Chapter 81 – The Hidden Door Beneath Hogwarts
"I have a question."
"Just ask."
Firenze waited patiently for Liam Hale to speak.
"Your herd exiled you and turned against you. Don't you feel angry about it? Don't you resent them?"
"I understand their feelings," Firenze replied calmly. "Besides, the leader of a centaur herd is not like a human leader who controls the freedom of others. A leader carries responsibility for the future of the entire herd."
He looked toward the dark forest around them.
"When I chose a path different from theirs, it was only natural that they would remove me. When a leader no longer represents the will of the herd, stepping down becomes inevitable."
"With that mindset, I think you're the one who truly deserves to lead the centaurs."
Liam spoke with genuine admiration.
"It is an honor to receive your approval," Firenze said with a slight smile. "I only hope you can continue to follow your own convictions in the future. Now, I should be going."
Before he could leave, Liam raised his wand.
"Wait. Let me heal those wounds first."
A stream of silver light flowed from the wand tip. The injuries covering Firenze's body rapidly disappeared, leaving behind smooth, unblemished skin.
The centaur looked down in surprise.
"Thank you for your kindness. I look forward to meeting you again."
With a respectful nod, Firenze turned and disappeared into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
Afterward, Liam found Hagrid, and the two left the forest together.
During the following weeks, Liam returned the newly refined silver hairpin to Hermione before continuing his research into the undead spell known as Rebirth from Ashes.
His goal was simple.
The next time he resurrected himself through the spell, he did not want to return as a child.
After countless adjustments and refinements, he finally succeeded.
Now he possessed a true immortal trump card.
With that safeguard secured, Liam turned his attention toward another objective.
The Chamber of Secrets.
Ever since learning about its existence, he had been determined to find the hidden chamber created by Salazar Slytherin.
Unfortunately, being famous at Hogwarts came with its own problems.
Whenever he walked through the castle during the day, students constantly followed him, greeted him, or attempted to strike up conversations. Conducting a secret investigation under those circumstances was nearly impossible.
As a result, Liam adopted a new schedule.
After classes ended each day, he would immediately return to the dormitory and rest.
Then, after midnight, once the entire castle had fallen asleep, he would sneak out beneath a Disillusionment Charm and begin searching Hogwarts in silence.
His investigation was based entirely on magical theory.
In Liam's view, Salazar Slytherin must have hidden the Chamber of Secrets using an exceptionally sophisticated concealment spell.
Even someone as powerful as Dumbledore had never found it.
That was not because Dumbledore lacked ability.
Rather, there were simply too many branches of magic in existence. No wizard could master every field during a single lifetime.
Liam approached the problem differently.
Instead of looking for the chamber itself, he searched for magical anomalies.
Any spell he could not identify became a potential clue.
For years, he had studied magic by breaking down spells and reconstructing their underlying principles. Finding hidden enchantments and deciphering them was practically his specialty.
Meanwhile, Slytherin could not have remained at Hogwarts forever maintaining the chamber personally.
The chamber's concealment would have to be anchored to an object or structure through permanent enchantments.
That part Liam understood well.
After all, he was an accomplished magical craftsman himself.
Enchanting objects was something he did regularly.
The downside was obvious.
Hogwarts Castle contained countless magical traces accumulated over centuries.
Every strange enchantment had to be examined individually.
Every unknown spell had to be deciphered before he could determine whether it was relevant.
The search progressed slowly.
However, Liam did not mind.
Each enchantment he unraveled expanded his understanding of magic.
Even unsuccessful investigations rewarded him with valuable knowledge.
In that sense, no effort was wasted.
One night, while wandering beneath his Disillusionment Charm, Liam arrived at a location he had not yet thoroughly examined.
The girls' bathroom on the fifth floor.
Although he considered it unlikely that Salazar Slytherin would hide the entrance to his legendary chamber inside a bathroom, he had already committed himself to a complete search of the castle.
No location could be ignored.
This was also one of the reasons he conducted his investigations in the middle of the night.
Entering a girls' bathroom during the day would have been incredibly awkward.
Even though he was confident nobody could detect his Disillusionment Charm, he had absolutely no interest in becoming some sort of magical peeping tom.
Unfortunately, the moment he entered, he discovered something that left him completely speechless.
"Seriously?"
He stared at one of the sinks.
"What was that old man thinking?"
Near the sink was an extraordinarily complex concealment enchantment.
Layered over it was an equally intricate space-folding spell.
Beside one of the faucets sat a tiny snake engraving that would have escaped the notice of almost anyone.
The evidence was overwhelming.
This was almost certainly the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.
First, the concealment magic was far beyond the abilities of ordinary wizards.
Only someone with immense magical knowledge could have created it.
Second, the serpent was the unmistakable symbol of Slytherin House.
More specifically, it was Salazar Slytherin's personal emblem.
The clues practically announced themselves.
After confirming his suspicions, Liam immediately began analyzing the enchantments protecting the entrance.
Hours passed.
The bathroom remained silent except for the occasional hum of magical energy.
By the time Liam finally stopped, nearly four hours had gone by.
His eyes were filled with excitement.
He had not completely broken the spell yet, but he now understood most of its structure.
Another night of work would be enough.
Unfortunately, dawn was already approaching.
A glance through the bathroom window revealed the first faint signs of morning light.
Liam reluctantly put away his wand.
The Chamber of Secrets was not going anywhere.
Entering it would likely involve confronting the basilisk hidden inside.
There was no way to predict how long that encounter might take.
If he vanished without explanation, Hogwarts would descend into chaos.
Professor McGonagall would search for him.
Snape would search for him.
Cassandra would probably drag half the student body into the effort as well.
Considering his reputation within the school, disappearing for an entire day was simply not an option.
With a sigh, Liam returned to Gryffindor Tower and prepared for class.
The next evening, he would return.
And then he would enter the chamber.
When he arrived at the Potions classroom the following morning, he was surprised to discover someone already there.
Hermione Granger.
"Hey, Liam. You're up early."
"You're one to talk," Liam replied as he took a seat beside her. "The sun isn't even up yet."
Hermione shrugged.
"Well, I don't exactly get along with the girls in my dormitory."
There was a trace of helplessness in her voice.
"They usually ignore me, so I leave early and come here instead."
Liam frowned slightly.
"Sorry. I'm probably not the best person to help with friendship problems."
"It's fine."
Hermione waved dismissively.
"As long as I have friends who actually matter, I don't really care what they think."
She smiled faintly.
"They don't like me, and honestly, I don't like them either. Having you as a friend is enough."
Liam looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"As long as you don't end up hating me, I'll always be your friend."
"I could never hate you."
The answer came without the slightest hesitation.
"No matter what you do, I won't hate you."
A faint blush appeared on her face before she quickly changed the subject.
"Oh, right. About that dragon scale."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the crimson scale.
"I searched every book in Hogwarts that mentioned dragons. I couldn't find anything with matching characteristics."
Her expression became apologetic.
"Sorry. I wasn't able to help."
Hermione handed the dragon scale back to Liam.
....
Join my P*atreon for 100 premium chapters ahead of the public release.
Link: pa*treon.com/MysticVerse (Remove the *)
Free members also get 2 advanced chapters for free.