"Be careful. We've been lucky tonight. We made it in without running into anyone on the way."
Logan glanced toward Harry and Ron, his voice low and cautious.
"But we can't make too much noise now. If Filch hears anything while he's patrolling outside, we'll be in trouble."
Harry and Ron both nodded obediently.
Since Logan wasn't sharing the Invisibility Cloak with them, he made sure to give them one extra warning before they separated.
"Also, don't open any books with dangerous-looking covers."
The two boys nodded again.
Whether they actually listened was another matter entirely.
Still, Logan didn't particularly mind. Since he wasn't squeezed under that dung-colored cloak with them, their separation wouldn't affect his own investigation.
Once again, learning the Disillusionment Charm had proven to be one of the wisest decisions he had ever made.
Soon, Logan separated from Harry and Ron, and the three of them began searching for the answers they wanted.
Rows upon rows of books filled the Restricted Section. Some were enormous, some were thin, and all of them seemed to quietly wait for someone reckless enough to unlock their secrets.
Compared to the ordinary library shelves outside, the books here were far more numerous than Logan had imagined.
That alone was interesting.
Power was a heavy word.
It drove endless desire.
Only by possessing power could someone protect what they wanted, obtain what they desired, and refuse being crushed by fate.
Logan was no exception.
Throughout history, countless wizards had pursued powerful magic that was unknown, forbidden, or even rejected by human reason itself. Those obsessions eventually created innumerable books on Dark magic.
The tomes before Logan could grant a wizard immense strength in a short time.
Few people could resist such temptation.
Logan slowly reached toward a blue-covered book resting on the shelf.
His thirst for knowledge and pursuit of strength pushed him forward almost instinctively.
But unknown to him, in a hidden corner of the library, an old man with a white beard silently watched him.
Dumbledore's expression was unusually serious.
This child's hunger for power seemed greater than he had imagined.
Should he stop him?
Or continue observing?
Two voices warred inside Dumbledore's mind.
Stop him.
Dark magic corrupts people.
A young wizard should not touch books like these at his age. Your indulgence may create a third Dark Lord, one even more terrifying than the first two.
Have you already forgotten Tom?
But soon, another voice rose within him.
Do not smother a child's thirst for knowledge.
Logan is different from other children. He is intelligent, restrained, and unusually mature. He understands what he is doing.
Besides, under your guidance, he entered Gryffindor. He became friends with Harry and the others. He found people he cared about.
That alone proves he is not Tom.
Eventually, the two voices merged into one.
Humans have always desired power.
Weren't you the same once?
At that exact moment—
"Aaaaaah!"
A hoarse, agonized scream suddenly erupted from the other side of the Restricted Section.
Logan's hand froze inches away from the book.
Then he silently cursed Harry and Ron.
Didn't we just agree not to open dangerous-looking books?
Why are they still so reckless?
Still concealed beneath the Disillusionment Charm, Logan quickly crossed the central aisle and moved toward the noise.
Because Harry and Ron were hidden under the Invisibility Cloak while Logan himself was invisible, neither side could see the other.
Unfortunately, someone else had heard the scream.
Filch.
And Mrs. Norris.
"Who's there?"
Filch's cold voice echoed from outside the shelves.
"You little brats dare sneak into the library at night? Do you not respect me, Argus Filch?"
"Believe me, if I catch you, I'll show you true cruelty!"
His voice sounded fierce.
Of course, he wasn't afraid.
Absolutely not.
He was merely being cautious.
Harry and Ron instantly froze beneath the cloak.
They had never expected that the book Ron accidentally opened—a book with a completely pink and childish cover—would suddenly reveal a white ghost-like creature that screamed incomprehensible words.
Thankfully, Harry had slammed the book shut quickly.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Even so, the noise had already attracted Filch.
The caretaker slowly approached their hiding place.
Because of the Invisibility Cloak, he saw nothing.
Strange.
The sound had definitely come from here.
Why was nobody around?
Standing inside the gloomy Restricted Section, Filch suddenly felt the atmosphere becoming more and more unsettling.
Once that thought appeared, he couldn't stop himself from imagining worse possibilities.
This was the Restricted Section.
The Dark magic books here were said to be unbelievably evil.
Some covers were supposedly made from human skin.
If something strange appeared here…
Wouldn't that be completely reasonable?
A chill ran down Filch's spine.
Perhaps leaving first would be wiser.
Since no students had sneaked in anyway, there was no need to stay here and frighten himself.
Coincidentally, Harry and Ron were thinking the exact same thing.
For one brief moment, all three parties shared the same desire to escape.
But just as Harry and Ron prepared to retreat past Filch—
A heavy thud suddenly echoed nearby.
Both boys froze.
Snape?
Why was he here?
Harry and Ron exchanged stunned glances beneath the cloak.
Soon, they discovered Snape wasn't alone.
Professor Quirrell was with him.
Snape had slammed Quirrell hard against the wall. His face was cold and his voice low.
"Tell me now, you filthy dark rat. What is your purpose?"
"Do not try to deceive me. Everything you've done has been under my watch."
"Who are you working for?"
"What are you after?"
After speaking, Snape drove his elbow sharply into Quirrell's neck before punching him hard in the stomach.
