HP: Hogwart's Journey

The twins ended up buying quite a lot, making their pockets bulge. 

"Where to next?" the twins asked. "We've finished our shopping." 

"I got some intel from Mr. Zonkos just now—chameleon lizard skin prices have dropped significantly," Robert said. "Let's buy a few small pouches." 

The twins looked a bit puzzled. "What do we need those for?" 

"Oh, come on," Robert rolled his eyes. "Don't you know the special trait of chameleon lizard skin pouches? No matter what you hide inside, only the owner can retrieve it!" 

The twins' eyes lit up. "Like your cloth pouch?" 

"Uh… yeah," Robert hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure how to explain it, but his pouch was made of cloth, not lizard skin. 

The twins let out a whoop of excitement. "Then what are we waiting for? We've finally got a place to stash our Dungbombs!" 

Before Robert could ask if they even knew where to buy such pouches, the two were already dashing off into the distance. 

Dervish & Banges 

"Oh, right! I remember now—only specialty magic shops carry lizard skin pouches," Fred said, scratching his head. "By the way, Robert, aren't you hot?" 

Robert shot him a deadpan look. After running all the way here, in this warm weather, how could he *not* be hot? 

Inside the shop, a few wizards were speaking with the store owner, carrying black paper bags stamped with "Dervish & Banges." They must have just finished shopping and were now listening to instructions on how to properly use their magical items. 

"Chameleon lizard, chameleon lizard…" The three of them weaved through the shelves until they found the section marked with an "M." 

"Here it is!" 

On one of the shelves, a red-painted "M" stood out, and beneath it, the label read: "Chameleon Lizard Skin Pouch—Your Ultimate Treasure Bag!"

"Hey, kids! I'm Banges. Nice to meet you. What can I get for you?" A plump, middle-aged man with short, sandy blond hair approached them, looking rather friendly. 

Robert pointed to a wicker basket on the shelf. "We'd like some pouches." 

Banges glanced at the basket and nodded in understanding. He grinned. "Ah, looking for something to stash your goodies in? Then you've come to the right place! These have been selling like crazy lately." 

He reached out and lifted the basket down, setting it beside him on the floor. 

"The price of each pouch varies. Generally speaking, the larger the lizard skin pouch, the more leather is used, and the bigger the storage space inside," Banges explained, pointing to the basket. "A pouch this size can fit a whole tent and a week's worth of clothes—perfect for travel. If the Quidditch Cup were held in Britain this year, I'd definitely bring one along! Of course, I also have these smaller, more portable options." 

He picked up another wicker basket, this one filled with pouches no bigger than pecans. They came in all sorts of colors—bright, vibrant, and varied. 

"These can be worn close to the body for extra concealment, and we even offer free string attachments so you can wear them like necklaces. The only downside is their limited space… Hmm, let's see… probably around the size of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi—and that book is heavy." 

"Unlike trunks enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm, these lizard skin pouches are much lighter," Banges continued. "They reduce weight by about half—well, the small ones do. The bigger ones lighten even more." 

The twins looked eager to buy one immediately. 

But Robert had already spotted the trick. He rolled his eyes. Classic salesman tactics—trying to upsell the bigger, pricier ones. Sure, large pouches might reduce more weight, but who would buy a giant bag just to carry as little as a small one? 

After some consideration, Robert bought a dozen small pouches. He'd heard his distant grandfather had plenty of great-grandchildren, so he could give them some as gifts. If he couldn't bring them back to the Flower Country, he could always gift them to future friends. 

The twins, despite their longing for the larger pouches, had already spent most of their money on prank items. They could only afford to buy one small pouch each. 

As they stepped out of Dervish & Banges, Robert glanced at the sky. "Should we head back?" 

The twins nodded. "If we go now, we should make it in time for dinner." 

Chatting and laughing, the three of them made their way to the Owl Post. But when they got there, an awkward problem arose—they realized that the secret tunnel they had used to leave the castle had disappeared. 

"Why is this happening…?" the twins wailed. "That tunnel only works one way?" 

"Alright, guys," Robert sighed, "I know another way back to the castle, but we should put on the Invisibility Cloak first." 

Honeydukes 

"This is your plan? Honeydukes?" Fred asked as they slipped inside. "Are we using their fireplace? I've never used a fireplace to return to Hogwarts before!" 

"You're overthinking it," Robert said dryly. "Do you really think Hogwarts fireplaces can be used without permission from the headmaster? Same goes for getting into Hogwarts through an outside fireplace—it'd need approval from Dumbledore." 

The twins let out exaggerated groans of disappointment. 

"Wait, hold on," Fred's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "I remember—Filch has a fireplace!" He clapped his hands together excitedly. "He must use it to order supplies. And if it's Filch, there's no way he applies for permission every single time he uses it, right?" 

"That does make sense, but—" Robert started to argue, only for Fred to grab him by the arm and drag him further into the shop. 

"Come on, come on! This idea is brilliant!" Fred grinned. 

"Hey, hey, wait a second! What if Filch catches us using his fireplace?" Robert protested. "He could take points from us!" 

The twins exchanged mischievous glances before pulling out a tattered, folded-up piece of parchment. Fred handed it to Robert with a sly smile. 

"And now," Fred declared dramatically, "it's time to show Leslie the greatest discovery of the century!" 

Chuckling, George stepped forward, drew his wand, and tapped the parchment. 

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." 

Ink spread across the parchment like tiny rivers, crisscrossing until a detailed black-and-white floor plan of Hogwarts emerged. Robert instinctively unfolded the rest of the parchment, revealing even more densely packed scribbles and markings. 

Small black dots moved across the map, each labeled with names in minuscule script. Behind each dot, faint footprints appeared and quickly faded away. 

Robert narrowed his eyes, scanning the map with his sharp vision. It didn't take long for him to spot Filch and his cat. 

The map showed them staying in one place—on the seventh floor. 

Was he in the washroom? 

Robert shuddered at the thought. 

(End of Chapter)