Hogwarts: Sunset's Legacy

by witegrlninja

In Which Sunset Does Some Breaking and Entering

Sebastian had been right.

This morning I actually made it to breakfast in the Great Hall. While I ate my fill of coffee, fruit and various pastries, I heard our names being mentioned by everyone around me multiple times. The tones of their voices were that of reverence and respect, and I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of pride in my accomplishment.

Of course I defeated that troll. What, you thought I wasn't capable of it? Even after I wiped the floor with my companion in class earlier?

Partway through my meal the owls came flying in from above, delivering mail to the various students. I was surprised when one of them dropped a letter directly into my lap, with no indication of who it was from. Once I'd opened it, however, the message was clear.

Come and see me. I've discovered something in the locket we found at Gringotts.

I crammed the rest of my pastry into my mouth and jogged to Professor Fig's classroom. It was a strange feeling, walking inside the room I had first met him in. The Mirror of Erised had since been moved to the opposite side of the room, but it was largely just as I remembered it.

Magic Theory had sounded fascinating when he told me that was the class he taught. I was surprised to learn it was an elective for the first three years of school, but once he'd gone over it with me when I'd asked about it... well, the names, dates and places were all different, but the base theory was largely the same as it was in Equestria, at least until you got into the more esoteric, high-level topics.

I climbed up the short staircase to his office and entered without knocking. Fig looked up and smiled warmly when he saw me. "Hey, Fig... it's good to see you."

"And I, you," he sighed in relief. "Thank Merlin you're in one piece! I heard about the attack... Trolls, in Hogsmeade?!"

"Yes... and besides that, they were wearing armor, and it had that exact same red glow I saw on Ranrok and that dragon's collar."

"Goblin silver... Ranrok must have used it to control the dragon! But how... and why send trolls to-"

"Me," I swallowed. "...Ranrok wants me, for some reason. I, uh... ...Should I get Sebastian involved with this? Maybe not right now... ...I saw him speaking with Victor Rookwood in town after it happened."

"Ranrok was in Hogsmeade? With Rookwood?!"

"The trolls were Ranrok's, meant to be a distraction so Rookwood could get to me... he and his friend Harlow tried again in the Three Broomsticks, but Sirona and the other patrons scared them off."

"This is grave news, indeed," Fig exhaled. "If Ranrok's goblins and Rookwood's Dark wizards are after you... they want what we found in that vault."

"That locket, probably," I frowned. "You said you found something in it?"

"Yes, yes!" Fig nodded emphatically, tapping his finger on a piece of parchment spread out on his desk. "I discovered an inscription... when I read it aloud, this map appeared! Clever enchantment... it's a map of Hogwarts, to be sure, but I do not know where it leads." I looked down and studied the map, noting it only showed the first floor of the entire castle. A bit of blue caught my eye before long, and my eyes widened to see a glowing spot in the left side of the Library... more importantly, in the Restricted Section. The glow also seemed to extend past the building's borders.

"I do... there's a glowing area in the Restricted Section of the Library. A bit beyond it, too, but apparently not within the school."

"I suspected you would see something," Fig smirked.

"Should we go now?" I tilted my head. If I had permission from Fig to skip a class or two in order to find out more about this ancient magic, now was certainly the time.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, and I'm eager to discover what we may find there as well, but... if our experience at Gringotts - let alone what happened with Miriam - taught me anything, it's that the path we're on is terribly dangerous."

"Pfft... danger, schmanger," I rolled my eyes. "It's probably just a book, considering where it is... how dangerous could that be?"

"Perhaps we are only after a book... but we should be prepared for anything," Fig shook his head. I opened my mouth to argue but quickly closed it again... unlike how Celestia would've reacted, his tone was even, mild and kind, and he made no effort to even try to disparage me. He was much calmer, much more understanding than she ever was...

...And, now that I thought about it, he was right. While I was always confident in my abilities to face whatever lay ahead, it was also wise to prepare for any possibility, especially if you had ample time to do so. I let out a huff and nodded in agreement.

"I'll give this some thought... Come see me after classes today, alright? We'll go then," said Fig.

"Very well. I shall prepare myself as well." He nodded again with a smile, and I left the office. I needed to get to my first class of the day now.

~

Despite having eaten breakfast, my stomach growled as I opened the door to the sweltering but lovely Greenhouses. A multitude of scents wafted through my nose - some poisonous, but many lush and fragrant and enticing... and edible. I passed by a charming little fountain going down a staircase, which cascaded into a small pond and brook that cut its way through the center of the complex. There were four smaller greenhouses under its roof, and class today was in the second one from the left. I walked inside and found most of my classmates already present, some in a line beside our teacher, Professor Garlick.

