//------------------------------// // In Which Sunset Already Nearly Dies Twice In One Afternoon // Story: Hogwarts: Sunset's Legacy // by witegrlninja //------------------------------// "Glad I caught you before you left for Scotland," George sighed after a few minutes of silence. We were high above the clouds now, the sun just beginning to touch their silver linings. "Just barely," Fig nodded. George chuckled a bit before his gaze returned to me. "And who is your traveling companion?" he asked. "My name's Sunset Shimmer. It's nice to meet you, George," I bowed my head slightly. "She's a new student," Fig added, gesturing towards me. "New...?" George breathed, taken aback. "Yes, sir. I'm starting as a fifth-year," I explained. George gaped at me for a few moments, blinking rapidly before settling back down. "How extraordinary..." he finally said. The fact he seemed so taken aback caused me to shift uncomfortably in my seat. "Is it really that unusual? Surely there must be the occasional transfer student... families moving and all?" I reasoned. "Indeed, we do have students joining us from all over the world... in fact, we just had a student transfer over from the Uagadou school last year," explained Fig. "Your specific situation, however... to any of our knowledge, that hasn't happened before." Even though he kept it vague, I realized what he'd secretly meant. I was certainly a special case, having been suddenly spit into existence here one day from a different universe entirely. "Fig told me that you seem to have been an orphan that crossed paths with him one day," said George. "Amazingly self-taught in magic, but with no formal education." "Yes, yes... and once I had invited you to remain with me, the Quill of Acceptance immediately wrote your name down in the Book of Admittance," Fig finished my cover story, technically the truth. I nodded slightly, a subtle smile on my face, and he smiled in return. "Of course, as the other fifth-years will have been honing their magical skills for four years now, the Headmaster asked if I could get Miss Shimmer up to speed a bit before the term begins." "Well, you couldn't have asked for a better mentor!" George grinned and winked at me. "Professor Fig is not only an exceptional teacher, he is also a remarkably intuitive and gifted wizard!" To my right, Fig was squirming bashfully at the praise. "Mr. Osric is prone to flattery," Fig turned to me, chuckling. "I daresay it's one of the reasons he's risen so far at the Ministry." I smiled and turned back towards George, who had suddenly grown solemn. He reached behind him into his pocket dimension and pulled out a newspaper. "Have you seen this?" he asked as he unfolded the paper for us to see. The cover story was an article about a goblin named Ranrok, his gnarled, bald head sneering at us as if deeply offended. The text beside his picture was about whether his rebellion was real or not. It had been in the papers for a while now... I wondered why it only made the front page today. My eyes wandered to the clouds as I thought, barely noticing that one of them was slightly darker than the rest. But by the time it registered in my mind and I thought to look at it, the cloud was gone. "I have," Fig sighed. "Opinions differ as to how great a threat Ranrok really is." "Although I've yet to convince my colleagues at the Ministry, I believe he is a significant threat," said George, who swallowed uncomfortably. "And... it was your wife, Eleazar, who alerted me to his activities months ago." The mere mentioning of Fig's late wife made the both of us sit up straight. "Miriam?" Fig breathed, leaning in. "...How?" George sighed sadly. "...She wrote to me about Ranrok before she died, wondering what the Ministry knew of his activities." Fig's gaze sank to the floor. After a few moments, George pulled out another object from his pocket dimension. "Before I could respond... I received this. It was the last thing she sent me, Eleazar." He held up the object so we could get a good look at it. It was a cylinder with cone-shaped ends, formed from a brassy, blue metal not unlike Abyssinian steel. A white metal symbol sat in the center, resembling a wisp of smoke or a flare of flame. And... the symbol was faintly glowing. "It came to me via her owl, but with no correspondence," George continued slowly. "I can only assume-" "That she had to get rid of it quickly, to keep it safe," Fig finished for him, accepting the strange metal cylinder from George. "Presumably from Ranrok," George nodded. Fig spent a few moments looking over the cylinder. "I cannot open it. Whatever magic protects this is powerful, indeed." "...It looks like goblin metal," Fig hummed, tapping on the cylinder. "That symbol-" "It's glowing," I mentioned. Both Fig and George reeled away from me in surprise, then examined the cylinder with twice the attention as before. "I don't see a glow..." Fig finally said. "Nor do I..." George agreed, staring at me. Fig then handed the cylinder over to me. It felt strangely warm as I took it in my hands, and I turned it over as I studied it. They can't see the glow? Weird... it's supposed to open, isn't it? I wonder how- The glowing