Harry Potter: I am the Legend

As the saying goes, "You owe a debt to those who feed you, and you owe respect to those who help you." After acquiring the Disillusionment Charm, Hoffa didn't immediately start exploring the school. After all, it was Indor who gave him the lead on the charm. Now, he needed to head to Hogsmeade to meet Indor's invitation.

Having just obtained the Disillusionment Charm and achieved his first goal at the school, Hoffa was eager to find a place to test out his newly learned spell.

And what better place than Hogsmeade?

His spell fragment collection was still incomplete at 2/3. He wasn't entirely sure what the system's spell upgrade feature could do, but if luck was on his side or time allowed, he hoped to complete 50% of Hogsmeade's exploration and retrieve the final fragment.

It was a great plan—except for one problem.

Hoffa got lost.

He remembered how Harry Potter, in his third year, couldn't go to Hogsmeade because he didn't have his guardian's signature. Harry had snuck into the village using the Invisibility Cloak and a secret passage.

Now, Hoffa had the means to turn invisible, and he vaguely remembered the location of the secret passage.

The passage was hidden behind a statue of a hunchbacked witch, located in the corridor on the fourth floor.

But when Hoffa arrived on the fourth floor, he was dumbfounded.

Before him were dozens of staircases moving up and down, with eight or nine branching paths. Some of the staircases shifted restlessly.

Harry had the Marauder's Map to find the statue, but Hoffa didn't. Faced with the vast and complex fourth-floor corridor, he felt utterly disoriented.

Thankfully, fate offered a helping hand.

At that moment, a pearl-white figure of a woman floated gracefully past him, exuding an air of haughty elegance. Hoffa recognized her immediately: she was Helena Ravenclaw, the ghost of Ravenclaw House.

Hoffa rushed forward, extending a hand to stop her.

"Miss Helena."

Helena floated through Hoffa's body, continuing to drift toward the fourth-floor railing before turning back to gaze at him. The chill of her presence sent shivers down his spine, as if he had been plunged into icy water.

"Bach..."

The ghost spoke softly, her misty eyes blinking a few times. She recognized him, perhaps because he was a Ravenclaw student.

Bowing slightly, Hoffa quickly asked, "Miss Helena, I'm looking for the statue of a hunchbacked witch. Do you know where it is?"

Helena tilted her head in thought for a moment. "Oh, you mean the statue with the secret passage to Honeydukes..."

"Shhh!"

Hoffa was startled and quickly pressed a finger to his lips. Hogwarts had strict rules in this era, and who knew what trouble he'd face if someone overheard.

Helena gave a nearly imperceptible smirk. "Follow me, child."

With that, she changed direction and floated away.

Hoffa let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps ghosts, having existed for so long, didn't care much about certain rules anymore.

Helena led Hoffa through seven twists and turns. At times, she passed directly through walls, forcing Hoffa to dash around several classrooms just to keep up with her.

Finally, Helena brought the panting Hoffa to the hunchbacked witch's statue.

"I won't tell you the incantation. I just happened to pass by," she said before disappearing through a wall.

It seemed that ghosts still had some loyalty to students of their own house, Hoffa mused.

Though Helena didn't tell him the incantation, it wasn't a problem for someone who had read the original books.

Hoffa drew his wand and tapped the hunchbacked witch's statue lightly.

"Dissendium."

The statue's hunchback opened immediately, revealing an entrance large enough for a slim person to fit through. Hoffa glanced up and down the corridor to ensure no one was around before slipping inside.

Boom!

The statue closed, the light vanished, and before Hoffa could react—

He suddenly slipped, landing with a thud and sliding rapidly forward.

The slide lasted for quite some time. By the time Hoffa felt cold, damp ground beneath him, he had no idea how long he had been moving. He stood up and looked around, but everything was pitch black. Raising his wand, he murmured, "Lumos!"

Silver light flared from his wand, illuminating the darkness around him.

He was in a narrow, low-ceilinged passageway, winding and twisting like a rabbit's burrow. Hoffa hurried forward, his wand held high in front of him. The uneven ground caused him to stumble now and then, but he pressed on.

