The Mysterious Shadow

  Scarlett, Daniel and Tom gathered near the library archway, whispering over their plan. They all knew one thing: breaking into the Restricted Section wasn’t possible without help. And not just anyone’s help.

  They needed Light Parker.

  Light had two older brothers—one in Fifth Year and another in Seventh. That meant he knew nearly every trick for sneaking past wards, teachers and curfews. If anyone could get them close to Moste Potente Potions, it was him.

  So they split up.

  “I’ll check the Great Hall,” Scarlett said. “He always hangs around the dessert table.”

  “I’ll check the grounds,” Tom added. “He might be playing with his silly cards again.”

  Daniel sighed. “Then I’ll try near Aurivex common room. He likes the staircase there.”

  They nodded and went separate ways.

  After a few minutes

  Tom and Daniel waited quietly in the common library. The long shelves were empty, except for the floating candles drifting above them.

  Suddenly footsteps echoed.

  Scarlett appeared… and behind her were Light Parker and two of his closest friends, Finn and Ray.

  Light grinned the moment he saw Daniel and Tom. “Well, well. The first-years who walked into the Fifth-Year section by accident. What do you want now?”

  Scarlett didn’t waste a second. “We need your help. And it’s important.”

  Light leaned against a shelf, amused. “Everything that starts with ‘we need your help’ usually ends with detention. Start talking.”

  Scarlett took a breath and explained the plan.

  The Master Plan

  She spoke quietly, but confidently.

  “There’s a weak point in the Restricted Section. The wards get refreshed at midnight by Professor Malfoy. But for about a minute before she arrives, the old enchantment fades out. Only a tiny bit, but enough for someone who knows how to move quietly.”

  Light raised a brow. “And you think I’m that someone?”

  “You’ve snuck into the Owlery after curfew twenty-three times,” Daniel said. “Everyone knows that.”

  “Twenty-four,” Light corrected with pride.

  Scarlett continued, “During that one-minute window, all we need is a Fifth- or Seventh-Year student’s entry permission. You have two brothers. You can borrow one of their signature pins.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Light smirked. “Borrow? You mean steal.”

  Tom said, “We prefer the word temporarily relocate.”

  Light laughed. “And what do I get for risking being skinned alive by my brothers?”

  Scarlett, Tom and Daniel looked at each other.

  Then, at the same time, they said, “One of our favorite game cards.”

  Light blinked. “One each?”

  “No,” he said with a slow, wicked smile. “I want all three.”

  Daniel choked. “All three?! Light, that’s robbery!”

  “That’s business,” Light replied. “And you’re desperate. So? Deal or no deal?”

  Scarlett folded her arms. “If you help us get that book tonight, deal.”

  Light extended his hand.

  They reluctantly shook it.

  Light grinned, victory glowing in his eyes. “Alright then. I’ll get the pin. Meet me here at midnight. And don’t be late. Midnight windows close fast… and so do library doors.”

  As he walked away with his friends, Tom whispered,

  “We just sold our best cards to a devil.”

  Daniel replied softly, “If it gets us into the Restricted Section… maybe it’s worth it.”

  Scarlett looked toward the dark hallway leading to the library.

  “Tonight,” she said quietly, “we break a rule bigger than anything we’ve done before.”

  None of them noticed the faint shadow drifting along the opposite corridor… watching them leave.

  The Shadow in the Corridor

  (Between Chapter 12 and 13 — A Secret Scene)

  The moment Scarlett, Daniel and Tom stepped away from Light, the hallway behind them grew colder. The floating candles dimmed, their flames bending as if pulled by an invisible draft.

  Something moved.

  Not footsteps.

  Not breathing.

  Just… movement.

  A thin, wavering silhouette stretched itself across the stone wall, even though there was no one standing there. It flickered like smoke trapped inside glass, growing longer whenever the trio whispered and shrinking whenever they stopped.

  Daniel felt something brush past his arm. A chill—not icy, but sharp enough to make him shiver. He turned around.

  Nothing.

  “Are you okay?” Scarlett asked.

  “Thought I felt… never mind.” He tried to shake it off.

  Tom glanced around too. “Feels like we’re being stared at.”

  They didn’t know how close they were to the truth.

  The Silent Following

  As the three made their way through the empty corridor, the shadow slid along behind them, clinging to corners, sliding under archways, shrinking itself to a thin strip beneath the moving torches.

  Every time they took a step, it shifted with them.

  Every time they spoke, it flickered.

  Every time Daniel breathed, the shadow trembled… like it was answering him.

  Scarlett stopped suddenly. “Did you hear that?”

  A faint whisper curled through the air.

  Not words.

  Just a soft, low sound—too close to them to be the wind.

  Tom clenched his fist. “Who’s there?”

  No answer.

  But the shadow froze completely, melting into the cracks of the wall like spilled ink.

  The Mysterious Moment

  They continued toward their dorms, unease heavy in their steps.

  They turned the corner.

  For one second—just one—the shadow rose from the ground behind them, curling upright in the shape of a human figure with hollow, pale eyes. It leaned forward as if listening to Daniel’s thoughts.

  Then—

  A heavy chime rang across the castle.

  DONG.

  The shadow collapsed into smoke and vanished.

  Daniel gasped. Scarlett jerked back. Tom’s heart almost stopped.

  “What was—” Tom started.

  A sudden flash of red light burst from the torches on the walls.

  Three glowing orbs of magical light appeared above their heads.

  Daniel and Tom’s turned crimson.

  Scarlett’s turned emerald-green.

  A voice echoed through the corridor. Deep. Cold. Official.

  “Two points lost from Dracorus.”

  “One point lost from Nihilara”

  Daniel stared at the glowing orbs.

  “What did we even do?”

  Tom spread his hands. “We didn’t break any rules!”

  Scarlett swallowed, looking around with wide eyes. “Someone… something… was watching us. Maybe it thought we were sneaking around.”

  Daniel whispered, “Or maybe someone reported us…”

  A cold breeze drifted by.

  For a heartbeat, the shadow’s outline flickered on the far wall—thin as a blade—before fading into nothing.