Although Robert didn't join, the persistent Weasley twins still snuck off that night to find the Whomping Willow.
And then... there was no 'and then.' When Fang found them early the next morning, they were fast asleep on the path between the Whomping Willow and the Castle.
One of them had his head propped against his feet, lying face down in the middle of the path, while the other lay five hundred meters away on the south side of the Castle, his face pressed to the ground, his legs tangled in a bush.
From their strange postures, it was clear they hadn't genuinely enjoyed sleeping outside.
Hagrid thought so too; after rushing over upon hearing Fang's bark, he carried them, one in each hand, to the School Hospital.
Since it was still dark, not many people knew about it.
Robert only heard about it the following evening from others.
After dinner, when Robert turned to visit them in the School Hospital, the twins didn't seem embarrassed at all.
"I was sent flying immediately," Fred said, vividly describing the previous night's experience. "It didn't hurt as much as I imagined, but the force was really strong, like being hit by a Bludger."
"Yeah, we were the Bludgers," George added, straining to poke his head over. "There was no room to resist at all."
George's injuries were more severe than Fred's; not only did the Whomping Willow break several of his bones, but he also broke his leg when he fell from the sky later.
Madam Pomfrey spent ten minutes setting all his bones before wrapping him tightly in bandages from head to toe.
"Bill would be very fond of you if he saw you now," Fred said more than once.
Bill was the oldest Weasley child, a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts in Egypt, whose daily job was dealing with mummies in pyramids.
If he were to take care of George, it would probably be considered a professional match.
"Speaking of which, haven't your brothers come to visit?" Robert asked.
"Brothers? Who?" Fred blinked, asking in confusion.
"We only have one sister," George said. "But Ginny won't start school until September this year."
"What about Ron?"
"Don't know him," the two said in unison.
Alright, ever since they walked into a trap last time and were caught red-handed by Professor McGonagall, they had unilaterally denied their familial relationship with Ron.
According to them, the Weasley family didn't have such a stupid child—he must be an imposter.
At least Percy, the snitch, was good at academics. Fred and George often copied his notes when doing homework.
Robert thought they were displacing their anger; after all, a large part of the reason they were caught that night was their own carelessness.
But Fred and George wouldn't listen, insisting that the root of it all was Ron letting Malfoy know their time for sneaking out at night.
"So Ron really hasn't been here?" Robert asked again.
"Well, he just left before you came," George said. "He came with Harry and Hermione, but they left quickly."
"Are they trying to break school rules again?" Fred suddenly asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I can tell," Fred put on a profound look. "They were distracted while they were in the School Hospital and kept whispering together.
"I didn't hear too clearly, but I know they were talking about something like Snape, Professor Quirrell… Oh, wait, they wouldn't be trying to pull off Professor Quirrell's turban, would they?"
"Maybe they're putting that turban on Snape's head," George's eyes lit up. "Robert, you must know something… If we guessed correctly, you must tell Ron. He's our dearest brother."
"And tell him to definitely wait for us so we can act together," Fred added.
"We also want to know what Professor Quirrell looks like under his turban."
"Hmmm… I'll try," Robert shrugged, noncommittal.
In a way, the Weasley twins had guessed correctly; Harry and the others were indeed after what was hidden under Quirrell's turban.
But nobody should want to see that thing. It's best not to even look at it, or you're likely to have nightmares.
"Why are you still here? Hurry up and leave! They need to rest!" Just then, Madam Pomfrey appeared to chase him away.
There was nothing Robert could do but stand up and walk toward the door of the School Hospital.
"Oh, right. If you want to find Ron, you can check the Fourth Floor of the school," Fred seemed to suddenly remember something and called out loudly from behind. "They mentioned that place several times when they were whispering."
"Keep quiet!" Madam Pomfrey slammed the door, blocking Robert outside.
It was completely dark outside now.
Robert returned to the Castle, preparing to head back to the common room first.
However, as he reached the Fourth Floor stairs, he suddenly heard an angry roar, followed by equally angry curses.
"Damn beast... Why isn't it asleep!"
Then the sound disappeared, as if someone had closed a door, blocking all the noise inside.
That voice just now, could it have been Quirrell?
At this time, in this place, it had to be Quirrell. But what did he mean by 'not asleep'...
Driven by curiosity, Robert left the stairs and went down that familiar corridor.
A few months ago, he had blasted off two of Fluffy's teeth here and given it an extra-large takeaway.
For most wizards, the suffocating stench from a Troll was simply torture, but if it were a three-headed dog, that smell might just be 'fragrant.'
Thinking about it this way, it shouldn't rush out and bite him, right?
Robert wasn't sure. Afraid that Fluffy still held a grudge, he didn't dare get too close.
Just then...
"Idiot, fool!"
Another voice came from behind the door, sharp, cold, and completely different from Quirrell's.
Robert's wand in his hand seemed to sense a familiar aura and suddenly began to shake violently.
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush yet," Robert gripped his wand tightly. "The key people haven't arrived yet; going now would just be suicide."
Under Robert's soothing words, the wand finally quieted down, and he looked up at the door in front of him again.
A puddle of blood slowly flowed out from under the door...
Wait, didn't Quirrell trick the weakness of the three-headed dog out of Hagrid with a dragon egg? It was a level that could be passed without injury just by playing music, so why was there blood?
Robert's face instantly shifted into a grimace.
Could it be that his previous single wand blast had somehow cured Fluffy's habit of getting sleepy when it heard music?
Then Quirrell just now... Oh, I hope he's okay. And I hope Voldemort, on the back of his head, can show some spirit. It would be too embarrassing if he got stumped by a dog.
"Aow aow... woof... woo!"
As if smelling the scent outside, the three-headed dog behind the door began to roar again. The sound seemed even more violent than before.
"I knew it..." Robert sighed faintly. The three-headed dog hadn't forgotten him after all.
Fortunately, it was trapped behind the door for now. As long as Robert stayed outside, he should be fine...
"Bang!"
A muffled thud suddenly interrupted Robert's thoughts. He instinctively turned his head, and the sight that met his eyes nearly froze his blood.
The door was open!
In the dark corridor, three pairs of blood-red eyes were staring straight at him.
Even more terrifying, Robert could clearly see that the three-headed dog still had half of a broken chain hanging from its neck.
"F**k!"
In the nick of time, instinct made Robert's body react first; without hesitation, he turned and ran
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