Harry Potter: I am the Legend

As soon as Hoffa squeezed out of the passageway and stood on the frozen lake, a burly lake monster immediately spotted him.

It roared loudly.

Hoffa pointed his wand at his boots, conjuring a pair of ice skates. Then he gestured toward the passageway and shouted, "Ossivia, hurry up and get out!"

However, Ossivia was stuck in the passage, her body wedged between the roots. Being an adult, she was larger than Hoffa.

Hoffa rushed back without hesitation, transforming his wand into a blade to cut through the roots.

Grabbing Ossivia's arm, he yanked her out of the passage.

By this time, hordes of lake monsters had begun to gather again at the top of the slope.

"Run!" Ossivia said as she conjured ice skates under her feet and pulled Hoffa along, skating rapidly across the lake.

The lake monsters leaped down the cliff one after another. The leader, an elder lake monster, raised its wand and screeched, "Don't let them return to Hogwarts!"

With that, it swung its arm, and the clouds in the sky quickly converged, covering the moon. From the moisture in the air, massive ice spears began to form, sparkling like stars in the dark night.

The sight was breathtakingly beautiful—and extremely dangerous.

The sheer magical power made Hoffa's heart pound. He glanced at the sky, clenched his teeth, and grabbed Ossivia's arm tightly.

"Hold on!"

With those words, he activated both Ghost Walk and Animus Enhancement, disappearing in an instant and dashing toward the distant castle at an incredible speed.

From the isolated island, the elder lake monster brought its arm down heavily. Countless ice spears rained down on the lake like a storm.

At first, the spears looked small, but in the blink of an eye, they grew to the size of missiles.

The ice cracked and splintered under the relentless barrage, shattering the half-meter-thick ice sheet into fragments. Lake monsters dove into the turbulent waters below, disappearing beneath the surface.

Behind Hoffa, the ice broke apart like dominoes, the cracks chasing him relentlessly. At some points, the fractures were less than a meter away. Yet Hoffa didn't look back. He knew that if he slowed down even for a fraction of a second, he would be swallowed by the freezing water, rendering him powerless.

After ten seconds, he exited Ghost Walk, his magic reserves depleted. Behind him, countless lake monsters sprang out of the icy water, screaming curses and hurling weapons of all kinds.

Hoffa didn't spare them a glance. His focus was fixed on the towering silhouette of Hogwarts Castle in the distance.

The pair had left the lake monsters far behind. Gradually, the monsters' pursuit slowed as they stared in disbelief with their icy blue eyes.

The reason was simple: the speed of the boy ahead was beyond comprehension.

Thanks to the low friction of the ice and his momentum, Hoffa's skating speed had reached nearly 80 kilometers per hour. He zipped across the lake like a phantom.

Instinctively, he leaned forward to reduce wind resistance. The icy wind cut against his face with such ferocity that it felt as if sharp blades were stripping the skin off his cheeks.

Behind him, Ossivia shouted anxiously, "We've already escaped! Slow down!"

"Faster!" Hoffa replied, his eyes fixed firmly on Hogwarts Castle, his speed undiminished.

He had to confirm the safety of the coin immediately. If possible, he needed to secure it in a safer location.

The shoreline was rapidly approaching. In the blink of an eye, the ten kilometers across the lake were behind them. Hoffa released Ossivia's hand, rushed ashore ahead of her, and sprinted toward the castle.

Fortunately, he had only used Ghost Walk for ten seconds, so his mental exhaustion wasn't severe, and he hadn't entered a state of debilitating fatigue.

Reaching the castle, he glanced at his watch. It was already 2 a.m.

Hoffa ran quickly, passing a group of chattering portraits and startled ghosts, making his way to Ravenclaw Tower.

The bad news: Ravenclaw Tower was still completely sealed off. There were no stairs to access it, so retrieving the coin would require another solution.

The good news: It was Christmas night, and the professors guarding the tower had gone to rest, giving Hoffa an opportunity.

Looking up at the towering height of his house's tower, whose top was lost in the darkness, Hoffa took a deep breath and waved his wand.

The wand transformed into a rope, latching onto a protruding stone carving on the wall. Hoffa tied the rope around his waist and arms, his fingernails sharpening.

Crack.

His fingers dug into the crevices of the wall as he began to climb rapidly.

Half a minute later...

Ossivia skidded to a halt around the corner, panting heavily. She looked up to see Hoffa climbing the tower and was dumbfounded.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the dormitory! Hurry up!"

"You're climbing the wall?!" Ossivia exclaimed, exasperated.

Hoffa didn't answer, tossing a length of rope down to her instead.

Ossivia stared at the dangling rope in front of her and sighed.

"Fine, fine. Tonight is crazy enough already," she muttered irritably.

Steeling herself, she grabbed the rope and secured it around her waist.

In the dark of the night, the two of them climbed the tower like seasoned mountaineers.

As they passed by the portraits, the paintings began to stir and wake up.

They were all stunned.

"Climbing walls in the middle of the night?"

"What on earth are you doing?"

"I've been at Hogwarts for six hundred years—six hundred years—and I've never seen students as insane as you two!" shouted an old man from one of the portraits.

"I'll bet you're one of those reckless Gryffindor brats!"

