(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly.
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Fortunately, the three-headed dog proved more responsive to music than aggression.
After hearing the melody, it ceased its attack, walked slowly back to the trapdoor, and lay down.
Seeing this, Erwin gestured urgently to the twins with his eyes, silently directing them to retreat.
Moving with painstaking care, the three edged toward the door, then slipped through and closed it gently behind them.
Erwin locked it with a spell and exhaled in relief.
When he turned around, he found the twins watching him with undisguised curiosity.
The two exchanged glances, then simultaneously draped their arms over Erwin's shoulders.
"Dear master, Gaunt, thank you. I'm Fred, and this is my younger brother George," one of them announced.
"Stupid Fred, I'm the older brother," the other retorted immediately.
Erwin's mouth twitched at what they'd called him.
'Master Gaunt? What kind of ridiculous title is that?'
Seeing them clearly making fun of him, Erwin refused to be outdone.
"Master Weasley, I was specially sent by Headmaster Dumbledore to protect you. You may call me your guardian."
Delivered with perfect seriousness, his words actually seemed to give Fred and George pause.
"Did the Headmaster really send you? Did he discover us on our night tour?" Fred couldn't help asking.
George grew nervous as well.
Despite their lawlessness, the twins still harbored a healthy respect for the headmaster.
"Of course not. I was also out on a night tour."
Erwin rolled his eyes and explained.
"So that sound earlier, was you?" the twins exclaimed in unison after hearing his explanation.
"I was simply reading in the library when you led Filch straight to me," Erwin replied without denying it.
"But why didn't we see you? What spell was that?" George ignored the accusation entirely, instead focusing with keen interest on the magic that had allowed Erwin to appear so suddenly.
If they could learn it, they'd never have to fear Filch and his cat again.
"The Disillusionment Charm. If you want to learn it, look for it in the Restricted Section. I learned it by chance."
Erwin didn't bother hiding the information; he had a good impression of these two troublemakers.
If possible, he'd like to obtain the Marauder's Map from them someday to study.
George and Fred exchanged glances, each seeing eagerness reflected in the other's eyes.
The Restricted Section? It was not a problem for them at all.
Erwin stretched, glancing at the time.
After following the twins on their wild adventure, it had grown quite late.
He needed to return and rest.
"Well, I'm going back to sleep. If the two Master Weasleys have nothing else, I'll be going." Erwin continued his sarcastic address.
George and Fred showed no annoyance.
Instead, they grinned widely.
This friend was worth keeping; he was genuinely impressive.
"You really should have been sorted into Gryffindor, Master Gaunt." George gave him a thumbs-up.
He was far more interesting than their brother Ron, certainly.
Erwin waved at them without comment and turned to leave.
Where the twins went afterward, Erwin didn't know.
But he was certain it wasn't the route to the Gryffindor common room.
When he reached the Ravenclaw common room door, he gently tapped the bronze eagle knocker, which immediately came to life.
Regardless of whether the student before it had violated the school rules, the knocker performed its duty faithfully.
"Two pairs of fathers and sons went to buy hats. Why did they only buy three?"
"Because they are three generations: grandfather, father, and son."
After entering the common room smoothly, Erwin raised his head and froze.
A girl stood next to the entrance of the girls' dormitory, staring at him with wide eyes.
"Cho?"
"Erwin?"
They spoke simultaneously.
Erwin recovered first.
"Why are you here?"
"I came to get this Quidditch training guide," Cho answered absently, then seemed to realize that Erwin's situation was far more questionable.
"Why are you returning at this hour? What were you doing?"
Faced with Cho's interrogation, Erwin didn't see the need to hide anything.
He told her everything about the evening, why he'd snuck out, how he'd encountered the twins, and even about the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor.
When he described secretly pranking Fred and George, Cho laughed until tears formed, swaying with mirth.
However, when he mentioned the three-headed dog, her face filled with tension.
Upon learning the creature's weakness, she relaxed immediately, then grew excited.
"That's amazing, Erwin. You've only been at school for two days, and you've already gone on a night tour. I've been here over a year and haven't tried it yet. Next time something this fun happens, you have to invite me."
Looking at Cho's excitement, Erwin felt his assumptions crumble.
'I never expected someone who appears so gentle and quiet to have such a wild streak.'
But then again, as Ravenclaw's future Seeker, she must possess an innate desire for excitement and thrills.
Ruffling her hair affectionately, Erwin smiled with fond indulgence.
"No problem. I'll tell you next time something interesting happens. Though not in the immediate future, I go out every night just to read books. Rather boring, honestly."
Feeling the warmth of his touch, Cho smiled sweetly and accepted his arrangement. The two talked for a while longer before finally heading to their respective dormitories to sleep.
****
The next morning, Erwin followed the other Ravenclaw students down to the dungeons for Potions class.
On the way, they encountered the Gryffindors heading in the same direction.
Harry greeted Erwin warmly, but before he could say more than a few words, his roommates pulled him away.
It might have been a butterfly effect caused by Erwin's arrival; this year's Hufflepuff class was exceptionally large, nearly matching the combined total of the other three houses.
The school had therefore decided that starting this term, Hufflepuff would take classes alone while the other three houses would share lessons.
So this class included not only Gryffindor but Slytherin as well.
Remembering he hadn't completed his daily draw yet, Erwin mentally addressed the system.
'System, daily draw.'
Ding. [Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Potions Knowledge (Purple).]
'This lucky?'
Erwin's eyebrows rose.
Combined with what he'd received before, his Potions knowledge now equaled that of an outstanding fourth-year student.
Having essentially defied the Sorting Hat during the ceremony, in full view of Snape, he'd expected the Potions Master to seek retribution during class.
He'd been worried his Potions knowledge might prove insufficient, and the system had provided timely assistance.
'As expected of my reliable system.'