Chapter 341: An Accident
Another month slipped by.
The school remained as peaceful as ever. Apart from Peeves tirelessly matching wits with the students day after day, nothing major had happened.
Outwardly, Kael, Gandalf, and Galadriel all seemed relaxed. In truth, none of them had let their guard drop.
Two months into the term with still no sign of the hidden infiltrator, Kael's mood inevitably soured.
There could be a thousand days for a thief, but there could not be a thousand days spent guarding against one.
He could not simply let someone skulk beneath his nose, doing as they pleased. That was nothing less than a provocation.
He could almost picture that shadowy enemy now, laughing in the dark as they watched him and the others search so hard and find nothing.
Two months of effort, with himself, Galadriel, and Gandalf working together, had still not flushed the intruder out.
That alone proved the infiltrator would not be easy to deal with.
Kael would have to find another way and drag them into the open as soon as possible.
If the hidden enemy truly struck, especially in a school with over two hundred students, any harm done to a child would be a wound that could never be undone.
It was then that Kael thought of the Marauder's Map.
The Marauder's Map had been crafted by James Potter, Harry's father, and his friends. It was an enchanted map containing a detailed plan of Hogwarts Castle, and it showed, in real time, the name and position of every person and ghost within its walls.
Even someone as powerful as Dumbledore could not hide his presence from the Map.
That alone showed how remarkable it was.
Kael did not know the exact method by which the Map had originally been made. But with his current mastery of alchemy and magic, creating something similar was not beyond him.
The Marauders had only been in their fourth or fifth year when they made it, after all. The magic involved was not truly advanced.
For Kael, crafting such a map would now take at most half a month.
The most tedious part of making a Marauder's Map lay in drawing a complete and accurate floor plan of the castle, down to the last room and corridor.
The four Marauders had needed half a year to map Hogwarts fully.
Kael did not have to go through all that. When he had asked the Dwarves to build the castle, Balin had left behind the architectural plans.
So Kael skipped the surveying altogether. On a sheet of dragonhide, with a special ink that would never fade, he carefully drew out the entire castle, including Weathertop and part of the Black Lake.
But while Kael was immersed in making the Map, the hidden enemy apparently decided not to give him the time he needed. After two months of silent lurking, they finally made a move.
In November, the winds of the North had already brought chill to Eriador.
Down the mountain, the Black Lake had begun to freeze, a thin skin of ice gleaming under the winter sun.
The people of Hogsmeade had put on their thickest clothes. Unless they had to, none of them wanted to set foot outside, preferring to huddle by their hearths.
Up on the mountain, Hogwarts Castle was another world entirely.
While winter gripped the slopes below, the heights remained as warm and green as spring.
The golden mallorn and the silver White Tree shone with a gentle light. The lawns stayed a rich, emerald green; the flowers in the gardens were still in full bloom, their fragrance drifting in the air.
Even the woods beyond the castle were lush and full, showing no sign of withering.
This strange contrast was due not only to the life‑power of the White Tree and the mallorn, but also to the presence of Galadriel and Gandalf.
As bearers of Nenya, the Ring of Water, and Narya, the Ring of Fire, they naturally shaped the world around them. Under the influence of the Elven Rings, time itself on Weathertop had slowed or stilled.
So while winter had already fallen elsewhere, the summit remained in perpetual spring.
In this warm, pleasant air, the castle hosted another Quidditch match.
Almost every student and professor had gathered at the pitch to watch Phoenix House play Basilisk House.
Only Kael remained in his office, working alone on the Marauder's Map.
Before long, he heard hurried footsteps and a sharp knock at the door.
"Come in," Kael called, looking up.
"Headmaster, something has happened!" Professor Edward blurted the moment he entered, his face tight with alarm.
Kael's expression hardened. "What is it?"
"During the Quidditch match," Edward said, "several of Phoenix House's brooms suddenly failed. They came apart in mid‑air, and the players fell from a great height. If Professor Gandalf had not reacted quickly to save them, we might have had a tragedy on our hands."
Kael's face darkened.
"What exactly happened? Why did the brooms fail? Who did it? Has anyone found out?"
Edward shook his head. "There was no answer when I came. Professor Gandalf and Lady Galadriel sent me to fetch you at once."
"Then let us go," Kael said, rising at once. Without further delay, he left the office at Edward's side.
When they reached the pitch, the stands were empty. The professors had already sent the students back to the castle.
Only Gandalf, Galadriel, Allensis – Professor of Potions and Head of Basilisk House – and a Basilisk Quidditch player in full gear remained.
Gandalf and Galadriel both looked grave. Professor Allensis's face was stormy.
The Basilisk student was quietly sobbing, his expression one of raw fear and panic.
Kael looked at him. He remembered this boy: a first‑year, one of the three southern Dúnedain from Gondor.
"Gandalf, Lady Galadriel," Kael asked them directly, "what exactly happened? Have you found who tampered with the brooms?"
Gandalf nodded, his expression grim, and his eyes went to the weeping boy.
"Thanks to Lady Galadriel," he said, "we discovered the culprit at once. It is this student, Angbor.
"According to what he told us, he snuck into Phoenix House's broom cupboard before the match. He used Alohomora to open it and sabotaged the internal structure of the brooms so they would fall apart in the air."
Kael turned his full attention back to the Basilisk student.
"Mr Angbor," he said, "can you explain why you did this? Why did you deliberately damage the brooms? Do you understand that you could have killed your schoolmates?"
When he had been secretly investigating the infiltrator, Kael had paid close attention to all the students.
In his memory, Angbor was a fallen noble of Gondor, shy and reserved. He had the ambition to grow stronger, but lacked the temperament to commit such a malicious act.
Under Kael's questioning, Angbor shook all over. Tears streamed down his face. His eyes were full of terror, regret, and unease.
"S‑sob… Please do not expel me, Headmaster!" he cried. "I do not know why I did it. There was just… There was a voice in my head, telling me over and over to destroy Phoenix House's brooms, and then we would win, we would get the Quidditch Cup…
"I did not want to do it, but I could not control myself…"