In both the Muggle world and the wizarding world, there's a terrifying reality that construction workers and designers face after completing a large, secretive structure: being silenced.
Why? The reason is simple, they know too much.
In the eyes of those who built it with their own hands, no secret can remain hidden.
However, in the wizarding world, there's one kind of creature that's exempt from this gruesome fate, house-elves. Their loyalty to their masters is absolute, to the point where they would gladly sacrifice their lives if ordered.
And yet, something completely illogical happened one day, a deeply loyal house-elf lost her master.
Unlike older elves who had seen their masters grow old and die, this elf had never met hers. She had only ever followed the tasks passed down from her predecessors, faithfully waiting for a master who had long since passed away.
Then, out of the blue, this dim-witted little elf received her first personal mission in life, one that, metaphorically speaking, "took her first time." Wait, what? That doesn't sound quite right...
Let's skip that part.
The point is: Allen had accidentally acquired a free, express-shipped, dumb but extremely useful house-elf. And this particular elf knew every nook and cranny of the castle, essentially, he had picked up a living map.
However, just as Allen was getting close to uncovering most of the legacy hidden within the place, he received some rather deadly news: there were intruders inside the castle. And not just one or two. Dozens.
Allen was sure the elf wasn't lying. Which raised a troubling question: how did an exploration that was only supposed to include twenty participants suddenly have so many extra people?
He didn't know.
But one thing was certain, whoever they were, they were bad news.
Greed moves hearts, and what's more tempting than money? A powerful legacy.
Which meant Allen had no choice but to double down on his deception.
He ignored the elf's suggestion to hide in a secret chamber and instead gave her a stern order:
"Then, Dodo, take me to the study."
It wasn't that Allen didn't want to be gentle, it's just that the elf was too frightened to communicate properly. In her short life, maintaining the castle seemed to have been her entire purpose. The last invasion had left her with severe trauma, an intruder had ransacked the place in a destructive frenzy until a magic trap finally drove him away.
"But, but the study is forbidden! Dodo has no right to go there!" she shrieked in a voice that sounded like someone was strangling her.
What kind of twisted old witch was this former master?
According to Ministry records, the Slytherin heiress in question, Gormlaith Gaunt, had murdered her sister's entire family, except for her niece, whom she kidnapped. That niece later became the founder of Ilvermorny School.
If the genders were reversed, Allen could practically imagine the full twisted soap opera unfolding in his mind.
But then again, it's hard to expect normalcy from purebloods. I mean, look at how wild Muggle nobles were. With magic added to the mix, pureblood drama probably ramped up tenfold.
Still, shouldn't a witch trust her most loyal servant?
What kind of maniac doesn't even trust their house-elf?
Are you kidding me!?
Allen tried hard to recall what he had read in the files. No way those intruders should've arrived so soon. The more inconsistencies he spotted now, the fewer surprises he'd face later.
Gormlaith Gaunt, direct descendant of Isolt Sayre, a notorious Slytherin heir and a complete blood purity fanatic.
She attacked her sister's family, sparing only her niece, whom she raised in seclusion until the girl eventually escaped.
Afterward, the old witch personally chased her niece across the Atlantic to North America and vanished for a while.
Her last known activity? Sneaking into her niece's school one night to try and murder the entire family, including two adopted boys and the two children her niece had given birth to.
Absolutely horrifying... or not. The truth? That old witch had a serious obsession with raising kids. It didn't matter if it was little girls or boys, if they had the right bloodline, she took them home to "raise." Adults, on the other hand? Not her type. She wanted them dead.
Honestly, maybe that's even why she killed her sister, perhaps she just didn't like her anymore once she grew up.
That theory might be spot-on... but it didn't help him at all. There were still no clues about what secret she was trying so hard to hide.
"Dodo, listen to me. I'm your master now. My commands are the only ones that matter. The previous order that forbade access to the study? Consider it canceled. Now, take me to the study!"
Unfortunately, not even Allen's command could suppress the lingering influence of the long-dead witch. In the end, the elf only pointed to where the study was located.
To Allen's surprise, it wasn't inside the towering wizard's tower as he had assumed, it was underground.
For a moment, Allen suspected the elf was messing with him. Underground? Seriously?
Was the tower just for show?
Was this witch so rich she didn't know where to burn her money?
Setting up a magical lab of that size came with a steep price. To prevent magic accidents from destroying the place, most families couldn't even afford the materials used, only the elite could.
"Even with the simplest spell, Longbottom can destroy something. We'll package what's left of Fenrir Greyback into a matchbox and send it to the hospital.", That was a direct quote from Snape. Sure, he was exaggerating to mock Neville, but it still showed how destructive magic could be.
Peter Pettigrew once blew up an entire street with a single spell!
So, if you're not practicing magic out in the wilderness, you'd better have training grounds made of top-tier materials. And those materials must be carefully reinforced with magic before they're safe to use.
Given the extremely high costs involved, it made sense for the wizard's tower to house the most important things.
So why was the study not inside it?
After a moment of hesitation, Allen made up his mind, he strode off in the direction the elf had indicated.
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