The person is at Hogwarts, but the system is in Middle-earth!

The business of Hogwarts amulets has suddenly become incredibly popular.

Neville bought a rotten onion that supposedly warded off evil, making the entire Gryffindor common room stink, even the portrait of the Fat Lady covered her nose and complained. Others bought amethyst, salamander tails, and some even believed that hanging garlic around their necks could prevent petrification, though that probably only protected them from vampires or dates.

Meanwhile, Rowe set up his little stall by the warm fireplace in the Hufflepuff common room.

"Don't believe those charlatans!" Lowe stood behind a table piled with gray pebbles, a quill pen in hand, drawing crooked symbols on a stone. "Onions will only suffocate you, they won't stop Medusa's gaze. What you need is true power—the blessing of Gondor."

In his system's view, these ordinary pebbles picked up from the shore of Black Lake were now emitting a faint but resolute white light.

[Item: Gondor Runestone]

[Quality: Rough]

[Enchantment: Suggestion +1]

[Effect: Slightly increases the holder's mental resistance (primarily a psychological effect).]

Price: 5 scoops/each

"This one is engraved with 'Resilience'." Rowe handed a stone to Hannah. "As long as you hold it, your legs won't tremble even when facing orc wolf riders."

"Really?" Hannah looked at the stone skeptically. "But it looks just like a stone. And this symbol... it looks like your initials."

"Belief, Hannah," Rowe said solemnly. "The stone is merely a vessel. What matters is the chivalrous will it carries. When you feel fear in the darkness, hold it tight, and you will feel the courage from the White City."

Business was unexpectedly good. After all, people are always willing to spend money for a little comfort when faced with fear.

After the crowd dispersed, Susan remained seated on the sofa beside him, holding a cup of hot cocoa, quietly watching Rowe pack up his stall.

"Do you really believe these stones can protect everyone?" Susan asked softly, the firelight reflecting off her face and giving her a golden glow.

Lowe stopped what he was doing, picked up the last stone, and sat down in front of Susan.

“The stone itself can’t,” Lowe said honestly, “but if they believe the stone can protect them, that belief becomes a force. Fear is the greatest enemy, Susan. It can make someone fall before they even draw their sword.”

He looked at Susan.

"Here, take this one." Rowe placed the stone in Susan's palm. The stone was polished to an exceptionally smooth finish, and the runes on it weren't drawn with ink, but rather carved by Rowe bit by bit with a knife.

"What does this mean?" Susan felt her palms itching and her cheeks slightly burning.

“This is ‘Guardian,’” Lowe whispered. “It is also ‘Return.’ In Middle-earth, a ranger would give such a stone to the most important person before setting out on a campaign. It means that no matter how far he travels, no matter what darkness he faces, he will return alive for the owner of this stone.”

Susan's heart skipped a beat. She gripped the stone, still warm from Rowe's body, tightly, and felt the whole world fall silent.

"Then...then you must come back." Susan's voice was barely audible. "I'll keep it safe. If you dare not come back for it, I'll tell Professor Sprout that you're slacking off in the greenhouse."

"It's a deal, my Iowa."

Just as the warm atmosphere was about to intensify, a slender red-haired figure passed by in the corridor outside the lounge, flashing past through the half-open door.

It was Ginny Weasley. She looked paler than usual, with dark circles under her eyes.

Luo Wei's eyes changed instantly, all the tenderness and affection from before vanished, replaced by vigilance.

[WARNING: High concentration of dark energy detected]

[Target Status: Mental Corruption]

[Recommendation: Perform light purification immediately]

"Sorry, Susan. I have to take care of some... business."

Luo Wei stood up and quickly chased after him.

"Hey, Miss Weasley!" Rowe called out to her in the hallway.

Ginny stopped abruptly, turned around in alarm, and clutched her backpack strap tightly: "Bar... Senior Baggins?"

Lowe took another spare runestone out of his pocket. He slowly walked towards Ginny.

"You don't look well," Rowe said, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible. "Like a lost lamb in the mines of Moria. The shadows in this castle are too heavy, aren't they? Even the Lion of Gryffindor is suffocating under them."

Ginny flinched, avoiding Lowell's eyes, her gaze wandering: "I...I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well."

"Take this." Rowe handed her the stone. "This is 'Hope.' It will guide you when all the lights go out. Don't let darkness take hold of your heart, Ginny."

[Action: Gift a Spirit Gem]

[Intent: To dispel the shadows in the target's heart/to test the reaction to darkness]

However, Ginny's reaction was far beyond Loewy's expectations.

The moment her fingers touched the stone, she screamed as if burned, and threw the stone to the ground.

"No! I don't want to!"

Ginny stared at the man in horror. She turned and ran, disappearing in the blink of an eye at the end of the corridor, leaving only the stone lying alone on the cold floor.

Luo Wei stood there, stunned, and bent down to pick up the abandoned stone.

[System notification: Purification failed]

The dark power emanating from the target exhibited a strong rejection reaction.

[Speculation: The target may have been deeply infected by some ancient curse. This is mind control at the level of the One Ring.]

"It seems the situation is more serious than I thought." Rowe looked in the direction Ginny had disappeared, his brow furrowed. "The burden of being a shaman is crushing her."

A few days later, while Lowe was still pondering Ginny's unusual behavior, a huge notice board appeared on the auditorium's bulletin board, attracting everyone's attention.

Duel Club

[First gathering: Tonight at 8 PM]

[Instructor: Gilderoy Lockhart]

[Recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class; Honorary Member of the Anti-Dark Magic League; Five-time winner of The Wizarding Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award]

The students crowded in front of the notice board, discussing it excitedly.

"That's awesome!" Seamus Finnigan shouted. "I'm going to learn how to blast monsters away! Maybe I can become a great hero like that!"

"I'm going too," Harry said to Ron and Hermione. "If we're going to face the heir to Slytherin, we at least need to learn how to defend ourselves. Maybe Lockhart really does have some special tricks up his sleeve."

Luo Wei stood on the periphery of the crowd, looking at the flashy signature.

"duel?"

"In this time of crisis, this is actually a good practical exercise."

In his eyes, this notice was not an extracurricular activity announcement, but a challenge to a "martial arts trial".

[Task Triggered: Prove Your Courage]

[Objective: To demonstrate Gandalf's combat skills in the Duel Club]

Opponent: Gilderoy Lockhart (The Smooth Speaker/Saruman's Puppet)

[Reward: Melee Combat Lv2 / Significantly Increased Reputation]

"I will go."

"I'll show that guy who only knows how to deceive people with sweet words what real fighting is!"

"Uh, Lowe..." Justin cautiously reminded him, "It was just a teaching activity, and it was Professor Lockhart... Although he is indeed a bit flamboyant, he is a professor after all."

"Precisely because of him." Rowe clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. "That kind of quack who treats the battlefield like a game must be punished. If he were commanding on the battlefield, we would have been wiped out long ago. Tonight, I'm going to teach him what the 'Iron Laws of Gondor' really mean."