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Chapter Text

On that day, Piazza della Signoria seemed even more beautiful than usual, bathed in the warm June sun that made the yellow walls of the houses look golden. The square was dominated by the clock tower of the Palace of Parliament, like a giant watching over everything. It was, as always, bustling with hundreds of residents, all engaged in the myriad of activities that filled their days, especially in recent years. Since Florence had become a part of and the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, it had welcomed artists, merchants, writers, and scientists ready to collaborate with the Florentines to bring even more glory to the city.

Edoardo always enjoyed stopping to breathe in the city air during his walks. The combination of scents, sounds, and colours in the daily hustle and bustle always brought him joy. It was invigorating to see so many people working, having fun, and living together. Witches and Muggles coexisted in peace, even though the Muggles were unaware of the existence of wizards and witches, with a few exceptions who ensured the harmony could continue. Despite frequent contact, the secret remained intact. It had never happened in any other nation that wizards and Muggles lived side by side, yet Italy had managed it. Edoardo still remembered with pride when, a few years earlier, he and his family had represented the magical community in front of the King and, together with all magical species, had managed to negotiate an agreement that satisfied everyone, uniting not only the Kingdoms of Italy but also all magical and non-magical creatures that inhabited it.

"What a glorious year, 1861," he found himself saying aloud, standing proudly. "You can say that again, young man," one of the many flower vendors at the market was in front of him, smiling contentedly. "That year brought us great things. Please, take these to your mother." He handed him a bouquet of fresh lilies with a bow, then returned to his business. The young man smiled and walked on cheerfully, politely nodding to the various passersby.

"Good morning, mother."

"My dear." From the elegant cream-coloured sofa, a middle-aged woman cautiously rose, extremely graceful despite her injured leg, which forced her to use a cane adorned with a silver knob. She approached the flowers, enjoying their scent, then raised her oak wand and waved it gently. "Levioso." The flowers rose from Edoardo's hands and moved into a glass vase in front of the armchair. "They light up the room, don't you think?" The young man nodded and followed her to the dining room, ready for the daily morning coffee, accompanied by his mother's chatter. As they entered, the chairs moved on their own to allow them to sit: Renata, his mother, as always, sat at the head of the table, and he sat beside her.

"I've also brought the mail, there's a letter from England." "Erina?" the woman said, her amber eyes lighting up with joy. She ignored the rest of the letters, throwing herself on the pale yellow envelope sealed with the initials of her husband. G.G, Girolamo Garlaschi, was one of the most important alchemists and producers, as well as a trader of magical potions and objects for wizards, and a renowned fabric merchant and purveyor of curious gadgets for Muggles. She opened the envelope, touched by her daughter's round handwriting. Erina was the youngest of the Garlaschi family, and for the past few years, she had been in England with her father to help him in his trade, where she had proven particularly talented. Renata read the letter, smiling from time to time. "What does it say?"

"She finally closed the deal with that wizard, Xavier. She's just like her father, never gives up!"

She was interrupted by one of the chairs, which moved to make room for a thin, pale boy with reddish hair. "Federico, just in time for your sister's letter." He responded lazily with a yawn, followed by their mother's piercing glare. "Don't yawn like that! And sit up straight. You've been up all night studying again, haven't you?" "Don't you have a letter to read?" She didn't answer and continued reading, annoyed. "She says she sees many Hogwarts students. Poor dear, she wishes she could be like them." "She enjoys working with Dad, you know," Edoardo replied with a smile. Unlike her older siblings, Erina had not shown the typical signs of magic at the age of eleven when both of them had entered Torrealba, the Italian school of witchcraft and wizardry. That's why the Ministry classified her as a Squib and she had left with her father. She never talked about it with her family, but Renata knew her daughter and knew that deep down she wanted a witch's life like everyone else. "I don't understand what the problem is," Federico grumbled. "I wish I were in England instead of here studying." Before his mother could respond appropriately, Edoardo intervened, chuckling. "Are you sure? You know the English aren't very tolerant, especially with those who consort with Muggle girls." "You're courting a Muggle girl? Who is she?" He didn't answer, glaring at his brother. "You promised not to say anything!" Edoardo smirked knowingly. "Our mother must know that you're courting girls. Have you already chosen your next victim to charm with your poetry?" Before the conversation turned into a battlefield, Renata cleared her throat sternly, immediately silencing them. "Both of you, stop it. Now, go out; I need to respond to my favourite daughter."

Your brothers are, as always, the main source of my headaches, but we are fine. I miss you so much, my little flower, and I can't wait for you to return so we can enjoy the summer together.
Erina smiled as she read her mother's words, then carefully folded the letter and tucked it into her coat pocket. A sudden gust of wind made her shiver, and her longing for the warm Italian sun became particularly strong, but she had to endure it. In a few weeks, she would be back in Florence for the summer, and the greyness of London would be just a memory. It's not that she didn't like England, but nothing could compare to the sunny fields of Tuscany and, above all, the warmth of home, with her entire family. "Good morning, Father, I brought the mail." She entered the house cheerfully, placing several letters on the table. Her father, sitting at the wooden inlaid table, looked up over his silver glasses and smiled at her. "This morning, there was mail for you too, you know." Erina took the letter from the table, looking bewildered at the envelope and staring intently at the seal. It bore a red wax emblem depicting four animals: a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle. It was an emblem she had seen hundreds of times in recent years, always on the black uniforms of various boys her age who crowded London. "Hogwarts?" the school of witchcraft and wizardry in the United Kingdom, which admitted hundreds of witches and wizards every year and had given birth to characters like Merlin, had written to her. "Are you sure it's not for you?" she said, confused. "Do they need a supply of magical carpets?" "I doubt it," her father replied, amused. "Your name is clearly written on it." She continued to examine the envelope, confirming that it was indeed addressed to her. What could Hogwarts want from her? Perhaps they wanted to employ her for potion supplies or maybe they needed her to conclude a deal with someone? "You know, if you don't open it, you'll never know what it says. Maybe it's an order for hundreds of magical carpets!" Erina finally gave in and opened the letter carefully. As she read it, her eyes grew brighter with each line. "I've been accepted to Hogwarts! But, how?"

"Well, you're officially an English witch now," Girolamo was as ecstatic as his daughter and had come over to read it too. "And lately, you've been showing signs of magic." Erina looked at him, confused. It was true that she had been able to move objects, mend small cracks, and perform other unintentional spells for a while, but she had never said anything to her father or anyone else. "It's not hard to notice glasses moving or vases repairing themselves," he replied as if he had read her mind. She folded the letter, still in disbelief. "But that means I won't be coming back for the summer." Her father laughed with joy. "I'm sure your mother will understand. Now go change; I know a professor should be arriving here soon."

Chapter Text

Three months later

"So, I had to escape from the Ministry restrooms while the goblins kept coming out of who knows where! But, Professor, I see your young companion has decided to wake up." George said as Erina quickly blinked her eyes, trying to hide the fact that she had dozed off during the journey. She struggled to understand whether her cheeks were burning from embarrassment or from the sun that had been shining for who knows how long. "Welcome back, Miss. We were just discussing the invasion the Cornish pixies launched on the Ministry janitors. Those little pests are quite unique."
"Professor Fig, have you read it?" When she heard that, Erina's gaze shifted from Professor Fig to George, who instinctively looked around, even though it made no sense inside a carriage, glancing at both sides with a guarded expression. It was at that moment that Erina realized the headache that had woken her up, a bad feeling, something innate, sharpened for a moment when she instinctively looked out of the window, but nothing out of the ordinary seemed to have caught her attention. However, the sense that something strange was happening grew stronger.

The newspaper that Mr. Osric had pulled out was a copy of the Daily Prophet, probably the one from the day, and on its front page, there was a magical photograph of a frightening goblin. "Yes, I've read it. Not everyone agrees on the danger of Ranrok."

"I still haven't managed to convince my colleagues at the Ministry. I'm convinced it's a very serious threat. It was your wife, Eleazar, who told me to stay on guard months ago."

"Miriam!? How is that possible?" Professor Fig, upon hearing his wife's name, sat up in his seat, his hands gripping the wooden bench. Osric, looking down, continued with a sigh, capturing Erina's full attention. "She wrote to me about Ranrok before..." he interrupted himself with an embarrassed chuckle, "asking if anyone at the Ministry was aware of his activities. Before I could reply, however, I received this." Mr. Osric finished, reaching into his satchel and taking out a cylindrical object that, to Erina's eyes, was emitting a strange, silvery glow, causing a momentary pain in her temples. "Her owl brought it, but without a letter, I can only guess... that she got rid of it to protect him."

What Professor Fig now held in his hands seemed to be a metal cylinder, similar to those used to hold scrolls. At its two ends, two ornate decorations sealed the structure, with a conical shape continuing for a few centimeters with bulges and depressions, until it closed in a gently rounded tip. The rest of the cylinder was richly decorated with the same ornate patterns, which stood out against a coppery green background. However, the focal point of the object was an ornate oval above which, even more pronounced than the rest, a spiral peeked out where a mechanism for opening should have been. To Erina, this spiral shone with an unusual silvery light. "I've tried repeatedly," George said, drawing Erina's attention back to him. "But I can't open it; it's protected by a very powerful spell. It seems to be goblin-made metal. I think I've seen this symbol before..." The sight of that glow only intensified Erina's curiosity, and her hand moved on its own until her fingers came into contact with the metal. The professor and the auror watched in amazement as the container opened in Erina's hands, revealing, wrapped in what appeared to be velvety green fabric, a key that resembled the symbol on the outside. "By Merlin's beard, how did you do that?" Osric began, while Fig's cold touch brought Erina back from the trance she had entered, drawn to the object like moths to a flame. "Wait, we don't know what..." The sound of a massive rush of air became a backdrop to the last word Professor Fig said before Osric and the entire back half of their carriage were shattered by a dragon's fury.

Shards, clouds, and chaos surrounded Erina and Eleazar. She tried to hold onto the seat with all her strength, but she only had time to see their driver disappear before she felt nothing supporting her back. She was plummeting downward; her heart couldn't keep up. She was caught between the gusts of wind that vainly tried to stop her descent and the dragon's flames that pursued her. Warm and cold sweats, blurred vision, until a scream awakened her. The professor was falling next to her; if only she could get closer, they could disapparate. She noticed that Fig's gaze shifted between her and something just below: the key was falling a few meters from them. The professor said something, and Erina's voice suddenly became clear and strong, reverberating in the air. "I will approach you, and when we are close, you must use the Summoning Charm!" An unusually warm shiver ran down Erina's spine. She could almost sense the dragon's breath, and at the same time, the rigid silhouette of the sea below became clearer. She nodded nervously. The professor was suddenly next to her, holding her by the arm. She could almost count the seconds until they hit the ground. "NOW!" Erina managed to grab her wand from her pocket, but it almost slipped from her sweaty hand. Her hands were dripping with sweat, and with the wind pushing against her, the wand seemed to want to slip from her fingertips. "We don't have time!" Fig shouted. Erina let out a desperate cry, a mixture of tears and saltwater streamed down her face. With a sudden effort, she managed to change her position slightly in mid-air, gripping the wand firmly. She realized that the sunlight illuminating their descent had been obscured by something, something enormous, and they were about to hit the water. She waved her wand with all her remaining strength. "Accio!" She yelled desperately and barely had time to sigh before she was sucked in with incredible force. "A Portkey, the key was a Portkey," she thought before letting herself go into the darkness.

Chapter Text

The sunlight gently lapped at Erina's face as she woke up from sleep, her vision was still blurry when a familiar voice started calling her "Erina? "
"Erina darling wake up", her mother's face appeared looking down at her with a smile, "Erina up wake up, you're going to be late", "Come on get up", she kept telling her, but no matter how hard she tried, Erina couldn't answer, she heard her lips parting but no sound seemed to come out, she tried talking and talking and more until she screamed, shouted but she couldn't do anything. In the meantime her mother's gaze changed, it became darker and darker until it touched despair, the sun had disappeared and when suddenly the roof above her was destroyed she realised she could not move and so she stood there, petrified as a giant dragon protruded from where her desk would once have been.

"Miss!" an unfamiliar shout drew her attention back to the figure that until recently was her mother, its outlines blurred and for a moment she seemed to catch sight of the silhouette of a serious-looking man staring her in the eyes, despite the dragon's slow advance, this voice that kept ringing in her ears seemed to shake the entire world around her, "Miss, wake up! " and suddenly, everything in front of her whirled away, leaving room only for Professor Fig's worried face. A pull allowed Erina to drag herself up on her back, but pains she didn't know she could feel gripped her limbs, she could barely keep herself up. The professor handed her a peculiar little bottle containing a green liquid, "Drink it up, drink it now." Erina swallowed it without question, she didn't even taste it, she didn't have the strength, strength that she began to feel again once she had consumed that liquid. She almost stood up as she felt the pains vanish from her limbs and a warmth washed over her from the inside, before she knew it the world had regained its shape and colour and Professor Fig was looking at her with a heartened gaze.
"Oh, I'm glad you're alright young lady, at least you... thankfully I took precautions," Fig said, pointing to the flask with a nod, "What was that sir? I feel so much better now, even better than before." 
"A maximum cure potion, it won't help with soul wounds sure, but it's like having a small hospital with you.  It can cure just about anything, a very rare item, but very useful." Erina winced a little at Eleazar's words. "Professor, I'm sorry you had to use it on me, tell me what I can do to repay you." 
"Oh come on miss don't be silly, I would have used this potion on anyone who needed it and besides, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you," Fig replied smiling, a little embarrassed by the professor's compliments Erina found herself smiling, after looking around quickly however she turned to him again. "Yeah, but by the way, where are we?" Professor Fig adjusted his clothes with a wave of his wand and walked towards a wall of creepers from which light seemed to be emanating, pointing his wand behind him he also adjusted Erina's clothes, who only then realised that she had lost the satin scarf given to her by her mother. Asking her to send another one without explaining would have caused a major problem. She then followed the professor, who meanwhile began to pull back the natural curtain that obscured them from the outside world. She was not sure whether what struck her first was the intense smell of salt spray, the roar of the waves crashing on the shore or the light that forced her at first to squint. "As I think you noticed..." said Fig "...the key was a passport. I'm not quite sure where we are, I think somewhere in the Scottish Highlands; however, if it doesn't bother you, I'd like to understand why Miriam risked her life to send us here, I'd just like to see if there's anything hidden here that she wanted me, or us, to find, then we'll dematerialise straight back to Hogsmeade, without risking more, I hope." Erina nodded, doubtful, but at the same time intrigued, the strange energy that that key and symbol gave off attracted her frighteningly and something in the air of that place was calling to her; so, she took the exit and she and Fig were finally out of their shelter.

What appeared before her eyes was stunning: a long path branched off outside the cave where they had just been, winding and inexplicably narrow or wide in places, rising in short ascents and descending for long stretches, a dirt passage bordered by unusually lush green grass growing where it could find space, all of which was within a hollow from which the sea, agitated, crashed against the walls of the inlet and the strange rock pillars on which the passageway rested. This seemed to lead to a platform at the edge of the basin, beyond which, bathed in a singular fog, ruins seemed to make their way between sea and clouds. The two of them made their way in an incredibly expeditious manner, despite the strange shape of the path they were walking along, which was easy to cross even in the most inaccessible places, as if its shape only served to frighten the unfortunate. In a little over ten minutes, they arrived at the platform, which was oval-shaped, rough, made of stones held together by what looked like lime, with the whole thing resting on a column of stone and earth like the rest of the path. Moreover, at the end that turned towards the mist, the mouth of a bridge peeped out, but it was absent. Erina remained for a few seconds as the professor contemplated the surrounding space before wondering aloud "What are we going to do now?" at this Professor Fig began to advance "I was wondering the same thing, however, I have the impression that... Ah-ah!" he exclaimed with satisfaction. Erina approached the professor, who, leaning over the edge, pointed contentedly at the remains of the bridge that had collapsed years ago. "Let old Eleazar have some fun, young lady," he said, starting to trace in the air with his wand, " Reparo!"

It wasn't the first time Erina had seen that magic, plenty of times he had seen his mother use it to repair broken objects from Muggle customers or even better to fix the damage her brothers created, but he had never witnessed a repair spell on such a grand scale: hundreds, thousands and even more boulders bricks, torches, pitch and lime swirled before them, each one fitting into a very specific spot, revealing after a short time, a long and majestic stone bridge, adorned with dozens of torches illuminating the passage. "Magnificent," sighed Erina, but she did not even have time to finish her sentence, when the last stone went to rest in its place, just as majestically, like a curtain being moved to let the sunlight through, the mist that covered everything shifted, revealing to view the imposing and surely ancient remains of what looked like a small castle.
Not much was left, but it would have been enough to intimidate a troll, and they crossed the bridge without a word, both enraptured by what lay before them. By now nothing remained but a large, bare, rocky courtyard in place of what would once have been the equivalent of a main hall, perhaps even the throne room, remnants of immense columns stood out here and there, and if you followed them upwards you could almost see the spires that had once characterised those immense walls, of which only a hint remained, in the last remaining high wall, alone to defend itself from the wind, as if to demonstrate the ancient splendour of the place. "By Merlin's beard, we'd better have a look around here!" exclaimed Fig. Erina nodded again with her nose turned upwards, faded, threadbare drapes had miraculously remained attached here and there between the walls of varying heights, it was all so empty but at the same time full of strength and she found herself wandering around the outer perimeter as Fig searched the interior. The rocks must have stood for years on the outside protected by who knows what enchantments, but despite everything, they were now smooth as her fingers passed, slowly worn away by the action of time. As he continued to walk, he realised that behind the highest wall, in a particularly hidden ravine that seemed to overlook the sea, stone steps led somewhere below. "Professor, I think I found something." They walked down the steps, which followed the perimeter of the suspended islet on which the castle stood; they descended for a few minutes until they rounded a corner and found themselves on a platform with an archway leading into the rock. The gleam of the inside of the arch immediately intrigued Erina, she reached out to touch that shiny, slightly reflective wall, it was neither cold nor hot, neither rough nor smooth and did not seem to deform to the touch. 

"Professor, what is this?"
 "From a distance, it would almost look like ice, but, that's not possible, maybe it's an illusory wall that has remained enchanted for so long?" Pensively, Professor Fig began to scan the area and the arch with a doubtful look, before interrupting, "Why don't you try to destroy it yourself, Erina? You should remember the Bombard spell." Erina was shaken by his deductions on the wall and smiled upon hearing that spell pronounced. "I'm absolutely ready Professor," she said moving away from the wall and taking a position in front of it with her wand in hand.

"Good!" said Fig, "when you're ready... Go!"  "Bombarda !" a quick wand motion started the spell towards the archway, in the blink of an eye cracks had opened up along the wall, "More!" 

" Bombarda, Bombarda, Bombarda! " a sudden sound of shattering glass followed the last spell cast by Erina, who with a grin of satisfaction and excitement on her face set off followed by a decidedly satisfied Fig inside the newly created opening. As soon as they entered, they found themselves in a modestly sized room, which was immediately lit by the hearths lit by the professor, bare, with a few rotten crates inside, sacks torn by time and some jars left open, the stale smell reigned supreme in there for some time. Looking around, Erina initially perceived nothing special, but as soon as her eyes adjusted to the change in light, a glow coming from an archway at the back and a twinge of a headache caught her attention. "Professor this way, there that archway, it glows the key, like the container." When they were in front of the arch Fig wrinkled her forehead. "Miss, I can't see anything beyond an empty arch, are you sure of what you're saying?" 

"Professor, not only do I not see an empty arch but I see something beyond it, it's blurry but I seem to glimpse a room." "Let's try it this way then." said Fig holding out his hand to Erina, who grasped it, "Try going through the arch, if as I think it is a portal we might both make it through." So the two of them walked towards the wall and Erina couldn't help but close her eyes, only to open them again, at the sight of the unmistakable and whimsical, yet elegant architecture of the Wizard Bank. "By Merlin!" exclaimed Fig, "We're at Gringott's Bank!"

Chapter Text

The one they had found themselves in was certainly one of the side wings of the goblins' bank; leaning out beyond it they could glimpse the main hall, from which came an incessant clatter of work, decidedly opposite to the slow rattling that came from the desk in front of them. "Eh-Ehm," Fig hinted without getting a response, "EH-EHM" he repeated decisively, which was followed by a confused muttering and the sound of falling stationery. Shortly afterwards, the sleepy face of a Goblin peeped out from above them. Erina could not hold back a giggle at the sight of the completely biased glasses and the large red mark adorning the centre of the banker's forehead, like a tattoo of dubious taste. "Oh! I wasn't hoping anyone would show up," said the Goblin, "So, so, so," he continued, adjusting his glasses as he better scrutinised Erina and Fig. "Vault number 12, I guess." The two remained silent, not knowing exactly what was going on, but instinctively Erina said in an all but certain tone "Certainly... number 12, yes." she concluded, smiling at the Goblin and turning to Eleazar confused. "Well," continued the Goblin, "The key?" Fig looked around strangely, Erina even more confused than before, however, a sudden flicker suggested what to do, "Professor, the key, of course." he said mimicking the key that had just now transported them away from the dragon, the satisfied goblin took the key from Fig's hands and descending from his seat, not with little difficulty, walked towards a door not far away. "With me, please."

Erina had been to Gringott's several times with her father, to check accounts and various paperwork, but one of the things that certainly didn't drive her crazy about the place was the transport system. They sped along the tracks at their usual insane speed, amazing how those carts managed to stay anchored to the rails; however, they took a route she had never seen before, starting and branching off differently, heading much further than she had ever gone before, and at one point, before they stopped at a platform, Erina shuddered as she heard in the distance, the roar of a dragon. When their race came to a halt, they were confronted by a gruff-looking goblin.  It was rare to meet them on the upper floors, but her father had told Erina how it had not been nice to have to deal with Gringott's guards, even if only for neglecting to sign a document. "Vault?" asked the guard scrutinising the passengers, in an unusually unsure tone "12, heh heh, vault 12." replied the embarrassed banker. The guard grunted, letting the goblin know he could go on with a wave of his hand, so the cart began to move. Erina was still thinking about her encounter with the dragon when, as they paraded past the guard, a strange peculiarity caught her attention; she didn't have time to work out exactly what it was, but the same glow that had characterised the container and the portal seemed to come from a band placed on the goblin's arm. She turned to look for Fig's gaze, but met instead that of the banker, who as soon as he realised he had been seen, turned as quickly as possible towards the street, 'something doesn't add up' Erina thought, but she would only tell the professor about it later. Probably also to disguise everything, the banker launched into a tale of various stories about Gringott, about how rare it was to enter lower chambers like room 12 and that exclusive entrances like this were reserved for only a few, speeches that filled the air as the cart descended lower and lower. Approximately half an hour after their departure, in which Erina had risked falling asleep more than once, again the whistle of the brakes announced a stop. Their race came to a halt in front of a metal platform, painted black and illuminated by four faint street lamps, and they began to set off, passing through the short passage of dark grates to find themselves on a rocky walkway, barely visible patterns, due to the accumulated dust created a practically incomprehensible pattern on the floor. The banker made his way between them, bumping into Erina slightly and letting out a nervous giggle. When he was far away, she whispered in Fig's ear, "Professor, the guard had something strange on, a bracelet or something and it had the same glow as the container and the door, slightly darker but still very similar, also I think our friend..." she said pointing to the goblin walking towards the door, "...Know something, he seemed oddly agitated." Fig nodded listening to every word and casting an enquiring glance at the Goblin he replied, "Surely we must remain alert, that something is wrong is certain, but unfortunately, we cannot dematerialise here." he said, worried. 

