SWNOVELXO Chapter 17: Chapter 15 : The Silent Hunt.
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The chill night air pressed against Hogwarts' windows like icy fingers. The castle hummed with secrets, its corridors echoing faint creaks and rustling tapestries—as if the stones themselves whispered in conspiracy.
Recap: Special Quest Active
High above the shifting corridors, the System Screen floated beside Adam as he strode across the seventh-floor landing. His eyes glinted sharp in the torchlight.
[ SYSTEM – SPECIAL QUEST ACTIVE ]
→ Quest Classification: Special (Class E)
→ Quest Title: Shadow's Claim
→ Objective:
Investigate the theft of a Hogwarts student's soul by a Shadow.
Identify the victim.
Track and eliminate the Shadow entity.
→ Time Remaining: 47 hours, 17 minutes
→ Rewards if Successful:
Instant Level Advancement to Level 7
Major stat increases
Unique skill: Shadow Command
→ Punishment if Failed:
Severe permanent stat penalties
Magical instability
Shadow Mark (eternal pursuit by Shadow Entities)
Adam clenched his jaw. The ticking clock pressed against his chest like a cold stone.
Forty-seven hours… It sounds long until you realize you're dealing with soul-stealing monsters. I need clues. Patterns. Weaknesses. Anything.
And there's only one place in Hogwarts that might have the answers.
Heading to the Library
He turned sharply, footsteps echoing down a dim corridor. Tired portraits watched him suspiciously, muttering amongst themselves.
Minutes later, he pushed open the towering double doors of the Hogwarts Library. A cool, dusty scent billowed out—old parchment, magical inks, ancient secrets locked away for centuries.
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Inside the library, soft golden lanterns hung suspended in mid-air, glowing like gentle stars and casting a warm, mellow light over rows of ancient books. Shadows gathered deep in the corners, shifting subtly as though they might be breathing, lending the space an air of quiet, watchful mystery. The faint rustle of turning pages whispered through the silence, accompanied by the delicate scratching of quills on parchment. Every so often, an ominous shhh would drift across the room, a warning from Madam Pince, who seemed to lurk unseen among the shelves like a vigilant wraith.
Adam's Research Process
.① Section Chosen: Magical Creatures & Entities
He started at the towering shelves labeled Obscure Magical Entities.
Fingers traced titles like Of Shadows and Spectres and Ethereal Predators: A Compendium.
He pulled several dusty tomes and dropped them onto a nearby table, sending up a cloud of golden motes.
If Shadows exist, they'd be considered magical entities. Maybe even dark creatures. Let's see if anyone ever recorded them here
② Searching Historical Records
He stepped over to the section labeled Hogwarts Anomalous Events, where a row of thick, leather-bound ledgers lined the shelves like silent sentinels of the school's secrets. Carefully, he ran his fingers along the spines, tracing the embossed years in fading gold. He pulled out several hefty volumes and began flipping through the pages, scanning the chapter titles with growing anticipation.
1872: Vanishing Students of the Dungeons.
1926: The Silver Fog and the Missing Prefects.
1943: The Chamber of Secrets Affair.
Yet, despite the tantalizing mysteries, there was no mention anywhere of "shadows stealing souls." A faint frustration prickled at him as he snapped shut another ledger, the musty scent of old parchment lingering in the air.
③ Cross-Referencing Dark Arts Texts
Next, he shifted to Dark Arts – Unclassified.
Found references to:
Wraiths—feed on fear, not souls.
Poltergeists—harmless pranksters compared to Shadows.
Lethifolds—suffocate victims but don't steal souls.
He slammed a heavy tome shut, frustrated.
It's like Shadows don't exist—or someone wants it that way.
④ Trying Magical Theory Books
He snatched Principles of Magical Resonance.
Learned that "souls" emit unique magical signatures detectable by certain spells.
His eyes widened.
"Magical signatures… That's it. If someone lost their soul, their magical presence might be faint or… different. I could check the students one by one."
He scribbled notes furiously in a small leather notebook.
_ _ _
Adam sat back, rubbing his eyes, exhausted but thinking fast.
But how do I scan every student without looking insane? Or without McGonagall throwing me in detention for eternity?
