Arc 3: Enraptured Revelation
Chapter 4: Futurebearing Clandestine Canopies, Under What Deliverance?

"Just think about it," I said as I began to pace in thought, "wasn't one of our first theories that the Hound was made in the Forbidden Forest and it wandered onto the school grounds? It would have been the closest Ruberion could have gotten without triggering Hogwarts's magical field. If we apparate into the Hound's lair and go through the Forbidden Forest, then we can get into Hogwarts that way."

Severus briefly evaluated my plan before coming to an agreement it was the best option. "We will still have to be careful getting through the Forest itself. Furthermore, the castle may be empty for summer but that does not mean we are able to walk around freely." he warned.

"I don't know how much of this we can really prepare for." I said as I walked to a nearby bin and threw Lockhart's book into it. Severus raised an eyebrow at my action. "What?

"I thought you were a fan of his." Severus said somewhat sarcastically.

Shrugging indifferently, I really couldn't care much less. "He's a bit of tart that one. Besides, it's hard to carry both books around." I clarified shortly. Severus didn't push on the matter; he likely had as little mindfulness on the matter as I did.

"We still have daylight hours to spare. Let's go now so we're ahead of schedule." I remarked looking at the bright sunshine. He nodded and we disapparated from Hogsmeade.

Moments later, we reappeared in the front of the Hound's lair. Just seeing the entrance after knowing what happened to the children, and what nearly happened to me, still gave me chills. Despite it being roughly in the afternoon, the light levels of the forest were barely brighter than when we visited during the nighttime. I brought out my wand and cast "Lumos" so we could see at an improved distance.

"I will take the lead. Stay close." Severus advised as he began to track through the foliage towards the castle. I nodded and followed closely behind on the lookout for any threats that could approach.

The Forbidden Forest was no stranger to magical beasts. Severus and I knew that... and yet it was near-impossible to avoid danger. The Acromantula den, the centaurs, even stray werewolves, could jump out at any moment. It was only because of this heightened awareness of my surroundings, that I noticed something strange that I had never seen before.

"Wait, Severus, come look at this." I called out and pointed towards a spot a few steps away. With careful footing, we approached a large hole in the earth. It went so deep that there was no bottom in sight. I grabbed a nearby pebble and threw it down... no noise came.

"Has this always been here?" I asked in awe. What could this be?

"We should not be here, Cassandra. Come." Severus said with mild panic as he placed a hand to my waist to guide me away.

"I know but... it's so strange. Why is a hole like that in the Forest? How did we never notice it before?" I prodded as we continued towards the castle.

Severus didn't have an answer. Instead, he continued to make his way without many other words along the way.

I suppose I'll have to keep a mental note of this place.

Somehow, we managed to escape the Forest without encountering any beasts. The castle sat looming over the horizon. There was an ominous feeling pooling in the bottom of my stomach knowing that it was empty apart from the ghosts and magic within. We climbed our way and managed to infiltrate the interior of the castle through the area near the greenhouses.

Fortunately, the library settled itself on the first floor meaning we were able to fairly easily avoid any sort of mishaps that could occur with trying to traverse the upper levels. The door creaked loudly as ever as Severus and I snuck in. The room was silent; just as Madam Pince eternally wished it could be. It was eerie without the sounds of sniggering children, quills scratching on parchment and the pages of books being flipped through.

I took the tome that I had been storing under my shoulder and turned it once more to the riddle.

"Some knowledge must be protected from innocent eyes amongst the freedom of information. The inexperienced may dredge into what they fear." I read aloud and observed the library. This had to be it.

"Lockhart is as incompetent as much as he is a fraud." Severus sighed as he turned towards the restricted section. "However, it is our best opportunity."

"We have the restricted section to protect the younger years from dangerous tomes and to preserve ones on the rarer or more valuable side." I explained as I brushed the roped barrier that stood in front of a large wooden frame. It separated the two areas of the library. "Everything on this side is free..." I gestured towards the main area. "and everything on the restricted side is being protected from the inexperienced."