symbol flashed, and the cylinder popped open. A golden key laid inside the blue interior, its handle shaped into the same symbol as on the cylinder. Everyone inside the carriage gasped lightly. "Merlin's beard!" George exclaimed. "How did you-?" "Wait!" Fig suddenly hissed as I reached to pick up the key. "We do not know what-" An extremely loud noise ripped through my ears just as the carriage shook violently. It took me a second to realize that the entire opposite side of said carriage was now missing. My stomach instantly dropped, and I clawed desperately at the remaining windowsill on my side of the carriage so I didn't fall out. SWEET CELESTIA! WHAT THE- I gasped in horror as I finally registered what I was seeing - a massive dragon was flying just behind the carriage. A metal collar, glowing a violent red, sat around its neck. The other half of the carriage, and poor George, was being precariously held in the beast's mouth, boiling saliva dripping from its fangs. George screamed as the dragon tossed its head about, squeezing its jaws, the splintering wood growing weaker and weaker. "Apparate, George!" I shouted to him. "Appar-" The dragon's jaws snapped shut. Pieces of wood and glass flew from its mouth and dropped to the ground far, far below. My words... my breath died in my throat. Oh, goddess! Did he just-?! I remembered the poor carriage driver, and I carefully turned around in my seat to look at him. He was fine for now, but I was horrified to see what was now visible to me... pulling the carriage... ...Thestrals. George was dead. I just watched him die right in front of me. ...Oh. The thestrals struggled to stay in control. The carriage driver desperately whipped and shouted at them, begging them to fly faster. Turning back towards the dragon, my heart stopped as I saw the back of its throat begin to glow, thin streams of lava rising up from its bowels and drooling out between its teeth. "Jump!" Fig shouted. Without thinking I let go of the windowsill and let myself fall into the sky. Just above me, a raging torrent of fire burned the remainder of the carriage to ash within seconds, the carriage driver Apparating away at the last possible moment, the thestrals freeing themselves and flying away in different directions. The dragon surged forward and smashed into what remained of the carriage, disappearing from view. Okay... okay, I've been in worse situations! Just need to keep looking at the ground, gotta teleport at the last possible moment- "The key!" Fig shouted again. It had fallen out of the cylinder and was dangling just out of reach. I glanced behind me - the dragon had circled around and was coming straight at us. "Give me your hand!" I wrenched my body through thin air, managing just barely to grab hold of Fig. I could feel the heat from the dragon's mouth coming closer and closer. "Accio!" he shouted. The key zoomed straight into his other outstretched hand just as the air grew suffocating. ~ Not even half a second later I landed roughly on the ground, the wind knocked from my lungs. I could barely open my eyes through my coughing, but I felt immensely better once I saw that we were on the ground. "Are you alright?!" Fig cried out, struggling to his feet. I tried to respond, but could only manage a raspy half-yes. Fig eventually stumbled over to me, holding out a small vial of green liquid. Wiggenweld potion... oh, good. Wordlessly I took the vial and gulped down the contents. It passed down my throat, past my lungs, into my stomach... the ability to breathe returned, and I took one big gulp of air as I stood up. "Ugh... thank you." Glancing around at my new surroundings... it appeared that we were now in a cave, except there was plenty of sunlight beaming in from the opening. Fig was pacing back and forth, muttering wildly. "Poor George... I can't believe he... What the hell got into that damned thing?! Attacking a carriage midair... a typical dragon would never...!" "Uh, Fig?" I moaned. It was enough to break him out of his trance, and he placed his hands on his hips as he took a few breaths. "...Where are we?" "I'm not sure," Fig replied after a moment. "But that key you discovered was clearly a Portkey!" Portkey... like the Crystal Mirror? Can a Portkey be anything...?! "Come... let's see where this Portkey has taken us," Fig mumbled as he set off towards the cave's opening. I quickly followed after him out of the cave, where my breath left my throat again - the ground dropped into a sheer cliff overlooking the frothing, churning ocean about two hundred feet below. Roiling clouds covered the sky, growing darker over the deeper waters. The wind howled and screamed, threatening to blow me away, crying seagulls our only company. The only other thing in sight was a towering mesa poking out of the sea a good mile or so away... ruins of some sort had been carved into the weathered stone. "How far did that Portkey take us?!" I shouted above the din of the wind. "Farther from London than the carriage traveled," Fig shouted back. "We're somewhere in the Scottish Highlands!" I considered the purpose of a Portkey for a few moments and came to a conclusion. "Do you think the Portkey was