It was the Weasley twins! They had probably noticed him back at the Great Hall and then followed him using the Marauder's Map.
Dawn frowned slightly, his gaze flickering to the object tucked in their arms.
The Marauder's Map... A truly magical map that displayed, in real-time, the names and movements of everyone inside Hogwarts.
Created by a small group that included Harry Potter's father.
Dawn also suspected it was the map somehow tied to the castle's consciousness.
However.
He suddenly remembered — the Room of Requirement didn't appear on the map. It was the only exception.
If he wanted to...
Dawn collected his thoughts and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Hermione and Neville already leave? Why aren't you asking them?"
"Oh, we absolutely can't!" George jumped out from behind Fred, grinning mischievously.
"Since it was you who took them there, if you asked them to keep it secret, then asking them would only put them in a difficult spot, wouldn't it?"
Dawn was surprised. "So you're saying... you're actually good people?"
"Of course we are!" Fred dropped his fierce expression entirely, beaming brightly as he threw an arm around Dawn's shoulders.
"Good little brother, why not satisfy your senior brothers' curiosity? What exactly were you doing on the eighth floor?"
"Well…" Dawn paused and shrugged. "Senior, what are you willing to trade for the information?"
"Oho! I like this!" Fred snapped his fingers.
"How about a few secret passages leading straight to Hogsmeade? You could enjoy that beautiful freedom two years early!"
George hopped up and threw his arm around Dawn's other shoulder. "Plus, there's the marvelous Zonko's Joke Shop waiting for you to explore."
Dawn shook his head. "No, I only want your map."
The map?!
What map?
The Marauder's Map?
George and Fred widened their eyes in shock, exchanging a glance. How did he know about that?
°Accio Map° Dawn gave them no time to react. With a small flick of his hand, a folded parchment flew out from George's robes and landed neatly in Dawn's palm.
He cast a brief glance at it without studying it too closely, stuffed it into his sleeve, and said casually to the twins:
"Opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, walk back and forth three times while concentrating on what you need, and a room will appear to fulfill your wishes... Well then, I'm off. See you next time."
Dawn brushed their hands aside and slipped through between them.
George shouted after him, "Hey! Kid, stealing other people's stuff isn't right!"
He was about to chase after him.
But in the very next second, George suddenly felt his legs move uncontrollably, breaking into an absurd, jerky tap dance across the floor.
The Tarantallegra Curse?
George immediately recognized it, but something was wrong—he hadn't heard any incantation.
Meanwhile.
Fred, standing on tiptoe, was spinning around in circles even more ridiculously, shouting in disbelief, "Robbery... Oh my Merlin, how could you commit such a Slytherin act? That's not clever at all!"
His voice echoed and bounced along the corridor.
Dawn turned to glance at them. "Sorry, seniors. I'm just that kind of person—if I see something good, I want it... Besides, you got the information you wanted, didn't you? It's a fair trade."
He waved casually and turned away.
"Of course, if you really feel wronged, you can always ask the professors to settle it. I wouldn't mind."
"..."
At that moment, George and Fred fell completely silent.
Never mind that they weren't the type to tattle, even if they did go to a professor, how could they explain?
"Oh, the stolen contraband we nicked from Filch's office just got taken from us?"
They exchanged a look. If they said that, Professor McGonagall would probably tear them apart before even hearing them out.
While they stood there speechless, Dawn's figure disappeared up the staircase.
George gave up struggling and continued dancing miserably, his face gray with despair. "Oh, how tragic... Our Gryffindor treasure is gone."
His heartbreak was genuine!
Although they had gotten their hands on the map in their first year, it had taken them until the end of second year to figure out the spell to activate it.
In other words, they hadn't even properly enjoyed a single night of "cheating" adventures before their two years of hard work had been taken away.
"Wait a minute," Fred said as he spun awkwardly in place, trying to look at George. "How are you so sure that map was made by Gryffindors? Did you find out who 'Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs' were?"
"Hey, come on!" George retorted proudly. "Who else but a Gryffindor would have the daring and adventurous spirit to invent such a masterpiece?"
Fred grinned. "Alright, George, you convinced me… Damn that little eagle, stealing something that belongs to us lions!"
He cursed loudly in agreement.
Then somehow.
They suddenly pointed at each other's ridiculous dance moves and burst out laughing.
And after the laughter faded.
Instead of being angry, they looked at each other, excitement gleaming in their eyes, and shouted together, "Fred (George), we definitely have to make him taste the full force of our pranks!"
.......
Meanwhile.
Dawn had no idea that the twins now viewed this whole event as the start of a prank war.
His mind was fully occupied with magic patterns. He didn't even have the heart to properly study the Marauder's Map he had just obtained.
Unfortunately, Professor McGonagall was not in her office.
The feeling of being so close to success but stuck at the final step was deeply frustrating for Dawn.
He paced outside the office for a while, but seeing that there was no sign of her returning—and feeling too distracted to continue with his experiments—he decided to head straight to the library.
…...
Time passed quickly.
The next day.
In the Great Hall.
Hermione carefully looked Neville over from head to toe. Only after confirming that he was unharmed did she breathe a sigh of relief and pat him reassuringly on the arm.
"I'm so glad you're alright... But what exactly did he do when he kept you behind yesterday? I waited for ages in the common room, and you never came back!"
Neville bowed his head and stammered, "S-sorry... I forgot the password to the common room..."
"...Figures." Hermione sighed and rubbed her forehead, deciding not to dwell on it.
She subconsciously glanced over at the Ravenclaw table, but then quickly forced herself to turn away. She didn't want to have anything to do with that bastard anymore!
Meanwhile.
Dawn was reading a letter.
He was quite surprised to have received one.
Checking the sender, he saw it was from Jiggs, the potions shop owner.
In the letter, Jiggs said he had somehow managed to befriend Horace Slughorn, a potions master, and was confident he could get a bottle of Felix Felicis—asking, somewhat sheepishly, if Dawn could front him some money for a deposit.
Well... sometimes, the one borrowing money was even more humble than the one being owed.
Dawn felt a pang of sympathy for the man, but, since he had no money himself, he could only helplessly crumple the letter into a ball and toss it aside.
Then he lowered his head and tucked into the steak in front of him.
…...
Today was the first official day of classes.
Ravenclaw had only one lesson scheduled: Herbology with Hufflepuff.
There wasn't much to say about the class. Professor Sprout simply gave them a tour of her greenhouse, showing off harmless plants like dittany.
However, at the end of the lesson.
Professor Sprout announced that anyone who wanted to could take home a potted Silverstar Grass. It was an ornamental magical plant, with dark blue leaves covered in tiny silver spots.
It was said that if properly cared for, it would eventually bloom crescent-shaped flowers that glowed gently in the night.
Dawn picked up a pot.
After all, this was also a living creature marked by magic patterns.
Leaving the greenhouse Dawn made his way once again to the second floor. However, Professor McGonagall was still nowhere to be found.
Feeling a bit frustrated, Dawn asked a few students who had just finished Transfiguration class.
Apparently, someone had seen Professor McGonagall heading toward the right side of the fourth floor—the place Dumbledore had strictly forbidden students to enter.
Dawn thought for a moment, then understood.
If he guessed right, Professor McGonagall was helping set up the magical obstacles guarding the Philosopher's Stone.
But that was fine.
Dawn glanced down at his class schedule. Tomorrow afternoon, he had a Transfiguration class.
He would see her then.
________________
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