I shook my head in mild frustration with the riddle. I wish it would simply say where all of these pieces are. This game of hide-and-seek is a lot less fun when the knowledge of what crimes my father has done is on the line.

With a swift movement, I undid the roped barrier and opened the door to the restricted section with Severus following behind. The restricted section was noticeably dustier and muggy-smelling than the main area. Many of these books had not been touched for years, perhaps even decades. And even if we are in the right spot... how do we know what we're looking for other than a tiny triangular piece in a hoard of literature?

Severus and I began to scour the books for anything that could be related to Ylgind. We came up empty. Then, we looked for tomes that could be dated roughly to the time period the worshipper wrote the book. Still, nothing prevailed.

"This is hopeless. It may not be here." I sighed and sat frustratedly on one of the counters. Severus diligently approached with a few of the books he had been searching and placed them beside me.

"Read the last section again." he prompted expectantly.

"The inexperienced may dredge into what they fear." I repeated once more.

"That may be it." he said to himself as he walked over towards a specific bookcase at the far end of the room. He counted the books on one of the rows and pulled one. A small click sounded out and the bookcase disappeared.

"Whoa!" I let out in surprise. "How did you know that was there!?"

"I had my suspicions but after searching, this must be the only option remaining. A few years ago, the Cursed Vaults were tampered with. This one, in particular, unleashed a series of Boggarts onto the school. The fear mentioned in the riddle," He looked towards the entrance in front of us. "may be referring to the Vault of Fear. A group of inexperienced children infiltrated the Vault to put a stop to the curse."

"Sounds serious if something like this can happen..." I said a little concerned but not surprised. Some Cursed Vaults sounded like an average afternoon in regards to all the other escapades I've been through.

At the very end of the tunnel, a hexagonal room presented itself before us. In the centre, a large orange casing stood tall. The floor matched the hexagonal pattern with a red carpet line going around the casing and towards the corners of the room. The walls were a murky green and decorated with common phobias: spiders, bats, ghosts, to name a few.

"Could it be inside the casing?" I asked as I placed my hand on it. Nothing happened.

"It is unlikely. The Vault has been empty for some time now." Severus responded as he searched around the walls.

I soon joined him and walked directly opposite the entranceway. Impossible to see from a few metres away, as I leant over to inspect closer, I could see a faint marking of some kind. It was a small pattern of fancy swirls embedded into a grey mould. The same grey mould as the amulet piece. I turned around to call Severus but he was already looking at me. His eyes wandered up from looking down. Was he looking at my-

"Did you find something?" he asked before I could finish the thought.

"I think so. Take a look."

As soon as those words left my mouth, a strange sickness overcame me. Severus vanished from my sight and the Vault was replaced with a swamp-like marsh arena. Intimidation began to creep into my system. I was not safe here.

A loud growling sound began to emanate from behind me. My body felt stiff. I could barely turn around. I saw it.

The Hound of Dreams.

"But... how...?" I barely wept out. The tome fell from my grip and became absorbed into the murkiness below.

How could it be here? I killed it. Ruberion is gone. There's no possible way this could be real.

The Hound let out a blasting howl and its saliva dripped like rain. It turned its head down and prepared to charge. If I didn't do something right now, I would be dead for certain.

But this isn't possible.

"This one, in particular, unleashed a series of Boggarts onto the school."

I dug my heels into the ground and whipped out my wand. The Hound is dead. This had to be a Boggart taking the form of my worst fear: the creature that almost took my life and tormented me for so long.

The Hound charged at extreme speeds. With terrible clacking with my teeth, I barely cast "Riddikulus" before it made contact. The Hound suddenly downsized into a sweet wolf pup. It began to chase its tail and fell over once it had "caught" it. I couldn't stop laughing at the result because of how adorable it was. The Boggart, now humiliated, vanished away and I found myself back in the Vault of Fear.