meant to lead us here?" "Yes... to those ruins over there," Fig concurred. "This has not been the day either of us expected!" I'll say. "But Miriam sent that Portkey to George for a reason..." Fig continued, thinking aloud. "I believe that she... and now George... died in pursuit of whatever it was meant to lead to... If you're sure you're alright, and wouldn't mind indulging me... I'd like to look around." "Then let's look," I agreed. "Might as well since we're here, now." "Good!" he grinned. "Let's see if we can find a path, however faded it may be! Mind your step!" Fig then set off down the remains of an old path etched into the ground, banking sharply to the right. I followed him as carefully as I could - the rocks were slick and smooth from all the wind and moisture, the path so eroded that it was only a foot wide in some places. At times he would get so close to the edge, so close to stepping off into oblivion that my heart leapt into my throat. "Where do you think your wife got this Portkey from?" I asked after a few precarious minutes of travel. "A good question," Fig responded, thankfully focusing a little more on his foot placement as he spoke. "She's been searching for evidence of a long-forgotten form of ancient magic for years, now... I don't know where she came into possession of that Portkey, but I am certain it was to do with that search." "You think so?" "Yes... Miriam wanted to understand why such powerful magic disappeared from the wizarding world, spoke of the good it could do... But magic is no different than any power. What really matters is the one who wields it." We continued in silence for another minute or two, passing underneath a ledge. A massive sheet of what looked like ice walled us off from the rest of the path. "Ice? Weird, that shouldn't be here." "No, it's not cold enough here," Fig agreed. "It must be some sort of enchantment." "Well, it's not much of an enchantment," I groused as I pulled out my wand. With a quick flick it fired a bolt of pure magic and shattered the fake ice like stepping onto a frozen puddle. "Very good!" he praised as we passed through. The path continued downwards and back around the cliff... though we were careful there was a slope covered in wet grass, and we both lost our footing and slid down it. Clambering up a few short ledges, we made our way back to the path and followed it to its rather abrupt end, just in front of the mesa and the ruins. I couldn't imagine what would possess someone to live all the way out here, magical or not. As Fig cast Reparo on the crumbled remains of a bridge, the wind seemed to blow even harder. I grabbed at the edges of my blazer, waiting impatiently for the spell to finish. Once the ruined bridge flew and slammed itself back into place we hurried across. The ruins were... well, ruins. It appeared to have once been a handsome little castle, but the stained glass between the stone frames had shattered to dust long ago. Scraggly plants and sparse wildflowers struggled to eke out their existence in the windswept cracks between bricks. There was a mural of a wizard studying Divination tools carved into the cold stone ahead of us, and a cracked statue of presumably that same wizard holding a crystal ball to our left. "Why would someone have built this here?" I asked incredulously. "I suspect they valued their privacy," Fig shrugged. "That Portkey led us here for a reason... let's have a look around for anything that seems... out of place." This entire ruin is out of place... I walked around the ruins for a minute, not seeing anything particularly strange. Judging from the mural and statue I figured that whoever was nuts enough to live here long ago was a Seer of some kind. Once I got closer to the statue however, I realized that there was a path leading around the ruins towards another section hidden in back. I jogged down the short path towards this new section... one of the ruined tower's walls were made of that same fake ice from before, and as I approached it, it began to glow. Alright, that probably counts for out of place here. The fake ice was almost mirror-like, my blurry reflection matched my movements. Once I'd gotten within a few feet of the wall, colors began to fade in, and an image spread out from the center... it looked like an ornate room inside of an ancient cave, decorated with polished marble and stone, with a single wooden lectern holding a massive, aged book facing me. Lights shone from some lamps and a huge crystal chandelier, held together by elaborate filigree decorations. To the left, the room seemed to lead into a massive cavern... and all of this was far too big to be contained within the entire area of the mesa... ...No, it looked like a portal. "Hey, Fig!" I shouted as loudly as I could, to ensure he heard me. "Behind the mural! There's a path by the statue!" It only took a few seconds before I could hear and feel his footsteps approaching. He slowed as he approached the wall. "How odd... why would someone have conjured that enchanted stone here?" he mumbled, running his fingertips across the surface. "And it leads to some sort of room within a cave," I hummed in thought. Fig dropped his