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Inside the Hufflepuff Dormitory.
Lynn had just emerged from his trunk when he saw Edgar slumped in a chair, wailing at the ceiling.
"Where on earth did William go? The Potions essay is due tomorrow, and I can't find him to 'borrow' some of his ideas! Ollie, have you finished yours?"
Ollie, who was sitting by the bed reading quietly, looked up. His face was expressionless, but his eyes betrayed a hint of distress as he shook his head firmly.
Clearly, he was also worrying about the essay and was counting on William's 'reference answers' just as much.
Lynn naturally chimed in, "What a coincidence—I haven't written mine either."
He indeed hadn't had the time to start yet.
Edgar whipped his head around, looking at Lynn with a face full of surprise. "Lynn? Didn't you go to the library with William this afternoon? Didn't he come back with you?"
"No," Lynn said, walking over to sit on his bed. "After I got back from the library, I went straight into my trunk to research some things and only just came out now."
As Lynn spoke, he subconsciously glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. The hands showed that it was already quite late.
"It's already curfew~" Lynn flopped down onto his bed. "Wait! William isn't back yet?!"
In Lynn's eyes, William was a very law-abiding person. Especially after that detention in the Forbidden Forest, he shouldn't be violating curfew lightly.
"Could something have... happened to him?" Lynn murmured.
Hearing this, Edgar sat up straight. "No way, right? William is usually pretty careful... except for getting a bit lost in his books."
Ollie also put down his book, worry surfacing on his face.
"No, I have to go out and look for him. It's past curfew, and there's still no sign of him—something's not right." Lynn made a quick decision and stood up from the bed.
He pulled out his wand and cast the Disillusionment Charm. His body's silhouette and colors immediately blended into the surroundings, becoming blurred and indistinct.
The corridor was silent, with only the torches on the walls casting flickering shadows.
Maintaining the Disillusionment Charm, Lynn moved quickly, his brain working at high speed.
"Where should I look first?" Lynn grumbled under his breath, ruling out possibilities.
The library? Madam Pince would have definitely cleared the place and locked up by now. It was unlikely William was still inside unless he was hiding... there was a chance, but it was low.
The most likely place... Lynn thought of the Hufflepuff students' 'nightly sanctuary'—the Kitchens!
If William had missed dinner while reading in the library, based on Lynn's knowledge of him, the possibility of him sneaking to the Kitchens for food was very high!
Lynn immediately began sneaking along the route leading to the Kitchens.
Stepping into the Kitchens, the warm, bright light and the aroma of food wafted over him.
As soon as Lynn showed himself, before he could even speak, he was instantly surrounded by a group of overenthusiastic House-elves!
"It's Lynn! Lynn is here!"
"Respected Mr. Lynn! Is there anything House-elf Rick can do for you?"
"Sao can serve you too! Sao loves helping kind Hufflepuffs the most!"
"Sako will go get some freshly baked meat pies right now! Sako knows you like them best!"
The group of House-elves chattered away, their eyes sparkling as if Lynn were Merlin reborn, wishing they could pile the entire kitchen's stock in front of him immediately.
Lynn: "..."
He felt a wave of speechlessness. Am I just a walking 'foodie' marker in the eyes of House-elves?
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that every time he came to the Kitchens, he really was looking for food... well, that impression was hard to argue with.
"Alright, everyone, quiet down and listen to me." Lynn had to raise his voice slightly to interrupt the group of excited elves.
"I'm not here for food. I'm here to find someone. Have any of you seen William tonight? He's a Hufflepuff boy who wears glasses and is always very neat. He might have come looking for food."
A House-elf who looked a bit older and had a quill stuck in his ear immediately replied, "Oh! Is it that very polite young wizard gentleman?"
"Yes, that's him!" Lynn quickly followed up. "Did he come by tonight?"
Dick and the other elves looked at each other and then shook their heads one after another.
"No, Rick hasn't seen him tonight."
"Sao hasn't either."
"Sako has been by the oven the whole time. If that young wizard gentleman had come, Sako would definitely know!"
Not getting the answer he wanted, Lynn's heart sank.
He hurriedly thanked the House-elves, reapplied the Disillusionment Charm, and left the Kitchens.
If William didn't go to the Kitchens, where could he be? On the way back to the dormitory from the library? Could he have run into Filch or Peeves and been held up?
Under the Disillusionment Charm, Lynn began to search in circles along several possible paths—from the Kitchens back to the Hufflepuff Common Room, as well as from the library.
Just as he passed the door to a girls' lavatory, a hissing sound filled with heavy resentment drifted into his ears again:
"Hiss hiss~~ (Finally... off work~ can go back to sleep...)"
It was that "corporate slave snake"!
Lynn was currently distracted and in no mood to listen to the snake's complaints about "working hours."
His mind was full of one thought: A whole living person just went missing in Hogwarts Castle? Can you believe it?!
Lynn quickened his search once more, his anxiety growing heavier.
As he reached a corridor corner, the sound of conversation ahead made him stop abruptly. At the same time, he pushed the effect of the Disillusionment Charm to its limit, held his breath, and carefully peeked around.
He saw Professor McGonagall, her face ashen and her expression more serious than ever, standing in the middle of the corridor.
Opposite her stood Harry Potter, holding a broom, looking completely lost and panicked.
And on the floor between the two of them, a figure lay quietly!
Lynn's pupils contracted sharply—those familiar glasses, those neat robes, that pale face... it was William!
His eyes were wide open, his face frozen in an expression of extreme terror, and his body was stiff and motionless, just like... just like Madam Norris before!
Professor McGonagall's stern voice rang out: "Mr. Potter, I need an explanation! Why are you here at this time?"
Harry's voice carried urgency. "Professor, I really didn't do this! I... I was just serving detention... I don't even know what spell could Petrify someone!"
Professor McGonagall looked at the petrified William on the ground, then back at Harry, her voice cold and firm:
"I will find out the truth."
"But until then, I must report everything I have seen—you, holding a broom, appearing next to a petrified student—truthfully to Headmaster Dumbledore."
"Now, let's take him to the School Infirmary first!"
Hiding in the shadows of the corner, Lynn watched as Professor McGonagall led Harry and the petrified William away toward the School Infirmary.