She was quite lovely indeed, Professor Garlick. Only a few years out of school herself, she was vivacious and excitable. Her vibrant red hair was kept in braided twintails that reached past her hips, and she was dressed in a verdant green and yellow ensemble decorated with blue-violet ribbons, with a matching sunhat studded with orange roses. She was passing out wads of cotton from a basket to each student as I approached.

"Good morning, Professor Garlick!" the Hufflepuff girl in front of me chirped.

"How wonderful it is to see you again, Lenora dear!" Professor Garlick beamed as she handed Lenora some cotton. "Oh, here... you'll need these for today's class." While Lenora took the cotton, Garlick quickly took out her wand and waved it, summoning a small squash of some sort and setting it down in Lenora's arms. "A little treat for your auntie," she winked. Lenora nodded her thanks and moved on, allowing me to get some cotton from the basket next.

"Hello," I bowed my head slightly. Professor Garlick gasped in delight.

"Ah, hello!" she trilled, putting her arm around me as she faced me towards the other students. "Class, please welcome the newest rose in our garden." I glanced at her and then to my fellow classmates - among them were Sebastian and Ominis, all the girls from my room and Natty, who all smiled politely. I simply waved before moving towards the last empty workspace, which happened to be next to Sebastian's.

"We do look forward to growing together," Garlick nodded before setting her basket down. "How thrilling it is to have everyone back together again! This year will be filled with enchantment and excitement, but the most important thing cultivated in Herbology is knowledge. The prudent herbologist is no more afraid of the Venomous Tentacula than the Bouncing Bulb," she hummed serenely as she tossed a carrot into one of the Venus flytrap-esque maws of the former, the maw that caught it slamming shut with an animalistic squeak.

I couldn't help but give the plant a sniff. ...Nope, poisonous. Not good to eat.

"Now, then... Today we will be acquainting ourselves with the mellifluous tuber known as the Mandrake Root," Garlick continued from her lectern, reaching over and Accioing two pots towards herself: a smaller one with a mass of leaves and purple flowers sticking out from it, and one larger but empty.

Mellifluous?! If they're anything like the Mandrakes back in Equestria...

"Let's see if we can't make our fibrous friends a bit more comfortable, shall we? First, let's protect our ears." Professor Garlick took out a wad of cotton, pulled it into two pieces and shoved them into her ears. While my classmates did the same, I looked down at my wad of cotton and frowned.

If these were anything like the Mandrakes back in Equestria, they were only to be handled by the most skilled botanists in the country. Celestia had otherwise forbidden their cultivation within any city, town or village. I myself had only ever seen one once, and it had been chopped into pieces for my safety... these Mandrakes, however, were not chopped up, but alive.

To be safe, I quickly pulled out my wand and cast a Muffling charm on the cotton before stuffing it into my ears. I also donned my dragonhide gloves, not wanting to get my hands dirty.

"Now, everyone," she instructed, yelling rather than talking so we could hear her through the cotton. "Grip your Mandrake by the tendrils and give it a firm tug." I took in a deep breath and let it out before I uprooted mine. The fat, tawny, infant-like root immediately started screaming.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Even through my charmed cotton, I could feel my brain rattling against my skull, blood rushing to my head, my eardrums popping and threatening to burst. Glancing around, the others were also cringing at the shrill sounds, Ominis especially. Above me, the glass roof shattered.

"Quickly! Place your Mandrakes in the new pot and pat down the soil!" Garlick shouted above the noise somehow, cramming her Mandrake into her pot. I didn't hesitate to do the same, sighing in relief as the screaming abruptly stopped. Hurriedly I squished the dirt in place around the leaves, perhaps a bit rougher than necessary. "The soil should envelop the root like a warm, dirty blanket, putting the Mandrake right at ease," she continued, speaking normally now. Once she'd finished repotting her Mandrake, she pulled out her wand and cast Reparo at the ceiling, fixing it.

"Ow..." I grumbled, taking out the cotton. While glaring at my Mandrake, I couldn't help but sniff the foliage... Nope, also poisonous.

"I'm very sorry about that," Professor Garlick said as she walked towards me, picking up the plant and taking it away. "Yours was a bit mature, I'm afraid."

