An Iron Gate

Li Mu and the others pushed themselves harder, running through two corridors. They had no time to care about the exhaustion surging through every part of their bodies.

Then they stopped. Hinata had taken the lead again, stopping before an iron gate.

This was really bad.

Yes, this was clearly a corridor. Who could have expected an iron gate to appear halfway through and completely block their path?

Points of light gathered on her wand, forming a beam that shot at the iron gate's lock. Nothing changed. The iron gate still stood before them, its lock completely intact. Li Mu frowned and tried pushing the gate, then pulling it.

It did not budge. Suddenly, he thought of something, and his heart sank like a stone into the sea.

"What floor did we run to?" he asked his friends, but no one paid him any attention.

Ron could only complain to Hermione, unable to hold himself back. "Come on, aren't you the 'Know-It-All'? Are you sure you said the spell right?"

Hermione was so furious that her bushy hair seemed ready to stand on end. The hand holding her wand trembled slightly, and she ground out through clenched teeth, "I clearly—told—you!"

"Keep it down..." Li Mu said helplessly, trying to soothe them. He could faintly hear Filch's footsteps now. Then he asked, "Hinata, did we run back to the fourth floor?"

From the beginning, he had not expected much from the others—Harry, Ron, and even Hermione had merely followed Hinata, running forward blindly in their panic. He did not expect them to have noticed the route they had taken. He had kept asking Hinata because he had guessed at a possibility... Perhaps they were now in the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor, the place forbidden to all teachers and students, where the Philosopher's Stone was hidden...

"Probably." Hinata examined the iron gate and gave him a perfunctory reply.

Oh, heavens... Li Mu practically wanted to slap his forehead and let out a long sigh—the Trophy Room was clearly in the corridor on the left side of the fourth floor... In other words, after running in circles for so long, they had ended up back here... But what could they do? There were no other turns in this corridor. Going back now would only mean getting caught.

Filch's footsteps were getting closer and closer.

"What a persistent bastard. Is Gryffindor going to lose points again?" Even Harry Potter had lost his composure and let out a despondent sigh.

"No, maybe it won't be just that. Filch will definitely find a way to make our punishment worse..." Ron looked thoroughly dejected as well. "So many of us sneaking out at once—we might really have to start buying train tickets home."

A night wind happened to blow into the corridor, its cold breath making the companions look even more miserable and forlorn. Li Mu shook his head and sighed. He had no solution for the iron gate. The only methods he could think of, apart from the Wall-Passing Spell, were physically forcing the door open.

He had not learned the Wall-Passing Spell yet, and as for smashing the door down... Did they really think Filch was an idiot? Still, he was not worried about being expelled—if nothing else, Dumbledore would never expel Harry Potter. At most, they would be punished with cleaning the Trophy Room again.

Just then, Hinata suddenly spoke. "Don't worry. This gate has only been sealed by a spell."

Her voice was still quiet, but compared to her usual shy demeanor, she sounded much calmer and steadier. Then she began issuing orders. "Li Mu, cast the Obscuring Charm and buy me some time."

Li Mu froze. How did Hinata know he always carried several Obscuring Charms on him?

"Ask later if you have questions." Hinata's calm tone carried unquestionable authority. "Hermione, get ready. When I say now, use the Unlocking Charm again."

At that moment, although her face was still slightly flushed, her entire bearing and pressure seemed to have changed. She was even more commanding than Hermione when she gave orders.

Then, without waiting for a response, Hinata raised both hands. Her ten fingers shifted through one hand sign after another. Gradually, a faint white glow appeared over her left hand.

Naturally, it would be better if they were not caught. Li Mu had already pulled five yellow talismans from his robe. Vermilion spell patterns had been drawn on them as well, though these patterns differed from those on the talismans he had used before. He tossed the five slips into the air, formed Sword Fingers with his hand, and chanted, "Heaven and earth have spirits, heed my command. A leaf before the eye, reverse the five elements."

At his words, the five talismans fluttered in the night wind, suddenly falling into the five points of a star and faintly forming a pentagram-shaped wall in midair. Then dim blue flames rose, and the five talismans vanished from the air.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched the wondrous sight with rapt attention.

"It worked. Filch can't see us for now, but don't make any noise." Li Mu caught his breath. The principle behind the Obscuring Charm was somewhat similar to the Disillusionment Charm in Western magic: both used camouflage to blend into the surroundings, making it difficult for others to notice them.

But now, in such an emergency, he had to conceal such a large group of people. The Obscuring Charm had practically become an Obscuration Charm array, and he could not help feeling drained.

At this moment, Hinata had already pressed her left hand against the iron gate's lock. A faint silver pentagram flashed across the lock. It vanished in an instant; its glow brightened, then gradually faded.

Li Mu and the others watched Hinata's movements with great interest. Suddenly, all their expressions changed.

The footsteps had become extremely loud, as though they were right beside their ears.

Harry and Ron turned around to look, nearly crying out in fright.

Mrs. Norris was leading Filch along the far end of the corridor, following the route they had taken. They were truly close now. By the light of the stars and moon, Harry and the others could even make out the long whiskers on either side of Mrs. Norris's nose.

The five of them and Filch, along with his cat, were now less than a hundred meters apart, with absolutely no barrier between them.

Had Filch seen them too? Harry could not decide. He turned to look at Li Mu's expression, only to nearly leap up in frustration. Li Mu had already flattened himself tightly against the floor, curling into a ball as if trying to disguise himself as a carpet. Clearly, he had little confidence in the Obscuring Charm himself.

Filch and Mrs. Norris kept approaching. Now they were close enough that the group could almost make out Mr. Filch's long, black nose hairs sticking out of his nostrils.

"Strange..." Filch looked around as he walked. "Darling, are you sure it's this way? There doesn't seem to be anything here..."

The five of them were plainly right in front of him, yet he saw nothing. The sight made Filch look like a blind old man.

(End of Chapter)