The three young wizards, who had narrowly escaped a gruesome fate that night, dejectedly followed Professor Delfino to his office on the third floor.
As the 'kings of pranks' rarely seen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in over a decade, Fred, George, and Lee were frequent "guests" of various professors—naturally, they were no strangers to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office.
Compared to when Quirrell occupied it, the most noticeable change was that the nauseating garlic smell, strong enough to make one's eyes water, was gone. The air in the room was much fresher.
Not only that, but unlike other professors' offices, this small room wasn't cluttered with stacks of parchment everywhere. This was mainly because, based on his unique teaching methods, Professor Delfino was the only teacher at Hogwarts who never assigned homework.
From this perspective, he was the 'most lovable' staff member in the eyes of the students.
Fred, George, and Lee could enter the Forbidden Forest as if it were their own backyard, and even Hagrid couldn't do anything about them. Clearly, the three boys had 'guts' beyond the average young wizard.
Even though they had just narrowly escaped death, now that they were out of danger, their boundless curiosity bubbled up again.
Although their heads were still lowered, the six eyes of the three boys were all rolled upward in unison, their gazes focused squarely on Professor Delfino.
They watched him calmly take a brass flask from a drawer and pour a bright red drink into a glass.
They were still staring at Professor Delfino's eyes—
Those eyes had undergone a significant change during the recent event. Even though it wasn't obvious now, some traces remained.
"What are you drinking, Professor?"
A lively light flickered in Fred's eyes. His pretense of caution couldn't hide the curiosity in his gaze.
"A homemade vitality-replenishing potion."
Professor Delfino said calmly, not seeming to mind.
Under the gaze of the three boys, he leaned against the edge of his desk, closed his eyes, and savored the red drink as if it were a fragrant, rich wine... until the glass was empty, and he let out a long breath.
When he opened his eyes again, Fred, George, and Lee noticed that Professor Delfino's eyes had returned to their usual clear black.
"Is that potion the secret to your power?"
George Weasley smacked his lips, speaking in a tone of awe.
"You could say that—"
Professor Delfino smiled, then cleared his throat and wiped the smile from his face.
The three boys immediately had the sense to straighten their faces and tense their bodies, adopting a posture ready to accept criticism based on years of experience.
"There is a saying that goes—"
Fred, George, and Lee listened to Professor Delfino... Although this professor wasn't much older than them, they could hear a 'richness of experience' in his tone.
"You never know which will come first: tomorrow or an accident."
Professor Delfino said calmly.
"I wonder what insights this saying brings to the three of you?"
Fred, George, and Lee buried their heads even lower. In their expressions of 'resigned acceptance', there was now a bit more genuine guilt and lingering fear.
"We know we were wrong, Professor Delfino."
Under Professor Delfino's calm but sharp gaze, George braced himself and said,
"We promise you, we will never go into that room again."
"Or may we bleed from all seven orifices and die!"
Fred swore.
"Just not that room?"
Ares twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Doesn't include other places?"
Er—
George lowered his head again.
Was Professor Delfino asking them never to go on adventures again?
What fun would there be in living such a life?
Wouldn't that be letting down the four noble gentlemen—Prongs, Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail—who entrusted the map to them?
Just as George was thinking this, Professor Delfino in front of him suddenly hooked his finger. Then, the map he had stuffed into his pocket but left a corner sticking out flew out with a whoosh and landed precisely in Professor Delfino's hand.
"Oh, this is a prank item..."
When going downstairs just now, George had deliberately lagged two steps behind, using the cover provided by Fred and Lee to hide the real map.
He took a step forward, intending to explain to Professor Delfino, but was scared back by a sudden glance from the professor.
The three boys watched with trepidation as the professor turned the Marauder's Map over and over, looking interested... Although the Marauder's Map had a brilliant way of disguising itself, this professor in front of them was unusual, and they weren't sure if the disguise could fool him.
"Here you go—"
Fortunately, Professor Delfino didn't notice anything strange. he just toyed with and examined the parchment for a while, then handed it back to George.
Come to think of it, where did Professor Delfino appear from to save them... When they checked the map, they didn't see anyone else on the fourth floor, did they?
As he took the map back, George couldn't help but wonder.
It seemed Professor Delfino didn't intend to punish them severely.
Fred, George, and Lee all noticed that when Professor Delfino spoke again, his tone was much gentler compared to just now, almost back to normal.
"Twenty points from each of you. Any objections?"
Professor Delfino said. Seeing the relieved expressions on the three boys' faces, he added with a smile,
"I won't tell Professor McGonagall what happened tonight, but if she notices the missing sixty points... go give her an explanation proactively, understand?"
"Understood, Professor Delfino!"
The three boys sounded much more enthusiastic.
With their cleverness, they naturally understood Professor Delfino's hint—giving an explanation proactively didn't mean giving the truth, right?
Truly worthy of being the first professor in Hogwarts history to lead a student protest, the undeniably most open-minded professor!
The three boys looked at Professor Delfino with respect.
Then, Fred noticed Professor Delfino looking at the three large bundles they had brought with them.
"Oh, we got these from Hogsmeade—er, using a secret passage leading out of the school."
Since Professor Delfino had saved their lives tonight and generously let them off without severe punishment, Fred decided to tell the truth.
"Mostly snacks... and some prank products."
George and Lee followed Fred's lead, untying the large bundles at their feet to reveal the contents.
In the three bundles, Fred's spilled out at least a few dozen Dungbombs, Lee's clinked with over twenty bottles of Butterbeer. George's bundle was the largest, filled with colorful, tempting candies, chocolates, and snacks!
"This amount... did you buy these to eat yourselves?"
Ares raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
"This could probably fill the belly of a starving troll."
"Oh, actually—"
George hesitated and said,
"We... um, bring them back to sell to students."
"You can sell them?"
Ares raised his eyebrows even higher.
"Actually... they're very popular."
Lee Jordan grinned.
"Supply simply can't meet demand."
Looking at the scattered, dazzling array of snacks and toys on the floor, Ares sucked in a breath of cold air containing surprise. He looked thoughtful, a strange light gleaming in his eyes.
"Is it... very profitable?"
"Hmm, it's alright—"
Fred said smugly.
"Just making some pocket money... The market is huge, mainly our carrying capacity is limited, Professor Delfino."