"I'll say... I nearly went deaf," I grumbled to myself, rubbing the inside of one of my ears with my pinkie.

"Splendid work, everyone!" she called out. Our next task for the day was to plant some dittany seeds at our potting tables. I retrieved my seeds from my pocket dimension and planted them without incident, casting a spell that would hasten their growing cycle. While planting, I sniffed the seeds as well... these smelled somewhat bitter and medicinal.

"Do you smell every plant you come across?" Sebastian teased, startling me. I felt my face heat up and shot him a dirty look, which only made him giggle. It didn't help that I felt compelled to sniff the newly-sprouted dittany in my pot, either... I waited until he was looking away to do so. They smelled just like the seeds, but stronger.

"Well done!" Professor Garlick praised once the last of us had sprouted dittany. "Once it can be harvested, your dittany will be ready to use in Wiggenweld potion... I'll let Professor Sharp tell you about that. Now, what say we branch out? Introduce you to a different sort of flora... the Chinese Chomping Cabbage! You'll find that some plants are better suited to uses outside of a cauldron," she instructed as she rolled out a wheelbarrow full of green and orange cabbages, each with a disturbingly-toothy mouth right in the center of the rosette. She also brought out a couple of practice dummies, like the ones we'd used in Defense Against the Dark Arts yesterday. "The cabbages do get testy without something to chew... Fortunately, I have some dummies for them to gnaw on! Let them each have a good chomping."

We each walked up to the wheelbarrow and carefully grabbed a cabbage. Again, I couldn't help but sniff mine as soon as I was sure no one was looking... and my mouth began to water. This plant smelled amazing, I was nearly tempted to just bite right into it. I settled for picking off a leaf and chewing on it while I tossed the cabbage at a dummy when it was my turn. The cabbage was surprisingly violent, leaping on its own up to the dummy's head and gnawing repeatedly on its scalp.

"Vicious little bastards, aren't they?" a Gryffindor boy laughed, addressing me. Glancing over, I realized it was the boy Sebastian had been dueling yesterday, Prewett. "My kind of plants... not like stupid Bubotubers and Bouncing Bulbs. The kind of plants that'd have your back in a fight."

"Uh huh... probably still wouldn't have helped you much yesterday," I raised an eyebrow.

"Imagine if that wasn't a dummy," he mumbled, a seemingly dark look in his eyes.

"I already was..." my eyes narrowed, mentally telling him to shut up, his commentary wasn't needed. Prewett seemed to get the message and scooted away with a look of fear on his face. A yelp from a Ravenclaw boy brought my attention back to the class.

"And with that helpful reminder as to why we should always wear our dragonhide gloves, I shall end our lesson here," Professor Garlick drawled as she waved her wand. "Terribly sorry, Mr. Clopton."

Ouch.

~

I followed the class as they moved from Herbology to Potions. A stack of cauldrons sat outside the door, purple smoke continuously wafting up from one of them but emitting no scent. The inside of the classroom was stiflingly warm on account of all the wood-fired stoves used to keep potions boiling. The walls were lined with glass jars filled with all kinds of ingredients and reagents - bugs, animal parts, plants and secretions. I made myself at home at one of the workstations, large enough for three students and a set of scales.

Professor Sharp wasn't in the room when I'd arrived, but he soon threw open the door and entered, walking with a pronounced limp. Before becoming a teacher he had once been an Auror, but one bad mission had resulted in death for his partner, and rendered himself too injured to continue with that career. I couldn't help but wonder what kinds of spells he knew, what things he might've seen.

"Potions is one of the most challenging and hazardous subjects taught at this school," he spoke as he slowly made his way across the room... I silently appreciated that he was straight to the point, and didn't bother with pointless introductions or singling me out as the new student yet again. "As fifth-years, you will be required to reach new heights of both discipline and intellect. You will begin this term by brewing a Wiggenweld potion," he emphasized, pulling out a glass vial of familiar green liquid. "Mr. Thakkar, can you tell us why this potion might come in handy?

"Yes, Professor Sharp," a tan-skinned Ravenclaw boy spoke up. "The Wiggenweld potion can be used to sterilize and even heal a variety of injuries."

"It can heal some injuries... but not all. Five points for Ravenclaw," Professor Sharp nodded as he hobbled over to his desk and sat down with some effort. "Before today's class is completed, each of you will have brewed a Wiggenweld potion of your own... You never know when you might need it. Please begin."

