley brothers had been the first to spot Peter Pettigrew's name on the map. "Don't worry about this Peter fellow," Adrian said, handing the Marauder's Map back to George. "He's Professor Dumbledore's guest, nothing more than that. There's no cause for concern or alarm." George took the map with obvious relief, and both he and Fred nodded obediently, their faces showing acceptance of their professor's explanation. However, after Adrian left from the Great Hall, the two brothers immediately huddled together and began whispering urgently to each other. "Should we still look for this Peter character?" Fred asked. "Of course we should!" George replied with conviction. "I have a very strong feeling that this person definitely has some kind of secret. Something important that adults don't want us to know about." ________________ You can read more chapters on: /IamLuis

0237 Morning

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