Although the process had been somewhat bumpy, Malfoy had ultimately obtained what he wanted.
He squeezed the slightly bulging pocket of his shirt. A sense of relief washed over him, and his tense mood eased somewhat.
But just as he stepped out of the room, ready to leave, his heart suddenly tightened again.
With his keen senses, he quickly noticed that something was wrong with the atmosphere around him. A heavy sense of oppression and sternness crept into his heart.
These were instincts he had developed during six months of surviving in the jungle.
He was now like a hungry beast that had just been awakened, instinctively searching for danger.
Hogwarts Castle had awakened.
The sound of synchronized footsteps and the scraping and clanging of metal echoed from downstairs. Each heavy thud seemed to resonate in Malfoy's heart.
For a moment, it felt as though the entire castle were trembling and echoing in response.
Besides the suits of armour, there were all kinds of strange stone beasts.
The ugly stone carvings and iron statues that had once stood along the walkways seemed to have come alive all at once.
Malfoy suddenly realized that his intrusion might have been discovered.
The Disillusionment Charm could deceive their vision to some extent, but avoiding that dark, overwhelming torrent of steel was still difficult.
Even the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling had transformed into sharp, rotating blades, spinning back and forth along the interconnected corridors.
The Disillusionment Charm was not a spell that made someone completely transparent. It merely provided visual concealment.
A person could still be affected by spells and physical interference.
Malfoy guessed that Flitwick had even joined the search.
A fierce wind suddenly swept through the corridor like a series of sharp blades grazing past him, forcing him to deal with it carefully.
Perhaps Dumbledore's "death" had alerted Professor McGonagall and the other teachers, causing the entire castle to erupt into chaos.
All the iron frames that had once "guarded" the passageways now seemed to have come alive, forming a uniform steel legion that searched relentlessly for their target—the intruder.
In a dimly lit corridor, Professor McGonagall's wand moved like a conductor's baton.
She directed the search party to advance slowly and in unison.
Behind her followed two students who looked rather dishevelled, with faint bloodstains on their faces and bruises on their hands.
Myrtle floated beside Professor McGonagall's shoulder, waving her hands and gesturing urgently.
She seemed to have lost the ability to speak.
Professor McGonagall had recently freed her from the armour.
"Poor Myrtle, ugly Myrtle! Myrtle has changed her name to the Tin Girl Who Can't Talk!"
Peeves jumped up and down, mocking her.
"Shut up, Peeves!"
Professor McGonagall snapped.
Myrtle now floated helplessly in mid-air as though she had lost her soul. She could no longer utter a complete sentence.
Malfoy, meanwhile, began running swiftly through the corridors of Hogwarts, dodging the searching suits of armour.
He didn't even take out the Marauder's Map.
It remained quietly in his pocket.
The Marauder's Map was no longer useful. Those armoured guards certainly wouldn't have names that could appear on it.
The castle was filled with a maze of secret passages.
Malfoy moved through them by relying on his memories. Sometimes he quickly crossed wide corridors; at other times, he slipped through hidden passages.
But almost every passageway entrance was crowded with dark, steel guards.
He carefully avoided them, searching his memory for a way out.
Judging from the current commotion, however, the passageways were almost completely surrounded by these armoured soldiers.
He tried every possible route, but the constant thumping in his ears served as a continuous reminder that each path was blocked.
Suddenly, he thought of a rather good place.
He quickened his pace through the secret passage, turning several corners in succession.
With a ripping sound, an oil painting hanging on one side of the corridor was violently torn open from behind.
It depicted a knight raising his javelin, seemingly ready to charge.
Now, however, with the canvas torn, the painting drooped downward.
Malfoy stepped onto the sturdy wooden frame and jumped down.
His heels landed on the soft carpet without making a sound.
"Restored to its original state."
Malfoy immediately waved his wand and cast a spell, restoring the damaged oil painting.
It was important not to leave any trace behind.
He quickly glanced left, right, and behind him.
It seemed that the area around this passage hadn't been searched yet.
But it would be soon.
However, this wasn't an exit either, even though it was right in front of him.
A door blocked his path.
But it was exactly what he needed.
The old door had no handles or keyholes, only a worn, smooth wooden surface with a bronze door knocker shaped like an eagle.
Suddenly, a petite figure appeared in Malfoy's mind.
The girl's eyes were always misty, and she often seemed confused. Occasionally, she would do something that left people completely speechless.
Because what stood before him now was the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.
Having the answer to a "question" as the password seemed like a decent temporary place to hide.
It was just right for keeping those mindless things outside.
Of course, that was assuming he himself wasn't prevented from entering.
Malfoy walked to the door and knocked quickly and lightly several times.
The bronze door knocker produced a dull sound.
"Welcome. Please lift the spell on yourself first."
Malfoy did as instructed, removing the Disillusionment Charm from his body.
His figure immediately appeared before the door.
Then the gatekeeper began asking its question.
"What is that which flickers red, burns like a flame, but is not fire? It blazes fiercely when your heart beats. Cover your ears and you can hear its sound, but when you die, it grows cold?"
After a gentle murmur, the door to Ravenclaw Tower posed its own question.
"A surge of passion."
Malfoy thought for a moment before giving his answer.
He knocked on the door several more times.
"Come in."
The door creaked open by itself.
Malfoy immediately followed the instruction and stepped inside.
The door to the Ravenclaw common room quickly closed behind him.
Before he could properly observe his surroundings, he was startled to find himself bumping headfirst into something.
He immediately drew his wand, intending to retaliate.
Then he discovered a girl sitting slumped on the floor in front of him.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked up at him.
Their eyes met in an instant.
The girl reacted more quickly.
Or perhaps Malfoy simply chose to remain silent in the face of the situation.
She spoke first.