The original trio slowly made their way back towards Gryffindor Tower.
After everything that had happened tonight, all three of them were mentally and physically exhausted. Between the troll attack, the chaos in Hogwarts, and Logan nearly collapsing from magical exhaustion, it felt as though they had lived through an entire month in a single evening.
As they walked through the dim corridors, Harry suddenly lowered his voice.
"I think Snape was acting really strangely tonight," he whispered seriously. "I'm telling you, there's definitely something wrong with him. I bet he had something to do with the troll getting into Hogwarts."
Hermione immediately frowned at him.
"Harry, are you just overtired?" she asked sceptically. "Professor Snape looked genuinely worried about students getting hurt tonight. Don't you think you might be overthinking things a little?"
Harry looked frustrated.
Seeing that Hermione clearly didn't believe him, he quickly began explaining everything he had noticed earlier that evening.
He told them about the injury on Snape's leg.
About how Snape had mysteriously appeared alongside the professors.
About the murderous glare Snape had given him after noticing Harry staring at the wound.
The more Harry spoke, the more convinced he became that all the clues connected perfectly.
After hearing the full story, Hermione slowly began reconsidering things herself.
"Oh my god…" she muttered. "If what Harry says is true, then Professor Snape might actually be the one who brought the troll into Hogwarts tonight."
Ron immediately nodded in agreement.
"I honestly think Harry's right," he declared confidently. "Snape's always targeting him for no reason. He's practically obsessed with finding faults in Harry."
Ron crossed his arms dramatically.
"And it's not just Harry either. Anyone close to him gets caught in the crossfire. Especially Neville."
Hermione blinked. "Neville?"
"You've no idea," Ron said with complete seriousness. "At this point, Neville starts trembling the second he hears Snape's voice. I'm pretty sure the poor bloke loses years off his life every Potions lesson."
Harry originally still had a few doubts about his own theory.
But after receiving Ron's extremely passionate support, his confidence immediately skyrocketed.
That was it.
He had definitely uncovered the truth.
Snape must be the mastermind behind tonight's events.
Hermione still felt the entire theory sounded slightly strange, but after listening to Ron's explanation about Snape's long history of terrifying students, even she began wavering.
Maybe Harry really was right.
Maybe Snape actually had planned everything tonight.
...
Far beyond Earth.
Beyond stars, galaxies, and the limits of mortal understanding.
There existed a place where concepts such as time and space no longer held meaning.
At least, they meant nothing to him.
A gentleman wearing an elegant black hat sat suspended within the endless void while holding a silver cane loosely in one hand. Through the infinite haze before him, his eerie eyes remained fixed upon a distant blue planet.
Earth.
Sometimes he quietly rested his chin against his hand while observing it.
Sometimes he shifted positions slowly as though studying some incomprehensible puzzle.
Confusion.
Bewilderment.
Humiliation.
Rage.
Emotions he had not experienced for countless ages churned endlessly within him.
Why?
Why?
Even now, he still could not understand it.
For the first time in his existence, he had encountered a world he could not enter.
That ridiculous blue planet floated right before him, seemingly within reach, and yet some invisible restriction prevented him from crossing into it.
This had never happened before.
He still remembered following that strange starlight towards the world.
Could it be that without that starlight, he never would have found the entrance at all?
What exactly was special about this planet?
He was an Outer God.
A supreme existence beyond mortal comprehension.
And yet now he found himself locked outside a single insignificant world like a fool denied entry to an amusement park because he lacked a ticket.
The humiliation was unbearable.
"Logan Anderson…"
His voice echoed softly through the void.
"Logan Anderson…"
Again.
And again.
As he repeated the name, his expression slowly twisted into something increasingly unstable.
One hand rose towards his own face.
Then his fingernails began digging into his flesh.
Slowly at first.
Then violently.
He tore strips of skin from his own cheek while laughing quietly to himself. Blood dripped soundlessly into the endless void.
The sight was enough to freeze any sane person with terror.
Humans were such amusing creatures.
With only the slightest temptation, they would betray one another, destroy each other, and surrender completely to their desires.
Watching them collapse was usually delightful.
But this time—
This time he had suffered humiliation himself.
And at the hands of a child.
Every time he imagined Logan laughing at him, his fury intensified further.
He wanted the boy's body.
His soul.
And most importantly—
That strange purple book.
The coordinates for revenge already existed directly before him, but without a way inside the world itself, he could do absolutely nothing.
The frustration was maddening.
Of course, perhaps there were other methods.
A loophole.
A back door.
If he forced his way in through special means, he might barely gain access to the world.
But there was a problem.
If he entered in that weakened state, he would become vulnerable.
And even at full strength, the purple book had nearly devoured him completely.
If he descended as something closer to a mortal existence, resisting that book would become impossible.
Fortunately, however—
There seemed to be unusual powers within that world capable of influencing weak-minded humans.
Perhaps he could manipulate a few useful pawns first.
Let them test the waters.
Then he would personally seize his opportunity.
"Hehehe…"
The man's laughter echoed eerily through the void.
"Logan… you belong to me."
"You won't escape."
Then he suddenly paused.
"Still… I should probably choose a proper appearance first."
He tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Oh…"
A strange smile slowly spread across his mutilated face.
"That one seems perfect."
Meanwhile, back inside Hogwarts—
"Oh my god, did you hear what happened last night?"
"What now?"
"You mean the troll attack?"
"The troll's already dead. What else is there to talk about?"
A Gryffindor student immediately slammed both hands against the table dramatically.
"You idiots know nothing. The one who killed the troll was our very own Gryffindor first-year genius—Logan Anderson!"
The Great Hall instantly exploded with noise.
"What?!"
"He's only a first-year!"
"How did he kill a troll?"
"No wonder Professor McGonagall looked proud this morning!"
In almost no time at all, countless exaggerated stories began spreading throughout Hogwarts.
According to the rumours, Logan had bravely fought the troll alone in order to save a helpless young witch. During the battle, he supposedly awakened hidden magical powers before brutally defeating the monster in an earth-shattering duel.
The male students desperately wished they could become the heroic troll slayer.
Meanwhile, many girls became strangely jealous of Hermione for starring in the story beside him.
Some were already imagining themselves taking her place.
And the source of all these increasingly ridiculous rumours?
One red-haired boy.
After returning to the dormitory last night, Ron enthusiastically retold the entire story to everyone in Gryffindor Tower. By morning, he had already repeated it to half the school while adding increasingly dramatic details every single time.
For perhaps the first time in his life, Ron discovered the joy of being the centre of attention.
Unfortunately, Seamus Finnigan proved even worse.
After hearing Ron's version, Seamus immediately decided the story lacked artistic brilliance.
So he rewrote it entirely.
By lunchtime, the tale had transformed into something completely unrecognisable.
According to Seamus's newest version—
In a distant kingdom far across the sea, there once existed a prosperous royal empire ruled by an ancient bloodline.
Hermione Granger was the kingdom's final princess.
But tragedy struck when her evil stepmother, jealous of the royal inheritance, secretly conspired with dark forces to assassinate the innocent heir before she could claim the throne.
However…
Things did not go according to the wicked queen's plan.
.....
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