hand and looked over to me, then back to the wall of enchanted stone. "...What room? I don't see anything." "You... You don't? But it's glowing and everything, like that Portkey container was!" I blinked, touching the wall. As soon as I made contact with the strangely-warm stone the reflection instantly vanished, immediately replaced by a gray brick wall that definitely didn't resemble the wind-worn bricks of the ruins. In fact, the roar and chill of the wind was entirely gone. "What in Merlin's name...?!" Fig cried. Whatever had happened, he was here, too. I turned around and gasped lightly as I realized we were now in that room I had seen in the reflection. It was silent other than our footsteps, a gentle hum coming from the cavern to the left... and someone snoring. "Now where are we?" "I don't believe it..." Fig breathed as we walked quietly towards the lectern, our footsteps echoing lightly. On top of it, his face buried in the book, was a goblin who was fast asleep. Fig and I shared a glance before he tried clearing his throat to wake the goblin. ..zzz... Fig cleared his throat again. ...zzz... Fig cleared his throat louder. ...zzz... "Oi!" I barked, losing patience. The goblin startled awake with a shout, sending a quill flying in his stupor. After a few moments he was awake enough to realize we were there. "...It can't be!" he mumbled, as though pleasantly surprised. The goblin clambered down from the lectern, revealing that it was a good five feet taller than he was... hell, even if I were still a pony, I still would've been taller than him. He was dressed in a neat white collared shirt and green vest with a yellow necktie and brown pants, looking very professional as he bowed graciously to us. "Welcome to Gringotts Wizarding Bank!" Oh... so this is Gringotts. "Vault number 12, I presume?" the goblin continued. "Precisely!" Fig nodded quickly as I glanced over to him. The goblin paused for a moment, the smile slowly slipping from his face. "...The key?" he grumbled, holding out a hand. Fig froze as he worked out which key the goblin might've meant... from what he'd told me about Gringotts, I remembered that every customer of theirs owned a key to their specific vault, which they couldn't otherwise access... not without threatening to blow the poor workers up or something, anyway. "You know... the key we have," I whispered. Fig opened his mouth in realization and fished the Portkey out from his robes, handing it to the goblin. "This way, then!" the goblin pointed towards the cavern with a smile. We followed him a short distance as he motioned towards a floating set of rails. He whistled, and a few moments later a strange cart came rolling from out of view, stopping just in front of us. It was a haphazard-looking thing with barely a platform to stand on in order to sit in one of its four small seats, two on each side. The goblin hopped into the driver's seat on top of it as Fig and I carefully sat down. "Keep your hands inside the cart if you don't wish to lose them!" he chuckled. Oh, great... The cart lurched forward and gained speed quickly, nearly making me fall out of the tiny seat. I held on for dear life as it sped up, zooming down the rails through a tunnel and into the depths of the cavern. Vaults were carved into every wall and every massive stalactite and stalagmite, flanked by lamps that did little to illuminate the vast space. The goblin gave us a bit of a tour as we went, speaking about how many hundreds of vaults were in Gringotts, mentioning that private entrances to the bank (like the one we'd just entered from) were reserved only for the wealthiest and most powerful wizards, then alerting us to take a breath. Before either Fig or I could ask why, the cart took us directly beneath a waterfall. "Gah!" I screeched. That water was freezing! "That waterfall washes away all enchantments! It's a security measure!" the goblin plainly informed us. "Never experienced the Thief's Downfall before, I see?" "Heard of it," Fig grumbled as we cast drying charms on ourselves. The goblin continued with his tour, mentioning how we were passing the lower vaults now - Gringotts had been built over four centuries ago, and Vault 12 was, of course, one of the first to be commissioned. There was still a long way to go, and I did my best to listen while watching the cart's wheels spin all around us like a roller coaster, even though the cart itself remained stationary. It was really doing a number on me. I hoped this ride didn't last too much longer. After a few minutes the goblin began to slow the cart down. We had reached the first 100 vaults of the bank, and there was a platform where another goblin in a security guard outfit was standing. The cart came to a stop, allowing me a few deep breaths. "Vault number?" the guard growled. "Vault 12... momentous day!" our driver beamed. The guard didn't seem too impressed. "Hmph... on your way," he gestured with his right arm as our cart began to move again. It was then that I noticed that he was wearing an arm band of some kind... it was glowing the same violent red that I'd seen on the dragon. The guard shuffled away as we sped up, only to reappear on his