"Oh, come now, Charlie," said an elderly woman in a nearby portrait. "Can't a Ravenclaw go wild once in a while?"

Then, turning her gaze upward, she called out to Hoffa, "Merry Christmas, child."

Without looking back, Hoffa replied, "Good night."

Still, the kind portraits were in the minority. Most of them shouted angrily, and some stormed out of their frames, declaring that they would report the two crazy students to the teachers.

Finally, amid the loud scolding from the portraits, Hoffa jumped onto the narrow bridge and hurried to the bronze eagle door knocker.

The eagle spread its wings and asked, "I make two when joined, yet alone, I am incomplete. What am I?"

"Family," Hoffa answered without hesitation.

The passageway opened with a rumble.

Hoffa rushed inside and entered the Ravenclaw Tower dormitory, a place he hadn't seen in two months.

The common room was in a state of near ruin. The pale blue curtains fluttered in the night wind, yellow sealing tape crisscrossed everywhere, debris littered the floor, and the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw lay toppled on the ground, partially buried under scattered books.

There was no time to lament the common room's desolation.

Hoffa lit his wand and bounded up the spiral staircase, taking the steps two at a time until he reached the dormitory.

The moment he stepped inside, he slapped his thigh in frustration.

"Damn it! Seriously?"

The dormitory was a complete mess. In the dusty floor, a line of fresh footprints stood out.

His bag, used to store important belongings, had been tossed near the doorway. Its contents—clothes and underwear—were scattered everywhere.

Golden Galleons glittered across the floor in a trail that led to his bedside. There, his leather pouch lay.

Bending down quickly, Hoffa picked up the pouch and opened it. His face turned pale instantly. He reached in and felt around.

The commemorative coin, engraved with Rowena Ravenclaw's image, was gone.

Despite racing back as fast as he could, he hadn't been able to prevent the very disaster he feared most.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Hoffa spun in place like a headless chicken before forcing himself to sit on the bed. Activating his meditation technique, he calmed down swiftly.

The Half-King was still in the school. He must have just been here.

All three keys—he had all three keys now. He was only one step away from unlocking the library… no, from opening that black coffin.

Hoffa crouched down, feeling the footprint. His heart pounded like a drum.

He needed to find Ossivia and alert the other teachers immediately. Hoffa sprang to his feet and headed for the exit.

Abandoning the leather pouch, he strode out of the dormitory. As he turned the corner and stepped into the common room, he froze.

The dark, empty Ravenclaw common room was illuminated by an ominous red glow, and it was staring directly at him.

On the toppled statue of Rowena Ravenclaw sat a tall man in a suit, legs crossed. He was spinning a coin between his fingers and silently watching Hoffa.

This time, he wasn't wearing his crown, but the coin in his hand gleamed in the dim light.

Hoffa's breath caught.

How had this guy managed it? His timing was so precise. Or… had he been living in the common room all along?

Seeing Hoffa approach, the man uncrossed his legs and leaned forward slightly.

"Is this what you're looking for?" he asked softly, letting the coin dance between his fingers.

Hoffa's chest rose and fell heavily. This was the first time he was alone with this man.

He pressed himself against the wall, every instinct screaming at him to activate Ghost Walk and flee. But he forcibly restrained the impulse.

"It's been quite a long journey, hasn't it?"

He grinned, his smile widening.

"How are you even doing this?" Hoffa asked hoarsely.

"You don't really understand this school," the man replied, pushing himself up from his knees and pulling a massive revolver from his chest.

"What are you planning to do?" Hoffa took a step back.

"Why don't you find out for yourself?"

The man tucked the coin back into his chest and raised the weapon in his right hand, leveling it steadily.

"Take a guess. What do you think happens next?"

And with that—

Bang!

The gun fired.

The instant it did, Hoffa vanished.

The bullet smashed into the wall where he'd been standing.

The man tilted his head, showing no sign of surprise.

Boom!

The common room door flew open with a crash.

Ossivia, just climbing onto the narrow bridge outside, was abruptly grabbed by Hoffa.

"Where's your Auror?" Hoffa demanded urgently.

"What?"

"An Auror! Call them over, quickly!"

Ossivia's face turned pale as Hoffa pulled her into the common room.

Inside, the man was now standing on the snow-covered windowsill. He spread his arms wide like a cross, smiled faintly, and fell backward, leaping from the three-hundred-meter-high tower.

"Stop!"

Ossivia shouted fiercely, breaking free from Hoffa's grip and lunging to the window.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets whizzed past her, close enough to graze her forehead. The man fired several shots while plummeting at breakneck speed.

Hoffa quickly grabbed Ossivia, pulling her down to crouch beneath the windowsill, shielding their heads with his arms.

The gunshots ceased.

Crouched under the windowsill, Ossivia glanced at Hoffa.

"Is he done?"

Hoffa nodded. "I think so."

Ossivia immediately stood up, gripping the windowsill tightly. Turning back to Hoffa, she spoke decisively, "Hold onto me."

"What?"

"Just do it! Hold onto me!"

Hoffa wrapped his arms around Ossivia's slim waist.

"Get on my back, now," she instructed.

Confused but compliant, Hoffa let go and shifted behind her, pressing himself against her back.

Then, without hesitation, Ossivia leapt from the three-hundred-meter-high tower, following after the man.

(End of Chapter)

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