(AN: Leave a comment and a review, your feedback helps me a lot.)
If you want to support me and read ahead!
Patrë-on.com/Se7enX
Yeah! Here's the new chapter!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Hogwarts-
After leaving the kitchens where my family, friends, and I took a short snack break, with me introducing all the house elves to my parents and Cele, we continued our tour of the castle.
We had gone through the dungeons, the basement, the ground floor, and the entire first and second floor.
But of course, we only showed my family the main and most important places in the castle, knowing that there wasn't enough time to show them all the rooms and places of Hogwarts completely.
And currently we were on the third floor heading towards the Trophy Room, passing through another set of treacherous, and in my opinion, dangerous stairs.
"What wizard or witch had the brilliant idea of making stairs that move by themselves?" my mom asked with a frown, "And why the hell do some steps disappear or are fake?!"
"For the first question, the brilliant witch who had this idea was Rowena Ravenclaw" I said pursing my lips, "And for the second question, I have no idea"
"Wait, isn't Rowena Ravenclaw one of the founders of Hogwarts and the founder of the house of Ravenclaw, which is known for being the house of the intelligent and wise?" my dad asked, surprised and somewhat perplexed.
"Yes" I replied, already knowing the reason for his surprise.
"But what kind of intelligent and wise person creates stairs that have a mind of their own!?" he exclaimed with a strange expression.
And I just shrugged my shoulders at your question, knowing that Rowena Ravenclaw had her moments of wisdom where she create something incredible and wonderful, and she also had her moments of stupidity, as is the case with the Hogwarts stairs and the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.
"You know, I once heard a saying that wisdom and stupidity went hand in hand... maybe that's true" Lisa said, summing up my thoughts.
"If any other Ravenclaws hear you saying that, they might try to beat you with a book... A very big book" Terry said with a grimace, to which the girl just shrugged.
"Well, I think that is…" my dad started to say, but he suddenly fell silent.
And looking at him I saw him looking straight ahead with an astonished and somewhat frightened look.
And turning around I saw that in front of us, coming towards us was the ghost of the Bloody Baron.
"Is that a ghost!?" he asked, a squeak in his voice.
"Huh? Why the surprise?" my mom asked, "We always knew there were ghosts in the wizarding world."
"Knowing and seeing are two different things!" he said, and then I saw that his hands were shaking slightly.
"Wait..." I said, narrowing my eyes, "Are you afraid of ghosts?"
"No!" he responded too quickly, and my mom beside him snorted.
"Serious? I know you don't like ghosts in horror movies, but the ones in movies and the ones in real life are totally different" she rolled her eyes.
"And that's one of the reasons these ghosts are scarier… They're real!" he exclaimed.
"... Okay, you have a point" my mom said begrudgingly.
Nick, Penny, and my friends were watching this interaction with amused eyes, and Stephen looked at my father with sympathetic eyes, understanding his feelings towards the not-so-dead dead that roamed the castle's corridors.
And much to my dad's relief, the Bloody Baron didn't continue heading our way, as he turned and went through a wall.
"Phew" my dad who was frozen until 2 seconds ago sighed in relief.
And he then noticed the silence that was in the group, and looking ahead he saw all of us staring at him with different expressions on our faces, ranging from amusement to exasperation.
"What?" he asked, looking away embarrassed.
And looking at my mom, she and I shook our heads with wry smiles.
--------------------------------------------------------
We continued exploring the castle for a while longer, showing my parents some of Hogwarts's most important places.
However, after some time, my friends decided to leave us alone so I could enjoy some time with just my family. So I continued guiding my parents, Cele, Nick, and Penny through the corridors of the castle, showing them my favorite places.
Their time at Hogwarts was coming to an end, and I wanted to finish the tour with something special.
So, I decided to take them to one of the most famous and beloved places among Hogwarts students and staff.
Hogsmeade.
After leading them through a series of seemingly random corridors, staircases, and passageways, I stopped in front of an old, worn tapestry.
"Ethan..." my dad called slowly.
"Yes?"
"Please tell me you know where you're going."
I turned around and looked directly at him.
"I know exactly where I'm going."
My dad stared at me for a few seconds.
"Why does that not reassure me at all?"
Behind him, my mom and Penny let out small laughs.
Even Nick seemed amused.
"Relax, Dad..." I rolled my eyes, "I'm sure you'll find this very interesting."
"The last time you said something like that, your mother and I ended up spending three hours being questioned at a police station."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...I reserve the right to remain silent," I said, looking away.
