Between the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade, there are numerous secret passages.
Because of the recent state of emergency, most of them had either been sealed by Aurors or placed under heavy guard.
However, there were still a few routes capable of leading into the school grounds—such as the Shrieking Shack, or the basement beneath Honeydukes.
These paths would have allowed Jon to sneak into Hogwarts late at night without much trouble.
Yet his intuition made it clear that choosing the Hog's Head would bring him better luck.
So, without hesitation, Jon took Astoria's hand and headed straight for the Hog's Head.
...
Passing the post office along the main road, they turned into a narrow side street where a small tavern stood at the corner.
A battered wooden sign hung from a rusted bracket above the door. It depicted a severed pig's head, blood seeping through the white cloth wrapped around it.
On that shabby sign was written the tavern's name—the Hog's Head.
"This place looks so dirty…" Astoria whispered. "I think this is my first time coming here, even after all these years."
"…And it smells like mutton," she added after sniffing the air, her face creasing with obvious distaste.
"It's fine. Just bear with it for a bit," Jon said lightly. He walked up to the greasy tavern door and knocked loudly.
"Mhm." Astoria nodded behind him.
"This late at night…" a weary voice sounded from inside the bar.
A dozen seconds later, accompanied by heavy footsteps, the door creaked open.
The one who answered was the Hog's Head's bartender—a tall, thin old man with a surly air, his long hair and beard streaked gray and white.
"Who's banging on my door in the middle of the night…" he complained loudly, irritation clear in his voice.
But the moment he saw the "uninvited guest" outside, his expression froze.
"Hart?" Aberforth Dumbledore asked in a low voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Good evening, Mr. Dumbledore," Jon said politely. "May I borrow the way through? I'd like to return to Hogwarts Castle."
"Borrow the way?" Aberforth Dumbledore looked even more puzzled, his face half-hidden behind long, rope-like strands of hair.
He pushed up his glasses.
Behind the grimy lenses, sharp blue eyes full of intelligence blinked in confusion.
"To be honest, I don't quite understand," he said gruffly. "It's the middle of the night. Hogwarts's gates are definitely closed. If you're looking to stay here for the night… the room costs six Sickles…"
"No, I just want to pass through," Jon said, shaking his head. Then he slipped past and walked straight into the Hog's Head.
"Hey—!" Aberforth Dumbledore looked annoyed at first. But then, when he noticed the girl standing awkwardly outside behind him—
His weathered expression faltered, then softened with a rare hint of gentleness.
"H-hello… sir…" Astoria raised her hand timidly, greeting the bartender.
"Come in, girl," Aberforth Dumbledore coughed lightly and stepped aside.
...
"Um, sir… are you a friend of Jon's?" Astoria asked softly.
"No," Aberforth replied. "But my brother was fairly close to him, so I recognize him."
You already look this old… then how old must your brother be? Astoria thought silently.
But she didn't say anything.
Moreover, Aberforth treated her with surprising courtesy—or rather, attentiveness. If anything, it bordered on being overly attentive.
"Are you planning to stay the night here?" Aberforth asked.
"No… Jon said he wanted to go back to Hogwarts from your place," Astoria replied.
"Go back to Hogwarts from my place?" Aberforth snorted. "What nonsense. So the Hog's Head has a secret passage back to Hogwarts, does it? How come I never knew?"
Astoria didn't know how to answer and could only smile awkwardly.
The old man and the young girl stepped into the small, dim, and exceedingly filthy tavern. The smell of mutton inside was even stronger.
The bay windows were caked with thick layers of grime, blocking out nearly all the outside light. Rough wooden tables held stubs of candles.
At first glance, the floor looked like packed dirt, but once stepped on, it became clear that centuries of filth had piled up over the stone beneath.
"Would you like something to drink?" Aberforth Dumbledore asked softly, with great enthusiasm. "Mead, Butterbeer, or perhaps Bordeaux wine?"
"N-no, thank you…" Astoria shook her head quickly. "Um… where's Jon?"
"Hart…" Aberforth's expression changed instantly. He swept his gaze across the common room, but Jon was nowhere to be seen. "Damn it… don't tell me he…"
Aberforth Dumbledore hurried toward the basement.
"Sir!" Astoria cried out and rushed after the Hog's Head bartender.
...
They ran behind the counter, passed through a door, and quickly descended a wooden staircase into the cellar.
The basement was carpeted with thick rugs, and compared to the chaos upstairs, it was much neater. Above a small fireplace hung a massive oil painting.
But the canvas was completely empty.
Jon Hart was sitting in front of the painting, as if waiting for something.
"What have you done?!" Aberforth strode over, grabbed Jon by the collar, and growled, "Ariana—where is she? What did you do to her?"
"Wait, Mr. Dumbledore!" Jon raised his hands quickly and pointed at the painting. "Look—she's back."
On the once-empty canvas, a small white dot appeared at the far end.
A beautiful young girl with golden curls slowly emerged, walking toward them.
She didn't step into the painting the way figures in ordinary portraits did. Instead, she advanced along what looked like a long corridor painted behind her.
Ariana Dumbledore walked toward them step by step, growing larger with each pace.
The passage behind her stretched farther and farther back, deep beyond sight.
"This… how is this possible…"
Aberforth stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the endless corridor behind his sister.
At that very moment, Ariana finally reached them.
