Hogwarts' saying: a student's life without night roaming is incomplete. Rules regulated behavior, but upper-years knew—breaking rules wasn't the issue; getting caught was.
Tangmu Lideer didn't roam for rebellion. He farmed achievement points.
Beyond the "Hogwarts' Best Student" mission (Chapter 21), the achievement list was unlocked. Studying it, Tangmu found points easier to earn early on.
Attending classes, answering questions, and strolling with Dafuni Gelingelasi earned him 150 points. The "Night Roaming the Castle" series rewarded exploration.
Tonight, he was "stocking up." Andeluosuo excelled but was biased against Dark Magic, lacking talent in it. Tangmu aimed for 1,000 points to summon another King of the Century, ideally a Dark Arts expert.
Tangmu left Slymerin's common room, strolling corridors leisurely, as in daylight. Candle sconces cast flickering shadows, animating the halls.
He practiced his Disillusionment Charm, refining precision.
The charm wasn't true invisibility—more chameleon-like, bending light to blend with surroundings. Static environments were easy; shifting shadows and lighting risked exposure, making it ideal for training.
The corridor was quiet. Silhouettes flickered on walls, vanishing like ghosts. Tangmu's mastery grew, his camouflage adapting to dynamic lighting.
The system didn't quantify spell proficiency, but Tangmu recognized stages:
Basic Success: Spells sometimes worked, often failed—barely usable.Fluent Mastery: Reliable casting, near 100% success. Control varied—e.g., basic Wingardium Leviosa lifted objects; mastery made them dance.Silent Casting: Faster, discreet, hard to master. Even skilled wizards spoke spells aloud for focus and power.Wandless Casting: Andeluosuo, history's greatest wandless caster, said it relied on magical perception and talent, not practice. Some mastered spells but faltered without wands—lacking innate ability.
Tangmu's talent leaned toward control. Once learned, spells felt second nature.
Unlike Hemin Gelanjie, who knew many spells but lacked power—"book smart," not battle-ready—Tangmu, with Andeluosuo's potential, had a vast upper limit. Basic spells could hit like Unforgivables someday.
Two hours later, Tangmu reached the second floor, unlocking doors and lingering for system achievement prompts, earning 20 points.
Hungry, he headed to the kitchen.
Slymerin's common room, in the castle's southern dungeon, was far from the kitchen beneath the Great Hall.
Descending a spiral staircase, Tangmu reached a wide underground space with wooden barrels and wall paintings. Opposite a fruit still-life was Hufflepuff's horizontal barrel entrance, opened by rhythmic knocks—wrong attempts doused intruders in vinegar.
Hufflepuffs had it best. Boarding students understood the bliss of dorms near the kitchen—a 24/7 personalized buffet with house-elves.
Hufflepuff's location was strategic—near the Great Hall and classrooms. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw climbed towers; Slymerin lurked in damp dungeons. Non-Hufflepuffs logged thousands more steps daily.
Tangmu sighed enviously—again.
He scratched the fruit painting's green pear.
It shivered, giggling, twisting into a door handle.
Tangmu: "…"
Helga Hufflepuff's playful side—whimsical magic mechanisms.
Murmuring, he turned the handle.
The kitchen mirrored the Great Hall—high ceilings, sparkling copper pots.
A house-elf appeared with a pop, bowed, and squeaked, "Sir! I is Hobbie! What can I do?"
"I'm Tangmu Lideer," he said. "Hungry—hoping for food."
"Hobbie's getting it, sir!" The elf sprinted to the stove.
The doors opened again.
Two identical red-haired heads peeked in, locking eyes with Tangmu.
[^1]: In the Wizarding World, the Disillusionment Charm blends casters with surroundings. House-elves serve Hogwarts, handling tasks like cooking.