128: Passing Through the Trapdoor

For the first time in a hundred years, the elf girl was enjoying a peaceful life.

Living at Hogwarts was sheer luxury—food at her fingertips, a warm bed every night. She no longer had to worry about where her next meal would come from like she did in the Elven Forest. She no longer had to endure the unfriendly gazes of other elves, who always eyed her with disdain because of her impure bloodline.

Humming a little tune, Ligeitoli bounced happily down the dimly lit corridors of Hogwarts. She even found herself wondering—should elves reconsider their way of life? Maybe they should build houses in the Elven Forest, raise a few house-elves to do the work for them?

Lost in these whimsical thoughts, she pushed open the door of an empty classroom, intending to crack open the floor-to-ceiling windows, let in the cool forest breeze, and enjoy her late-night snack in peace.

But the moment she stepped inside, she froze.

And so did the two people in the room.

Under the pale moonlight, Nolan Von Draugr stood with an air of dark allure, his arms wrapped around a petite, black-haired witch. His fingers gripped her chin, tilting her face upward in an unmistakably intimate gesture.

They had clearly been about to kiss.

Oh no. It's Nolan and Cho!

A terrible sense of doom washed over Ligeitoli. Nolan's expression darkened as he released Cho gently, his irritation evident.

Cho, startled and embarrassed, hurriedly adjusted her robes—even though they hadn't been ruffled at all.

"Half-blood elf…" Nolan's voice dripped with cold amusement as he slowly advanced toward Ligeitoli. "I don't recall giving you the audacity to intrude…"

"Eek!" The elf girl immediately dropped into a crouch, covering her head with both hands in sheer panic. Her precious snacks tumbled to the floor, but she barely noticed. "It's my fault! It's my fault! I didn't know you were in here!" she squeaked.

"Why didn't you knock?" Nolan pressed, his tone sharp. "For someone who calls herself an elf, you seem to lack even the basic manners of your kind. Even Muggles know better."

"How was I supposed to know someone was inside?!" Ligeitoli was on the verge of tears. How could he accuse her like this? It was simply too cruel!

"As an elf, shouldn't your senses be sharp enough to detect someone's presence?" Nolan sneered. "Or perhaps… you're just an imposter—a half-breed failure."

He let out a disdainful hum before bending down to pick up a crushed bacon sandwich from the floor. Holding it between his fingers, he inspected it with a look of disgust.

"Now, let's see… a guest with no actual ties to Hogwarts, sneaking around at night, stealing food from my school… A thief, through and through. Just like last year. And the year before that. Or tell me, have you been a thief for all of your hundred and thirty years?"

Ligeitoli's ears burned red. "B-But… if I don't eat it, it'll just go to waste!" she stammered, peeking up at Nolan like a frightened rabbit. "I only took a little! Hogwarts has so many students. One extra person eating doesn't even make a difference—"

Cho, who had been silent until now, suddenly chuckled at their exchange. Amused, she leaned in and whispered, "Nolan's just messing with you."

"That's not fair!" Ligeitoli puffed up in indignation, only to immediately deflate when she caught sight of Nolan's icy gaze.

Before she could react, Nolan flicked his fingers and rapped her lightly but firmly on the forehead, making her yelp in surprise.

"Stop causing trouble," he scolded. "And don't make things difficult for Professor Dumbledore, either. The only reason we took you in was to prevent unnecessary problems. So stay put at night. Even teenage wizards understand that. I fail to see why someone over a century old still doesn't get it."

Ligeitoli rubbed her forehead, sulking. "I'm not the only one sneaking around at night…" she muttered. Then, as if determined to drag others down with her, she blurted, "I just saw Miss Otter and the chubby one sneaking around too!"

"…Otter?" Cho raised an eyebrow before realization dawned on her. "Ah, you mean Granger… I suppose that's fair. Those two front teeth of hers are quite… distinct."

"Granger and Longbottom?" Nolan scoffed, completely unimpressed. "Typical Gryffindors. You'd think they'd learn after losing one hundred and fifty points just last month. But no. Gryffindors never learn their lesson."

"And clearly, they care more about dragons than their own classmates," Cho added, her voice edged with resentment.

She would never forget that terrifying day—the memory of being chased through the skies by a dragon.

She had brushed shoulders with death more times than she could count—

—and yet, afterward, the so-called Savior of the wizarding world had stood up for the dragon. The beast that had nearly killed her!

Perhaps Cho had once thought the Boy Who Lived wasn't so bad.

But after that incident—whatever good impression she'd had of him was utterly destroyed.

—

Nolan, ever the gentleman when he wanted to be, gently comforted her. His nighttime demeanor was almost charming, in a dark and enigmatic way. Then, turning his attention back to the cowering elf, he asked, "Where did you see them?"

"I ran into them on the fourth floor!" Ligeitoli blurted, still hugging her own head.

"…The fourth floor?" Nolan paused for a brief moment before letting out a sigh. "Those idiots."

Straightening up, he reached down and tugged on Ligeitoli's pointed ears, rubbing them between his fingers like one would a misbehaving kitten.

"Listen up, foolish elf," he said coolly. "I have a job for you. Take Cho straight to the Ravenclaw Tower. If you encounter any danger, you have my permission to use your bow."

"…What makes you think you're so great?" Ligeitoli muttered under her breath, though she obediently nodded and took Cho's hand. "Let's go! Quickly!"

She had no desire to stay anywhere near Nolan any longer than necessary. He was terrifying.

—

Meanwhile, the four Gryffindors had already subdued the three-headed dog.

Once they managed to maneuver the enormous, snoring mass out of the way, they slipped through the trapdoor.

Hermione conjured flames to navigate the Devil's Snare.

Harry displayed his exceptional flying skills in Flitwick's enchanted key room.

Ron used his talent in wizard chess—and his heroic self-sacrifice—to clear McGonagall's challenge.

The troll room? Surprisingly, Neville easily handled that one.

And then… came Snape's puzzle.

Hermione successfully identified the correct potion to pass through the enchanted fire. After drinking it, the trio stepped forward—

—

"We made it to the end, didn't we?" Harry's voice was unsteady with excitement. He knew Voldemort was waiting just beyond.

"…No, not yet," Hermione said, puzzled as she glanced around. "This seems like another challenge…"

"Look at the floor!" Harry gasped. "What is this?"

Beneath their feet, a strange game board was spread out.

Unlike the rigid, structured layout of McGonagall's chess room, this board was a winding path, divided into various squares at uneven intervals.

Hermione let out a groan of despair.

"This is Nolan's challenge! Don't you remember? McGonagall said he was involved in designing the maze, too!"

"What even is this?" Harry hesitated, unwilling to move. "It looks like some kind of Muggle tabletop game! You roll dice, then move forward based on the number…"

"How would I know?!" Voldemort's furious voice suddenly erupted, echoing through the chamber.

In that moment, the Dark Lord realized something terrible.

He—Voldemort, the greatest dark wizard of the century—

—was about to be defeated by a Muggle board game.

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