Theodore did not immediately begin laying the second foundation of the Wuzhuang Temple Grand Array.
After suppressing the first array node, he spent the next two days doing something that would have baffled Voldemort.
He observed.
The Room of Requirement remained open behind him as Theodore walked slowly through Hogwarts Castle.
The afternoon sun filtered through stained-glass windows, casting colorful patches across the stone floor.
Students hurried between classes.
Portraits chatted lazily.
Ghosts drifted through walls.
Everything appeared perfectly normal.
Which was precisely why Theodore had come out personally.
The truly dangerous things rarely announced themselves.
They hid inside the ordinary.
A group of second-years ran past him.
One boy tripped.
His friend grabbed him.
The boy steadied himself.
Neither student thought much of it.
Theodore glanced at the stone floor.
A tiny pebble had shifted position.
Interesting.
He continued walking.
A few minutes later, a Ravenclaw girl exited a classroom while reading a book.
At the exact moment she stepped through the doorway, a draft of wind pushed the door slightly wider.
The edge brushed her elbow.
The book slipped.
Papers scattered everywhere.
The girl groaned.
Her classmates laughed.
Theodore watched the papers flutter across the corridor.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
By evening, he had witnessed more than twenty similar incidents.
Nothing serious.
Nothing dangerous.
A dropped quill.
A misplaced step.
A snapped broom strap.
A loose staircase.
A spilled bottle of ink.
Individually, none were worth mentioning.
Together, they formed a pattern.
Theodore stopped beside a window overlooking the grounds.
The Quidditch Pitch could be seen in the distance.
Preparations were still underway.
Temporary stands were being reinforced.
Banners from various teams had begun arriving.
Even from here, Theodore could hear excited discussions from students crossing the courtyard.
The tournament was only a few days away.
And the castle itself was becoming increasingly unlucky.
Theodore tapped a finger lightly against the stone windowsill.
His eyes narrowed.
"It doesn't directly attack."
Now that he had seen enough examples, the mechanism was becoming clearer.
The Array of Heaven's Extinction wasn't trying to kill people.
Not yet.
It was changing probabilities.
Tiny probabilities.
Insignificant probabilities.
The kind most people never noticed.
The chance that someone would drop a fork.
The chance that a staircase would shift at the wrong moment.
The chance that a broomstick would develop a fault.
Small enough to escape notice.
But if enough small chances were altered...
Eventually someone would get hurt.
Then someone else.
Then someone else.
A true master array never needed to swing a sword.
Sometimes all it needed was a push.
At dinner, Hermione was the first to notice Theodore staring into space.
"Something wrong?"
Theodore looked up.
Across from him sat Hermione, Harry, and Ron.
Three future victims if Voldemort's plans succeeded.
Though Theodore doubted Voldemort himself fully understood what he was dealing with.
"Have any of you had unusual accidents recently?"
Hermione immediately frowned.
Harry thought for a moment.
Ron raised a hand.
"I got hit by a pumpkin."
The table fell silent.
"The dining hall pumpkin?"
"No."
"The decorative pumpkin?"
"No."
Ron pointed toward the ceiling.
"It fell from a window."
Harry stared.
Hermione blinked.
"The pumpkin fell from the second floor?"
"Third."
"..."
Ron looked aggrieved.
"Why is everyone acting like that's strange?"
"Because pumpkins don't usually attack people."
"It wasn't attacking me."
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"What was it doing then?"
Ron hesitated.
"...traveling aggressively."
Hermione buried her face in her hands.
Theodore almost smiled.
Then Harry spoke.
"My broom nearly threw me off yesterday."
That drew Theodore's attention.
Harry continued.
"It only lasted a second."
"Mechanical issue?"
"I checked afterward. Nothing was wrong."
The willow branch at Harry's waist swayed slightly.
Theodore's gaze shifted.
Interesting.
The branch had reacted.
Which meant Harry's accident wasn't entirely natural.
Hermione spoke next.
"My books fell twice."
"Only twice?"
Hermione nodded.
"Normally I'd say it's nothing. But..." She hesitated. "The fire crab pendant got warm both times."
Now Theodore smiled.
That confirmed it.
The Array of Heaven's Extinction had already begun affecting the castle.
And the protective treasures he had given them were noticing.
Later that night, another victim appeared.
Argus Filch.
The caretaker stormed into the Great Hall looking furious.
His left sleeve was soaked.
His hair was dripping.
His expression suggested he was considering murder.
Mrs. Norris followed beside him looking equally offended.
Professor McGonagall looked up.
"Mr. Filch?"
"A bucket."
"What?"
"A bucket."
McGonagall blinked.
Filch pointed dramatically toward the ceiling.
"A bucket of water!"
"..."
"It fell on my head!"
"..."
"From nowhere!"
Several students started laughing.
Filch glared at them.
"What's funny?"
Nobody answered.
Mostly because nobody wanted detention.
Theodore watched quietly.
Another accident.
Another probability.
Another push.
The Array of Heaven's Extinction was growing bolder.
That same evening, deep beneath Hogwarts, Willow Immortal stirred.
Its roots extended through stone and soil.
Slowly.
Patiently.
The willow had no concept of Quidditch.
No understanding of Voldemort.
No knowledge of ancient arrays.
It understood only two things.
Master.
And enemies.
Something beneath the castle felt hostile.
That was enough.
A faint green glow spread through several roots.
Miles away, Theodore immediately sensed the response.
His eyes opened.
The willow had found something.
Not an array node.
Something else.
A path.
A trail.
Like a scent lingering in the air.
Theodore stood.
The next moment, space folded.
His figure vanished from the Room of Requirement.
Meanwhile, in an abandoned manor outside Hogwarts, Voldemort was in an excellent mood.
Which terrified Quirrell.
The Dark Lord had spent the entire day inspecting the remaining array nodes.
Not once.
Not twice.
Repeatedly.
Every inspection ended with the same conclusion.
Everything was proceeding perfectly.
That should have been reassuring.
Instead it made Quirrell increasingly nervous.
"My lord."
"What?"
"Have you considered that Theodore might discover another node?"
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Quirrell blinked.
"No?"
"No."
"Why?"
Voldemort sounded mildly offended.
"Because I've improved them."
"..."
"He discovered the first one."
"Yes."
"So naturally I improved the others."
"..."
"He cannot discover them now."
Quirrell opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Experience had taught him that arguing with Voldemort during moments of supreme confidence rarely ended well.
Usually for Quirrell.
Still...
A memory surfaced.
A certain conversation involving a fire crab.
Then another involving carnivorous cabbages.
Then another involving a murderous willow branch.
Quirrell suddenly developed a headache.
"My lord."
"What now?"
"If Theodore discovers another one..."
"He won't."
"But if he does."
Silence.
Then Voldemort sighed.
"He won't."
Quirrell rubbed his temples.
Somehow that answer made him feel worse.
Back at Hogwarts, Theodore stood beneath the moonlight.
The castle loomed behind him.
Before him stretched the dark grounds.
The path Willow Immortal had sensed continued beneath the earth.
Toward the lake.
Toward the old foundations.
Toward something hidden.
Theodore looked down.
For a long moment, he remained motionless.
Then he smiled.
Not because he had found another node.
Because he had found something better.
A clue.
The first node had not been acting alone.
And whoever had designed the formation had left footprints.
Very faint footprints.
But footprints nonetheless.
Theodore raised a hand.
Space folded quietly before him.
The path beneath the earth became visible for a brief instant.
Like a thread.
Like a trail.
Leading deeper into the shadows beneath Hogwarts.
Theodore took a step forward.
The investigation had finally begun.
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