When he was confirmed that his command was useless to Amortrus Brain, Malfur's eyes gradually grew cold.
He didn't want to pay any attention to him at all; he just wanted to go back and finish his letter. But for some reason, as the man with the title of Investigator Brean, who was polite in his farewell and walked towards the dormitory, he still followed him from behind.
"I have to keep an eye on you, Brean. In case anyone finds out about lost valuable items when school starts!"
When Amortrus Brean found out that Draco Malfoy was falling behind him and looked surprised, Malfoy snarled, "I don't dare guarantee the safety of an unknown person!"
"Your words are reasonable, Mr. Malfoy. Then, please act as a witness for me."
Amortrus nodded and turned away from him, no longer paying attention.
There were many empty dormitories in the dormitory building of each college. Whenever a wizard graduate, the dormitory they have lived for seven years will become vacant, but this room does not necessarily be put into use immediately, but may be vacant for two years before a new first year wizard lives in it.
"This is my dormitory!"
So, when Brean stopped in front of his dormitory, Draco's face turned as black as cinder.
"Oh, is that so?" Amortrus raised his eyebrow, "Then it's really a fortunate coincidence that it saves me the trouble of having to use violent means to open the door. So... Mr. Malfoy, could you please do me a favor and open the door for me?"
Reluctant though he was, since he was already here, Draco Malfoy found himself curious about the contents of the dormitory he had occupied. He seemed to have noticed that Amortrus was not a wealthy man, and thus threatened menacingly,
"If you damage anything, I'll make you pay for it!"
This dormitory has changed a lot from the time when Amortrus Brean was in school, but the position of the bed doesn't seem to have moved much. He stood at the door for a while, analyzing carefully, and then walked towards the window.
Outside the window was Black Lake, its surface shimmering with silvery-green waves year-round. This was an excellent vantage point. When he first arrived at Hogwarts, he didn't live there, but after the Christmas holiday of fifth year, unable to resist the urgent invitations from his fellow roommates, he was 'forced' to move there.
The wizards living here now probably have a lot of money, Amortrus saw a Quidditch broom series of the latest model leaning against the bedhead. The bedding wasn't the school-provided for wizards, but was made of gold thread and the best velvet filled with top-quality geese feathers.
"Oh, it looks so grandiose--"
Amortrus curiously examined the exquisite household items arranged around the bed. Turning to ask who owned the bed, he was puzzled until he saw Draco Malfoy's face had darkened further behind him, and the answer was clear.
"It seems like we have a strong connection, Mr. Malfoy."
"I can see it now, you're a liar," Malfoy spoke with certainty, "I've lived in this bed for almost two years and haven't noticed anything wrong with it!"
"Perhaps it's because you haven't been observant enough, Mr. Malfoy."
Knowing that Malfoy may not be too fond of him, Amortrus didn't intend to stay long. He picked up the Quidditch broom from the bedhead and threw it to Malfoy, then instructed him to wait by the door.
"Do you think I would steal from you?"
"Not at all," Amortrus pulled out a wand from his sleeve, "To ensure that the important items I've placed here are not accidentally taken away, I've left a contingency plan. There might be a bit of a stir when I handle it, but don't worry, Mr. Malfoy, with my life and reputation at stake, I guarantee I can protect your safety."
Amortrus held his wand and approached the luxurious bedside, staring at the rough stone surface. Starting from the side near the window, he counted to the seventh brick, then focused on the gap between the eighth and ninth bricks. He then waved his wand to move aside the bedside table and looked down to the ground, counting seven more bricks inwards, which was exactly one-third of the bed's height.
He squatted down and used his wand to cut a small incision on his arm, spewing hot red blood that poured onto the dark green tiles.
"What are you doing!"
Malfoy scowled and slowly walked over, looking disgusted.
"You use what seems to be black magic to protect your stuff?"
After healing himself, Amortrus focused intently on the ground. The blood that had spilled onto the stone tiles was writhing bizarrely, affected by some force, and was desperately drilling into the earth. In no time, it completely disappeared into the ground, and then a slender golden snake with an uplifted head emerged from the center of the tiles.
