A/N: I'm back. Don't worry, I know you didn't miss me. Here's another chapter.

Chapter Three: Exploration

Monday, May 4, 1998: Late Morning

"Where in the hell have those two got to?" The question tore out of him before he could stop it, frustration and worry finally getting the better of his good judgment. He had grown bored of inspecting the strange grounds and wanted nothing more than to go home. He glanced up at the direction they had sped off, but was unwilling to follow. Had they gotten themselves into trouble? Were they in danger? Shaking his head, he trudged up the hill after his wife and friend.

As he walked, a rather peculiar noise caught his attention. Well, it was unexpected considering his surroundings at least. The distressed whines of some animal, probably a large dog. It came from the small hut he had spotted earlier. It stood near the entrance to a forest he did not fancy the look of. Skirting the line of trees, he turned and headed towards the humble dwelling. He passed scorch marks, but did not allow himself to think on them too long. He couldn't even guess at what might have caused the angry black streaks.

Upon reaching the hut, Cailean frowned. The door was held shut by a sturdy-looking iron bolt. The whining intensified at his approach, as if the creature inside knew that it was no longer alone. It began to scratch at the thick wooden front door, and Cailean wanted desperately to let the animal out, then perhaps wring the neck of whoever had locked it in there to begin with. There was a small window set in the wall next to him. Seeing no alternative, Cailean punched a sizeable hole through it. The shattered glass sprayed everywhere, and Cailean ducked to avoid the razor shards. The animal, definitely a dog, let out a booming bark of warning before subsiding to a low, uncertain growl.

"Hold on, little laddie," he cooed. "Uncle Cailean's gonna get ye out." He put his bleeding hand through the window and into the house, groping for the lock. After a moment of searching, and much spilled blood, the door opened and a massive boar hound burst forth, tackling Cailean to the thankfully soft ground.

It immediately began licking his lacerated hand and playfully nipping at his fingers. Its panting filled Cailean's ears as what could only be described as its onslaught of affection continued. "I think," began Cailean, holding a hand over his mouth so the brute wouldn't lick that too, "you need some food." At the word 'food', the dog leapt off him and streaked, tail wagging madly, towards the castle in the distance. Knowing there was no way he could out-run it, Cailean simply stood and watched its rapid progress up the steep hill. He supposed he would have to follow it in order to find his wife and friend, but had no idea what was in there. Historically, his imagination was not helpful in scenarios like these. Resigning himself to what must be done, Cailean began to make his way toward the castle.

The colossal building grew even larger as he neared it, and he attempted to ignore the increasing dread bunching up in his stomach. With the sound of birdsong and the chirping of crickets peppering Cailean's slow footsteps, his spirits began to rise. If he must explore this place, he should at least make the venture worth his while. He was close enough that he could see the cracks in the castle's walls.

As Cailean crested the hill, he was met with a rickety wooden bridge. It was in poor condition to say the least. There were missing planks at multiple points, and he had to make more than a few nerve-wracking jumps to get across. He really was getting too old for this sort of thing. Finally reaching the end, Cailean wiped a slightly shaking hand across his forehead. He had not been sure if the bridge would take his weight, and did not fancy a dip in the dark water below.

He was standing on the edge of a crumbling courtyard, its presumably once ornate statues littering the ground in chunks of stone and brick. An odd sensation crept onto his awareness, making it almost impossible to keep moving forward. He attempted to shake it off, but it continued to press down on his arms and legs. At the same time though, it was a nice feeling, like being tucked in by a parent. Had he been here before? Was there some part of him that knew what this place had once been? Being here simply felt right.

But that could not possibly be true. Everything here was new, thrumming with a power he could not see. And yet he inexplicably knew it to be there, breathing life into every blade of grass, flowing like liquid gold through the lazy late-Spring breeze. These unmarked lands had been lying dormant until now, their secrets ruthlessly kept out of reach. This mysterious realm was like nothing he had ever experienced, far beyond his own understanding and imagination. How could this odd feeling of homeliness be seeping into him, sweet and thick like the syrup-drenched pancakes Aed sometimes treated him to. He grinned at the thought. They were the best pancakes in the world, and he would never have gotten through those particularly hard days on the farm without their invigorating warmth.

