It wasn’t until they reached an abandoned classroom that Cho finally recovered from the shock of what she’d seen.
“I still can’t believe it,” she said, shaking her head.
“There are that many house-elves working at Hogwarts?” Her voice was full of genuine amazement.
Despite being a second-year student, she’d never once considered where the mountains of food appearing in the Great Hall actually came from.
Alvin understood the feeling.
He had known Hogwarts employed house-elves, but knowing something and seeing it with his own eyes were entirely different things.
More than a hundred elves bustling through the kitchens at once was a sight few students ever witnessed.
Inside the classroom, Fred, George, and Lee were already setting up what could only be described as a feast.
Dish after dish appeared across a large table.
Roast lamb.
Roast chicken.
Fried sausages.
Cornish pasties.
Yorkshire pudding.
Pumpkin pie.
A massive pot of rich, steaming soup.
The aroma alone was enough to make Alvin realize how hungry he was.
Then Lee finally opened the mysterious sack he’d been carrying all night.
Several glass bottles filled with a golden liquid clinked together inside.
Cho tilted her head.
“What are those?” The twins immediately puffed out their chests.
“Butterbeer!” “How did you get Butterbeer?” Cho asked, surprised.
“Wouldn’t the Three Broomsticks refuse to sell it to students?” Lee shrugged.
“They took one look at me and didn’t even ask my age.” “The waitress just handed it over.” Cho burst out laughing.
To be fair, Lee did look older than most first-years.
Quite a bit older, actually.
Looking at the feast spread across the table, Alvin suddenly realized his stomach was making excellent arguments.
It was already well past midnight.
Several hours had passed since dinner.
His appetite wholeheartedly approved of the twins’ planning.
Still, he leaned closer to Cho and lowered his voice.
“Take it easy with the Butterbeer.” Cho wrinkled her nose.
“Fine.” The response was immediate enough to make him suspicious.
George dragged a chair into the center of the room.
Then planted one foot on it dramatically.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” He raised his bottle high.
“Let us raise a toast!” “To the newest members of the Hogwarts Midnight Exploration Society!” “Cheers!” “Cheers!” The bottles clinked together.
Alvin took a sip.
The flavor surprised him.
It was sweet and creamy, with a gentle warmth lingering beneath the surface.
Only the faintest hint of alcohol remained.
It barely tasted like beer at all.
Which made it far more dangerous than it seemed.
Especially for someone like Cho.
Alvin glanced sideways.
Sure enough, she’d already taken several enthusiastic gulps.
He immediately reached over and lowered her bottle.
“Slow down.” “The night’s barely started.” Cho pouted.
“But it’s really good.” A faint blush was already beginning to color her cheeks.
“I’ve wanted to try Butterbeer for years.” “Mum and Dad always said I was too young.” After only a few drinks, her excitement became noticeably harder to hide.
Then again, tonight had probably been the most rebellious evening of her life.
She’d sneaked out after curfew.
Explored secret areas of Hogwarts.
Broken enough school rules to give Percy Weasley a heart attack.
And now she was drinking Butterbeer in the middle of the night.
Seeing the happiness on her face, Alvin couldn’t help smiling.
“If you like it that much, I’ll bring you again sometime.” “Ooooooh.” The room erupted immediately.
Fred, George, and Lee began making exaggerated noises.
Cho’s face grew even redder.
Alvin ignored them completely.
George grinned.
“We know loads of secret routes into Hogsmeade.” Fred nodded.
“If Lady Gaunt ever requires additional Butterbeer, our services are available.” “We provide premium smuggling operations.” “Competitive rates.” “Excellent customer reviews.” Alvin laughed.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” As the meal progressed, conversation gradually gave way to eating.
And eating.
And more eating.
The food vanished at a frankly alarming speed.
Every so often, someone raised a bottle.
A toast followed.
More Butterbeer disappeared.
The abandoned classroom slowly transformed into the perfect midnight gathering.