Harry stared in confusion.
Why were Snape and Professor Quirrell here?
Why were they fighting?
And what did their conversation mean?
At that moment, Ron seemed to suddenly understand everything.
"I get it," he whispered to Harry. "Professor Quirrell must've discovered Snape's plot, so Snape is forcing him to cooperate here."
"If I'm right, Professor Quirrell has probably been protecting us this whole time."
Ron's voice trembled with certainty.
"Snape hates him for it. That's why he lured him into the library tonight. Once Professor Quirrell is gone, nobody will protect us anymore, and Snape can do whatever he wants."
Harry's eyes widened.
After hearing Ron's explanation, he actually felt it sounded extremely likely.
If Snape continued attacking him, Professor Quirrell might never teach them again.
"Should we stop him?" Harry whispered urgently.
"What?" Ron nearly choked. "Stop Snape?"
He wanted to save Quirrell too, of course.
But they were first-years.
Snape was a professor.
Rushing out would only get them murdered faster.
Then Ron suddenly had a flash of wisdom.
"Find Logan. He'll definitely know what to do!"
Ron cleverly remembered that Logan was still somewhere in the library.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as he expected.
Snape suddenly turned his head strangely toward Harry and Ron's direction.
Both boys froze.
Did Snape see them?
Impossible.
They were under the Invisibility Cloak.
There was no way he should be able to detect them.
In truth, Snape couldn't see them at all.
But for some reason, he sensed something unpleasant behind him.
Not one source of malice.
Two.
It was almost instinctive, but powerful enough that he immediately turned around.
There was nothing there.
Still, Snape reached out and clawed through the air several times.
Unfortunately, he caught nothing.
Was he being paranoid?
Snape frowned and finally accepted that explanation.
But just as he turned back to continue interrogating Quirrell, Filch appeared with a broken lamp in hand.
"Professors, look what I found."
Filch lifted the damaged object grimly.
"A broken lamp means someone was searching around the library area."
"It wasn't some strange ghost or cursed object."
His eyes narrowed.
"Obviously, some little wizards sneaked in tonight."
After saying this, Filch silently cursed those brats in his heart.
He had actually frightened himself with wild thoughts because of them.
Unforgivable.
Once he caught the culprit—or culprits—he would absolutely let them experience the eighteen cruelest punishments of Argus Filch.
After hearing Filch's report, both Snape and Quirrell realized this was no longer the right time to settle matters in the library.
Snape gave Quirrell one final cold warning.
"I will settle this with you sooner or later."
Then he turned and left.
Filch and Quirrell soon left one after another.
Harry and Ron slipped away as well.
A handsome young wizard remained hidden behind them.
And behind him, unnoticed by even Logan, stood an old man with a white beard.
Looking at the now-empty and silent library, Logan's mood immediately improved.
At last.
Nobody could stop him from reading now.
Overjoyed, he returned to the shelves and began carefully browsing again.
Soon, a white book caught his attention.
After all, it was impossible not to notice something so pale sitting among an entire row of black-covered tomes.
Logan pulled the book out and wiped dust from its cover.
It seemed to have been abandoned here for a very long time.
The title was strange.
The City Thief's Notes.
Logan felt an inexplicable sense of unease while staring at it.
This book didn't seem like it belonged here.
Either someone misplaced it long ago, or a previous reader had somehow left it behind by accident.
With that question in mind, Logan opened the book.
Ten minutes later, Logan became increasingly convinced that this book truly should not be in the Restricted Section.
The book recorded the activities of a group of students from some unknown period in Hogwarts history. They had created a small organization called the Gate Thieves, dedicated to uncovering the unknown secrets hidden within Hogwarts.
Their first motto was:
Hogwarts is bigger and more mysterious than you can imagine.
The general meaning was simple.
Never assume you have explored all the secrets of the castle.
Hogwarts was like an endless buffet of delicious food. You never knew whether the brick beneath your feet hid another adventure or mystery.
This small organization spent years exploring Hogwarts' hidden places and recording their discoveries inside this book.
To be fair, the writing style was surprisingly engaging.
Unfortunately, most of the secrets were deeply strange and completely useless.
For example, there was apparently a hidden compartment inside the Headmaster's office concealing an old-fashioned bathroom.
There was also supposedly a room in one girls' dormitory containing expired honey that had been fermenting for who knew how many years.
What kind of nonsense was this?
This book was full of boring rubbish.
Logan felt cheated.
Then, at that exact moment, one passage suddenly caught his attention.
Or more accurately, a certain story did.
When you read this message, it means you already know about my glorious achievement in founding the Gate Thieves.
You may call me Bruce Piccolo.
Over my many years navigating Hogwarts, I cannot claim to have uncovered every secret within the castle.
However, among all the mysteries I encountered, one remained utterly incomprehensible to me.
Inside this enormous castle exists an incredibly strange magical mirror.
According to the professor at the time, it is called the Mirror of Erised.
This is a mysterious mirror that reflects the deepest desires and longings of whoever stands before it.
I once found this mirror inside Hogwarts.
In the reflection, I saw myself successfully uncovering every secret hidden within the castle.
I even became famous throughout the wizarding world because of it.
But then something strange happened.
.....
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