On the whole, his life was normal. Torturously so. Of course he had dreamed bigger for himself, but didn't everyone? Elusive aspirations of the future always seemed to drain right through his fingers. It took many years for him to realise that he was not special, that he was no more than a normal man. But still he clung to the delusional fantasy, praying that one day he might be something. Anything.

This place was calling, gripping at his soul with dry, cracked fingers. The gates of infinite wonder and knowledge were opening themselves at his clumsy yet eager touch. He could feel the power hidden in the place, the subtle strands of strength intangible, beyond human senses. But… he felt it; he felt it with such intensity that it had surely been inside him forever. A sensation so vivid as to be almost physical assaulted his mind, pushing him deeper into this new world. The questions burst forth unbidden, willing this unearthly plane to hear his call and answer.

What sport was played on that alien field? How were the pumpkins in the vegetable patch so large as to be almost comic? Why did he feel like he knew that strange crest, animals surrounding the letter H? The desultory selection of creatures held almost no commonalities amongst each other. And the H… What did it all mean? His brow furrowed, unable to make sense of anything he was seeing. This truly was a curious place, its many eccentricities far exceeding the natural world.

Cailean gave his head a slight shake, attempting to clear it. He could not afford to distract himself; he might pass over an important piece of information or evidence. Something that could help him find his wife and dear friend. The grass under his boots was worn and flattened by countless pounding feet, however it somehow managed to maintain a healthy green colour in the rays of the sun. The blinding orb's warm yellow light blazed down onto him, making his shirt damp.

He wiped a hand across his brow, ridding himself of the sweat that had collected there. His dark, shaggy hair was wet and dripping with the stuff. He hoped, with an increasing sense of unease, that he would find his comrades soon. He was dimly aware of this world pulling him under the surface, his death grip on reality the only thing keeping him there.

._.

"So she is a Squib that was shut out from our world." Minerva summarised Harry's lengthy and confused speech in one well-articulated sentence.

"Yes, Headmistress," replied Harry, blushing. Bursting through the great double doors with Aed in toe, he had interrupted Minerva during her delegation of chores to the amassed crowd.

"But," she began, her face pinched in confusion, "if she is in fact a Squib, how has she never ventured into Hogwarts? Or attempted to make contact with any of our kind, for that matter." She looked expectantly down at Aed, who was faintly trembling.

Aed cleared her throat and steadied her breathing before she answered. "Well," she began in a quiet voice. "With all due respect ma'am, my experiences with 'your kind' have been less than pleasant. My parents resented me for years after it was clear I would not be receiving my Hogwarts letter. They tried for so long to coax magic out of me, but I couldn't do anything. I ran away from home on my fifteenth birthday and moved in with some friends. I just couldn't handle the jabs and all the talking behind my back. I was kept from a world I should have been a part of. They never let me go anywhere unaccompanied, lest I attempted to sully magical society with my presence. I haven't spoken to them since, and I regret it for nary a day in my life."

Her voice became stronger as she spoke, decades of repressed emotions finally bubbling to the surface. Her words bounced around the silent room, grabbing the attention of every survivor.

"That's awful," murmured Ginny. She moved over to Aed and placed a hand on her shoulder. Aed met the young woman's gaze unblinkingly, all of the tension in her face beginning to melt away. She opened her mouth as if to speak again, but closed it and shook her head, shutting her eyes.

"I think that is quite enough excitement for today," said the Headmistress with a sense of finality. "Arthur, Molly, Bill, Miss Granger, it is clear that the battle has in some way resulted in Hogwarts' powerful wards being compromised. Would you be so kind as to check if any protection remains, and, to the best of your collective abilities, repair the damage? I do not want something like this happening again." The crowd dispersed, her chosen ward squad looking slightly nervous to be tasked with something so important. Eventually, she was left with only Aed and Harry before her. "You have definitely Obliviated the other one?" she asked in a much softer voice. Harry nodded.

