[Bonus for Powerstones!♥♥🥲]
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"What do we do? He's just sitting there at the door—we can't get into the library like this…"
Tom was starting to worry. Peeves wasn't like the other ghosts.
Even the slightest disturbance and he could cause a huge commotion.
Tom definitely didn't want Peeves drawing a patrolling professor over.
Wade didn't answer. He simply raised his wand.
Tom saw a wisp of white mist curl from the tip of Wade's wand.
The next thing he knew, his vision wavered slightly—and then, a ghost dripping with silvery blood appeared right in front of them.
Tom stared in shock at the ghost. "Isn't that our house ghost, the Bloody Baron? What's he doing here?"
A faint smile curled on Wade's lips. "Take a guess."
Tom shut his mouth without another word.
At that moment, the Bloody Baron floated straight toward Peeves.
"Ah! It's the esteemed Baron! Might I ask what brings you here so late, Baron? Is there anything I can do for you?"
The moment Peeves saw the Bloody Baron, his legs practically turned to jelly.
The Baron was Peeves's one true nemesis. For reasons unknown, he was absolutely terrified of the ghost.
"Move. Don't block the way," the Baron said coldly.
"At once!" Peeves bolted, phasing straight through the corridor wall and vanishing in a flash.
Once Peeves was gone, the Bloody Baron also disappeared—right before Tom's astonished eyes.
"Wait… What just happened? Can ghosts even vanish like that? Hold on…" Tom finally pieced it together.
That wasn't the real Baron—it was an illusion!
In other words, Wade had conjured that image himself!
Now Tom understood why Abraxas and the others had fled in terror on the train.
Wade must've shown them something they couldn't bear to see.
And this time, by allowing Tom to experience the illusion as well, Wade had sent him a clear warning.
Click…
Tom was still lost in thought when Wade had already picked the lock and opened the library door.
Snapping out of it, Tom hurried to catch up.
Just after they slipped inside, Wade suddenly turned back toward the hallway.
He narrowed his eyes, scanning the corridor suspiciously, but saw nothing.
Still, Wade couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching him and Tom.
After a moment's pause, Wade tapped the door with his wand.
The library door quietly shut behind them and locked itself again.
Tom's vision suddenly wavered—and the next thing he knew, the door appeared wide open again.
In other words, what he was seeing was yet another illusion.
Tom was now certain: if anyone were to approach, they'd simply see the library door firmly locked.
No one would realize it had already been opened…
This confirmed what Tom had already begun to suspect: Wade was thoroughly prepared. Every step had been methodical, every risk accounted for.
Suddenly, Tom thought of something—was his joining in also part of Wade's original plan?
Otherwise… why would Wade have prepared spells like the Whispering Charm ahead of time?
"How did you even do that?" Tom asked. "I've never seen magic like that before."
"That's one of my trump cards. Want to learn it?" Wade asked.
"You're willing to teach me?" Tom asked excitedly.
"In your dreams! Would you hand over your best secrets to me?" Wade said coldly.
"Of course I would! I'd even teach them in great detail!" Tom replied without hesitation.
"Heh, did you forget? That so-called 'trump card' of yours—you learned it from me," Wade said flatly.
Tom was silenced on the spot.
In truth, his current best spells really had all been taught by Wade…
Why was the gap between Wade and him always this wide?
Wade tossed over a black glove. "This glove is highly sensitive to magic. Before opening any book, touch the cover with the glove first. If it reacts strongly, it means the book contains powerful dark magic—definitely don't open it. As far as I know, the kind of book you're looking for is more historical and secretive in nature. It shouldn't be heavily enchanted."
Tom stared at the glove in surprise. He'd heard before that many of the books in the Restricted Section were heavily cursed—opening one carelessly could easily land you under a curse…
But now, with this glove to test for danger, his safety was significantly increased.
"Where did you get this glove? It's incredibly useful," Tom asked in amazement.
"Found it in a junk shop," Wade said casually.
He couldn't exactly tell Tom it was one of the few remaining magical artifacts from the Somnolen family…
"Be careful. I really don't want to spend the middle of the night hauling you to the hospital wing for emergency treatment."
"Got it…" Tom replied weakly.
After dealing with Tom, Wade decided to get this over with quickly.
That strange feeling from earlier had made Wade increasingly alert.
But now that the arrow was already drawn, there was no turning back. Doing so would only alert whoever—or whatever—might be watching.
So, Wade silently revised his plan.
Tonight, he would pretend to browse the Restricted Section as originally planned. Then, while passing the spot his senior had mentioned, he would sneak a glance to see if the notebook was still there.
After all, so many years had passed.
If he spotted it, he would come back another time to retrieve it.
Bringing Tom along had proven to be a smart decision. In a way, Tom's presence helped divert suspicion from his real objective.
