Night deepens.
The stars shimmer in the velvet night sky.
The night gathering has long since dispersed.
The Ravenclaw common room quickly fell silent, left only with the occasional sound of turning pages. As the clock on the wall ticked into the deep night, students who stayed reading there began to return to their dormitories one by one.
Only the flames in the fireplace happily danced, casting warm light and crackling sounds, as always guarding this sanctuary that witnessed countless little eagles rise.
The firelight reflected on the surrounding stone walls, and the shadows flickered as a figure appeared in the deep night. Holding a map he crafted himself, he silently slipped from the common room to the corridor of the eighth floor.
"Ian Navigation at your service."
Ian felt that his replica was incredibly handy.
He could clearly monitor everyone's location, and unlike the regular version, his map displayed names of people, even those far away.
Even if you purchased his map and chose a nickname, Ian's map would show the real name in brackets after the nickname.
A small privilege.
Exclusively for the map's creator.
"This thing is really useful."
Much like having GPS navigation in the city keeps you from getting lost, Ian didn't worry about running into anyone who might cause trouble while sneaking around at night.
Everyone's location was clear, including those night owls who didn't sleep—like the Weasley twins sneaking around in Snape's office, up to something mischievous.
Normally, Snape would be busy brewing potions in his office, but he ran off to Dumbledore's Headmaster's Office. They both moved frequently within the office, but fortunately, their movements were restricted to that area, so Ian didn't need to worry about them catching students sneaking around.
"Are they playing hide-and-seek?"
Ian was curious about the happenings in the Headmaster's Office. However, he was quickly drawn to the location of Filch, the nemesis of night wanderers.
Tonight, Mr. Filch seemed to have given up on patrols and catching night-wandering little wizards for harsh detention. His icon overlapped with Madam Pince's.
"!!!"
Ian felt he had uncovered a big secret.
This was definitely heavy news, maybe he needed to update the map he had yet to sell so that when two icons overlapped, they would automatically be hidden or shielded?
"I'll update it as soon as I get back."
Of course, Ian's own map would certainly not include these updates, but for mass-produced versions, caution was necessary. After all, the cheating rate in the United Kingdom wasn't low.
Wizards might be more open—if the map caused Hogwarts to become a place of wailing, Ian might have to bear significant responsibility for the wizarding world's future population decline.
"Lockhart still in the library at this hour? No wonder he's Madam Pince's idol. Meeting his lover privately while using authority to let Lockhart stay overnight in the library."
Ian also kept tabs on the movements of the new professor, the icon bearing Gilderoy Lockhart's name. He wondered if using the night, Lockhart planned to replace all library books with his novels plagiarized from others' experiences. Ian always felt this guy might pull something like that.
"I need a slaughterhouse."
In front of the Room of Requirement, Ian made his wish. A door silently appeared on the wall, and under the melancholy gaze of Silly Barnabas, who was being pummeled, Ian walked through.
The reason for being awake so late was naturally due to Ian, after returning to his dorm following a tutorial, having explored "Alchemy Decrypted: The Connection Between All Things." He found an alternative solution to his problem within it. This somewhat changed his view of Gilderoy Lockhart.
Being able to discern Ian's desired problem from the books Ian searched, and providing the answer, Gilderoy Lockhart must hold top-notch knowledge in Alchemy. Perhaps he only forgot magic? Amazed, Ian utilized the book's knowledge tonight to complete his creation.
Bone Crushing and Ash Scattering Box.
This was a self-proclaimed unprecedented invention of his.
For any Alchemist, if the completed creation isn't immediately verified, it's like holding a fully-loaded Gatling gun without being able to pull the trigger.
Who can withstand it?
Unbearable!
Heaven knows Ian, after completing the Bone Crushing and Ash Scattering Box, stared at several icons in the common room for ages, believing he might even dream of those names tonight.
"Thankfully, there's no scholar cramming overnight."
Ian, silently grateful, eagerly twisted the doorknob and stepped into the Room of Requirement... Before him lay exactly what he needed—a slaughterhouse.
Moreover, it was far grander than he imagined.
A faint scent of disinfectant lingered in the air, rows of organized slaughter tools and equipment stood silently, gleaming with chilly metallic hues under the dim light. Sharp butcher knives, sturdy iron hooks, resilient ropes, and precise cutting machinery were all there in abundance.