Before Leo could even take out the talisman, the Bloody Baron turned and sank into the floor.
Seeing this, Leo could only give up. If the talisman worked, that would be interesting. If it didn't, it wasn't a big loss.
The yellow strip of paper in his pocket came from a secret method passed down in his original family. Unfortunately, by the time that inheritance reached him, only ten types of runes remained. Since his spiritual technique worked in this world, he had wondered whether the talisman craft might work too.
So far, the result was not promising.
"Hey, where did he go?" Carlotta said regretfully while chewing on a chicken leg. "Why did he leave so quickly? I wanted to ask how he got all those injuries."
She turned to Leo with shining eyes.
"Leo, aren't you curious?"
"Very curious."
Leo stared curiously at the food that had just vanished from his plate and reappeared again, then continued eating with a perfunctory nod.
Carlotta did not care whether his answer was sincere. She simply kept talking while eating, completely absorbed in her own excitement.
Draco opened his mouth. "I say—"
Leo kicked him lightly under the table before he could continue.
Draco paused.
He thought Leo was protecting Carlotta the same way he had protected Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, so he swallowed his words. Besides, Carlotta was different from Hermione. She came from a wizarding family, so Draco was willing to show some restraint.
Leo's actual intention was much simpler.
Don't provoke the fiery witch.
A girl who could beat up an entire group of children at seven or eight years old was not someone Draco, a delicate young wizard, could handle physically or magically.
The feast continued amid the chatter of hundreds of students. Eventually, everyone ate their fill, and the food on the tables gradually disappeared without returning.
Dumbledore stood again and raised a hand for quiet.
"I believe everyone has eaten enough, so the feast is nearing its end. Before you begin classes tomorrow, I have a few words of advice."
His gaze swept across the hall.
"First, students should remember that the forest beside the school is forbidden to all pupils."
As he said this, Dumbledore seemed to wink toward the Gryffindor table.
Leo guessed that warning was aimed especially at the Weasley twins. Based on Ron's stories, what Leo had seen of their behaviour on the train, and what he remembered, those two were clearly energetic disaster-makers.
"Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has also asked me to remind everyone that magic is not permitted in the corridors between classes."
Dumbledore gestured toward the entrance of the Great Hall.
A middle-aged man in shabby clothes stood there with a gloomy face. His eyes swept over the students with a warning glare, while a large Maine Coon cat sat near his feet.
"Quidditch player selections will be held in the second week," Dumbledore continued. "And most importantly, everyone should remember this. I said everyone. If you do not wish for unfortunate accidents, do not enter the corridor on the left side of the fourth floor."
After that, he raised his wand and pointed it into the air with a mischievous smile.
"Now, let us end with the Hogwarts school song."
Golden, ink-like lights floated above the Great Hall and gathered into a giant musical score.
Leo noticed that several professors at the staff table looked rather stiff.
Then he remembered.
Wizards.
Chorus.
His expression changed at once.
"Everyone may sing along to whichever tune they prefer," Dumbledore said cheerfully.
The moment those words fell, Leo drew his wand and cast a muffling charm around himself, Draco, and Carlotta.
The roaring voices around them instantly dropped to a faint buzz.
Draco and Carlotta stared in confusion for half a second, then quickly understood why he had done it.
Outside the muffled barrier, the entire hall erupted into song. Every table sang at different speeds, different pitches, and possibly different musical realities.
By the time the golden score vanished from the air, Leo felt he had made one of the best decisions of his life.
Dumbledore wiped away non-existent tears.
"Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here. Bedtime now. Off you go."
As the feast ended, the prefects from each house began gathering their first years.
"All Slytherin first years, come to me!"
A tall blond boy with blue eyes stood nearby. He wore a Slytherin uniform and held his wand high, its tip glowing green.
"My name is Floyd Foley, and I am a Slytherin prefect."
Once the first years had gathered, Floyd turned toward the exit.
"Follow me. I'll take you to the Slytherin common room."
The Slytherin first years left the Great Hall and entered the castle corridors.
Carlotta walked beside Leo, raising one hand over his head with a cheerful grin.
"Leo, what happened? Two years later, and you're still not taller than me. You're not even taller than the blond kid."
Leo turned slowly and saw her measuring the air above his head.
He angrily took several quick steps forward, separating himself from both Carlotta and Draco.