The two walked towards the door where the Banker was waiting for them. The entrance was peculiar, a circle carved in the stone containing a few runes and two torches illuminating the entrance outlined the door, which looked as if it had been fitted upside down, it was shaped like an arch, but this was facing downwards, with instead the flat part remaining above, topped by the number 12, carved in the stone in Roman characters. The little goblin approached the door with the small key in his hand "Rooms like this do not often receive visitors, particularly since I have been assigned to its entrance, no one has visited this one." as a worried expression furrowed Erina's face, the key clicked in the lock, metallic noises, of gears and contraptions, followed swiftly, as if unfamiliar with old age, and the banker stepped aside when finally the door swung open. A faint glow of burning torches came from inside the chamber along with an incredibly stale smell, a slight wave of dust swept over them, forcing Fig to cough a few times. The professor thanked the goblin with his head and made his way inside, Erina began to follow him unsure, looking back one last time. Once inside, they didn't have time to get used to the light when a shift of air called their attention, "Hey!" snapped Erina before the security door slammed shut a palm away from her nose. Fig shouted in disbelief, "What are you doing? I demand an explanation immediately!" 

"I am sorry sir, but the rules of use of the room were as follows, whoever showed up with the key would be granted access to the room; however, once inside the room had to be locked, good luck!" 

"What in Merlin's name..." Fig interrupted himself, sighing noisily with a raised fist, after which, he straightened his clothes, trying to tone himself down and probably calm himself down, or so thought Erina, who increasingly dejectedly asked, "What are we supposed to do now, Professor?" 

Fig straightened up: he was an old man in appearance but lacking the austerity that many possessed. He mostly had a relaxed face, despite the dark circles under his eyes that wrinkled his face, also accentuated by the shadow of his slightly potato-like nose; to contour his face, his grey hair extended into long sideburns, which nevertheless stopped without connecting to any beard or even a moustache. His clothing was simple but elegant, with a long blue jacket with dull gold trim, a pattern that was repeated in the trousers; only the suit varied with a base of the same gold but with white and khaki patterns, khaki that was repeated as the only colour in the shoes and disappeared again, to make way for blue and gold, in the scarf he held tightly around his neck, in which the gold created complex patterns. Despite the situation, his dark eyes conveyed confidence and his bearing, although he was no taller than average, let all his confidence and experience shine through. Observing him well helped Erina to calm down and give him confidence. After all, as his mother often said, " Clothes don't make the man, but they sure help."

They went back and forth a couple of times, lit by torches and candles that had answered the opening of the chamber, which incredibly, despite its apparent importance, seemed to contain nothing but a few dusty galleons. They remained for far too long moving junk around here and there without being able to find anything, Erina was exhausted, and so decided to sit down leaning against the wall at the far end of the room, Fig also joined her shortly afterwards. They sat there formulating ideas on how they could get out of there and when the talk became more confused, they decided it would be best to clear their minds by eating something. After all, it must have been getting late. They consumed a frugal meal with what the professor had crammed into an expansive bag, "If only I'd had one of those, I wouldn't have lost it all now," said Erina alluding to her possessions being scattered somewhere at sea, or eaten by a terrible dragon. "Oh young lady, I will do everything I can so that the school can help you with the expenses regarding your school supplies, after all, it was my job to accompany you all the way to Hogwarts." Erina nodded in response, fantasising about dinner in the Great Hall, nibbling on a sad piece of bread. Without even realising it, after they had eaten, the two of them dozed off near the wall, Eleazar resting his shoulder in an adjoining alcove and Erina with her back to the wall.

She found herself dreaming again but couldn't figure out where she was. The fog was everywhere, and she could barely make out her own hands. Calmly, she was walking along a staircase, heading towards a door. Beyond that door, an arch bathed in a peculiar light cut through the mist. She abruptly woke up with a grunting pain. Erina held her head with one hand and leaned against the wall. Suddenly, she felt supported, the tinnitus that had prevented her from hearing disappeared, and the headache subsided as Professor Fig watched her with concern. She tried to speak when, behind them, the faint creaking of hinges signalled that a door, which wasn't there before, was swinging open, revealing another illusory wall. Behind it, Erina could barely make out another room through the mist.

Standing up, she cast a final uncertain and worried glance at the professor. "I think we've found what we were looking for," she said. So together, they crossed the threshold. The oppressive darkness around Erina lasted only a few seconds. "Lumos!" A beam of light illuminated around her wand. That's when she got confirmation of her fears: she was alone, and just the thought made her heart skip a beat. Whatever enchantment had been placed on the door had separated her from Fig. She looked around, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light. The room seemed to stretch infinitely in all possible directions. Rows of columns appeared to repeat at the same distance, becoming progressively darker. She swallowed hard, then started wandering aimlessly. She couldn't say how much time had passed since she had started moving around the room. "I wonder if the professor is facing the same," she thought, just before she heard something. She began running towards the noises, which sometimes passed by her to rush towards a distant point. Sweat covered her forehead, and she almost stumbled when a light appeared from the end of the room.

As the distance allowed her to see better, she realized that the noises had vanished. Slowly, she approached what looked like a giant replica of the symbol on the key container, surrounded by numerous small lights that seemed to intensify as she got closer. Suddenly, everything became brighter. From where the symbol was, a strong light forced Erina to rub her eyes, then revealed, once she opened them, another portal with the same grey light concealing the entrance to a barely visible room. Before she could move towards the entrance, she heard a clang behind her, freezing her blood. She didn't have time to turn around before the noise began to repeat, slowly, circling around her. She had been surrounded, and as the metal noise closed in around her, she barely had time to wave her wand before realizing what had attacked her. A gigantic sword, illuminated by a familiar glow, struck her protective spell, sending her sliding backwards. She barely had time to breathe before she had to lunge to the side to avoid the blow that was about to hit her from above, retreating until she met a column with her back. In front of her, eight of those colossal statues that looked like statues wielded equally large swords. The pointed helmet dominated the rest of their noiseless armour, and they distanced themselves, forming a protective circle around the portal. If she wanted to go through, she would have to fight her way through.

Erina took a deep breath, trying to stop the tremors that shook her from head to toe. She closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing, and slowly stepped away from the column. She took a few steps before reopening her eyes, sighed, and tightened her wand. She rushed the first enemy in front of her. "Bombarda!" The spell hit the sword, which quickly turned toward her. "Protego!" Like before, she was pushed back, but at least the strike didn't hit her. "Stupeficium!" A red flash struck the statue, off balance due to the attack, and it fell backwards. "Expelliarmus!" The sword flew toward Erina, but before she could try to finish off the statue, something stirred within her. As the weapon passed over her head, her hand moved on its own, a greyish glow shot out of her wand, enveloping the sword. Her arm then moved as if to whip something. In the blink of an eye, a statue lay motionless on the ground. Erina couldn't understand what had just happened, but she decided she'd think about it later. Before the previously stunned guardian could recover, another red flash from her wand hit it. "Reducto!" reducing the creature to fragments; three more statues stepped forward. Erina was struggling like never before. She had managed to defeat two more guardians but was tiring more than expected. She was cold and sweaty, trying to avoid the strikes by dodging them. Using effective spells was becoming increasingly difficult. She slid away after dodging a blow but made a misstep, tripping and ending up on her knees. She didn't have time to move as the sword's flat hit her from below, launching her into a column. Only by a miracle did she manage to cast a weak protective spell that cushioned the blow. She thought if that had been the blade, she would be dead now. She managed to think that before impacting the column with her back. Behind her, the sound of shards falling was followed by her being on the ground, propped up on her knees, one hand holding her wand and the other her head, from which a trickle of blood began to flow. She raised her gaze, which was blurred and observed the guardian raising its weapon and heading toward her. A thought went to her mother as some tears began to streak down her cheeks. Then, an orange light illuminated the room. The statue in front of her turned to ashes, the one just behind turned to ice and then shattered, and the last two rose in the air, waving their swords one last time before shattering each other. A small blue figure seemed to dance in the middle of the battlefield before approaching her. Professor Fig had seen better days; a part of his robe had been cut, and his face showed signs of exhaustion. Still, Erina smiled when she recognized him and, although struggling, found the strength to stand up. The professor quickly approached, and after a swift wave of his wand, the blood stopped flowing from her forehead, and Erina suddenly felt revitalized. "Thank you, Professor. I don't know how I would have managed without you." "Come on," Fig replied, "it's a good teacher's duty to protect their students," he concluded with a smile, which Erina returned happily. "I think we should hurry. After a test like that, I hope the way out of this place is close." The two headed toward the portal. "And, Miss, excellent performance earlier; few with your experience would not only have survived but even defeated those guardians." The thought of that strange power flashed in her mind, but she had to suppress it as they stood in front of the portal. Before crossing it, Erina hoped with all her might not to be left alone again. She rushed through the arch with her eyes closed, but even before opening them, she was reassured by the sound of Fig's footsteps. They found themselves exiting from a wall of a large circular room, dimly lit by a few torches that allowed them to glimpse numerous silver decorations alternating on a predominant dark blue background. On the ground, there was a strange dark surface that seemed to extend downward, bordered by a golden circle. In contrast, the ceiling appeared to be a mixture of masonry and a natural cave, with walls designed to accommodate giant paintings, which were now dim and empty. They continued toward the center of the room until they reached what looked like a small marble table. "This is..." "A Pensieve," Fig concluded. Erina looked around. To show something in the Pensieve, you need memories or thoughts. Her gaze landed on something shining above them. "Up there, Professor," she said, pointing at the object. "Accio!" "Accio!" "Accio!" "Accio!" The object didn't seem to budge. However, the more Erina stared at it, the more she felt something, until the sudden silence of Professor Fig made her snap out of it. She realized she was holding in her hand what she had been observing earlier—a small black vial, shiny, with silver decorations emitting that glow. The professor weighed the container in his hands, while Erina felt embarrassed about what had just happened. Suddenly, a slight click sounded. Fig, satisfied, held the vial and its lid before approaching to pour its contents into the Pensieve. "Well, now, do as I do," Erina watched the professor gently lower his face into the Pensieve. "They say you never forget the first time." She immersed herself as well.

A whirlwind of mist and water made way for a memory: two men were elegantly waving their wands, and magic danced around them, creating decorations, columns, and walls; the room in which they were standing was being constructed. "Everything is ready," the taller one solemnly said. "Is it hidden well?" "Almost too well. I wonder if anyone will manage to find it." "Only those with traces of ancient magic within them will find the path that I see," the other man grumbled. "Percival, you know that this won't be enough for those who embark on this journey. The secrets and invaluable knowledge that we entrust to those who come here will be sought and coveted by many." "Certainly, Charles," Percival replied calmly. "But whoever succeeds will also come to understand the responsibility that comes with all of this." "After all, we've done everything we can." And in a swirl of mist and water, the memory vanished.

Chapter Text

Erina lifted her head, nearly losing her balance. The previously unlit room was now brightly lit. Professor Fig gave one last inquisitive glance at the vial before stowing it in his pocket. He started pacing nervously, muttering to himself, "Miriam knew, she knew this magic, she tried to warn me..." He turned sharply towards Erina, who froze in place, "You can see it, perceive it, probably the key. It's you." However, his thoughts were interrupted when the clanging of metal, followed by a voice they hadn't heard for several hours, suddenly became vivid through the portal: the banker, the guard, and two other goblins in armor appeared before their eyes. "Sir, please, you shouldn't be here," the banker said, following closely behind one of the armored goblins. "Just as I thought... I wouldn't have bet that someone would open the vault, and yet." He continued, ignoring the other's words. The goblin with a stern gaze confronted them, dressed in a sturdy dark gray jacket from head to toe, indicating his lineage. Underneath, you could see the glint of plate armor, the goblin metal so polished that it reflected the surroundings, an incredibly crafted object that also adorned the goblin's shoulders and forearms. He was beardless, with only his nose and oversized eyebrows casting shadows on his face, where fierce eyes of an unusual red color burned. Erina was about to speak when Fig interposed himself between her and the goblin. "Ranrok... and why are you here?" he said, pointing his wand forward. "It seems my reputation precedes me... why I am here is not your concern, Professor. But do not worry, if you hand over what you have found, I might forget your faces." Ranrok replied, pointing toward the vial in the professor's pocket. Erina was confused. Why was all of this happening? Especially to her. Ranrok was a highly dangerous rebel goblin who had caused numerous problems in recent years in Britain, and now, for some reason, he was standing in front of her and the professor.

"Sir... forgive me, you cannot be here. Please exit the vault; I'll have to trigger the alarm if you don't!" The tension was momentarily broken by the banker's voice, imploring as he approached Ranrok. The goblin turned to look at him, a slight smile playing on his face before twisting into an angry sneer. Before anyone could move, a gray and red glow radiated from Ranrok's armor. Simultaneously, a severe headache struck Erina, who took a step back, letting out an expletive. When she looked up again, the banker lay on the ground, lifeless. Ranrok turned his gaze back to Fig and Erina, but before he could speak, a tremor shook the room. The lights dimmed, and the earthquake that had begun beneath their feet grew stronger. Erina clung to Fig's shoulder, and they managed to remain standing. Behind them, a familiar metallic screech sent shivers down their spines. When they turned, one of the guardians, like the ones they had faced before, but now completely oversized, was emerging from where the Pensieve had been, and where the floor now seemed to be liquefying. At that moment, a thought flashed through Erina's mind, for some reason, she knew exactly where another exit was. "Professor, over there!" she said, pointing to an archway that seemed to have opened out of nowhere. Fig didn't think twice; his spell caught the goblin group off guard, and they were pushed backward, while the guardian approached. Erina and the professor ran, the soles of their shoes nearly worn out as they circled the center of the room, from which now came the clanging of battle, accompanied by red flashes, which only she could see. When they reached the door, there was no need to think or look back. They jumped straight into the portal.

What they found in front of them was a small, dimly lit corridor, illuminated only by some lights from above. Erina nearly stumbled, trying to avoid Fig, who had indeed leaped with a bit too much enthusiasm for his age. "Professor, are you okay?" "Oh, it seems I need to focus more on physical exercise," Fig said with a smile. A sudden noise caught their attention. Behind them, the portal they had entered had disappeared, leaving behind a stone wall, immaculate except for a drawing that seemed to be etched into the center of the arch. "A book... surely, intriguing," Fig said, as he, raising his wand, traced his finger along the lines of the drawing. Erina remained near the end of the corridor where they had landed. Finally, her eyes had adjusted to the light, although they seemed to want to close rather than stay open. She was in terrible shape; she could almost hear her mother's voice scolding her. When she heard the noises she had already heard before, she turned to look behind her. Some strains of a melody reached her ears, and Erina was puzzled. "What are these noises?" she asked. The professor responded, "These?" He focused, "Oh!" An elated smile appeared on his face, leaving Erina bewildered. "These aren't noises, Miss. This is the Hogwarts choir!" A whirlwind of emotions hit Erina, and she couldn't help but smile so much that a few tears began to streak down her face. She quickly wiped them away with the dusty sleeve of her dress and then cleared her throat, as she smelled the scent of freshly cleaned clothes that now clung to her skin. She looked at her clean uniform, still devoid of house colors, under Fig's proud gaze, returned her family's wand to its pocket, and followed him through the door.

"Where are we... Oh, right! The bell tower!" Erina looked behind her. Instead of the door, an empty space for a painting covered the entire wall, with only a small hint of ancient magic creating a key-like design. "I can believe it was never found," she added before following Fig, who was striding with newfound joy through the corridors. They arrived almost running before stopping in front of a huge wooden door. The lighting was scarce, but the impressive decorations on the door were incredibly grand. Erina was surprised when Fig opened the door with disarming ease. She wondered what kind of enchantment had been acting on that wood for centuries. She saw the professor lean inside, then step back outside. "Very well, ready for the ceremony?" "A bit tired, Professor, but yes, thank you." "Excellent, don't worry; I'll report to the Ministry about what happened, omitting some details...," Erina nodded, imagining the trouble she might have caused if the public had learned of this ancient magic. "And you, too, be careful, avoid speaking about all this as much as possible, be vague." They were interrupted by a loud voice that nearly caught them off guard. "Vague about what, Professor Fig?" The figure of a tall, slender man, elegantly dressed in black with equally colored gloves, eyes, and hair, approached them. "Oh, Headmaster, you see, the arrival journey was tumultuous; we had some inconveniences, and..." "...And is this your excuse for being late, Professor? If the sorting had already concluded, the responsibility would have fallen entirely on you. Are you aware of that?"
"But, Mr. Black..."
"I won't accept 'but' as an answer, Professor. My patience with you is nearly e x h a u s t e d." His stern gaze roamed from top to bottom, and all the courage and strength displayed earlier seemed to have vanished, leaving his forehead low. "You, with me, will wait by the fireplace for your turn; the first-year takes precedence." He turned without even looking at Erina but gestured to her with his hand. She looked back one last time at Professor Fig, who was going in the opposite direction, before following Black into the Great Hall.

Erina sat on the edge of the massive Great Hall fireplace, trying to look beyond the tables, where the last group of kids was being sorted into their respective houses. She knew she had many eyes on her, but the last thing she wanted to do was appear embarrassed, even though the warmth of the fireplace didn't help. She felt like she could hear the dragon's jaws behind her before getting distracted by another round of applause.

The figure of a red-haired woman approached her, and Erina quickly stood up. "Professor Weasley, right?" she added, tilting her head slightly. "Oh, come on, dear, no need for formalities. Yes, I'm Professor Matilda Weasley, the Transfiguration teacher, and, well, the current deputy headmistress."

"And you must be Miss Garlaschi, right?"

"Yes, ma'am, Erina Garlaschi. I was brought here by Professor Fig."

"Fig, eh, interesting..."

While they conversed, they had almost crossed the entire Great Hall. All eyes were on her, and she was well aware that the words were as well. "Now I'll call your name, and you'll follow the same procedure as the first-year students, alright, Miss?" Erina nodded, surveying the Great Hall without trying to blush. "Oh, don't be nervous. If the kids can do it, you'll be more than capable as well." With that, Professor Weasley walked away, smiling, and positioned herself next to the stool where a clumsy first-year boy seemed unable to sit still. A few minutes passed, and the deputy headmistress took the talking hat from the head of a new student. She cleared her throat and announced, "Today, in an entirely exceptional move, we will have an additional student joining us, Miss Erina Garlaschi. She will be assigned to one of Hogwarts' houses starting from her fifth year of studies."

To say that all eyes were on her would be an understatement. It felt like even the ceiling was watching her as she went to sit on the stool. Shortly after, she felt the talking hat being placed on her head.

Chapter Text

"Mmm, a bit older than the others, yes, unique, quite rare. You come here with preferences and preconceptions, with certain expectations, a great thirst for learning as much as possible as soon as possible, yet courage is not lacking, nor a sense of justice... Ravenclaw!" Erina rose to her feet, admiring her robes, now adorned with the emblem of her house and dyed in a deep blue. As she walked toward her table, amidst the gazes and applause, her heart seemed to want to escape her chest. The moment she had dreamed of for so many years had finally arrived. She sat down next to a group of students who welcomed her with enthusiasm.

"Welcome to the best house. I'm Everett." She shook the hand of the bespectacled boy next to her, then dug into the food.

"New girl!" a voice called out. "Hey Marcus, why the long face? Sat on a Doxy?"
"Shut up, Everett," and the boy turned around, laughing.

"Later, you'll be leading the line with me and Samantha," Marcus continued, pointing to a brunette girl not far away, whose prefect's badge shone on her uniform.

"At ease!" The silence suddenly fell in the Great Hall as Headmaster Black rose to the lectern, dominating the room with his stern tone. The start-of-term speech wasn't all that exciting; hunger and sleep teased Erina's mind, but she'd have to wait a little longer before falling asleep in her new bed.

"As a result of last year's events affecting certain sports events, Quidditch matches are banned this season!"

A heavy murmur rose from every corner of the hall, voices growing louder from one side to the other, asking for various explanations. Headmaster Black tried to regain his composure and announced that the teams would still be allowed to practice, but he couldn't manage it. He ended up waiting long minutes before he could continue. "Our caretaker also wanted me to remind you that entering the forest is strictly forbidden unless you want to risk your life or expulsion from the dormitories. Furthermore, Miss Scribner believes it necessary to remind you that the Restricted Section of the Library is named as such for a reason; transgressors found inside it will receive exemplary punishments." He concluded, sending a disappointed look toward the Slytherin table before heading back to his seat at the center of the table.

Erina devoured whatever was in front of her at the banquet; she wasn't sure what tasted like what, but she knew it started and ended quickly. In turn, each house, led by their respective prefects, left the Great Hall. When it was Ravenclaw's turn, Erina hurried to join Samantha and Marcus, followed by a group of first-year students and then the rest of the students. She struggled to stay focused as the two prefects gave her information about the house. It felt like she was climbing an endless staircase as she ascended to the Ravenclaw tower until they finally arrived at a door with a giant golden raven-shaped knocker as the sole adornment.

