The clock struck 10:30 PM. The castle was still, cloaked in moonlight, with only the occasional flicker of torchlight illuminating the long corridors.
Hogwarts was never truly silent, not with the paintings whispering amongst themselves and the castle shifting like a living entity, but tonight, it felt eerily calm—like the world itself was holding its breath.
Ravenclaw Tower had always been a place of quiet intellect, and with Helena Ravenclaw gone, the absence of her ghostly presence went unnoticed by most students.
Hermione tiptoed out of her dormitory, clutching the railing as she descended the spiral staircase into the common room.
The enchanted ceiling above mimicked the night sky, tiny constellations flickering like fireflies.
The soft glow of dying embers in the fireplace cast long shadows on the carpeted floor.
Her heart pounded. This was it. They were about to do something insane.
"Hermione, over here," a hushed voice called from the shadows near the entrance.
She flinched, her breath catching in her throat. "Merlin's beard, Ted!" she whispered fiercely, pressing a hand to her chest. "You nearly scared me to death."
Ted grinned. "A little jumpy, are we?"
She huffed, crossing her arms. "Of course I am! We're about to go up against—you-know-who!"
"Relax," Ted reassured her, his voice steady. "Nothing bad is going to happen. We're at Hogwarts. And don't underestimate Dumbledore. He wouldn't have brought the Philosopher's Stone here if he didn't have contingencies in place."
Hermione frowned. "You think Dumbledore knows? About all of this?"
"At least parts of it," Ted said thoughtfully. "But if he hasn't stepped in, it means he's letting things play out for a reason. That doesn't mean we shouldn't act. It just means we're playing our part in whatever grand plan he has."
Hermione was silent as they walked, the idea settling uncomfortably in her mind. 'Neville,' she realized.
'It all comes back to Neville. The Boy Who Lived.'
If Dumbledore had orchestrated all this, it was likely because he wanted Neville to face Voldemort, just as he was meant to.
But what about Ted? What was his goal in all of this?
The two of them slipped through the corridors, moving as silently as possible.
When they arrived at the meeting spot on the third floor, the hallway was dimly lit, the flickering torchlight barely reaching the corners.
Ted mimicked the squeaking of a rat using a whispering spell, his voice projecting from a shadowy corner.
"Squeak, squeak!"
A few seconds later, another squeak answered from across the corridor.
Ted smirked. "That's Jerry."
A second later, four floating heads emerged from under the Invisibility Cloak. Ron, Neville, Harley, and Jerry all peered out like disembodied spirits, grinning mischievously.
"Good timing," Harley whispered. "We're all set."
Neville clenched his fists. "Let's do this."
They gathered in front of the heavy wooden door. Reinforced with iron bands, it looked ordinary—deceptively so. None of them had any illusions about what lay beyond.
"Wait," Harley suddenly realized. "Did anyone bring a guitar?"
Everyone stared at her.
"What?" she asked. "Fluffy likes music! That's how we get past him."
Ted smirked. "No need. My voice is all the instrument we need."
The group groaned. "Oh great, here we go," Ron muttered.
"Are we ready?" Harley asked, gripping the door handle.
They nodded.
With a deep breath, Harley pushed the door open, leading the charge. The six of them slipped inside, and Ted shut the door behind them.
The air inside was thick with the musky scent of a large animal. In the dim light, a massive shadow loomed before them. Fluffy, the three-headed dog, was curled up on the floor.
Two of its heads were snoring loudly, their breath rolling out in waves of heat. The third, however, was awake—staring at them with gleaming eyes, its lips curling back in a low growl.
Ted activated his Identification Spell, and glowing text appeared in his vision:
____________________
Greek Three-Headed Dog
Level: 12
Attributes:
Strength: 25
Constitution: 22
Agility: 16
Intelligence: 4
Perception: 17
Spirit: 8
Charm: 4
Luck: ??
Talents:
[Guardian Beast (Blue)]
[Mythical Creature (Green)]
Skills:
Venomous Bite LV3
Crushing Jaws LV3
Terrifying Howl LV3
Magic Resistance LV5
Poison Resistance LV5
Evaluation: A legendary magical creature from Greek mythology with incredible combat prowess. Its power rivals an elite Auror or a Hogwarts professor.
____________________
The three-headed dog was massive—the size of a full-grown dragon's torso. It had the brute strength of five men, the resilience of an armored troll, and reflexes sharper than a vampire's.
Worst of all, its Magic Resistance at level 5 meant that most standard spells would barely scratch it. Oh, and it was poisonous. Lovely.
Ted's mind raced. Taking down this thing in a confined space without alerting the entire castle?
No wonder Voldemort, in his weakened state, had to manipulate Quirrell into sweet-talking Hagrid instead of handling it himself.
"Quick, do something!" Ron hissed, flailing his arms as he stared at the massive beast. His voice wavered in pure panic.
