Classes resumed as normal the following day, much to Harry's relief. Although he found the prospect of being escorted by trustees to and from mandatory exercises, classes, and meals rather inconvenient, it was at least a step closer to normalcy. More than anything, he was looking forward to his regular Thursday meet-up with Professor Lupin.
When Harry, Othniel, and Tallulah knocked on his office door during their free period, Lupin only asked for Harry to come inside. He winked at Othniel and Tallulah. "I have something personal I need to discuss with Harry first; I'll come and fetch you two in a tic." Harry quietly closed the door behind him as he took his seat across from Lupin's desk. Lupin's gaze remained impassive, but Harry could sense that he likely had some new information regarding Morgan Doolittle's murder.
Harry stared at his Defense teacher, wide-eyed. "So… did they find Elder Gomer's wand and have it tested?"
Lupin made a slow, silent nod. "Mister Floyd recovered the wand this morning and delivered it to the Headmaster for testing. We are still awaiting the results, but I would wager that at least one recent curse would be traced to it." He cocked his head. "I hope you've been keeping your discoveries to yourself… the true details of the crime aren't anything the public should be made aware of."
Harry shook his head. "Just you, me, Ana and Nova are the only ones who know anything… at least to my knowledge"
Lupin's lips twitched as he made a small smile. "Good. It needs to stay that way. I needn't elaborate on the implications should this information reach the wrong ears."
"What else did you find out in his journal?" Harry asked. "If he's been down there making wands for nearly a century, why did he just snap like that all of a sudden?"
"I'm not rightly sure," admitted Lupin. "I haven't read any more of his journal than you have… I just safeguarded it throughout the evening and turned it over to Professor Fontaine before breakfast this morning. He's a bit more qualified than myself to make heads or tails of those journal entries – I'm just as curious as you are as to what insight the Headmaster might provide after he's had a chance to review it in its entirety."
"And would you tell me what he finds out?" Harry pleaded.
Lupin nodded. "I'll tell you what I can."
Harry looked up to meet his teacher's gaze. "And… are things going to, y'know, get back to normal soon?"
"I would imagine so," replied Lupin. "You might still get marched around by your trustees for a few more days, but it shouldn't be much longer than that. I'd imagine that Professor Fontaine just wants to be completely sure that there is no further threat to the student body's well-being." He pointed a hand toward the door. "Oh, you can invite Othniel and Tallulah in now, if you'd like." He chuckled softly. "If it's okay with you, I'd rather talk about much more pleasant topics."
The next morning at breakfast, Ana was catching up with some her fellow second-year housemates when she felt a friendly tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Missy Ludwig, with a particularly sunny expression on her face. "Hiya, Ana," she squeaked. She leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but I spoke with Professors Frye and Goode yesterday. They asked me if I was comfortable filling the vacancy left by Doolittle… I said I'd do it. They aren't planning on postponing next week's competition, even though they'd be justified in doing so… anyway, I just wanted to share that with you. I'm excited to have you as a teammate."
"Awesome!" exclaimed Ana. But before the two could continue their conversation, hundreds of owls flooded the mess hall, carrying letters and parcels. To Ana's shock, Hedwig landed right in front of Ana's breakfast tray, carrying a letter from Hogwarts.
Missy flashed another smile. "I don't want to keep you from reading your mail. I'll see you in a bit, okeydoke?"
"Sounds good, Missy," replied Ana as she opened the sealed envelope. She then smiled at Hedwig. "I'm surprised to see you this morning, pretty girl! Thanks for delivering my mail!" She tore off a small piece of bacon and offered it to the owl.
"4 October 1991
Dear Anastasia,
I wish I could come to Ilvermorny and watch you rock the Quiz Bowl in person. I can understand your nervous feelings, but bear in mind that the first time is always the hardest. You're going to perform exceptionally well – I know it in my heart of hearts.
