"Oh, Lily…"
"No… no… you can't do this…"
"Get away from her, James Potter! Get away from her!!!"
"Lily… don't leave me… please…"
"What did I do wrong…?"
"This question is too difficult! I can't solve it!"
"AHHHHH—!"
Snape abruptly tore himself out of the illusion.
He gasped violently for breath, his entire body drenched in cold sweat. When he realised he was still inside his office, the suffocating despair finally eased slightly.
That damned fraudulent merchant!
Didn't that bastard claim the potion would create a beautiful dream with the one you loved most?
Beautiful my foot!
Inside the illusion, Lily had truly become his.
For one fleeting moment, Severus Snape had actually experienced happiness.
And then—
James Potter had appeared.
Again.
As if fate itself enjoyed mocking him.
Snape's face darkened so completely it looked terrifying beneath the dim candlelight.
Slowly, he drew his wand.
"Those filthy frauds…"
"I'll personally carve them apart."
"I swear I'll use Sectumsempra on that heartless merchant until he begs for death!"
With that furious roar, Snape stormed straight out of the office.
His destination:
Knockturn Alley.
....
Meanwhile, somewhere within the castle corridors…
Logan crouched suspiciously around a corner while secretly observing the nearby area.
Ahead of him—
His target.
The girls' bathroom.
Right now, he desperately wanted to cast a Disillusionment Charm and rush straight inside.
Unfortunately, students continued passing through the corridor while witches constantly entered and exited the bathroom.
That obviously wouldn't work.
What should he do?
Sneak in during the middle of the night?
No…
That idea also had problems.
The moment Witchwolf Smoke was used, the Disillusionment Charm would become completely ineffective.
Worse, the potion itself produced visible smoke.
If some wandering ghost or annoying poltergeist noticed strange activity inside the bathroom at night and caused chaos…
He would become a Hogwarts legend for all the wrong reasons.
Bathroom Maniac John Anderson.
Absolutely unacceptable.
After thinking for ages, Logan still couldn't come up with a perfect solution.
....
BOOM!
The Great Hall trembled slightly beneath rolling thunder.
Dark storm clouds floated magically above hundreds of glowing pumpkin lanterns while eerie decorations swayed through the air.
Halloween had officially arrived.
"The steak tonight is incredible," Ron said through a mouthful of food.
"And the pumpkin juice too. It's so sweet."
Harry nodded in agreement while continuing to eat.
Then he suddenly looked around curiously.
"Where's Logan?"
"I haven't seen him tonight."
"And Hermione's missing too."
Neville overheard the conversation nearby before nervously speaking up.
"H-Hermione looked really upset earlier."
"I heard she spent most of the afternoon crying in the bathroom."
"As for Logan… apparently he suddenly remembered something important after the feast started and rushed off somewhere."
Neville hesitated awkwardly.
"Personally… I think he might've gone looking for Hermione."
"I've always thought their relationship felt kind of strange…"
Harry immediately gave Neville a deeply meaningful look.
Excellent observation.
As expected of a fellow intellectual.
Honestly, Harry had suspected the same thing for ages.
Once he confirmed Logan's whereabouts, he stopped worrying entirely and returned happily to devouring food.
However, Ron's expression subtly stiffened after overhearing the conversation.
For some reason…
The steak in his mouth no longer tasted nearly as good.
....
"I'm a genius."
Logan finally remembered why tonight felt familiar.
Halloween.
Almost the entire castle was currently gathered inside the Great Hall celebrating.
Even Peeves and the wandering ghosts loved Halloween festivities.
Which meant—
The corridors outside the girls' bathroom would likely remain nearly empty.
Perfect timing.
Still, Logan suddenly remembered another important detail from the original story.
Wasn't this the same night the troll appeared?
If so…
Hermione should currently be hiding inside the bathroom.
Of course, Logan's memories of the original plot weren't perfectly reliable anymore after so many years.
But opportunities like this were far too valuable to waste.
Even if Hermione really was inside—
Well…
Worst-case scenario…
He could simply knock her unconscious afterward and blame everything on the troll.
Perfect plan.
Thinking this through carefully, Logan immediately cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself.
Magic spread across his body as his figure gradually blended into the surrounding environment until he became nearly invisible.
The girls' bathroom.
Invisible Logan Anderson had officially arrived.
Creeeak—
Carefully, he pushed open the bathroom door before cautiously peering inside.
Empty.
No one was there.
Looks like he remembered wrong.
So where exactly was the hidden clue?
Logan's gaze slowly landed on the bathroom stalls.
Those definitely looked suspicious.
Without hesitation, he entered the nearest cubicle.
Then he carefully pulled out the vial containing Witchwolf Smoke.
Pop.
The cork came loose.
Grey-black smoke immediately began pouring out.
The strange mist slowly spread throughout the bathroom while carrying a faint roasted sesame scent.
At the same time—
The Disillusionment Charm around Logan began destabilising.
His invisible body gradually reappeared within the smoke.
Still, Logan didn't care.
Finding the hidden clue mattered more.
Soon, the stall filled completely with smoke.
Unfortunately—
Nothing happened.
No hidden symbols.
No secret messages.
No strange reactions.
"Wrong one?"
Logan frowned before quickly moving to the next stall.
Meanwhile—
Inside the third cubicle nearby—
Hermione sat quietly with reddened eyes.
She had been crying for a long time.
Ever since overhearing Ron's harsh words earlier, she'd hidden herself in the bathroom alone.
At first, she merely noticed someone entering nearby.
That alone wasn't especially strange.
After all, some students occasionally returned during the feast.
But gradually—
Hermione realised something felt deeply wrong.
A strong sesame-like smell drifted through the air.
Then came the strange grey-black smoke.
Most importantly—
The person in the neighbouring stall wasn't making normal sounds at all.
Hermione's expression slowly changed.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Her grip tightened around her wand instinctively.
Could it be—
A dangerous person had entered the bathroom?
.....
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