Instead of rushing, Ted reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of biscuits. With a casual flick, he tossed them in front of the three-headed dog.
The beast had all three heads locked onto them, its deep growl vibrating through the room like the rumble of an engine.
But the moment the biscuits hit the ground?
The growling halted.
All three heads snapped down at once, snouts shoving against each other as they scrambled for the treats.
Hermione blinked. "What are those?"
"Hagrid's rock cakes," Ted said with a smirk. "Told you these things were basically teething toys. Look how much they love 'em."
Ron gawked. "You kept them?"
Halle and Neville usually tossed Hagrid's rock cakes straight into the bin, considering them closer to weapons than food. What a waste.
Ted just shrugged. "You guys don't know the value of recycling."
With the three-headed dog momentarily distracted, Ted took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and began to sing:
"🎶 You've got a friend in me~You've got a friend in me—When the road looks rough ahead~And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed~Just remember what your old pal said~
Boy, you've got a friend in me~Yeah, you've got a friend in me~ 🎶"
He didn't just sing—he felt the music, letting it flow through him like a bard casting a charm spell.
The effect was instantaneous.
All three massive heads, which had been happily chomping on rock cakes, suddenly froze. Their ears twitched. Their eyes drooped. And within moments—
THUD.
The beast collapsed, snoring heavily.
Ding! Greek Three-Headed Dog Defeated—210 XP Gained!
It might have been a tricky way to defeat the beast, which explained why a level 12 monster only gave so little experience. But it wasn't over yet...
__________
Ding~ Task Complete!
[The corridor on the right-hand side of the third floor, right? (Green)]
Reward: 200 experience, random card.
__________
Ted blinked.
Oh, right. He had forgotten about this quest.
Even though he had encountered the three-headed dog before, the task hadn't registered as completed.
Thinking back, it must have required him to actually put the beast to sleep with music.
Without wasting time, Ted mentally flipped through the three green-framed reward cards floating before him.
The first card displayed a chunk of dark red roasted meat.
______________________________
[Meat of the Brave (Green)]
Item Card
A consumable from the Interstitial Lands, crafted from rare ingredients.
Eating it boosts physical attack power by 10% for 10 minutes.
____________________
The second card featured a spinning four-bladed weapon—something Ted instantly recognized. A Fuma Shuriken, straight out of Naruto.
____________________
[Fuma Shuriken (Green)]Item CardThrows a rapidly spinning Fuma Shuriken to attack an enemy.Cooldown: 1 hour.
____________________
The third card showed a golden hexagon with a gleaming blue gemstone at its center.
____________________
[Forged Lucky Coin (Green)]
Item Card
Temporarily increases magic power by 20% upon use.
Duration: 3 minutes. Cooldown: 8 hours.
Note: Weaker effect on entities with Magic Lv7 and above.
____________________
Ted didn't even hesitate. The Lucky Coin was the obvious choice.
For a wizard, magic-related items were always the best bet. Besides, this would be extremely useful in a tight situation.
Ted's magic power had already reached an impressive level, comparable to that of an adult wizard. He could sustain high-intensity spellcasting for extended periods, but prolonged battles still drained his reserves quickly. Having an emergency boost was a valuable ace up his sleeve.
—
"Merlin's beard! That was terrifying!" Jerry exhaled sharply, clutching his chest as he stared at the sleeping three-headed dog. His heart was still racing.
Ron, pale as Nearly Headless Nick, grabbed Neville's shoulders for support. "Someone—someone help me. My legs feel like jelly."
The sheer size of the beast was overwhelming. Its heads were larger than a grown man, and just one bite could easily swallow two first-years whole.
Even the hot breath from its nostrils had been enough to ruffle their hair, carrying a pungent, animalistic stench that made their stomachs turn.
No wonder students avoided this corridor—it was nightmare fuel.
Just as the group was starting to relax, Ted took out a large glass jar and crept toward one of the dog's heads.
The beast was still snoring, drool pooling onto the stone floor.
The others looked on in horror. "TED! What the bloody hell are you doing?!"
Ted waved them off like they were overreacting. "Haven't you ever read mythology? You do know the story of the three-headed dog, right? In Greek myths, Orpheus played his lyre to put the guardian of the underworld to sleep."
He pointed at the puddle of saliva. "And where its drool lands, plants from the Aconitum family—like Wolfsbane—are said to grow. That stuff is ridiculously rare and expensive!"
His expression screamed one thing: profit.
After nearly a year at Hogwarts, Ted had only been spending money, not making any. But this? This was a jackpot waiting to be cashed in.
Hermione folded her arms. "That's just a myth."
Ted casually collected another jar of drool. "You do realize that before the International Statute of Secrecy in 1689, wizards and Muggles interacted all the time, right? A lot of what Muggles call myths are actually based on real magical history."
He grinned. "Read more history, my dear friends. It makes you wiser."
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Word count: 1704
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