"Remember," Marcus started, addressing the first-year students and giving her a look. "The password to enter will be the answer to the question the knocker is about to ask. If you forget it, you can always ask the knocker another question, and from there, use the answer as the password."
"Or you can always ask a friend for the password," Samantha added with a smile. Then, she approached the door, and three dull knocks sounded as she hit the knocker on the wood.
"I am the wish of happy men." A small murmur of surprise came from the first-year students as a calm and inquisitive voice seemed to come out of the raven-shaped statue."Nothing," Marcus replied, and with a flick, the door opened slowly, finally revealing the entrance to the common room. Once in her dormitory, the chatter of the other kids slowly faded, and Samantha showed her the room and the bed she had been assigned. The space was partly empty, and there was no one next to her bed, which was slightly to the side of the only window in the room. She found the space for her belongings empty and with a bitter smile, headed toward her blankets. It didn't take her long to change into her pajamas and freshen up, and she already missed her mother's soft pajamas, which were now at the bottom of the sea or in a dragon's stomach. As soon as she had the chance, she would have a shipment of new clothes sent from Italy. However, not many other thoughts crossed her mind as she lay in bed, staring at the moonlight through the window glass. Comforted by the gentle embrace of the pillow, she fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Erina slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring at a cloth that resembled the colour of the sea, and only after focusing on it did it reveal its intricate silver decorations. The sun came lazily in through an arched wooden window, shining on the other beds in her dormitory: it was finally her first day at Hogwarts. "Good morning, newbie!" she was still deep in her pillow and her thoughts when she was interrupted by a harsh voice. "Professor Weasley is waiting for you and you're late. Hurry up if you don't want to lose us points already!" Erina stood up, finding herself facing the gaze of a tall blonde girl, who frowned at her, almost stunned for a moment, she must definitely have overslept. "Come on!" . She didn't let herself say it twice and hurriedly ran to change, almost tripping over her own socks, eager to start her first day. Although the bathrooms were simple enough, small mirrors without special decoration lay lazily on top of washbasins with a faucet that seemed to rival the light blue doors that gave access to the toilets. The same could not be said of the dormitory. A long corridor of black tiles finely decorated in blue and white with gilded geometric patterns was surrounded by high dark brick walls, in which blue doors occasionally revealed access to large rooms like her own. Inside the room, the floor seemed to be made of a single piece of the same colours as the corridor, with a large pattern that spread out from the centre to all sides like a large compass rose. A dozen or so beds in what looked like a dark oak tree ran around the perimeter of the room, colouring it with the blue of their blankets and the white of the pillows or sheets of some left undone; some of the beds were completely empty, with only the mattress, used by some students as storage for their belongings or as dustbins for the sweets taken on the train.

She almost fell down the white marble stairs leading from the Common Room to the rest of the castle, trying to make up for lost time, when she stepped out of the front door and found herself in front of Professor Weasley. "Good morning!" he greeted her cheerfully, "We're a bit late." She added with a hint of reprimand. Erina began to mumble some excuse about being tired from the journey, but the professor did not seem to be angry. "For today you can pass, but from tomorrow I want you to be there on time. Come, let me tell you about the castle." Erina followed her up the endless stairs of the tower, trying to keep up with the Professor's stream of words, describing every corridor, staircase, painting and statue she could see. It was only when they reached the central hall that Weasley's words came to an end, with Erina still trying to sort out all the information she was receiving. They stopped at the centre of the room, which was dominated by a majestic fountain with a unicorn supported by a pillar, surrounded by mermaids slowly swaying around it. "Well, that's it. Today you have a lesson in spells and Defence Against the Dark Arts. And for tomorrow, I think this might come in handy," the professor added, handing her a folded parchment with the timetable. "It has been reported to me that your arrival has caused some difficulties... It is not often that one loses all one's teaching materials in an accident, even less so when a dragon appears to be involved in the incident." Weasley looked at Erina curiously, "But we will have time to talk about this, young lady, come on! Time for you to go to class." Erina smiled politely and then hurried off into the crowd of students. Fig had made her promise not to tell anyone about her adventure, but she didn't like lying to Professor Weasley, and something in the whispers that followed told her that her ravishing adventures must not have gone unnoticed.

"Hi, are you the new arrival?" she was almost startled to suddenly find herself face to face with a brunette girl who smiled politely at her. She was dressed in the colours of the Gryffindor house, perfectly matching the brown colour of her skin. "My name is Natsai Onai, but you can call me Natty if you want. Professor Ronen asked me to wait for you before class to... well to let you settle in better I guess." Erina shook her hand introducing herself equally smiling. "Onai you say?" she added, casting a glance at the paper given to her by Weasley "Like the Divination professor?"
"Yeah." Natsai sighed. "My mother. But don't worry, I don't get any special treatment, I'd say more the opposite." She added with a heavy sigh; Erina smiled, and then followed her inside the Charms classroom. "Oh, there's Eleazar's pupil! Welcome!" Professor Ronen greeted them in front of his classroom, and Erina was immediately heartened by his kind face, covered in a grey beard, and the liveliness of his tone, also reflected in the purple and gold coloured tones of his clothing. She and Natty entered the empty classroom, rows of raised desks followed one another separated by landings and steps up, leaving plenty of room to walk between them, continuing to the back of the room, where beside a blackboard filled with symbols stood a spiral staircase leading up to a balcony that adorned, overhung the room, probably allowing access to an office, as well as allowing the professor to explain with a watchful eye on everything. "I had you brought here before the other to check your training in spells." Said Ronen cheerfully. "Not that I don't trust Eleazar, but I haven't been able to keep in touch with him much recently, that's all," she nodded, surely Professor Fig had been busier than expected with his training and probably, what had happened to his wife must have kept him further away from school commitments. "Perfect. Onai, come back in a bit, or stay if you prefer." waving Erina to follow him to the back of the class.

"What do you think?" the class had just ended and Erina was already preparing for the next one, followed by Natsai. "It was fun. It's nice to see a teacher trying to make lessons more engaging." Ronen had decided to make the students practice outdoors using Accio and many other spells, creating a real game. If every lesson was this interesting, studying wouldn't be difficult. "Now Defence Against the Dark Arts, right?" Erina nodded, "Perfect, shall we go together? I'm sure you'll love Professor Hecat!"

The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom was as majestic as the Charms one, and filled with all kinds of objects. Great wooden arches started from the base of the large windows and rose until they disappeared into the ceiling, making the room symmetrical. In the centre of the room, there stood a stage for duels, adorned in purple and gold and surrounded by benches, jumbled to the sides of the room. "What's going on?" Erina asked, noticing the small crowd forming around it, "Something smells like Slytherins in action to me," Natty said, making her way. They approached the stage to observe the show: two tall, cocky-looking boys were duelling furiously, splashing magical residue everywhere. Although they seemed to be on par in terms of strength, the Slytherin boy seemed significantly more agile than the other and definitely faster, he almost always managed to parry blows in time, making his opponent increasingly red in the face from embarrassment, matching the colour of his hair. "Is that the best you can do, Prewett?" he sneered, as his opponent grinded his teeth, "Diffindo!" the spell nearly hit Prewett, who with a flick of his wand managed to change its direction, going however to crash on one of the chains, which above them, held the weight of a giant Dragon skeleton.

"Arresto Momentum!", the inevitable downward rush that the artefact seemed to have undertaken came to a sudden halt in midair, as from the stairs in the back of the hall descended an elderly woman, hunched on her back, but proudly holding her wand, "Reparo!" "Please do not destroy each other during school hours." The skeleton returned to its seat as the woman approached the students. "You are replaceable, but this Hebridean Black is not." The boy in the Slytherin uniform was left standing alone after the other had disappeared among the others, "Sallow, I expected nothing less..." she said sizing up the boy slowly making his way to the end of the stage, embarrassed. Erina smiled in amusement. "Ah, Garlaschi, I guess Eleazar told me about you..." she said then, meeting Erina's gaze. "Yes, Professor." Hecat smiled. "Alright then, Sallow? Don't bother coming down; you don't want to miss an opportunity to challenge our new arrival." A mutter followed Erina, urged on by Professor Hecat's hand, and walked to the stage, steaming with embarrassment. Even Natsai's warning to be careful vanished in the turmoil that passed through her mind before she found herself above the stage.

She closed her eyes for a moment, exhaling a long breath, slowly making her way to the centre of the platform, slipping something out of her pocket, brushing her hair back from her face and firmly gripping her family wand with her right hand as her opponent reached for it. "Sebastian Sallow, as you've heard," he said sneeringly, pointing at the teacher with his free hand, "Allow me the special welcome," he added with a bow, showing a multitude of freckles dotting his face and dark eyes staring at her in amusement; Erina wasn't going to be fooled on her first day of school and replied with a quiet but fearful, defiant smile. "I want a fair duel. You only have to knock your opponent off the platform, nothing more." Said Professor Hecat. Sebastian glared at her, raising his wand in front of him. She was not intimidated by that cheeky attitude; instead, she was even more willing to show what she had learned; years with her brothers had hardened her against anything. She raised her wand in turn, bringing herself into a duelling stance. "You may begin." Before her opponent could do anything, Erina immediately snapped. "Depulso!" the boy's movement wasn't quick enough, and he stood with his arm raised as the spell pushed him backwards. "Descendo!" Sebastian did not have time to stop his run naturally, and he was immediately forced towards the ground as Erina moved towards him. "Expelliarmus!" his wand flew out of his hand, over the platform, Sebastian quickly leaned over trying to retrieve it but he wasn't quick enough, another depulso, thrown elegantly by Erina's smile knocked him off causing him to fall with his butt to the ground. Silence fell in the classroom for a few seconds, then the students erupted into a roar of incredulous applause as the platform lowered. Erina approached her opponent and bowed, just as he had moments before, smiling in satisfaction and headed towards Natty, who applauded ecstatically.

"An excellent trial, indeed," said the teacher, handing her wand to the Slytherin. "Prewett pick a partner, I know you were in on it too. The rest of you as well: a little practical review won't hurt anyone." "Not a bad first duel, Sebastian." Erina shook hands with her opponent, slightly red in the face from embarrassment, which he tried to hide with a pretentious smirk. "It makes me think you're not a newbie." She shrugged. "Maybe. You have to know how to defend yourself." Sebastian laughed. "You're right, especially if you're attacked by a dragon before the year even begins." Erina sighed, realizing why she kept receiving mutterings and curious looks since the morning began. "So everyone knows?" he smiled again. "Everyone is quivering to know what happened next. They say you apparate near the Forbidden Forest, but I bet it turned out differently." She shrugged again, she had no reason to tell him anything and after all, she still didn't understand much about it either. "Whatever," Sebastian countered. "Everyone has secrets. But know that I'm very good at investigating." He winked and then turned away to follow the lesson, leaving Erina confused but at the same time intrigued by the brown-haired boy; a sidelong glance from Natty drew her attention, but she avoided paying too much attention to it and returned still with a smile on her face to position herself beside her.

The rest of the lesson seemed to fly by between duels, and in a flash from the middle of the morning, it was lunchtime. Erina followed her classmates into the Great Hall as the talk about the O.W.L. given by Professor Hecat merged with the cramps of hunger and the astonishment that seized her on seeing that room with a clear mind for the first time. She found herself lost in admiration of the ceiling that resembled a window looking out on the sunny sky of that day. The candles, which had illuminated the room the night before, now hung unlit in mid-air, making way for the natural light pouring in from the large windows and the enchanted vault. In the room, there was a huge, rough fireplace, currently extinguished, that stood where she had nervously waited the day before for the sorting ceremony. The nearby wall was not very elaborately decorated, with a few paintings and ornaments scattered about, leading to the back of the room where the headmaster's desk and the professors' table were placed in front of the windows. She took a seat at her table, adorned with an elegant blue and gold tablecloth, matching the rest of the dishes; as soon as she was about to throw herself on the food, her attention was caught by a loud fluttering of wings echoing above her head and before she could notice it, she found herself with a small pile of letters on her lap. She raised her head just in time to catch sight of the family owl fluttering away and then greedily grabbed one of the envelopes, noting with delight her mother's seal.

My dear Erina, I am happy to hear you are well after your terrible adventure. I don't understand how a dragon can attack for no reason and I find it absurd that the Ministry did nothing, I intend to send a letter to the British Prime Minister as soon as possible. But darling, you could have made an effort to save your clothes: you know how long it took me to get so many in such a short time. I will get more soon, but beware if you lose them!

Erina smiled, feeling a twinge of nostalgia, as she read her mother's words carefully placing the letter in her uniform pocket and then she decided to move on to the next one.

My sister, what misfortune do you have? The school year hasn't even started yet and you are immediately attacked by a dragon? Anyway, we are all relieved to know that you are safe. Enjoy life at Hogwarts to the fullest, I'm sure there will be plenty of fun ahead. Federico says hello too, while he's busy writing more mushy poems to devote to the next poor girl who might have the misfortune to meet him. PS: I imagine our mother has already scolded you about the clothes trunk, but don't worry, she is already buying a whole wardrobe of them. With love, Edoardo (your favourite brother).

Erina also put this moved letter to rest, and then finally devoted herself to her next task, lunch, made even sweeter by the words of her family. Arriving at the end of the meal, now full she began to stretch out on the long bench, letting out a few yawns while chatting with the few people left at the table, and then looking around, waiting for something. "The lunch is over." Everett teased in front of her. "What about coffee?" the rest of the guys looked at each other amused. “Who drinks that stuff?” Erina began to feel a sense of disgust, the same she had felt for the first few weeks in which, having just moved to England, she and her father had wandered around different restaurants, waiting to take hold of their London home. "Me! And you should too. How do you get energy?" Everett shrugged, increasingly entertained. "With tea, I presume?" She replied with a further disgusted frown. "You guys are so British! I will speak to the elves, this is unacceptable!"She said as she walked resolutely outraged out of the Great Hall, followed by the amused looks of her companions.

"I don't know about you, but I love her already!"

Chapter Text

It had been almost two weeks since Erina had crashed at Hogwarts. The days were packed with lessons, and the spectre of the O.W.L.s was constant, reminded by the professors at every mistake, or even when they might not know how to continue a speech; luckily, she had managed to get her father to send her some sacks of coffee and coffee pots, which had generated quite a few curious glances when she received them one morning in the Great Hall, and which she promptly delivered together with a simple guide on coffee production, both in the kitchens and in the school cafeteria, which without coffee was not worthy of the name. Of course, it wasn't just her foreign tastes that fuelled the rumours about her, the dragon attack had certainly not gone unnoticed and everyone, including students and teachers, seemed to have something to say about it. Erina didn't mind being in the spotlight for the first time in her life, but it was tiring to keep the same false version of events, especially in front of the teachers. Professor Weasley was not satisfied with Fig's lie and lost no occasion to remind her that there was nothing to fear and that one way or another, the truth would come out. If the days were not easy, the nights were no different: Osric's death, the dragon destroying their carriage, the flames and all the memories of that endless evening often haunted her through dreams. Sometimes the dragon took Ranrok's form, sometimes, Osric became her parents or siblings, who were devoured by its jaws, without her being able to move a finger. Each time, she woke up sweating and with her heart pounding, and the only way she had found to calm herself was to go to the top of the Ravenclaw tower and stare at the stars, soothed by the night noises, until sleep returned of its own accord, hoping that it would allow her to get through the night, without further nightmares.

"There you are! You off to lunch?" a cheerful voice greeted her, and Erina looked up, facing Sebastian, surrounded by a group from his same House. Next to him stood another student from Slytherin, who pointed his wand in front of her face, only to lower it soon after. "Hello Ominis." She greeted shyly. Since the clash in the Hecat classroom, Sebastian had taken a liking to her. He often chatted with her between classes and stopped asking her questions about the dragon attack. Instead, Sebastian did everything he could to involve her in mischief. He also introduced her to Infaustus, his friend for years, who , however, did not seem particularly interested in her company.   "Forget it, he's cranky today.‘’ Sebastian intervened, walking between them to head towards the Great Hall. "Professor Allium gave him a bit too ripe mandrake."

"I'm already blind; did she mean to make me deaf as well?" huffed Ominis and Erina restrained herself from laughing, thinking back to the chaotic Herbology lesson of a few hours earlier, where the students had had quite a few problems with those screaming plants. ‘My father will hear about this!’ said Sebastian, imitating the tone of Infaustus, who merely snorted: "We all know that Herbology classes have become more dangerous since she's been there."

"Only because you can't see her, or you'd understand why we all love her." Sebastian didn't have time to finish his sentence before a smack from Ominis' wand silenced him. Erina couldn't hold back a laugh. ‘’Laugh away.’ Retorted Ominis, feigning annoyance. "Sallow, are you frolicking with the newbie?" a voice beside them cut off. " Oh come on" Sebastian turned around and was just in time to see Infaustus dragging a small group of Slytherins to the table, shaking his head. ‘Today's plans?’ said Sebastian, after they had drifted off. ’ Finally Black and my father signed permission to go to Hogsmeade.’ She said, happily waving the paper Professor Weasley had given her that morning. She was supposed to go to Hogsmeade, a wizarding village near the school, but as a minor, she needed her parents' permission. She had finally obtained it, and not to mention: her father, knowing well her spirit of adventure, had specified that the permission was valid for whenever she needed, or simply wanted, to go out. ‘I would have accompanied you,’ Sebastian sighed. ‘But I have an afternoon of pleasure waiting for me in Sharp's company.’ She rolled her eyes. "Maybe you shouldn't have gone into his office!’ ‘Come on, I was just trying to stop that Weasley twit. It was a good deed after all!’ giggled Sebastian. Erina laughed, remembering how Sebastian's innocent expression, which with the librarian worked every time, failed miserably to Sharp. Sure, here’s the translated and corrected version of your paragraph:

He had simply left with his tail between his legs, followed by Weasley and Infaustus’s desperate expression . “Do you already want to lose the House Cup for Slytherin? You’re doing us a favor !” “As if you Ravenclaws had a chance!” She ignored him, and they were now at the entrance to the Great Hall. “Anyway, I’ve already asked Natsai.”

“Miss Perfect? As you wish.” Sebastian did a playful bow and walked away, heading to his table, while she sat next to her classmate, Amit, who smiled as soon as he saw her. “Are you sure you don’t need another companion for Hogsmeade? I need some lenses for my telescope…”

She laughed, filling her dish: “I’d love to, but better to take just one person, or I’d have to drag the whole school along!”

“Hey Erina, can you buy me some Dungbombs in Hogsmeade? I want to try a little experiment.” Everett added from across the table. She didn’t respond, staring at a point behind him and smiling. “Good morning, Professor Hecat.” Everett froze, not even turning around as Hecat quickly walked past the table, then sighed of relief.

“So, will you do it?” the boy added, whispering dreamily. “ Absolutely not. I’m a good girl.”

“Ready?” Natsai greeted her cheerfully, meeting her at the exit of Hogwarts. “ Definitely, I’ve been waiting for this moment for weeks!” She walked alongside her, strolling calmly down the winding path that led to the village. “I’m glad you asked me to accompany you; I needed some air.”

“It’s a pleasure , it seems you weren't the only candidate,” Erina joked, telling her about the many requests she had received at lunch. “So you’ve already made an impression!” She rolled her eyes, ignoring her and proceeding calmly towards the castle exit.

The road from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade was once likely a short path used by livestock, then was widened and made more passable over the years. Sometimes the ground and grass dominated, tracing the winding curves that descended from the hill to the valley. In other places, cobblestone or paved walkways characterized long straight stretches, offering a beautiful view of the surrounding nature in all its splendour. Although Hogsmeade wasn’t far from the castle, between chatting and walking, it took them about half an hour to reach the station, where students usually arrived at the beginning of each school year, ready for the new term. There was little to say; her arrival had been anything but normal . The Hogwarts Express lay there, stationary on the tracks, waiting for the next run after crossing England to pick up students here and there. The train regularly served the surrounding region, and some rumors even suggested that it sometimes acted on its own when wizards needed it, but these were just unconfirmed tales.

After a short time, the two girls took a fork in the road, indicated by a rough signpost. Natty stepped forward, inhaling deeply in front of the gigantic wooden arch. “There’s no place like Hogsmeade!” she said, and the two left the castle and station behind, finding themselves inside the village.

Calling that town a “village” was an understatement. Hogsmeade was one of the few places in England with a total magical population, a bizarre and characteristic place that based its economy on the nearby school and the commercial traffic that mainly passed through the station and the small dock. Once they passed the arch that marked the town’s boundaries, they found themselves immersed in the crowd that trafficked in and out of the village through one of the two main streets. Wizards and witches with carts and carriages, moved by strange magical animals or spells, made their way without ever coming into contact, in a confusion that seemed paradoxically tidy. It wasn’t the first time Erina had been to Hogsmeade; she had been there several times, accompanying her father on business trips. But despite everything, the energy of the place was so peculiar that it left anyone who visited, even for the umpteenth time, speechless. So much so that the two girls almost forgot why they were there, wandering with their heads in the clouds until they reached a small square.

“Well, I need to get some potion ingredients and do some shopping for my mother,” Natsai began, snapping out of her daze. “I need to get a bit of everything, so maybe we should meet up somewhere later?” Erina replied, finally tearing her gaze away from the shop windows. “Oh right… the dragon ate all your stuff, it seems.” Natty chuckled. “Yeah,” Erina forced a smile. “So, let’s meet… how about I wait for you outside Ollivander’s? I’m curious to see what your real wand will be like!” “Sure, that sounds great!” Erina replied with newfound enthusiasm. “If you want, you can come too."

“Oh no, I could never. You’ll show it to me later, but the moment a wizard receives their wand is just for the wizard; you have to enjoy it fully!” “Great! Then at Ollivander’s,” Erina said, heading towards her shopping when Natsai interrupted her. “Are you sure you know your way around?” Erina’s stern look could have been enough of an answer, but she decided to add , “You think I'm a newbie?” receiving a playful shove in return. After one last smile, they parted ways.

“A h, finally!” a cheerful voice almost made Erina jump as she admired the tall wooden shelves of the shop. She had just finished her school shopping, including books, potion ingredients, and even a cauldron, all neatly packed in the elegant pearl-colored handbag sent by her mother, cleverly enchanted with an extension charm. Ollivander’s narrow shop was the last stop on her long list , but also the best, as she would finally get her wand.

From behind the counter emerged a short man who smiled at her from behind thick gray mustaches that seemed to blend with his hair, which covered the sides of his head, leaving a bald spot on top. He wore a burgundy suit adorned with a pin bearing a golden “O,” the shop’s symbol.

“You’re Girolamo’s daughter, aren’t you?” Erina nodded with a polite smile; her father had often done business with the Ollivanders, though recently he had limited himself to sending wand elements without visiting Hogsmeade in person.

“Yes, you look just like him, same nose! Yet you also have your mother’s elegant features.”

“Do you know my mother?” she asked curiously, while he was already beyond the counter, analyzing the various wands on the shelves.

“Not personally, but when your father came here to deliver goods, he often talked about her; he showed me several photos, boasting about how he had won over the most beautiful woman in Florence. I’ve never seen a man so in love.”

Erina smiled nostalgically. “Yes, he tends to tell everyone.”

Meanwhile, Ollivander was handing her a long dark green box, inside which was a wooden, pointed wand. “Try this one,” he urged. Erina took it in her hand and tried to wave it slightly, producing only a faint spark at the tip. He shook his head. “No, definitely not.” He took the wand back, placing it back on the shelf.

