The silence that fell over the dormitory was heavier than any textbook. Lee Jordan's earlier cheerfulness evaporated, replaced by cold dread. Fred and George were not simply late; they were missing, having failed to return before the midnight curfew.
"I'm going to check the common room again, ask everyone if they saw them leave, or talk to anyone," Lee said, his voice tight with rising panic. He scrambled out, propelled by anxiety.
Albert, however, moved with an eerie calm. He recognized the surge of adrenaline but deliberately suppressed it, forcing the numbness between his eyebrows—a technique he used for extreme focus. He popped a large piece of the rich dark chocolate fudge into his mouth, savoring the familiar sweetness to anchor himself to the present. He then went to the washroom, splashed cold water on his face, and sternly stroked his own cheeks in the mirror to achieve complete mental clarity.
When Lee Jordan returned, his face was pale and drawn. "They're definitely not in the common room. No one saw them after ten. They're gone, Albert."
Albert grabbed the wizard hat George had been wearing earlier, its scent still faintly clinging to the felt. "Did they enter the Forbidden Forest on a fool's errand to find some supposed treasure?" he asked, his tone flat but demanding. "Did they decipher a new sign on the Marauder's Map?"
Lee hesitated, shuffling his feet. "They… they found something, yes. They told me to keep it quiet, that they didn't want you to interfere yet."
Albert's expression was grim as he processed the implications. Just then, a subtle notification appeared in his mind, confirming his worst fears.
Quest Alert!
Mysterious Disappearance: Two friends are suspected missing after failing to return to their dorms before curfew. As roommates and friends, you must do your best to find them.
Reward: 1000 Experience Points.
"Come with me, we can discuss this while we walk," Albert instructed, grabbing his wand and moving toward the common room door.
"So they did go into the forest?" Lee had finally realized the severity of the situation. To breach the gates and venture into the Forbidden Forest at night was not just reckless; it was potentially fatal.
They moved through the near-empty common room. Students were hunched over scrolls, deeply immersed in their holiday assignments, completely oblivious to the burgeoning crisis.
"I don't know if they went into the forest, but I know what I must do if they did," Albert said, his eyes fixed on Lee. "Tell me everything. What did they find on the map that convinced them it was real?"
Lee Jordan, following Albert out the portrait hole, spoke quickly, lowering his voice to a terrified whisper. "They believe the map pointed to something Gryffindor hid centuries ago, deep inside the woods. Fred specifically said you would prevent them from entering, which is why they asked me to keep silent about the new markings."
"And they were absolutely correct," Albert snapped, a rare flash of anger in his voice. "The outer edge of that forest is dangerous enough, but venturing deeper is sheer madness." He raised his wand, muttered the incantation, and felt the familiar sensation of the Disillusionment Charm washing over him and Lee Jordan, making them blend seamlessly with the shadows.
"Are we heading to the forest?" Lee gasped, utterly shocked by Albert's boldness. He grabbed Albert's sleeve. "Albert, wait! We should go straight to Professor McGonagall!"
"No. We need Hagrid," Albert countered without breaking stride. "Hagrid knows the forest's inhabitants and its paths better than any professor. His help is essential for a safe entry and exit."
"But we can't get out! The castle gates are locked and spelled shut!" Lee reminded him urgently.
"I know the secret passage out of the castle," Albert said simply. "Fred showed me the access point near the portrait when we were exploring before break."
"Why not McGonagall?" Lee insisted, his anxiety peaking.
"Hagrid is our first resource. And more importantly, Lee, we cannot afford to create a huge, public alert immediately, or the twins will be expelled, not just suspended," Albert explained, leading the way toward the third floor. "We need to confirm their location first. Keep quiet, now."
A moment later, they heard the tell-tale shuffling and sniffing of Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris, patrolling the corridor. Albert quickly cut the light from his wand and pulled Lee Jordan behind a dusty tapestry.
"Strange, I distinctly heard talking," Filch grumbled, his lamp casting dancing shadows as he swept the empty corridor. Finding nothing, he shuffled away.
Albert waited until the footsteps faded, then led Lee around the corner towards a large, chipped vase sitting in a dimly lit alcove on the third floor.
"Is the secret passage here?" Lee whispered, bewildered.
"Turn left, turn right," Albert murmured the key phrase. He tapped the heavy vase twice with his wand.
The vase began to grind slowly, swiveling on its base, revealing a section of the stone wall behind it. To Lee Jordan's astonishment, a barely noticeable black seam appeared on the wall's surface and slowly widened, forming a narrow, low door.
