Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0605 Clues

0605 Clues

Since his exploration of the underground chamber hidden deep beneath Azkaban Island, under the guidance of Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw, Bryan had expected that he would one day join the ranks of those wizards seeking after the Deathly Hallows. The cryptic clues left behind by the four founders spanning an entire millennium were undoubtedly of great importance - they would not have done anything meaningless.

The Resurrection Stone, the Elder Wand, and the Cloak of Invisibility- it was said that the one who came to possess all three of these Hallows would thereby become the Master of Death, wielding power far beyond the ordinary.

Those events which had truly occurred in history, when subsequently embellished with a coating of exaggeration by generations of overwhelmed storytellers, had gradually transformed into the timeless legends which were passed down to the present day.

While Bryan firmly believed that the three Hallows were indeed extraordinary magical artifacts of immense and terrifying power, the notion that simply possessing them would enable one to conquer death itself surely could not have originated from Herpo himself.

Rather, it seemed far more likely that this story had been purposefully left behind by none other than Merlin himself, the first true soul to set foot upon the shores of Azkaban and discover the stone archway, in order for the "coordinates" of the door to be passed down through the river of time.

But Merlin's purpose in taking away these coordinates and sealing that door so long ago was quite clear.

Bryan had only just received the cryptic revelation "In the starry sky lies your way home" left by Merlin at the centaurs' temple, and immediately after, he unexpectedly discovered at Hogwarts the means to travel to that starry sky. Whether this was mere coincidence or something prearranged no longer mattered.

The most important thing for Bryan was to find them!

But this was obviously not easy, whether the three Hallows or the "Door of Death". The only clues Bryan currently possessed were that the Resurrection Stone, one of the Hallows, and that mysterious door of death had once been in the hands of the four founders roughly a thousand years ago. Since they were guiding him, they should not pose too great a difficulty.

But precisely where could they be hidden?

It was impossible to say with any certainty where the 'Door of Death' itself might now be. It seemed extremely unlikely that the four founders would have dared to keep such a dangerous artifact of tremendous and terrifying power within the grounds of Hogwarts itself for all these centuries.

And yet, it seemed equally unlikely that they would have taken it away to some underground vault - as that would suggest that the four founders had fully intended for their own graves to one day be unearthed by Bryan himself a full millennium later.

The dazzling golden radiance of the winter sun, reflected by the year's first snowfall, seemed to drape the entire ancient Hogwarts castle in a radiant veil of shimmering light. The grounds outside resounded with the laughter of young wizards and witches. There was no reason to stop the children from having an exhilarating snowball fight in the silver-clad world on their days off.

The corridors inside the castle also echoed with the laughter from outside, but the library remained quiet as ever. The bright yet not scorching sunlight shone through the windows, illuminating the library's ordinary reading area, but the Restricted Section, filled with all sorts of eerie whispers, remained exceedingly dark.

Gazing at the dense gleaming sunlight that seemed to solidify into a tangible curtain of light around the borders of the common reading area, Bryan leaned against one of the bookshelves in the Restricted Section, the emptiness in his eyes told that his mind had wandered far away lost in deep thought.

'Where in Merlin's name could that door possibly be?'

Bryan pondered intently. He felt only a thin veil separating him from the truth, requiring just a flash of inspiration to uncover it. However, trapped by chaotic thoughts, that crucial inspiration never appeared.

As for the current whereabouts of the Resurrection Stone...Bryan suspected that it most likely was in the possession of Slytherin's Heir. After all, this information had been said directly by Rowena Ravenclaw.

'The Heir of Slytherin - could the Stone have some link to that locket belonging to Salazar?'

Regardless, these fragmented clues at least provided Bryan with a starting point, a direction in his search for these two items. But as for the other two Hallows, the Elder Wand and the Cloak of Invisibility... their locations were even more elusive.

The known wizarding history told only that those two legendary items had first appeared in the possession of the three Peverell brothers. Indeed, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows- had been found engraved upon the headstone that marked the final resting place of Ignotus Peverell.

This startling discovery had incited entire generations of Hallow-seekers to take on trips to the village of Godric's Hollow, where, for centuries, they came to observe the graves of the three Peverell brothers.

Bryan lowered his gaze to the tome tucked in his arm – it was a manuscript crudely bound by hand, the topmost page composed of parchment so ancient and brittle with age that it was about to crumble to dust at the slightest touch and its tattered surface bore staining of dirt and fingerprints.

Amidst the barely readable text on that tattered page, a peculiar symbol stood out - a triangle with a circle inscribed within its boundaries, and a single line that seemed to bisect them both.

The symbol of the Deathly Hallows.

As far as Bryan could determine, this slim stack of pages documented the origins of the Hallows legend- and the blood-soaked history of the many generations of wizards who pursued, with a passion bordering upon madness, those three mythical artifacts through the long centuries.