Watching our exchange, Nick and Penny glanced at each other, curious and amused expressions on their faces.
Before my dad could bring up any more of those old embarrassing stories, I decided to change the subject.
"We arrived""
So, while four adults and one child watched, I stepped closer to the tapestry and tapped it several times in specific spots.
After I did that, the tapestry slowly began to fade away, revealing a small hidden wooden door — one of the many secret passages in the castle that led to the wizarding village.
My dad blinked.
My mom tilted her head.
"A secret door?" she asked, somewhat surprised.
"One of many in this castle," I replied.
Opening the door, I revealed a narrow stone passage illuminated by magical torches.
"Come on." I said, before stepping into the passage.
The four adults exchanged curious glances, before shrugging and following me inside.
As we moved deeper into the tunnel, my parents' surprise only continued to grow.
The passage seemed to go on forever.
The walls were ancient, the ceiling low in some sections, and in certain places it was possible to feel cold drafts blowing through cracks in the stone.
"How old is this?" my dad asked, looking around.
"A lot."
"That's not an answer."
"Roughly a thousand years."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Okay, that's a lot of years."
We kepte walking for several more minutes.
During the entire journey, my parents kept asking questions about the secret passage, becoming increasingly surprised when they discovered there were many others just like it scattered throughout the castle.
The idea that secret tunnels stretched beneath entire mountains sounded like something straight out of a fantasy book.
Which, considering where we were, was exactly the case.
"You seem to know these secret passages very well, Ethan," my mom commented, intrigued.
"Well, what can I say... I don't spend all my time at Hogwarts studying." I shrugged.
"I see," she nodded. "So does that mean you know all of them?"
"Probably."
"Probably?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"As far as I know, I've found every passage that exists," I began explaining. "And if there happens to be one I don't know about, I won't be able to tell you, because, well... I don't know about it."
"Oh."
That was the only thing my mom managed to say.
"Even so," I continued with a mischievous smile, "I already know more than enough secret passages... or at least more than the professors would like."
Nick snorted in amusement.
"I don't think it's a good idea to admit that in front of two professors."
I turned toward him, looked him up and down, then waved a hand dismissively.
"You two don't count."
"...I'm not sure if I should feel offended by that look," he muttered.
With a sympathetic expression, Penny gave him a reassuring pat on the back.
Unfortunately, that only convinced Nick even more that my look hadn't meant anything positive.
Putting the jokes aside, we continued our journey.
After walking for a few more minutes, a small sliver of light appeared in the distance.
The light was coming from a door farther ahead, and the moment I spotted it, I quickened my pace.
Without hesitation, I pushed the door open, flooding the passage with light and letting fresh, cold air rush inside.
As soon as we stepped out of the passage hidden behind a stack of barrels, my parents froze.
In front of them there were no more stone corridors or medieval towers.
Instead, there was a lively little village built in an old-fashioned style.
Magical shops lined both sides of the main street.
Display windows filled with strange magical objects caught the eye everywhere.
Owls flew between the rooftops.
And witches and wizards strolled peacefully along the streets.
"Where are we?" my mom asked, amazed.
"Hogsmeade."
Her eyes widened.
"The wizarding village?"
"Yep." I nodded. "One of the only entirely wizarding villages in Great Britain, and also the most famous one."
For a few seconds, my parents simply stared at everything around them.
It was a reaction similar to the one I had when I first saw this place.
Maybe even stronger.
Hogsmeade reminded them a little of Diagon Alley, but the village's cozy and comforting atmosphere carried a kind of magic all its own.
To them, it was something even more extraordinary.
"Wow..." my dad murmured.
It was all he managed to say.
And that wasn't unexpected.
It was a perfectly understandable reaction.
So, in that peaceful and awestruck atmosphere, we spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the village.
I showed them some of the most famous shops, restaurants, sweet shops, and several other interesting places.
Cele was practically mesmerized by the shop windows filled with colorful sweets.
My dad spent several minutes browsing a shop that sold magical clocks.
Meanwhile, my mom was fascinated by a bookstore that specialized in enchanted books.
Nick and Penny, on the other hand, seemed to be having fun watching their reactions.
It was almost like watching two children discover a new world for the first time.
And, in a way, that was exactly what was happening.
As we walked through the streets of the wizarding village, watching the locals come and go amidst the magical atmosphere of the place, I couldn't help but smile.
Because in that moment, seeing my family there, exploring that world with so much curiosity and wonder, Hogwarts somehow felt even more special.
End.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------