https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-593-Common-Mistakes-in-Apparition-and-How-to-Avoid-Them/12526962/
Chapter 594: Unveiling the Shrieking Shack
Chapter 594: Unveiling the Shrieking Shack
Although magic could be used freely in Hogsmeade Village, it was still best to keep the practice of apparition discreet. As for using the Disguise Spell to hide his tracks, Albert had no intention of taking that risk. If he failed, he would only bring trouble upon himself.
Nevertheless, practicing apparition was necessary, as he needed to get used to the discomfort it caused.
Half an hour later, Albert began strolling through Hogsmeade and, on his way to Dervish and Banges, he ran into Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who were exiting Honeyduke's Sweetshop.
"What are you doing here alone?" Fred asked, surprised to see Albert by himself.
"Did you get dumped?" George teased, feigning shock.
Lee Jordan moved closer, slinging an arm around Albert's shoulder consolingly. "Don't worry about it. You're so popular that you'll have a new girlfriend in no time."
"You guys are a piece of work," Albert said, rolling his eyes at the trio. After shrugging off Lee's arm, he steered the conversation in a different direction. "So, where are you lot headed?"
"Zonko's Joke Shop," George replied without hesitation.
"I'm thinking of paying a visit to the Shrieking Shack. Want to come along?" Albert asked, thinking it was a good time to see if he could trigger a new task.
"I heard it's haunted," Lee said.
"Yeah, and on our way here, we found that the passage behind the one-eyed witch statue on the fifth floor has collapsed and is completely blocked," Fred added, nodding. "Now, if you want to sneak into Hogsmeade, you have to go through Honeyduke's. Good thing we know the Disillusionment Charm, or we'd be in a fix."
"Collapsed under the snow?"
"Yeah, completely caved in. Even when the snow melts, I doubt it'll be passable unless we use magic to dig it out again," George explained.
They had clearly given up on that passage, but there were other secret routes to Hogsmeade, so it wasn't a big concern.
As they spoke, they trudged through the snow toward the outskirts of the Shrieking Shack, with Lee sharing some of the intelligence he had gathered. "Apparently, about twenty years ago, the Shrieking Shack would emit eerie screams, and people thought it was some fierce ghost or monster making those noises. That's how the place got its name."
"We tried to break in once, but we failed," Fred said, eyeing the gloomy house in the distance. "All the entrances seem to be boarded up, but we suspect there's a secret passage that leads inside."
"Unfortunately, we never found it, so we gave up," George added. "I remember mentioning it to you back then."
Albert studied the dilapidated shack before him, withdrew his wand, and tapped on the door. He pushed, but it didn't budge, not even making a sound.
"We can't get in through the front door, but it shouldn't be difficult to find another way," Albert said, beginning to survey the shack for an alternative entrance.
"How do you plan to get in?"
The three friends looked at Albert expectantly, never doubting his abilities.
"It's simple. Like this," Albert said, and promptly used the Diffindo spell to cut open the right wall, creating an entrance large enough for them to pass through.
And just like that, the four of them stepped into the Shrieking Shack.
"Why didn't we ever think of that?" Fred, George, and Lee Jordan said in unison, looking at the sliced-open wall with a mixture of awe and frustration.
The shack was a mess, with dust covering every surface, indicating that no one had lived there for a long time. Wallpaper peeled off the walls, stains marred the floors, and all the furniture was damaged, seemingly by human hands. The nearby door was nailed shut with planks, and strong magic had been used to prevent anyone from secretly opening it.
However, it seemed that whoever had sealed the place hadn't anticipated someone bypassing the doors entirely and simply cutting through the wall.
"Well, I have to say, this place doesn't feel like a haunted house at all."
To be honest, not a single ghost came to greet these uninvited intruders after they broke into the shack.
"All the doors and windows are boarded up," Albert observed as he examined the windows nailed shut with planks, "and there seems to be some kind of magic residue left on them to prevent people from breaking in."
"Come quick, look at this!" Fred yelled.
As they hurried over, they noticed old scratch marks on the surrounding furniture and walls.
"What is this?"
"Maybe some kind of terrifying creature was kept here," Lee Jordan speculated, his wand already drawn as he cautiously scanned their surroundings, alert for any sudden attacks.
"Don't worry, there's no one here. Look at all the dust," Albert reassured him.
Albert reached out and gently brushed his fingers over the scratch marks on the wall, glancing at the new task that had appeared. "I suspect that whoever was kept here was human, or at least, not an ordinary person, otherwise there wouldn't be a need for such a place."
"Are you saying someone was imprisoned here?" Fred's mind was quick to make the connection.
"Imprisonment might not be the right word," Albert mused as he examined the claw marks on the armrest, "I suspect that a werewolf used to live here, or rather, Hogsmeade used to be home to a werewolf who would come here every month to transform."
"A werewolf!" The trio exclaimed in unison.
There was no doubt that werewolves were not considered friendly creatures in the wizarding world. At the very least, most wizards would instinctively stay away from werewolves.
"During a full moon, an uncontrolled werewolf can be very dangerous, which is why the doors and windows of the Shrieking Shack were magically sealed," Albert continued his analysis, "When a werewolf transforms, it experiences immense pain, hence the howls and screams. As for why this place became famous, I suspect someone deliberately spread rumors that it was haunted to mislead people and cover up the truth."
"You figured all that out from this?"
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan stared at Albert in shock. They couldn't believe that Albert had deduced so much just from the marks and the name of the place.
Of course, they didn't know that Albert had read the Harry Potter books, otherwise, even if he racked his brains, he probably wouldn't have been able to come up with anything.
"So, where do you think the secret passage is?" Fred asked.
"We'll definitely be able to find it if we look carefully."
The group began searching for the secret passage on the first floor.
In fact, the so-called secret passage was not very well hidden at all. It was a false-back door that opened to reveal a downward staircase.
"Where do you think this leads to?"
Whether it was Fred, George, or Lee Jordan, they were all excited at this point.
This was the taste of adventure.
"Let's go down and see."
The passage was dark, cold, and had poor air circulation, making it difficult for Albert to breathe.
"Forget it, let's go back." Albert turned around to leave.
"Go back?" Fred didn't want to leave.
"I think I've figured out where this leads to." Albert was about to reveal another spoiler.
"Where?"
"Hogwarts, this is a secret passage that leads to Hogwarts." Albert suddenly stopped in his tracks and said, "There's a problem, though."
"What's the problem?" Lee Jordan didn't understand what he was hinting at.
"Are you saying there used to be a werewolf professor at Hogwarts?"
"Or maybe a werewolf student." Albert added, "The probability of it being a professor is low, I doubt anyone would take that risk."
"How many secret passages are there from Hogwarts to the outside world?"
"This one probably leads to the one below the Whomping Willow."
"Perhaps, the Whomping Willow was planted specifically to guard this passage."
(End of Chapter)
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