“No, no… Mhh, maybe you.” He handed her another wand, this time longer and more slender. Erina brandished it, and in an instant , it shot out of her hand, bouncing off the shop's walls until Olivander stopped it. “No, no, definitely not.” The man replied, diving headfirst into the long corridor that made up the shop, beyond the modest reception room, past the dark wooden counter, on which some papers seemed to have accumulated a bit too much dust. A narrow and tall corridor continued until it became almost dark, hundreds, no, thousands of small boxes peeking out from just as many shelves, making the environment even darker, casting small shadows everywhere. Emerging from the depths of some shelf, not without a few coughs, Olivander leaned towards Erina, handing her a black box with golden designs and a small label attached to the side. Inside, after moving aside the veils that protected it, lay a long dark wood wand. After a conical start, a design resembling a handle continued up to a large round knot, from which the wand extended regularly to the tip, where it curved slightly downward.

As she placed the box in her bag, Erina stopped to read the label attached to it : 13 inches, phoenix feather, Mountain Maple wood, absolutely inflexible. Only she could handle that wand, or at least that’s what Olivander had said. She admired it once more , and just as she was about to carefully put it back in its place , Natsai appeared from around a corner. “So, how’s the new wand? When I bought mine, I tried at least a dozen.” Erina smiled, imagining a little Natty surrounded by all kinds of small boxes. “Luckily, it only took a few tries. Did you get everything?” The other nodded happily, giving a small pat to the brown leather bag she carried on her shoulder. “How about a glass of Butterbeer?” Erina tilted her head, curious. “You know, I always hear about it, but I’ve never had it.”

“What? We have to fix that!” She laughed and was about to take her arm when a roar interrupted them: from the dirt road leading to the village exit, a huge creature, at least three meters tall, appeared. Its bald head was disproportionately small compared to the rest of its gigantic body, dressed in strange decorated armour, all too similar to the one worn by Ranrok when she had met him weeks before. “Troll!” A voice shouted, as some villagers began to hit it with various spells, while others fled in fear. Another roar, farther away, shook the air, forcing the remaining wizards to head towards it. Erina realized that she and Natty were now alone with the beast and immediately took out her wand. It was time to test it.

Chapter Text

The troll raised his large hammer, attempting to strike Erina, but was slow enough for her to dodge the blow with a leap. He then decided to charge towards Natty, who in response hit him with a Depulse Charm, which only resulted in pushing him away and enraging him even more. Erina with a snap struck him, taking advantage of his moment of distraction.

"Are we at least hurting him?" she shouted at Natty, who continued to hit him, aiming for his head. "Just don’t stop! Sooner or later he’ll get tired." and Erina obeyed, repeatedly using spells of all kinds, being careful not to create further damage to nearby houses and shops. Although unfortunately, shortly afterwards, the troll"s bat dragged away scarves and coats, snatched from who knows which shop.
Why was no one coming to help them, Erina thought as she dodged a deadly blow. It wasn"t enough to have had to deal with a dragon recently, now he also had to fight a particularly fierce and armored troll. She couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but in the background she could hear the locals" battle against the other troll raging furiously, when they finally managed to get one of the monster"s knees to give way, so they were taken by surprise when a cart of goods thrown by the troll, slowly getting up, hit them, hurling them against a wall.

When Erina managed to get up again, it seemed as if she could see nothing, everything around her swirled out and in the darkness, when an almost familiar headache came over her, inexplicably making her regain composure. Her friend a few meters away was struggling, trying to balance herself, but Erina was now standing up straight, and before the troll could react, not only her wand, but her whole body moved, in one fluid motion, as if animated, by a force she already knew. The wand ended its course in an almost strident manner, pointing at the monster"s feet, when a silver and gray bolt of lightning the size of an ancient tree struck the troll, turning the hideous creature into confetti of ash.

It wasn’t long before a small crowd made its way through the rubble that now adorned the square, some approaching to thank the two students, who were still trying to recover from what had happened; some giving deep bows while others invited the two to their homes or shops, but when Natty and Erina saw an auror coming from a nearby alley, they decided it would be best to avoid further trouble by running away. 

Natty let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall of the alley where they had slipped in. "Looks like you're fated for fame." Before Erina could reply, a voice not far away caught her attention. She waved to her friend to be quiet and then tiptoed along the wall. They came to a small street, behind a couple of wizards, who were talking to someone hidden from them.  She did not know who they were, but something inside her was urging her to follow them. "You just needed a distraction and that's what I gave you." Erina gasped as she recognised that raspy voice. She had heard it a few weeks earlier at Gringott: Ranrok. One of the wizards shifted slightly, allowing her to catch a glimpse of the goblin.

  "A distraction that was quickly taken down. By a student." The wizard was responding irritated. "Do you want to tell me who she is? What are you hiding from me?" the goblin ignored the question, approaching menacingly. "Remember: if you don't get to the target, you are of no value to me." Erina did not have time to understand, as Natty was already dragging her away. She looked towards the alley again, and realized that all three were staring at her.
"Did they see us?" Natty ignored her, holding her by the arm and walking faster and faster until she was running. "Natty, wait!" she didn"t answer, continuing to drag her through the tangle of streets and lanes of Hogsmeade, avoiding hitting passers-by, until they were in front of a row of giant wooden barrels. Finally Natty stopped, leaning against a barrel with heavy breath. "Do you know who he is?" asked Natty, even before Erina could speak. "Yes, I know who Ranrok is."
She looked at her confused and Natty sighed. "Those two men were Victor Rookwood and Theophilus Harlow. I'm surprised you don 't know them, they are the most dangerous and vicious criminals in the UK!" a flash of anger crossed her face and Erina tried to figure out what to do. "Alright, you will tell me everything. But we need to find a safe place." Natty nodded, then pointed to the large wooden barrels. "On the other side is The Three Broomsticks. We’ll be safe there."

"Welcome!" a strong voice greeted them in the large hall of the inn, lit by the large fireplace in the center of the room, with the wooden tables occupied by several customers; the counter, also made of solid wood, stood in the center of the structure, surrounded by the stairs leading to the upper floors. A tall, stern-looking woman stared at them from behind the counter. "I see you two are in a rush." The two fixed themselves up as best they could, dusting off their clothes, and with an embarrassed smile sat down at one of the tables.

 "Are you new?" the woman said in a friendly tone, approaching them. "Yes." Erina replied. "It's my first time here." The woman waved her wand, and from behind the counter floated two mugs filled with amber liquid, which rested gently on the table. "Then this one’s on the house. I’m Sirona, by the way." Erina smiled politely and drank, encountering a bitter-sweet taste that she did not like at all. She decided to abandon the mug and looked around, scanning the crowd around her, mainly composed of adult wizards, sitting around chatting, until she noticed, right in front of the bar, a goblin. He didn"t seem hostile in any way, in contrary, he was talking friendly to Sirona. Erina knew that not all goblins were followers of Ranrok, yet it was strange to see one on such good terms with the wizards, unnoticed by anyone. A tap on her foot forced her to turn around. "You're staring at him." Whispered Natty with a severe air and Erina looked away embarrassed. She was about to ask her friend about the men from before, but was interrupted by a small voice.

 "Hello girls!" a short girl with brown hair and eyes of the same color had emerged from who knows where, and immediately sat down at their table. "Poppy!" greeted Erina, glad to see a familiar face. "I wanted to thank you." Said the Hufflepuff. "Ever since you defended me in the Care of Magical Creatures class, those guys have quit bothering me. Sure, they're still joking around, but it's better than before. Are you not going to drink that?" she bolted at her friend"s mug, who found herself thinking about that lesson, in which Poppy had confronted two boys who were annoying a Kneazle. Poppy was well known for how she always defended every animal, and that had not spared her from jokes and mocking, at least until Erina had stepped in to help her. "Anyway, I heard about the trolls. Were you two there?" They both nodded, but did not add details about the battle. ""It's just weird for trolls to be suddenly attacking.   

"Poppy, that butterbeer was for your friend, not you." Sirona interrupted them, approaching with her arms crossed. "So you'll have to pay for it." Poppy turned red with embarrassment, but Erina saved her. "Never mind, I gave it to her. I prefer other flavours, maybe you have some wine?" he gave her a pleading look, hoping she would oblige by giving her some flavours of home. "Wine? You Italians are so particular." She sighed, but finally gave in to those soft eyes. "Come to the counter, let's see if you find something you like." Erina followed her happily, forgetting for a few moments the bad moments just before. She leaned against the wood, letting Sirona hand her several bottles of various types and read each label carefully. She was about to choose, when the door of the bar opened violently and suddenly the buzz stopped. Erina turned around, finding herself facing the wizards from before, who strutted in, causing a flurry of gasps.

 "Was that Lodgok? Your clientele is getting worse, Sirona."  The owner approached him with a heavy step, showing no sign of fear. "Don"t worry Victor, as soon as you leave the quality will improve." He glowered at the other man, who had remained silent until that moment, but was reaching for his wand. "I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Theophilus." Rookwood did not flinch, signaling to his partner not to attack. "Come on, don"t be so dramatic. I just want to talk to her." He pointed to Erina, who was still standing in front of the counter. She froze, but did not move, merely sustaining the man"s gaze. In a second, Natty was already standing beside her, her hand clenched on the handle of her wand. "Don"t bother. As you can see, she"s drinking with her friends." He ignored her, moving a few steps towards Erina "A quick word and I"ll go." he was immediately blocked by Sirona and, in the meantime, other patrons of the club had stood up, pointing their wands at the two. “Perhaps you didn’t hear. I said not to bother." Sirona scolded sternly, without looking away. Rookwod looked around annoyed, but finally stepped back, raising his hands. "Let’s go, Theophilus. The Three Broomsticks no longer deserve our money." He cast one last threatening glance towards Erina, then they both left. Only when the door slammed did Erina allow herself a long sigh of relief and then turned towards Natty, who looked at her in a questioning attitude.

 Before she could say anything, Sirona approached. ‘Rookwood and Harlow? What have you gotten yourself into?’ even Poppy had stood up and by now the whole place was staring at her. Feeling the weight of all those eyes on her, Erina smiled embarrassedly. ‘I think it's time to go back to the castle.’ She tried to approach the exit, but Sirona stopped her with a hand. ‘Not so fast.’ She snapped her fingers towards a waiter, intent on cleaning one of the tables, who immediately jumped to attention. ‘Call Officer Singer, tell her she needs to escort some students to Hogwarts.’ he quickly ran out and finally the other customers returned to their activities, not without casting the occasional glance towards the girls. 
‘Looks like you'll have some explaining to do.’ Said Natty, almost scolding her. Erina sat down on a stool and sighed, closing her eyes, tired from the endless day. ‘I will tell you everything, I promise. But not now.’ Those words seemed to be enough for both of them and they sat down beside her, remaining silent, waiting for the auror. 

Professor Weasley greeted them at the entrance to Hogwarts, glancing apprehensively at them. She thanked Agent Singer, then frowned at them. "In twenty minutes dinner will be served in the Great Hall, so you have time to refresh yourselves. Tomorrow we will talk about what happened." All three thanked her, then headed for the main hall. "Soon everyone will know about the trolls." Natty sighed after a few minutes of awkward silence. "And about Rookwood." Poppy added. Erina said nothing, but the images from a few hours earlier kept replaying in her head. Could it be that Ranrok was controlling the trolls? Were they the ""distraction""? Was he using them to get to her? Since when was he allied with those mages and what role could they play with what she and Fig had discovered? 

"There you are!" the flurry of questions was interrupted by the cheerful voice of Sebastian, who appeared before them along with Garreth, who greeted them politely. "Why are you here?" said Erina instinctively, without even thinking, her tone of voice far too tense.  "Don't you remember? We were grounded with Sharp." He looked at her worriedly. "Is everything alright?" even Garreth stepped forward. "You don't look like you've come back from a trip to Hogsmeade. What's going on?" The girls looked at each other, trying to think of a diversion, but it was Poppy who stepped in. "Gosh, I'm so hungry. We should go for dinner, I can't wait to eat!" she theatrically rubbed her stomach and the others joined her. "Yes, so hungry! Let's go before it's all over." They hurried away whispering to each other, suspicious as ever, leaving the two alone in confusion. 

"Eh ladies, am I right?" Garreth elbowed Sebastian, who replied with a disgusted look. "Come on, I see how you look at her." He shook his head and huffed walking away, ignoring the other guy's further jokes.

Chapter Text

Erina stomped on the green grass at her feet, enjoying the warm rays of sunshine that warmed her face, as she strolled through the schoolyard, reminiscing about the past week. The news of the troll attack and her subsequent clash with Rookwood was on the talk of all the students, who now considered her a celebrity; a photo of her was even featured in an article in the Daily Prophet, praising her defensive skills during the attack on Hogsmeade. Of course, there was no shortage of questions, but she had mostly managed to avoid them with a few excuses, which had obviously not worked on Poppy and Natsai, who had asked her for an explanation. She had been able to remain vague, simply saying that she had found something Rookwood wanted. She knew that sooner or later they had to know the truth, not only because they were her friends, but also because, as Natty had said, ‘They've seen our faces too, we're in as much danger as you are.’ , but the time had not yet come.

“You were looking for me?” Sebastian's voice cut through her thoughts and she smiled at him warmly. “Professor Hecat told me to look for you, and also told me you were to introduce me to someone called Brattleby. I didn't quite understand what she meant.” She looked at him confused, hoping he would help her decipher the mysterious ‘advice’ the professor had decided to give her a few hours earlier. Sebastian raised his eyebrows in surprise, then his face broke into a grin. “Great, then I was right about you.” Erina sighed. “Instead of speaking in riddles, tell me what she meant? Who is Brattleby?”
“You should love riddles, you're a Ravenclaw.” He taunted her, then headed for the entrance. “Come on.” She followed him through several corridors and towers, up and down the castle's winding stairs, to the clock tower. Here, right in front of the huge pendulum, they found a large group of students, gathered to talk. As soon as he saw them, one of them broke away from the group and approached, greeting Sebastian. Erina looked at him curiously: he looked at least a year younger than her and his stature showed it; he was wearing a tunic with the Gryffindor symbol on it and he was also squaring her, moving a tuft of curly hair out of his dark eyes. 

“Sallow! I wasn't expecting you today.” The boy leaned even closer to Sebastian and covered his hand with his mouth, almost whispering. “The next meeting isn't decided yet, I'll send you an owl as soon as I arrange it.” “Don't worry Lucan, we're not here for me, Hecat told her to talk to you.” The other brightened and smiled at her, shaking her hand. “Lucan Brattleby at your service, I hope you will join us, you are like a celebrity around the school now.” Erina smiled back, still not understanding. “I still don't know what you guys are talking about.”
“Oh sure, I run a secret dueling club, it's called Crossed Wands and your friend here is a member.” A giggle escaped Erina. “That doesn't sound so secret to me.” Lucan shrugged, “Well, Hecat found out about us pretty much right away. But she thinks practice is the best way to learn how to defend yourself and we reached an agreement, let's say: only students from the fourth year onwards participate, no serious injuries and I have to inform her if something goes wrong. That way we practice and Black doesn't know anything.” Erina felt filled with pride at knowing that Hecat was giving her so much trust and a spark of defiance sparkled in her grey eyes. “Well, shall we begin then?” Lucan and Sebastian smiled. ‘That's the spirit! I had nothing planned but now that you are here, there will be a line to duel with you. You could even duel in pairs if you like, how about that?’ they both nodded decisively, waiting for two more challengers.

‘’Mind you, no forbidden spells, don't hurt each other, or at least not too much, the match ends when both members of a team are no longer able to fight; are you ready?" the two pairs positioned themselves on either side of the large room, wands in place. Erina cast a look of intent at Sebastian, which he returned. "Begin!" shouted Lucan, as ecstatic as ever, and the two wasted no time. "Levioso!" Erina had pointed at the Hufflepuff boy her opponent, twirling him through the air, while Sebastian was toying with the Gryffindor challenger, slowing her down with an Impedimenta spell. ‘Depulso!’ her opponent managed to break free from the levitation spell, sending Erina to the ground. Before he could disarm her, she was quick enough to protect herself with a shield and quickly got up. ‘Locomotor Mortis!’the opponent's legs twisted in on themselves and he fell ruinously on his stomach. ‘Expelliarmus!’ concluded Erina disarming him and admiring Sebastian as he tossed his opponent downwards.  ‘Well I expected it to last longer but, wow, how classy, Erina and Sebastian win the fight!" he approached with a triumphant smile, puffing out his chest. "We make a pretty good team." 

‘You can say that so!’ she replied enthusiastically, her eyes dripping with joy. "Too bad we'll have to fight sooner or later, I'm not thrilled at the idea of beating a rookie, but I won't go as easy as I did today." Sebastian joked, withdrawing his wand. “You better not, if you don't want to find yourself humiliated by the rookie, again!" After a short while, the two of them walked away from the club area, the smile however seemed to not want to leave Erina's face, all in all, if she had to be famous at school, it was better to be famous for her talents than for misadventures.

The trees around the castle were becoming more and more amber-red, colouring the paths with their leaves vibrating and falling, stirred by the gentle autumn wind. The flowers had now receded, making way for yellowing blades of grass, and even the sun was showing less and less, and when it did, it was always paler and less warm. Erina was finally catching up with her peers and had met all her teachers, proving herself good at everything, but she excelled in Potions, where she had put her father's teachings into practice. However, the flying lessons had not started off on the right foot: Madam Kogawa had included her in the first-year lessons, as she had to learn the basics, but the intimidated looks of the kids and the constant shouting of her classmates, who were always practicing in the near field, had led the teacher to give her private lessons. These had certainly not gone any better, considering that after the first flight Erina had thrown up her entire lunch, then almost ran over a few students and a few more times risked crashing into the towers. And although she had almost lost hope and certainly the will, Kogawa's encouragement, telling her that she would get better with practice, pushed her on, despite the bruises. She did indeed manage to improve, but it was evident that there was not a good relationship between her and the broom. On the other hand, she was proving to be an increasingly fearsome opponent in the Crossed Wands club, attracting the attention of even the older students. In short, despite her stormy arrival, she was a very normal Hogwarts student. Or almost.

"Miss, could you come with me to my office?" she looked up, finding herself in front of Professor Fig, whom she greeted cheerfully. They hadn't spoken much to each other since her arrival at the castle, limiting themselves to a few greetings in the corridors, and hadn't yet had a chance to discuss their discoveries and recent events. She followed him to the top of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, entering the small, bright office. 

"I am happy to see you again, professor." He smiled kindly. "Me too. I hope you are settling in well, despite your little mishap in Hogsmeade.’ She sat down in front of the impressive wooden desk and he on the other side did the same. Erina looked around, as if afraid of being spied on, then tilted her bust towards Fig. "Rookwood and Ranrok are allied with each other, they were behind the troll attack. They were a distraction and I'm sure they wanted me. They also entered Sirona's bar to find me, but luckily I wasn't alone." Fig shook her head gravely. "This is not good news at all. They obviously want what we found at Gringott's. I wanted to talk to you about it..." He opened a drawer, taking out a large yellowed sheet of paper carefully folded. "It took me a while to study the flask we found, then I found some writing. It was a coded message of course, but when I managed to decipher it and read it aloud, the flask opened." He carefully unfolded the paper, revealing a map of the castle. 

"It's clearly Hogwarts, but I don't understand where he wants to take us." Erina stood up, taking a good look at the paper and feeling a sharp headache, the same as when she had touched the portkey. And there it was again, the glow seen at Gringott's, in the form of silver droplets swirling around a specific point on the map. She pointed to them without a word, mesmerized by their light. "The library." Fig exclaimed, "Precisely, the Restricted Section." He folded the map contentedly, placing it back in the drawer. "Excellent, then. I really hope we won't find anything strange and that what we're looking for is a simple book." Fig stood up, going around the desk and approaching her. "We can already go in the next few nights, I'll talk to the librarian, I just need to..." he was interrupted by the door opening and in a flash Dean Black was in the office. Erina stepped back with a short bow, but he did not even look at her. "I have a job for you, Fig. Come!" the professor was interjected, then pointed at Erina. "Headmaster, I'm with a student and my schedule..." Only then did Black give her a quick glance, but then turned again to Fig, growing more and more annoyed. "The schedule can wait and so can your student. I thought with the trouble you caused me with Osric, he'd be eager to make amends." He turned towards the door, his back to them both, and concluded, "My office, in five minutes." He exited, as quickly as he had entered, leaving Fig looking down. "That man is... infuriating. I think we should postpone our mission for now, miss."

‘But Professor,’ Erina tried to counter, annoyed. Just when she was one step away from knowing more, from understanding what was behind the events of the previous months, everything was in danger of being postponed again until who knows when. "We have no choice after what happened. It's best not to provoke the headmaster, he's breathing down my neck." He sighed, then walked towards the door. ‘I'll get back to you soon. Take care."

Erina walked out of the office with a heavy step, irritated as never before. She was fed up with being a victim of events and having to stand by while Ranrok and Rookwood stood outside planning heaven knows what, what if she was less lucky next time? What if her friends had gotten involved? Perhaps going to the library might give her some information, explain why the dragon, the trolls, find an answer to the thousand questions she had been asking herself for weeks. She was determined to find out the truth and Black was certainly not going to stop her. She just needed a little help.

Chapter Text

Erina stared impatiently at the entrance to the library, hidden by the handrail of the main staircase to avoid being seen by the prefects. She huffed, holding back a yawn; she was waiting for Sebastian, who she had asked for help with that mission, but he still hadn't shown up, and the doubt that he had abandoned her was beginning to intensify. It was impossible he had changed his mind, after all it was obvious he loved a risk, but maybe someone had intercepted him and now he was perhaps grounded, if not in Black's office. 
"Sorry I'm late." She gasped when he suddenly popped up beside her, but at least he was there. ''I waited for the prefects to go to sleep. They will too.” Erina nodded, waiting until the coast was clear. 

Shortly afterwards, the two boys in front of the library entrance walked away, heading for their respective dormitories. She yawned and Sebastian muffled a laugh. Nice adventurous spirit!’ Erina lowered her gaze, embarrassed. “Are you sure we won't get caught?” He snorted, “Again, yes. And I'm sure you won't end up in detention anyway, the teachers love you. Still, it's better to be safe and use a disillusionment charm.”  She nodded and twirled her wand around, surrounding herself with a white glow. As when she first tried it in Ronen's classroom, something cold and slimy seemed to fall over her like a blanket. After her hands and feet began to blend in with the floor and walls, she finally entered. 

