Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

"Now what?" I asked while standing in the Room of Requirements, watching the unconscious grindylow inside a pretty big tube filled with water to the brim. We placed it under a spell that ensured it couldn't break out even if it woke up, but the bastard was especially ugly looking.

"Err... good question..." Quincy whispered to me, feeling a bit troubled. "I can't just put the parchment into the water... can I?"

"It doesn't feel water resistant at all!" I shrugged, looking back and forth between her and the little monster we caught. "Tell you what! Let's try tapping it with it! Use it like... like a wand!"

"O-okay."

While she got ready, I lifted the thing out, and the moment I touched it, it came to life. It started trashing around, splashing water everywhere and clawing at me like an angry cat.

"Damn it!" I shouted when it bit me, drawing blood, and saw Quincy hit it on the head with the parchment.

It was a reflexive action on her part and without any effect. The grindylow continued fighting, and it was like a mad little monster, wanting to kill me. When the bastard bit me a second time, I lost my temper and grabbed it by its body; I smashed its head against the tube, making it dizzy and also stopping it from struggling. I probably used more force than I wanted as the glass cracked, water began leaking out of it, and its head was bleeding... which gave me an idea.

"The blood! Use that!"

"It worked!" She cried the moment a drop touched the ribbon as it automatically unfurled, falling to the ground, along with the grindylow, as I let go of it immediately.

"Hah! Great!" I sighed, feeling relieved, shaking my hands, that were hurting like hell.

"Let me see!"

Quincy wasn't interested in the parchment anymore and instead looked at the deep scratches on my arms that she quickly began to bandage up... from the first aid kit that appeared next to me from out of nowhere.

"One looks really deep! This needs to be stitched up!"

"Just bandage it," I grunted, enduring the pain, "I will visit Madam Promfey later... it isn't a big deal."

"Hmph... monster!" She spat, and when finishing wrapping my arms, she took out her wand, pointed it at the grindylow, and used the killing curse on it without hesitation.

"Well, it was." I chuckled, watching a red spot appear on my bandages, but I let the sleeve of my robe hide it. "Forget the aberration! Let's read what is inside!"

"Oh, yes! Ye...yes? Huh?" I couldn't fault her reaction as it surprised me just as much. The paper had runes in it. Whatever the clue was, it was written in an ancient way that had to be decoded. "Why is it runes?" Quincy groaned, making me giggle and kissing her cheeks.

"Be glad I'm here, gimme!"

Of course, I wasn't able to read it just like that and still had to consult our rune textbook. But that mainly proved useless... The words on the parchment were much more complex and ancient than in our beginner course, so once again, it was time to hit the library!

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"I think I got it..."

"Mhmm..."

Quincy's answer was a simple, satisfied moan as she was sleeping on two pushed-together chairs, her head lying in my lap. With one hand, I stroked her head while with the other, I continued waving my wand, using it to flip multiple open codexes simultaneously, searching for the correct runes. It was already morning, and I heard some people in the corridors going to have an early breakfast, yet I felt neither tired nor hungry. I was excited, if anything! The text inside was a map. A clue that spoke about a route Quincy must take through the forest surrounding the school. It was describing a safe passage to reach the nest at the end. What kind of nest? It didn't say, but looking at the last rune, I was sure it wasn't a coincidence that it looked like a spider...

"Sleepyhead~!" I whispered again, slowly shaking her up.

"Mhm... I'm up... mm... what is it...?" With a big yawn, she finally sat up and rubbed her eyes, watering her lips with her tongue.

"I decoded it! Here, I wrote down it, word for word! Memorize it, then burn it!"

"Awesome!" With a happy laugh, she kissed me and read it through twice before turning the paper into ash and even making it disappear. "What does 'Leathal gleam, making you dream...' mean? Why is it included both at the start and the end?"

"Good question. I thought it was an error on my part, so I rechecked it three times... My translation should be perfect."

"I do have an idea... but it comes from potion making... oh well! I will see you when I go into the forest! Tsk... I hate spiders... But this quote makes me think I will need their venom."

"Same, and this time... I can't accompany you."

"Ehhhh?! Why?!" She cried out, but then I saw her comprehend it, "I see..."

"Yeah! I bet if I go with you, you will not find any spiders, none at all!"

"I... won't fail!" She proclaimed loudly, but it was mostly for herself. I saw it in her eyes; she was afraid... but she wanted to prove herself more than anything.

"No, you won't because you are Quincy! My wife! And... don't forget you can also change, so you have the advantage of going from above!" I winked at her, and putting the books away happened in a much, much more relaxed mood, filled with excitement of our quick success.

