HP: Hogwart's Journey

Robert nearly burst into tears. 

*Are you the devil, Professor?!* 

Whoever said this professor had a good temper—step forward now! I promise I won't beat you to death! 

Don't think that just because I'm a first-year, I don't know what a Bubotuber is! That thing is black, ugly, slimy, and worst of all, it moves! 

Robert felt utterly hopeless. 'I'd rather take care of the giant squid! At least I could talk to it and maybe even get some tentacles for grilled calamari.'

Of course, Professor Sprout didn't give him a chance to refuse. After assigning the task, she hurried off to the hospital wing. 

"By the way…" Robert's curiosity suddenly kicked in. "Do you guys know what happens if you get Bubotuber pus directly on your skin?" 

The twins shrugged. "What's that?" 

"It's from the fourth-year curriculum. Actually, I don't even know what happens if it touches you," Robert's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Let's go find out! I'm sure Barbara won't mind!" 

Under Robert's relentless persuasion, the three of them carefully snuck back to the hospital wing. 

The door was already shut. Robert tapped it lightly with his wand, and with a faint click, the door creaked open. 

Three round heads peeked in, one above the other. Robert craned his neck and saw Madam Pomfrey feeding Barbara a potion—a bluish-gray liquid of unknown effect. 

As for Barbara… 

"So, it makes you break out in a crazy amount of pimples? What kind of logic is that? Some kind of extreme reaction?" Robert watched in fascination as Barbara's face was covered in countless tiny red spots, which disappeared the moment she drank the potion—only to erupt again a second later. 

"How much pus did you even get on your face? I think you'll need at least twenty doses of acne cure," Madam Pomfrey sighed. "I know you kids want to look good and get rid of blemishes, but didn't Professor Sprout tell you that it needs to be diluted first?" 

Barbara remained expressionless. What could she say? That her hand slipped? 

"Anyway, you'll be staying here, no visitors," Madam Pomfrey said as she tidied up her tray. She gave Professor Sprout a nod. 

Robert quickly withdrew his head from the doorway, and the three of them bolted away. 

"Alright, I need to tell my roommates before we start the night patrol," Robert waved. "See you on the eighth floor later." 

Honestly, this wasn't Robert's first time wandering Hogwarts at night. With him, the twins, and Lee Jordan, nighttime adventures were as natural as eating and drinking. 

But this was the first time they were required to patrol. 

"Look on the bright side, guys. We're officially authorized to sneak around at night," Robert reassured the sulking twins. "And especially those secret passages we've always wanted to check out but couldn't because Filch was always breathing down our necks…" 

The twins immediately perked up. Just as they were about to roll up their sleeves and put their mischief-making skills to good use— 

"It's good to see you three gentlemen arriving on time," a cold, familiar voice spoke from behind them. "I daresay there's no safer way to patrol the castle than under my supervision." 

The three of them froze. Turning stiffly, they saw a familiar figure clad in black standing in the shadows, holding an oil lamp. His eyes, devoid of warmth, were locked onto them. 

Robert's mind screamed only one thing 'We're dead.' 

Generally speaking, most students dreaded Professor Snape's classes. His gaze was too cold—whenever he looked at you, it felt like being stared down by a predator. 

And if that was how he made people feel during the day, then at night… well, it didn't bear thinking about. 

"Hey, can you two move over a bit? It's cramped," Robert muttered. 

"Sorry, it's Fred squeezing me," George replied. 

"It's freezing at night—huddling together isn't so bad," Fred whispered back. "Besides, have you seen who's standing next to me…?" 

Robert rolled his eyes. "That's a professor next to you! A professor supervising us! Sure, he's strict, cold, and a bit of a—" 

"Shh!" 

The twins nearly had a heart attack. 'Are you trying to get us all into detention?!' 

Snape stopped walking. Slowly, he turned to stare at Robert. 

Robert immediately shut his mouth and put on an innocent expression, as if he hadn't just said something incredibly reckless. 

Luckily, Snape seemed more amused than angry. He stared at Robert for a long moment before finally turning away and continuing down the corridor. 

"That was terrifying. I think my heart stopped," Robert muttered, clutching his chest. He wisely decided to keep quiet for the rest of the patrol. 

Patrolling wasn't particularly difficult. The four of them covered the castle from top to bottom, shooing away a few overexcited students celebrating after exams, chasing off some who were still cramming as if they were still about to take their tests, and even dragging a few wannabe night explorers out of the bathrooms. 

The three boys were dumbfounded. Their mouths slightly open in astonishment. 

"So this… this is what life is like for the older students?" 

They had learned a lot that night. 

Their upperclassmen were truly creative, coming up with all sorts of ways to avoid getting caught. Might be useful for the future…

Once the patrol ended, the young wizards returned to their dormitories. 

The next morning, Robert was anything but cheerful. The thought of collecting Bubotuber pus for Professor Sprout utterly killed his mood. 

"Come on, Robert, don't be too down about it," Fred patted his shoulder. 

"As your friends, how could we abandon you at a time like this?" George added. 

"So, we're coming with you to the greenhouse!" They both exchanged mischievous grins, clearly up to something. 

Robert thought for a moment. 'As long as we wear armor, we should survive this, right?' 

"Alright, fine." 

"So your friends have decided to help you with your punishment?" Professor Sprout looked genuinely pleased. "Very good, Mr. Leslie. Loyalty to your friends, and in return, your friends' loyalty to you. In that case, your punishment will be slightly reduced—you may leave once you finish your work this morning." 

She led them into Greenhouse Three, where a row of odd-looking plants sat in green clay pots. They resembled oversized black slugs, wriggling slightly with large, shiny boils all over their bodies. 

Inside those boils was the Bubotuber pus they needed. 

'Barbatos, what happened to you? Why are you black now? And so… ugly?'

That was Robert's first thought upon seeing the plants. 

Well… time to get to work. 

(End of Chapter)