Warm food.
Good company.
No professors.
No homework.
No responsibilities.
For a little while, Hogwarts felt wonderfully simple.
Eventually, the last plate was emptied.
Everyone leaned back with contented groans.
Lee rubbed his stomach dramatically.
“I can’t move.” “Tell my family I died doing what I loved.” “Eating?” Alvin asked.
“No.” Lee shook his head solemnly.
“Accepting free food.” After a while, Alvin decided something needed to be done about the seating arrangements.
He pulled out his wand.
“Accio chairs.” Several abandoned chairs flew in from around the classroom.
Then he casually flicked his wand again.
The wooden furniture immediately twisted and reshaped itself.
Legs lengthened.
Backrests expanded.
Moments later, a row of comfortable reclining loungers occupied the room.
Everyone’s eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, they claimed the newly created seats.
A chorus of satisfied sighs followed.
“Ahhhh…” “This is brilliant.” Cho settled comfortably into hers and looked genuinely impressed.
“Your Transfiguration is amazing.” “We haven’t learned anything remotely like this in second year.” Fred immediately pointed at her.
“Forget second years.” “We can’t do that either.” George nodded gravely.
“Recruiting Alvin was unquestionably the greatest decision in the history of our organization.” “The future has never looked brighter.” Alvin waved dismissively.
“It wasn’t that impressive.” Then, without thinking much about it, he reached over and took Cho’s hand.
The two lounged side by side while their chairs rocked gently.
For a while, nobody spoke.
The only sound was the soft creaking of the loungers.
It was strangely peaceful.
Eventually, Alvin stretched.
“You’ve got two brothers at Hogwarts, don’t you?” “Why didn’t you invite them?” “Percy and Ron?” Fred immediately made a face.
“Percy?” George shuddered dramatically.
“If Percy discovered tonight’s gathering, we’d receive Howlers before breakfast.” “Possibly before we woke up.” Fred nodded.
“Our dear Prefect would report us personally.” “Probably in alphabetical order.” Laughter erupted around the room.
Percy’s reputation was well known.
Even among students who barely knew him.
As a Prefect, he treated rules with almost religious devotion.
Then there was Ron.
Fred shook his head.
“Ronnie’s still Mum’s precious little baby.” “We couldn’t possibly corrupt him.” The statement triggered another round of laughter.
Including from the twins themselves.
Neither managed to keep a straight face.
As the night wore on, Fred and George began sharing stories.
Stories involving Filch.
Stories involving Peeves.
Stories involving secret passages.
Stories involving explosions.
Stories involving explosions that definitely weren’t supposed to happen.
The twins even revealed several hidden routes through Hogwarts.
Alvin and Cho listened with fascination.
Compared to the Weasley twins, their own school experiences suddenly felt remarkably ordinary.
No wonder the pair had become legendary among the students.
They treated Hogwarts less like a school and more like a giant playground.
Eventually, however, reality caught up with them.
The food was gone.
The stories had run out.
And everyone was beginning to yawn.
Together, the group cleaned the classroom until it looked exactly as it had before.
Not a single trace of their gathering remained.
Before leaving, Alvin glanced at Fred, George, and Lee.
The three had consumed a respectable amount of Butterbeer.
Getting caught by Filch now would be embarrassing.
With a flick of his wand, he cast a Disillusionment Charm on each of them.
Their forms immediately blended into the surrounding darkness.
Fred looked down at himself.
“Every time I see that spell, I want to learn it even more.” George nodded.
“One day we’ll steal it.” “You mean learn it.” “Same thing.” Alvin rolled his eyes.
“Good night, idiots.” “Good night, Lord Gaunt!” “Good night, Lady Gaunt!” Cho’s face instantly turned scarlet.
The twins bolted before Alvin could retaliate.
Their laughter echoed down the corridor long after they disappeared.
Soon everyone headed back toward their respective common rooms.
The castle settled into silence once more.
And another midnight adventure came to an end.