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Chapter 131: The Secret Passage
Chapter 131: The Secret Passage
In the first Dark Arts class of the new term, Lockhart seemed to have learned his lesson from yesterday's fiasco and refrained from introducing any creatures that he couldn't handle himself. Instead, he had the students spend half the class period writing, and then spent the rest of the time critiquing their work and occasionally asking them to read excerpts from his books—specifically, parts that highlighted his strength, bravery, and indomitable spirit.
And so, he effortlessly wasted away another lesson.
Even so, at the end of the class, several students still gathered around Lockhart to ask for his autograph.
"If the next lesson is like this again, I might have to figure out a way to skip class," Michael complained to Ved. "By the way, I thought you wouldn't take that test seriously!"
"I have some books I want to borrow from the restricted section," Ved replied.
"What's so hard about that? I've never seen someone more vain than this guy," Michael said, pulling out a few pieces of parchment. He used a Copying Charm to replicate Lockhart's photo from the textbook cover onto the parchments and then called out to Padma.
"Padma, Ved wants a few of Lockhart's autographs. Can you help him out?" Michael asked.
Padma tossed her braid back and confidently said, "Leave it to me!"
Today, she also wore a phoenix-shaped badge on her collar, completely hiding the minor imperfections on her skin, making her look dazzling and radiant.
Padma joined the other girls gathering around Lockhart and soon returned with several "autographed photos."
"Come to me anytime," she casually handed the parchments to Ved and said, "All I have to do is smile foolishly at him, and he'll sign a hundred of these without even looking!"
Michael gave her a thumbs up. "Thanks to you. It might not have been so easy if we had tried."
Ved tapped the photos with his wand, making the replicated photos disappear, leaving only Lockhart's flamboyant signature.
He couldn't help but smile.
His good mood, however, wasn't because of the blank autograph slips.
As they were leaving, Michael bumped Ved with his shoulder and whispered, "It was easier than you thought, wasn't it?"
"Ved, you don't have to solve everything by yourself. You can rely on us, too," Michael said.
"Sometimes, what's difficult for one person may be easy for another, right?" Ved replied.
...
Ved awoke from a bizarre dream. He opened the window, letting in fresh, moist air that swept away the stale air inside the room.
It seemed to have rained last night, as the windowsill was still damp.
He thought about the faceless figures in his dream...
He remembered his father from his past life, who had once lost everything due to guaranteeing a loan for his "iron brother."
He recalled his "best friend" from university who had stolen his research results, published them as his own, and then deleted the data from Ved's computer. Afterward, he had accused Ved of plagiarism, spreading rumors online and inciting a mob mentality against him.
There were some things that Ved thought he had long forgotten, but they were still etched in his heart.
However, Michael's and Theo's words also resonated within him.
Friends...
It was easy for children to give trust, but as one grew older, it became more difficult.
But just as it was wrong to trust everything, it was also wrong to doubt everything... Without trust, loyalty and friendship would eventually fade away.
He took a deep breath, exhaling the impurities that had lingered in his heart for too long.
...
After their afternoon classes, Ved and Michael made their way to the fourth floor, near the hunchbacked one-eyed witch statue. Leaning against the window, they waited for the corridor to clear out before Ved said, "I'm going now.
Michael nodded. "If anyone comes looking for you, I'll handle it."
Pretending to admire the scenery, Michael kept watch for anyone approaching, while Ved used his wand to tap the stone witch and murmured, "Left and right separation."
The hunchback of the statue immediately opened, revealing a narrow passageway.
Ved waved to Michael and quickly stepped inside.
Michael watched as the secret passage closed, then slowly descended the stairs with his hands in his pockets. He happened to pass Filch along the way.
The caretaker glared at him, and Michael nodded at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a group of Slytherin students and immediately made his way over to them.
...
Ved first slid down a long, sloping stone slide and then continued along a damp, cold passageway. The ground was rough and uneven, seemingly not man-made.
The surroundings were pitch-black and quiet, illuminated only by the bright light emanating from the tip of his wand.
The passageway was long, and it took Ved more than an hour to reach a long staircase. This staircase extended far upward, appearing to have hundreds of steps.
Fortunately, he only had to climb it once.
Ved resigned himself to his fate and began climbing the stairs. After what felt like an eternity, he finally saw a trapdoor above him.
Ved pushed open the trapdoor, and a hand reached down from above, grabbing his arm and pulling him out.
Lupin cast a cleaning spell to remove the dirt from Ved's body and asked with a smile, "Was the journey a bit challenging?"
Ved took a moment to catch his breath before replying, "Much longer than I expected."
His legs felt like they weren't even his own anymore.
Thankfully, he was still young... or perhaps it was the wizarding constitution that gave him an edge. After a brief rest, Ved felt his energy returning.
"This passageway is indeed quite lengthy and arduous."
"There's actually another secret passageway under the Whomping Willow that leads to the Shrieking Shack," Lupin said. "All you need to do is press the knots on the tree, and it will stop attacking."
"If I can fix the Vanishing Cabinet, I won't need secret passages anymore," Ved said.
"Why are you so set on fixing the Vanishing Cabinet?" Lupin asked. "You know, compared to secret passages, the Vanishing Cabinet can be a bit risky."
"But the secret passages only allow me to reach the vicinity of Hogwarts," Ved explained. "If I want to go farther away, I won't have enough time."
"And even for regular classes, I don't want to spend too much time traveling back and forth," Ved added.
Lupin didn't ask where he wanted to go that was so far away; he was a man with a good sense of boundaries.
"Be careful," Lupin said. "I'll cast a Disillusionment Charm on you."
He waved his wand above Ved's head, and Ved closed his eyes, feeling a cold sensation flow through his body from the top of his head.
Ved looked at his palms and noticed that no matter how he moved, his body would blend in with the colors of his surroundings.
It was as if he had become invisible.
Only someone with exceptionally keen eyesight would be able to detect the subtle interplay of colors.
"Let's go," Ved said. "After fixing the Vanishing Cabinet, I hope to have learned this spell by the time we return to school on Sunday."
"It won't be easy," Lupin said. "It involves advanced applications of Transfiguration spells. But if anyone can do it, it's probably you."
Lupin closed the trapdoor and followed Ved up the stairs to the back of the Honeyduke's candy counter. Lupin waved his wand, and a bottle on the shelf suddenly toppled over.
As the middle-aged, balding shopkeeper went to pick up the bottle, Lupin and Ved slipped out from behind the counter.
(End of Chapter)
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