Umbridge's sudden spell caught everyone off guard.
Professor McGonagall tensed. She'd guessed these ghost faces were Adrian's work using Transfiguration. If Umbridge's Specialis Revelio exposed them now, they'd all be in trouble.
But the spell did nothing. The ghost faces hung unchanged.
"It's impossible!" Umbridge shrieked.
Dumbledore wasn't surprised. The moment he'd touched the masks, he'd recognized Adrian's skill. The wooden structures were remarkably stable, far beyond what a first-year student should manage.
What Dumbledore didn't know was that Adrian had accidentally analyzed a mahogany table during his second burst of accidental magic. He understood wood structure better than most adult wizards.
Meanwhile, Umbridge had spent years focused on politics and power games rather than actual spellwork. Her casting ability was mediocre at best. Even with Specialis Revelio, she couldn't dissolve Adrian's transfigured masks.
McGonagall stood silent, astonished. Adrian's Transfiguration had been average just days ago. If she hadn't known Fluffy had been here, she might have believed Snape really had bought these masks.
"Impossible! You must have done something!" Umbridge glared at Dumbledore. She was certain he'd hidden secrets here, and now she had nothing to show for her inspection.
Her judgment couldn't be wrong!
"Are you questioning me?" Dumbledore turned, still wearing the vampire mask.
But what truly frightened Umbridge were the eyes behind that mask. They seemed to see straight through her. Under that gaze, memories surfaced, shameful things she thought she'd buried deep and forgotten.
She remembered then that the man before her wasn't some minor official. He was the most respected and powerful wizard alive.
Umbridge's legs trembled. Fear, resentment, and anxiety flooded through her, but she didn't dare speak.
Dumbledore didn't waste more energy on someone like Umbridge. He removed the mask and tucked it casually into his robes, then turned to Fudge.
"Well, Fudge, you've seen everything worth seeing. Everything at Hogwarts follows Ministry regulations. No dragons, no dangers. The students here are perfectly safe."
"Yes, I saw it." Fudge's expression was conflicted. He was certain Dumbledore was hiding something, but he had no proof. He had to accept defeat.
"Umbridge, we're leaving." Fudge tossed his ghost face aside and spoke to his still-trembling assistant.
"Perhaps you'd like to tour the rest of Hogwarts?" Dumbledore offered lightly.
"No. The Ministry has plenty of work waiting." Fudge walked out with a sour expression. Umbridge followed, her usual oily smile finally gone.
Professor McGonagall walked last and closed the door. She glimpsed the ghost face Fudge had thrown aside twist and transform into a small wooden comb. The others became various small objects. More than a hundred Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans clattered to the floor.
McGonagall smiled and shut the door.
"Wait, what was that sound?" Fudge, walking ahead, paused and looked back. But he could only see the closed wooden door.
"Would you like to check the corridor again? You could take a mask as a souvenir. How about this one?" Dumbledore pulled out the vampire mask.
"Forget it." Just seeing the mask made Fudge's blood pressure spike. He'd thought he could finally catch Dumbledore in something improper, and instead found this ridiculous setup.
Dumbledore nodded and returned the mask to his robes. Without his magic supporting it, the vampire mask twisted and changed back to its original form.
A small compact mirror.
---
Adrian, falling from above, landed safely. The Devil's Snare cushioned his fall, and he'd cast Levioso on himself just before landing.
The others weren't so lucky. Harry, Ron, and Hermione felt like their bones had rattled loose, but they didn't dare cry out. Fluffy was still here. If they woke the three-headed dog, they'd be done for.
"Where is this? Some kind of underground room? I didn't know the castle had places like this." Ron looked around and whispered.
"We guessed this before, remember? This is where Professor Dumbledore put the Philosopher's Stone. Fluffy and the Devil's Snare are meant to stop intruders." Hermione spoke softly.
'No, the Devil's Snare was designed by Professor Sprout to keep you from breaking your necks when you fell', Adrian thought, but kept it to himself.
He noticed they were in a long passage. The gray stone walls were covered in moss and vines. This wasn't a temporary addition, it was part of Hogwarts' original structure. Dumbledore must have simply adapted it.
At the passage's end was a room. Through the dim light, they could see the wooden door had been blown apart. Key-shaped objects littered the ground.
"Someone got here before us. They used fire first, then blasted the door open!" Hermione knelt and picked up a key with burn marks.
"It must be Quirrell!" Adrian's expression darkened.
The intruder hadn't bothered playing these obstacle course games. They'd forced their way through with raw power and plenty of magic.
'Is this because of me?' Adrian wondered with a guilty conscience.
Still, he didn't understand. Where did Quirrell, or Voldemort, find the courage to enter Hogwarts again? How had they even gotten in?
"We should tell Professor Dumbledore!" Harry said urgently.
But as soon as he spoke, all four of them realized the same thing. Today, Minister Fudge was visiting Hogwarts. As Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress, Dumbledore and McGonagall would be occupied the entire time. They couldn't get away.