own cart on a separate set of rails a few moments later, zipping off into a tunnel and out of sight. That red color... it almost burned itself into my mind. It begged to be mentioned. "Fig," I whispered. "Hm?" "That arm band that guard was wearing... it was glowing." "...Like the glow you saw on the Portkey container?" he whispered back. "Not quite... it was glowing red. I saw something similar on that dragon a bit ago-" "What was that?" the goblin suddenly piped up. He must've assumed we had a question for him. "We were just wondering about that goblin back there," Fig explained. "Oh, he watches over the oldest section of the bank," the goblin replied. "Rare anyone goes there anymore." Hm, guess that makes sense... the people who these vaults are for are probably long dead by now. Finally, the cart slowed to a stop in front of a single vault hewn out of a huge stalagmite. This was Vault 12. Fig and I carefully stood up from our seats and walked onto the platform, making our way towards the vault. "When was the last time this vault was accessed?" asked Fig. "A goblin has been stationed at my desk for hundreds of years. In that time, no one has visited Vault 12... until today," said the goblin. He approached the door to the vault, a brass-colored oval covered in complicated-looking pistons and gears. He slid the key into its hole and the various bits on the door shifted, eventually opening it. He then stood to one side and bowed, ushering us into the vault. "Thank you for your help," Fig nodded as we stepped inside. For a bank vault that apparently hadn't been opened in centuries, it was disappointingly quite empty. Enchanted candles illuminated the shelves where barely a full set of plates and goblets sat. Seriously? This is what that stupid key is leading us to? "Hmm... sir, I wonder if you might-" "The instructions for Vault 12 indicate that I am to grant access to the holder of the key, and then close the door," the goblin interrupted Fig. Before either of us could protest, the door to the vault slammed shut. I could hear all of the pistons and locks sliding back into place. "Hey!" I shouted. "Best of luck!" came the goblin's muffled voice from the other side. Fig took a deep, exasperated breath. "Well... now what?" I frowned. "That was certainly unexpected," Fig muttered as he put his hands on his hips. "Let me think... there must be something here." I sighed, putting a finger to my chin in thought. That Portkey couldn't have led us to something as disappointing as an empty bank vault... there had to be something more to it, right? Hmm... there wasn't much point to using it before, but now might be a good time for a revealing charm. "Revelio," I muttered, flicking my wand. A faint blue pulse of light like a radar flashed outwards from its tip, bathing the room. Towards the very back of the vault, something flickered. "Oh, over there!" "Hmm... move a bit closer and try again," said Fig. I did as he instructed, getting right up against the wall before casting. This time a brass and blue metal door appeared, that same white, wispy symbol as the Portkey and its container etched into the very center. "Well, that's a start... there's that symbol again." "Alright... so there is something here," I hummed. "And it's glowing just like the Portkey container was." "If what you can see reveals the way forward, then I daresay we are about to discover the secret of this vault!" Fig grinned. "Lead the way!" The symbol responded to my touch, but not in a way that I expected. In the blink of an eye all of the candles extinguished themselves, and we were thrown into pitch black darkness. As soon as Fig and I were able to cast Lumos to see again, I saw that we were no longer in the vault, but a massive, empty stone room. All that occupied it were pillars that stretched upwards into the darkness. "This is no ordinary vault," said Fig. "I suspect we will need to earn our way out of here." "A challenge, huh? Finally, something interesting," I smirked. "Stay close. There will be no Disapparating if things go poorly... not out of Gringotts." We walked together through the darkness for a few minutes, not seeing any sort of hint as to how to beat this challenge... not until I noticed another glowing, blue light like I'd been seeing, this time on the floor. I moved away from Fig towards it, reaching it just as he noticed and jogged over to me. The light swirled all around me like a vortex as I stepped onto it, warm and airy. It was hard to describe, but I could feel a sense of power in the light. It whispered to me in an arcane language, begging me to let it surround me, flow into me... for me to use it. I held out my wand and gasped as the light seemed to want to disappear into it. This light, this power... it's calling out to me. I waved it around a little, and the light followed. I felt a surge of power deep within my heart, and I flicked my wand. The light pulsed and then extinguished, sending Fig and I back into the darkness for a moment before he cast Lumos again. The room had changed yet again, although this time instead of an empty stone room, there was nothing but the enchanted stone on the floor for as far as I could