The library seemed even bigger at night, lit by the large lamps on the tables, which cast long shadows on the shelves. It was naturally empty except for the librarian, Madame Scribner, who sat at her desk reading, yawning from time to time. She looked decidedly tired; the more she was, the less she would notice them. Erina slipped silently between the shelves, followed by Sebastian's light footsteps behind her, until she reached the imposing grates that separated the Restricted Section from the rest of the library. A simple Alohomora charm was enough to open them and in a moment they were inside. They found themselves in a darker space than in the normal library, a few lanterns scattered here and there brightened the corners, leaving the corridors in semi-darkness the floor; the walls and in general everything in that area seemed to be older and gave the air that it should remain hidden. They were surrounded by imposing shelves, covered with books, scrolls of parchment and bizarre objects, some were locked in dusty glass cases, others were so dirty that it was impossible to make out a title, but despite everything, there was nothing that caught their attention. Without a word, Erina descended the sheer stone stairs to the lower floor and only once she arrived in the dark, dusty corridor she decided to speak to Sebastian, stepping out from the cover of the disillusionment spell. "You still haven't told me why we're here," he said curiously. Erina looked around, at more books and display cases and strange objects, when she laid her gaze in a corner and something caught her eye. A door was half-hidden by old, worn armour, that spot seemed to call to her and ignoring Sebastian's calls, she rushed to it, as if drawn by it. She was about to move the armour, when a round, colourful figure swirled in front of her, emerging from behind the armour. "Who have we here?" Erina shrugged and stepped back, staring into the bottomless eyes of Peeves, the castle's poltergeist, who had never been a friend to students, or teachers, or anyone attending Hogwarts. ‘Sebastian Sallow and his friend, snooping where they shouldn't,’ he mocked them. Sebastian walked up irritated. ‘Don't you dare...’ but the poltergeist was already floating towards the exit, giggling. "I'm going to tell! I'm going to tell!" Erina turned to Sebastian, worried. "I'll take care of it, I'll find a good excuse." He quickly said, but before he could move, she held him by the sleeve.  ‘I'm trusting you,’ she stared at him gravely, with an almost pleading look. He nodded and ran off, and Erina had only to continue. She gently shifted the armour and slipped through the door, a strange bluish light illuminated the small hallway that opened up, at the end of which the outlines of a spiral staircase seemed to be emerging.

A faint whisper seemed to come from downstairs, Erina walked down the stairs, not even knowing where they would lead her, but she knew she was going the right way. The whispers grew louder with each step, calling her and urging her on, again and again. When she reached the end of the stairs, she was greeted by an imposing stone archway, the columns that supported it, as well as the walls and the rest of the small hall had been assailed by vines.  The same rune she had seen at Gringott's and on the key, shone with a blue light that looked almost like water in the centre of the keystone. Erina already knew what to do, and after a short breath, she stepped through the portal, finding herself in front of a long corridor, lit by torches and richly adorned with turquoise marble and several gold-coloured geometric designs running along the walls. Unlike when she was at Gringott, she was not afraid at all; it was like entering a familiar place, which welcomed her, greeting her like an old friend. She knew exactly what she had to do and which way to go. After however long it took, she found herself in front of another door; she did not have to do anything, as she approached it, it immediately opened. Here, the whispers quieted down, she had finally arrived at her destination. She entered softly and without even looking around, she made her way to the centre of the room, a simple silver lectern, without any particular decoration. Above it sat a book, emanating the same silvery haze seen on the runes. Erina stroked the cover with her fingertips, admiring the decoration: a caped humanoid figure stood with its back to the rising sun; she took it in her hand, following her instincts and was shaken by a shiver that ran through her body, for she had found what the map showed. She cautiously hid the book in her cloak and, satisfied, immediately turned back. The stairs seemed to have become longer, it took her a while before she arrived back in the chamber where she had left Sebastian. She put the armour back in its place and as soon as she had done so, the door grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared, leaving only a bare grey stone wall. 

“Sneaking in the Restricted Section again!” Scribner's high-pitched, pestering voice grew closer as Erina moved cautiously, hiding among the tables. She hoped to be back in time to help Sebastian, but by now Peeves had already reported everything to the librarian and was now fluttering around her friend, who remained silent to suffer the scolding. "I was hoping you would stop with this mischief! I'll have to send another owl to your uncle." 

"But..." Scribner gave him no time to argue back. "Anyway, Peeves  told me you're not alone. If someone convinced or coerced you, you have to tell me, not all the blame has to fall on you, Sallow." Erina bit her tongue, waiting for Sebastian to answer; "No one is coercing me, you know. I'm on my own like the other times." She sighed in relief, as the librarian shook her head in disappointment. ‘You're such a bright boy, why waste such a gift?’ he said nothing and eventually she surrendered, ordering him to return to his dorm, followed by Peeves' taunts and chanting insults. Erina waited until all three had left, then slipped out of her hiding place and ran towards Ravenclaw tower, eager to return to her bed. 

Erina looked around confused: she was with four wizards; two were the men she had seen at Gringott's pensieve; the other two, a man and a woman, she had never seen. They all admired the miserable landscape before them: a small village, covered in an expanse of dry grass and brown land, which looked as if it had not seen water in months. They all turned to look at two children: one, smaller and frail, was leaning on a wooden crutch and another, older, was staring with sorrow at the empty bucket beside a small old stone well. With a gesture, Percival, the wizard from the Pensieve, raised his wand to the sky and large clouds gathered, immediately melting into rain, the sky was tinged with blue spirals, the fields were soaked in an instant and flowers, and plants, bushes and trees grew as far as the eye could see. Erina looked again at the children, finding the little girl staring back at her, and returned the gaze, waiting for her to speak, but everything seemed to melt suddenly, like ink in water. In an instant, everything changed. She was still with the four of them, but this time in a small room adorned with softly lit brick walls. Erina was certain she was at Hogwarts, but she couldn't figure out where, probably in a professor's office. Before she could do anything, the door to the room opened and a girl about her age entered cautiously. "You wanted to speak to me, Principal Fitzgerald? Professor Rackham." Erina recognised her immediately, it was the girl seen a short moment before. Rackham stood up, inviting her to take a seat. " Miss Isidora Morganach, welcome. " She made a brief bow towards the other two, greeting them, "Professor Rookwood, Professor Bakar."

"Rookwood?" Erina muffled her mouth with her hands, but no one seemed to hear her. Could it be that the man was related to the same criminal who was threatening her? "I understand you're adjusting well to life here at Hogwarts," th e woman was saying meanwhile, and the girl nodded with a polite smile. "I'm glad, especially considering how unusual it is to start in fifth year." Erina got closer, curious. "As it happens, I was also admitted to Hogwarts in fifth year. I don't know many cases like ours." R ackham said, then it was Rookwood who stepped up to speak. ‘You asked me the other day about the swirls you saw all those years ago when we visited your hamlet." Isidora nodded . ‘I recognised you at first sight and cannot thank you enough for what you did. That day I well remember seeing swirls of magic, everywhere. My father insists I imagined them, but they looked real to me." 

‘You did not imagine it." Rackham intervened, "I see them."

"I don't understand." Isidora shook her head. "What are they?"

"They are sighs, or rather traces, which only appear with specific ancient magic."

‘Ancient magic?’ Erina and Isidora found themselves saying at the same time, and for a moment she seemed to notice her. "There are few who know how to use it, Hogwarts itself is built partly with the help of this ancient magic."

"So if I can see it, I guess I can control it?" all four of them nodded, but Rackham seethed at her "Yes, Isidora, few like us have this gift, you are a chosen one and you will learn how to make the best use of this power, but with the right training. Before I can teach you, you must master what Hogwarts has to offer, this magic is very powerful and must never fall into the wrong hands. So do not breathe a word to anyone about this meeting and what we talked about." Those last words seemed almost addressed to Erina, who turned towards Isidora, as if she were a friend: she was unfamiliar and at the same time familiar, something in her called to her.  Unexpectedly she returned his gaze and remained staring at her, as if she were the only one who could see her. She continued to look at her, as if she wanted to tell her something, but remained still, as the room around them faded as quickly as before . " Wait!" exclaimed Erina, but by now everything had dissolved into a grey cloud.

She opened her eyes, finding herself facing the usual blue fabric that adorned the dorms. She huffed in exhaustion, shifting the blankets with a kick, and found under them the book she had found the night before. Without a second thought, she hid it under a pile of clothes in her trunk, then ran to change. She was going to talk to Fig soon about the book and the dream, but first she had a matter to resolve.

"We need to talk." The Herbology class had barely finished and the students still had a free hour before the next class, where Erina and Sebastian had plenty of time to discuss the previous evening. He nodded and rubbed his sleep-scarred face. He followed her towards one of the many corridors, sitting down in the shade of a staircase, quite safe from curious eyes. "Thank you for not saying anything to Scribner," she began, with a smile, "You're welcome." He yawned, "I love having friends in my debt. And I know you would have done the same." He stretched tiredly, then tilted his head towards her. "So, are you going to tell me what you were looking for?"

"And you will tell me why you always visit the Restricted Section?’ he thought about it, then smiled. "Alright, but you go first.! Erina hesitated a moment, thinking back to the dream of the night before: she didn't want to reveal everything so lightly, but Sebastian had gotten himself into trouble for her and deserved the truth, or at least some of it. "When the dragon attacked Fig and I, we found a portkey to Gringott, there we found an object with a map, pointing to the restricted Section. I found a book there yesterday, but I still don't know what it's hiding." He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Is that why Rookwood is after you? He wants what you found?" she nodded, sighing ’And not just him. He seems to be allied with Ranrok." Sebastian was increasingly speechless, processing all that information. 
"Your turn." He cleared his throat. "Last year my twin sister, Anne, had an... accident. She is very sick and, despite a thousand visits to St Mungo's, no one is able to treat her." He lowered his gaze.  ‘My Uncle Solomon claims there is nothing to help, but I am sure a cure exists and I intend to find it."

"So you hope to find something in the library." He nodded, but without looking up, and Erina gently brushed his elbow. "I hope you will be able to find a cure." He finally looked at her, smiling kindly. "I am sure of it and I hope you will understand the mystery of the library." Erina laughed "That could be a great title for a book!" The two of them burst out laughing, though a strange feeling hovered in the air that no one had told the whole truth.

Chapter Text

Erina wrapped her arms around the book she had found in the library, hiding it between two other Potions books so as not to look suspicious, and walked determinedly towards Fig's office. It had only been a few days since her visit to the Restricted Section, and in that short time she had tried to examine the book, but it seemed to be unintelligible. It was not written in a foreign language, nor in an unfamiliar alphabet, yet every time she tried to read it, the words seemed to blend together and escape her gaze, becoming a cryptic mess of words. Discussing it with Fig seemed like the best solution, even though he would not be happy with her working alone and especially against the rules. She reached to knock, but paused for a moment before lowering her fist on the door, clearly hearing Professor Sharp's voice coming from inside. "Goblins working with Rookwood? That doesn't make any sense.’

"Yes, it is indeed unheard of." Fig answered. Erina stood outside, unsure whether to knock and interrupt the conversation or stay and eavesdrop, but at the risk of being discovered. "Inconceivable, I would say. I will talk to the others and see what i can find out, but it will take time." Just before Sharp came out, Erina knocked determinedly and it was the Potions teacher himself who opened the door. "Good morning Miss."He greeted her politely, then limped towards the stairs. She entered, immediately closing the door behind her. "Hello Professor." She greeted and he greeted her happily. ‘I was waiting for your visit!" Erina turned towards the door, still hearing Sharp's rhythmic footsteps. "Are you sure you want to talk to Professor Sharp?" Fig smiled. 

"Of course, he is a trustworthy person, and most importantly a former Auror. He will use his knowledge at the Ministry to learn more about Ranrok." His gaze fell on the books, which she kept clutching a little too tightly. 

She noticed, setting the volumes down on the desk and revealing the incriminated book, frowning apologetically. "I know, I shouldn't have gone into the library without you, but I just couldn't wait. Regardless, I promise you no one saw me." He was speechless for a few moments and finally sighed, but he did not seem angry in any way and reached for the book. ‘’Best spare me the details. So, what did you find so far?’

"Not much, unfortunately. I tried to read it, but it's like it refuses to be understood." He opened it, trying to read a few lines, but had the same difficulties as Erina. "I see. Maybe I'd better hold on to it for a while, at least until we get some more information." She nodded, then sat down. "That's not all. Right after I got the book, I had a weird dream." She told him about the wizards, the village, and that girl, Isidora, who always seemed to be on the verge of talking to her, but never could.  "Um, the woman must have been Niamh Fitzgerald. She was headmistress of Hogwarts many, many years ago, but I'll have to find out about the others and especially the girl." He closed the book and with a wave of his wand levitated it, then dropped it into a trunk beside his desk.  ‘I will take it with me to London, Black wants me to confer with the Ministry about Osric's death and recent events.’

"And what will you tell them?" Fig shrugged. "Not much, I'm afraid. If George wasn't able to convince the Ministry of Ranrok's danger, I don't know if I'll be able to." He stood up and she did the same. "What will I do while you are away?" Fig smiled wisely, "Well, first of all, keep studying. Sharp has told me of your skills in Potions and Professor Hecat is really pleased with your performance as well. Also, try not to get into trouble." He pointed her to the door. "I hope that when I return we will have more information about what is going on."

She walked out, quite relieved; they had not made much progress, yet she felt they were gradually moving in the right direction. She walked calmly through the corridors, enjoying the cheerful chatter of the students, until she was rudely interrupted by two figures standing in front of her.  “ We can at last see you again! We thought you had forgotten about us, always being with your trouble friend!' exclaimed Natty as she got closer, with a hint of irritation. Erina ignored the joke and smiled, greeting both her and Poppy. “I could never forget you.” She took them both under her arms, walking together. "We need to tell you something." Natty proffered. "Please tell me that class has been cancelled and we don't have to listen to Ruf's voice again." 
"This is serious." Poppy intervened and Erina fell silent, listening. The other two looked at each other, as if unsure who should start, until Natty took the floor. ‘Ever since the day of the Hogsmeade's attack, I can't stop thinking about Rookwood, his threats but especially the way Sirona reacted." Erina said nothing, not grasping where this was going. ‘Seeing her defending us so fearlessly urged me to act. We can't sit still and do nothing." Before she could reply Natty looked at Poppy, as if handing her the word. ‘’Seems that poachers are also in cahoots with him and are camping nearby. I've seen several of them in Hogsmeade, always conversing with the villagers, and I've also caught some money exchanges. We need to know why, we could save a lot of animals from a terrible fate if we reveal their plans..." Erina stopped, now near the east bridge of the castle and looked at them, confused. "I don't understand. How do you know about the poachers? And why didn't you tell Officer Singer about them?’
"We tried." Natty replied with a shrug.  ‘But she obviously doesn't want to discuss such things with students and besides, she doesn't think anyone would go near the castle." She still didn't understand. "That's why we're telling you. Poppy and I are sure that what Rookwood wants from you is the reason why he has made so many alliances.‘ Erina didn't know what to say. It was obvious that her friends wouldn't stand still after Rookwood's threat, but she didn't think they were so adamant that they would want to investigate on their own, despite the many risks they could face.
 "Look, I don't know what he really wants from me. Sure, I found something at Gringott's, but I swear I don't know what it is or what it's for.” Poppy approached her with a gentle smile. "We believe you. But it is because we are all involved that we should join forces and investigate together." Erina sighed and looked at them thoughtfully, then smiled. "I'm in. But promise me that you won't do anything dangerous without us discussing it first, okay?" she held out her hands and they both clasped them as if sealing a silent pact. 

"Good. Now let's go and get sick of another one of Ruf's stories”

“Maybe I prefer poachers."

October was now upon its peak and, like every year, every corner of Hogwarts had been decorated with fruit, nuts and bright candles in honour of the Samhain celebrations. ‘As you may know," Professor Shah was in fact saying that evening, walking between the desks of the Astronomy room, looking very elegant in her blue, gold and orange robe, "During the night of Samhain the world of the living and the world of the dead are no longer separated and the spirits have the opportunity to visit mortals, leave gifts and see loved ones again. That at least is what the Muggles once believed." With a wave of her wand she tugged at Everett's tie, forcing him to straighten his back. ‘’In reality, as the ghosts confirm, the two worlds are never entirely divided. However, it is true that there is something magical about this night: the conjunction of Mars, Saturn and Jupiter, which allows all the major constellations to be seen clearly and finally shows the Square of Pegasus." She waved her wand around and, in a silver dusting, a long sea-blue cloak, decorated with silver spiral embroidery, appeared on her shoulders. "Your cloaks are in the trunk next to the desk. Make haste, the stars are certainly not waiting for you."  Erina wasted no time and immediately retrieved her long, warm, cream-coloured velvet cloak, decorated with bright red ochre geometric patterns; one of the many gifts from her mother, who would never allow her to sacrifice style, even away from home and especially after losing an entire suitcase of clothes. She headed towards the outside of the tower, keen to be able to use her new telescope, which could finally come out of its case after the previous gloomy nights that had stopped her from using it. ‘’Settle down in pairs.‘’ Said the professor as soon as everyone was outside. "One of you will observe a constellation assigned by me, the other will have to recreate the map guided by their partner." Erina looked around, searching for someone to partner with, when Amit appeared before her. " E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle." He said, in a broken Italian, with a smile on his face. A giggle escaped her, but she quickly muffled it, seeing his embarrassment. ‘Not bad, you just need to... practice your pronunciation. So, will you help me?’ She pointed to one of the tower's many stations, next to which, in an elegant wooden box, lay her telescope. Amit nodded and immediately set to work fixing the instrument, hoping to hide the heavy blush on his cheeks. "How about I draw and you observe? I'm pretty good with maps."
"Alright." Erina bent over the telescope and gently moved it to point it at the sky. 

When she was quite satisfied with the position, she leaned on the lens, when he stopped her. "Wait, you'd better bend your knees, without arching your back. Trust me, hours in that position are not the best." He gently placed a hand on her shoulder blades, pressing lightly. She obeyed without saying anything; after all, he was much better at Astronomy and friendly help was always nice. ‘Great, now...’ he took one of her hands, resting it on the telescope barrel. ‘Hold it steady with this and...’ he took her other hand, bringing it closer to a gear wheel. ‘With this you can change the focus.’ she cleared her throat, embarrassed ‘’Ok, I got it." Now it was definitely too much help. He walked away, taking the map in his hand. ‘We need to observe the Centaur constellation. Ironic thinking of their connection to the stars. Did you know the Centaurs use the stars to predict the future?" Erina smiled, "Using Divination and Astronomy? I wonder what Shah would think of that!" he burst into laughter, which died down as soon as he looked up, meeting a few metres away that of a Slytherin student, who seemed to have been staring at him for a while.

Sebastian had no idea why he had found himself looking at Erina and her friend, yet seeing them together was creating an uncomfortable itch in his hands, combined with a burning sensation in his stomach, to which he was not able to name. ‘Sebastian... Sebastian!’ the voice of Ominis woke him from his thoughts and he turned around, finally paying attention to him. ‘How come you're still taking Astronomy? I mean..." before the sentence finished, his forehead was struck by the other's wand. ‘I can still see the map with the wand, you moron. But it's hard for me if you stare at others instead of the stars." Sebastian threw up his hands, giving up, and dedicated himself to the telescope; not without first casting one last glance towards Erina, who was now laughing along with the other Ravenclaw. Merlin, how were they noisy he found himself thinking, and then helped Ominis, now at the edge of his patience; at least he wasn't the only one who had to keep an eye on his assistant. 

"Arneb twelve degrees east and...are you listening to me?" Poppy suddenly woke back up, looking perplexed at Natty, and the other sighed, turning back to the spot her friend had been staring at until just now, then turning to her again. "Poppy, again: if you saw two wizards with fur gloves, they're not necessarily poachers. We can't alert Erina for every well-dressed person." Poppy sighed quietly, but she wasn't definitely thinking about poachers, or supposed to be, at that time. To be honest, she didn't even really know what she was thinking, but it was as if Erina was magnetic that night, drawing her gaze continuously, no matter what she did. This never happened when they were close and she couldn't quite understand what the reason was; she tried to forget about it, concentrating on the map and Natty's directions, but her mind kept repeating Erina's laughter, like a broken record. 

“Congratulations, your map is the most accurate.” Professor Shah had reviewed each paper and then awarded Erina and Amit the best one.  “Twenty points to Ravenclaw, you have deserved it. As for the rest of you, I advise you to learn from your colleagues and learn to cooperate better, Sallow, Sweeting." She cast a stern look at the rest of the class, then dismissed them with a gesture. ‘Now, go back to your dorm rooms and mind you, no late-night strolls, neither you nor I feel like going to interview the Headmaster, right?’ Erina joined Amit, gloating with satisfaction at the compliments received.
“Aren't you working a little too much?" Sebastian taunted her as he walked past, his tone more intense than usual.  She had no time to reply that Ominis was already dragging him away, muttering annoyed. 
"We did very well." Amit said with satisfaction and she nodded, walking together with him towards the long outer bridge that would take them to the tower of Ravenclaw. They talked at length about the stars, constellations, centaurs and Amit's autobiography, which he was determined to write about his astronomical studies. They finally arrived in front of the girls' dormitories, where magic would prevent him from entering, and it was time for the two of them to say goodbye.
“Well, then...’ he hesitated, looking around awkwardly "I mean, goodnight." She held back a yawn, finding her eyes shining, almost seeming to glow. "Goodnight Amit." she opened the door and disappeared, leaving him standing still in the hallway, hesitant about what to do. Finally, he walked towards his dormitory, replaying the look in Sebastian's eyes; after all, it had been a nice night.