I got out my Potions textbook and looked up Wiggenweld potion. While Alchemy had never been my favorite subject under Celestia's tutelage, I had still mastered it all the same. Brewing a successful potion was 90% following the recipe to the letter, like baking a cake. The other 10% was keeping an eye on the brew as you prepared the ingredients or mixed them in - sometimes a reagent wasn't quite pure, or the temperature of the stove was off by a couple degrees, and then you would need to compensate. This potion looked easy enough.

First I gathered together everything I would need. I crushed the fresh dittany along with wiggentree bark and some dried moly, along with five drops of horklump juice. After the plant matter was thoroughly combined I poured it into my small-sized cauldron and added a quarter cup of salamander blood. The potion turned red, and I stirred until the color changed to orange, and I added another quarter cup of salamander blood to turn the potion yellow. I stirred again until the liquid turned green - but that didn't mean it was finished. Instead I added another eighth of a cup of salamander blood, to which the liquid turned turquoise in color. Now I put the cauldron on the stove burner, and it quickly changed color again to indigo. Another eighth of a cup of salamander blood turned it pink, and heating it until it came to a simmer turned it red again. Five lionfish spines lowered the temperature a little, but it quickly returned to a simmer and changed colors to yellow. Then I added five more lionfish spines, as well as flobberworm mucus until it turned purple. I stirred until it turned red, then added even more of the mucus until it turned orange, then stirred again until it was yellow. Next was two-thirds of a cup of honey water, which changed the color to turquoise again, then five more drops of horklump juice. Finally I stirred the contents exactly three times, turned down the stove's heat and set the ladle down. Now all there was to do was wait for a half hour... I spent the time looking up potions that could be helpful to brew for Fig and I's theoretically dangerous trip to the Restricted Section. Most of them would take me a while longer than the couple hours I'd have for break and lunch, but there were one or two I could whip up real quickly.

Exactly a half hour later, I decanted my potion into a vial and handed it off to Professor Sharp, being the first one to do so. He held it up to the light and squinted, scrutinizing every little detail he could.

"Hmm... not an easy potion to brew. Well done," he finally said. "And from what I hear of your recent exploits in Hogsmeade, you'd also do well to practice brewing the defensive Edurus potion."

"Oh. Actually, I was just thinking of mixing one of those up in my spare time," I nodded.

"Good. For the moment, you can find the ingredients you'll need in my office," Professor Sharp motioned to a nearby door. "Come and see me when you've finished brewing, and we'll see if it was skill or luck the first time 'round."

Luck?! I wanted to argue as he limped back to his desk. I bet you couldn't have brewed something better yourself! With a huff I washed out my cauldron and dried it, then walked over towards his office.

"Psst," a red-haired Gryffindor boy hissed.

"Hm?"

"Did I hear Professor Sharp say that you have permission to go into his office?" he whispered excitedly.

"You heard right," I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Brilliant! You, my friend, have been presented with an extraordinary opportunity!" he replied with a wide, mischievous grin. "I'm Garreth, by the way... Garreth Weasley. Bit of a prodigy with potions, if I do say so myself."

I knew for a fact that that was a huge lie just by looking at him. "Weasley, huh... like Professor Weasley?"

"She's my aunt... keeps too close an eye on me for comfort," Garreth sighed. "...But she can't be everywhere."

"I see."

"Listen... anyone with a troll-sized brain can brew an Edurus potion-"

"True..." My eyes began to narrow... if he had a point to make, he'd better get to it.

"...I'm working on something that's certain to be spectacular! I'm just missing one tiny, last ingredient that will add that extra spark."

There it is. "And, I'm guessing you want me to go steal you one from Sharp's office, I take it?"

"You're as clever as I'd hoped," Garreth nodded. "I simply need a single Fwooper feather... As you'll already be in Sharp's office with his permission, perhaps you could grab one for me."

I mulled over the request for a moment. He doesn't seem like he even knows how to boil water... do I want to risk him burning the entire castle down with just this feather?

...

...

...

...I'll be fine. He... might not be. A devious grin spread on my face. "Alright, but only if there's enough of them that he won't miss it."

"I assure you he won't. Fwooper feathers aren't that valuable."

"Very well- ...Wait, if they're not that valuable, then why don't you have any?"