see. Curiously, there was a reflection of a kneeling suit of armor in the floor, leaning on its sword. "What happened?" Fig whispered in awe. "I saw another glowing spot, this time on the floor. I stood on it, and... it felt like it wanted me to use it." "Wanted you to use it?" he parroted, curious. "It's some kind of magic... I can't think of anything like it that I've seen or used before," I replied. Fig hummed in contemplation. "...You seem to have caused the floor to change," he said as he glanced around. "Right... there's a reflection of a statue in it." Fig looked down and around for a moment, clearly not seeing what I was seeing. I cast another Revelio, and the statue itself appeared atop its reflection... except it was facing the complete opposite direction. "Ah... I assume this is what you saw reflected in the floor," said Fig. "It is. But the reflection doesn't match the statue." Fig walked around the statue... as he did, the statue's reflection seemed to follow the light from his wand. "Oh! The reflection's following your light!" "Hmm... perhaps you should cast Lumos," he suggested, putting out his wand as I cast the spell with mine. I could already see where this "puzzle" was going. A couple seconds later I had matched the reflection with the statue, which suddenly stood up straight. It raised the longsword it was holding a few inches and tapped the floor with its tip. Light suddenly pulsed and swirled around us, illuminating the area. A number of similar statues dropped down from above, but this time their swords were poised for battle. The first statue then raised its sword and wasted no time in aiming for my neck. Good... I was getting bored with this challenge! Fig cried out as I cast Protego, shielding myself from the blow. The sword bounced off harmlessly, but the momentum was still enough to push me back a couple feet. In an instant the rest of the statues charged at us. Sadly they were rather weak, as one good spell was strong enough to shatter them in one hit. Fig handled those that came his way with equal ease. Before I knew it, all of the statues were lying in pieces on the ground. The light surrounding us howled like a gale, flickering as if it would go out any moment. "Stay close!" Fig yelled, but it was too late. The light pulsed downwards, changing the room along with it. As soon as it reached the center of the area, Fig disappeared from sight. Not even Homenum Revelio showed me where he had gone. Hmm... I began to wander around what area I could see, stopping abruptly when sparks of light suddenly shot out from my steps, flying off into the darkness. I felt a subtle pull as I walked in their direction... they seemed to be leading me somewhere. After a few moments, there it was - another glowing spot on the floor. I stepped inside the vortex and again felt its balmy caress, heard its gentle whispers. I felt another surge of power within my heart, and I flicked my wand in response. The light pulsed and again revealed an enchanted stone floor, this time with three reflections of knights within it. Seriously? This again? It took me mere seconds to arrange. As soon as the three knights tapped their swords on the floor in unison, they attacked me again. I rolled my eyes and cast a Depulso in shockwave form around me, instantly crumbling them where they stood. Despite this, more of the statue knights fell from the sky. "Oh, come on... I thought this was supposed to be a challenge!" I groused as I destroyed the knights almost as quickly as they appeared. No sooner than the last one fell that the light died from the room again, more sparks of light forming beneath my feet and leading me somewhere. This time, however, besides another glowing vortex, the lights also led me to a large, glowing silver statue of that swirly symbol I kept seeing. The vortex was just in front of it. The magic caressed me once again... it smelled of fresh air and ozone, of heat and something metallic. I became slightly lightheaded, but in a way that didn't concern me at all... it was as though I was absorbing the magic every time I encountered it. And I was more than happy to embrace it. I flicked my wand again, and the statue before me melted. The liquid metal quickly reformed into a graceful, pointed arch, and a portal appeared inside of the opening, glowing a soft blue. Inside I could see a large room decorated with lit sconces, with blue stone flooring and pillars and walls decorated with gold, empty except for... ... ...what appeared to be a birdbath. Huh. Seeing how there was nowhere else to go, I entered the portal. The room was even more grand than it had appeared on the other side. As I approached the birdbath, I noticed that there was something floating above it... a small vial of white crystal and silver filigree, hanging from a delicate chain. I carefully plucked it from the air, and I heard doors behind me opening - Fig walked through them a moment later, looking relieved to see me. "There you are!" he shouted, jogging towards me while scanning the room. "How did you... What is this place...?" "No idea," I shrugged. "But I found this little vial floating over the birdbath here." "Birdbath...?" Fig