Inside the hidden room, absolute silence filled the air.
Adam, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all held their breath as they listened carefully to the sounds outside the door.
The distant footsteps gradually faded away.
Finally, Hermione let out a shaky breath.
“Filch is gone,” she whispered.
Ron immediately nodded.
“Maybe he thought the door was locked.” Hermione slowly turned toward him.
“It was locked.” Her voice sounded strangely stiff.
At first, Ron didn’t understand why she sounded so nervous.
Then he noticed Harry’s expression.
Harry stood completely frozen near the wall, staring into the darkness ahead with pale skin and trembling lips.
“It was locked for a reason,” Harry whispered weakly.
Ron and Hermione instinctively turned their heads.
And immediately regretted it.
A gigantic three-headed dog lay sleeping in the center of the room.
The creature was enormous.
Even while lying down, it nearly occupied half the room itself.
Thick black fur covered its body, while each of its three monstrous heads rested against the floor like massive boulders.
Its breathing alone sounded terrifying.
Then— One of the heads slowly opened its eyes.
A second later, the other two awakened as well.
The giant beast rose to its feet.
Adam’s eyes narrowed slightly.
When the creature fully stood up, it looked even larger than before.
Each head possessed rows of dagger-like teeth capable of tearing a person apart effortlessly.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood motionless with expressions of absolute terror.
Compared to Filch… Compared to Peeves… Compared to breaking school rules… Nothing they experienced tonight came remotely close to the horror of standing before this monster.
The three-headed dog stared directly at them.
One head focused on Harry.
One on Ron.
One on Hermione.
“Grrrrrr…” A deep growl echoed throughout the room.
The sound alone made the floor vibrate slightly.
Ron’s legs visibly trembled.
Hermione looked ready to faint.
Harry’s survival instincts finally activated.
“AAAAAAAH!” The three Gryffindors screamed simultaneously before turning and sprinting toward the door without hesitation.
Survival first.
Thinking later.
The Cerberus raised its heads sharply at the noise.
But after briefly watching the fleeing trio disappear into the corridor, all three heads slowly turned toward the last remaining person in the room.
Adam.
Unlike Harry and the others, Adam still stood calmly near the wall.
The massive creature stared at him warily.
“Grrrr…” One of the heads lowered slightly, preparing to lunge if necessary.
Adam remained completely calm.
With one hand, he slowly raised his wand.
With the other, he reached into his dragon-hide wallet.
“Easy there,” Adam said softly.
“Little doggy, I brought snacks.” A moment later, he pulled out three enormous enchanted bones.
Then he tossed them toward the Cerberus.
The effect was immediate.
Although the creature was an extremely dangerous magical beast, it still possessed canine instincts.
Three heads.
Three bones.
Perfectly fair.
All three heads instantly lunged toward the treats.
The terrifying guardian dog immediately collapsed onto the floor and began happily gnawing on the bones.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Adam watched silently.
Honestly… It was difficult to feel intimidated while the giant monster looked so absurdly satisfied chewing bones.
Then his gaze slowly shifted downward.
Directly beneath the Cerberus stood a hidden trapdoor.
Adam naturally knew what lay below.
The Philosopher’s Stone.
One of the greatest alchemical treasures in history.
A legendary object capable of producing the Elixir of Life and turning ordinary metals into gold.
For someone like Adam—who possessed extraordinary talent in alchemy—the temptation was immense.
He genuinely wanted to see it.
Even touching the Philosopher’s Stone once would probably provide countless insights into advanced alchemical theory.
Unfortunately… Adam also knew exactly who placed it there.
Albus Dumbledore.
And while Adam was curious about the Stone… He had absolutely no interest in becoming the Headmaster’s primary surveillance target.
Attempting to steal or investigate the Philosopher’s Stone now would practically guarantee endless attention from Dumbledore in the future.
That would be disastrous for his peaceful school life.
“…Another time,” Adam murmured quietly.
He turned calmly toward the door.
Before leaving, he gently closed it behind him and relocked it carefully.
No need to make things easier for wandering students.
Just as Adam prepared to leave— Three familiar figures suddenly rushed back toward him.
Harry arrived first, breathing heavily.
“Adam!” His face filled with relief the moment he saw Adam unharmed.
“You’re okay!” Hermione looked equally relieved.
“Thank goodness!” Even Ron, despite still looking terrified, seemed genuinely happy Adam survived.
Adam blinked slightly in surprise.
“You came back?” Harry nodded immediately.
“When we reached the stairs, we realized you weren’t with us.” Hermione crossed her arms angrily.
“So obviously we couldn’t just leave you behind!” Ron looked conflicted.
“…I did suggest running away permanently,” he admitted honestly.
“But they ignored me.” Harry and Hermione both glared at him.
Ron coughed awkwardly.
“…Still.
We came back.” Adam looked at the three quietly.