Chapter Text

November had announced its arrival with a chill wind, which had almost completely stripped the trees of their leaves, dried up the few flowers proudly left to colour the meadows and made the sky misty and grey, as if a blanket of clouds hovered around the sun. Such weather naturally did not invite Hogwarts students out of the castle, and in fact after classes the hallways, common rooms, the Great Hall and every room were filled as never before with students, warmed by the hundreds of fireplaces that tinted the room with gold. It was the first time Erina had spent so much time in the Great Hall, which was particularly quiet that afternoon, welcoming a large group of students bent over their books. Erina sighed, closing the book she had recently taken from the library: it was about the history of Ravenclaw and in it she hoped to find some information about Isidora, the girl who kept crowding her dreams and who seemed to want to talk to her every time, but could never do it. So far she had found her name at the bottom of a page, mentioned simply as an exceptionally accepted fifth-year student. She found herself staring pensively into the void, beyond the windows from which only the grey mantle of clouds could be seen. Was it possible that there was nothing about Isidora? She knew how to use ancient magic and had certainly made use of it in one way or another. Had someone hidden her existence? And if so, why? "Then you're not always with your friend." A voice made her jump out of her chair, catching her by surprise and unleashing a wave of stares towards her. She turned around, finding Sebastian looking at her in amusement. ‘Who are you talking about?’ she gulped, trying to hide her embarrassment. He cleared his throat "I thought you and... well never mind." He suddenly seemed more relaxed and smiled, pointing to the door. "Feel like going for a walk?" Erina furrowed her brow. "In this weather?" "Oh, I'm sure you'll find something among your wonderful fashionable cloaks." She said nothing, considering, "Come on, you don't want to be a bookworm all day." He insisted and finally Erina gave in and gently waved her wand: a few moments later a midnight blue cloak came flying into the Great Hall, resting on her shoulders. Sebastian smiled and jokingly offered her his arm, which she ignored, standing up quickly. "Let's go, before I change my mind." They walked out of the castle, coasting along the grey shores of the lake, that day cloudier than usual, probably due to the water reflecting the misty sky. Erina shivered from the cold, hugging herself in her cloak. "Where are we going?" Sebastian slowed slightly in front of the gamekeeper's cabin and checked that he was not present, then quickened his pace. "Don't worry." They continued on, until they came to a thick row of towering trees, whose lack of leaves made them frighteningly more ghoulish. He continued towards the path, heedless of the many warning signs placed beside it, which pointed to only one thing: the Forbidden Forest. "We shouldn't be here." Erina hesitated. "What happened to your spirit of adventure?" She did not answer, still undecided, and Sebastian approached, theatrically placing a hand on his chest "I promise we won't do anything dangerous. I just want to show you a place." She waited a few moments, then lifted the flaps of her cloak slightly, stumbling over the muddy ground. "You will get us expelled, at some point; or killed. I don't know which is worse." The forest around them creaked continuously, either from the sound of their footsteps on the fallen branches on the ground, which seemed to make too much noise each time, or because in the distance, someone or something was moving in turn. They continued along the beaten path, surrounded by thick bushes of all kinds, some completely bare and withered, others inexplicably lush but despite this, always looking unappealing. After a few metres they came out into a wide meadow, surrounded by tall, skinny pine trees that seemed to enclose everything within a wooden cage. Behind one of them, a slender figure came forward and slowly unravelled: it resembled a horse, except for its dragon-like muzzle and frightening slenderness, which made it resemble the nature around it and exposed every bone in its scrawny back, from which branched two equally gaunt and black wings. It sniffed the ground, unfazed by the two, probably in search of food. "Thestral." Erina said, immediately recognising the animal she kept seeing around the castle for the past few months. As if summoning them, other animals also approached the first one coming out of the shadows of the forest, grazing silently in the forest "I figured you could see them, after what happened to Osric." Said Sebastian, approaching one of the thestrals and letting it sniff his hands. ‘You too...’ said Erina, surprised, but then froze, fearing she was being tactless. "Yes, my parents."He murmured. "They were professors and spent a lot of time in the library of our house. One night, a lamp burst, releasing a lethal toxin, they didn't even notice. My sister and I were upstairs and when we went to look for them, there was nothing left to do." "I’m sorry." Erina said almost in a whisper. Sebastian shrugged his shoulders. ‘’'It was a long time ago. Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." He finally turned to look at her. "Anne has been a bit better recently and I'd love it if you'd come and meet her, in Feldcroft." She raised her eyebrows, surprised at being asked such a thing. "Are you sure about that? I mean, I wouldn't want to disturb." "Not bother at all, Anne needs to see a new face. Besides, she is curious to meet you after all the letters in which I mentioned you." Erina blushed slightly, then smiled. "Alright, I'll go with you. I'm curious to meet Anne too." They remained silent for a while longer, admiring the thestrals approaching them curiously, then returned to the castle as soon as the grey sky was slightly tinged with the rosy tones of sunset. Erina got off the train, which puffed a couple of times before leaving again clattering behind them. In front of her, the wide green expanses between the mountains that surrounded the small town of Feldcroft seemed to fade into the distance. She followed Sebastian through the country lanes, admiring the bare houses that dotted the surroundings of the village, all alike, surrounded by small cultivated fields. Everything seemed strangely familiar to her, yet it was the first time she had been there. ‘It looks nice.’ she commented, breaking the strange silence that hovered like a shadow over them ‘Not like before.’ sighed Sebastian, without adding more. They followed the path surrounded by the still damp grass from the morning, the brown sky darkened the environment around them making everything look a little darker and older, but even the silence, occasionally broken by noises coming from the fields or from inside the houses, did not help to make the place less cold. They continued looking down, without saying a word, until they reached the top of a small hill, with a very simple stone house on top, with few windows, surmounted by a pitch roof covered with straw, from which the smoke of a chimney mingled with the clouds, surrounded by large pots with few flowers, the last ones before the winter. Sebastian opened the wooden door, rustic and with a simple metal knocker that seemed to have seen better days. He entered followed by Erina, heartened by the cosy warmth of the house; the fireplace in the dining room was large and heated the room, made more inviting by the red and golden reflections of the flame; next to it towered a circular table with a few rough chairs that seemed to have been simply sketched into the wood and sitting on one of them was a girl, who smiled as soon as she saw them. "Sebastian!" Anne struggled to get up, greeting her brother with a hug: she was practically a copy of him: the same dark eyes, brown hair pulled back into a messy bun and freckles all over her face. The only difference were two large marks under the eyes, extremely deep, bloodshot dark circles. ‘You must be Erina!’ she shook her hand excited "My brother has told me so much about you! I want you to tell me everything." Erina smiled politely, but before she could answer, Sebastian interrupted her "Wait, I have something for you." he took a small coloured box from his pocket, depicting an elephant balancing on a bicycle. "I paid a little visit to Honeydukes." Anne clapped, ecstatic. "We used to use them all the time at Hogwarts!" before Erina could ask anything, the door burst open. Suddenly silence fell in the room, freezing the atmosphere around them. A tall, stocky man entered with a heavy step, grunting as soon as he saw Sebastian. "You're here." He said irritated. "The librarian sent me another letter; do you think the rules don't apply to you?" he moved closer and closer to Sebastian, placing his hands on his hips and finally noticing Erina's presence. He squared her from head to toe, frowning his thick black eyebrows, then turned to Sebastian again. "Who it this?" she cleared her throat in embarrassment. "Hello Mr. Sallow; I'm Erina, a friend of your nephew's. I hope this isn't a bad time..." Solomon huffed "It already is." He looked sidelong at his nephew, noticing what he held in his hand. ‘Again with this nonsense?’ A slap to Sebastian's palm echoed around the room, while the box rolled on the floor. ‘It's just a silly thing, to remind of school." Sebastian retorted, returning the fiery stare. "She's not going back to school, when will you accept that?" "Never! I am not as weak as you!" he shouted. His uncle grabbed his wrist, bringing his face menacingly close to his. Erina was confused and tried to look for Anne's gaze, who was leaning over her stomach and then exploded into a cry of pain, interrupting the fight between the two. “Look what you've done!” growled Solomon, finally leaving Sebastian alone and stepping closer to his niece. In an instant Sebastian bursted outside and Erina found herself following him, into the courtyard of the house.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." he murmured without even looking at her. Erina was silent, but in her mind, images began to replay of every time she had ever spoken to her friend, the marks on his knuckles, which she believed were from Crossed Wands, then recalled Solomon’s fiery eyes, the violence with which he had been grabbing his wrist, and she understood. She looked at Sebastian, with eyes filled with compassion. "Is he always like this?" he sighed "Sometimes it's even worse. Ever since Anne's been sick, he's been acting like it's my fault, but I'm the only one who's really working to cure her!" They were silent for several minutes, as he tried to work off the anger he felt, get rid of that disturbing feeling of bitterness that tried to rise up from his stomach, until Solomon came out of the house. "Anne is resting in her room. Return to the castle now." He stared menacingly at them both, but Erina hold up his gaze. “Sebastian and I thought we'd take a tour of Feldcroft, sir; he's keen for me to see the place." She began to approach her friend, clutching his sleeve. “Then, if Anne feels better we'll come back later." She pointed to the sun, high in the clean sky. “After all, it's still very early.” He grunted, but did not reply, merely walking back into the house. "Thank you." Sebastian sighed and seemed to feel a little better. "Follow me." He said as he descended the small hill, then continued towards the gravelled path. They slowly walked through the village, never meeting anyone, and crossed a small stone bridge, under which the river flowed calmly, bubbling occasionally. With each step they took, Erina felt an increasingly familiar sensation creeping into her mind, as if she already knew the way, like a whisper that grew louder as they continued. They continued up a steep hillside, reaching the top of another hill where they finally arrived in front of a house, or rather, the ruins of one: three walls and part of the roof was all that remained, covered in vines that were trying to reclaim every last inch of it, it looked as if it might collapse at any moment and numerous carts and chests, decidedly more recent, were resting around the ruins. She approached one of them, noticing some fragments scattered on the ground, goblin steel. “Are Ranrok's minions here?” she asked worriedly, scanning the surroundings with alarm. "They hang around here a lot, that's why no one leaves the house. They were here when Anne was cursed." "Cursed?" finally Erina turned to look at him. "You said it was an accident." Sebastian sighed. "It wasn't, not entirely at least. It happened in the middle of the night; we felt a strong smell of smoke and saw flames coming from here. Anne had already rushed out to the fire to make sure there were no injuries. When she arrived, she came face to face with a horde of goblins. We only heard a voice and then a blinding blast, before we could do anything, Anne wasn't able to even get back in time." He said all in one breath, his knuckles white clenched in his fists and his face becoming more sullen with each word. Erina was silent for a few moments, trying to collect the facts. "But why react like that? Maybe they were hiding something. ‘I thought so too, but despite coming here often, I found nothing." Erina looked at the ruined house again, still sensing that familiar feeling. Sebastian was still talking, but by now his words were nothing but a low buzz; she approached the edge of the hill as the view grew darker and darker. The sky seemed to change constantly, going from day to night in a matter of seconds, as Erina came even closer to the cliff. She looked down and now clearly saw the landscape she now was familiar with. Blooming fields, fine rain falling from grey clouds wrapped in blue spirals. "I know this place." She found herself saying aloud. "What? But you said you'd never been to Feldcroft." She ignored him, making her way around the house, knowing full well what she would find. And indeed there it was, the well and, beside it, like ghosts, two children. ‘It's her house, it's the place of my dream!’ she continued walking around the walls towards what she knew to be the door, while Sebastian followed her baffled. She finally found a gap in the wall and stepped inside, finding herself in a dusty room with the walls covered in vines; the only furniture left was an old fireplace, with still a pot hanging from it and some chairs scattered on the floor. Erina looked around, awestruck: it was like seeing two worlds at once; the present and the past, perfectly overlapping. Now everything shimmered with bluish light, which seemed to come from the side of the fireplace, where a painting rested, covered with roots and ivy. Erina was about to approach, but Sebastian stopped her ‘Can you tell me what's going on? What do you mean you know the place and what dream are you talking about?’ she didn't even look at him, gently pushing the branches aside. "I know it's crazy, but I've been dreaming about this house and the person who lived there for a while." Sebastian frowned, ‘But it's been empty for ages. A Hogwarts professor used to live there, but we're talking at least two hundred years ago." she froze “What did you say?” she turned away and he was increasingly confused. "I said it was a teacher's house, but..."

‘Of course!’ exclaimed Erina, not even paying attention to him. "She couldn't have done nothing. Someone erased her name from the books, but why?’ by now she was totally lost in her reasoning out loud and Sebastian had to pull her by the sleeve, forcing her to face him. "Now stop and tell me." When the stream of consciousness was interrupted, Erina let out a long sigh; the house had become nothing but a bramble-infested ruin again. "After our visit to the library, I often dreamt of this place. It was a time of severe drought and some wizards saved the village by making it rain. Years later, the little girl who lived here, Isidora, entered Hogwarts, in the fifth year, just like me. She must be connected to what Fig and I found at Gringott's, but I still don't know how. I've tried looking up something about her in several books, but it's like someone wanted to erase her existence." Sebastian remained silent, dumbfounded by all that information. "So that's why the goblins were here when they cursed Anne?" Erina nodded ‘’Perhaps, maybe they were looking for something on Isidora. That's why we have to investigate; we may be able to find both a cure for Anne and more information about what Ranrok wants." He released his grip on her sleeve and she could turn her attention back to the painting; as soon as it was free of the vines, it turned out to be a portrait, whose face had been burnt violently, yet she felt as if someone was still staring at her. Erina ran her fingers along the frame of the painting, looking at the wall behind the portrait, from which, whispers like those that had guided her there grew louder and louder. As if moved by an invisible force, she moved the painting and in the wall behind it found a passageway leading to another room in the house. "How is it that I never noticed this?" exclaimed Sebastian surprised, following her. They found themselves in what must have once been a library, covered in cobwebs and dust, it looked even less busy than the forbidden section of the Hogwarts library, but despite this and despite the condition of the rest of the house, the shelves and their contents were still intact. In one corner of the room was a dressing table adorned with a mirror, and Erina could almost see Isidora sitting there, intent on preparing herself, unaware of their presence like a phantom. The blue light was shining again, becoming more and more intense and seemed to come from the back of the room, occupied by an imposing bookcase filled with all kinds of objects. Erina approached, brushing the wood with her hand, finally stopping at the source of that light: a small circular object was well hidden between two large volumes, but at the same time it was perfectly visible to her. She took it in her hand, feeling a familiar jolt all over her body, then opened it and showed it to Sebastian in satisfaction. ‘It's a...mirror?’ she did not answer, stroking the decorated carvings on the lid and then staring at the glass. In an instant, the reflection of her grey eyes disappeared, leaving room for two dark eyes, staring at her curious. Erina stood frozen, as Isidora's face finally spoke to her. There you are. You must be the new Keeper of Ancient Magic. her voice seemed to echo from everywhere in the house, with no clear source. Erina nodded, but she wasn't sure if she could really see her. In the Restricted Section you may have found a book. They don't know what I did. ' “Who's they?”

The Keepers. You can't trust them, they won't help you, just as they didn't help me. "

So what do I do?" But by now Isidora had vanished, leaving her facing her reflection. Erina gently closed the mirror again, turning to Sebastian, who stared at her concerned "What on earth just happened? You were practically entranced, I tried to call you but you didn't answer." Erina hid the mirror in a pocket of her skirt, sighing. "I'm fine. I think this mirror can give us something, but I need some time. I'll tell you everything, I promise." Sebastian gave up trying to figure it out, even though they might be making progress, what Erina was discovering might be the key to curing Anne. Perhaps this could be his new hope.

Erina sat comfortably on the soft seats of the train as the brown fields drifted past her. After their visit to Isidora's house, she and Sebastian had returned to Anne, who had welcomed them sitting on her bed, still in pain. They had tried to keep her company by telling her about Hogwarts, about the adventures she had had over the last few months, always under the watchful and vexed gaze of Solomon, with whom Erina had avoided conversation as much as possible. Eventually they had both taken their leave, but Anne had held her back, without her brother being able to see her, to whisper ‘ Keep an eye on Sebastian. She had merely nodded and left. Erina turned towards him, blissfully asleep on the seat, and continuing to observe the landscape took the mirror in her hand, holding it close to her.

Chapter Text

On that freezing morning, Professor Fig barely had time to drop his trunks wearily into his office, when in an instant Erina burst into the room, without even knocking and immediately closing the door behind her. ‘Miss!’ he exclaimed, surprised to see her flustered look. "I'm glad to see you, but there's no need to be so hasty!" she blushed embarrassed and lowered her gaze. "Excuse me, Professor, but I really needed to talk to you and I thought you would be back sooner.’"
“Right.” He sighed, inviting her to sit down. A week passed since Erina had been in Feldcroft and she had spent it anxiously awaiting Fig, who delayed his trip to London instead. He had only returned late the previous evening and although the temptation to rush to the professor's in the middle of the night had kept her awake, Erina managed to stay up until the next morning. Once she was able to actually catch her breath, she sat down on one of the office chairs, waiting to tell the professor what she had seen, when suddenly, her gaze fell on Fig. Although they had been treated with magic, some scratches and bruises were still visible on the professor's face. "What happened?" Fig sighed, "As you can imagine, my meeting at the Ministry did not go well. I tried to make them aware that the dragon attack wasn't random and neither were the trolls in Hogsmeade, but they wouldn't listen to me. I then decided to extend my stay to talk to some trusted people; but after my talk, some Ashwinders tried to attack me, lucky for me I was not alone. But this is worrying, it makes me think that someone in the Ministry might be involved with Ranrok and Rookwood too." Erina remained silent, thoughtful, not forgetting the main reason for her visit. ‘’Did you find out anything about the book?" He waved his wand and from a trunk behind him levitated the tome, gently resting on the desk "Nothing new, I'm afraid. Last night, on my return, I tried to take it to  where we arrived on the first day, after our disgrace at Gringott's."
"Right." Said Erina, suddenly realising. "I should have thought of that."
“Anyway, nothing happened. I found the pensieve room, but the paintings were still empty and everything was shut down. I tried to put the book down on the pensieve or read it, but it was all useless." He sighed, but then smiled. ‘But from your rush, I guess you had better luck." She nodded and began to tell everything, about the visit to Feldcroft, Isidora's house and what she had found. "Ranrok's followers knew there was something there. Apparently, their encampments surround the village." She finally added. Fig remained silent for a few moments, pondering what to do. "Well, I suppose you'd better keep the book. Of course, I want you to keep me up to date on all developments. And besides, it would be wise if you kept yourself away from Feldcroft, at least for a while. If there really are so many goblins near there, going again could be dangerous." Erina nodded hesitantly on the last point: if Sebastian asked her to visit Anne again, she didn't know how to refuse, especially now, knowing his situation. "Well, you'd better go to class now, I don't want to get in the way of your studies any further. Take care, stay alert." She took the book, hiding it as best she could amongst the others in her bag and took her leave, heading to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, shuddering in anticipation of being able to return to her room and discover the book's secrets.

"Hi!" a cheerful little voice forced her to stop and Poppy emerged at her side. "After class would you go somewhere with me?" Erina was about to hesitate, still thinking about her investigations, but the other insisted. "Please, it's important." She couldn't say no to that begging look and nodded and then followed her to class

"Where are we going?" Poppy didn't answer, continuing to walk; by now they had exited the castle, past the Transfiguration courtyard, the West tower, and the Care of Magical Creatures courtyard and were now approaching the clearing that surrounded the castle. ‘Poppy, if this is about thestral, please know...’
"You see them?" she exclaimed excitedly, finally stopping. "They must be wonderful animals! But it's not about them, I can't even see them."
‘Maybe it's better that you can't see it, but I'm sure you'd like them a lot." Poppy smiled, then continued, making her way swiftly through the trees that surrounded the river, finally stopping in a small hollow, well hidden by the imposing oaks that had now lost their mantle, which had formed a carpet of leaves that hid the paths and the lake, which separated it from the castle towers. Without saying anything, she looked around and then put two fingers to her lips, whistling softly. After a few moments, the branches quivered and something emerged through the trees.
Erina could do nothing but recoil with her mouth wide open, as a majestic hippogriff approached proudly towards them, vigorously flapping its great white wings. It landed gracefully, sinking its front claws into the ground to end its ride, and unbalancing itself with its hind hooves, it stopped in front of Poppy, lowering its front snout towards her, who petted it laughing. "Meet Highwing!" Erina said nothing, she was speechless and was trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Poppy, the most shy and sweetest girl she had known since arriving at Hogwarts, had somehow tamed a hippogriff, one of the most dangerous and savage magical creatures in existence. She looked at Highwing, who was now staring at her with her red eyes, almost annoyed by her presence. "You should introduce yourself. Remember, make an elegant but not too deep bow." 
Erina took a long breath, approaching cautiously and gently lowering her chest, looking up slightly to see Highwing 's reaction. After moments of waiting that seemed endless, the hippogriff stretched out a paw and lowered its muzzle, lightly brushing the ground with its golden beak. Erina escaped a sigh of relief as she straightened up and moved even closer, while Poppy sank her hands into Highwing's soft plumage, which wailed merrily. "Every now and then I visit her and bring her something to eat, talk to her about what's going on at the castle. I also told her about you of course. She's basically my best friend."
"How did you meet her?" Highwing had moved away by now and was wandering around the clearing, pecking at the ground, under the watchful gaze of the two. "It's a long story." Poppy sighed,"’Several years ago I rescued her from some poachers and we've been inseparable ever since. I really hope she's safe now, of course I have to keep her hidden, but she would refuse to stay too far away from me and I prefer her to stay close to me too." Erina came closer still, gently brushing her arm.  "We'll investigate the poachers, don't worry." Poppy smiled, but with her face still tense ‘You might have guessed I'm not very good with people. I mean, you and Natty are my first human friends." She nervously clasped her hands together. "But I want you to know that you can tell me anything, especially if there's something wrong. I'm good at keeping secrets; I mean..." she pointed at Highwing, who had almost disappeared into the trees and finally looked her straight in the face, squaring her with an inquiring look. "I don't want to force you to talk to me, but you seem distracted lately, especially after you went out with that Slytherin boy." Erina remained silent, undecided on what to say. She wasn't yet ready to reveal the truth about her dreams, about ancient magic, and she still didn't understand what was happening to her and especially why. She also didn't want to blurt out Sebastian's problems like it was nothing; the choice for now, was to remain vague, waiting for a better time.
"I'm just worried about him; his family is... peculiar." Poppy crossed her arms, suddenly frowning as she watched Highwing take off towards the Forbidden Forest. "I see." She seemed to hold back a sigh and then turned towards the castle. "We'd better go now."

