The Prisoners of Hogwarts

Chapter 215 The Secret Chamber Opened

Chapter 215 The Secret Chamber Opened

All the ice spikes instantly changed direction and rained down on the ground around Professor Flitwick.

The icicles shattered the moment they hit the ground, turning into streaks of pale, cold air that spread rapidly along the surface, instantly transforming it into a smooth ice surface.

The ground beneath Professor Flitwick's feet became extremely slippery, and the biting cold seeped through his boots, quickly reaching his feet.

He tried to move, but found it difficult to even stand.

"Enough!" Professor Flitwick roared, raising his wand high above his head.

A surge of scorching magic erupted from him, attempting to melt the irritating ice.

While Professor Flitwick was fighting the ice with all his might.

Lin Qi clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and in the next instant, a vast gray mist, like a living tide, surged out from his palms and instantly engulfed the entire covered bridge.

Just as the fog reached its thickest point, "Illusory Form Vanishes!"

His figure was like ink dripping into a surging gray tide, completely dissolving and disappearing in an instant.

"Armor Protection—" Professor Flitwick reacted with astonishing speed, the protective spell already on his lips.

However, the incantation was ultimately not completed.

A cold whisper came from the mist: "Fainted and collapsed."

A crimson light struck him from his blind spot, hitting his temple precisely.

Professor Flitwick's chanting stopped abruptly, and the wand slipped from his suddenly weakened fingers, bouncing on the stone ground with a crisp, mournful sound.

The diminutive professor of spells swayed for a moment before finally collapsing to the ground like a toppled statue, falling into a deep coma.

As Professor Flitwick collapsed to the ground, the gray mist that filled the covered bridge seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, quickly gathering and dissipating towards the center.

Lin Qi's figure appeared in the gradually thinning fog.

He stood beside the unconscious Professor Flitwick, his chest rising and falling slightly as he slowly exhaled a long breath.

Subduing Professor Flitwick proved more complicated than anticipated. On one hand, he had to rely on wandless magic to deal with the attacks of a master spellcaster, but more importantly, he had to control each spell with the precision of a surgeon, subduing his opponent without causing permanent damage.

The aftershocks of the battle had not yet completely subsided, and the air still retained the scorching heat of the intense magical collision.

Just as Lynch was about to examine Professor Flitwick's condition further, a violent vibration suddenly came from his breast pocket.

Lin Qi suddenly turned his head, his gaze fixed on the depths of the castle's underground.

He took a gallon that was vibrating wildly from his breast pocket—a sign that the gallon he had buried at the entrance to the secret chamber had been triggered.

The fact that the gold coin reacted so strongly at this moment can only mean one thing: someone, or something, is entering or leaving the secret room.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

Snape burst into the corridor like a black whirlwind, his black robes billowing behind him like bat wings, his sallow face etched with alertness.

"What happened?" Snape's voice was as cold as the air in a cellar. His gaze swept quickly across the scene: Professor McGonagall was slumped against the wall not far away, Professor Flitwick lay lifelessly on the ground, and Lynch was standing between the two. "I heard an explosion."

Lynch's expression was grave. He carefully placed Professor Flitwick against the wall, then turned to Snape: "The situation is complicated. Professor Flitwick attacked Professor McGonagall, and when I arrived, he attacked me as well. I had to subdue him."

Snape's pupils contracted slightly; this information was clearly beyond his expectations.

"Flitwick?" His voice was filled with disbelief. "That's impossible."

“He’s under some kind of spell, Severus, some kind of magic, or worse,” Lynch explained. “His mind is completely warped; it’s not like him. I suspect it’s directly related to the locked-room mystery we’ve been investigating.” He paused. “And just now, during those few minutes while I was dealing with Professor Flitwick, the alarm I set up at the entrance to the locked room went off—someone has entered the locked room.”

Snape's face darkened further. "Who is it?"

"The alarm only shows that the entrance is open, but it cannot identify the person." Lynch shook his head. "But it doesn't matter."

"Once I go in and catch that mouse hiding inside myself, you'll naturally know who it is."

"I'll go with you," Snape said without hesitation, his wand already in his hand.

Lynch raised his hand to stop him: "No, you must stay. Headmaster Dumbledore is not here, and Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick are both incapacitated and unable to perform their duties. Right now, the only ones in this castle with the highest positions and the authority to command respect are you and Professor Sprout."

His gaze swept across the castle. "The explosion just now has echoed throughout the entire castle. The students must be terrified right now. They need to see a dean, an authority figure they fear or trust, step forward immediately to stabilize the situation, instead of everyone disappearing."

Snape's lips pressed into a thin line; he utterly loathed this passive arrangement, which made him feel as if he were excluded from the core operations.

But he had to admit Lynch was right—Professor Sprout might be able to appease her own Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, but she certainly couldn't control the cunning Slytherins in her own house, and even Gryffindor might struggle.

During this period, they allowed the dangerous atmosphere to fester.

Once order completely collapses, the resulting chaos could be more destructive than the unknown enemy lurking in the secret room.

"Keep a close eye on Professor Flitwick," Lynch solemnly advised. "He needs close surveillance and protection. The magic controlling him may still have remnants, or the mastermind behind it might resort to desperate measures and try to silence him."

Snape nodded grimly, and with a gentle flick of his wand, several silver ropes shot out from the tip, gently but firmly binding Flitwick to the wall.

"He won't be missing a single hair until you come back," Snape assured him in a deep voice.

"The castle is yours now, Severus." Lynch said no more, and the moment his words fell, he nimbly turned around on the spot.

With a short, cracking sound, the air seemed to tighten and loosen under an invisible force, and he had completely disappeared from Snape's sight.

The next moment, he appeared in that familiar, huge natural cave and stood in front of the huge stone door of the secret chamber.

The sight before him made his gaze freeze.

In stark contrast to its previous state of being tightly closed and impregnable, the heavy stone door, now carved with patterns of giant serpents, is now wide open.

Inside the door was a bottomless darkness. The open portal stood silently, like the gaping maw of an ancient beast, a silent invitation, or perhaps the entrance to a carefully laid trap.

Without hesitation, Lin Qi stepped inside, his figure instantly swallowed by the darkness behind the door.

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