"They left this way," Albert confirmed, pushing the door open just enough to reveal the muddy ground outside.
"It's so incredibly well hidden," Lee muttered, awestruck despite his terror.
"Don't tell anyone else," Albert commanded, stepping through and pulling Lee after him.
After a few tense minutes of scrambling and squeezing, they emerged from the passage. Lee Jordan was surprised to find they were on the mountain path that led down to the lake and, further along, to Hagrid's hut.
"Knock on this protruding stone three times," Albert instructed, pointing to a rough, flat stone beside the exit. "The opening password is: 'Quick, open the hole.'"
"Blast it, the number of secret passages those two know! Why didn't they tell me?" Lee complained under his breath, still following Albert towards the dark outline of Hagrid's cabin.
"How do we even confirm they're in the Forbidden Forest, Albert?" Lee asked, catching up. He desperately wanted to avoid entering the wood himself.
"We use the owls," Albert explained simply. "They possess an innate tracking ability—a strong homing instinct based on the scent of the object they carry and the scent of the person they're delivering it to. We'll use that to pinpoint their location." Albert, though lacking true tracking magic, knew he could effectively borrow the owl's unique sensory skill.
Lee Jordan stopped, utterly dumbfounded by the elegant genius of the idea. "I… I can't believe it could be done like that."
They reached Hagrid's hut. No light shone in the windows; Hagrid was either out or deeply asleep. Their approach, however, instantly triggered Fang, the huge, slobbery hound, who began barking frantically.
"Hagrid! Hagrid, we need your help!" Albert hammered hard on the wooden door. The relentless series of thuds echoed across the grounds, but only Fang's frantic barking responded.
Something is wrong. If Hagrid were merely asleep, he would have reacted to such a clamor. He must be out on some business—perhaps checking on a particularly aggressive Blast-Ended Skrewt, or dealing with some other dangerous task.
Albert pointed his wand at the heavy latch and muttered, "Alohomora." The lock clicked open.
"Isn't this breaking and entering?" Lee Jordan asked nervously, following Albert inside.
Light from Albert's wand tip sliced through the gloom, confirming the cabin was empty. Fang couldn't see them, still under the Disillusionment Charm, and milled around their feet, sniffing the air anxiously. Albert canceled the charm on himself and knelt to reassure the huge, confused dog.
"Of course it's bad, Lee," Albert said calmly. "But necessity over rules." Before Lee could respond, the sound of wingbeats filled the air. Shera swooped in, landing silently on the wooden table, having followed Albert's summons.
Albert quickly grabbed a parchment and quill, scribbling a message. He then took his own white linen handkerchief—impregnated with his specific scent and the lingering scent of George—and handed it to the owl.
"Deliver this to George himself," Albert instructed the owl. Shera grasped the handkerchief, spread her wings, and flew directly out the window, heading straight for the Forbidden Forest.
The direction confirmed it: Fred and George were in the woods. Had they been hiding in the castle, Shera would have flown towards the stone walls. Lee Jordan's face fell completely, terror now undeniable.
"We go back to Professor McGonagall now, right?" Lee asked, desperate for a return to safety and authority.
"Yes, Lee. You go back and find Professor McGonagall," Albert nodded. He looked Lee directly in the eye, his expression unwavering. "But I'm going into the forest. Don't worry; I guarantee my safety. Someone needs to be the first line of defense. You must go back because someone needs to tell McGonagall."
"Albert, you absolutely cannot!" Lee protested, horrified.
"If I don't find them in two hours, I will return on my own, I promise you," Albert said, placing a firm, reassuring hand on Lee's shoulder. "You know I never take a risk I haven't planned for. Do you honestly think I'd risk my life for a simple prank?"
"So how do you plan to find them, if the owl just left?" Lee asked, his mind racing.
"Through Fang, of course." Lee looked at the hound, then at the hat Albert was still holding, and finally understood the purpose of the twin's hat.
Albert had received a second, more urgent notification after confirming their location:
Quest Update!
Rescue Operation: The Weasley brothers entered the Forbidden Forest on a reckless quest and have not returned. As a Gryffindor student, roommate, and friend, you cannot abandon them. Enter the forest, locate the Weasley brothers, and safely escort them out of the Forbidden Forest.
Rewards: 2000 Experience Points, 2 Skill Points, +10 Favorability with George Weasley, +10 Favorability with Fred Weasley.