She flashed Jon a sweet smile, her expression carrying a faint hint of pride, as if waiting to be praised.
"Thank you, Miss Dumbledore," Jon said gently, bowing to her with elegant courtesy.
The girl's face instantly turned red. Looking a little shy, she seemed about to turn away—until she caught sight of another "stranger" nearby.
Ariana, within the painting, paused in surprise. Then she raised her hand and greeted Astoria.
"Hello… Miss… Dumbledore… Miss Dumbledore…"
Astoria froze for a moment as well, then returned the greeting with a polite smile.
"Let's go. It's time to head back to Hogwarts," Jon said, taking Astoria's hand. He then gave Ariana one final farewell gesture.
At once, the entire portrait swung open like a small door, revealing the entrance to a real secret passage behind it.
Jon and Astoria slipped into the passage together.
"Wait, Hart!" Aberforth Dumbledore's furious shout came from behind them. "How did you know Ariana's portrait could lead back to Hogwarts? Even I—her own brother—didn't know that!"
"Goodbye, Mr. Dumbledore," Jon replied, deliberately sidestepping the question. "Farewell!"
...
"Lumos!"
A faint light bloomed, illuminating the pitch-black passage and revealing the path ahead.
"Jon… just now, you called them…" Astoria asked in disbelief as she carefully walked forward. "Mr. Dumbledore and Miss Dumbledore… so they're related to our Headmaster?"
"That's right," Jon answered simply. "They're Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's siblings."
"My goodness… that's unbelievable," Astoria said in astonishment. "I've never heard that Professor Dumbledore still had living family…"
"There's a lot you don't know," Jon said with a teasing smile. "For example, the place we're about to arrive at—you've probably never heard of it either."
"Really? Then I'm looking forward to the surprise," Astoria replied with a sweet smile. After a moment, she added softly, "Miss Dumbledore… she looks a little like me."
"Oh?"
"Just a little," Astoria said, looking slightly embarrassed. "We both have golden curls… so just now, Mr. Dumbledore might have mistaken me for his sister for a moment. That's probably why he was especially kind to me…"
That was precisely why Aberforth lowered his guard… Allowing me to get into the room where Ariana's portrait was, Jon thought to himself.
It had to be said—the effects of Felix Felicis were truly astonishing.
Though Jon couldn't help wondering what kind of good fortune his encounter at the Hog's Head would ultimately bring.
At that moment, the passage began to slope upward, and the path grew increasingly difficult to traverse.
After turning a corner, the end of the passage came into view. A short flight of steps led up to a door nearly identical to the one behind Ariana's portrait.
Jon pushed the door open and announced loudly,
"Welcome to the Room of Requirement!"
...
"The Room of Requirement?" Astoria Greengrass repeated softly, the unfamiliar name rolling off her tongue.
She stepped through the doorway and couldn't help but gasp.
"Oh my… it's beautiful!"
Indeed, the Room of Requirement was extraordinarily beautiful.
Brightly colored tapestries hung on the windowless walls paneled with dark wood. A pink hammock was suspended near the ceiling, and nearby stood a bathtub surrounded on all sides by curtains.
In addition, there was a cauldron for brewing potions and a workbench for crafting magical items. Several pitch-black books were stacked on the workbench.
Jon walked over and picked up the one on top. Its title read The Study and Defense of Dark Magic.
The other books were also mostly related to Dark Magic. Perhaps among them, there was something useful for creating a Horcrux.
"You said this is the Room of Requirement…" Astoria said cheerfully as she sat down on the hammock. "I've never even heard of this place. Does that mean we're already inside Hogwarts?"
"That's right," Jon nodded. "This is a magical room, also known as the Come and Go Room. It appears and disappears as needed, and only shows itself when someone truly requires it. It's located on the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle, across from the tapestry of the Troll beating up Barnabas the Barmy."
"That's incredible," Astoria exclaimed. "If only there were a pillow for this hammock, it would be perfect!"
The moment her words fell, a soft pillow suddenly appeared beside her, nearly making her jump in surprise.
Meanwhile, Jon lowered his head, carefully inspecting the workbench and the cauldron, checking to make sure everything was in proper condition.
"Jon… do you mean…"
Astoria lifted her head and asked softly, "Are we starting to make the Horcrux here?"
"That's right," Jon replied, nodding.
As he spoke, he took out the materials required for creating the Horcrux, along with the hallucinogenic herbs used to split the soul, removing them one by one from his briefcase and placing them on the workbench and beside the cauldron.
He had already begun.
...
Recalling the scene he had once witnessed through Legilimency in the memories of that female giant, Jon added wormwood, kava root, peyote cactus, and other herbs into the cauldron, then patiently crushed and processed them into a liquid.
Afterward, he carefully collected the liquid and poured it into a crystal vial.
Turning back, he explained to Astoria, "Let's start with the first step. I need to smooth out the contours of your soul first…"
Astoria's face instantly flushed red.
In a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, she asked, "That means… you'll have to spread those things all over my body…?"
"I think so," Jon replied, nodding awkwardly.
Astoria glanced around the room, her gaze eventually settling on the bathtub concealed by curtains on all sides.
"Then… you absolutely must not peek later," she said quietly, lowering her head. "Do you hear me?"
"I swear," Jon replied at once, his expression turning serious.
Astoria slowly climbed into the bathtub.
Jon turned his back to her, doing his best not to listen to the faint rustling sounds coming from inside.