Unfortunately, she was right.
In their small group, he was not only shorter than Draco, but also shorter than almost everyone else.
"So what if you're taller now?" Leo muttered. "I'll outgrow you sooner or later."
At that moment, he made a serious decision.
Tonight, he would enter Dongtian and search for ways to grow taller. Potions, spells, alchemy, anything would do.
The glasses suppressor?
Not urgent.
Height came first.
Height was a sore point for all boys.
Behind him, Draco silently compared his own height to Leo's.
Then he straightened his back with subtle pride.
Wonderful.
His magic might be weaker than Leo's, and Leo might know silent casting, but at least he was taller.
Leo suddenly felt something unpleasant and turned back.
Draco immediately smiled politely.
"What's wrong, Leo? Is something the matter? Did Miss Peregrine disturb you? Do you need help?"
Then Draco turned to Carlotta with a serious expression.
"Miss Peregrine, I believe Leo needs peace and quiet. Please don't disturb him."
Carlotta covered her mouth with one hand, struggling not to laugh.
Leo stared at both of them.
Calm down.
Calm down.
A small voice inside him tried very hard to restrain him.
This was school.
He couldn't send classmates to Azkaban.
"New students at the back, don't fall behind," Floyd called from ahead. "Catch up."
Leo stared blankly at Draco and Carlotta for another second before turning and following the group.
He now had only two goals.
Find the dormitory, rest, wait until late night, then enter Dongtian to look for potions and spells.
Draco realized he might have pushed too far and quietly followed behind without teasing him again. Carlotta also stopped talking to Leo for the moment, though she had already decided to teach the annoying blond boy a lesson someday for interrupting her.
Soon, the three stopped fooling around completely because Floyd began introducing the locations of important classrooms.
No one wanted to be late tomorrow and lose points or receive detention because they didn't know where to go.
Led by Floyd, the Slytherin first years reached the entrance to the castle's moving staircases.
"Listen carefully," Floyd said. "The staircases move on their own. Make sure you know which staircase you need and when to take it. Otherwise, you may be late for class, or worse, unable to find your way back to the Slytherin dormitory."
He stepped aside so the first years could see inside.
Staircases shifted, turned, and connected to new landings with loud creaks. Portraits covered the walls, their painted occupants moving, whispering, and watching the students pass.
"Wow," Carlotta said, tugging Leo's sleeve. "That looks fun. And look at the portraits. They move just like the ones in the corridor."
Draco gave a soft little scoff, trying to look unimpressed. Unfortunately, his eyes were also full of curiosity.
"Yes," Leo said, staring at the moving staircases. "That's amazing."
He had seen them in films in his previous life, but reality was far more astonishing. The director had clearly underestimated the magical world. Watching people being carried away by suddenly appearing staircases before vanishing into different corridors made Leo truly feel the wonder of Hogwarts.
Floyd led them from corner to corner, explaining which direction led where and how to recognize the changing stair routes.
"If Granger were here," Draco whispered to Leo with a smile, placing his hands on his hips and lifting his chin in imitation, "she would say, based on my knowledge from Hogwarts: A History, as far as I know…"
"You imitate her quite well," Leo whispered back, covering his mouth to laugh.
"Is Granger the cute girl who was with you?" Carlotta asked curiously.
Draco's expression stiffened.
"Ahem. Yes. She's one of Leo's friends."
Carlotta noticed his embarrassment and immediately sensed a story.
"Did you do something wrong?"
Before Draco could answer, Floyd stopped ahead.
"Attention, first years."
The group had arrived at a dim passage lit only by a few torches mounted along the stone walls. The air was colder here, damp and heavy, as though they had descended deep underground.
Floyd faced the ancient wall before them and cleared his throat.
"Beyond the windows, where the water gleams with green light, the giant squid and Grindylows sometimes pass. Rough stone walls, carved tables and chairs, and the cold beneath the lake are warmed only by the fire that burns forever."
As his final words fell, a stone door appeared in the wall.
It opened slowly, much like the entrance from the Leaky Cauldron courtyard into Diagon Alley.
The young Slytherins stared through the doorway.
Beyond it lay the Slytherin common room, glowing with eerie green light beneath the lake.
A quiet sound of amazement rose from the first years.
....
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