https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-130-Goblin-s-Underground-Command-Post/13457134/
Chapter 131: The Wooden Door with a Hanging Straw
Chapter 131: The Wooden Door with a Hanging Straw
Sherlock and Silke halted in their steps.
Given their pace, they had covered about two kilometers in nearly half an hour.
Traversing the entire Hogsmeade wouldn't take this long, which meant they were no longer within its boundaries.
Sherlock frowned, looking at the glowing wand in his hand. The illumination, which had initially extended about five meters, had now shortened to just two.
The visible range was getting smaller, and he was certain it wasn't due to his spell.
The Lumos charm, once cast, would maintain a constant brightness unless the wizard interrupted it.
Thus, the only explanation was that the surrounding environment was causing the problem.
Silke canceled the Lumos charm on her wand and then placed it vertically on the ground, the tip pointing upwards.
"Guide me."
She softly said, then released her grip on the wand, which immediately tilted forward.
"We are heading south."
The path ahead was pitch black, seemingly endless.
Sherlock's mind was replaying the map of the area.
In this region, Hogwarts is located southeast of Hogsmeade, and the Hog's Head is at the northernmost point of Hogsmeade.
They had been walking south for some time, which meant they had definitely left Hogsmeade and entered Hogwarts territory.
Whether they were beneath the Quidditch pitch or the castle, he couldn't be certain.
"We have entered Hogwarts territory", Sherlock said, stroking his chin and looking around. "And there's something wrong with this secret passage."
Silke picked up her wand again.
"This confirms we're on the right track. Its destination is within Hogwarts. The more issues we encounter here, the more it proves it has been here or is here now."
Her words made Sherlock instinctively touch the pouch in his robe pocket, its thickness providing some reassurance.
"Alright, since we've come this far, can you tell me now if normal spells have any effect on it?"
Silke didn't hold back this time, explaining in detail.
"Normal spells don't work, not even the Killing Curse. It cannot be killed, ever. But it fears the Patronus Charm."
Sherlock raised an eyebrow.
"Sounds like an enhanced Dementor."
"You can think of it that way."
Sherlock flexed his wrist and adjusted his robe.
"Having a weakness means it's not invincible. Speaking of which, you might not believe me, but the Patronus Charm happens to be my strong suit." He turned to look at Silke. "What about you, always so serious, can you cast this spell?"
Silke didn't respond, instead waving her wand to relight it and continuing forward.
Sherlock shrugged, inwardly remarking that German wizards were indeed rather dull, then quickened his pace to walk beside her.
They walked for another twenty minutes.
The darkness grew even deeper, and the illumination from their wands had been reduced to less than a meter. The temperature also plummeted, as if winter had suddenly arrived.
Neither of them was particularly fragile, and they could endure the cold, but the environment grew increasingly eerie.
All sounds seemed to have vanished except for their footsteps and faint breathing. Even underground, the silence was unnerving.
"Let's chat", Sherlock said, breaking the silence.
Surprisingly, Silke didn't remain silent or refuse.
"Sure."
"I know this kind of quiet might be familiar to you. I imagine you can sit for hours during divination sessions."
"Nobody starts out used to it."
"When did you discover your divination talent? I remember such abilities are usually hereditary."
Silke paused at Sherlock's question but answered.
"Seven years old."
"You knew you had a divination talent before attending a magic school? Was there a Seer in your family?"
"I never attended a magic school."
Sherlock looked surprised.
"You never attended? I thought you graduated from Durmstrang. Where did you learn magic?"
Silke wrapped her black robe tighter around herself. "From my mother."
"Family-based magic education? That's rare. I recall reading a report that said after Beauxbatons, the last of the three major magic schools, was established, family-based magic education in Europe was completely phased out. After all, it's impossible for a single family to know everything."
Sherlock's thoughts wandered as he spoke.
"Magic schools have remained largely unchanged since their founding a thousand years ago, showing no signs of progress. Wizard education focuses heavily on magical skills, while ideological guidance is primarily the responsibility of the family. Students' beliefs are like untended vines, growing along the mainstream ideas of the magical world, inevitably leading to some deviations."
"You talk a lot."
Silke responded to his lengthy speech with these few words.
Sherlock shrugged.
"In this atmosphere, well, it does seem a bit more than usual."
The temperature had settled to a certain point, and once you got used to it, it wasn't particularly unbearable. However, the surroundings were getting darker.
The visible light from the illumination spell had been compressed to less than half a meter. Stretching out an arm, it was already pitch black beyond the reach of the light.
Sherlock and Silke's voices grew quieter as they chatted, until both fell silent.
They had reached the end and stood before a door.
Together, they pointed their wands at the door, which turned out to be a plain, unadorned wooden door.
The door was completely empty, nothing on it, as simple as it could be.
But Sherlock didn't immediately reach out to push it. Instead, he cast a locking spell on it experimentally.
The wooden door showed no reaction.
Even if it wasn't locked, a normal door would open under the influence of a locking spell. Clearly, this door was more complex than it appeared.
Sherlock turned his gaze to Silke.
"According to the information you received, was this door crafted by goblins?"
"No." The lower half of Silke's face, visible beneath her hood, was inexplicably pale. "They didn't tell me that."
Sherlock frowned, extending his wand to tap the door, trying to detect any special properties.
But before he could even stretch his hand out, Silke's voice suddenly rang out.
"Don't touch it!"
Sherlock halted, looking at Silke, who had stopped him. Her eyes, hidden under the hood, were fixed on a point above the door.
Her lips were bloodless, as if she had seen something unbearable.
Sherlock followed her gaze and saw, at the very edge of the light, a withered straw hanging from the stone wall above the wooden door.
It was clearly hung there intentionally.
Bound with a rough piece of rope, it dangled from the pitch-black darkness, suspended above the door.
The eerie feeling was as if someone was using the rope as a fishing line, the straw as the hook, and the door as the bait to lure them in!
Sherlock noticed Silke's unease and asked solemnly.
"What's wrong?"
"It knows someone would find this place." Silke's voice remained cold, but her tone was slightly trembling.
"It deliberately left this here, waiting for us to find it."
Sherlock looked at the straw hanging from the rope. From the outside, it looked just like the two straws they had found on the hill and in the back of the Hog's Head, ordinary and indistinguishable.
But this straw was definitely not simple.
"So what?"
"To enter, we have to go through this door." Silke's tone was becoming more agitated. "Opening it is easy—no spells work, but you can push it with your hand. However, when you push the door, you will experience your greatest fear. If you can endure it, the door will open."
She didn't say what would happen if you couldn't endure it, but Sherlock didn't need to ask. Everyone understood the answer.
"Let's leave for now. There must be other ways to open this door. We can seek help from others."
Sherlock said calmly.
But Silke shook her head.
"There is no other way. I've watched over it for five years and know its methods. It isn't strong, but in its domain, no one can change its authority."
"Maybe it's not even behind the door. This door could just be a trap. We can look for other clues and come up with a new plan."
Sherlock still didn't want to take the risk.
Neither he nor Silke needed to take such a risk.
But Silke's thoughts were different.
"Make sure to hold me back if necessary."
She sounded calmer when she said this.
Sherlock's brows furrowed.
"I don't think this risk is worth it."
"It's my fault for letting it escape, so I have to catch it again." Silke said softly.
She handed her wand to Sherlock, then walked to the door and took a deep breath.
"If I try to harm myself, hold me back. And no matter what happens, don't speak."
Sherlock, holding both wands, looked at her determination and fell silent for a moment before slowly nodding.
"I understand."
After hearing his affirmative response, Silke extended her pale, slender hand and placed it on the door.
(End of Chapter)
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