Hogwarts: Don't call me the Staff Maker

Chapter 52 The Secret Passage and the Beating Willow

The Hogwarts Castle was quiet in the dead of night, with only the occasional dim oil lamp flickering slowly between the floors.

"That's Filch on patrol."

"I do know that," Siren glanced at Fred, who was acting as the explainer beside him. "But can you really get outside the castle without opening the gate?"

"George, it looks like we're being questioned." Fred raised an eyebrow.

"Then let's show our freshmen what Weasley is capable of," George said, walking up to a portrait and standing in front of it.

Xilun glanced over instinctively and saw a picturesque scene: endless wheat fields, herds of cattle and sheep, and a barn.

George reached out and slapped the barn in the lower left corner three times.

Boom, boom, boom!

A man who wasn't originally in the portrait appeared. He walked over, cursing, and forcefully pulled open the barn door.

Then the portrait split in the middle, like an open door, revealing a dark passage behind it.

"Fred, you go first," George said, and as soon as he finished speaking, Fred plunged into the passageway.

"Why don't you go in and take a look..." George looked at Xilen and gestured for her to go in.

Without hesitation, Xilun stepped into the passage.

It was dark inside, but relatively flat. Xiren held his wand and walked forward cautiously.

About ten minutes later, a staircase leading upwards appeared in the passageway, where Fred was waiting for him.

As Xilun walked over, he forcefully raised his hand and pushed open a trapdoor above his head.

A ray of moonlight shone in from outside, and Xiren knew that they had left the castle.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go take a look!" George's cheerful voice came from behind.

Upon exiting the passage, Xilun found himself in a fairly spacious room. By the moonlight streaming in from the window, he could see a row of cabinets on his left and a long bench in front of them.

"The Quidditch team's locker room." Fred picked up a blue Quidditch jersey hanging on the cabinet, glanced at it, and then put it back in its place.

"It's a pity it's Ravenclaw House."

"We've been trying to persuade Wood to switch locker rooms with Ravenclaw."

"Unfortunately, he has always disagreed."

"Why?" Xilun asked curiously.

"Who knows? Maybe they're just reluctant to leave our current locker room," George said as he was the last to walk out of the tunnel.

"How about it? A convenient secret passage like this for one gallon is a good deal, isn't it?"

"It's a bit pricey, but worth it." Celen opened the door and looked out at the tranquil Quidditch pitch.

"By the way, does Filch know about this secret passage?"

"They probably don't know," Fred said after a moment's thought. "The last time we used this secret passage was last year, to explore the Forbidden Forest."

"Later, we were caught by Hagrid and then given a severe scolding by Professor McGonagall."

"But this secret passage is still here; it hasn't been sealed off."

"Therefore, we believe that Filch should not have known."

"But we can't rule out the possibility that he did it on purpose, trying to lure us back so he could catch us in the act."

"He often pulls these kinds of tricks."

This secret passage doesn't sound very safe.

Xiren frowned, feeling that the one gallon he had just paid was a bit of a rip-off, but then he thought that Fred and George were talking about last year's events, and even if Filch was very patient, he couldn't possibly keep an eye on things for a whole year.

"By the way, if you also want to go to the Forbidden Forest, I advise you to come back with us now." Fred opened the trapdoor hidden in the floor again.

"Even at night, Hagrid can always find you in the dark forest."

Consider this a piece of advice we're offering as a bonus.

After they finished speaking, the two jumped into the passage and left. They had other things to do and did not intend to act with Xilun.

"I've got it," said Siron, who hadn't originally planned to go to the Forbidden Forest.

The reason I chose to come out at night was simply to avoid Professor Sprout.

Whether it was a coincidence or something else, every time Xilun approached the Man-Beating Willow, before he could do anything, the other party would quickly appear and drive him away.

Moreover, the reasons were particularly compelling: the area near the "Hit-Man Willow" was dangerous, and first-year students were prohibited from approaching it, leaving Xilun with no way to refute them.

That's why he chose to act at night and sought help from the Weasley brothers, who were familiar with all the secret passages.

So far, things have gone smoothly.

As Siron stepped out of the dressing room, he saw that the clouds were thick tonight, and only half of Hogwarts Castle was shrouded in moonlight, while the other half was shrouded in darkness.

Fortunately, I can still see the road.

Xilun made no attempt to conceal himself and quickly arrived at the location of the Man-Beating Willow.

The willow tree seemed quieter than during the day, standing there silently, as if coated with a layer of silver frost under the moonlight.

Seemingly sensing Xilun's presence, several branches, each tens of feet long and as thick as a giant's thigh, suddenly trembled violently.

The overwhelming sense of power and oppressive force made Xilun instinctively take a step back.

He picked up a stone the size of an egg and swung it forcefully towards the tree trunk.

The stone struck a barely noticeable scab, and the previously restless willow tree instantly fell silent.

"Very good." Xilun glanced at the greenhouse next to him reflexively, without any further reaction.

Although the greenhouse was still lit, it was probably to accommodate the specific needs of some plants, not because of Professor Sprout.

Xiren let out a long sigh and took a wand out of his bag.

This was the first time he had ever taken a branch on his own initiative. Normally, wand makers would exchange them with Bowtruckles, but the Willow was clearly not very welcoming to those little guys, so Siron had to do it himself.

He quickly climbed up the willow tree and found a good spot.

Following the unwritten rule among wand makers not to take the main stem, Siron focused his attention on several drooping twigs.

This position is equivalent to the thorns of a venomous geranium or the roots of a mandrake, designed to increase its lethality. Even if it is removed, it will not have any effect on the Whomping Willow.

Xilun found a good spot and suddenly waved his hand.

"Diffindor!"

The Cutting Spell is a lower-tier version of the Divine Sharpness, mostly used for cutting and distributing materials or pruning branches.

With a screeching sound, sparks flew from the tree branch.

"It's really hard," Xilun pursed his lips, feeling as if he were cutting a stone.

Fortunately, the spell wasn't entirely useless. If you look closely, you'll find a coin-sized notch on the branch.

Xilun pressed on and cast the spell twice more.

"Snap!" The branch finally broke.

But at the same time, the Willow Tree began to gradually awaken, and Xilun could clearly feel the trunk beneath his feet sway slightly.

In addition, a window in the castle across the street suddenly lit up.

Siren wasn't sure if anyone had heard the cutting spell. Without hesitation, he slid swiftly down the tree trunk, grabbed a branch from the ground, and turned to rush into the shadows beneath the castle.