I'll need subtle spells… or maybe the System can help me track fluctuations.
He sighed, leaning forward, pressing his forehead to the cool wood. A quiet determination burned in his gaze.
"In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer."
He lifted his head and whispered:
"Okay, Shadow. Let's see who you've taken."
He stood, scooping up his notes, his wand, and the dusty books. The System clock kept ticking in the corner of his vision like a silent heartbeat.
---
Third Person POV
The corridors of Hogwarts had gone still. The castle had slipped into slumber, save for the occasional creak of wood beams, the flutter of ghostly whispers, and the low, eternal hum of magic embedded in its walls.
Adam moved silently down the lower corridors, the weight of the System's blood-red timer hovering at the edge of his vision.
---
[ Time Remaining – Special Quest: 43 hours, 21 minutes ]
---
He exhaled slowly as he passed the last turn toward the Slytherin common room. Even though the air felt heavy, the firelight in the wall torches flickered warmly, chasing away the worst of the shadows.
When the stone wall opened at his approach, whispering the password, the Slytherin common room unfolded before him.
---
The Slytherin common room lay cloaked in shadow, its dark emerald tapestries blending seamlessly with the black stone walls, while gold accents glimmered like hidden treasure in the gloom. Green-glassed lanterns swayed gently from the ceiling, scattering rippling lights across the watery windows that looked out into the depths of the lake beyond. The silence was broken only by the muffled trickle of water outside and the faint, intermittent crackle of a dying fire, lending the room an atmosphere both mysterious and quietly alive.
---
Adam crossed the room slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. His body was tired, his mind buzzing with strategy, tension, and theory.
He collapsed onto the couch near the hearth and stared at the green-blue light dancing on the floor. His leather notebook lay open beside him—scribbled diagrams, circled spell incantations, and a bold underlined phrase:
> "SOMEONE'S MAGIC IS DIMMER."
---
He spoke aloud, not even caring if someone heard:
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Adam (low voice):
> "I don't know what kind of sick joke this shadow is playing… but I'll find it. I'll find the student too."
---
The System pinged softly — a reminder flickering like a ghost:
---
[ System Suggestion: User is fatigued. Sleep recommended. Recovery will optimize magical output and mental clarity. ]
---
He sighed and stood, stretching his arms.
---
Adam (muttering):
> "Yeah, yeah… even monsters need sleep sometimes."
---
He climbed the stairs up to the boys' dormitory, passing the tall windows that showed murky shapes swimming outside in the Black Lake. Inside his shared room, the other students were already asleep, breathing softly beneath emerald duvets.
Adam changed in silence, placed his wand under his pillow, and whispered:
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Adam:
> "Wake me before sunrise, System."
---
[ System Response: Alert Set – 5:45 AM. ]
---
He slid under the covers, letting the warmth surround him, even as his thoughts remained tangled.
For a moment, he stared at the stone ceiling, whispering quietly into the dark:
---
Adam:
> "If there really is something in this castle devouring souls… I swear I'll rip it out of the shadows."
---
Then, he let sleep take him, slowly drifting into the unknown — while the timer kept counting down.
---
[ Time Remaining – Special Quest: 40 hours, 59 minutes ]
---
First Person POV (Adam)
I woke up in the pitch-black dormitory, blinking at the cold stone ceiling. For a few seconds, I just lay there, feeling the weight of the blankets pressing me down like a silent accusation.
Then reality came slamming back in.
The Special Quest. The Shadow. A stolen soul. Forty-something hours left.
Great.
I rubbed my eyes, sat up, and whispered:
> "System. Time?"
A shimmering screen popped into view over my pillow:
---
[ Time: 5:45 AM ]
[ Special Quest Time Remaining: 38 hours, 15 minutes ]
---
Right as I was about to swing my legs out of bed and tackle the Shadow problem, another screen abruptly flickered in.
This one was bright yellow — which I'd come to learn meant "Daily Quest."
---
[ SYSTEM – NEW DAILY QUEST AVAILABLE ]
→ Quest Title: Iron Will, Iron Body
→ Objective:
Perform 150 push-ups within one session.
Run 2 kilometers afterward without collapsing.