Your Scaggs is a very handsome kitty! He sure looks like he can keep people warm during those cold winter nights. I've attached a photo of Erebus to this letter… to my knowledge, he hasn't 'sniffed out' any suspicious-looking characters yet, but then again just about everyone he's met has been pretty good company so far. Then again, the shopkeeper only guessed that he may have some Kneazle in him so it's not a guarantee. Personally, it's not a big deal to me one way or the other – I love my pretty furbaby just like you love yours!
I'll write to my parents about the possibility of coming to the States this coming summer. I can't promise they'll agree to it, but I'll keep you posted regardless. I may be a pureblood heiress, but I've been longing for the chance to be an ordinary girl, even if it's just for a little while. Until I came to Hogwarts, everyone I knew also came from rich, powerful families.
Two of my roommates are half-bloods, which means they have partial magical ancestry. Most half-bloods are considered 'acceptable' for purebloods to associate with, but only the very richest and most powerful of half-bloods (and those are very few, mind you) would have any chance of marrying a purebred witch or wizard (and even then, it would not be to a firstborn as many strict observers would consider this blasphemous). I don't agree with these views, mind you, but it's just the way things are.
My other roommate comes from a non-magical family. She's very bright and sweet-natured, but she struggles to fit in socially because some of our classmates tease her for her looks (she has 'bedhead' every day, and is forced to wear some unflattering hardware on her teeth… braces, if memory serves). She also gets teased by some other students because she's Muggle-born. I really hate that for her because she truly has a lovely soul... I feel so bad for her because she comes up to our room crying after class more often than not. I do what I can to comfort her, but I sometimes feel so helpless because for a lot of the things she deals with, I don't really have a frame of reference. If you ever come to Hogwarts, maybe you can give her a pep-talk because you're proof that a no-maj born witch is worth every bit as much as a half-blood or purebred one!
I can't to get your next letter. I'm really glad I signed up for the pen pal program – it was everything I had hoped for and more!
With love from Hogwarts,
Daphne"
"Who's that, 'Stasia?" asked Jillian Marlowe, one of Ana's roommates. She raised a dark eyebrow. "And why did they send you a picture of a black mop?"
"That," snapped Ana, "is Erebus. He's a Persian cat that belongs to Daphne, my pen pal from Hogwarts."
"Why couldn't she have chosen a cute kitty?" scoffed Jillian. She swept a lock of dark chocolate hair back behind her ear. "He's more fur than cat!"
"He's handsome just the way he is," mused Sabrina Flores, another one of Ana's roommates. She turned to Ana and smiled. "Tell your friend I said 'hello' when you write back."
"I will," replied Ana.
Back in the boys' dormitories in the Horned Serpent tower that evening, Harry wished he had another vial of Sleeping Draught that Professor Lupin had given him the other night. He tossed and turned in his four-poster for several hours as he tried in vain to fall asleep. It was well past one in the morning when he finally settled in.
A couple of hours later, he began to feel strange… weightless. His peripheral vision clouded with a green, misty haze, and as he spun around to make sense of where he was, he realized that he wasn't in his bedroom. He wasn't sure where he was, but based on the cold, damp air and musty, earthy smell he must have been somewhere beneath the castle. It wasn't an area that he and Samantha explored, but he assumed that he must have been in the same general area – perhaps a different part of the labyrinth.
He saw a single opening behind him… the room beyond the doorway was quite well-lit, and had the familiar coloration of reddish-tan sandstone. The grotto, Harry thought to himself. He rushed toward the doorway, but the heavy door slammed itself shut mere milliseconds before he could get out. He pulled on the doorknob, to no avail. "Let me out!" he screamed in sheer terror. "Let me out!"
Harry came to the realization that he was quite alone, and the only way out was going through the other side. With trepidation, he carefully tiptoed through the dimly-lit corridor. He winced at the primitive artwork on the walls – they were nothing short of graphic – even grotesque – depictions of humans being sacrificed to a hideous, and presumably powerful, horned being that looked to be fifty percent taller than an average person.
