The night has not yet arrived.
Ian still had many things to do.
He didn't know that the naturally cunning Dumbledore was having it both ways. Seeing the library about to close, he ran towards it at such a speed that it seemed like his legs were leaving a trail of smoke.
"Is someone chasing him?"
"I don't know... he looks like he needs to poop but can't find a toilet."
"Oh oh, I get it. I've experienced that before too. Trust me, never bet that it's just a fart. Ah, don't leave, weren't you saying you weren't going back to the dorms tonight?"
...
A seventh-year couple who were cuddling lost their mood due to Ian's passage. Ian might not have gained a merit point, but he definitely prevented an event that could have increased Earth's population by one.
The library didn't get many people during the day, let alone in the evening after classes. Yet, even with Ian's vigorous running, he couldn't beat the closing speed of the library.
He couldn't even catch the scene of Madam Pince turning off the last light. Ian only saw a tightly shut door and a brand-new lock that seemed to have been recently replaced.
"Madam Pince must have left early!"
Ian, feeling indignant, checked the time. It was just the closing time, no more than a minute past it at most.
Indeed.
Positions without competition are always so slack!
"Ah, this sucks, I want to cry."
Ian didn't get a chance to use his bribe tactics to keep Madam Pince a bit longer because he didn't even see her shadow. He could only look around before pulling out his magic wand.
"Alohomora!"
Ian just wanted to experience a Hogwarts tradition. However, despite his unlocking spell being at Level 2, he couldn't unlock the library door.
The strangely shaped door lock merely shuddered twice, as if some force counteracted Ian's unlocking spell. Clearly, this was a high-security door lock with special magical enhancements.
"This is not magical at all!"
Ian was utterly astonished.
Wasn't it said that the unlocking spell can open any lock?!
In the original Hogwarts, even the underground entrance guarded by a three-headed evil dog and hiding the Magic Stone could be opened by first-year Hermione Granger with the unlocking spell!
"Is my unlocking spell inferior to Hermione's?"
Ian, unwilling to give up, tried several more times in a row, but the door lock on the library remained as steady as ever. In the end, the lock even stopped shuddering entirely.
Ian inexplicably felt a sense of humiliation, as if the lock wasn't even bothering to humor him.
"Wait until I awaken my extraordinary traits!"
He jabbed at the library door lock with his magic spell in frustration, turned his head with reluctance, and left. The corridor was empty, but there was a small ghost hiding around the corner.
It peeked at Ian covertly.
Upon seeing it was Ian in the corridor, it immediately tried to dive into the wall, only to have its little legs caught by Ian and pulled out.
"Let me go! Let me go!"
Peeves screamed.
"I saw you. You wanted to hide here and scare me!" Ian was already feeling a bit down, and to his surprise, he ran into Peeves, who dared to appear in front of him.
"I didn't know it was you, this little demon! I thought it was those Ravenclaw nerds!" Peeves wanted to bite the hand Ian was using to hold its legs but didn't dare.
"Oh, really! You dare call me a little demon! Don't you know Dumbledore is my buddy? How rude, not only do you insult me but also our simple and kind Ravenclaws as nerds!" Ian, without a second thought, started pummeling Peeves, effectively relieving his earlier frustration.
He was feeling good and was about to leave.
"I'm going to tell Dumbledore on you! How dare you offend your headmaster by calling him your buddy!" Peeves shouted as it flew away into the distance.
"Fear Descending!"
Ian drew his magic wand, and a slightly grayish beam shot out, hitting the no-elasticity-to-speak-of butt of the scolding Peeves.
"No! Don't burn me with Fiery Fire! Nicolas! Nicolas! Get your axe off my neck! Boohoo! Why are you all helping the little demon bully me!"
Peeves rolled on the ground frantically, crying non-stop.
"I don't want to leave Hogwarts! You can't kick me out! This is my home!" Whoever said prank elves don't feel fear was wrong. Right now, Peeves was reacting more strongly than anyone.
The magic's effect ended.
"Try hiding somewhere to scare me again, and I'll put you in a bottle and throw you into the Black Lake. The giant squid will definitely enjoy playing games with you!"
Ian warned Peeves again.
"Boohoo!"
Peeves dared not talk back anymore. Crying, he slipped into the wall, trembling just like the students he used to scare into tears.
Discovering that Peeves couldn't be pulled out no matter how hard he tried, Ian, feeling a bit unsatisfied, could only leave regretfully. He first returned to the Ravenclaw common room and stuffed all the parchment into his bag.
Then he began wandering around the castle like a freeloader.
No choice.
After all, Ian only knew that the Pen of Admission and the Book of Admission were in a certain top-floor tower. He now had to familiarize himself with the layout, so he could smoothly search room by room at night.