→ Time Limit: 2 hours
→ Rewards:
+2 Endurance
+1 Strength
Small Magic Energy Recovery (+5%)
→ Penalty if Failed:
-2 Endurance
Fatigue Status applied for 4 hours
---
I stared at the glowing letters, my mouth hanging open.
> "Are you kidding me?"
My voice echoed softly in the stone chamber.
> "I have a freaking soul-snatching monster to find, and you want me to do push-ups?"
I ran a hand through my hair, trying not to laugh like a maniac.
> "This is really absurd. I already have things to do—and also this?"
But deep down, I knew how the System worked. Ignore the dailies, and it would slap me with punishments that made the Shadow seem polite by comparison.
So I gritted my teeth, rolled off my bed, and started stretching right there between the beds of a couple of snoring Slytherins.
---
I moved down to the common room, where the greenish glow from the lake shimmered across the ceiling. The place was completely empty. Perfect.
Push-ups:
By the time I hit fifty, my arms were trembling.
At ninety, sweat dripped onto the cold stone floor.
At one hundred twenty, I swore under my breath in three different languages.
By one hundred fifty, my arms felt like boiled spaghetti.
I collapsed on my back, panting, chest heaving like I'd just outrun a Hungarian Horntail.
> "Brilliant. Only a two-kilometer run to go…"
I staggered to my feet, slipped out of the common room, and hit the lower corridors of Hogwarts running. My footsteps echoed off stone walls, my breath puffing in the cool dawn air.
Two kilometers felt like ten.
I nearly tripped over Peeves.
A first-year screamed and fled at the sight of me barreling past.
My legs burned, but I kept going, the System timer flashing beside me the entire time.
---
When I finally stopped, I bent over, gasping. The System pinged gently, almost smug.
---
[ SYSTEM – DAILY QUEST COMPLETED ]
→ +2 Endurance
→ +1 Strength
→ +5% Magic Energy Restored
---
> "Fantastic," I wheezed. "Now can I go hunt the soul-sucking demon, please?"
---
I wiped sweat off my brow, squared my shoulders, and turned toward the library.
---
> "All right. Time for the real work."
---
By the time I made it to the library, my body was still humming with fatigue. My arms ached, my legs felt like solid lead, and I probably smelled like I'd wrestled a troll in the Black Lake. But I didn't care. The cold morning air had already dried the sweat off my face, and all I could think about was the Shadow, the stolen soul, and the fact that I had just over forty hours left to solve a mystery no textbook in Hogwarts had ever properly named.
The library was nearly empty this early. Only a few Ravenclaws with half-dead expressions sat hunched over essays and ink bottles. A small fire crackled in the hearth, casting a warm glow across the reading tables. The scent of parchment, ink, and old wood lingered in the air like a charm meant to trap me in this room forever.
I moved to the same table I had taken the day before—far in the back, hidden between tall shelves that blocked me from any watchful eye. The books I had pulled previously were still stacked in a messy tower where I left them. Apparently, Madam Pince hadn't dared to touch them. Or maybe she was just too horrified by the titles I had chosen.
I dropped into the wooden chair with a groan and reached for the thickest of the tomes—Resonance of the Soul and Magical Traces. I flipped it open to the page I had dog-eared, then took out my wand and tapped the margin. The runes lit up, revealing additional hidden notes written by a long-dead scholar. My eyes scanned each line hungrily.
If a soul has been detached or consumed by a non-physical entity, the book explained, the victim's magical aura doesn't disappear completely. Instead, it flickers—like a flame with no fuel. It becomes thin, cold, almost invisible to common detection spells. But the aura itself remains. A trace. A whisper. A faint breath of something that should not be silent.
And that, I realized, was my opening.
If I could find a way to sense that absence—a magical silence among the buzz of a thousand wizards—then I could find the student. Or at least narrow the search down. The system hadn't given me any details. No name. No house. Not even a time or location. Just find the victim. Reclaim the soul. Great.
I leaned back, tapping my fingers against the wood, staring into the flames across the library. My mind began to spin. I needed to build a detection method—something that wouldn't draw attention. Most of the castle was protected against dark magic, and if I so much as sneezed a spell too loudly, I'd have McGonagall or Snape breathing down my neck.