mouthed as he glanced behind me, realizing what I had meant. "That is no mere birdbath... that is a Pensieve, for viewing memories." "Viewing memories?" I parroted back. I could see memories in this thing? "I wonder...?" Fig mumbled, looking at the vial I had picked up. I let him take it, and he opened it up over the Pensieve. A thin stream of shimmery, silver liquid poured out of the vial and into the Pensieve's water, turning it cloudy. He instructed me to follow his lead, which made me slightly concerned as he then proceeded to stick his head under the water's surface... But, I figured if he was doing it, then I wasn't going to drown myself or anything. It didn't feel like water when I stuck my face into it. Instead I felt a pulling sensation as black wisps of smoke danced in my eyes, eventually fading away into a vision. I saw a massive room, carved out of bluish-grey stone and white marble and decorated with arches gilded in gold. An old man in Renaissance-period clothing and a long, white beard was creating the room with magic that glowed blue and warm... exactly like what I had been experiencing. With simple flicks of his wand he raised elaborate pillars with decorations that twined and curled around them like vines. Another man soon came into view, this one younger and barely fitting in his clothes. "All is in place," he said as he sheathed his wand, turning to the old man. "The Portkey is well hidden?" the old man asked. "Perhaps too well. I wonder if the path we've created-" "May be impossible to follow? It will only be impossible for one who cannot see traces of ancient magic, as I can," the old man reassured. "Your ability to see what others cannot will not be enough, Percival," warned the younger. "We are entrusting the one who embarks on this path with powerful secrets, with knowledge others will do anything to obtain." "Yes, and if we are correct, Charles, the witch or wizard who completes the trials will have proven themselves worthy of that knowledge... and the responsibility that accompanies it." Charles paused for a moment, admiring their work. "We've done all that we can." He turned to Percival and nodded. Percival then pointed his wand at his temple, a stream of something silvery exuding from there and wrapping around his wand. As it happened, I felt myself being pulled out of the Pensieve, the wisps of black smoke clouding my vision until I gained the willpower to lift out my face. "That's what you're seeing?" Fig gasped, staring at me. "The glow that surrounded them?" "I... believe so," I responded, blinking in disbelief. Traces of ancient magic... could it be? Am I really that lucky...? "Astonishing!" Fig stared into space. "I... I can see... use ancient magic?" I gaped, hope and excitement swelling within me to almost bursting. "Yes..." he replied with a reverential awe. "...The magic that Miriam had always believed existed... but could never..." He paused for a moment as he realized something. "...Miriam, and perhaps George... died in pursuit of knowledge that has been dormant for centuries... and you, it seems, are the key to understanding why!" Me... My mind raced with new thoughts. I had always known I was destined for greatness, to be the most powerful unicorn, or now witch, in the entire world... but this! Somehow, I had struck gold! Somehow, I was handed the opportunity of a lifetime! Of several lifetimes! Ancient magic... it was apparently extremely powerful. And... was it possible that it chose to reveal itself to me? I was already an incredibly strong witch myself... Or maybe it was because I was a unicorn, and therefore attuned to magic in ways any other human was not? I could think of no other reasons why it had happened, why I was now so incredibly fortunate. From that moment, I made my decision. I was going to learn everything I possibly could about this ancient magic. Mastering it would only aid me further in my quest to become the most powerful witch in the world, to elevate myself to heights no mere mortal could ever touch! And Celestia... ...Even she would have to bow to me. "It all looks rather different than it did a moment ago..." The sudden muffled voice of the goblin from earlier knocked me out of my thoughts. Fig and I looked towards the direction of the voice - multiple pairs of footsteps were accompanying it. "Someone's coming," Fig warned, gesturing for me to stay behind him. "Who were they?" Another muffled voice, this one sounding deep, cruel and mean. "I don't know... but sir, you shouldn't be here!" the goblin from before warbled just before the doors opened. A goblin that looked strangely familiar to me sauntered through, his dark red eyes glowering with malice. Thick, brass-colored armor covered his shoulders and arms, intricately decorated and subtly glowing that same violent red I had seen on the dragon and the security guard. "I was right," he growled slowly, glaring at Fig and I. "Ranrok," Fig growled in return. He began walking towards the goblin and his companions, and I followed. "Seems my reputation precedes me," Ranrok snarled as we halted our advance. "I was beginning to think no one was ever going to visit Rackham's vault." "And