Shawn gazed at Slytherin's stone statue, but did not linger long in remembrance.
He took out the Snakewood Wand, levitated it in midair, and spoke that embarrassingly dramatic phrase in Parseltongue.
"Hiss~ ha~ hiss~ la~ (Awaken, greatest of all...)."
The Snakewood Wand glowed green in midair and began to swell, rapidly unfurling into a towering snakewood tree thick with branches and leaves once more.
Shawn waved a hand, and the snakewood flew toward the giant statue's outstretched palm. Its lower end settled perfectly into place, as though it had always belonged there.
Then, without Shawn needing to do anything more, the statue began to shake violently and emit waves of green light now that the correct key was in place.
Rumble!
A sloping passage split open at the crown of the statue's head.
With a purple Lightning Ring behind him, Shawn shot forward at tremendous speed and plunged into the passage behind a Necromantic Shield.
The passage was short, and he soon reached its end. By his estimate, the small, roughly hewn stone chamber before him lay at the statue's heart.
The chamber was simply constructed, bearing deep marks of blades and chisels. Apart from a stone platform, it held no furnishings.
As soon as Shawn entered, his gaze settled on the few items atop the platform.
Two books, a note, a metal wand, and a spear resembling an oversized scepter.
Shawn stepped forward and picked up the spear first. The moment he touched it, he felt a sense of kinship. Traces of residual power of faith still clung to it.
It was both a weapon and a collector of faith and the power of prayer.
Presumably, this was Odin's weapon, the Spear of Eternity-Gungnir-and a symbol of authority among the gods of Northern Europe.
The sight of it immediately