"I've ran out," Garreth shrugged. "But wait until you see what I'm brewing... Hurry back to me when you have that feather!" I rolled my eyes as he looked away, focused blindly on his cauldron that contained a foul-smelling brown liquid. Quickly I got inside Professor Sharp's office and picked up the ingredients - some glowing orange Ashwinder eggs, the brown, scraggly hairs of a Mongrel, and a single bright fuchsia Fwooper feather. There were plenty of other reagents inside, reagents that were poisonous, volatile or otherwise dangerous to handle, or so delicate that it would seem Sharp didn't trust any snot-nosed brat to handle them themselves. After taking a mental note of what was there, I left the office and set the feather down on Garreth's workspace.

"There you go. Knock yourself out."

"Brilliant, thank you. This is going to take a moment to brew," he grinned. Figuring I had some time before the fireworks began, I returned to my cauldron and began preparing my ingredients. Compared to the Wiggenweld potion, this one was incredibly simple. I cracked open the Ashwinder eggs until I had a half a cup of liquid, poured them into the cauldron with a half cup of honey water, dropped in a common pebble and set it on medium heat, then ground the shells until they were reduced to powder. Once the liquid was bubbling I added the mongrel hairs and stirred until they dissolved, then set it to simmer for five minutes.

Suddenly I heard Garreth shout. Glancing over, his cauldron was now in the process of violently shooting purple sparks into the air. The periwinkle liquid inside bubbled and frothed over, smelling like burnt hair as it hit the stove's burner.

I knew you were no prodigy. I chuckled to myself, smirking.

"Garreth! Not again!" Thakkar groaned.

"Ugh, the smell!" another Ravenclaw girl whined. The two students sharing Garreth's workstation cast Protego charms on themselves to avoid both the smell and the splashing. One table over from them, Ominis and Sebastian did their best to lean away from the disgusting mess.

"Well done, Garreth," Imelda laughed, clapping sarcastically from across the room.

"What now, Mr. Weasley?" Professor Sharp droned, sighing heavily. Evidently, this wasn't the first time Garreth had screwed something up in his class.

"...Sorry, Professor," Garreth moaned, his head slumped over in defeat.

"That'll be ten points from Gryffindor... again," Sharp drawled. Laughing to myself, I turned my attention back towards my Edurus potion. The mixture had thinned and turned yellow in color. I added the powdered eggshells and stirred them in just before decanting, the final liquid a champagne gold. Satisfied, I brought it over to the professor.

"Here you are, one Edurus potion," I said, setting the vial down on his desk. Sharp glared up at me.

"I'm surprised you had the time... You seemed rather busy helping Mr. Weasley brew chaos." The cocky grin on my face slipped away.

"...You saw that?" I blinked. Professor Sharp's gaze was unwavering. Crap... uh... "Er... sorry," I frowned a little and looked away. "...I thought he knew what he was doing."

Professor Sharp's eyes narrowed a little more before relaxing with a sigh. "Well... taking responsibility for one's actions does go a long way with me. I shall assume that you've learnt a lesson."

"Definitely." Sucker.

"As for the work you've done today at your own cauldron... I will say you've done well," he continued as he picked up and examined my potion, a hint of a grin on his face. "I confess I was... skeptical, given the advanced nature of this class and the fact that you're a new student."

"Well, happy to have met your expectations," I replied.

"A rare occurrence. But you'd do well to remember that you're not a Potions master quite yet... that will be all," he nodded once, dismissing me. Then he stood up to address the rest of the class. "I think each of us has had enough excitement for one day. Class is dismissed."

Now this kind of attitude made me want to brew the hardest recipe I could find, just to prove him wrong. Hell, maybe I'll even take Alchemy proper next year! While the rest of the students filed out, I remembered that I had something to do later today... something potentially (but probably not) dangerous. Professor Sharp seemed unbothered as I washed and dried my cauldron and began setting out various ingredients again for more potions, and asked no questions as I brewed a larger batch of Wiggenweld and some Focus potions.

~

I managed to finish brewing in time to have a quick lunch, then made my way to the Divination tower for my next class. After climbing the ladder that appeared, I discovered a cozy room full of poufs and cushions to sit on beside many low tables. There were way less students in this class than the others; I only recognized a couple of faces, such as Imelda and that Ravenclaw boy that had lost a fingertip to the Chomping Cabbage earlier. Even Natty wasn't in her own mother's class for what was likely an easy credit for her.

And, true to Sebastian's words... if you had no gift for Divination like a Seer did, the class was largely uninteresting. I could flip over tarot cards and interpret symbols in tea leaves, but if I tried to apply the meanings in the textbook to them, I would then reveal a very basic and unremarkable near-future... Nothing a cold-reading charlatan couldn't tell me.