The mission confirmed two things: first, the twins were in genuine peril, justifying the high experience reward; second, finding them wouldn't be the hard part—it was the extraction that was the challenge.
Albert had confidence. If necessary, he could employ the All-Encompassing Protection spell, which he had practiced successfully in the safety of Professor Brod's office, combined with his recently honed skill in Apparation to immediately relocate to the edge of the forest.
He did not want to reveal his Apparation ability if possible, but it was his ultimate, final line of defense. For now, he would rely on the first line: Hagrid and Professor McGonagall, brought by Lee Jordan.
Albert and Lee rushed to the hidden, unguarded entrance to the Forbidden Forest that Fred and George had used—a narrow, almost invisible trail behind a thicket of overgrown shrubs.
Albert handed Fred's hat to Fang. "Fang, good boy. Help me find Fred. I'll buy you the best bacon later."
Fang sniffed the hat excitedly, whined, and then, without hesitation, lumbered onto the narrow, darkened path, his nose to the ground.
"Remember, Lee," Albert instructed one last time. "Go straight back to the castle. Knock on the stone ledge three times. The password is: 'Quick, open the hole.' Tell Professor McGonagall immediately that Fred and George have not returned and are confirmed to be in the Forbidden Forest. Bring Hagrid back if he is there."
"You are taking an insane risk," Lee said, his voice pleading, before nodding hopelessly. "I understand. Two hours, Albert. I'll be back with help before then."
As Albert followed Fang's heavy, determined pace into the oppressive gloom of the Forbidden Forest, Lee Jordan turned and ran back towards the castle, his mind fixed on his single, desperate mission.
Meanwhile, deep within the ancient, skeletal trees of the Forbidden Forest, the situation for the twins was dire.
Shera, Albert's owl, had flown with blinding speed, unerringly zeroing in on the scent. The owl, sensing the danger below, hovered high above the canopy. The tiny handkerchief Shera carried detached itself and fluttered down, landing directly on George Weasley's mop of red hair.
"What's this?" Fred reached up, but George instinctively grabbed the handkerchief first. He held it up to the faint, flickering light of his wand, reading the hastily scrawled message aloud:
"Throw red sparks into the sky. If you need help, ask the centaurs. They will lead you out of the forest."
"Albert's owl!" George shouted, looking up and catching a brief glimpse of Shera as she banked and flew back the way she came. "We're saved! He knows where we are!"
"Centaurs? Where are we going to find centaurs when we're about to be eaten!" Fred shuddered, looking down.
They were in a desperate predicament. Following the treasure map's cryptic instructions had led them into a deep, disorienting section of the forest where they had encountered a swarm of giant, eight-eyed spiders—Acromantulas.
They had been extraordinarily lucky. George, using a strong Shield Charm, had managed to hold off the initial wave, and in their panicked flight, Fred had remembered Albert mentioning a Guardian Tree—a massive, ancient oak that was supposedly warded against dark creatures.
They had scrambled to the base of the colossal tree, whose sheer trunk briefly offered protection. But the sheer number of spiders was overwhelming. The army of spiders had swarmed the tree, their clicking mandibles and hairy legs creating a disgusting, dense wall of chitin and venom.
They had been forced to climb, which had only angered the cranky, hunchbacked Tree Guardian who lived among the branches, resulting in painful scratches and the shaking of their precarious perch.
"Quick, another giant spider is attempting to scale the trunk towards us!" George shouted, his voice cracking.
"Impedimenta!" Fred bellowed.
"Impedimenta!" George echoed, and both spells struck the aggressive Acromantula simultaneously, sending it tumbling down into the dense crowd below with a sickening thud.
"Thank goodness Albert forced us to practice that Obstacle Charm until our arms fell off," George muttered, gripping his wand tightly.
"'Throw red sparks into the sky'," Fred repeated, raising his wand again, ready to cast the Red Sparks flare.
"Don't do that!" George stopped him quickly, his eyes wide with renewed terror as he looked down at the horrifying, pulsating mass of spiders below them.
"Why not?" Fred demanded.
"What if Albert comes alone? If he sees the Red Sparks, he'll think we're safe, or worse, he'll follow the signal right into this sea of spiders!" George's face was etched with worry.
"I think Albert would probably seek help from the professors. Considering his personality, it's highly unlikely he would enter the Forbidden Forest alone," Fred rationalized, trying to hold onto the image of the rational, calculating Albert. The image of their methodical friend, however, didn't match the immediate presence of his tracking owl and the cryptic note.