The moment Quirrell fainted, the Great Hall erupted into chaos.
Satina Wobek stood from the Gryffindor table, shaking her head as she watched her juniors panic. Kids today had no guts at all. In her day, if there was a troll, Gryffindors would have charged without hesitation!
Dumbledore's wand tip shot out purple sparks, catching the students' attention and calming them down. After all, they had the greatest White Wizard on their side—what was there to fear?
"Prefects," Dumbledore's voice was low and commanding, "escort the students to the dormitories immediately!"
The prefects sprang into action. Students from all four houses began orderly evacuation of the Great Hall.
Audrey noticed two little figures in Hufflepuff robes—one sporting a shock of red hair. She smiled; after today, Hermione would finally be fully integrated into the group. But Audrey had no interest in following them, because she saw Glenda Chittock blending into the Slytherin line heading toward the dungeons.
Of everyone present, Glenda was the only one Audrey didn't want to lose track of. After all, Glenda still owed her three thousand Galleons!
They arrived at the Slytherin common room, and Glenda quietly slipped away, venturing deeper into the castle. Audrey switched to her Invisible Beast form and followed.
What exactly was Glenda up to?
She twisted and turned through two hidden doors before finally stopping in front of a wall. Audrey didn't dare approach too closely, only catching fragmented phrases:
"…Professor… look at you…"
"…unstable… must persist… strengthen…"
Audrey realized Glenda was speaking to a portrait on the wall.
"Audrey, come out, you've been following me all this way," Glenda suddenly called, raising her voice.
Audrey's heart skipped a beat—how had Glenda seen through her Invisible Beast form?
Since she'd been discovered, there was no point hiding anymore. She revealed herself, smiling. "Senior Chittock, what brings you here?"
Glenda waved her over. "I should be asking you that. Why are you following me?"
Audrey stopped three meters away, refusing to move closer.
"Because you still owe me three thousand Galleons!"
Glenda had imagined a hundred reasons why Audrey might follow her—but debt chasing? That was unexpected.
"Oh," Glenda said, tossing a letter lightly into Audrey's hands. "Here—this allows you to withdraw the three thousand Galleons from my Gringotts vault."
Audrey blinked. "No cash?"
Glenda shook her head. "Cash? What era do you think this is? Counting out three thousand Galleons would take multiple bags. Too crude, like a nouveau riche—so unrefined."
Audrey: …I think that's a jab at me.
"Take the letter and leave quickly. Don't disturb my reminiscing of student life."
Reminiscing student life? If Audrey hadn't overheard snippets of conversation, she might have suspected Glenda of a secret tryst!
Ah, everyone had their secrets. Audrey had always planned to bide her time for three years and then leave. Why bother?
Before leaving, Audrey caught sight of the only portrait on that wall: an elderly wizard with silver-gray hair. He bore a striking resemblance to Jackie Chan's father in Jackie Chan Adventures, minus the exaggerated hairstyle.
Audrey recognized him immediately. Professor Figo—a Hogwarts professor from a hundred years ago, guide to the protagonists of Hogwarts Legacy. A man who sacrificed himself to seal ancient magical power, truly worthy of respect.
Glenda Chittock actually knew Professor Figo? Given Glenda's birth, Figo had been dead for nearly eighty years! Had she sought his counsel during her student years? Unlikely, considering her cheerful on-screen persona.
"Audrey, are you going to wait there all day?"
"Oh, I'll go," Audrey said, turning on her heel. The fewer secrets she knew, the longer she lived—this much she understood. After all, she was Slytherin, not Gryffindor.
"Goodbye, senior!"
Without waiting for a response, Audrey left.
"Professor Figo," Glenda smiled at the portrait, "what do you think of her?"
"She's far smarter than you were," the portrait replied. "Mu Phi."
Audrey Apparated back to her dormitory.
Glenda Chittock was no ordinary person. But what did that have to do with Audrey?
She tossed coins across the bed, burrowed comfortably into them, and picked up a novel to pass the time. Feeling something missing, she snapped her fingers. Momo appeared with freshly squeezed juice.
This was the life she wanted: effortless, comfortable, and indulgent. Eating hotpot, singing songs—why go on dangerous adventures?
Somewhere in a Hogwarts secret passage, Bode Gray was furious.
"Wasn't Hogwarts supposed to be the safest place? How did a troll get in?"
"Audrey Astley is back in her dorm! How are we supposed to catch her?"
Bode and his cronies—Gray clan members and Serpent's Fang goons—were draped in white sheets, attempting to blend in as chaotic Gryffindor students. They planned to abduct Audrey under the cover of Halloween.
But unforeseen events had thrown them off. Miss Halloween would be over soon, and without the chaos, a group of unfamiliar adult wizards entering the castle would be far too conspicuous.
"Why not wait until midnight and grab her from her dorm?" Alan Ash suggested.
A Gray clan member agreed: "Right! Alan knows the Slytherin common room password!"
"The only problem is the girls' dorm is warded," another said.
Bode's face darkened. "A mere ward won't stop me. Alan, do you know where Audrey's dorm is?"
Alan froze. In all his years at Hogwarts, he hadn't even seen the girls' dorm—how could he possibly know Audrey's room?
Useless. All of them, useless.
Bode sighed. The infiltration would have to be a full-on assault. Eliminate all witnesses, and the perfect stealth operation could proceed.
Meanwhile, Severus Snape grimaced, applying potion to wounds inflicted by the three-headed dog. The troll incident suggested a diversion, likely aimed at the Philosopher's Stone hidden on the fourth-floor corridor behind Fluffy.
Unfortunately, the three-headed dog didn't care about him, attacking indiscriminately. One careless moment, and Snape himself was injured—bad luck indeed.
Worse, that brat Harry Potter had gone straight at the troll! If he died, how could Snape face Lily in the afterlife?
Gryffindor! Fluffy was Hagrid's, the bullies from his childhood were Gryffindors, and now his hair-pulling problem was Gryffindor's Harry Potter.
From tomorrow onward, Snape swore, Gryffindor would feel his full pressure.
Yet the very Audrey he suspected most remained quiet, absent from the fourth-floor corridor or dungeons. Could she really have no ulterior motive?
Meanwhile, Audrey was deep in dreamland. In her dream, she purchased an island, built a castle, and slept among vast piles of coins in a colossal vault.
A few coins tumbled to the floor, waking Golden Tiger. With his only good eye, he glanced at Audrey giggling in her sleep, shaking his head.
Trying to sleep, he caught a faint unusual sound from outside.
It was 12:30 a.m.—who could possibly be wandering around at this hour?