why are you here?!" Fig demanded as he whipped out his wand. I followed suit. Ranrok slowly raised his hands, but his demeanor never changed. "No need for that. Just give me whatever it is you found here, and we can let bygones be bygones," he hissed. The way he carried himself made my hackles rise, made the hairs on my arms and neck stand on end. There was no trusting this guy, this... this angry little cabbage. I don't think so... how do you even know about this vault? Huh? I blinked rapidly, though I never took my eyes off of Ranrok. What was that I had just heard? It sounded like Fig, except I was sure he hadn't spoken... ...No. It was more like I had felt Fig speak. "S-Sir? They had the key to the vault..." the goblin that had accompanied us chuckled nervously as he tried to deescalate the situation. Ranrok's eyes shifted towards him, yet his head didn't move. "...Choose your next words wisely." "I, uh, I only meant that the instructions for Vault 12 were quite clear... Sir, I-I must insist. I was to grant access only to one with the key, and you didn't have-" Closing his eyes in disgust, Ranrok raised his hand in the goblin's direction. An angry red glow, even brighter than I had seen before, shone from his armor and coursed down his arm in an instant. The goblin's body was suddenly surrounded by that glow as he was raised several feet into the air... then Ranrok swiftly brought his arm down. The goblin's body followed, and his voice cut out with a sickening crack. Ohhhh... that guy... yep... he's dead. "...I have no patience for traitors," he curled his lip, never taking his eyes off us. "Now... where were we?" "I'm not giving you anything!" Fig retorted, thoroughly appalled by his actions. Ranrok sighed, annoyed. "Well... perhaps your young friend here will be more helpful," he pointed to me. Before I could snark at him, Fig roared and cast a spell at Ranrok, who deflected it simply with a wave of his hand. He then sent a blast of magic our way, and to my surprise it punched straight through Fig and I's Protego charms and sent us flying to the opposite side of the room. It was a few seconds before I realized that the ground was shaking, and it wasn't just because I had been sent tumbling from the hit. The floor rippled like water, and the lights died out as the Pensieve dissolved itself into a silvery puddle. From that puddle an immense statue of a knight rose up, much different from the ones I had seen. This one was a good thirty feet tall, its body glowing brightly as though it were made of pure ancient magic, form only given to it by the elaborately carved metal armor it wore. To my relief, it seemed to have taken offense at Ranrok's presence as it raised its massive sword and swung for the goblin. I picked myself up from the ground and helped get Fig steady. I felt a pulse of magic behind me and looked - the portal I had entered this room from had changed, now showing me what looked like a clearing in the middle of a forest. The ground shook again, and I saw that Ranrok and his two companions were fighting the giant knight. It was staggered from their blasts of red magic, stumbling backwards in our direction. "Fig! This way!" I shouted, my body already poised towards the portal. But Fig seemed entranced by the battle, ducking as the knight's back slammed against a pillar, then swung its sword so hard it got stuck in the wall behind it, just barely missing Fig's head. Thankfully, that brush with death seemed to knock him out of it, and he ran as fast as he could towards me. He'd be cutting it close, though... the knight's impact had cracked the pillar in two, and half of it was falling in the portal's direction. I grabbed his arm and yanked him through just as the pillar slammed down atop the portal's arch. ~ The ground suddenly stopped shaking. All was silent except for the singing of crickets and frogs. I dared to open my eyes and wonder just where the hell we were now. Other than a large stone wall with an empty pointed arch for a decoration, we were now in the middle of a clearing in a forest. Night had fallen since I'd last seen the sky, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. There was a clear path through, and in the distance I could see a lake with a castle on its shores. In addition there was a wooden sign with a lamp, with two arrows pointed towards two distinct directions: Hogsmeade, and... ...It couldn't be. What kind of strange coincidence...? "Are you alright?" Fig asked, catching his breath. I nodded my reply. "...I've never seen so powerful a goblin, he seemed wholly unaffected by my magic!" "Is that...?" I pointed towards the castle, still unsure whether I was really seeing it. Fig followed my gaze and soon broke out into a chuckle, all but confirming my suspicions. It really was Hogwarts. How in the world...? "It can't be," he grinned. "It seems those who set up the Pensieve, the vial locket, and the path to both... wanted someone with your ability to end up here." He took a few steps down the path and into the light, forcing me to jog after him. After that very eventful detour... this was it. I was finally here. "Come... we've a Sorting Ceremony to get to."