I also received my first actual homework... do tarot card or tea leaf readings for five other students. I had a week to do it, but it also seemed like it would be extremely easy to just make something up for five people...

~

Finally, the last bell of the day rang, and I raced over to Fig's classroom. I found him inside his office again, whisking away some things into his pocket dimension.

"I'm here," I breathed heavily, shutting the door behind me. "I brewed a bunch of potions today for our trip, just in case."

"Wonderful," Fig nodded, rubbing his hands together. "Now, I don't wish to postpone our visit to the library any longer... shall we proceed?" he smiled with glee at the prospect of adventure. But before he could walk around his desk the door opened forcefully, and Headmaster Black waltzed into the room.

"Fig! I have work for you. Come!" ordered Black, not even bothering to look at us before turning back around.

"Headmaster, I am with a student!" Fig argued. "And my schedule is-"

"Your schedule will wait, indefinitely, as will your student," Black retorted with a scowl. "I would think that after all the trouble you caused me with Osric, you would be eager to make amends... My office, five minutes!" He stomped out of the room and slammed the door, and I couldn't help but sigh in frustration.

"I absolutely should've skipped class today," I grumbled, slapping the side of my head.

"Ugh, that man is exasperating..." Fig sighed as well. "Unfortunately, our trip to the Restricted Section will have to wait a bit longer."

"How much longer?"

"I don't know... but we have no choice. It would be unwise to provoke our illustrious Headmaster further... I shall find you when I've completed whatever toils I must endure." With another sigh, Fig walked out of the office, leaving me alone.

Damn. I really want to know what's hiding there!

I leaned against a wall, knocking over a stack of books. I pulled out my wand and waved them back into place... and then I remembered something.

A smile broke out onto my face. Perhaps I wouldn't have to wait until Fig returned from whatever it was Black wanted him to do, after all.

~

"Sebastian! There you are," I grinned widely, finding the boy studying on his own in the common room. Few other people were around, thankfully.

"There you are," he replied amicably as he clapped his book shut. I sat in the chair opposite him, pulling it slightly closer. Unexpectedly, his expression changed to a more serious tone. "...You promised me an explanation for what happened in the Three Broomsticks... Not many students have Victor Rookwood's attention. What was that all about?"

I groaned inwardly... he wanted to know this now? ...I suppose I did owe him an explanation at the very least.

"...I did, didn't I?" I hummed after a moment of thought, then rechecked to see that no one was close enough to hear. "Alright... so it seems Rookwood's working with Ranrok, right? Well... Ranrok's after me, too... he wants something I found in Gringotts."

"Ranrok?" Sebastian tilted his head. "And when were you at Gringotts?"

"It's a long story," I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "So Fig and I were flying here by carriage, right? Then that dragon attacked. But George, the other guy, he gave Fig this key before he got eaten, and it happened to be a Portkey-"

"A Portkey? To Gringotts? ...I'm not sure I follow."

"I'm getting there... anyway, that Portkey led us to a ruin, which led us to Gringotts somehow, and then it led us to an ancient vault where we found a map. And for some reason, that map leads to the Restricted Section of the library."

"You can't be serious," blinked Sebastian.

"I am... actually," I lowered my voice to almost a whisper and leaned in towards Sebastian, who mirrored my actions. "...Fig didn't want me to tell anyone about this... I'm only telling you because you were with me yesterday in Hogsmeade. You kind of got a glimpse of what I'm dealing with, here."

"Understood," he nodded. "Your secret's safe with me... whatever it is."

"It better be," I gave him a glare. When he nodded again insistently I relaxed and sat back up. "So, speaking of the Restricted Section... you, uh... mentioned 'being clever enough not to get caught'...?" I grinned and wiggled an eyebrow for extra effect.

"And I am," he smirked knowingly. "Meet me outside the library tonight... and tell no one."

"Of course not," I replied. Alright, that's settled... now what should I do until then...?

...

...

...

"...Soooo... I've got homework. Can I tell your fortune real quick?"

~

Ultimately, I met up with Sebastian as he tiptoed out into the common room at about ten to midnight. We quietly walked through the castle together, careful not to make a noise. Before long we were perched in the staircases above the library, looking down on a trio of prefects having a conversation right in front of its doors.

"See there?" he whispered. "Those annoying prefects would love nothing more than to rat on us, so don't let them see us. Understood?"

"Duh," I rolled my eyes, taking out my wand. "I've snuck past more guards than this before. Let's go."

