Perhaps the Sun Prince had committed some offense he felt guilty about, because as the moon slowly climbed into the sky, he hurried beneath the horizon, leaving behind only a faint crimson glow as evidence that he had ever been there.
Leo continued wandering through Hogwarts while thinking carefully about the location of the Room of Requirement. According to everything he remembered, the room was supposed to appear whenever someone genuinely needed it. Yet after searching for so long, he still hadn't found the slightest trace.
"There should be a tapestry with dancing trolls somewhere around here…"
As he stepped into a corridor on the eighth floor, Leo slowed his pace and examined the walls illuminated by flickering torchlight.
The corridor was wide and unusually quiet. Shadows stretched across the ancient stone walls while flames crackled softly within iron sconces. In the silence, even Leo's footsteps sounded strangely loud, each echo carrying both anticipation and growing frustration.
Compared to the lower floors, very few students ventured into this section of the castle. He barely encountered anyone at all. Perhaps the proximity of Dumbledore's office caused most students to avoid the area subconsciously.
Pulling out his pocket watch, Leo checked the time and blinked.
It was already nearly eight o'clock.
Without realizing it, he had spent over an hour wandering through Hogwarts in search of the hidden room. Time had slipped away entirely while he explored.
Still, this should be the final floor.
Surely he had to be close now.
Just as he rounded another corner, he finally saw it.
A tapestry depicting a gigantic troll.
His eyes immediately locked onto the image.
The troll was enormous and hideous. Its rough gray skin resembled cracked stone weathered by centuries of wind and rain. Tiny vicious eyes gleamed from its ugly face while its oversized mouth exposed rows of crooked yellow teeth. In one hand, it wielded a massive wooden club scarred by countless impacts.
In front of the troll danced a man wearing absurd ballet clothing while desperately trying not to be smashed into a red stain on the floor.
Leo instinctively stepped closer.
This had to be the place.
His heartbeat quickened as he carefully examined every inch of the tapestry. He even reached out and touched the frame while muttering quietly.
"I need a room."
Nothing happened.
Leo frowned.
Had he remembered wrong?
Inside the tapestry, the troll suddenly swung its club downward. The dancing man shrieked and leapt aside as the weapon slammed into the ground. The troll roared furiously and raised it again.
Watching the scene, Leo suddenly recalled an important detail.
The Room of Requirement didn't respond to words.
It responded to need.
Closing his eyes, he focused carefully and pushed all distracting thoughts from his mind.
I need a quiet room.
A place where I can conduct experiments.
A room where nobody will disturb me.
When he opened his eyes again, every troll inside the tapestry had stopped moving.
All of them were staring directly at him.
Their tiny eyes were filled with confusion and curiosity, as if they were studying some bizarre creature that had wandered into their territory.
Leo's expression brightened immediately.
This was definitely the right place.
A second later, one of the trolls suddenly took several heavy steps backward before charging straight toward him.
The giant figure rapidly expanded within the tapestry. It felt remarkably similar to those ridiculous 4D cinema effects from his previous life, as if the creature intended to leap directly out of the canvas.
Startled, Leo instantly drew his wand.
His muscles tightened as he prepared to blast the tapestry with fire magic if necessary.
Just before the troll reached the edge of the painting, however, it slammed face-first into an invisible barrier. The entire tapestry bulged outward before snapping back into place. The troll flattened awkwardly against the surface and slowly slid downward while glaring resentfully at Leo.
It genuinely looked offended.
Leo let out a breath and lowered his wand.
Fortunately, he hadn't acted on instinct.
Taking several cautious steps backward, he began pacing slowly in front of the tapestry while concentrating on the same thought over and over.
I need a room.
A hidden room for experiments.
A place where I can do whatever I want.
Suddenly, a familiar sound echoed behind him.
It resembled the strange grinding noise he had heard in magical locations such as Diagon Alley.
Leo immediately turned around.
A patterned iron door had appeared in the middle of the blank stone wall.
Moments earlier, nothing had been there.
For several seconds, he simply stared at it while excitement surged through his chest.
Slowly, he reached out and touched the cold metal surface. The solid texture beneath his fingertips instantly confirmed it was real.
"Finally," he muttered.
