https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-131-The-Wooden-Door-with-a-Hanging-Straw/13457135/
Chapter 130: Goblin's Underground Command Post
Chapter 130: Goblin’s Underground Command Post
Waiting outside until nightfall wasn’t a safe bet.
Moreover, that grim old man seemed like a cautious person. It was not out of the question that he might take additional protective measures after closing his shop.
Therefore, booking a room directly in this bar was undoubtedly the safest decision.
They entered the dirty, messy bar, and as soon as they stepped inside, the light noticeably dimmed. The air was thick with a distinct, goat-like musky odor.
In the bar’s main hall, a few Wizards were scattered about, most of them covering their heads and faces. Silke’s appearance, on the contrary, was the norm here, while Sherlock stood out as the odd one.
The Hog’s Head was anything but noisy; it was quiet inside, and even when Wizards conversed, they kept their voices low, ensuring no third party could overhear. This stark contrast made it stand out from the bustling streets outside.
After Sherlock and Silke entered, they walked straight to the bar counter. The grim old man, who was wiping the table with a rag he had just used to clean glasses, looked up at them.
“Would you like something to drink?”
He clearly didn’t recognize Sherlock and the others as the people he had kicked out of his backyard two months ago.
Sherlock didn’t answer his question but turned his head to look at Silke.
“One room or two?”
The grim old man’s gaze became subtle, and he chuckled a couple of times before making a recommendation.
“I have a honeymoon suite available. It’s not expensive, just—”
Before he could finish, Silke tossed a Sickle onto the counter.
“One room each.”
The grim old man smacked his lips and tucked the Sickle under the counter.
“Room three, ma’am.”
He then turned his gaze to Sherlock.
“A Sickle is only enough for one room.”
Sherlock shrugged and pulled out a silver Sickle from his pocket.
“Room two. Be sure not to disturb the guest in Room one; he has a bad temper, and I don’t want any trouble in my establishment.”
The grim old man grumbled as he collected the money and continued cleaning the bar counter.
Sherlock and Silke walked up to the second floor of the inn and stood in front of Rooms three and two, where they whispered about their plans.
“Midnight, or should we wait longer?”
“I’ll come find you.”
“Alright, have a good—”
“Bang!”
Watching the door slam shut, Sherlock couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
“Really no manners.”
He muttered a complaint and pushed open the door to Room two.
Just like the bar downstairs, the entire Hog’s Head was run by the grim old man alone. You couldn’t expect a place where the same rag was used to clean both glasses and tables to be very clean.
The bed was neatly made, but that didn’t require much effort; a Wizard could do it with a wave of their wand.
Of course, the bed and other items had been cleaned with a cleaning spell, but Sherlock still didn’t want to touch the bed. Instead, he scrubbed the chair in the room several times, removing the layers of old grime, and then sat on it, closing his eyes to rest.
Time slowly passed, and the sky grew darker.
The streets outside Hogsmeade were no longer bustling, as the students had all returned to the castle by six o’clock.
Today was not only a Hogsmeade weekend but also Halloween.
At the Halloween Feast, which Sherlock didn’t attend, the students still had a great time.
After Sherlock left, Harry spent the afternoon in Lupin’s office with him, witnessing Lupin drink the potion Snape had prepared for him.
This made Harry genuinely worried.
Everyone in Hogwarts knew that Snape had always wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, and Harry and his friends could clearly see the unmasked hatred and disgust in Snape’s eyes whenever he looked at Lupin.
Ron and Hermione brought Harry many candies from Hogsmeade and told him about running into Sherlock in the town.
“Hermione’s guess at the start of the term was right. Professor Forrest’s additional responsibilities this semester are related to that witch,” Harry said confidently.
He recounted the events he had encountered in the castle, and the three of them discussed it for a long time but couldn’t come to a conclusion. They decided to head to the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast.
Despite the Dementors patrolling around the castle and the ongoing threat from Black, no major issues had occurred since the start of the semester, which made both the students and professors feel relaxed.
Everyone had a great time at the Feast, but this joy only lasted until the end of the meal.
Ever since Harry Potter’s arrival at Hogwarts, the Halloween Feast seemed to mark the beginning of a year of turmoil.
In their first year, a troll had invaded the castle. In their second year, the first attack occurred. Naturally, this third year was no exception.
