Inside the crowded Quidditch stands, a certain little witch sat quietly watching the opening ceremony with a lonely expression.
Eralika kept stretching her neck toward the Gryffindor section, desperately searching through the crowd.
But no matter how hard she looked, she still couldn't find the person she wanted to see most.
Logan hadn't come.
A faint sense of bitterness rose inside her chest.
Why isn't he here yet?
That day, she had gathered every ounce of courage she possessed just to approach him and start a conversation.
Yet nothing had changed.
Especially after witnessing Hermione feed Logan fried eggs in the Great Hall that morning, Eralika felt as though something heavy had become lodged in her throat.
The intimacy between them was unbearable to watch.
After struggling silently for several moments, she finally reached into her bag and pulled out a small black notebook.
The cover was pitch black.
At the center sat a strange cartoon drawing of a human head wearing a monocle and a gentleman's hat.
Eralika immediately opened the notebook eagerly.
The instant the cover flipped open, invisible black mist quietly seeped from the pages and wrapped around her body.
No one nearby noticed anything unusual.
The students remained excitedly discussing Quidditch. Professors continued chatting normally. The entire stadium seemed completely unaffected.
Except for one person.
At the highest platform overlooking the field, Dumbledore suddenly stiffened.
For just a brief instant, he felt overwhelming danger.
A cold chill ran down his spine.
His sharp blue eyes instantly locked onto Eralika's direction.
What was that?
Although the sensation vanished almost immediately, Dumbledore knew he hadn't imagined it.
That sinister aura…
It reminded him of someone.
Someone he had not faced in a very long time.
Voldemort.
Dumbledore's expression gradually darkened.
Could he truly have returned already?
Had his influence somehow infiltrated Hogwarts itself?
More disturbingly, the magical aura felt strange—different from before. Darker. More chaotic. Even Dumbledore found it difficult to immediately identify.
While Dumbledore quietly fell into deep thought, Eralika angrily scribbled across the notebook pages.
Why is everything still going wrong?
I already worked up the courage to approach Logan!
Am I really not good enough?
Or is this all because of your stupid notebook?
As her emotions spiraled, the black mist leaking from the notebook became thicker and thicker.
Eventually, the mist condensed into the shape of a horned creature beside her.
A demon-like figure.
Its smoky body twisted unnaturally while it leaned close to Eralika's ear and whispered in a hoarse voice.
"Oh, don't rush, little girl."
"Trust me. Even though your performance that day was clumsy and your excuses were terribly awkward, the more deliberate your actions appeared, the deeper the impression you left on him."
The creature gave a low chuckle.
"I guarantee he remembers your name now. That alone is already an excellent beginning."
Eralika bit her lip.
But the image of Hermione feeding Logan breakfast that morning instantly resurfaced in her mind.
Anxiety overwhelmed her again.
She quickly wrote inside the notebook:
But Logan is already very close to another girl now. Isn't it too late? What am I supposed to do?
This is your fault.
You told me that if I tried hard enough, I could succeed. You said everything would work out.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the notebook.
The pages crumpled beneath her grip.
If she used any more force, she might rip the entire thing apart.
The horned demon spoke again calmly.
"Relax, little girl."
"You should have more confidence in yourself. Look at how beautiful you are. Why doubt yourself so much?"
Its voice gradually became softer and more seductive.
"And besides… human relationships are unbelievably fragile."
"With only the slightest push, people become suspicious. Jealous. Angry."
"They can even destroy each other."
The demon smiled.
"So what if your beloved boy currently likes someone else?"
"I'm here."
"I'll help you separate them."
"And this…"
"It's your greatest opportunity."
The dark whispers slowly soothed Eralika's chaotic emotions.
"Try to calm yourself," the creature continued. "If you destroy the notebook, then your wish will never come true."
"Without my help… you'll lose him forever."
The black mist curled gently around her fingers.
"He will eventually belong to you."
"And to me as well."
Those words gradually calmed Eralika completely.
Yes.
The notebook was right.
With its help, what was Hermione compared to her?
A dangerous ambition slowly grew inside Eralika's heart.
If necessary…
She would take Logan away by force.
Nothing would stop her.
Seeing her emotions stabilize, the horned demon gradually dissolved back into black smoke before disappearing entirely as though it had never existed.
.....
Meanwhile, somewhere on the other side of the world, a well-dressed gentleman sat casually atop the edge of a cliff.
The wind blew through his dark coat while he quietly processed the information transmitted through the notebook.
An amused smile appeared on his face.
"How fascinating," he murmured softly.
Humans in this world were truly entertaining creatures.
Ever since arriving here, he had found existence itself wonderfully enjoyable. This strange magical world felt like an enormous new amusement park waiting to be explored.
More importantly…
He had discovered something extremely interesting hidden within this world.
Somewhere here existed a source of power darker than almost anything he had encountered before.
Unfortunately, he currently lacked the ability to investigate further.
After all, he had only managed to enter this world through special methods. There were limits to what he could accomplish at the moment.
Still, his primary target remained unchanged.
Logan Anderson.
The gentleman smiled faintly.
Who could have predicted that such an adorable little darling would end up inside a magical school?
What a troublesome child.
Originally, he had planned to approach Logan personally and slowly uncover his secrets.
But then he remembered the terrifying purple grimoire.
And the horrifying memory of being devoured alive.
Just thinking about it made his expression twitch slightly.
No.
Direct contact was far too dangerous.
Therefore, he chose a much safer method.
If he wanted Logan's secrets without approaching him personally, then what better option existed than controlling someone close to him?
Humans were such foolish creatures.
Especially that little girl named Eralika.
The gentleman's smile widened further.
Just imagining Logan's expression after discovering the truth behind everything was enough to amuse him endlessly.
How delightful.
.....
Deep within the Forbidden Forest's restricted region, Logan stared blankly at the barren land surrounding him.
He was becoming increasingly irritated.
According to the compass, this exact location contained Hufflepuff's Silver Cup.
But when he looked around, there was absolutely nothing here.
Well…
Technically, there were dead weeds.
And some rotting wood.
But aside from that?
Nothing.
Could the cup actually be buried underground?
Logan rubbed his forehead thoughtfully.
Honestly, that possibility wasn't impossible.
After all, many mysteries turned out to have absurdly simple answers. People merely complicated them through overthinking.
Besides, Logan trusted the Grimoire's system.
If the compass pointed here, then the Silver Cup definitely existed somewhere nearby.
Which meant…
He simply hadn't found it yet.
Logan slowly lowered his gaze toward the nearly barren ground and fell deep into thought.
.....
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