Erina looked around, making sure the girls in the room were asleep, then turned her attention towards the book, as she could finally analyse it in total peace and silence. She took a long breath, then gently opened it, her hands trembling with curiosity. The pages began to flow quickly under her gaze and in an instant the wooden beds disappeared, leaving room for a green meadow, close to a hill: Feldcroft and, specifically, near Isidora's house. Erina looked up, finding herself looking at a tall, emaciated man and next to him Isidora herself. They were both staring at a stone tomb, too small to host an adult. The man was gently placing a small wooden crutch on the tombstone, when Isidora looked straight into her eyes, making Erina shiver in surprise. Since my brother died, my father has still not said a word. She said, without any emotion; before Erina could reply, the picture dissolved into a grey cloud, which gave way to a new scene. This time she was in a tent, amid iron bunks, which housed perished and pale men and women, several had their faces marked by large purplish bruises and their eyes stained by suffering and resignation. No one paid any attention to her, so Erina turned, looking for Isidora, who was standing beside one of the beds, intent on observing the man lying down. She approached her confused "Who are these people? What happened to them?"
The plague. Isidora did not even look at her, her gaze remained fixed this time. We managed to cure them, but their souls still suffer. This man lost his son and is ravaged by grief, like my father. Erina looked at him, feeling a twinge in her heart as she saw the man's gaze lost in emptiness. She turned again to Isidora, whose figure was becoming increasingly blurred. "Why are you showing me this? Have you found a way to spare them pain? Why did the Keepers not help you?" You will know everything in due time. All you need to do is trust me

In the blink of an eye, Erina was back in her bed, the book closed in her hands. She tried to open it again, but it was as if sealed. She snorted, hiding it among the objects in her trunk, before burrowing back into the covers, her mind burdened with questions

Chapter Text

"Are you sure you saw a door?" Erina asked, casting a worried glance at Poppy, standing next to her. "Of course I'm sure!" huffed Natty, continuing to stare at the marble wall. After class, she had dragged her friends up to the seventh floor, into the west corridor of the castle, claiming that she had found a hidden room the day before. What all three were staring at, however, was nothing but a bare wall, faintly lit by the sunlight coming through the windows.  ‘Yesterday I was here and I was thinking that we needed a safe place to investigate Rookwood, talk about what we discover, and out of nowhere a door popped up." Poppy and Erina looked at each other again, increasingly confused. ‘Maybe you were mistaken?" whispered Poppy, but by now she was no longer listening, muttering increasingly absurd reasoning. She went back and forth for at least three times, ignoring the stares and groans of the two until something caught her attention: with a slight clank, a small arch was drawn in the wall, which quickly expanded to become what Natty was looking for. In front of Poppy and Erina's stunned gazes, where before there was only a wall, now an imposing metal door seemed to have come out of nowhere. Nearly up to the ceiling, it was surrounded by two pillars partially emerging in relief, pitch black, with metal reflecting the little light coming from outside, it swung open without making the slightest noise, as soon as Natty pushed it open. Behind the door, they found themselves in a little room, lit by lanterns and torches hanging on the walls as well as by a chandelier full of candles, it was furnished only by a few chairs and a large, rather rough wooden table; next to it rested a thick pile of newspapers, while a few books were scattered here and there. The walls were bare and were it not for a giant map of the Hogwarts region, they would have been completely empty.

"What is this place?" Erina turned, as the door behind her disappeared, just like it had on the opposite side, leaving space only for the wall; yet still she did not feel trapped. "I have no idea, it's as if it knows what we need and has provided us with it." 

Erina approached the newspapers: they were all from that day and of all kinds, from The Daily Prophet to small town papers. "Perhaps it is true that the castle is alive." Poppy intervened. Natty sat down, inviting the others to do the same. "We'll figure out later what this room is, now better make the most of it"’ She sighed, then looked at them seriously. "I've been investigating a lot recently, especially in Hogsmeade. I've been to the Hog's Head Inn and heard a few Ashwinders talking about some sort of hideout.’ She stood up, approaching the map and pointing to a spot within Hogsmeade. "If I'm right it's most likely here. Definitely it is the heart of all their operations. I heard that they started threatening and blackmailing some of the villagers, in exchange for aid or protection.’" She turned, finding herself confronted by two pairs of questioning eyes.  "So what do we do?" asked Erina, rolling up the sleeves of her elegant shaped shirt. "Do we go talk to Officer Singer?" Natty huffed annoyed ‘No. She'll just tell us we need evidence. That's why we need to go there." Both looked at her bewildered. "You can't be serious." exclaimed Erina immediately, supported by Poppy:"It could be dangerous." Natty's face grew more and more strained. "We would just have to find evidence of their activities and leave, they would never see us." Erina stood up firmly, stepping closer. “You don't know that; what if they had guards? If there were very powerful wizards or some special weapon?" Natty clenched her fists, her gaze shifting from one to the other, dazed "You really don't want to do anything? They keep hurting and we don't lift a finger to stop them?"
“It's not that.” Poppy gently stepped in, "But what can we do? We're three kids." Natty sighed slowly, then raised her hands. "I see." She said acidly, ‘Maybe I overestimated you.’
"Natty, come on." Erina tried to stop her, but by then she was already towards the door, which had again appeared in the wall. They both followed her and as soon as they were outside the room it disappeared, sucked into the wall.

They didn't even have time to think about it, because Natty had already run away; they followed her for a few metres, until they were confronted by a woman, whom they greeted politely. "Professor Onai" Natty's mother was not very tall, her daughter had already far surpassed her, she often dressed in very flamboyant clothes, similar to each other but different in colour, and today she had on a bright orange dress, matching the turban she wore on her head "I just saw my daughter running away particularly upset. Is there something you need to tell me?" Erina and Poppy looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do, it was Erina who spoke for them both. "Since the troll attack Natty is... worried. She wants to know more about what's happening in Hogsmeade, but we don't want her to get into trouble." The scolding they expected was instead replaced by a sigh, followed by a shadow of sadness that crossed the professor's face. ‘Please, be patient with her; since her father's death, Natty has changed. She has gained a great thirst for justice, but she does not realise the risks this could put her in." The two did not know what to say, looking down embarrassed, curious to know more but hesitant to ask.
"My husband was killed by some bandits.  Natty was beside him when it happened, she was still a child." She asserted, almost sensing their perplexity. "We're very sorry, Professor," Poppy murmured, "We'll talk to your daughter." They said their goodbyes and then set off in search of their friend, who had now disappeared down dozens of corridors and stairways. When they finally reached the Transfiguration courtyard they saw her, sitting on one of the many benches in the garden, silent and sullen in the face. 

"Natty," Erina said softly, sitting down next to her. ‘We spoke to your mother, she told us what happened to your father." Poppy nodded, sitting down as well. "It's terrible that you had to witness something like that. But it is not by going against the Ashwinders that you will change the past." The note of reprimand in Erina's voice left Natty silent, fiddling with the sleeve of her cloak, then she looked at her in annoyance. ‘You don't get it. My father is dead and I know very well that he won't come back to life." They both remained silent "But I can prevent other people from suffering as I did." Erina sighed ‘That is good for you, but going straight to a den of criminals won't help anyone." Natty huffed angrily, now out of patience, looking her straight in the eye.  ‘Yet when we faced off against not only Rookwood, but Ranrok as well, you didn't say a word." Erina remained dumbstruck, anger welling up in her chest ‘You can't compare the things. I don't know what they want from me and I've certainly never wanted to turn them against me, you on the other hand are just getting in the face of danger!"
"We're already in danger, if you hadn't noticed. Or are you too busy being the school star?' By now Natty's tongue was running rampant, ready to spit venom for the sake of being right, as she now stood up and faced her friend with a pointing finger. Erina stood up in turn. ‘What on earth are you talking about?’ the other turned to Poppy, who had remained silent since the start of that fight. ‘Come on Poppy, you must have realised it yourself; I have never been treated so well by my classmates, at least not since before the Miss spoke to us, and you know very well that the same applies to you. All swooning over our little star."
“And that would be to blame for you?” retorted Erina, crossing her arms, by now pained with anger. ‘What a nice reputation!I didn't choose to be attacked by a dragon, I didn't choose to fight a troll, I didn't choose to have criminals after me for reasons I don't know, and I didn't choose to see a man die! You've had plenty of time to get to know and appreciate this world, I've seen everyone pass me by for years and finally now that I can be like everyone else, you're telling me I'm doing this on purpose? If it wasn't stupid, I'd say you were jealous, Natsai" She hissed. ‘’Jealous of you? You're really selfish you know? Using this stuff just so you can say you're right and play the victim role."
"I'm the selfish one? You practically want to get us killed and your only excuse is the grudge you couldn't face!’ the other gasped incredulously, as several students began to gather around them, curious. ‘I'm actually putting in the effort, instead of rambling on and doing nothing." Erina looked at Poppy, looking for help, finding her still sitting and embarrassed by the drama. "Poppy, help me talk some sense into her."
‘She's not your little dog, she can make a decision on her own." Erina had to restrain herself from listing a myriad of colourful insults in Italian. "Alright then, have it your way, go on your suicide mission." They both looked at Hufflepuff, who at that moment would rather have been kidnapped by poachers than be there. "What do you want to do? Are you going to help me or follow the little princess?"
"Oh, how mature of you, congratulations." Poppy sighed, raising her hands. "Girls, come on, now let's try to calm down. We can find another way.’ Natty huffed in shock "You've made your choice. Fine, whatever. I really overestimated you." She turned to Erina, looking at her sideways "Have fun while I make myself useful."
"Good luck. Give my greetings to Rookwood as soon as he finds you.’ She retorted sternly, watching as she walked away among the curious and amused stares of those present. 

Erina walked out of the Great Hall with a heavy, annoyed step. Just when the gossip about her arrival had died down, here she was again the centre of attention, and all because of someone else's annoying stubbornness. She had spent that day's lessons alongside Poppy, who in vain had tried to make peace with Natsai, with whom she had exchanged venomous glances the whole time.
“Why, good morning, little princess!” She found herself in front of Sebastian, with a sly cheek-to-cheek smile, flanked by Ominis, who was also particularly cheery. "You're happier than usual today. I wonder why." She said as she rolled her eyes and walked past him, only to be immediately followed by the two. "Please let me know if I can hire you to fight with someone; I have just a couple of names in mind."
I have some for you too, if you want." He raised his hands, chuckling "Oh, no. After what I heard yesterday, surely no one will dare go against you, let alone me." She then turned towards Ominis, hoping for help but finding him as grinning as his friend. As soon as he noticed, he turned red with embarrassment. "All right, he's an idiot. But you have to admit, it was quite a scene." Erina snorted out in exasperation. "Hilarious, indeed. Don't you have any other topics to talk about today?" Sebastian did not let himself be caught off guard. "Of course. Your birthday for example; how are you planning to celebrate it?" she only realised at that moment that it was just over a week until 23rd November, her birthday; she had practically forgotten it existed. "Great, one more thing to think about. If you don't mind, I'll go study now." She finally managed to get rid of the two of them, taking refuge in the library, amidst the stares and followed by the whispers of her classmates, all of whom had something to say about the quarrel the day before. 
She made an effort to ignore them and found space next to Poppy, whom she did not even look at, immediately devoting herself to her books, but with the annoying feeling of being watched. She finally turned towards her friend, finding her staring imploringly at her. "Don't look at me like that. Like I told you this morning, I don't have to apologise; when she stops acting like a child, she'll be the one to do it." She lowered her gaze embarrassed. "I know and you are right. But I talked to her earlier and..."
‘Oh, yeah?’ snapped Erina annoyed ‘I can imagine what she told you; she must have insisted that she's right and that I'm just a spoilt brat." Poppy sighed in despair, "Something like that, but that's not the point. I'm pretty sure she's investigating herself, she could get into trouble."
“If she's not a utter idiot, she'll know how to stop herself in time." Erina cut it short, turning back to her books and leaving Poppy looking dejected, staring around the room a few feet away from them, meeting a pair of brown eyes particularly charged with rage. 

Natty sustained Poppy's gaze, glaring at her, causing quite a few comments from the people next to her, who immediately shut up as soon as she growled in annoyance.
"Um..." she turned back to Garreth, who had appeared from who-knows-where and was evidently intimidated by her glare. ‘If you're going to talk about yesterday, I'll go run to your aunt and tell her about your special experiments in Potions." He petrified. "I won't, I swear. But can I sit here?" she arched her eyebrows, surprised. ‘Oh, you don't think I want to put you in danger?’ he swallowed noisily, feeling more and more trapped, as if facing a vicious animal ready to devour him; not even Sharp's reprimands could be as fearful as Natty's cutting gaze. "N-no. I'd just like to sit next to you. I'll be quiet the whole time and not talk about...well, that person." She sat pondering for a few seconds, then pointed to the empty space next to her; he sat in silence, watching her meticulously scan a map of Hogsmeade, as if searching for something.

‘’She's not here today.‘’ Whispered Poppy worriedly, pointing to an empty desk. Erina sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "She must have slept in." It had been three days since the courtyard fight, now legendary in student chatter, a source of tension between the two in every fifth-year class and still unresolved, amidst glancing glares and acid comments from both sides. Poppy said nothing, worried, trying to follow Ruf's slow speech, but casting constant glances at the empty chair. 

“She wasn't even there at lunch.’" Erina rolled her eyes. "There are always full tables at lunchtime. Maybe she was there but you didn't see her." Poppy remained silent, worry rising higher and higher, but again she did not reply, following her to the library, where she hoped she would find her friend, even with the hateful look on her face. Anything to be sure she was safe. But the hours passed interminably, and between pages, although Poppy kept looking around, Natty continued to remain unseen. "She might be in danger." She repeated again to Erina, who, however, did not argue back this time, with a shadow of worry on her face. She closed the book in front of her and stood up. "Alright, let's go find her." They were just in time to leave the library when they found Garreth standing in front of them, almost tripping over him. ‘Where's Natty?’ asked Erina a little too eagerly, which betrayed growing concern. "Oh!" he exclaimed, as if suddenly remembering something. Poppy shuddered ‘’Oh what?’ he nervously rummaged through the pockets of his cloak, then handed them a crumpled note. "This morning she told me to give you this and she went out."
"This morning?" exclaimed Erina horrified, with concern that was now genuine anguish. She didn't have time to scold him any further, for Poppy was pulling her by the sleeve, showing her the paper. Before Garreth could ask anything, they had already run off.

Chapter Text

Erina eyed the blond salesman who smiled politely at her, trying to return, but only managing to force a stiff grin. ‘Wow, you guys are really cooking up a good prank!" he exclaimed as he looked at the various items scattered on the counter, including dungbombs, small and large fireworks, coloured powders of all kinds and other oddities that could only be found at Zonko's. Poppy tried to laugh, but only a hysterical cry came out of her. ‘Yeah, I can't wait to see the look on the first years!’ he looked weirded out, but didn't flinch, dismissing her with another smile, somewhere between concerned and extremely curious.

‘Can you repeat the plan for me? I need to hear it one more time.” Said Poppy as soon as they were outside.  Erina took a long breath, trying not to stumble from the trembling in her legs. ‘Now we'll go to the Three Broomsticks and tell Sirona to call Agent Singer; then we'll go to the place Natty pointed out and get her out of there. It's not my brightest idea, but it's better than showing up with a hard face; let's catch them off guard and let's save her." She clutched tightly the note left for her by Garreth, which she had read at least a dozen times since they'd left the castle and knew practically by heart 

I'm going to their lair, northeast of Hogsmeade, not far from the Hogshead, in the back, there's an entrance to a dungeon, it's probably hidden by the various barrels and boxes in the place. If you want to at least help others, I'm sure you'll follow me. 

Erina sighed in anguish, fervently hoping that it was not too late.

Natty trembled faintly, crouching down even more on herself, now merging with the stone wall behind her, with which she camouflaged herself thanks to the enchantment of disillusionment. She held her breath as the Ashwinder guard walked past her for the umpteenth time, patrolling the entrance as he had been doing since the endless hours she had stood there. Several times he was on the verge of catching her, but each time Natty was lucky enough not to be found, but how long could she hold out there? She had enough information to be able to expose every person there, and there were certainly plenty of them, but to move even an inch would mean revealing her position and ending up right in the violent hands of the enemy. She looked again at the door through which she had managed to sneak, silently praying that she would see Erina and Poppy appear from there; after all, she had warned them, if they didn't decide to abandon her. She grunted at that thought: yes, she had been an utter idiot to want to act alone and treat her friends so harshly, but they would never leave her in danger, right?

‘What is that stench?’ one of the wizards turned around in disgust, followed by others, who were coughing irritated. Natty lowered her gaze, seeing a small brown orb rolling towards her, surrounded by a cloud of stinking green smoke, followed by another and then another and again, stopping at the feet of the Ashwinders, now intoxicated by the smell, some even taking refuge in a corner to vomit. It was the first time Natty had ever felt so happy in front of dungbombs despite the nauseating smell.  "Show yourself!" shouted one of the Ashwinders coughing, and in response, a dense cloud of black smoke expanded into the room, making the foul-smelling air almost unbreathable, followed by another smoky cloud, this time red, and then more of various colours, creating a light show in the fog.  Natty stood up, realising it was the perfect time to escape. She made her way towards the exit, covering her nose and mouth with her sleeve and relying solely on her sense of direction, her heart racing, trying hard not to trip on the cobbled floor, she ran outwards until a slender hand peeked through the mist. She grasped it firmly and was dragged out of it, finally no longer surrounded by darkness and mud and free to breathe clean air.

Erina tightened her grip on her hand even more, relieved to see her. She barely had time to smile at her, however, before pointing her wand at several small coloured boxes placed at the entrance to the lair. ‘’Incendio !’ a myriad of lights and colours exploded in the sky, followed by loud roars, as all three ran off, taking cover from the chaos that had just been created in one of the streets in front.

"Maybe we went too far." Said Poppy, watching as the flames had climbed far beyond the basement, and were gradually being extinguished by the villagers, who had rushed in as soon as they had heard all the commotion. By now there was nothing left of the hideout but stinking rubble, and when Agent Singer had arrived, shortly after the scenic explosion, she had managed to arrest several Ashwinders, nauseous and staggering. Natty and Erina were still silent in the alley, but had not for a moment stopped holding each other's hands. 'We'll tell the citizens that a small fireworks store exploded. I don't know how the officer will explain the smell.’ When they heard someone speak at first they chilled, but the fear disappeared as soon as they recognised the familiar tone. Sirona stood behind them with her arms crossed, staring at them sternly. All three lowered their eyes, not knowing what to say. "You really are troublemakers." Sirona snorted, but then her face softened. "But you were very brave. Come on, come to the Three Broomsticks, you deserve a nice glass of butterbeer." They obeyed and followed her in silence, entering the almost empty bar and sitting at one of the tables upstairs, well hidden from prying eyes; they let Sirona hand them three glasses, accompanied by some small stuffed sandwiches. 

When she finally left them alone Natty decided to speak, but when she opened her mouth only a series of sobs came out. ‘I... “They... were about to find me.” She stuttered shakily, wiping away the tears that were beginning to flood her face, then turned to Erina, who was still gripping her hand. "I was wrong, you were right. It was too risky to infiltrate like that. And I don't really think you're a diva, I was just jealous because I didn't get the treatment you got." Erina smiled, also now reduced to a fountain of tears. "No, I was wrong. I should have understand your pain, instead I downplayed it; I just wanted to protect you." Natty moved closer, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Do you forgive me?"
‘’You're the one who has to forgive me." Natty laughed "You're bloody stubborn, Garlaschi." "Look who's talking, Onai." The embrace gently loosened and they both looked at Poppy, who let out a long sigh of relief, a peaceful smile spread across her face. "Please don't ever fight again. It was horrible." They all three burst out laughing, chasing away all the tension of the previous hours and enjoying their newfound peace. 

A week had passed since the explosion in Hogsmeade, known by all as a bizarre incident that led to the destruction of an old warehouse where some food had gone bad, which explained the strong stench that hovered in the village for several days. It became, however, one of the prominent topics among Hogwarts students, or at least, it was until that day. 

"Happy birthday!" exclaimed Amit happily that morning, as soon as he saw Erina in the Common Room, followed by other fellow students ready to wish her a happy birthday. She smiled, thanking everyone joyfully, and Amit approached her. ‘I dared to give you a small gift.’  He gave her a small silver-plated box and she opened it, fervent with curiosity, finding inside an ornate, carved disc representing a celestial map in blue stone, surmounted by two elegant golden hands.

In the centre, a small moon, also gilded, and all around various decorations representing the twelve signs of the zodiac. "An astrolabe! Thank you very much, Amit. It is really beautiful." She carefully placed it back into her cloak, amazed at receiving such an expensive gift. She walked happily towards the Great Hall and sat down in her seat, where she immediately found several well-wrapped packages. She threw herself onto the largest one, accompanied by a card. 

Happy birthday my darling, I hope this little present reminds you of home. I look forward to Christmas, I can't wait to see you again to hear your Hogwarts stories. Today is your day, enjoy it to the fullest. 

Lots of love, Mum.

Erina refrained from crying and immediately unwrapped the present, under the curious eyes of her companions: from the pretty tissue paper she picked up a lilac dress, with a bust studded with small buttons and decorated with small embroideries of silver leaves on the sleeves; the skirt was ankle-length and was joined at the top with a brown band, also embroidered with the same silver leaves. As soon as she felt Erina's touch, the dress seemed to come alive, levitating in the air for a few moments, then flying towards her room, under the admiring gazes of those present. 

"I have something for you." Sebastian stood next to Erina, right after the Herbology lesson, where Professor Allium had also taken care to wish her a happy birthday. He handed her a simple box ‘It may not be a golden astrolabe or an elegant dress, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it." She opened it, revealing a handle for the wand: it was curvy and smooth black wood with bronze decorations on the sides and a hexagonal base. Erina touched it contentedly, blushing slightly. "Wow, it's very beautiful, thank you." Sebastian gloated satisfied. ‘I sure hope you'll use it at the next match of Crossed Wands." She nodded smugly, heading together with him towards the Great Hall. "Of course; so, will you come tonight? I'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks, Sirona has finally promised me wine.’
‘You can count me in.’ As was often the case, he accompanied her to his table, which was now almost full. "See you later then, and happy birthday." He made his usual theatrical bow and walked away. 

 The Three Broomsticks that evening resounded with merry laughter, coming mainly from a large table, which housed eight young wizards and witches, all well-dressed and dolled up in front of their glasses of butterbeer and a single glass of red wine, Sirona's kind concession to the birthday girl, but only for that special occasion. Erina smiled cheerfully, finally being able to celebrate together with real friends, admiring the small mound of gifts on the table: a Highwing feather, Poppy's gift; a small African figurine for good luck, at least according to Natty; several books and a bottle of Garreth's latest invention.  

Sirona approached, motioning for them to follow her to the back of the club. She obeyed, curious, finding herself in a cramped, dimly lit space. ‘I want you to meet someone.’ Through a small door a short figure entered: a goblin, the same one Erina had noticed months before, after the troll attack. He approached, smiling politely and fixing her with his black eyes. "I finally meet you, Sirona has told me a lot about you. I am Lodgok." Despite his raspy voice, he had an extremely gentle tone, which almost amazed Erina. "It's a pleasure." She said, still confused as to the reason for that meeting. "Lodgok is a very dear friend of mine, we have known each other for years; he is as concerned as we are about the rumours of the alliance between Rookwood and Ranrok. When he heard about the troll attack and a certain fireworks incident." winked Sirona. "He asked about you."  Erina looked at the goblin, astonished. ‘I admit I don't tend to trust the magical race." He squared her, but without being judgmental. "But I cannot stop Ranrok alone. I feel we could really help each other." Erina was speechless for a few seconds, but then smiled. "Agreed. Every resource is needed if we are to defeat Ranrok." Sirona smiled contentedly, and Lodgok also let that cheerfulness rub off on her. "As soon as I have a plan I will contact you. Now you should get back to your schedule, I know there is a birthday to celebrate."

