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As the sky gradually darkened, the torches and candles in the Castle corridors lit up one by one.
Only Filch on patrol and the faint meows of Madam Norris remained in the corridors.
Lynn arrived at the eighth floor of the Castle, in front of the Room of Requirement, as agreed.
Before long, a set of extremely light footsteps came from the corner of the corridor.
Immediately after, two identical heads poked out slowly from the corner, one above the other, looking at Lynn.
"See, George, I told you Lynn would definitely be here already," said Fred from above, a smug smile on his face.
"Hmm? Didn't I say that first, Fred?" George, from below, raised an eyebrow in rebuttal.
"Oh, really? That's not important; anyway, we both thought of the same thing."
"True, after all, we're one person split into two."
The two of them walked out from the corner, playing off each other like a comedy duo.
"Quite punctual, Lynn!" Fred patted him on the shoulder.
"Welcome to the first special guest experience of the 'Midnight Marauders Club'!" George made a welcoming gesture.
"Where are we going?" Lynn asked directly, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
The twins exchanged a look.
Fred rubbed his chin. "Hmm... the Forbidden Forest... probably won't do."
He looked at Lynn.
"You're probably more familiar with that place than both of us combined. After all, the first time we met was there, and you even gave us a beating."
George nodded.
"That's right, the Forbidden Forest is probably like a back garden to you. So, we plan to take you to see the true essence of Hogwarts—those blood vessels and intestines hidden within the stones!"
"Meaning the secret passages!" Fred revealed the answer.
"Let's start with the most practical one—the secret passage leading to Hogsmeade! It'll let you experience the sweet scent of Honeydukes' candies ahead of time, without having to wait for the weekend."
Lynn shrugged indifferently. "Fine, I'll follow the organization's decision."
He didn't have much of an obsession with Hogsmeade; he could go whenever he wanted.
Under the twins' experienced guidance, the three of them avoided several suits of armor that would creak and a portrait of a witch who loved to tattle. They crossed several dim corridors, walked down winding stairs, and finally slipped out through a small door on the side of the Castle, arriving outside.
The night sky was dotted with stars.
When Lynn saw this familiar old tree again, he was somewhat surprised. "There's a secret passage here?!"
The last time and the time before that he came here, once he ran into the 'immobile' car, and once he helped the twins fix it; he hadn't discovered any secret passage.
"Surprising, isn't it? Actually, when you helped us fix the car last time, we planned to take you through this secret passage to Hogsmeade as a thank you. Unfortunately, you know what happened later..."
George added, "But it's not too late now! This secret passage leads directly to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade; it's very convenient."
Saying this, the two of them sprang into action.
They fumbled around on the ground.
Soon, George found a fairly sturdy long wooden stick that someone had left behind.
Fred took the stick, held his breath, carefully extended his arm, and aimed the tip of the stick at a knot on the trunk of the Whomping Willow.
Right here!
The stick steadily poked the knot. The Whomping Willow, which had been slightly waving its branches a second ago, instantly froze. Then, all the wildly dancing branches hung down submissively, and the entire tree became quiet.
The three of them squeezed through the gaps in the hanging branches and arrived under the thick trunk.
Where tangled roots and weeds had originally covered the ground, a pitch-black tunnel entrance was revealed.
Lynn looked at this entry point, which wasn't very well hidden, and felt like a fool.
The three entered one by one.
The secret passage was a bit more spacious than imagined. The walls were rough earth and tree roots, water dripped occasionally from above, and the ground was not level.
The twins introduced the history and anecdotes of the secret passage as they trudged forward. The passage wasn't very long, winding downward, and the air became increasingly damp and stifling.
After walking for a few minutes, estimating they were far from the Whomping Willow and might have even crossed the school boundary underground... a highly penetrating and destructive stench swept toward them from ahead without warning!
That smell... was like rotten eggs left for half a month fermenting in a can of Surströmming, mixed with decaying swamp gas and the pungent acidic smell after a chemical lab explosion. It was multi-layered, and its impact hit right at the crown of the head!