"Hold on, now," Sebastian held up a hand. "There's a spell you should know... the Disillusionment Charm. Good for getting places you're not supposed to be."

"Oh?" I perked up immediately. A spell for sneaking around?

"Cast it, and you'll appear as little more than a trick of the light... Just as long as you keep your distance and stay quiet."

"Like... invisibility?" I breathed. Celestia had never taught me such a spell, mainly because it was incredibly difficult, requiring total concentration to bend every little atom of light around every single curve of your own body. It was something even she couldn't do without significant effort...

...That, or, if Sebastian of all people was able to teach it to me, she lied about it.

Like so many other things.

"Something like that," he nodded. "It's not as foolproof as a cloak... those are expensive. And spells... spells are free. Here," Sebastian suddenly grabbed onto my wand hand and waved it into a circular motion, "move your wand like this. The incantation is 'invisibilis'."

"I..." The feeling of my upper body falling asleep shot through me like lightning, heat billowing forth from my chest so intensely I could feel a bead of sweat grow on my temple. "...I-Invisibilis." Nothing happened, and I shook his hand from mine with a grunt. "You're messing me up! ...Invisibilis," I tried again. This time, I felt a sensation like someone had cracked a giant egg on my head, and as it ran down my body I could see my arm, then my hand, and then eventually my entire being vanish. I moved slightly, seeing my form just barely ripple into existence like a mirage before disappearing again.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Sebastian grinned as he cast the charm on himself, his body rapidly disappearing from view. Only his muffled footsteps betrayed his position. "Now... we must remain unseen," he whispered. I quickly cast a Muffling Charm on myself before going down the stairs. With this spell and my own skill in sneaking past guards, it was no problem at all waiting for an opportunity to slip through the doors. Once inside the library, however, I quickly saw that we were not alone. Madam Scribner was sitting at her desk, doing some late-night work.

"Blast... the librarian's still here!" Sebastian hissed, tapping my shoulder. "Quick, behind the bookcase." I paid attention to where his footsteps were headed and crawled behind one of the larger bookcases at the ends of the first aisle. He cursed as he canceled his charm and came back into view.

"I thought you said she'd be gone by now!" I hissed back as I canceled my own charm.

"I said usually! But it'll still be alright... you cause a distraction, and I'll sneak into her desk and get the key."

I nodded. "I'll meet you by the Restricted Section, then." Sebastian and I both recast our charms and headed in opposite directions. Once I could no longer hear his footsteps, I raised my wand and pointed it towards the back of the library, casting a silent Descendo. A random living portrait came crashing down to the floor, and Madam Scribner stood up suddenly... and then began to move.

I hoped that would be enough of a distraction for him. I quickly made my way towards the gated-off Restricted Section, where an Alohomora-proof lock kept it closed. I heard the sound of a desk drawer slowly closing, and a few moments later I heard footsteps approaching. Another few moments later, and a key appeared in the lock, turning and sliding it open.

"I said I'd get you in, and I always keep my word," Sebastian grinned as he cracked open one half of the gate. I heard him slip in behind me and shut the gate before continuing forward. Now that I had access to all these forbidden books I resisted the urge to start grabbing the ones that looked the most interesting and taking them for myself.

"Honestly... why have all these books if you don't want anyone to read them?" I grumbled.

"I know! All this knowledge, and they think it's too dangerous for any ordinary student to read," he agreed. "More knowledge can only be a good thing, don't you agree? ...Oh, that one's charmed to look more useful than it is," he muttered as I picked up a green tome decorated with red cabochons. "It's fooled me twice. Never judge a tome by its cover, I say."

"I'll take your word for it," I mumbled, setting it back down. There was a staircase leading downwards at the end of the Restricted Section, which appeared to be used for storage. Along the dark, narrow corridors were a couple of ghosts we had to sneak past, and then a second staircase leading even further down.

"Should be in the clear now... no need for us to be skulking about," Sebastian said as he canceled his charm and stood back up. I canceled my own charm again and took a moment to stretch my back before we wandered through the rest of the storage space. Especially dusty tomes sat undisturbed on tens of bookshelves, and as I walked I couldn't help but notice Sebastian checking the cover of each one as we passed.

"Are you looking for something?" I asked. Sebastian stopped for a brief moment, letting out a small sigh before moving again.

"...I'm looking for a cure to help my twin sister, Anne... so that she can return to Hogwarts. Because Merlin knows everyone else has given up," he added bitterly.

"A cure? I thought she was just feeling ill."