The oppressive darkness weighed on him. This was only the second time he had traversed one of the castle's secret passages—the first being when he had followed Miranda.

After what felt like an eternity, roughly an hour later, the tunnel began to slope upward.

About ten minutes later, he reached the base of a damaged stone staircase that stretched upward into the unseen above.

At the top was a trapdoor. Hoffa pushed it open slowly, emerging into a dimly lit cellar filled with wooden chairs and crates. Climbing out, he carefully closed the trapdoor behind him. The dusty floor blended seamlessly with the hidden door, making it impossible to tell it was even there.

Just as he shut the trapdoor—

The system, dormant for some time, chimed to life again.

Wizard's Secret Realm Discovered

Current Secret Realm: Hogsmeade

Complete 50% Realm Exploration — Reward: One-third Spell Fragment(A one-third spell fragment contains unique energy. Collecting three fragments allows you to upgrade a spell.)

Complete 100% Realm Exploration — Reward: Knowledge of the Archmage

(Knowledge of the Archmage is a mysterious power whose potential is unknown until obtained.)

The system's usual style left Hoffa unsurprised.

Reaching 100% exploration seemed unlikely, but perhaps he could manage 50%. Hoffa recalled that this area wasn't as vast as Diagon Alley. If he could explore 50% before returning, he might obtain another spell fragment. He didn't know what combining three fragments would do, but he was eager to find out.

Exiting his mind space, Hoffa's thoughts returned to his surroundings.

From upstairs, he could hear the sound of people laughing and chatting.

To be cautious, Hoffa cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself.

"Disillusio."

The familiar sensation of icy liquid enveloped him.

Hoffa knew he was now in stealth mode.

He carefully climbed the wooden stairs leading to the upper floor. The closer he got, the clearer the voices became—people laughing, bells ringing, and doors opening and closing. Reaching the door at the top of the stairs, he slipped through and found himself behind the counter of Honeydukes.

Crouching, he crept to the side and then straightened up.

No one noticed his presence. The Disillusionment Charm worked just as well as an Invisibility Cloak—perhaps even better. A cloak could be stepped on, but a spell couldn't.

The shop was packed with Hogwarts students. Honeydukes was a wonderland of sweets, with shelves stacked high with the most enticing candies imaginable: large chunks of creamy peanut brittle, glowing pink coconut ice cakes, rows upon rows of assorted chocolates, barrels of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, buckets of fizzing whizzbees, and racks of fruit-flavored drinks.

Shoppers laughed and chatted as they picked out their treats, the atmosphere lively and cheerful.

Hoffa, stealthily navigating through the crowd, kept a sharp eye on his surroundings while carefully avoiding bumping into older students.

Then, he noticed a stunning upper-year girl standing near the door, laughing and chatting with a group of boys. Feeling mischievous, Hoffa lightly ran a finger across the girl's waist and hip before slipping out of Honeydukes behind a boy opening the door.

The girl, furious, immediately turned and slapped a random passing boy.

The boy, utterly baffled and indignant, stared at her in shock.

And so, a small commotion began.

Hoffa silently laughed to himself, his imagination running wild with the endless possibilities for the Disillusionment Charm.

Entering the girls' bathroom, the dormitories, the showers...

This, this is the true essence of being a wizard...

Hiss!

Suddenly, a faint, sharp pain shot through Hoffa's mind, snapping him out of his daydreams.

He felt an odd sensation in his body, as though something was slightly off, but it quickly faded without leaving a trace.

Focusing back on the task at hand, Hoffa turned his attention to increasing his exploration percentage.

The system in his mind began rapidly logging exploration progress. While it wasn't as exaggerated as King's Cross Station, it was significantly faster compared to the snail-like pace at Hogwarts.

After only exploring two streets, the system indicated a 5% increase in exploration progress.

He spotted Zonkos Joke Shop. So it existed even this early?

And a wizarding post office. Wizards have post offices too?