"I saw him do it," Aed put in helpfully. "Will's face went all dazed for a second, then he sort of just wondered off back the way we had come."

"And you are positive there were no other visitors?" This she directed solely at Harry.

"No, Headmistress," he replied at once. "Just him and Aed here."

With a satisfied nod, Minerva dismissed them. Harry walked with Aed out into the Entrance Hall, her eyes widening as she properly took in the high ceiling and ornate statues for the first time. Coupled with the flaming torches mounted on the walls, she guessed that the place had been built centuries ago. It was very different to how it looked when she was being marched across it earlier in the day on their way to the Headmistress. Harry must have been just as nervous as her. Though he had attempted to put on a kind expression, she had not expected things to go as smoothly as they did.

"Fancy that tour?" Harry asked. "It's not quite repaired after the battle, but it's still pretty amazing."

"I would love one!" cried Aed breathlessly. "I've always wanted to come here, but I've just been to afraid. I thought my parents would find out somehow." Of course, the truth was that her family had never let slip its exact location, only that it was somewhere in Scotland. She thought it best to not appear any more ignorant than she already did. And to find out it had been so close all this time…

She spared a thought for her husband, doubtless wondering where she was. But she had been waiting her whole life for this moment, and she wasn't going to let anyone dampen the experience for her. Besides, she had already given him the only protection available to her in not revealing his existence to the castle's inhabitants. Hopefully he would just leave and go home.

Harry offered her his arm, which she took with a friendly smile, and led her up the Grand Staircase. He wondered vaguely about who her family might be, but soon allowed himself to embody the role of Aed's passionate and charismatic tour guide.

._.

Monday, May 4: Early Afternoon

They must have left. These four words held more weight than Cailean could bear at that precise moment. He could think of no plausible reasons as to how or why they would have done something like this. He stood in what must be the main courtyard of the castle, a great pair of double doors shut fast only a few yards away. Upon reaching this point, he concluded that he would not find them, as there was no way Aed would allow Will to venture through. Wherever they may be, it certainly wasn't here.

Odd sounds came from inside the doors, whirs and bangs whose origins were completely foreign to him. Flashes of light bounced off the walls in vibrant colours. He could just make out glittering sparks shooting through a window at the side of the castle, bursting onto the cracked and blackened ground below. He also did not wish to be discovered by whatever was inside. As much as he felt at home in this place, he would rather stay invisible to the makers of such chaotic destruction.

Laughter accompanied the violent explosions. The shrill, manic screams floated through the open windows, creating a sense of morbid hysteria. Icy tendrils of unease prickled down Cailean's spine as the scene unfolded before him, and he did his best to keep silent. Any actual words were lost on the wind, or perhaps he simply was wise enough to ignore them. He stood rooted to the spot as the noises continued. There seemed to be no end to the madness. Was this some sort of necromantic ritual, an unwilling sacrifice to appease an angry spirit?

He'd passed the large dog he had freed fifty or so yards back. It lay in the midday sun, its tongue lolling out in purest ecstasy. The animal appeared to be enjoying the outside air, something Cailean completely understood. It had watched Cailean pass, but beyond a slight movement in its tail, it had shown no interest in him. This suited Cailean just fine. He had no desire to once again become the brute's chew toy. He already had wasted enough time exploring, checking out every little detail he noticed on his way to the castle's entrance. His hand was tough from years of work on the farm, but it was still tender from freeing the massive beast.

Now that he was here, Cailean did not wish to enter. Though he would never admit it to anyone if asked, he was afraid of what could be inside. Fearful of his own safety, he did not doubt for a second that Aed was in great danger. He had to find them. His eyes roamed around the large courtyard, attempting to make sense of his tangled thoughts. Tufts of grass poked through cracks in the ancient paving stones, detracting somewhat from the tasteful cross pattern. Nice, if somewhat simple. Broken wooden benches lined its perimeter, some of their legs shattered in small piles of sawdust. He didn't want to think about what could have devastated the sturdy structures. It was obscene, out of place even amongst so much ruin and decay.