The students chatted and laughed as they left the Great Hall, each returning to their respective dormitories. It was only then that the Gryffindor students realized that the Fat Lady's portrait had been torn open, and their common room had been forcibly entered!
Dumbledore and Professor Mcgonagall quickly arrived at the scene, and the escaped Fat Lady was soon found.
The person who had broken into the common room was clearly Black.
Sherlock was unaware of everything that had happened at Hogwarts tonight.
He leaned back in his chair, idly spinning his wand on his fingertips while gazing out the window at the nearly full moon.
The weather had been quite pleasant the past couple of days, and the night sky was dotted with countless stars, making it easy to calm one's mind.
Sherlock glanced at his wristwatch; it was already two in the morning. He could clearly hear the gentle snoring from the adjacent room, number one.
It wasn't that the person in room one snored particularly loudly, but rather that the room's soundproofing was terrible, or perhaps the wooden panel that blocked the view offered no sound insulation at all.
Just as Sherlock was wondering why he hadn't heard any commotion, there was a gentle knock on his door.
He perked up, gripping his wand firmly and quietly opened the door. Silke stood there, waiting.
Neither of them spoke as they stepped out and made their way down the corridor and the stairs.
The bar hall was pitch black in the dead of night. Sherlock lightly waved his wand, casting a silent spell.
The tip of his wand glowed faintly, clearly a lighting spell he had deliberately kept dim.
With this light, they approached the bar counter.
"So, what do we do next?" Sherlock whispered.
Silke didn't answer but instead drew her wand and tapped the floor beneath the bar, as if trying to locate something.
She soon found what she was looking for.
"Grab me."
Sherlock reached out and grabbed her arm. Silke then reversed her grip on her wand, traced a circle on the ground, and murmured a spell.
"Open sesame."
This was an ancient unlocking spell, used by wizards before the invention of Alohomora. However, due to its violent nature, it was later replaced by more refined spells like Alohomora and Portus.
But after Silke cast the spell, the circle her wand had pointed at showed no reaction.
Sherlock was taken aback for a moment, thinking that Silke might have made a mistake or that the spell didn't work.
Suddenly, his body began to twist!
A sensation similar to Apparition washed over him, and he felt his body rapidly spinning, as if he had been thrown into a washing machine.
This feeling lasted only an instant, and the next moment, he was standing on solid ground.
The surroundings were pitch black. Sherlock waved his wand again, casting the lighting spell he had been interrupted during the teleportation.
Bright white light illuminated the area around him, and Silke stood beside him, still holding her arm, which Sherlock's other hand was still gripping tightly.
"How long are you going to hold on?"
Hearing her speak, Sherlock came to his senses and awkwardly released her arm.
"Sorry."
Although it was an ungentlemanly thought, he couldn't help but notice how soft and tender her arm felt.
"Are we underground now?"
They found themselves in a narrow, dark space that looked like an underground passage. Behind them was a sealed wall, and ahead lay deep, impenetrable darkness.
"Under Hogsmeade", Silke said, walking to the sealed wall behind them. Faint, blurry text was still visible on the surface.
Sherlock noticed the text as well, some of which he could still make out.
"Beware the lies of wizards!"
"We will fight to the end!"
"Every goblin will guard their treasure!"
These words perfectly matched the purpose of this underground passage, which had been constructed as a command post during the goblin rebellion two centuries ago.
"Didn't you just cast an unlocking spell? Why did we end up being teleported here instead?" Sherlock asked curiously.
Silke, unusually, elaborated a bit more.
"The goblins set up a special device. By using a violent unlocking spell to open the hidden door they left underground, a pre-set Apparition spell would activate, teleporting the person who opened the door underground while leaving no trace on the surface."
"A clever design", Sherlock praised.
Goblins had always been skilled craftsmen, and even Gryffindor's Sword was forged by them. The construction of such a secret underground command post was indeed a testament to their craftsmanship.
After a brief moment to adjust at the entrance, Silke also cast a lighting spell, and they continued deeper into the tunnel.
Whether it was an illusion or something else, the further they went, the darker it seemed to get.
The most noticeable change was that the visible range of the lighting spell grew smaller and smaller.
After walking for about twenty minutes, Sherlock frowned and stopped.
"Something's not right."
(End of Chapter)
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