"It's a curse of some sort. I've been trying to get my hands on every book possible that could tell me more about it."

"And you think there might be one here? ...You've tried a, um... wizard doctor or something already, right?"

"We've tried everyone from Nurse Blainey to St. Mungo's," Sebastian shook his head before looking back at me. "But... I can research on my own. No need to concern yourself with that right now. Let's focus on what you're after... which is what, precisely?" he added slowly.

"Well... I'm assuming it's a book," I paused. "...Guess I'll know it when I see it."

"You're being awfully cryptic."

"This whole mess I'm in is awfully cryptic," I snapped back. An especially fancy tome caught my eye, green covered in golden filigree and decorated with enamel, a ruby and turquoise. I flipped it open out of curiosity, finding it full of Old English text that I couldn't quite make out.

"'Secrets of the Darkest Arts'? I'm impressed..." Sebastian hummed. Figuring that book wasn't what I was looking for, I closed it, jumping a little when the book started to shake and tremble on its own. There was finally a door at the end of the corridor, leading into a completely undecorated storage area that seemed long-forgotten, lit by a single dusty lamp. As we picked our way through the clutter, something large and metallic crashed to the floor. We rounded a corner to find a suit of armor had collapsed...

...And the culprit was a multicolored ghost, his face permanently stuck in a twisted grin. "Who have we here?" he gasped with glee.

Aw, hell...

"Sebastian Sallow and Sunset Shimmer, out exploring where they shouldn't be!" the ghost continued to taunt. "Naughty, naughty! You'll get caught-y...!"

"Peeves... don't you-"

"I'm going to tell! I'm going to tell! I'm going to telllll!" Peeves paid no attention to Sebastian and began floating back the way we'd came. You'd think the most mischievous ghost in Hogwarts would be up for students sneaking around after hours...

"Blasted Peeves," Sebastian growled. "I've got to stop him, or at least get to the librarian with a good excuse for all of this!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" I managed to grab his sleeve as he tried to run off. "And how do I know you're not going to slink away and make me take the fall for this?!" Sebastian paused for a moment.

"...Why would I do that?" he asked. "Besides... I like having friends who are in my debt," he added with a smirk. I exhaled grumpily... to think I'd let him get one over on me like this... I wasn't going to let him get away with it.

But I'd already come this far... no sense in throwing all that progress away now. I let go of his sleeve.

"...Fine."

"Now, go. Good luck with your search," he said, a fleeting smile on his face before Disillusioning himself. I heard his footsteps grow further away as he cursed that poltergeist, and soon the room was silent.

I was alone.

The cold darkness crept in, making me shiver. I retrieved my cloak from my pocket dimension and wrapped it around myself. The golden silk seemed to brighten the room ever so slightly.

Alright... I got this. I don't need him. I can do this myself.

I saw that the suit of armor had fallen in front of a doorway. A Reparo moved it aside, and I forced the door behind it open. The space inside was pitch black and covered in spiderwebs, but there was also a spiral staircase carved into the barren stone, leading ever downwards. My wand lit the way as I carefully descended, and at the bottom of the stairs I found a dead end, a hole blasted into the wall. It led to a secret oubliette, the only thing inside it was an elaborate metal archway. Once I stepped inside the oubliette, familiar sparks of white-blue light shot out from my footsteps and soared towards the arch.

Looks like I found it.

I followed the sparks to a swirling vortex at the base of the arch and stood in it, feeling the familiar warmth caress me as it danced around me. The magic flowed into my wand - whispering, pleading, begging me to use it.

I smelled the balmy air within the vortex, warm and rich. A hint of metal for an aftertaste.

Power surged within me, and I flicked my horn.

The archway suddenly surged to life, a blue portal beckoning me inside. I stared into it for a moment, then turned around to see if anything else had appeared.

Nothing else.

I stepped inside.

Comments

[uis]

I couldn't help but sniff the foliage... Nope, also poisonous.

Horsey :)

[Moonlight Tome]

I crammed the rest of my pastry into my mouth and jogged to Professor Fig's classroom. It was a strange feeling, walking inside the room I had first met him in. The Mirror of Erised had since been moved to the opposite side of the room, but it was largely just as I remembered it.

... Something tells me that the mirror will be used at the end of the story. Perhaps to smuggle a certain someone away...?

[witegrlninja]

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But of course we need to see everyone's reactions to Sunset's true home!

And yes, we also need to save someone from their otherwise sad, canon fate.