Rumors of a Cerberus' presence in the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor spread rapidly within a small circle, and more students secretly entered the forbidden corridor.
The caretaker (Mr.) Filch had to patrol the area more frequently to prevent other students from secretly entering that forbidden corridor.
Albert occasionallyoverheard students whispering about Cerberus , and some Gryffindor students even took pride in visiting the Forbidden Hall.
Of course, most of the students who tried to cause trouble were stopped by Filch .
The watchman (Mr.) had intensified his patrols on more than one occasion, and anyone who dared to go there was either dismissed or caught by Filch and taken to his office.
Albert was in no hurry to complete the 'Brave Man's Game' quest ,which required him to overcome a series of challenges while protecting the Philosopher's Stone .
So, can the Mirror of Erised, created by Dumbledore , also be considered part of this competition?
If he manages to get inside but finds that the Mirror of Erised hasn't been placed yet and the Philosopher's Stone hasn't been found, wouldn't that be strange?
Furthermore, the restricted corridor was attracting a lot of attention at the time, so it wasn't the right time to go there.
Albert stuffed his unfinished homework into his bag andwas getting ready to go to the Room of Requirement to finish his assignments andtake Tom for a walk ; otherwise, Tom might sleep in the room all day.
She hadn't lost a single pound since arriving at Hogwarts , whichannoyed Albert somewhat.
As Albert was about toleave with his homework,he ran into Fred and George at the entrance to the common room, who had just returned from practice.
" Wood hasn't found a suitable Seeker yet ."
The Weasley twins gave Albert the bad news .
" Wood wants you to get ready; don't forget to join the next practice."
"The first week of this month isn't even over yet!" Albert bent down, picked Tom up, and turned to the twins , saying, "So when did you ever see me lose?"
"Is he perhaps too confident?" Fred nudged George with his elbow as he watched Albert disappear down the aisle at the entrance to the Common Room .
"Meanwhile, Albert thinks Harry is the Seeker . But how could Harry join the team while he's a first-year student?" George was a little surprised too, "Remember, first-year students aren't allowed to bring brooms to school , let alone join the Quidditch team."
Of course, it was also possible to be a substitute player on the team, just like them.
Albert had no ideawhat Fred and George were talking about.
She watched Tom, who was running around cheerfully .
The man had probably been held captive for too long; he disappeared immediately after being released.
"To be honest, they always cause me problems."
Albert waved his magic wand , and Tom , with all four paws off the ground, flew toward him, meowing in fear.
When Tom fell into Albert's arms,from headto toe and didn't dare move.
Flying was not a pleasant experience for a cat.
"What a timid cat!" Albert soothed Tom by stroking his head and nudged him back down with his foot.
When the shy man remained huddled and motionless, Albert had to carry him to the Room of Requirement .
Tom lay on the table for a while, finally overcoming his flight trauma with the allure of the dried fish.
"Is that your cat?"
When Isabelle entered the Room of Requirement ,she immediately saw Tom playing with a ball of yarn on the floor.
The woman bent down and examined the plump cat, then asked curiously.
"His name is Tom ."
"Hello, Tom ! " Isabelle greeted Tom .
He could tell the cat was wary of him, so even though he really wanted to, he didn't try to pet it.
"How was your week?" Albert put his quill down, looked at the girl sitting opposite him, and asked with a smile.
"I'm very busy, I've started preparing for the OWL exams . I hope I get good grades." Isabelle glanced at Albert , who seemed a little lazy , and said gently, "And you?"
"I'm equally busy; I spend every day either in class or rushing to get to class."
"I really don't understand how the others get through such an intense three-year course schedule." Albert called Tom over , bent down, picked up the cat, and placed it on the table.
"If you're so busy, what about the others?" Isabelle didn't believe Albert's words .
He knew her abilities very well; academic subjects rarely posed a challenge for her.
"I don't know, I remember Percy taking all the classes too." Albert changed the subject and , smiling at Isabelle , said , "You're a Ravenclaw now . Congratulations, Vice Headmistress !"
"Hmm." Isabelle didn't seem particularly concerned about it, she nodded slightly, " Student representatives have certain privileges, which feels pretty good."
"Which privileges?"
Albert sordu.
He only knew about the luxurious private bathroom; he didn't know much about the others.
"There's a very luxurious bathroom..."
"The bathroom? That could work too."
" If necessary, the Room of Requirements can also be converted into a very luxurious bathroom." Albert interrupted, nodding his head.
"That's right." Isabelle didn't mind Albert interrupting her and smiled, saying, "Actually, I was going to tell you the location."
Albert recalled, "Was it the door next to the 'Surprised Boris' statue? I remember the password was something like 'Fresh Pineapple'."
"You really know that! You haven't been there yet, have you?"
"I haven't been there yet, I only know some of their secrets."
" I know Hogwarts Castle better than you do." Albert wasn't very interested in these matters.
"I believe that."
"I heard that your two red-haired friends know as many secret passages as Filch does ." Isabelle had heard this too.
"But is the Governor's bathroom really that luxurious?" Albert suddenly asked , "When are we going together?"
"Together? You mean the student representatives' restroom ?"
"Yes."
Albert avoided looking Isabelle in the eyes ,fearing she might see something.
"If you want... it's not impossible," Isabelle said indifferently.
Of course, it was all just empty talk; a little too much joking wouldn't hurt either of them.
"When are we going together? I'm looking forward to it." Albert tried to put on a seductive expression that would make Isabelle giggle .
After a moment, Isabelle regained her composure and changed the subject: " Katrina is not doing very well."
It's very stressful.
Could you please help him when you have time?
"She's your sister."
"In some ways, it's very stubborn." Isabelle sighed helplessly, "Actually, that's a common problem when choosing all the courses; usually, one has to figure it out oneself."
"Have you encountered the same problem?"
"It took me two weeks to adjust."
"By the way, you don't seem affected at all." Isabelle saw no signs of fatigue in Albert .
Attending classes using the time turner could sometimes be very tiring, so Isabelle was very impressed.
"Because I'm a genius !" Albert said shamelessly.
"Yes, yes," Isabelle replied casually.
She didn't deny it, her gaze fell on Tom nearby , and yet she couldn't help but ask, "Can I love him?"
"Of course you can."
"But Tom isn't very friendly to strangers," said Albert , pulling a bag of dried fish from his jacket pocket. " Try giving Tom some food and befriending him, then he'll let you pet him."
The moment the package was torn open, Tom lunged at it; although Albert gently pushed his head away , Tom still desperately tried to bring it even closer.
Isabelle smiled happily as she watched this scene.
He reached out and took the dried fish Albert offered, holding it out to Tom , and said to Albert , "I used to want to have a cat, but my family's circumstances didn't allow it. "
Does your cat refuse to eat food from strangers?
"I had previously taught her that she shouldn't eat random things."
After saying this, Albert reached out, took Isabelle's hand , and placed the dried fish in front of Tom .
This time the fat cat approached cautiously and, after eating the dried fish, even licked Isabelle's hand .
"Very sweet!"
Isabelle reached out to touch him, but Tom moved away.
"If you have a few more interactions, he won't reject you anymore." Albert leaned his head towards Isabelle and looked at her .
Just as their faces were about to touch, the sound of a door opening nearby startled them both.
Albert glared angrily at the person who entered.
Actually, she didn't even need to guess who it was.