Three Treasures

In Skylar's dormitory, he spread the three items out before him on his bed.

He examined the suitcase first. Skylar carefully opened it with his wand, only to find that it was no different from an utterly ordinary Muggle suitcase. It was completely empty, and there was no trace of magic having been cast on it.

After a moment's thought, Skylar tapped the suitcase with his wand and fed a small amount of magic into it. Sure enough, the suitcase began to vibrate faintly. A brass dial appeared on it, along with a small plaque that read "Muggle Mode."

Skylar turned the dial, and the little plaque slipped into it with a whoosh. He opened the suitcase again. Just as he leaned forward slightly, intending to get a better look inside, an irresistible force of suction dragged his entire body into the suitcase.

Inside the suitcase was a vast little world. In the distance lay endless mountain ranges. Before the mountains was a tranquil pale-green lake, clear and smooth as a mirror. Along the lake's edge stood an immense stretch of towering, shadowy woods. Where Skylar stood was a sea of brilliantly colored flowers, split in two by a narrow path. He followed the path to its end, where a simple wooden cabin stood.

Skylar entered the cabin and found a well-equipped laboratory. A long desk was covered in all manner of intricately designed instruments, along with several scattered sheets of parchment explaining the identity of the suitcase's original owner.

That was right—this was Newt Scamander's Suitcase, belonging to the protagonist of the Fantastic Beasts films. In his youth, Scamander had been a scholar of Fantastic Beasts. He traveled the world with this suitcase, helping and rescuing every magical creature he encountered on his journeys. The suitcase contained an unprecedented Undetectable Extension Charm, creating a space large enough to hold an entire wildlife park from the Muggle world.

Yet that enormous space was merely the most insignificant feature of the suitcase.

Its true marvel lay in its use of alchemy to create natural elements such as air, moisture, and temperature within its interior space, while independently sustaining an ecological cycle and accommodating vastly different terrains. Different areas of the suitcase had been inscribed with different weather charms to simulate the habitats of various creatures. Every known Fantastic Beast in the wizarding world could find a suitable environment to live in here.

Scamander had once been a Hufflepuff student at Hogwarts. In his fourth year, he had been expelled for taking the blame for Leta Lestrange, the girl he secretly loved. Back then, he took this school-owned suitcase with him and began his own adventures. It was not until many years later, when he reached retirement age and finally let go of his grievances toward Hogwarts, that he asked his son to return the suitcase to the school. He had never expected his son to return it by hiding it in the Room of Requirement. Fortunately, that was precisely why Skylar had been able to obtain this magical suitcase.

This suitcase had endless uses for Skylar. He could establish and train his own army of Fantastic Beasts here. Just imagine it: an army made up of fire dragons and Thunderbirds. Though Skylar had completely thrown the difficulty of taming five-star creatures to the back of his mind, it was still an exhilarating prospect. Look at Voldemort—hadn't he also built a dark creature legion made up of Acromantulas and Dementors?

Besides that, the space within the suitcase could serve as a secret base for building his own power. He could conduct all kinds of secret experiments and research in the cabin, or even practice forbidden spells.

As for the Room of Requirement? Please. Leaving aside the possibility of running into Harry's Dumbledore's Army in the future, could a place known even to that useless professor Trelawney and the House Elves really be called a "secret base"? The Room of Requirement could stay with Harry and his little troop of scouts.

After a stream of thoughts passed through his mind, Skylar returned from the suitcase to his room and began studying the second magical item.

It was a pure silver dagger, with obscure ancient runes engraved on both sides. The runes connected in strange patterns, forming a miniature magic array. Skylar happened to be skilled at deciphering Ancient Runes, and after several hours, he successfully decoded the array.

One side of the dagger was engraved with the ancient Unbreakable Curse. Unlike the modern Shield-Breaking Curse, the Unbreakable Curse could grant a weapon the physical property of ignoring all physical defenses. In other words, once Skylar activated the magic array with his power, even the toughest dragon hide or diamond could be easily pierced. The other side bore the more sinister Soul-Corroding Curse, a curse-type spell capable of directly harming the soul.

Skylar was both shocked and delighted by the discovery. This dagger had arrived at exactly the right time. One side could let him pierce the Basilisk's skin, while the other could be used to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. He was speechless at his extraordinary luck. Could it be that he was the true child of destiny in this world, blessed by the protagonist's halo?

The third item, Ravenclaw's Diadem, contained a fragment of Voldemort's soul. Skylar knew that his current strength was still insufficient to deal with the various contingencies Voldemort might have left behind. Ever cautious, he did not think it was the right time to study it. He could only set it aside for now and take it out again once he had grown stronger.