Could I modify an existing charm? Maybe Revelio—the general reveal spell? Or perhaps Homenum Revelio, but tweaked to search for fluctuations in magic itself, not presence? That would require layering intent into the incantation. Difficult, maybe dangerous, but—
My thoughts were interrupted by a quiet ping. The System flickered up again, its interface as cool and detached as always.
---
[ System Reminder: Special Quest active. 41 hours, 03 minutes remaining. ]
---
I closed the book softly, exhaling.
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
I reached for another volume—Experimental Applications of Resonant Magic—and opened to the table of contents. As I scanned, I felt a small thrill run down my spine. No matter how insane it sounded, I was close. I could feel it.
A flickering soul leaves behind a cold trail.
I just needed to learn how to find it.
---
Third Person POV
In the hush of Hogwarts library, the flames in the wall sconces flickered low, casting long shadows across the high shelves. Dust motes drifted lazily in shafts of amber light while parchment crackled softly under Adam's fingertips.
He was hunched over his usual table, brow creased in intense concentration. Around him, piles of thick volumes formed an uneven fortress. One book lay open to a page covered in complex runic diagrams, and Adam was scribbling notes while murmuring under his breath, wand tip glowing faintly blue.
---
Adam (muttering):
> "If I layer the resonance mapping over the detection grid… I might isolate anomalies in magical frequency… which should mean—"
He paused, scowling, and flicked his wand again. A shimmering web of fine light appeared above the parchment, like a fragile spider's web suspended in midair. He stared at it, eyes darting across the pattern of tiny pulses rippling through the strands.
He was so focused he didn't hear the footsteps approaching until they stopped directly behind him.
A voice drawled from above his shoulder, all smug silk and sneer:
---
Draco:
> "Ooo… the dummy is here."
---
Adam's wand drooped slightly, the luminous web of magic fizzling out with a soft pop. He exhaled, looking up slowly over the edge of his book.
---
Adam:
> "Again with that useless nickname that I don't even know why you started."
---
Draco leaned closer, pale eyebrows raised, platinum hair falling perfectly into place as always.
---
Draco:
> "What are you doing?"
---
Adam gave him a look halfway between boredom and mild murder.
---
Adam:
> "Just chilling. Why don't you go and ruin someone else's life?"
---
Draco sniffed.
---
Draco:
> "Why not you?"
---
Adam's gaze turned sharp, voice lowering into something cold and lethal:
---
Adam:
> "Because I'll make you see hell before I kill you. Or… maybe that's just an absurd idea."
---
For a moment, silence stretched between them, charged and brittle. Draco opened his mouth as if to snap back—but then hesitated. Something about Adam's eyes, the glint of something older and darker behind them, made Draco pause.
Draco's lip curled, but instead of firing another insult, he just scoffed and shifted as though to leave.
---
Adam, however, straightened in his chair and snapped his fingers lightly.
---
Adam:
> "Wait. Before you go—tell me: if you were a ghost, who would you haunt?"
---
Draco blinked, thrown off guard. Then, after a second's thought, his face lit up with a wicked grin.
---
Draco:
> "That must be entertaining. Maybe that whiny Potter. Or… maybe that girl with the shiny bright eyes. What's her name… Chang? Cho Chang. It'd be delightful to see those eyes filled with tears of fear."
---
Adam stared at him, then let out a low laugh, shaking his head.
---
Adam:
> "You know… sometimes I think you're my soulmate when it comes to being a monster."
---
Draco smirked.
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Adam (continuing):
> "I kinda miss those days."
He waved his hand dismissively.
> "Anyway—you can go. Thanks for the… inspiration."
---
Draco arched an eyebrow, gave Adam a final suspicious look, then turned on his heel and strode off between the shelves.
Adam watched him go, a small amused smirk tugging at his lips. As soon as Draco disappeared, he snapped back to business, raising his wand and leaning over the parchment again.
The shimmering magical web returned under his careful spellwork, pulsing softly with hidden frequencies. Adam's eyes glimmered with a predator's focus.
---
Adam (thinking):
> All right. Let's find the soul that's gone silent.
[ End of Chapter. ]
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