History of Magic felt especially endless that afternoon.
Professor Binns floated at the front of the classroom, his voice as flat as ever as he repeated the dates and casualty numbers of the fifteenth-century goblin rebellions.
Cuthbert kept glancing out the window, barely hiding his impatience.
Regulus, on the other hand, appeared attentive. He jotted down a few lines in his notebook from time to time, calm and focused. In truth, he was sorting through everything he knew about the Astronomy Tower.
The Astronomy Tower was one of the oldest structures at Hogwarts, dating back to the school's earliest years. It had accumulated more than its share of old secrets.
Over the centuries, professors had layered it with protective enchantments to prevent students from stumbling into dangerous areas.
The moment the bell rang, Cuthbert shot to his feet.
"Let's go."
Regulus nodded. The three of them moved with the flow of students out of the classroom, avoiding the main corridors. They cut along a quieter path on the castle's western side, heading toward the Astronomy Tower.
The tower stood in the pale winter light.
Its gray stone walls had been worn smooth by time. The edges of each block had rounded, their surfaces etched with uneven scars. Most of the vines clinging to the walls had withered away. The few that remained trembled faintly in the wind.
At the base of the tower stretched a snow-covered lawn, a few small sprites flitting through the cold air.
Regulus led them around to the back, where a narrow path lay hidden behind dense shrubs. You would miss it entirely if you were not looking for it.
Behind the brush stood a large wooden door, almost blending into the stone wall.
The wood was dark brown, its grain twisted into shapes that resembled a face frozen in pain.
An iron ring hung from the door, rust creeping across its surface. A brass lock dangled from it, the keyhole melted shut. Hardened copper had pooled and solidified around the opening, forming ugly lumps.
Regulus pushed the door open. Dust cascaded down, swirling in the slanted light like a column of mist.
Inside, the room was empty save for heaps of discarded astronomical instruments.
A brass sextant had corroded to green. The markings on a star chart were nearly illegible. A telescope lay snapped in two, shards of glass scattered across the floor.
A thick layer of dust coated the ground. Several fresh footprints cut through it, the tread patterns still sharp. They had been left within the past few days.
Regulus walked to the far end of the room.
A stone wall stood there, tangled in vines that concealed most of its surface.
He brushed the vines aside.
A hidden entrance was revealed, its edges jagged, as if it had been carved forcibly from the wall. It was just wide enough for one person to squeeze through.
His fingertips grazed the inner stone.
Magic lingered there. Still fresh.
The protective enchantments had been dismantled bit by bit with spellwork. Not elegant, but precise.
Hermes's level of magic was not enough for this.
Either someone had worked alongside him, or the Mulciber family had provided him with a specialized magical item to break through the protections.
Regulus had already drawn his conclusion.
With a flick of his wand, the remaining vines fell away completely, exposing the entrance.
"Inside."
He ducked and stepped through first. Cuthbert and Alex followed close behind.
The passage sloped downward at roughly a fifteen-degree angle.
The walls were rough stone bricks. Luminous moss grew in the cracks, casting a faint green glow.
The air was damp and cold, thick with the smell of earth and mildew.
A silver-white light bloomed at the tip of Regulus's wand. It was bright enough to illuminate their footing without blinding them in the confined space.
Ancient runes were carved along the walls. Their color had faded, some nearly worn away, yet they still emitted faint traces of magic. They looked centuries old.
Dust blanketed the floor. Two clear sets of footprints stretched ahead.
One set was smaller. The tread matched Hermes's boots exactly. Regulus recognized it at once.
The other set was larger, the stride steady, the depth of each print even.
He crouched and brushed his fingers lightly across the larger prints. A thread of magic extended outward, catching a faint residue.
Judging by the size of the prints and the strength of the lingering magic, the other person was likely a fourth- or fifth-year student. Not sixth year or above.
Older students had denser magic. Their steps would have pressed deeper, their weight distribution different.
"Two people came here," Regulus said as he rose. "Hermes and another upper-year student. Either an accomplice or an opponent."
Cuthbert bent down for a closer look. "Do you think the other one did it?"
"It's possible," Regulus replied, continuing forward.
Alex trailed behind them, hugging the wall, careful not to brush against the stone. His voice shook. "This place feels ancient. What if there are traps?"
"The magic here is mostly protective and disorienting," Regulus said, extending his senses to cover the ten-meter area around them. "Whoever set these spells did not intend to harm intruders. They just wanted to keep people out."
Time had weakened them. And once breached, they could no longer truly stop anyone.
The passage grew darker the deeper they went. The cold intensified.
Forks in the corridor began to appear more frequently. Each branching path shimmered with faint magical fluctuations, Confundus-type enchantments designed to send intruders wandering in circles.
Guided by his keen magical perception, Regulus avoided the false paths again and again, following the main corridor.
Cuthbert stared at the branching tunnels, many marked with footprints.
"How do you know which one to take? They all look the same."
"The magic here is more recent," Regulus replied without turning.
More recent magic? What kind of explanation was that?
Cuthbert nodded anyway and stopped asking.
At the end of the passage stood a massive stone door.
More intricate runes covered its surface, twisted strokes resembling archaic variants of runic script.
Clear magical traces marked the door. Someone had attempted to dismantle the protective enchantments, but only partially succeeded. The core remained intact.
Regulus approached and placed his hand against it.
The moment his fingers touched the surface, an invisible barrier pushed him back.
He studied the runes carefully.
The protective structure was extraordinarily complex. There was even a hint of Fidelius-like logic embedded within it.
Only someone who knew the secret could enter. Those who did not would find brute force nearly useless.
And beyond the door, he could sense something else.
A faint, ominous magical presence seeped through the barrier.
It was weak from this side, but familiar.
It carried a subtle connection to the cursed aura clinging to Hermes.
Regulus was certain of it.
Whatever lay beyond this stone door was the source of Hermes's injury.
It was dangerous. Saturated with dark, twisted energy. Not something to touch lightly.
Cuthbert stepped forward and pressed his palm against the door, then tried to shove it open.
It did not budge.
"What is this thing made of?" he muttered. "Should we try magic?"
"It won't work," Regulus said. "The protection is still active. And powerful."
Cuthbert stared at the runes, unconsciously running a finger along his wand as he considered ways to break through.
Alex stood near the back, arms wrapped around himself, trembling slightly. His eyes kept darting toward the passage behind them, as if he wished he could flee at once.
The difference in their temperaments was stark.
Faced with the unknown, Cuthbert's instinct was to confront it, even knowing there was danger.
Alex's instinct was to retreat, to protect himself above all else.
Regulus glanced at both of them.
"We're leaving."
Cuthbert turned sharply. "Why? We're already here. If we push a little harder, we might open it."
"What's behind this door is dangerous," Regulus said evenly.
"And there are two sets of footprints in the passage. Hermes was injured. We cannot rule out the possibility that the other person betrayed him."
"If we withdraw now and observe, we may draw out whoever is behind this."
Cuthbert's eyes lit up. "You mean set a trap?"
"No," Regulus replied. "We do not need one. Hermes's hospitalization cannot be hidden. Whoever is responsible will be watching."
"If we leave without revealing that we came here, they will act again sooner or later."
"And when they do, we catch them."
Alex exhaled in visible relief. "Good. Let's go."
Regulus nodded and turned back toward the passage.
Cuthbert and Alex followed immediately.