“Yes…
yes, Jasmine.”
Scott heard Caitlin Rowle’s trembling voice.
She was clearly frightened.
“I…
I’ll do as you say.”
From her tone, Scott could tell that she was trying hard to suppress her emotions and please Jasmine Travers.
“Good, Caitlin.” Jasmine Travers praised her gently.
“Thank you.
You’ll always be my best friend.
I’m so fortunate to have met you.”
Caitlin Rowle’s voice immediately became cheerful.
“You’re welcome, Jasmine!
We really are best friends!”
Listening to her excited voice, Scott felt that his eyes had truly been opened today.
Wasn’t this a classic manipulation tactic?
And Travers was highly skilled at it!
She already had Caitlin Rowle firmly under her control.
“That’s wonderful.
I feel much more reassured with Caitlin helping me.” Jasmine Travers had an endless supply of pleasant words.
“But it’s already late.
You need to rest properly, so we should go back.”
“All right.
Be careful on your way back, Jasmine.”
“Don’t worry…”
Hearing this, Scott knew that he had to leave.
He was standing on the path the two girls would have to take when they came out.
If he remained too close, they might find him.
He was not afraid of the two young witches, but he enjoyed being the hidden hand behind the hidden hand.
He did not want to reveal himself yet.
While the two girls said goodbye, he turned and walked in another direction.
It was somewhat unfortunate that he had not heard the important details, but knowing that they intended to deal with him in secret was enough.
Scott then silently entered a corridor near Ravenclaw Tower.
He stood in the shadow beneath a column and watched the two girls emerge from the dark corner behind the tower.
Only after Jasmine Travers disappeared from sight did Caitlin Rowle turn and enter the tower.
Neither of them noticed that a small black bat, almost weightless, had tightly grasped the back of Jasmine Travers’ sleeve with its tiny claws.
It swayed gently as she walked.
Scott did not return to the common room.
As soon as Caitlin Rowle entered the tower, he followed her from a moderate distance.
His body blended into the tower, and his footsteps made no sound.
Caitlin Rowle had no idea that the person she and Jasmine Travers intended to harm was following only a few steps behind her.
Scott was not the type to wait until someone attacked him before fighting back.
On the contrary, he was used to striking first.
Walking along the spiral staircase behind Caitlin Rowle, Scott smiled silently.
The best way to deal with danger was naturally to make the danger disappear, or to deal with the person trying to bring danger upon him first.
Of course, he did not intend to injure her directly.
Inside this magical castle, he did not possess the ability to harm someone and escape the following investigation.
Who knew how much control their great Headmaster possessed over the castle?
He only intended to let this girl who wished him harm fall ill “naturally” for some time.
He could not use a spell or potion on her because either might be detected afterwards.
He would never underestimate the influence pure-blood families held over Hogwarts.
Of course, the greatest reason was that their great Headmaster was a man who followed rules closely.
That much was clear from the original books.
The most powerful wizard of the century had repeatedly allowed himself to be restrained by a group of ridiculous clowns.
Scott took a sealed glass vial from the Mokeskin pouch at his waist.
He raised the transparent vial, which was half a finger long, to his eyes and shook it gently, examining it closely.
A single syringe needle lay inside the vial.
If he wanted to make someone ill, using a spell or potion might be detected.
But what if he used a virus that wizards had never understood?
Scott smiled again.
He carefully opened the sealed vial and held it between his fingers.
With his other hand, he drew his wand and lightly waved it, pointing towards the vial from a distance.
A faint fluctuation of magic appeared.
The metal needle inside the vial transformed into a black mosquito.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito beat its transparent wings and flew from the vial, heading directly towards Caitlin Rowle above him on the spiral staircase.
Several seconds later, Scott heard a soft cry of surprise from her.
He stood quietly and waited until the mosquito flew back.
It transformed into a needle again and fell into the glass vial.
Listening to Caitlin Rowle’s footsteps continuing up the staircase, Scott slipped his wand back into the holster inside his robes.
He then travelled without obstruction to the shore of the Black Lake.
Crouching down, he placed the glass vial on the ground, took out his wand again and waved it.
Evanesco!
The vial containing the needle completely vanished under the spell.
Scott stood up.
He then walked along the shore of the Black Lake while calculating the approximate location of the Slytherin dormitories beneath the lake.
Fifteen minutes later, he stopped again.
He stepped into the shallow water, removed one of his shoes and placed it on the surface.
Before the leather shoe could sink, he waved his wand and transformed it into a small boat.
After climbing aboard, Scott began rowing with the oars that had been transformed from the shoelaces.
Layers of ripples spread across the calm, deep lake.
The rather fragrant little boat slowly sailed forwards.
Five minutes later, Scott stopped rowing and allowed the boat to drift across the lake.
At that moment, he had re-established his “connection” with the bat that had followed Jasmine Travers back to the Slytherin common room.
Without hesitation, he waved his wand and transformed his robes into iron armour that covered his entire body.
He then cast a Bubble-Head Charm and rolled over the side of the boat into the cold night water.
Scott sank rapidly.
Before long, he saw warm light shining from rows of windows belonging to the Slytherin common room and dormitories deep beneath the lake.
His timing was perfect.
Thanks to the complicated routes inside Hogwarts Castle, Jasmine Travers had only just returned to her dormitory.
“Jasmine, you’re finally back!”
An unfamiliar girl’s voice entered Scott’s ears.
He waved his wand again, transforming the armour back into robes.
He swam closer to the dormitory window and concealed himself among the thick water plants.
“I was worried about you.
If Professor Snape found out—”
“Don’t worry, Morgan.
I would never be caught by something as disgusting as Filch.”
After returning to the dormitory, Jasmine Travers’ voice had returned to normal.
The gentle quality that soothed people’s hearts had disappeared.
(End of Chapter)
T/N :
Feed me Power Stones to keep me motivated.
This translation is pure volunteer work, so every bit of support helps me continue.