Chapter Text

December was just around the corner, ushered in by a long snowfall that had covered everything, making the castle appear as if it were floating in the clouds. Since her birthday, Erina had managed to have a peaceful few weeks, marked by lessons, homework, small outings to Hogsmeade and a lot of studying, but something else was thrown in that evening.  "What's so urgent to make me miss dinner?" grumbled Erina, following Sebastian after he had long insisted on showing her who-knows-what, dragging her into the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower corridor. ‘It's all worth it, you'll see." She sighed, not even attempting to protest further, until they were in front of a large clock, well hidden by an imposing column. Erina was about to groan again, then Sebastian rhythmically slammed his wand against it and the wall changed: as if out of nowhere, there was now a small door, which slowly opened in front of them. As soon as she entered, Erina had to squint to get used to the dim light of the place: it was a gigantic room, with a wide arched ceiling, supported by imposing columns. It was not even particularly decorated, except for small piles of various objects in various corners, dimly lit by a few torches and candles scattered here and there. "What is this place?" he spread his arms wide, as if pointing to the entire room. "Welcome to the Undercroft. Anne, Ominis and I used to come here all the time to play hunchbacks or hide from Weasley. It was Ominis who showed it to me." Erina dared a smile, then sighed "Well, then he won't be happy that I’m here.." Sebastian shrugged ‘We're about to find out, I told him to join us.’ Before Erina could reply, the door opened and Ominis himself entered, greeting his friend with a smile.  

“Why did you want to see me?” he raised his wand, moving it around him, noticing something odd. He approached the two and, when he realised, his calm expression was replaced by a grin of annoyance. ‘I can't believe it. Tell me you didn't really bring her here."

“Don't worry, we can trust her.” Ominis huffed ‘You don't know that. You only say that because you..."

"She knows about Anne." Cut Sebastian short, preventing him from finishing his sentence and leaving him speechless. "She also came to Feldcroft, saw the place where it happened."  Erina coughed loudly, bringing attention back to herself. "She is here, if you don't mind." Ominis finally turned towards her, approaching menacingly, pointing his wand at her face. "Just because Sebastian trusts you doesn't imply that I should too. If you talk to anyone about this place, it won't take me long to get you expelled; my family knows the Black household very well." Erina crossed her arms defiantly. "There is no need to threaten me; I can keep a secret if I have to." They stood still, staring at each other in a scowl, until Sebastian had to be reminded of his presence, interrupting the confrontation. "Now how about you listen to me? There's a reason I wanted you both here." he took a long breath, straightening his shoulders, preparing himself as if he was about to recite a script. "A few days ago I was studying the life of Salazar Slytherin and found some information about a Scriptorium located here at Hogwarts, but I have no idea where it is exactly. I'm sure we'll find something inside to help Anne." He recited mechanically as if he had that speech ready long ago.
Ominis shook his head, displeased. "No. I already know where you're going with this." Erina was increasingly confused, as Sebastian continued his charade. "Listen to me, Ominis. I know you are scared after what happened to your aunt, but this time it will be different. There are three of us, we could join forces and figure out what secrets are lurking in that place. Think about it, we can finally figure out how to cure Anne and maybe even find out the truth about Noctua." Ominis did not answer, nervously biting his lip, and Sebastian then turned to Erina. 
"Help me persuade him." She looked at them both, confused. "I think it's best that Ominis and I talk in private. I want to fully figure out what we might be getting into.” Sebastian huffed in surrender, moving away to the other side of the undercroft, allowing them to argue without him hearing.
‘So,’ Erina began, lowering her voice towards Ominis, ‘’What's in this Scriptorium? Who is Noctua?" He sighed sadly. ‘My family is a descendant of Salazar Slytherin and like him, they are extremely convinced that Dark Magic should be within the reach of all wizards. Or rather, of all Purebloods. My Aunt Noctua didn't agree, and when she heard about the Scriptorium, she decided to investigate, to find out more about our ancestor." He lowered his gaze, with a shadow of sadness in his face. ‘She also found the entrance here at Hogwarts and told my father about it, hoping he would follow her. But then she suddenly  disappeared." Erina sighed, "Well, I can see why you don't want to go." She then cast a glance towards Sebastian, waiting with his arms crossed. "You do know, though, that even without us, Sebastian will still find a way in. He could get into trouble." He scratched his head nervously "I know, but we don't know what we're doing, that place will be full of Dark Magic; there must be a reason my aunt never came back." 
"But then you might know what happened to her." Ominis wrinkled his brow, annoyed "How can you agree with him?" Erina rolled her eyes, exasperated. ‘It's not that, but we don't have much choice: you know how determined he is to cure his sister and he won't stop at our no's. We can at least stop him from getting hurt. We will be careful." He did not answer, thinking. "You're a Slytherin heir, maybe the scriptorium will let you in." she added. Ominis snorted, raising his hands. "Alright, you win." She then turned to Sebastian, signalling for him to come closer. "We'll go to the Scriptorium, but if it starts to get dangerous we'll leave right away, understood?" he nodded with a triumphant smile, then turned to Erina. "I knew I could count on you. When are we going?" Erina did not return the smile, still hesitant. "Let's wait at least a couple of days so we can think of a plan. We don't want to act impulsively, you've already taken too much detention." Sebastian huffed, but did not lose his smug air. ‘’As you wish."

"Last month you were reading about Ravenclaw, now you've moved to Slytherin." Erina turned around, finding her face to Amit, who sat down next to her. ‘Yes.’ she replied, closing the book she had just taken from the library, where they both now were. "I'm very curious about the history of Hogwarts." What she didn't say was that she was even more intrigued by the Scriptorium, about which she hadn't found much, however, reassuring her less and less about helping Sebastian. ‘Perhaps Salazar was the worst.’ said Amit ‘It is rumoured that he created several secret rooms in the castle, full of dangers and dark spells." Erina tried to smile, trying to hide her concern. "The same old legends, I bet. But he certainly wasn't the man with the best ideas; I really don't understand this hatred for Muggles, even if they don't use magic they don't deserve so much evil. Even I was powerless until some months ago." He shrugged. "Unfortunately there are many who see it that way, just think of Black. His family..." but Erina's attention was elsewhere, drawn to a figure a few feet away from her, staring at her insistently. It was Sebastian, who, as if sensing her fears, was watching her impatiently, by now tired of waiting for days to be able to enter the Scriptorium. Erina nodded to him, as if to indicate that she would soon satisfy his thirst for research, and a shiver ran down her spine, with a dreadful premonition. 

"You're here." Whispered Sebastian, as soon as Erina ceased her spell of disillusionment, appearing before him in the corridor in front of the Slytherin Common Room. It was barely past midnight and the prefects had just finished their guard duty; the perfect time to act. Ominis, beside him, sighed. ‘’Well, let's get moving. I hope we won't regret this." They continued on, passing through several bare corridors in the half-light, stopping in front of a blank wall, framed by two extinguished braziers. Ominis approached it, followed by the others, and whispered something: not actual words, but more a series of strange hisses and whooshes. Immediately afterwards, an imposing metal doorway emerged from the stone, decorated with dozens of snakes in embossing, their bodies intertwined. Just inside, the door closed, leaving them in a dark corridor. "Lumos!" exclaimed Erina, and the other two did the same, admiring a long, narrow stone corridor, the end of which they could not see. All around them were uneasy hisses, sighs and whispers. "How did you do that?" asked Erina, looking confusedly at Ominis. ‘I'm a Parselmouth, like all Slytherin descendants."
"A...what?" She tried to look at Sebastian, who was, however, too busy looking around to listen. "I can talk to snakes. I had guessed that was the way to open the door." Erina's mind raced to Poppy, imagining how much she would have liked to be able to communicate with animals, and a smile escaped her, but it quickly vanished. "Shall we continue?" Sebastian interrupted them impatiently, proceeding down the long corridor. With each step Erina felt more and more nervous, sensing the heavy, dark air of that place, and the bad feeling from a few days before came back into her mind. The hisses grew louder and more piercing, as if trying to get inside her head. None of the three said anything until the end of the corridor, where they found another door, also decorated with snakes and also opened by Ominis' ability. Once open, there was another corridor, identical to the first.

‘How big is this place?’ puffed Erina exasperatedly. ‘’Come on,‘’ Sebastian retorted, increasingly entranced, ‘’I'm sure we're almost there.‘’ He quickened his pace, not waiting for his friends and forcing them to run, while the hissing was now a single frail voice that seemed to chase them. Eventually, they found themselves in a dark, small room, occupied only by a door: on it, instead of the usual reptiles, were human faces, deformed into a guise of pain, as if they were screaming towards the sky, and Erina almost thought she could hear their hopeless cries. On the floor an inscription glowed as if on fire: CRUCIO.
Before they could realise what was happening, a wall of rock suddenly rose up behind them, blocking any way out. Erina looked at the writing again, only to notice something she hadn't realised before; she brought a hand to her mouth, gasping in disgust: a human skeleton lay beside the door, next to a wand and an old, dusty diary. "Noctua." Sebastian whispered beside her and they both turned to Ominis, hoping he had not noticed his aunt's remains. He meanwhile was petrified, his eyes wide with fear. "What is it?" Ominis shook his head nervously. ‘The whispers are speaking Parseltongue. They say that if we really want to know the secrets of Dark Magic, we must not be afraid to use it.’ He said in a trembling voice, growing fearful. "We shouldn't have come, I knew it." 

"Now calm down." Boasted Sebastian, without even looking at him, intent on analysing the door. Erina looked again at the letters on the floor, then at the faces on the wall of the door, and understood. "He wants us to use the Cruciatus curse." Sebastian was in fact saying. ‘’We have to torture each other." Erina whispered, her heart pounding and looking again at Noctua's skeleton, certain she would end up the same way.
"Ominis, you should do it." Sebastian uttered seriously, leaving the other two speechless. "No." Almost shouted the other, panting nervously. "You can't ask me that. Not after what you know about my family; I didn't even want to come here!"
"But we're there now, though, and we have no other choice. Do you want to stop now?" Ominis' face grew darker and more disgusted. "There is always a choice. I'm sorry, but we should find another solution." Sebastian growled annoyed, almost disappointed by his refusal.
"This is ridiculous, you know very well that the other solution is to die here."
‘’Stop it!" exclaimed Erina, abruptly interrupting that diatribe and then turning towards Sebastian. "Can you throw Crucio?" he hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Yes, but I've never tried it on anyone. That's why Ominis should do it, he..."
"You will cast it on me." Erina cut it short, looking him in the eyes. She had made that decision only moments before, but it was the only way forward; she would never hurt either of them. If anyone was going to suffer, it was going to be her turn. After all, she had convinced Ominis, she was humouring Sebastian, it was only fair that she pay the consequences.
‘Are you insane?" blurted Ominis "You have no idea how painful it is!" Erina didn't even listen to him, continuing to look at Sebastian, who remained motionless in an undefinable expression. "We have no other choice. Do it." He remained silent, then walked away little by little, measuring the room with great strides; step by step, time stretched and it seemed hours passed before Sebastian reached the other side of the room.
He slowly raised his wand, looking her straight in the eye, just as he had done months before at their first meeting, when they were simply to duel in a classroom. 

"Ready?" Erina straightened her shoulders and took a long breath, clenching her fists to hold back the trembling in her hands.
"Ready." Sebastian sighed and stood still for a few seconds. Then, with a sudden movement, he waved his wand.

 "Crucio!"

Erina barred her teeth, trying to hold back her screams, as every muscle in her body seemed to burn, her head seemed to want to explode, her ears ringing deafeningly; she found herself on her knees, straining to breathe, but stabs of pain repeatedly struck her chest, forcing her to arch her back and stare at the floor and that damned inscription, which seemed to stare at her as she cried out in agony. She could not even hear the voices of her friends, she could barely think and the only thought  was to stop that pain that kept burning every cell, spreading like fire. 

 After moments that seemed endless, everything stopped. Her limbs stopped burning and Erina found herself gasping, holding back tears and turning around, finding instead of a door an archway and a small study, from which a bust of Salazar Slytherin seemed to be watching her. "Are you all right?" Sebastian appeared in her line of sight, holding out his hand to her. She grasped it, rising slowly, trying to look Sebastian in the eye and understand his expression, but he was already staring into the newly discovered room. He immediately let go, delving into the Scriptorium, leaving her alone with Ominis, who was meanwhile crouched in front of Noctua's skeleton. "I'm sorry." He whispered. ‘I know how much it hurts." Erina rubbed her hands over her clothes, trying to shake off the dust, feeling incredibly dirty. ‘What do you mean you know?’ and he sighed. "My family has always hated Muggles, to the point where they often tortured them just for fun. When it was my turn, I refused, but of course they didn't respond well." He continued to turn his back on her, leaning over his aunt's remains. "They used it on you." Erina said in a low voice, her stomach twisting at the mere thought of receiving such pain from her own family members. Ominis stood up, clutching tightly the diary that lay beside the bones. "Yes. And so I obeyed, I used Crucio. But that pain, the screams of those poor people... I will never forget it. That's why we must stay away from Dark Magic." She turned her gaze to Sebastian, who was carefully scanning every shelf in the Scriptorium, now totally lost in research. 
"He is very worried about Anne. I am sure that when she is better, things will be different." She said softly, more to herself than to him. "I hope so." Ominis limited himself to saying, finally entering the study, followed by her. 

It was a small room, faintly lit by a few lamps on either side of it, flanked by two small semicircular staircases, leading towards a rich bookcase. In the centre of the room towered the bust of Salazar, who seemed to stare at them as if annoyed by their presence, despite the fact that they had just passed his dreadful test. Erina sat down on one of the steps, waiting for Sebastian, who was now at the top of the stairs, wandering from one side of the bookcase to the other, increasingly enraptured. Ominis stood beside her, not saying a word, still clutching Noctua's diary. They remained in silence for several minutes, while Erina was occasionally shaken by strong shivers, as if her body was reminded in flashes of the pain she had just suffered. Ominis remained leaning against the wall; his face seemed imperturbable, but the menacing aura around him was worth more than any words. 

"Are you finished?" he asked finally, tense, as soon as Sebastian emerged from the stairs, a large book in his hands. He looked up in confusion, as if noticing them at that moment, then recoiled. "Yes. I found a book of spells, there seems to be several pieces of information on dark objects." Erina stood up, not even listening to him anymore, she just wanted to throw herself into her bed as soon as possible and forget about that endless, terrible night. "I think there's a second exit up here, but it'll need your little magic, Ominis," Sebastian continued. They both proceeded up the stairs, finding themselves in a cubicle filled with books and at the bottom of it a bizarre statue, depicting a kind of face with a snake coming out of its mouth. Ominis approached it, hissing again, as he had done a few hours before, and the statue moved, disappearing into the floor and revealing the Slytherin corridor from which they had entered. 

Erina sighed, finally out of that horrible place. She tried once more to look at Sebastian, hoping to catch at least a glimpse of remorse, but he looked away, tightening his grip on the book. ‘I...I think I'm going to go to sleep." she only managed to say, in a hollow tone, and then headed for the stairs, without even saying goodbye. 

Chapter Text

Poppy stared in concern at Erina: she was standing in front of her, as usual during Potions class, but this was the first time she had seen her like this, although her olive complexion mitigated her paleness and magic tried in vain to hide the dark circles that marked her face. She watched as she absent-mindedly poured silver powder into the cauldron, when Sharp limped to their side. "Garlaschi, be careful: overdosing can make Draught of Peace a literal poison." She flinched, as if realising at that moment that she was in class, and nodded awkwardly. He turned away, without scolding her further. "What's going on?" whispered Poppy and Erina shrugged. ‘It's nothing, I just had a rough night's sleep." It was not exactly a lie: immediately after leaving the Slytherin scriptorium, she had rushed back to her bed, but sleeping was impossible. The pains caused by the Cruciatus curse kept haunting her dream, along with Sebastian's face, completely deformed by an evil grin, as if he enjoyed making her suffer. Several times she had woken up terrified, trying to get that horrible image out of her head, telling herself that Sebastian didn't really want to hurt her, he had only done what was necessary to survive and, after all, she had asked him to use that curse. Yet, since that morning, she couldn't even say hello to him, merely glancing at him subtly, only to look away as soon as he was aware of it. It happened then too, finding herself staring at him as he chatted intensely with Ominis. Poppy followed her gaze and in an instant her expression went from worried to annoyed, with a flash of anger in her eyes. She said nothing, concentrating on the lesson, huffing several times.
"Mediocre, Garlaschi. It's a shame, you can do better than that." Potions class was over and Sharp was analysing each student's results. A wave of whispers followed the professor's words, each one surprised by Erina's failure, who was usually the best of the class. She took no notice, merely lowering her gaze, her mind still entangled in memories of the night before. Sharp added nothing more, continuing his inspection, but not without giving her a worried look.

Just outside the classroom Erina was surrounded by Natty and Poppy, who, holding her under their arms, were demanding explanations. "So, do you want to tell us what's going on?" she shook her head "Nothing, really. I'm tired, that's all." She didn't like having to lie to her friends, but she felt that talking about it would be cheating Sebastian and Ominis. Just then, Sebastian walked past her. He said nothing, but looked intensely into her eyes, with the look of someone who has a whole lot to say. It was like a silent signal, we must talk. Erina followed him with her gaze until he vanished into the crowd of students, but the girls did not miss that string of glances. ‘’You were with him yesterday? Is that why you're so tired?" said Poppy; before she could answer, Natty stepped in worriedly. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" Erina quickly pulled away from her, tense. "Hurt? Why would you assume that?" Natty crossed her arms, suspicious of her reaction. "Well, he's not exactly a good guy and you seem a little too defensive"’ Erina didn't know how to get out of that conversation, suddenly trapped. "You...shouldn't judge him. He is in a complicated situation. I'd better go now."
 "But there's Charms class coming up!" intervened Poppy, but she was already walking away. "We still have half an hour. I'll catch up with you later." She ran off and the two didn't even try to stop her, still stunned by that behaviour. "She didn't answer." Poppy muttered, clutching her cloak. "What?" she grunted, almost angry "When you asked her if she hurt her, she didn't answer, she dodged the question." Natty looked at her pained and at the same time, charged with anger. She didn't know exactly what to do, it was the first time she had seen Poppy's sweet face so deformed. ‘We'll keep an eye on them, alright? I'm sure Erina won't do anything dangerous." The other nodded silently, but her frown didn't seem to want to relax. 

Erina allowed herself a sigh of relief as soon as she was in the undercroft, feeling strangely safe, away from her interviewers. Sebastian and Ominis stood before her, visibly concerned. ‘How are you?’ exclaimed Sebastian, looking worried; at seeing him so gentle Erina calmed down, as if to erase the terrifying visions of her dream. ‘It wasn't easy, but I'll be fine. I really hope it was worth it." He ventured a smile. “It will be, you'll see. I need time to figure out some parts, but I'm sure the book is the key to curing Anne." Ominis behind him huffed annoyed, drawing the attention of both of them. "I hope so, because we actually risked it yesterday." Sebastian's face lost all trace of composure, replaced by an irked expression. "I know." he huffed "But we're all fine and we have what we need."  He did not even look at the man, coldly punctuating each word and staring into space. Ominis shook his head ‘This needs to be the last time we use Dark Magic. You must promise." Sebastian rolled his eyes "Promise? You know I will stop at nothing to help Anne. Even if it means using the Dark Arts." He finally turned back to his friend, but only to glare at him, and it was Erina who had to interrupt them "Let's try to focus on this book for now. And let's hope it works."

"I know." Erina lowered her gaze. ‘But that's exactly why we can't abandon him.’ He sighed resentive, scratching the back of his head. "I really hope we won't regret it." He left too, without even saying goodbye, leaving her alone with her thoughts in the dim light that lit up the undercroft; she reiterated to herself again that everything would be better, that it would be fine. When Anne gets well, it will be different. She clung to that thought, walking down the stairs leading to the corridors, ready to head back to class, hoping she wouldn't have to face another interrogation from Natty and Poppy.
During Professor Ronen's giggle-filled lecture, the two remained in what could have been described as religious silence, if not for the sharp glances they gave her and Sebastian, but always avoiding the subject. Erina should have been relieved, but in reality that behaviour only unsettled her: if they had stopped asking, it only meant that they had decided to get at the truth another way. 

‘What are you doing for Christmas?’ she asked with a fake innocence once they were in the hallway, hoping to break that uneasy silence. Natty and Poppy looked at each other with an eye of understanding: they would grant her a truce for the moment, but Erina knew they would get the truth sooner or later.
"I'm going to Ireland to my grandmother's; you should see how beautiful Coleraine is with the snow!" Poppy's eyes sparkled with joy, erasing the gloomy mood of just before. "I think I will stay here with my mother. I wonder if she will try her Christmas prophecy again this year."
"Does she?" Erina tried not to burst out laughing, while Natty smiled embarrassed. “Yeah, ever since I was a child she's been trying to predict what will happen in the New Year. It's useless since she can only divine if the Vision manifests itself, but she has so much fun deciding my future!" Natty laughed, followed by the other two with that glee that finally managed to sweep away the tension and pain of the previous night. 

Erina sat down at the small wooden table of the Three Broomsticks, looking around as always, and smiled politely at a quiet-looking goblin, who reciprocated with a kind look, but weighed down by the dark aura around his eyes. "Hello, Lodgok." He greeted her. Since the day Sirona had introduced them, she and the goblin had met several times in Hogsmeade, comparing ideas on how they could stop Ranrok's advance, but had never come up with a concrete plan. "I am glad you are here. I may have found a solution." Erina straightened in her chair, curious. "I'm listening."
"I know Ranrok is looking for something; it's a strange kind of magic, it's hidden in several deposits, and I'm pretty sure one of those deposits is in a mine on the coast of Marunweem. If we reach it before he does, we could destroy it." Erina crossed her arms, undecided. It was indeed, however stripped to the bone, a good plan and perhaps it would indeed be the turning point against Ranrok, but there still remained one big doubt, too important to ignore. "I understand it's not easy to trust." said Lodgok, as if reading her mind "And I admit that I was initially on Ranrok's side too, but that's no longer the case. I would never have asked you for help otherwise."

 She sighed, reflecting on those words: indeed, she did not have many alternatives in front of her, and Lodgok seemed genuinely willing to help her. And after all, whatever she was up against, it could hardly be worse than what she had done the night before for Sebastian.