"Don't say things like that, Mr. Malfoy. It would make me think you're not a student of Slytherin."
The appearance of the golden snake signified that his protective magic had not failed, and in a good mood, Amortrus joked at him.
"All right, Mr. Malfoy, if you're not willing to wait outside, then you better get yourself prepared mentally; don't be scared by what's inside."
Malfoy wanted to mock him a few words, but the words were stuck in his throat. Suddenly, he felt that the Amortrus Brean in front of him seemed a bit strange. However, his pride wouldn't let him be scared so easily. After hesitating for a moment, he didn't move his feet.
Amortrus didn't bother to care about Malfoy anymore. He took out his wand and pointed it at the small golden snake, along with the incantation chanted, the magic in the air became viscous, and the already dim room became even darker.
Sssss~
The golden snake let out a hiss and stretched its body, swaying to and fro along the seam of the stone tile it inhabited, moving as quickly as a shadow. Finally, it returned to its original position, its figure becoming gradually dimmer until it disappeared completely.
After some effort, a streak of light flashed across the dark green stone tiles, and then the tiles flared up from the middle, revealing a two-foot-deep black hole.
After a few seconds, the room remained silent. Unable to contain his curiosity, Draco Malfoy peeked in. When he saw the trinket on the stone box at the bottom of the hole, his expression stiffened for a moment before he grinned, baring his teeth and saying,
"So you said the big commotion was just a spider the size of a fist?"
Malfoy smirked derisively, "And this spider looks like it's done for, Brean. It can't be the pet you had in school, can it? You went to so much trouble just to find a grave for it?"
"I have a different opinion from yours, Mr. Malfoy. I believe this spider is still alive."
Amortrus stared at the spider that was motionless on the cover of the stone box and calmly said, "It may just need some stimulation after being in such dark environments for too long." He then retreated a step behind.
Speaking, Amortrus pointed his wand at the spider, and a breeze appeared out of thin air.
As he had said, when the gentle breeze swept over the spider's dense, hair-like legs, the spider that had tucked its eight legs beneath its belly suddenly reacted. It lifted its ugly head, and its eight emerald eyes spun wildly.
"--That's all, it can... "
Swoosh!
Before Malfoy finished his sentence, the spider's eight legs snapped out rapidly. Its jumping ability was astonishing; with a powerful leap from its fist-sized body, it landed directly on the ceiling. Then, a blur of shadows passed, and after being confined for four or five years, the eight-eyed spider finally returned to its original size!
Bang!
As the eight-eyed spider landed, the dormitory was shaken like the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed. The two beds that were adjacent in the center of the room were directly crushed into pieces by its massive body!
Click, click, click!
The eight-eyed spider, which had been imprisoned by Amortrus for six or seven years, wildly flailed its mandibles if it could talk. Amortrus was sure that his ancestors and eighteen generations would probably be cursed!
The endless fury and anger made it impossible for the eight-eyed spider, which had suddenly regained its freedom, to remain calm for even a moment. Its two large black claws flailed wildly in the air. With its six long legs covered in hard hair supporting its massive body, it rampaged around the room. In no time, except for Malfoy's bed, there was hardly any intact item left in the room.
Crack!
Eventually, the calmed-down spider used all six of its legs to anchor itself to the solid stone wall. It was positioned under the ceiling on the other side of the room, looking down at Amortrus with eight staring eyes, its mandibles wide open to the maximum, ready for a fierce battle!
"Hey, it's been a while, little eight eyes!"
Amortrus waved his right hand, which held the wand, "I'm really glad to see you still so energetic!"
"What have you been doing..."
Malfoy, who was paralyzed on the ground and staring blankly at Amortrus's forehead, mumbled in a dreamy tone. Suddenly, his face turned pale and then bright red as if reflecting back the sunlight. He popped up from the ground, roaring at Amortrus with a voice filled with anger and terror.
"You dare to hide such a thing beside my bed, Brean! I'll tell my father about this, and you won't even see tomorrow before you're kicked out!"
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