In Bryan's estimation, this manuscript was likely a particularly well-researched thesis, submitted by some long-forgotten student of Professor Binns for his N.E.W.T.-level class on magical history some three hundred years ago. By all rights, such a thesis should have been securely slipped away among the wobbling stacks of parchment in Professor Binns's own office.

However, for some reason, it appeared in the library's Restricted Section and was discovered by chance by Bryan while researching.

The floor of a Restricted Section corridor was littered haphazardly with all sorts of magic books. This was the commotion Bryan had just caused. After magically returning these forbidden tomes to their shelves, Bryan took the stack of papers, intending to ask Professor Binns if he had any recollection of this manuscript.

Frankly, he did not hold out much hope.

After all, Professor Binns could not even fluently recite the names of the students he was currently teaching. Expecting him to remember events from two or three centuries ago was purely Bryan's unrealistic wish.

Brushing the dust off his robes, Bryan exited the Restricted Section, crossed the dividing cordon, passed through the regular book area, and after signing out with Madam Pince, he swiftly stepped out of the library.

"Oh, it's you, Professor Vatson—"

The sound of that sudden call, uttered in a voice still cracking with the last remnants of boyhood, startled Bryan out of his contemplative trance. He stumbled briefly, but quickly regained his footing as he turned to look at the two students involved in conversation beside the stone cubicle near the library entrance.

It was Karkaroff's student, the Durmstrang champion, Viktor Krum. And the slightly dazed-looking girl standing opposite him was Hermione.

Seeing Professor Watson emerge from the library and walk this way, Krum subconsciously straightened his back with a look of unease and awe in his eyes.

"Good afternoon, Professor Vatson." The heavily accented voice of Viktor Krum cut through the sudden, awkward silence. As he spoke, he unconsciously straightened his shoulders and spine, standing even taller as he looked at Bryan with a curious mixture of awe and unease.

Bryan gave him a polite nod and a smile. His impression of this boy was much better than that of his headmaster. However, what were he and Hermione doing here - discussing the second task of the Triwizard Tournament?

"No need to stand on ceremony, Viktor," Bryan said warmly, allowing none of his inner speculations to color his tone. "I do hope I'm not interrupting anything important...?"

Strangely, as he approached, Hermione looked startled. She quickly glanced at that stack of aged papers tucked under the professor's arm. The writing was rather blurry and she could not make it out clearly, but she did take note of the conspicuous "T" on the first page and that peculiar symbol.

And when Hermione noticed the meaningful look Professor Watson directed her way upon seeing the book Magick Moste Evile cradled in her arms, her cheeks suddenly flushed red as she timidly shrank her head back.

But before Bryan could make any further inquiry, Viktor Krum spoke again, "Nothing great, Professor—"

There was a note of insincerity in Krum's reply. He too had spotted the manuscript under Professor Watson's arm. After a moment of distraction, Krum hesitated, but decided to tell the truth.

"Um, I vos simply extending an invitation to Hermione to attend the Yule Ball as panion."

'The Yule Ball?'

Bryan paused for a moment, briefly baffled by this unexpected revelation. But then he understood, and could not suppress a crooked smile as he glanced between the two suddenly bashful-looking young wizards.

"Ah, I see...Please do forgive the intrusion." He said preparing to take his leave and allow the two to continue their conversation in peace. "It seems I appeared at an inconvenient moment. I'll take my leave—"

"But Professor Watson—"

Hermione hugged the book in her arms even tighter, just as she had told Harry and Ron. Professor Watson had only forbidden them from talking carelessly, not from investigating. Hermione fought back her unease. Whether secretly investigating or finding a date to the Yule Ball, it all made her incredibly anxious.

"I...I was planning to return home for the holidays, you see. For Christmas. Only...Viktor's just informed me that the school is apparently holding some sort of ball during Christmas, and…well..."

She trailed off, clearly at a loss for how to continue. Bryan took in her words, and her somewhat loss expression.

'Had no one informed her…?'

"You mean to say..." Bryan looked at her in astonishment, "that this is the first you're hearing of it? I would have thought someone would have notified you well before now!"

Hermione honestly shook her head.

"Well then—" Bryan reached up to massage his forehead, momentarily at a loss for words. "It's a long-standing tradition, an important part of the Triwizard Tournament. During the Yuletide season, the host school puts on a grand formal gala, a ball, and invites the students of all three schools to attend - to promote international cohesion and cultural exchange, you see."

He gave the two young champions a 'it's very important look', infusing his next words with gentle authority:

"Now, Miss Granger, as one of the Hogwarts champions, I'm afraid your attendance is rather mandatory. The ball traditionally opens with a dance performed by the champions and their chosen partners. So, unless you and Mr. Diggory wish to risk the wrath of our panel of judges - or the disappointment of the entire school, for that matter - I would strongly advise against being absent from the festivities."

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