[Scamander's Suitcase acquired!]

[Pure Silver Dagger acquired!]

[Ravenclaw's Diadem acquired!]

Having completed his adventure in the Room of Requirement, Skylar began considering his next step. With his strength, it seemed he was capable of venturing into the Forbidden Forest. The problem was that his knowledge of it was limited to what he had read in the original story. He needed more information—perhaps even a map of the Forbidden Forest—before he could plan his route.

The person who knew the Forbidden Forest best was undoubtedly Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds. Unfortunately, Skylar did not share Harry's group's advantage of having a close friendship with Hagrid. As a Slytherin of Malfoy blood, he doubted he could earn Hagrid's goodwill, much less any help.

As for stealing a map... Skylar did not think much of that idea. Based on the original story's descriptions, that big lummox did not seem like the sort of person who planned routes or drew maps. More likely, he had simply relied on experience and instinct to find his own way through the Forbidden Forest.

The plan to explore the Forbidden Forest could be put aside for now. Christmas break was approaching, and things in the family were far from peaceful this year. Since the start of term, Arthur Weasley had searched House of Malfoy twice more. His parents had already written to tell him and Draco to remain at Hogwarts for Christmas break.

A few days later, a notice appeared on the student bulletin board in the common room: Hogwarts would be holding a Dueling Club on December 17.

The explosive news sparked enormous interest among the students. They spread the word excitedly and eagerly speculated about the identity of the organizer. Most guessed it was Professor Flitwick or Headmaster Dumbledore. Only Skylar, who knew the plot, curled his lip. Naive youths. They were in for a bitter disappointment, because the real organizer was that useless fraud, Lockhart.

Although Skylar despised Lockhart as the organizer, he was quite interested in the Dueling Club itself. He decided to attend that day, hoping to find an opponent of roughly equal skill to test himself against.

At eight o'clock on Wednesday evening, after finishing dinner and returning briefly to their common rooms, the students hurried back to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished. A gilded stage stood against one wall, illuminated by hundreds of candles floating overhead. Everyone was packed tightly together, wands in hand, their faces filled with excitement as they chattered away and eagerly awaited Dumbledore's appearance.

Then Lockhart stepped onto the stage, dressed in dazzling violet robes.

The lively atmosphere in the Great Hall suddenly froze. The chatter vanished entirely when everyone saw that the person beside Lockhart was none other than Snape, wearing his usual black robes and looking utterly grim.

The students who had been hoping to learn something worthwhile were disappointed to discover that the Dueling Club had become a joke.

Lockhart had originally planned to demonstrate how to duel, but he had chosen the wrong opponent. Snape was certainly not a young wizard he could push around in class.

After Lockhart counted down three times, Snape merely flicked his wand. A brilliant flash of red light shot before everyone's eyes. Lockhart was struck off balance and sent flying backward off the stage. He slammed into the wall, then slid down and curled up on the floor.

Amid the girls' shrill screams, Lockhart staggered to his feet. His hat had fallen off, and every strand of his wavy curls stood on end.

He stumbled back onto the stage and said, "I think everyone saw that, didn't they? That was an Expelliarmus spell. As you saw, I lost my wand. Yes, Professor Snape, showing them that move was an excellent idea. But don't take this the wrong way—I could tell far too clearly what you were trying to do just now. If I had wanted to stop you, it would have taken no effort at all. Still, I thought that, in the interests of broadening their horizons, it might be useful to let them see..."

Noticing the murderous look on Snape's face, Lockhart hurriedly said, "The demonstration ends here. Now I'll come down among you and divide you into pairs. Professor Snape, if you would care to assist me..."

They moved through the crowd, pairing everyone up. Whether out of malice or not, Snape paired Draco with Harry, Skylar with Ron, and Hermione with a broad, heavily built Slytherin girl named Millicent Bulstrode...

The moment Lockhart finished counting down from three, green smoke spread through the air above the entire hall. Harry and Draco were both struck by each other's curses. Draco laughed so hard he rolled around on the floor, while Harry was forced to perform a strange dance until Snape went over and lifted the spells. Neville and Justin were both lying on the floor, gasping for breath. Hermione and Millicent were still moving—Millicent had Hermione's head locked under her arm while Hermione whimpered in pain. Both their wands had been forgotten on the floor.

As for Skylar? Ron had only just raised his wand and had not even managed to say a single word of the incantation before Skylar easily disarmed him. Ron had not even reacted yet, standing there in bewilderment. Skylar curled his lip. His opponent was far too weak—there was not the slightest challenge to be found.

From a distance, Snape caught sight of this and wore a thoughtful expression.