A burst of emerald fire suddenly ignited inside the Slytherin common room.
From within the flames, Leo stepped out.
"Thanks, Fawkes."
After landing smoothly, he pulled a strip of jerky from his pocket and handed it to the phoenix perched on his shoulder.
Fawkes swallowed it in a single gulp before letting out a pleased chirp.
Then, with a flap of his crimson wings, the phoenix vanished in another burst of fire, leaving only drifting sparks behind.
Leo headed quietly toward the dormitory.
It was already very late.
Most of the younger students had long since fallen asleep.
After entering the room, he carefully closed the door behind him.
Draco was already curled beneath his blankets, apparently asleep.
Leo deliberately slowed his movements and quietly climbed into bed.
"You're back..."
The sleepy voice sounded from across the room.
Leo froze briefly, assuming he had accidentally woken Draco.
"Yeah," he whispered. "I'm back."
Draco rolled over.
Without opening his eyes.
And immediately resumed snoring.
Leo couldn't help smiling.
"So you were talking in your sleep."
The room gradually fell silent once more.
Moonlight filtered through the underwater windows of the Slytherin dormitory, casting pale ripples across the stone walls.
Lying in bed, Leo narrowed his eyes and stared at the silver badge resting between his fingers.
The cool metal pressed lightly against his skin.
His thoughts, however, were anything but calm.
The Guardians.
The Old Ones.
Ancient wars.
The Founders.
Ambert.
Over the past two weekends, Nicolas Flamel had revealed far too many things.
Leo suddenly realized something.
He might never truly live the peaceful life he originally wanted.
After receiving a second chance, all he had hoped for was something simple.
Parents.
Friends.
Magic.
A carefree life at Hogwarts.
That should have been enough.
But first he discovered this was the world of Harry Potter.
Then came the Equalizer.
Then the pseudo-Yang spirit.
And now—
The Guardians.
The Old Ones.
Ancient wars hidden beneath the surface of the wizarding world.
Leo let out a long sigh.
"So troublesome..."
Then he rolled over lazily.
"If the sky falls, the tall people can hold it up first."
With that final thought, he casually tossed the silver badge onto the bedside table.
His gaze drifted toward the fish swimming slowly through the dark waters outside Slytherin House.
Gradually, his thoughts emptied.
Then sleep claimed him.
Outside Hogwarts, tiny white specks began drifting down from the sky.
Snow.
Soft flakes settled quietly across the castle rooftops, wrapping Hogwarts beneath a pale winter cloak.
Even the Sun Prince, as Leo jokingly called the morning sun, seemed reluctant to rise because of the weather.
.....
The following morning—
After breakfast—
Leo, Draco, Charlotte, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle headed toward the Herbology greenhouses together.
"I was wondering why it felt so cold today," Charlotte muttered while tightening her scarf.
"Turns out it snowed overnight."
Outside, Hogwarts had transformed into a world of white.
Snow blanketed the lawns.
The rooftops.
The pathways.
Everything lay beneath a pale winter sky.
Leo instinctively pulled his cloak tighter.
"There's enough snow for a proper snowball fight now."
Draco immediately looked disgusted.
"A snowball fight?"
He scoffed.
"That sounds filthy. You'd end up soaked."
Pansy instantly agreed.
"Exactly."
She adjusted her robes elegantly.
"A proper lady would never participate in something so uncivilised."
Behind them, Crabbe and Goyle whispered quietly.
"Actually, snowball fights sound fun."
"But Draco said they're bad."
"Then we agree with Draco."
"Right."
Somehow, the conversation soon drifted toward the hospital wing explosion.
Charlotte's expression became uneasy.
"Leo, you weren't there."
She shivered slightly.
"That explosion was terrifying."
"Professor McGonagall evacuated all of us onto the lawn."
Pansy nodded.
"The entire castle shook."
She wrapped her arms around herself.
"I still can't believe something like that happened at Hogwarts."
Draco lowered his voice.
"Do you think it was because of that werewolf?"
He glanced toward Leo.
"Should I write to Father?"
After all, the werewolf had been taken directly to the hospital wing before the explosion occurred.
The connection seemed obvious.
Leo shook his head calmly.
"No need."
His tone remained steady.
"We should trust Headmaster Dumbledore."
He shrugged.
"Hogwarts doesn't need students causing more panic."
Outwardly, Leo remained calm.
Internally, however, he already knew the truth.
That "werewolf" had almost certainly transformed into the Old One inside the infirmary.
And Dumbledore had fought it directly.
If the Board of Governors learned the full story, Hogwarts would descend into chaos overnight.
Snowflakes drifted softly around them.
Soon, the group entered the Herbology greenhouse.
Warm, damp air immediately enveloped them.
The scent of rich soil and magical plants filled the room.
Rows of strange herbs flourished beneath enchanted sunlight.
Emerald leaves shimmered faintly in the humid glow.
Professor Sprout stood among a dense patch of magical vegetation, looking perfectly at home surrounded by greenery.
Her usually cheerful expression carried an unusual seriousness today.
"The Devil's Snare thrives in dark, damp environments," she explained while gesturing toward a seemingly harmless cactus-like plant.
"The moment it senses movement, it immediately constricts its prey."
She paused meaningfully.
"And its strength is extraordinary."
Her gaze swept across the students.
"So be extremely careful."
Unfortunately—
Draco had already stopped listening halfway through the explanation.
His silver-grey eyes gleamed with curiosity as he stared at the Devil's Snare.
To him, it looked more interesting than dangerous.
Leo immediately noticed.
"Draco," he warned instinctively.
"Don't tou—"
"What?"
Draco turned toward him.
Unfortunately, his hand had already reached forward.
The instant his fingertip touched the plant—
The Devil's Snare exploded into motion.
Vines shot outward like venomous snakes.
Before Draco could react, tendrils wrapped around his wrist.
Then his arm.
Then his waist.
Then his legs.
The vines tightened violently.
Draco's face instantly turned pale.
"Leo! Help!"
He struggled instinctively.
Unfortunately, struggling only made things worse.
The Devil's Snare constricted harder.
Within seconds, Draco was lifted partially off the ground by the violently writhing vines.
The surrounding students immediately screamed and stumbled backward.
"Relax!" Leo shouted.
"Don't struggle, Draco!"
But Draco was far too terrified to listen.
The more frightened he became, the tighter the Devil's Snare constricted.
Soon he was dangling helplessly in the air while the vines coiled around him like a giant green python.
Professor Sprout's expression changed dramatically.
"Stop moving!"
She rushed forward immediately.
"Everyone stay calm!"
But by now the Devil's Snare had become fully agitated.
More vines erupted from the soil.
Several lashed outward toward nearby students.
Screams filled the greenhouse.
Pansy jumped behind Charlotte.
Crabbe and Goyle tripped over each other while retreating.
Even Professor Sprout was forced to dodge a whipping tendril.
Above them, Draco looked moments away from panic-induced unconsciousness.
"Leo!"
His voice cracked.
"Do something!"
Leo sighed.
Honestly, he had warned him.
Still, letting Draco become plant fertilizer would be inconvenient.
His wand flashed into his hand.
The Devil's Snare hated two things.
Light.
And heat.
Unfortunately for the plant—
Leo specialized in both.
....
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