Harry Potter: Shadow Eminence

Chapter 7.

During his chat with Daphne, Brian shared his thoughts for the first time, and ultimately, he had to send the somewhat bewildered young girl on her way.

"Please keep this a secret for me, don't tell anyone, okay?" Brian earnestly requested before departing, "This is our secret."

"Of course." Daphne nodded earnestly, her thoughts in disarray.

Brian adjusted his clothing; he was planning to participate in the midnight duel between Malfoy and Potter that night.

The accumulation of witness points was too slow, and he didn't want to miss any potential points he could gain.

While he could continuously enhance his magical skills through study, who wouldn't prefer a faster method? Additionally, these points could boost magic power, memory, and other areas, which was very beneficial.

Especially magic power, which is essential for many spells and tends to increase with age and knowledge. However, a wizard's magic power has its limits; it generally ceases to grow in middle age and diminishes with physical aging.

Powerful magic like that of Dumbledore and Voldemort can only be aspired to through certain adventures and perilous magical transformations.

Not everyone experiences the kind of adventures Dumbledore had to receive the aid of a phoenix. Just look at what Voldemort has become!

Thus, witness points cannot be overlooked, and it's wise to gather more for emergencies.

The time and location of the duel were easy to discover, as Malfoy had been boasting loudly in the common room, occasionally turning arrogantly to glare at him.

So, that evening, Brian set off towards the trophy room on the fourth floor a bit earlier.

After descending the stairs for a while, he had to be cautious not to encounter Mr. Filch or his cat, Mrs. Norris, but fortunately, they didn't seem to be around.

However, in a corridor on the fourth floor, he came across the Slytherin ghost, the Bloody Baron, who was staring blankly through the window with his hollow eyes. From there, he could see Ravenclaw's tower.

"Good evening, Sir Baron." Noticing the Baron turn to look at him, Brian gave a slight bow.

The Baron clearly didn't wish to acknowledge him, merely nodding slightly before continuing to gaze vacantly out the window.

Seeing this, Brian did not linger and continued down the corridor.

"Filch is ahead."

A hoarse, low voice came from behind Brian, causing him to pause.

"Oh, thank you for the warning, Sir." Brian turned to express his gratitude and cautiously added, "Actually, I need to go to the trophy room; could you direct me to another route?"

This corridor was almost a necessary path to the trophy room, and with Filch ahead, it meant Brian was likely to encounter him, which wouldn't end well.

The Baron shifted his gaze from the window, staring at him with his hollow eyes for a moment before drifting off in the opposite direction.

Just when Brian thought the Bloody Baron was displeased with him for interrupting his view, the Baron's voice floated back: "Follow me."

Brian stepped behind him, passing through several narrow corridors and a well-concealed secret passage.

Ghosts who have been at Hogwarts for so long always know many things that others do not.

Brian looked at the semi-transparent figure of the Bloody Baron and thought that this guy was relatively friendly towards Slytherin students, although all of that was hidden beneath his hollow, frightening exterior, which made many students keep their distance.

However, according to Prefect Emma, if one could establish a good relationship with the Baron, he wouldn't mind scaring off other classmates for them.

Of course, one should never mention the bloodstains on him; he wouldn't appreciate that question.

Soon, they arrived at the trophy room. Brian sincerely thanked the Baron and, seeing that it was empty inside, walked in.

In the moonlight, the crystal glass cabinets in the trophy room sparkled, showcasing all sorts of trophies, medals, and statues. Noticing that there was still some time, Brian began to examine the displayed trophies.

The Bloody Baron also followed, floating behind Brian with his vacant gaze, which was indeed a bit frightening at night.

Brian stopped in front of a trophy, due to the name on it: T.M. Riddle.

"This is the special contribution award to the school from fifty years ago," Brian read the inscription on the trophy, "Sir Baron, do you know this person?"

The Bloody Baron looked at him hollowly and said, "Yes, he comes from Slytherin, and he was exceptional. He captured the heir of Slytherin who was causing trouble at the school, saving it from disaster."