Severus stood next to me as he had done before but his face was pale as a sheet of snow. He had recovered from, what I assumed to be, his Boggart faster than I had but the effects were more devastating.

"Severus? Are you o-" He suddenly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tight against his chest. His breathing was uneven and distraught. Had he been crying? I pulled my arms around his frame and gently rubbed his back to calm him.

"What happened?" I asked sincerely. It was so unlike him to be in this way... A man who doesn't show his emotions was now almost cradling in my embrace for comfort.

"Don't ever sacrifice yourself again." was all he said and it was enough for me to fully understand. His Boggart transformed into when I sacrificed myself to prevent Calamity. He was reliving having to kill me again. That was his biggest fear: losing me.

"I won't. I'm here." I soothed until he was whole again. I knew Severus cared for me but he was never particularly vocal about it. He was more of an actions person but moments like these where he exposed his vulnerable side reinforced his feelings.

We gradually separated and now that the Vault was secure, the mould was free to inspect. In the very centre, I could make out the same triangular shape as the first piece. I dug my nails in the small gap between the wall and amulet piece and pulled it from its slot. Its magical energy flowed through me and I knew it was one of the same kind.

"Got it." I said as I matched it with the first piece from Patricia. "Let's get out of here."

Severus nodded and we made our way through the Forbidden Forest and apparated back home.

The very second we reappeared back in Spinner's End, I went towards the living room and placed the tome on the coffee table. My throat was dry with anticipation of what I may see next.

"Two down... four to go." I said with a small sigh as the two pieces sat in my palm. I sat down on the sofa and mentally prepared myself. Severus watched on with bated breath. "Okay, Ylgind, what do you have to show me next?"

The same bright flash overtook my senses. When the light faded, I found myself in a large black brick corridor with what appeared to be a vault door at the very end. Then, a figure that I instantly recognised jogged past. It was my mother again. Her hair was tied up in the same tight ponytail and this time, she carried a large rucksack on her shoulders. On her arm, she still wore the bangle she had taken from the ruins except a few of the triangular slots were filled in.

"Alright, Elsie, this may be your most ambitious trip yet." she spoke to herself as she turned the vault door's wheel in a very precise order. It swung open gradually to reveal a large circular chamber that was lightly illuminated by small blue candles and twenty identical doors.

It was then that I recalled seeing this location once before. This was the Department of Mysteries inside the Ministry... Unlike the other departments, the Department of Mysteries was largely unregulated and was almost entirely independent from the Ministry itself. Fudge and I had almost no say in anything that went on down here. The wizards who worked here gained a reputation to be known as "Unspeakables" for they could never disclose anything that went on. I visited the Department once several years ago to resolve some conflict but never outside of that occasion.

Elsie took out a map from her rucksack and inspected it thoroughly. She had marked down each of the doors she had to take to go through a very specific route. I knew of how maze-like the Department could be. One of the main security mechanisms is that this chamber rotated every time a door closed, leaving intruders clueless of the way they came. She began to count the doors until she came to the number sixteen. Carefully, she opened it and stepped inside with me following her. The door slammed shut and I could hear the whirring of the chamber rotating.

The location she entered I had heard of only in name. This was no doubt the Hall of Prophecies. For as long as the eye could see, large shelves that went upwards forever travelled down containing millions of small glass orbs. Prophecies, as the name suggests, contained a prediction of the future. When a seer, such as Trelawney, makes a prediction, they may be stored in these glass balls to be retained for relevant use. Prophecies would then be stored here. Only those for whom the prophecy was made about could obtain the prophecy, lest another wishes to go mad.

Elsie began to search the shelves for one specific thing with a torch in hand. Why was she so against using magic? Did she find it fun doing things without using her wand when other wizards relied on it? I followed behind her subtly until she came across a row that caught her attention.

She took one of the balls from its pedestal and neatly placed it in her rucksack. As she began to walk away, the sound of footsteps not her own began to alert her.

"Over there!" a distinctly male voice called out.

