The amulet business at Hogwarts suddenly exploded.
Neville bought a rotting onion that was said to ward off evil, stinking up the entire Gryffindor common room so badly that even the Fat Lady's portrait covered her nose and complained. Others bought amethysts, newt tails, and some even believed hanging garlic around their necks could prevent petrification—though that would probably only ward off vampires, or dates.
Meanwhile, by the warm fire in the Hufflepuff common room, Rove had also set up his little stall.
"Don't trust those charlatan tricks!" Rove stood behind a table piled with grey pebbles, holding a quill, drawing crooked symbols on a stone. "Onions will only suffocate you, not block Medusa's gaze. What you need is true power—blessings from Gondor."
In his System vision, these ordinary pebbles picked up from the edge of the Black Lake were emitting a faint but steady white light.
> [Item: Rune Stone of Gondor]
> [Quality: Rough]
> [Enchantment: Psychological Suggestion +1]
> [Effect: Slightly increases holder's mental resistance (mostly placebo).]
> [Price: 5 Sickles/piece]
"This one is carved with 'Resilience'." Rove handed a stone to Hannah. "As long as you hold it, even facing Orc Warg Riders, your legs won't tremble."
"Really?" Hannah looked at the stone skeptically. "But it looks just like a rock. And this symbol... looks like your initials no matter how I look at it."
"Belief, Hannah." Rove said seriously. "The stone is merely a vessel. What matters is the Ranger's will it carries. When you feel afraid in the darkness, grip it tight, and you will feel the courage from the White City."
Business was unexpectedly good. After all, in the face of fear, people were always willing to pay a little for comfort.
When the crowd dispersed, Susan remained sitting on the sofa nearby, holding a cup of hot cocoa, quietly watching Rove pack up his stall.
"Do you really believe these stones can protect everyone?" Susan asked softly, the firelight reflecting on her face, gilding her with a golden edge.
Rove stopped what he was doing, picked up the last stone, walked over to Susan, and sat down.
"The stones themselves cannot." Rove said honestly. "But if they believe the stones can protect them, that belief becomes a power. Fear is the greatest enemy, Susan. It makes people fall before they even draw their swords."
He looked at Susan.
"This one is for you." Rove placed the stone in Susan's palm. This stone was polished exceptionally smooth, and the rune on it wasn't drawn with ink, but carved bit by bit by Rove with a small knife.
"What does this mean?" Susan felt a tickle in her palm, her cheeks warming slightly.
"This is 'Protection'." Rove whispered. "And also 'Return'. In Middle-earth, a Ranger gives such a stone to the most important person before going to war. It means no matter how far he goes, no matter what darkness he faces, he will come back alive for the owner of this stone."
Susan's heart skipped a beat. She tightly gripped the stone carrying Rove's warmth, feeling the whole world go quiet.
"Then... then you must come back." Susan's voice was as small as a mosquito's. "I'll keep it safe. If you dare not come back for it, I'll tell Professor Sprout you were slacking off in the greenhouse."
"It's a promise, my Éowyn."
Just as the cozy atmosphere was about to heat up further, a small red-headed figure passed by the corridor outside the common room, flashing past the crack of the half-open door.
It was Ginny Weasley. She looked even paler than usual, with dark circles under her eyes.
Rove's gaze changed instantly; the tenderness vanished, replaced by alertness.
> [Warning: High Concentration of Dark Aura Detected]
> [Target Status: Mentally Corroded]
> [Suggestion: Perform Light Purification Immediately]
"Sorry, Susan. I have to handle a little... business."
Rove stood up and quickly chased after her.
"Hey, Miss Weasley!" Rove called out to her in the corridor.
Ginny stopped abruptly, turning around in terror, clutching her schoolbag strap tightly: "Se... Senior Baggins?"
Rove pulled another spare rune stone from his pocket. He walked slowly toward Ginny.
"You don't look well." Rove kept his voice as gentle as possible. "Like a little lamb lost in the Mines of Moria. The shadows in this castle are too heavy, aren't they? Even a Gryffindor lion is weighed down breathless."
Ginny shrank back, afraid to look Rove in the eye, her gaze wandering: "I... I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well."
"Take this." Rove handed the stone over. "This is 'Hope'. When all lights go out, it will guide your way. Don't let the darkness occupy your heart, Ginny."
> [Action: Gift Elven Gem]
> [Intent: Dispel the shadow in target's heart / Probe dark reaction]
However, Ginny's reaction greatly exceeded Rove's expectations.
The moment her fingers touched the stone, she screamed shortly as if burned and threw the stone violently onto the ground.
"No! I don't want it!"
Ginny looked at Rove in horror. She turned and ran, disappearing at the end of the corridor in the blink of an eye, leaving only the stone lying lonely on the cold floor.
Rove stood frozen, then bent down to pick up the abandoned stone.
> [System Alert: Purification Failed]
> [Target's inner darkness produced a strong rejection reaction]
> [Speculation: Target may be deeply parasitized by some ancient curse. This is One Ring-level mind control.]
"Seems the situation is more serious than I imagined." Rove frowned, looking in the direction Ginny disappeared. "The burden of the Ring-bearer is crushing her."
A few days later, while Rove was still pondering Ginny's anomaly, a huge notice appeared on the bulletin board in the Great Hall, attracting everyone's attention.
> [Dueling Club]
> [First Meeting: Tonight at 8 PM]
> [Instructor: Gilderoy Lockhart]
> [Order of Merlin, Third Class; Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League; five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award]
Students crowded in front of the notice, discussing excitedly.
"Awesome!" Seamus Finnigan shouted. "I'm going to learn how to blast monsters away! Maybe I can become a big hero like that too!"
"I'm going too." Harry said to Ron and Hermione. "If we have to face the Heir of Slytherin, we at least need to learn how to defend ourselves. Maybe Lockhart really has some special moves."
Rove stood at the edge of the crowd, looking at the flashy signature.
"Duel?"
"In this time of crisis, this is actually a good combat drill."
In his eyes, this notice wasn't an extracurricular activity announcement, but a challenge letter for a [Trial by Combat].
> [Mission Triggered: Prove Your Courage]
> [Objective: Demonstrate Gandalf's combat techniques in the Dueling Club]
> [Opponent: Gilderoy Lockhart (Gríma Wormtongue / Saruman's Puppet)]
> [Reward: Melee Combat Lv2 / Reputation Greatly Increased]
"I'll be there."
"I'm going to show that guy, who only knows how to confuse hearts with sweet words, what real fighting is!"
"Er, Rove..." Justin reminded carefully. "It's just a teaching activity, and that's Professor Lockhart... even if he is a bit flamboyant, he is still a professor."
"Precisely because it's him." Rove clenched his fist, knuckles cracking. "That quack who treats the battlefield like child's play must be sanctioned. If he commanded on the battlefield, our army would have been wiped out long ago. Tonight, I'm going to teach him the 'Iron Law of Gondor'."