Back inside the castle, the four of you returned to the hidden Slytherin chamber beneath the dormitories.
Green serpent symbols glowed faintly across the walls.
Books surrounded you on every side.
The air smelled of dust and old parchment.
Julian placed the Naomi Mansion book on a stone table.
The others gathered around.
Oliver flipped through the pages carefully.
"These diagrams… they're too detailed."
Lake leaned closer.
"Look at this."
He pointed to a drawing of the mansion's underground level.
Strange symbols filled the basement area.
Circles.
Runes.
Something enormous is hidden beneath the house.
Noah studied the notes beside the drawing.
"This isn't just a mansion."
Julian narrowed his eyes.
"What is it then?"
Noah slowly turned the page.
The next diagram revealed something massive buried beneath the estate.
A structure carved deep underground.
Like a vault.
Or a prison.
At the bottom of the page were two words written in faded ink.
"The Gate."
Lake frowned.
"Gate to what?"
Nobody answered.
Because none of them knew.
But one thing was clear.
Naomi's mansion wasn't just a haunted house.
It was guarding something ancient.
Something powerful.
Something the four of you had just begun to understand.
Outside the castle walls…
Deep in the forest…
Naomi stood on the porch of the witch's house.
She looked toward the distant towers of Hogwarts.
And smiled.
Her trap was slowly closing.