"Death? What Death?"
Kane stopped chewing mid-bite, focusing entirely on his conversation with Maxwell.
"The personification of death in this world, of course. A literal harvester of souls. Let think..." Maxwell paused. "It's likely because of your Life-Giving Amulet. There's no other explanation."
Kane let out a sharp tsk and went back to his sandwich. "Death is such a miser. Can't it learn a thing or two from the Constant?"
"Not a chance. This is how a 'normal' world operates. So be careful, Kane. Until that Death shatters your amulet, it won't rest easy."
With a sudden whoosh, Maxwell vanished. Kane gradually pushed the thoughts he couldn't control into his ntal recycle bin and headed toward the Transfiguration classroom.
To avoid blocking the view of the students behind them, Kane and his friends sat at the very back. At the front, Professor McGonagall picked up a piece of chalk and imdiately began filling the blackboard with notes.
No matter the magical subject, mastering it required imnse complexity in the later stages; it was no wonder the students always looked so haggard by the end of term.
Kane spent half the class fully grasping the lesson before leaning against the wall and rubbing his head.
The Top Hat and floral wreaths weren't restoring his Sanity fast enough. He decided he'd have to make a trip to Professor Sprout's greenhouse tonight.
Once class ended, they hurried to their next session. The entire day was a blur of academic labor. It wasn't until after dinner that they finally had a mont of peace.
"Right, Kane. Later, we'll take you to that secret room on the fourth floor so you can learn the way," Harry said, eager to share the mystery.
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Hermione pouting, clearly searching her mind for a way to talk Harry out of this "unhealthy" obsession.
Harry quickly added, "You can even ask Professor Dumbledore later. If you tell him the Stone is in danger, he'll definitely believe you."
With Hermione's expression softening, Kane readily agreed. Even though the Stone was actually in his possession, Voldemort didn't know that; he still believed it was hidden in that secret chamber.
By scouting the room in advance, Kane could set up his own "arrangents." When Voldemort eventually made a move on him and the Stone, he'd have that much more of a safety margin.
"Give a bit, though. I need to stop by Professor Sprout's greenhouse first," Kane noted. His Sanity was currently too low; if he went out at night without a buffer, he might be attacked by Shadow Creatures.
To avoid a preventable disaster, he needed to hit the greenhouse for so Cooked Cactus or Cooked Green Mushrooms to patch up his ntal state.
"Then you'd better go now. We'll go back and grab our gear."
"Got it. Split up." Kane grabbed a paper bag, packed a few pies from the table, and slipped out of the Hall. He navigated the winding corridors until he reached the greenhouse.
Professor Sprout hadn't been at the High Table, so she was likely here tending to the plants.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Co in."
Kane walked in and greeted her. "Hello, Professor. I have a small, humble request."
"As long as you aren't here to steal Mandrakes, dear, anything is fine," Sprout said with a smile.
"Rest assured, Professor. I definitely won't do that this ti."
Professor Sprout generally trusted his word. Though this young wizard was a bit eccentric—perhaps even ntally unstable—he was excellent in every other way, from his grades to his social standing. Why else would Neville have helped him cover up the Mandrake theft?
But just as Professor Sprout was thinking these motherly thoughts, her expression stiffened.
"Kane, Green Mushrooms are poisonous," she warned.
"Thanks, Professor. I'll cook them before I eat them."
Sprout: "..."
Kane felt a twinge of self-reproach at the thought of the poor Green Mushrooms he hadn't managed to "rescue" from the greenhouse.
Next ti, he'd have to co back during a night excursion so Professor Sprout wouldn't have to see it.
At least, that was the scene the trio found when they arrived with the Invisibility Cloak. Kane was sitting on the ground roasting cactus over a fire, muttering to himself as he ate. The whole scene was utterly absurd.
"Kane? Let's go." Harry patted his shoulder. Kane nodded, finished the last of the cactus, doused the fire, and slipped under the cloak.
In an instant, Kane froze. Why did his head stop aching? Why was his Sanity no longer draining?
"Wait, Harry. Let try an experint."
Kane stepped out from under the cloak. Agh. His head throbbed; his Sanity began to plumt again. He stepped back under the cloak, and the feeling vanished as if it were a hallucination.
"Harry, who gave you this cloak? Where can I buy one?" Kane whispered from inside the folds.
"I don't know. The person said it belonged to my dad. There was no na."
"Why don't you ask Dumbledore?" Hermione suggested from the front. "You can ask him when you tell him about the secret room."
"Good point. I will."
Soon, the four arrived at the fourth-floor corridor and shed the cloak.
"This is the door. Inside is a three-headed dog that nearly chewed Filch to bits. The Stone should be under the trapdoor it's guarding," Harry said, pointing to the worn wooden door.
"Right. I need to see what's under that trapdoor." Kane pushed the door open. To the horror of the other three, he drew his wand.
As the light of his spell enveloped the beast, the effect was imdiate. The dog collapsed and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
"Wow... Snape got bitten by that thing, and you handled it like that? Kane, you're better than Snape!" Ron said, shaking with excitent.
"Thanks for the complint." Kane used a Levitation Charm to shift the massive dog aside, revealing the trapdoor. He yanked it open to reveal a dark abyss with no visible ladder.
"Hold on." Kane's hands moved in a blur as he crafted a Torch, which he promptly tossed down. It illuminated a chamber not too far below, the floor covered in a dense carpet of vines. As the torch landed, the vines recoiled like a mass of writhing snakes.
"This isn't hard at all. Why would anyone brag about throwing a torch?" Kane mused with a smirk. He ducked his head and jumped down. Harry and Ron followed without hesitation.
Hermione let out a final sigh. "If only Professor McGonagall would believe us... Honestly." Steeling herself, she jumped too.
Below the trapdoor, once the trio had scrambled onto a stone ledge away from the reaching plant tendrils, Kane knelt at the edge of the platform. He reached out and gently touched the vines.
For my own safety... I need to prepare. He decided to start his modifications right here, with this second trial.
"Kane? Why aren't you moving?" Harry asked.
"Tell ," Kane said, turning back as he stood up. "What do you think would happen if this second trial wasn't just vines, but Tentacles instead? Let's call it... 'upping the difficulty' for whoever is after the Stone."
As he spoke, the shadow beneath his feet surged like spilled ink, splashing onto the vines—the Devil's Snare.
In an instant, the dangerous plants went into a frenzy. The vines of varying thickness transford into disgusting, fleshy tentacles covered in mucus and barbs.
The small chamber had been transford into an abstract, living stomach, ready to digest anything that entered.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 200 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.
User Comments
0 comments from readers