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"Why are we going to Hogsmeade?" Quincy asked me as we were walking hand-in-hand while the afternoon cloudy sky above us sometimes rumbled like a hungry man's stomach.

"To solve my side of the problem!" I answered with a yawn, feeling extremely sleepy.

"Fwoopers don't live in cities... they would chase the people into madness!"

"Heh, I don't need to catch one; I just need a drop of its blood... I told you! You gave me my answer the moment you explained what that bird is!"

"I did?"

"You'll see!"

I didn't want to spoil the fun, so I said no more and instead let out a few more yawns. I now felt extremely sleepy. My hands were still bandaged, but Madam Pomfrey made it heal quickly. I simply wore them because they were soaked in medicine, making it so I wouldn't have permanent scars left behind. Just as we entered the town's premises, we came across two girls whom Quincy was not keen on meeting... The Beauxbatons champions.

"Les deux plus jeunes champions du nouveau millénaire? Regardez comme ils sont détendus! Sont-ils en rendez-vous? Qu'en pensez-vous?"¹

The two youngest champions of the new millennia? Look how relaxed they are! Are they on a date? What do you think?

"Je pense que tu ne devrais pas apporter la honte à notre école. Nous ne sommes pas comme eux, tu te souviens? De plus, dans leurs yeux, je sens plus de détermination que chez les deux autres de nos rivaux! Comporte-toi bien lorsque tu es avec moi!"²I think that you should not bring shame onto our school. We are not them, remember? Plus, from their eyes, I sense more drive than from the other two of our rivals! Behave yourself while you are with me!

"English, please..." I moaned softly, gazing at the two as none of us wanted to move out of the way... yet the street was wide enough. Yet... we both ended up staring at each other. What was strange was that the half-veela girl, Fleur Delacour, was looking at me intently.

"We thinking if you this relaxed because you be young or not?" Fleur answered me in a kind of broken English, flashing a small smile that was one part seductive and one part provoking.

"We are here on a date. To celebrate that, we solved the first part of our clues!" Quincy answered sharply, grabbing onto my arm, which made me hiss. Not because it hurt... but because I wanted to scold her that she blurted it out so openly. Of course, the French girls' eyes instantly traveled to my bandaged appendages, and their eyes shrank down immediately.

"Ils mentent, Fleur!"³They are lying, Fleur!

"Regarde de plus près, observe leurs yeux! Ils ne mentent pas! Ces deux-là sont dangereux... surtout le garçon. Ses yeux font monter mon anxiété..."⁴Look closer, watch their eyes! They are not lying! These two are dangerous... especially the boy. His eyes make my blood anxious...

"English!" Quincy cried out, stomping at place, "Don't you know this is even more rude than whispering?!"

"We don't need nice to be each other." Fleur scoffed, waving her hair before walking past us, "We rivals, forget it no!"

"What was that all about anyway..." She mumbled next to me, watching them disappear.

"That is my line! Why did you tell them? Tsk..."

"They should have learned it anyway at the dinner party, no?"

"Maybe... ah.. well... no matter!" I shrugged, not minding it anymore, and instead, I walked forward, pulling her along.

"Wait... noooo... you do not!" She gasped the moment I stopped in front of a very specific shop.

"Yep! Come!" I grinned and pulled her into the exotic pet shop.

By the time we came out, I had an unsealed parchment and a wide grin on my face, while Quincy looked like someone who was sulking and laughing simultaneously. It wasn't hard asking for a Fwooper; the hard part was drawing blood from it without the shopkeeper noticing. While Quincy drew his attention away, I quickly pricked the bird, who had no way of alerting the owner as he was under a silencing spell. It was the easiest play of my life!

"Mine is similar," I explained to her after reading it through multiple times. "And I also have a riddle... 'On the head of death, sparkling in jet black.' Beats me..."

"Death... brr... yours sound more darker than mine!"

"It does." I shrugged, "I will have time to figure it out while I follow my route, anyway! When will you attempt yours?"

"I can't rush it!" She answered with a long, tired breath, placing her hands on her hips, thinking. "I will need to brew some potions and ready myself! I think I will attempt it a few weeks later, maybe in the middle of November!"

"Same. I think we should go on it together as it takes us to different parts of the forest anyway."

"Mm... I was thinking of the same... Plus, I can make you some potions that way! It will keep you safe!"

"Ahaha, thanks~!" I laughed, hugging her close, and after a short kiss, I couldn't help but look towards the castle in the distance. Even though this year was maybe the most dangerous of them all... somehow, I enjoyed it the most. Everything seemed to be... perfect.