"This question will probably only be answered once I use the Philosopher's Stone to completely master the power of the Talismans, huh?" Louis muttered to himself.
Still, even with his Stand's body warped into such a form, it didn't hinder him at all. On the contrary, it saved him the trouble of putting on a disguise. Walking out looking like this, there was no way anyone would recognize him.
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, the half-dragon, half-human Stand flew out of Hogwarts Castle, its body gradually turning semi-transparent as it rose.
Because it only had seventy percent of Louis's strength, the Faceless Phantom couldn't achieve perfect invisibility—only this half-seen, hazy form. But under poor nighttime lighting, its concealment was more than enough.
Louis's perspective was locked onto the Phantom, directly controlling it as it flew toward the Astronomy Tower.
Charlie Weasley and his companions had only one way to reach Hogwarts: first arriving at the outskirts by Portkey or Apparition, then flying in on broomsticks to pick up Norbert.
That gave Louis a window of opportunity. He had more than enough time to take the dragon for himself.
At the Astronomy Tower, Louis had been waiting. Soon, he heard the heavy, labored sounds of someone hauling something up the stairs.
Splitting his focus, he glanced at the Marauder's Map and saw Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom's names nearing the tower.
They were on their way. And on another corridor, Draco Malfoy was tailing after them in secret.
What caught Louis's attention most, however, was another name wandering about the map.
Dumbledore. He was lingering in the Clock Tower, purpose unknown.
At this hour?
Louis thought it over, then understood.
Tonight, the Forbidden Forest would be lively as well. Clearly, Dumbledore had arranged something.
He must have already realized someone was stirring trouble in the forest—and probably knew exactly who it was.
After all, the death of a unicorn was no small matter. It wouldn't take Dumbledore much effort to deduce Voldemort's condition, or even identify the host body he was riding.
The reason he hadn't exposed it was obvious: to give Harry Potter the chance to grow through real trials.
Sure enough, Louis saw Dumbledore's name move toward Minerva McGonagall's. The two seemed to be conversing, and the topic was most likely…
Harry Potter's punishment for sneaking out at night.
For example—assigning him to detention in the Forbidden Forest.
"The Savior's first trial, is it?" Louis chuckled.
From the Phantom's vantage point inside the tower, he watched three broom-riders approach through the sky.
At the front was a stocky, broad-shouldered man with short red hair—surely the eldest Weasley son, Charlie.
Harry and Neville had meanwhile thrown off the Invisibility Cloak, dumping it casually to one side as they dragged the now-hefty Norbert out with difficulty.
The Faceless Phantom's gaze lingered on that cloak, wondering if Harry would even remember where he'd tossed it.
Things gotten too easily were always the least cherished.
Louis sighed, then casually scooped up the Invisibility Cloak himself. He planned to take it back and toy with it—maybe it would even trigger a new mission.
At that moment, Charlie Weasley had already met up with the two boys.
"Only you two? Where's Ron?" Charlie asked in confusion.
"He got bitten by the dragon. He's still in the hospital wing," Harry said helplessly.
"Clumsy lad," Charlie muttered, before his eyes fell on Norbert, whom Harry and Neville were dragging along. "Wow… now that's beautiful."
"A fine Norwegian Ridgeback," said one of the men who'd come with him—clearly another dragon researcher. He identified the breed instantly. "But it looks like a female. Why are you calling it Norbert?"
"Female?" Harry and Neville exchanged a glance.
Well, neither of them could tell a dragon's sex, and dragon-loving Hagrid hadn't been able to either.
"Not important right now. Worst case, you can change its name later. Let's just hurry and get it out of here," Charlie said. "Who cast the Stunning Spell on it?"
"Hagrid. Several times," Harry answered.
"Figures. But that was the right call. You can't control a dragon otherwise, even one this young."
Charlie waved his wand, conjuring a set of ropes to bind Norbert and hang it from their brooms. "We're off. You two should get back as well—don't let Filch catch you."
Filch had been at Hogwarts for years. Charlie himself hadn't been spared by the caretaker during his own school days.
"Mm." Harry and Neville nodded, watching Charlie and his companions fly off with Norbert dangling beneath them.
"Let's go too," Neville urged. "I don't want to lose points if we're caught."
"Don't worry, we've got the Invisibility Cloak," Harry said proudly—until he looked down and froze.
The cloak was gone. Louis had already taken it, and the two boys couldn't find it anywhere.
Even if Louis hadn't taken it, chances were slim they'd have found it anyway. Carelessly tossing around something so rare—that was a bad habit.
"It's fine. We'll just look carefully—it has to be here on the ground somewhere," Harry said, trying to reassure Neville. He was just about to drop down and feel around when Filch's voice drifted up from below.
"Who's there?"
Then came the sound of frantic footsteps charging up the stairs.
From the Phantom's perspective, Louis saw Draco Malfoy, pale and panicked, dash up and collide with Harry and Neville. That was enough for him—he left the tower and slipped after Charlie Weasley and his men.
As for Harry, Neville, and Malfoy, Louis didn't even need to watch to know how it would play out. A night in the Forbidden Forest—nothing too serious.
On the contrary, it was a rare chance to get up close and personal with Voldemort.
Charlie and his team flew above the Forbidden Forest and descended to the spot where they'd prepared a Portkey for their escape to Romania.
But just as they landed and reached to lift the dragon, a wave of dizziness hit them. Their consciousness clouded, and they collapsed into a deep sleep.
The half-dragon Faceless Phantom strode forward. After a glance at the unconscious men and the stunned Norbert, it swapped places with the real Louis. He extended his hand, summoned Avalon, the Ideal Land, and tossed Norbert inside. Then, in the blink of an eye, he switched back.
Stealing a dragon? Keep it simple. No need for flashy theatrics. A bit of hypnosis solved everything—clean, efficient, and left the least evidence.
Handling the people, however, was trickier.
Louis thought a moment, then pulled several test tubes of violet-black liquid from his storage.
"Erase their memories and dump them back in Romania."
The Portkey was right there anyway. Send them back, wipe the traces, then have the Phantom teleport home.
Flawless plan.
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