Elsie began to run with her pursuers right behind her. Dashing through each of the shelf rows, she realised she had no other option than to go through another door. Doing so meant she risked no longer knowing the rotation of the chamber but it was either that or getting caught. Recklessly, she slammed her shoulder against a door and fell through. A slight whimper escaped her lips from the pain.

"They've gone into the Death Chamber!" another voice called out.

Oh no.

The Death Chamber was similar to that of the Wizengamot court in that it was circular with a centre stage and stairs from all angles instead of chairs. In the centre stood what I heard to be known as the Veil. Rumours say that it separated the living world from the dead. If one went through, there was no returning. It took the form of a large stone archway that was dilapidated in structure with a thin wispy white veil that fluttered seamlessly despite there being no wind or air current.

Elsie ran towards the Veil. I couldn't tell if she knew what the Veil was. As I approached, I could hear screaming voices all crying for help within it. Despite myself not being corporeal, there was a strange urge to pass through the arch.

"Stop right there, witch!"

A series of three men darted towards Elsie and stopped before her with their wands directly pointing at her. Elsie took the Prophecy out of her rucksack and held it in her hand.

"I'll do it. If I go through, the Prophecy goes with me." she warned. How much of it was a bluff?

The man in the centre contemplated momentarily. His face was hidden from the innate darkness of the room. "Wands down, you two. I'll speak to her alone."

"You want us to leave, sir?" the man on the right asked unsure. The centre man nodded and the two on either side stepped back. He then lowered his wand.

"No wands. We can talk this through." he said still cautious Elsie would throw herself through the Veil. It would be a mess for the Ministry for a regular witch to die.

"Can we? I'm not so sure." Elsie retorted.

"I know who you are. Elsie Reutin. You've been on our radar for months now. Still searching for the Abyssian Blade, are we?" the man asked with smugness.

"How do you know about that?" Elsie asked angrily. She didn't have time for these games.

"That's what you wanted to know with your Prophecy, isn't it? If you'll ever find it?"

"So what?" She began to step slightly closer to the Veil.

"I'm not going to harm you, Elsie." His voice began to go somewhat calmer as if he were consoling a doe. "It would be foolish to die for this."

"And how do I know you won't?"

The man threw his wand toward Elsie and she kicked it far away from him.

"Is that proof enough? I'm defenceless and while I know you avoid using your wand, you still keep it on you. Elsie, I'm letting you go."

"What?" she replied in genuine surprise.

The man stepped forward into the light and my heart shot through my chest. This man...

"Cornelius Fudge?" Elsie said as she began to let her guard down. "The junior minister for the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes? Since when do you take interest in some relic hunter when you focus on mishappened spells?" He wasn't a threat anymore.

"No matter." he replied with haste. "I will let you leave so long as you promise never to step foot into the Department of Mysteries again."

Elsie let out a chuckle. "Does that mean all the other levels are free territory to me?" she said sarcastically. She was enjoying toying with him.

"Go before I change my mind." Fudge warned but he couldn't hide the smile that grazed his expression.

With a nod, Elsie stored the Prophecy back in her rucksack and fled. Fudge watched on, unsure if he was making a mistake or not. It would be in due time that he would have his answer...

...

The scenery fell away and the living room of Severus's house came back into view.

"That was..." I let out exhausted. The magical aura from the fragment flowed from it. The two pieces' magic melded into one.

"That was rather swift." Severus remarked. "Only moments have passed since you asked the question."

"Wow... I feel so dreary after it. It felt like it lasted forever. I guess that's the allurement of Ylgind." I said barely able to keep my eyes open. I explained to Severus what had happened and what I had seen.

"I see. So we were correct in obtaining it." he said as I let out a strong yawn. "The next logical step-"

My body fell over and my head landed on his lap. My eyes fluttered closed and my breathing became heavy as I drifted to sleep.

"This is a task for tomorrow then." he stated softly. His hand flowed through my hair and I gripped his free hand in mine.

"I love you." I slumbered out.

"I love you too."