At first, he had assumed they were simply too panicked to notice he stayed behind.
But they actually returned for him.
Even knowing that monstrous creature remained inside the room.
A strange warmth spread through Adam’s chest.
For someone who spent most of his life surrounded only by Lance, Ecter, and Foufou… This kind of friendship felt unfamiliar.
But not unpleasant.
“Thank you,” Adam said softly.
The sincerity in his voice surprised even himself.
Harry grinned awkwardly.
“Well… you helped us first.” Hermione nodded seriously.
“And besides, leaving someone behind would be horrible.” Ron shivered dramatically.
“Especially in a room with that thing.” The four quietly left the corridor together.
Once they reached the staircases, Adam stopped walking.
Harry looked confused.
“You’re not coming?” Adam shook his head slightly.
“You three should return to Gryffindor Tower.” “And you?” Hermione asked immediately.
Adam’s silver eyes flickered faintly.
“I still have somewhere I want to visit tonight.” Before they could ask more questions, Adam turned and disappeared deeper into the castle.
Harry watched him leave thoughtfully.
“…He’s definitely doing something dangerous.” Ron nodded instantly.
“Absolutely.” Hermione sighed.
“Honestly, I’m not sure whether Adam is incredibly intelligent or completely insane.” Several minutes later, Adam arrived at the fifth floor.
The Hogwarts Restricted Section.
Unlike the ordinary library, students were forbidden from entering the Restricted Section without explicit permission from a professor.
Officially, the reason was simple.
Many books stored there contained dangerous magic, forbidden rituals, dark arts, or knowledge considered inappropriate for children.
Unofficially?
As long as nobody caught you, Hogwarts students visited forbidden places constantly.
Harry Potter himself would eventually sneak inside here.
Twice.
And Tom Riddle—the future Dark Lord—once used the Restricted Section to research Horcruxes.
Honestly, Hogwarts security relied far too heavily on students following rules voluntarily.
Adam stepped silently between towering shelves filled with ancient magical books.
The atmosphere here differed greatly from the normal library.
The air felt heavier.
Older.
Many books radiated faint magical pressure.
Some shelves even seemed alive.
Adam casually examined nearby titles.
“Moste Potente Potions…” He shook his head slightly.
“No need.
I already know most of these formulas.” His fingers drifted across another spine.
“Secrets of the Darkest Art.” Adam paused thoughtfully.
“…Might be worth reading later.” Another shelf.
“Magick Moste Evile.” Adam immediately lost interest.
“The Garden Spire already has a copy.” The Ambrosius Family collection was absurdly extensive.
Many “forbidden” books at Hogwarts were already stored inside the Garden Spire library.
Eventually, Adam noticed another volume.
“Book of Spells.” This one felt different.
The moment his fingers touched the cover, a powerful surge of magic burst outward.
The magic inside Adam’s body immediately reacted violently.
His robes fluttered slightly.
The surrounding air trembled.
Ordinary first-year students would likely lose control of their magic instantly from such magical pressure.
Some books in the wizarding world actively rejected unworthy readers.
If your magical strength was insufficient, you wouldn’t even be able to touch them safely.
But Adam had anticipated something like this.
His own magic stabilized rapidly.
Within seconds, the turbulence disappeared completely.
“…Interesting.” Adam opened the book calmly.
The contents immediately caught his attention.
“Expecto Patronum…” “I already know that.” He turned another page.
“Undetectable Extension Charm.” Another page.
“Advanced Apparition.” Another.
“Resurrection-related ritual theory…” Adam continued flipping through the pages thoughtfully.
Most spells inside weren’t entirely unfamiliar.
The Ambrosius Family library truly contained horrifying amounts of magical knowledge.
Still— Eventually, something finally caught his eye.
“Revivisco Vitalis…” Adam paused immediately.
“I’ve never seen this spell before.” He began reading carefully.
According to the notes, the spell was created personally by Helga Hufflepuff herself.
Its primary purpose involved emergency healing and life preservation.
In severe cases, it could supposedly stabilize people standing at death’s door.
Even if complete healing proved impossible, the spell could still preserve life temporarily.
Adam’s interest deepened instantly.
Then he found another unusual spell.
“The Illusionary Heart-Deception Spell…” This one originated from Salazar Slytherin.
A deeply complex mental illusion spell capable of deceiving emotional perception itself.
Adam’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“…This trip wasn’t a waste after all.” He closed the book slowly.
Just these two discoveries already justified tonight’s journey.
Then Adam looked around at the endless rows of shelves surrounding him.
Ancient magic.
Forbidden knowledge.
Lost spells.
Centuries of accumulated secrets rested quietly within this room.
A small smile appeared on his face.
“Alright,” Adam murmured softly.
“For now… let’s set a simple goal.” His silver eyes reflected the towering bookshelves endlessly stretching into darkness.
“I’ll read every book here that I haven’t seen before.”
Give me more motivation!