When it came to ancient magic, Wade didn't dare be careless in the slightest…
Even when it came to fighting, he preferred using Nightmare Magic whenever possible.
As he contemplated all this, his face remained expressionless while he casually dismantled the red warding line in front of the Restricted Section, casting a series of counter-curses so dazzling it left Tom wide-eyed.
However, this barrier line didn't seem to have any actual protective magic on it.
Beyond the line was the Restricted Section. Not far from it was a long staircase leading down to the lower levels of the library…
In fact, the Restricted Section was divided into multiple levels. The first level wasn't all that dangerous.
But starting from the next level, it was filled with truly dangerous things.
And according to what his senior had told him, each level seemed to be guarded by ghosts...
Which meant their Disillusionment Charms still couldn't be removed.
Hmm.. Sleepless, tireless ghosts really did make for the best sentries...
Still, under Wade's Nightmare Magic, these ghost guards wouldn't be a problem.
All he needed to do was conjure up just a little illusion—enough to obscure their senses.
Ghosts had long since lost their magical power as wizards, so Wade's Nightmare Magic was more than enough to deal with them.
"Alright, let's split up to search," Wade said.
Tom knew Wade didn't want him to know what book he was looking for.
But he didn't really mind. After all, who didn't have a few secrets of their own?
Tom nodded to show he understood, then began searching from the ground floor.
Wade, on the other hand, headed straight to the next level down.
The basement level had a front desk similar to the one upstairs for the librarian.
As soon as Wade stepped in, he saw a ghost sitting behind the desk reading a book.
Wade raised his wand, and the ghost's gaze immediately turned vacant…
Wade carefully walked past him and headed to the rows upon rows of bookshelves at the back.
Hogwarts truly lived up to its thousand-year legacy—the number of restricted books collected here was staggering.
In comparison, the books on the ground floor were merely the tip of the iceberg.
Following his plan, Wade didn't head straight for the spot where the notebook was located.
Instead, he put on a glove and slowly ran his hand along the shelves...
When he came across something interesting or that piqued his curiosity, Wade would pick it up and flip through it.
Just like a student sneaking into the Restricted Section just to peek at forbidden books.
Time ticked by, minute after minute.
Wade made his way from the first basement level down to the third.
Finally, he slowly approached the shelf that the Senior had described in such detail.
Shelf label: 3-5-5-1, third row from the bottom, far right...
Wade, as usual, ran his gloved hand over the books.
He quickly stopped at the far right of the shelf.
His hand paused for a moment, and then, expressionless, he pulled out a book and began flipping through it.
And right beside that book—there was a mark...
Wade's face remained calm, but inside, waves were surging through his heart.
Because the notebook from the Senior had disappeared!
This wasn't exactly something unimaginable—after all, that senior had left Hogwarts many years ago.
Even if the notebook had gone missing, it wouldn't be all that surprising...
But judging by the dust imprint left on the shelf, the notebook had only recently been taken!
That changed everything, and Wade couldn't help but think deeper.
It had been there all this time, and the moment he learned its location from the senior, it was suddenly taken?
What was going on?
Wade's thoughts raced. After pretending to browse through a number of other books, he quietly retreated from the lower levels.
At that moment, Tom was sitting by a window on the ground floor, staring blankly outside.
In front of him lay an open, pitch-black book.
"Tom, we need to go."
"Wade… I found it."
"What?"
"Gaunt—my mother's surname..." Tom's eyes gleamed with a strange light. "Even though I still don't know who my father is, my mother's family... they're descendants of Slytherin! That means I'm not a Mudblood. The blood of Salazar Slytherin himself flows through me!"
"When the holidays come, I'm going to find the Gaunt family... maybe someone from my mother's side is still alive. Wade, will you come with me?"
Wade nodded. "Then let's go... but you need to be clear about one thing. If your mother's relatives are still alive, and yet she still died wretchedly at the orphanage door, what does that tell you? I suggest you don't imagine them as some noble and loving family from the start."
Wade's words hit Tom like a bucket of cold water, dousing the fire burning in his heart.
But he had to admit—Wade had a point.
If his mother's family had truly been kind and worthy... then how could his mother have ended up at the orphanage, in rags, dying while pregnant?
(1800 Words)
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Wait—WHAT?! Y'all hit the Powerstones' goal already? I turned my back for a while to play DMC5, and you maniacs were out here summoning chapters like a five-star gacha pull. 😭
You!.. you monsters of motivation! Fine. Take your chapter. And my sanity. I hope you're happy. 💀😂
I'm gonna post another chapter in 4hrs, so stay tuned.. or go to sleep, depending on your time zone🪦
(≧∇≦)ﾉRead two weeks ahead: P^treon: Captain69
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