"I see." Brian nodded, thinking that the Bloody Baron did not know the full story. Clearly, Riddle had concealed himself very well.

Next, with nothing else to do, Brian and the Bloody Baron admired various trophies and medals, and for some of them, the Bloody Baron was always able to recount their stories. Brian even sensed something akin to pride in his empty tone, though he wondered if it was merely an illusion.

The door to the trophy room was opened, and Brian looked up to see four little wizards standing dazedly at the entrance, seemingly shocked. He heard Neville let out a low sob.

Under the silver moonlight, the trophy room still had a somewhat eerie atmosphere. Half of Brian's body was hidden in the darkness, while the other half was in the moonlight, his pale skin and the slight, restrained smile at the corner of his mouth evoking thoughts of vampires in deep, ancient castles.

Brian glanced at himself, then at the frightening expression of the Baron, and chuckled softly.

"Sorry, I think Sir Baron means no harm," Brian added with a smile, "Of course, I should mean no harm either." He couldn't help but chuckle again.

Harry and Ron looked on with wariness and distrust, their eyes scanning around as if they firmly believed Malfoy was hiding behind a statue, waiting to ambush them when they entered.

Neville sniffled, keeping his head down and silent.

Hermione, wearing a pink night robe, adjusted the hem and suddenly felt that her attire was quite out of place. She said, "Hi, Brian."

Brian nodded slightly to her and leaned closer, saying, "I heard about this from Draco; you know, we've been having some disagreements lately. But I'm still a bit worried, so I came to check it out."

"But it seems Draco clearly has no intention of coming," he shrugged, feigning helplessness.

Brian didn't mind a few good-natured lies; at least they worked in his favor. Nobles were always expected to lie with elegance and composure.

Suddenly, the voice of the caretaker, Filch, came from outside, scaring the four little ones.

"Oh no, it seems Draco is always doing something unexpected," Brian muttered, "Follow me."

The four wizards had no time to think as Filch's voice grew closer. They followed Brian, and Neville even knocked over a suit of armor, the loud clanging disrupting the silence.

Brian pulled Neville up by the arm and urged him to keep running. Using the lumos, he identified the path and discreetly led them toward the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor.

"Annoying pesky first-years, wandering around at this hour!" As they turned a corner, they saw Peeves throwing a stack of parchment into the air, cackling loudly.

"No, stop, Peeves, don't shout, please." Ron hurriedly tried to grab Peeves' foot but missed.

Brian glanced around, unsure if the Bloody Baron was following them; he might have gone invisible amidst the chaos.

"Sir Baron, would you mind teaching Peeves a lesson?" Brian asked earnestly, looking around.

"What?" Peeves trembled, glancing around, then angrily retorted, "How dare you trick me, I will—"

The Bloody Baron appeared behind him, grabbing Peeves by the scruff of his neck, silencing his shouting.

The Baron nodded slightly at Brian and disappeared into the wall with Peeves.

Peeves cried out, "No, I was wrong, Sir, please spare poor Peeves..."

The mischievous glint in Peeves' eyes was now filled with panic, and he flailed his arms and legs desperately trying to grab onto something, looking pitiful like a good woman being dragged away by a bully.

"Oh, well done!" Ron exclaimed with delight.

"Quick, Filch will likely find this place too," Brian whispered, stopping the group in front of a door.

"Where are we?" Harry looked around.

"I don't know, to be honest, I'm not familiar with this area," Brian said as he drew his wand, tapped the door lock, and said, "Alohomora."

The door opened, and Brian walked inside, seeing the three-headed large dog. Six fierce eyes looked over, three big mouths drooling, letting out a deafening roar, and then lunged forward.

Harry and the others also entered and witnessed this scene; they trembled and fled outside. Brian didn't interfere; he slammed the door shut, isolating the large dog inside.

The group continued to wander for a while, shaking off Filch, before Brian bid them farewell.

"That dog is probably guarding something; I saw a trapdoor underneath it," Brian said to them before parting ways. "Don't try to investigate it."

"However, anything kept at Hogwarts should be quite valuable," Brian glanced at Ron and said pointedly.