These etchings were far from elaborate – little more than glorified stick figures – but they were enough to tell an effective story. From what Harry gathered, it looked like a small band of magical humans struck a deal with a powerful overlord from another world. The leader of the humans offered the horned being several mortals in exchange for a large wand… even these primitive markings clearly conveyed that this wand was extraordinary, as it gleamed with substantially more power than any wand that the coven of witches and wizards were carrying.
Harry felt his heart pounding as he progressed deeper and deeper through the passageway. "Take me, Harry Potter," a strange, soft voice called out. "Use me. I can help you exact revenge on Peter Pettigrew. With me, you can kill Lord Voldemort with but a mere gesture. The wizarding world is yours to rule, Harry Potter. All of it…"
Harry tried to ignore the whisperings, but the voice grew louder and more persistent as he traversed through the eerie tunnel. "You know you want to, Harry… Avenge your parents! Voldemort is a foolish freak with delusions of grandeur. He is only a rabid dog that needs to be put out of his misery. And Pettigrew is but the tiniest flea. Neither of them can truly grasp the concept of true power. You, on the other hand, with time and training…"
He continued his march down the abyssal tunnel, but instead of getting colder, it became warmer and warmer. The walls became better-lit as the sparse candelabras were replaced by roaring torches with dancing blue flames that burned far, far hotter than ordinary fire. The heat became almost too oppressive for Harry to bear, until he reached a dead end.
A single footlocker rested against the end of the tunnel, which Harry unlocked with a simple "alohomora". Inside, he saw a highly-polished black wand, perhaps twenty inches in length, with silver and gold accents. This wand was considerably more luxurious-looking than any wand Harry had ever seen… but it wasn't even the handle of the wand that grabbed Harry's attention.
On the end was a sky-blue ball, perhaps just a little larger than Harry's fist, clenched inside three bird's talons. The Orb of Exuberance, Harry thought. He looked at the actual orb itself – little silvery-grey puffs of clouds swirled about. Without a second thought, he grabbed the elongated wand from the foot locker and held it with both hands.
The Orb began to glow a faint gold, and the color of the orb gradually turned from a pleasant blue to a blood red. An eerie hiss came from behind his back… he whirled around, and saw a gaunt man in black robes with a strangely serpentine face.
"Hello, Harry," the man greeted in a raspy hiss. "You want to destroy me… I know you do… use the Orb," he beckoned. "Your anger is strong. I can sense it…"
"You killed my parents, you fiend," Harry roared back with defiance. "You'll get exactly what you deserve!"
The snake-faced man smirked at Harry. "Yes… that's right, Harry… go on. Remember… it's your anger and hatred that make you truly powerful, not that worthless little stick you're holding."
Harry glared at the man he presumed to be the demon who murdered his parents. He swished the wand in a sharp upstroke, rather like how a samurai would slash his katana, and screamed only one word… "Die!"
The black-cloaked figure cackled as he disintegrated into ash… Harry had gotten the feeling that he was being mocked the whole time. Before he knew it, the Orb had also disintegrated, and he suddenly felt the weight of chains on his arms, legs, and chest.
Although the ominous figure disappeared, the voice continued to haunt him. "I see you have enjoyed your first taste of the darkness, Harry Potter… now, you will forever be a slave to it!"
"Noooooo!" Harry yelped in defiance. "I am Harry Potter – I will not be denied!"
A shrill scream pierced the Horned Serpent boys' dormitories. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgh!"
Othniel rushed over to Harry's bed, where he found his friend drenched in a cold sweat. "Harry… Harry. Are you all right?"
Harry sat up and blinked at his best friend. "Othniel… I had a horrendous dream…"
"What was it all about?" Othniel asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," murmured Harry. "I'm just glad it was just a dream, but it seemed so… real."