"Blergh—!!!"
"Cough cough cough! Blergh—!!"
Fred and George were caught off guard and took a direct hit from this "biochemical attack." Their faces instantly turned green, their stomachs churned, and they leaned against the wall retching, the light from their wands flickering wildly.
"Go, go, go! Blergh~ Retreat! Blergh~" Fred, nearly in tears, managed to shout.
"Who is so unhygienic! Blergh~ What... blergh~ what did someone leave in the passage?! Blergh~ Or did some animal die?!" George guessed angrily while retching.
"Change passages! Blergh~ We can't use this one! Blergh~ It's going to kill us!" The two reached a consensus and turned to run back.
The moment Lynn caught the first hint of the scent, he almost passed out too.
But this smell... why did it seem somewhat familiar?
Then, he remembered his "masterpiece" from Potions Class!
Lynn quickly waved his wand.
Three transparent bubbles immediately enveloped their heads, filtering the terrible air.
Although they could no longer smell it, the "aftertaste" brought by that scent just now lingered like a ghost.
"Phew... I'm alive..." Fred gasped, looking ahead with lingering fear.
"That is absolutely the most horrifying smell I've ever smelled! A hundred times scarier than Snape's shampoo!"
George's face was pale. "I bet even Dumbledore couldn't create a stench of this level! This is simply sensational!"
Lynn's expression, however, became somewhat strange.
He carefully recalled the composition of that stench... there was no mistake!
That "fragrance" based on Surströmming and Lutefisk, plus the "sublimation" produced by several magical ingredients he had specifically added... this was definitely the scent emitted by the "Special Edition wolfsbane potion" he had given to Snape!
Holy shit! Lynn cursed inwardly.
He had previously suspected Snape had masochistic tendencies and liked the disgusting Potions he brewed. But now he understood! How was this Snape being masochistic? This was pure top-tier black-heartedness! He must have done it on purpose!
Placing such a "weapon of mass destruction" here to deter anyone trying to use this secret passage! Utterly insidious!
"Blergh~ Lynn, stop daydreaming, let's go!" George tugged at his sleeve. Even with the Bubble-Head Charm, they didn't want to stay in this "gas chamber" for a second longer.
"Let's go," Lynn agreed decisively.
The three retraced their steps at a much faster pace than they had come, exiting the "biochemically contaminated" secret passage.
When they finally crawled out of the hole under the Whomping Willow and breathed the cool, fresh air outside the Castle again, Fred and George almost wept with joy. They removed the Bubble-Head Charms and took deep breaths as if they had been given a new life.
"Merlin... I never want to go to Hogsmeade again... at least not through that path..." Fred slumped on the ground.
"Agreed... even Honeydukes' candies can't save my injured nose and soul..." George looked up at the stars, his face full of despair.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the secret passage—inside the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade village.
On the small wooden table in front of Lupin sat a crystal bottle.
Lupin, who had just finished repairing the Shrieking Shack, originally just wanted to check the color and texture of the potion. To be honest, he trusted Snape's level in Potions, but thinking about the things the four of them used to do... that was debatable.
Originally, he thought he had prepared himself mentally.
However, when that wisp of scent molecules, which seemed to collect the essence of all the decay and malice in the world, rushed into his nasal cavity with thunderous force... this werewolf, whose will could be called resilient, instantly turned deathly pale, his pupils dilated, and his stomach contracted violently!
He slammed the stopper back in.
But it was too late; that smell was like a maggot in the bone, swirling in his nasal cavity and mind, refusing to leave.
He staggered back two steps, covering his nose and mouth, his gray eyes filled with unbelievable shock and intense physiological discomfort.
"Cough cough cough! Merlin's..." He bent over, coughing dryly several times before he finally caught his breath, but his face remained ghastly.
How on earth did Snape brew such a vicious and extreme scent?! Did he add sewer sludge and troll toenails to the potion?!
Lupin simply could not believe his nose.
He shouldn't have been so curious as to open this bottle of wolfsbane potion ahead of time!