After receiving the materials provided by Dumbledore, Douglas Holmes immersed himself once more in the study of portal arrays. With the help of Dobby and Sirius Black, and after several rounds of experimentation, he crafted a brand new teleportation array—one he dubbed the Gate of the Secret Realm.
No sooner had the Easter holiday exams ended than Dumbledore summoned the four Heads of House and Douglas to his office.
"Douglas has prepared a new training realm," Dumbledore announced, "and I'll need each of you to set up your own challenges within it."
At that, the Heads of House groaned inwardly, all casting less-than-enthusiastic looks at Douglas.
Just designing the Slytherin Chamber had drained them—every round required fresh tweaks based on student feedback, and they weren't even finished with that one yet. Now there was a whole new training realm to contend with.
If not for the class representative system letting them delegate lower-year grading, they'd scarcely have found time to be here at all.
Professor McGonagall massaged her temples. "The current Slytherin Chamber is already more than enough for our students. Anyone who can clear it is already ahead of most witches and wizards. Every professor has poured their heart into it. Creating another secret realm—well, even if we had the energy, wouldn't running students through the same sort of trial twice be a bit much?"
Snape's voice was icy. "Some people clearly have too much free time. Or do you imagine, Holmes, that we Heads of House are as idle as you?"
Dumbledore offered no explanation, merely sipping his rich honeyed water and turning expectantly to Douglas.
Douglas managed an awkward smile. "This secret realm is a little different. It won't take up much of your time—just a few arrangements, that's all. The details will make more sense once you see it for yourselves."
Professor Sprout chimed in gently, "Douglas does all this for the good of Hogwarts. His achievements speak for themselves."
At the very heart of Hogwarts stood a most unusual building: a massive Eastern pagoda—the Demon-Suppressing Tower. Its presence shattered the school's otherwise unbroken line of Western architecture, lending the entire campus an exotic, otherworldly air.
The Demon-Suppressing Tower was a marvel. Every brick and stone was etched with intricate dragons and phoenixes, a testament to the artistry of Eastern magic.
The red lanterns hung for Christmas had never been taken down. Each night, they flared to life on their own, bathing the tower in a crimson glow and casting the walls in an eerie, mysterious light.
At the foot of the tower, Dumbledore paused before the great doors. New runes had appeared—most unfamiliar, but a few ancient spatial sigils caught his eye. He felt a flicker of anticipation: this was clearly a different breed of portal array.
Snape's tone was as dark as ever. "So this is your secret realm? Planning to lock us in here the way you did with Peeves?"
Douglas grinned. "If you're willing, Professor, I could certainly test whether the Demon-Suppressing Tower can contain a master of magic like yourself."
Snape gave an unimpressed snort.
The other professors, however, were intrigued. Professor Flitwick leaned in, studying the runes. "I once researched the gate to Diagon Alley behind the Leaky Cauldron. These runes are quite similar—is this teleportation magic? And this bronze knocker…"
He didn't reach for it directly, but tapped it with his wand, sensing the magic humming within.
Douglas wasn't surprised. After all, Diagon Alley was hidden beneath London, its entrance on the street above. Only a fixed portal array could link the two so seamlessly. His own research into spatial magic had naturally borrowed from such examples.
He blinked, then smiled. "Nothing so sinister, Professor. I am a Hufflepuff, after all."
Professor Sprout, silent until now, beamed at Douglas, her eyes brimming with pride.
Douglas grasped the left-hand door knocker, channeling magic through his palm. He lifted it and began to knock in a precise rhythm, as if keying in a secret code.
The runes shimmered. The door itself faded to a translucent blue, ghostly and insubstantial.
A faint magical pulse swept over them. Then, as if struck by a Severing Charm, the now-phantom right door knocker split into six rings, each one flying neatly into the hand of a professor.
"Knock to the rhythm of 'Voldemort is Tom Riddle,' and the portal will activate," Douglas explained. "These rings aren't just your ticket through the door—they're also the key to getting back. Leave yours behind, and you'll be trapped inside the realm."
He slipped his ring onto his wrist like a bracelet and strode confidently through the spectral gate.
One by one, the others followed suit, donning their rings and stepping into the unknown. Only Professor Snape made a point of having his wand at the ready.
The moment they crossed the threshold, a briny tang filled their nostrils—the unmistakable scent of the sea. Glancing back, they found themselves before a sheer rock wall, marked by a door-shaped outline. At its center was a circular indentation—clearly, the place to slot the ring when it was time to return.
Professor Flitwick looked around in surprise. "We're by the seaside? I thought the secret realm would be beneath Hogwarts itself!"
Douglas didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned to Dumbledore and explained, "You don't need to worry about anyone using these rings to sneak into Hogwarts. Each one is formed from condensed magic and only works for those who've left their mark on the other side.
As for whether someone could use a Confundus Charm, Imperius Curse, or Polyjuice Potion to slip in… well, let me keep that mystery for now. I'll explain everything when we return."
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