Several rings were gouged out on the ground at seemingly random points. What were they for? He bent down to take a closer inspection, but after a few moments concluded that there wasn't anything special about them. He was preparing to stand, but caught sight of a small, blue, spherical object in the middle of a ring. He reached for it and picked it up, experimentally rolling the thing around in his hands.

It was surprisingly heavy for such a small ball. He gave it a gentle squeeze, and he felt some give, like it wasn't solid on the inside. He had initially suspected that it was made of stone or glass due to its weight and how the sun glinted off it, but now he wasn't sure. He opened his fingers and examined it more closely. It seemed to pulsate on his palm, shining with far more colours and tones than simply' blue'. Turquoise, teal, sky and sea — even shades of green could be seen lurking in patches of ambiguity across the tiny surface. It was incredibly beautiful, Cailean thought. Best leave it here, he told himself, in case it was missed. He stared deep into the little ball, and, before he could stop himself, pocketed it. Rising quickly, he looked around again, ignoring his knees' protests.

The colonnade which stretched around the perimeter of the courtyard had partly fallen away, the roof it was supporting barely even rubble. How old was this place, and how had no one ever cared to note down its existence at some point in history? The castle had certainly seen better days. What could possibly have happened to cause this amount of damage? Perhaps it was still going on. It seemed so unlikely that something like this could go unnoticed for such a long time. It looked to have been here for at least several hundred years, based on the style of the architecture.

It had also just registered with Cailean how little colour there was around him. Greys, browns and whites coated his vision, the grass possessing the only vibrant tones. He sat on one of the benches around the edge of the courtyard and rested his chin in his hands. Where were Aed and Will? A cold sense of defeat washed over him, draining what little strength he had left. What could he do? His wife of fourteen years was missing and she didn't appear to be anywhere. What if she was hurt, or lost somewhere in that forest? He glanced over the grounds, at the knee-high grass swaying in time with a song whose memory had died long ago, and the great onyx lake that looked more like glass than water. It was all far too quiet on a warm day like this. The forest stood, dark and foreboding, all nearby sunlight absorbed by the dense line of trees that seemed to go on forever. Was she in there, calling his name?

A strange sound, different from those coming from inside the castle, jolted him out of his spiralling thoughts. Cailean's eyes flashed wide as he watched a crumbled tower begin to repair itself. But surely buildings did not repair themselves? Chunks of stone levitated in midair before coming together once again. They spun in complicated patterns around a circular centre, almost too fast to follow. Pebbles and dust clouds joined the fray, and coupled with the rays of brilliant sunlight, the haze of infinite motion completely obscured his vision. In a few moments, the tower looked as though it had never been damaged. What was going on? This made absolutely no sense. It was the most bizarre thing Cailean had seen in a long time. And he did not care to see anymore. He wanted out. Now.

Turning and speeding back the way he had come, Cailean did not spare the castle a second glance. Aed and Will be damned, they could find their own way back. If they were still alive. He shuddered, telling himself he didn't care either way. He just needed to leave. But he did. He looked over his shoulder for only a second, and saw a pair of yellow eyes staring intently at him. He shook himself. Only a cat.

A/N: In this chapter, I attempted to explore a probable reaction to discovering Hogwarts. It is quite a baffling combination of man-made elements and nature, isn't it? I'm not sure if Cailean is brave enough to head into the Forbidden Forest, but I'll see how his character develops. I am quickly running out of things to say here, apparently I'm not that interesting after all. Do you feel as though Cailean has a character yet? Is he likeable or intriguing? Personally, I picture him as the human equivalent of Hagrid, perhaps with some more common sense and brains. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but come on, he's not perfect. Oh sorry, I shouldn't have said that. See you in the next chapter!