These two rules seemed far too basic!
Moreover, the second rule actually encompassed the first one. Since movement was forbidden, running would be even more impossible. This meant the new rule was merely expanding the scope of the first one, without creating any qualitative change.
This didn't entirely match the descriptions of the Trunsoest Brass Book in Dudley's mind. Based on the time that had passed, the book should have already discovered the loopholes in the rules. The method to patch these loopholes was actually quite simple—directly forbid any living beings from appearing in the corridors, with violators sentenced to death.
But the current situation clearly wasn't like that.
"What time is it now?" Dudley asked.
"Eight-forty. We only have twenty minutes left," Harry said, his expression grim.
"You go back. Twenty minutes is enough to reach Gryffindor Tower. Remember, no matter what happens or what you hear, don't leave the tower. Understand?" Dudley said urgently.
"But..." Harry wanted to say something.
"Go back!" Dudley said coldly.
His words were full of authority, irresistible, startling Hermione and Ron beside him.
"Alright." Harry pondered for two seconds, then nodded.
The three took one last look at Dudley, then headed toward Gryffindor Tower. They had to return before nine o'clock, or they wouldn't be able to get back.
"If anything goes wrong on the way, find a classroom and hide," Dudley instructed.
"Got it," Harry replied.
Watching the three leave, Dudley's gaze fell on the notice again.
"It's not just prohibiting movement in the corridors, but progressing from running to walking—this is a process of expanding the conceptual scope. So why set up such rules?" Dudley pondered.
After a moment, realization dawned. "To cut off connections between different parts of the castle—that is, to prevent people from finding it!"
Dudley's eyes narrowed slightly. Thinking from the Brass Book's perspective, he roughly understood the purpose of this rule. From running to walking, next would probably be no people allowed in the corridors at all. Everyone could only stay in their respective areas. The entire castle would be divided into small sections, preventing the possibility of accidental discovery.
"It seems this activation is only very elementary. This level of rule is far from strict, and there are still many loopholes. To fill these loopholes, it needs considerable time."
For example, flying in the corridors or crawling through sewers could both circumvent the prohibition.
"But the activation will continuously accelerate. The rules will patch various loopholes until they form an extremely tight set of laws that are strictly enforced. By that time, no one will be able to stop it." Dudley's expression was grave—he didn't have much time left.
Without hesitation, Dudley immediately began moving, searching the castle for the location of the Trunsoest Brass Book. The book was probably placed in some classroom or broom closet, continuously activating and issuing new rules.
"Prohibiting corridor activities means it's still within the castle—this exposes its own location. However, with this very elementary level of activation, its sphere of influence is quite limited and cannot leave Hogwarts Castle." Dudley walked as fast as possible through the corridors, checking every possible location where the book might appear.
Spiritual intuition would guide his direction to a certain extent, plus the Law of Beyonder Characteristic Convergence—he might stumble upon it while walking. But the uncertainty was enormous. He could find it in ten minutes, an hour, or even days or months.
Meanwhile, Harry and his friends walked through the corridors, their faces grave.
"Dudley won't be in trouble, will he?" Hermione asked, her voice choked with emotion.
"No, he's so capable, he definitely won't be in trouble," Ron quickly said.
"Harry, you agree, right?" When Harry didn't respond, remaining silent, Hermione pressed, "You should know Dudley well, right? He's doing such a dangerous thing—he must be confident he can handle it, right?"
Harry shook his head. "Actually, I don't understand him at all. In fact, I used to hope he would disappear from my life forever."
"Before meeting Malfoy, he was the person I hated most, bar none."
"But I don't know when he changed, and then he really became like... my... brother..." Harry didn't know what he was saying, just that he had emotions he needed to express.
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances—they had no idea what Harry was talking about. This Halloween night was truly too bizarre.
"Ahh..."
Suddenly, a scream echoed from somewhere in the castle, making Dudley immediately stop in his tracks.
"Someone accidentally violated the rule!" Dudley's face darkened.
This was just the beginning. Immediately after, several more screams rang out, clearly indicating that several more people had violated the prohibition and been punished.
"More and more people are violating the prohibition." The longer this dragged on, the more troublesome it would become to resolve.
"There has been an unexpected incident in our castle. Everyone stay in your rooms and do not move about the castle."
Professor Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout Hogwarts.
"They've discovered the anomaly," Dudley noted with relief. With Dumbledore's warning, many innocent people could avoid harm.
Suddenly, something occurred to Dudley. "Wait, why are the screams only appearing now? The rules have been issued for some time. Even assuming everyone was walking rather than running, these screams appeared too late!"
Dudley grasped key information, his face full of excitement. "This means the effective range of the rules has only now expanded. Previously, the Trunsoest Brass Book's sphere of influence was still very limited and didn't include the entire castle."
"So the first scream was from..."
"Malfoy!"
Dudley's expression froze.
"The Trunsoest Brass Book is in the dungeons?"
Having figured this out, Dudley immediately headed underground.
Dong...
The bell chimed—it was nine o'clock.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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