Hoffa was tempted to visit the Shrieking Shack, a famous Hogsmeade landmark. But then he remembered that the Shrieking Shack only gained its eerie reputation during the time of Harry Potter's father, thanks to the howling of a werewolf inside.

Since Remus Lupin hadn't even been born yet, there was no Shrieking Shack to explore.

...

As Hoffa turned down the street behind the post office, he discovered its purpose.

Wizards used owls for mail delivery, just like he'd imagined—but these were communal owls.

While observing the neat rows of owl cages, a series of posters caught Hoffa's attention.

"The Conflict Among Wizards Never Ends—Eliminate All German Dark Wizards!"

The posters displayed moving pictures, each featuring a snarling head accompanied by a line of text:

(500 Galleons for the head of each German Dark Wizard.)

Another wave of mild dizziness hit Hoffa as he stared at the posters, stunned.

"The conflict among wizards never ends. 500 Galleons per head." Below the message, the official seal of the British Ministry of Magic was clearly visible.

Hoffa could almost sense the bloodshed concealed beneath the peaceful surface of this village.

He recalled the wartime recruitment posters he'd seen on the streets of London, advertising for World War II.

And here, he saw the magical equivalent.

The posters looked freshly hung, likely only a day or two old.

Has the shadow of war already extended into the wizarding world? Or perhaps wars between wizards from different nations have never truly ceased.

After reading the flyers, Hoffa's playful mood dampened somewhat. He recalled that Indor had called him here for something urgent.

Though he still had no idea what this "urgent matter" was.

Crossing the road, a few minutes later Hoffa slipped into the Two Broomsticks Inn behind a tall male wizard.

It's worth noting that in later years, this place would be known as the Three Broomsticks.

Of course, that change came after Madam Rosmerta took over as the proprietor.

The inn was crowded and noisy, though still more pleasant than the environment of the Leaky Cauldron.

Warm and filled with swirling smoke—hazy wisps from patrons' pipes—thin veils of grayish mist danced around the candlelight mounted on the walls, giving the yellow glow a dreamy quality. The walls were adorned with a few loudly arguing oil paintings, most of which had been stained by spilled drinks, their colors slightly altered.

Behind the bar stood a burly, bearded man tending to a rowdy group of wizards.

A large sign above the bar displayed the drinks on offer:

Forgetfulness Potion, Canyon Water, Nettle Mead, Sherry, Mead, Elderflower Wine, Cherry Syrup, Licorice Beer... and of course, the ever-familiar Butterbeer was prominently listed.

However, since Hoffa was currently under a Disillusionment Charm, stopping for a drink was out of the question.

Carefully stepping through the bustling crowd, Hoffa maneuvered cautiously.

Suddenly, the dizziness returned, stronger this time.

Feeling uneasy, Hoffa quickened his search for Indor.

Loud laughter erupted from the crowd, the noise almost shaking the roof.

"Hah! Two Forgetfulness Potions, on my tab!" a familiar voice called out.

"You're the most generous goblin I've ever met!"

"Goblins don't lack money. Come on, one more round!"

Hoffa turned to see a group of people gathered around, with the sharp clack of cards echoing from the center. Finding an empty chair, he climbed onto it for a better view.

Sure enough, it was him. And once again, that guy was gambling.

Indor sat casually at the table's edge, dressed in his familiar suit.

Coins were scattered across the table while several burly wizards guzzled licorice beer nearby, their cheeks flushed red and mouths frothing with foam.

Hoffa frowned. This is the so-called urgent matter?

Dragging him out of Hogwarts, only to gamble here? What exactly was going through this guy's head?

Jumping down from the chair, Hoffa struggled to weave his way through the tightly packed robes of wizards craning their necks to watch the game.

But as he reached the center of the gambling circle, the dizziness worsened significantly. Hoffa had to grab onto a chair to keep himself steady.

Taking a deep breath, he worked to stabilize his inexplicably poor condition.

Without wasting time, Hoffa stepped forward and grabbed the goblin's ear, hissing quietly, "You'd better give me a good explanation, or I'll use you as a test subject for the new curses I just learned at Hogwarts."

(End of Chapter)

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