Then his expression froze.
Wait.
Wasn't he supposed to walk back and forth three times first?
The realization struck him like lightning.
Leo nearly died from embarrassment.
For the past several minutes, he had been treating the troll tapestry itself as the entrance. Thinking about it now made him want to dig a three-bedroom house underground using only his toes.
Immediately, he glanced left and right to make sure nobody had witnessed his stupidity.
Fortunately, the corridor remained empty.
Only after confirming that no one had seen him threatening a tapestry troll with his wand did he finally relax.
Taking a deep breath, Leo pushed open the iron door.
The hinges creaked softly.
Then the hidden world beyond revealed itself.
Leo's eyes widened.
The room resembled the private lounge of an aristocratic estate from another century. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting warm golden light across the enormous chamber. Rich carpets covered the floor while elegant oil paintings decorated the walls.
Every piece of furniture radiated old-world nobility.
Carved sofas.
Ancient bookshelves.
Polished wooden tables.
Even the faint scent in the air carried an expensive elegance.
The entire room looked less like a hidden chamber within Hogwarts and more like the private residence of an ancient pure-blood family.
Leo stepped inside carefully and closed the door behind him.
Outside, the iron-framed doorway immediately melted back into the stone wall like water sinking beneath a surface. Within seconds, it vanished completely.
As Leo continued surveying the room, his gaze suddenly froze.
His eyes lit up.
There was an indoor firing range.
The area had clearly been designed for magical experimentation. The walls and floor were reinforced with specialized materials capable of absorbing impacts, while multiple layers of protective enchantments shimmered faintly around the perimeter.
Various targets stood arranged throughout the range.
Circular targets.
Humanoid targets.
Even bizarre targets shaped like magical creatures.
It was practically the perfect laboratory for testing the Equalizer.
Leo immediately walked toward the range while pulling the modified Colt from beneath his robes. Excitement filled his chest as his fingers brushed across the weapon.
Then he raised it.
Aimed.
And fired.
Bang!
The gunshot shattered the room's silence.
The bullet struck dead center.
A split second later, the target exploded apart as flames erupted across the shattered remains.
Leo watched the result with satisfaction.
"Excellent," he murmured. "After the rune adjustments, the deviation rate is within acceptable limits. Recoil has been reduced significantly without sacrificing power."
Immediately afterward, he switched to the silver Colt and continued testing.
Shot after shot echoed through the Room of Requirement.
Leo experimented continuously with different firing stances, angles, and rune combinations while carefully observing every result. The firing range became his personal laboratory, allowing him to test ideas freely without worrying about unwanted attention.
For the first time since arriving in the wizarding world, he finally possessed a place entirely his own.
No interruptions.
No suspicious professors.
No risk of accidentally blowing up a classroom.
Just him and his creations.
Time passed unnoticed as Leo immersed himself completely in experimentation. He tested stability, firing speed, recoil suppression, and rune durability repeatedly until the room smelled faintly of smoke and heated metal.
Eventually, after an unknown amount of time, he finally stopped.
Leo confirmed the chamber was empty before casually spinning the revolver around one finger. Then he blew lightly across the barrel, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
The shattered remains of targets littered the firing range floor.
Looking at the destruction, he felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
When experimenting alongside Master Lemaître, most tests involved endless calculations and cautious adjustments. Rarely did he have opportunities to unleash his inventions so freely.
This, however, felt incredible.
Not only could he properly improve the Equalizer, but he could also train his marksmanship. After all, ordinary bullets lacked magical homing effects. Accuracy still depended entirely upon skill.
Glancing at the clock once more, Leo realized it was already close to eleven o'clock.
He had spent more than two hours shooting without noticing.
After taking one final look around the luxurious chamber and firing range, he quietly left the Room of Requirement. Excitement still lingered within him as he imagined bringing Draco and the others here someday for target practice.
The moment he stepped outside, the iron door vanished back into the wall once again.
Leo clapped his hands together lightly and began heading toward the dormitories.
However, as he descended toward the seventh floor, he suddenly spotted two figures walking through the corridor ahead.
At first, he assumed they were older students sneaking around after curfew.
Then he heard two very familiar voices.
....
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