Hogwarts: From Little Wizard to White Lord

Peter gently cradled Guoguocha and slipped it another piece of dried fish before shrugging. "It's simple. Bring snacks and feed her."

"Don't mess with me," Ron grumbled. "Harry gave her barbecue once, and she still chased us through three corridors. Bloody cat."

Peter shot him an exasperated look. "You idiot. Animals can tell if you're being sincere. You were probably guilty about sneaking out or trying to bribe her. That cat's smart she won't respond to someone with bad intentions."

He reached down and tickled Mrs. Norris under the chin. The strange, scruffy cat let out a soft purr, rolled onto her back, and stretched, paws playfully batting at Peter's fingers.

"Alright, go on now. Don't tell Filch anything," Peter said, scratching behind her ears again. Then he grimaced slightly. "Ugh. I really need to make some better supplements for you. You're way too scrawny."

Mrs. Norris gave his fingers a quick lick, then fixed Ron and Hermione with her unsettling, bulging eyes. With a flick of her tail, she trotted back toward the trophy room.

Peter glanced after her and then turned to Ron and Hermione. "So… you two came to check on Harry?"

"Yeah," Hermione nodded. "We were worried Malfoy might try something."

"Don't worry," Peter said with a grin, "I already warned Draco. If he causes Slytherin to lose points again, I'll turn him into a mouse and let Guoguocha play with him."

Hermione laughed with satisfaction. "That's the right way to deal with him."

Ron, however, went pale and clutched his pocket protectively. He had a feeling Peter wasn't joking about turning Malfoy into a mouse.

Peter stood and brushed off his pajama sleeves. "Alright, I'm going to walk Peeves a bit more. I'll leave Guoguocha here with you. Once Harry's done wiping down the trophies, you can have her lead you to me. I've found some fun places recently lots of Hogwarts secrets."

He gave a wave and strolled off with Peeves floating silently behind him on a rope.

Hermione watched him go, eyes sparkling. "Ronald, you really should learn more from your brother. He's a good student, and he's so gentle. Even Mrs. Norris likes him."

Ron puffed out his cheeks and turned away, grumbling. He wasn't about to argue with a "silly girl."

They waited for more than an hour before Harry finally emerged, his arms sore and eyes glazed. When he saw Ron, he moved to wipe his face with the grimy rag in his hand.

Ron quickly blocked him. "Don't! That's disgusting."

Only after hearing that Peter had invited them for a secret night tour did Harry perk up a little.

The three of them followed Guoguocha down the dimly lit corridor, Harry still grumbling as they walked.

"…You have no idea how many trophies there are," he moaned. "I wasn't allowed to use magic I had to wipe each one by hand! Halfway through I stopped remembering what I was even doing."

Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed. "Even if you tried, you couldn't use magic properly yet."

Harry ignored her and lit up as he continued, "But I saw my dad's Quidditch trophy! His name was engraved right on it James Potter. Malfoy turned green with envy. He always goes on and on about his family, but I know his dad doesn't have a trophy like that."

Ron muttered under his breath, clearly jealous too. His father didn't have a trophy either. Charlie had won one, but it just wasn't the same.

Guoguocha trotted ahead, leading them up the stairs and toward the second floor.

This part of the castle was familiar. It was where they had most of their classes Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, History of Magic, even Muggle Studies. The hospital wing was nearby as well.

And tucked at the far end of the corridor was a place almost no one visited anymore an abandoned girls' bathroom.

They hesitated outside for a moment before stepping in.

Sure enough, Peter was inside, crouched beside an ancient pipe and scribbling something on a notepad. He looked up as they entered and gave them a cheerful wave.

Peter looked amused as he stepped out behind them, Guoguocha circling his legs.

"Come on," Peter said, "Myrtle's not that bad once you get used to her."

"Used to her?" Ron choked, still holding his stomach like he might be sick. "She flirted with you and called the rest of us ugly!"

"She's a ghost, Ron," Hermione said, half annoyed, half curious. "And she's clearly lonely."

"She's clearly insane," Ron muttered.

Harry was grinning now. "I can't believe she called you sweetheart."

Peter only shrugged. "It's better than having Peeves throw ink bottles at your head. I'll take ghostly compliments over ghostly tantrums."

Hermione gave him a curious look. "Why were you talking to her, anyway?"

"I've been trying to learn more about the castle," Peter said, walking ahead. "Myrtle remembers a lot. She's been stuck in this place longer than anyone. She knows hidden spots passages, sealed rooms, and stories no one else bothers to tell."

Hermione's eyes lit up.

Ron groaned again. "You're going to drag us into more of this, aren't you?"

Peter just smiled. "Isn't that why you followed me?"

Guoguocha meowed softly and padded toward the stairs again.

"Come on," Peter said. "We're just getting started."

Ron groaned, leaning against the wall. "If this ends with another ghost confession, I'm going back to bed."

Hermione ignored him, eyes fixed on the tapestry. "Wait, isn't this just an old corridor? There's nothing here…"

But Peter didn't answer. He closed his eyes, turned away from the tapestry, and began pacing.

One… two… three times.

Then, before their eyes, the wall began to ripple like water, and a door emerged where there had been none before.

Hermione gasped.

Ron's jaw dropped. "Bloody hell."

Harry straightened up, suddenly alert. "What… is that?"

"The Room of Requirement," Peter said, turning the handle. "It gives you what you need if you know how to ask."

The door creaked open.

Inside was a cozy space with plush chairs, a tea table filled with snacks, and even a few Quidditch posters decorating the walls. A warm fire crackled in a hearth, and on the far end, a bookshelf stood tall, brimming with magical tomes.

Ron darted in. "Snacks!"

Hermione followed, wide-eyed. "This… this is incredible."

Peter smiled. "Welcome to our new hideout."

Harry stepped in last, still catching his breath. "Okay. This was worth the walk."

Hermione was the first to recover from her shock. She walked over to a floating, glowing object and carefully examined it. "Incredible… this must be the version of the Room people used to hide things. I read about it once in Hogwarts: A History, but I didn't think it was real!"

Ron picked up a cracked mask and turned it over. "You're telling me all this junk came from students? Over hundreds of years?"

Peter nodded. "Mostly. Teachers too, probably. Lost items, banned artifacts, things they didn't want others to find. It's like the attic of Hogwarts."

Harry walked between the piles, running his hand along an old trophy with a cracked nameplate. "This place is amazing. How did you find it?"

Peter smiled. "By accident, really. Guoguocha chased a rat in here once. I was just lucky to be holding something I didn't want anyone else to see, and then bam door appeared."

Hermione blinked. "What were you trying to hide?"

"A prank scroll. Long story," Peter said casually, moving past a stack of ancient textbooks. "Anyway, this place is more than a junkyard. It's also a perfect base no teachers, no Peeves, and absolutely no Mrs. Norris."

Ron looked around in awe. "Can we come here again?"

Peter grinned. "Of course. But remember only if the castle thinks you really need it."

Harry's eyes gleamed. "Then I'm going to need this place a lot."