HP: Hogwart's Journey

Hufflepuff's little badgers weren't exactly the top students, but they were diligent. After a brief moment of panic, the exam week passed peacefully. 

Robert leaned against a large tree by the Black Lake, listening to the occasional sobs of poor Stebbins. 

The unfortunate Stebbins had been brewing a Forgetfulness Potion under the cold, piercing gaze of Professor Snape. His hands had trembled so badly that his potion turned out… less than perfect. The impurities in it were too many, resulting in a strange consistency—not quite liquid, not quite solid—more like jelly. And not the good kind, but an expired, bluish-green one. 

Robert was certain that even if someone forced an entire cauldron of potion down his throat, he still wouldn't dare drink that concoction. 

"It's finally over," Robert sighed, glancing at Stebbins, who was curled up in misery. After thinking for a moment, he decided to comfort him. "Come on, Stebbins. The fact that you managed to bottle your potion under Snape's stare means you passed!" 

"R-really?" Stebbins sniffled, his head slowly emerging from his folded arms. 

Robert nodded. "I wouldn't lie to you. Sure, it might not have been perfect, but you still met the basic requirements. It's just that Snape, being a world-class Potions Master, has very high standards." 

Stebbins' tears dried up instantly, replaced by a delighted smile. 

Seeing him recover, Robert lay back down. This was the perfect afternoon for a nap. 

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he saw two familiar redheads sprinting toward him at full speed, blocking out the sunlight above his head in an instant. 

"Hey, Robert! There you are!" Fred grinned mischievously. "Exams are over, so we've decided to take you somewhere fun!" 

Hogwarts Castle, Fifth Floor

"So… you brought me here to look in a mirror?" Robert raised an eyebrow at the large mirror before them. His reflection stared back—slim, dressed in black wizarding robes, with a faint smile. "Alright, gentlemen, I think we all need to eat more. We're looking a bit scrawny." 

Fred chuckled. "No worries, Robert. We win with brains, not brawn." 

"But Robert, you're wrong about one thing," George added with a smirk. "We didn't bring you here just to look in a mirror." 

"Remember our little bet?" 

"Of course," Robert replied, though in his mind, he thought, 'You two have been leveling up my prank skills to Level 2 like crazy! I've led the Hufflepuffs against Slytherin in at least ten prank wars, and not a single spellcasting skill has reached Level 2 yet! You two must be walking experience points!'

Fred crossed his arms and laughed. "Glad you remember! We found a new secret passage!" 

"For once, we beat you to it!" George declared triumphantly. 

The twins high-fived, their excitement perfectly synchronized. 

Robert narrowed his eyes. Even though skill levels wouldn't decrease, he still felt a little annoyed—he'd been outdone by the Weasley twins! 

But a loss was a loss. Robert admitted defeat graciously and promised that next time, he'd find a secret passage before they did. 

There were seven secret tunnels leading to Hogsmeade, but thanks to Filch's years of service—and the adventurous nature of Hogwarts students—four of them had been discovered. Especially the one behind Gregory the Smarmy's statue—Filch had caught the twins just as they found it, and they hadn't even gotten a chance to see where it led. 

"So, can we start the adventure now?" Fred asked eagerly. "I have to know where this mirror leads!" 

George nodded. "The suspense is killing me." 

Given the twins' questionable luck with pranks and secret passages, Robert figured they probably found this one on their own. And, knowing them, they hadn't bothered to check the Marauder's Map to see where the passage led. 

Thinking of how far Hogsmeade was from Hogwarts, Robert suggested, "Let's bring some food." 

The twins gave him puzzled looks. 

"Think about it. We don't know how long this tunnel is. If it's too far, we might miss dinner." 

Fred and George exchanged glances. 

"Oh yeah," George said. "Why didn't we think of that?" 

"Alright then, let's split up and meet back here in an hour." Robert waved them off. "See you soon." 

He dashed downstairs to the kitchen, where the house-elves were busy preparing dinner. They were delighted to see him and, after much fussing, loaded his bag with sandwiches and pumpkin juice. 

By the time Robert hurried back to the mirror, the twins were already waiting. 

"Robert, you're so slow!" Fred complained. 

"Ah, sorry, sorry," Robert apologized, handing them each a robe. 

The twins inspected the robes curiously. 

"What's this? Huh?" 

George stuck his hand inside and gasped—it had disappeared. 

Robert smirked. "I enchanted them with a Disillusionment Charm. You do realize I missed an entire Halloween feast just to get these right?" 

Fred threw on his robe excitedly, looking down at himself. "Oh, this is brilliant! I'm invisible!" 

"If you don't come out next time, we'll break into your dorm and drag you with us," George teased, putting on his own robe. He pulled the hood over his head and grinned. "Can you still see me?" 

"Alright, it's not actual invisibility," Robert clarified. "It just changes your body's color to blend with the surroundings—like a chameleon." 

Fred and George didn't care about the technical details. They were too busy admiring their newfound stealth. 

"With these, we can have so much fun messing with Filch," Fred said gleefully. 

"Though, to be fair," Robert warned, "the spell has a time limit. My magic isn't particularly strong, so it'll only last about a week. But that's plenty of time, isn't it?" 

The twins exchanged a knowing smile. 

Before they graduated, they had to make sure Filch had a school year he'd never forget! 

The three of them stood before the mirror. Robert tilted his head curiously. 

"So… how do we get in?" 

Fred cleared his throat, then declared dramatically, 

"Let me in!" 

(End of Chapter)