The Map and the Key
Astoria had been absent-minded all day. No matter how much she tried to focus, her mind kept drifting back to the note, to Magnus Dainforth, to the unsettling reality that she had no choice but to meet him that evening. Every lecture blurred together, words bleeding into one another, and none of it stuck.
Sebastian had noticed.
He sat across from her in the library, chin resting in his hand as he watched her. The late afternoon sun streamed in through the high windows, casting a golden glow on the scattered books and parchment. It made her hair shimmer like burnished gold, made her look almost ethereal—if only she weren't so lost in thought. Her deep green eyes, unfocused, lingered on the same page for the last twenty minutes.
He sighed through his nose, exasperated.
Enough of this.
Reaching over, he gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face.
Astoria startled, blinking rapidly as if she had just been yanked from another dimension. Her head snapped up, eyes darting to Sebastian's smirking face.
"Earth to Astoria."
She blinked again.
Sebastian chuckled. "What's got you thinking so hard? Couldn't have been the riveting preface of The Linguistic Evolution of Ancient Runes."
Astoria hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. "I was just...thinking."
"Clearly."
Sebastian tilted his head, his dark brown eyes sharp with amusement. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"
Astoria flushed, her breath hitching slightly. Had Sebastian Sallow of all people just—
Sebastian seemed to realize it too. He cleared his throat, straightening. "Just kidding," he backtracked quickly. "Just making sure your sense of embarrassment was still intact."
Natty and Poppy giggled. Ominis sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "Merlin's beard..."
Astoria shook off her flustered state. "I'm fine. Just distracted."
Sebastian frowned but didn't press further. Even Natty and Poppy exchanged concerned glances, but the moment passed. They returned to their studies—Sebastian still watching her carefully.
Later that evening, shrouded beneath the Disillusionment Charm, Astoria slipped through the castle and down toward the old boathouse. The air was crisp, the scent of the Black Lake thick with the promise of winter.
A figure stood waiting.
The hooded stranger turned at the sound of her footsteps, a slow, knowing smile curling across his lips. "Keeper Successor," he greeted smoothly.
Astoria tensed. "What do you want?"
The figure tilted his head. "Only for you to hear what you should've been told long ago."
Before she could react, he seized her wrist, and the world twisted. The sensation was excruciating—her body compressed, as though being forced through an impossibly tight tube, her lungs burning as the pressure built—
And then she was somewhere else.
Astoria collapsed to her knees, coughing violently as her stomach churned. She had never Apparated before, and it was as awful as the books had described.
A deep chuckle echoed above her. "A bit unpleasant the first time, isn't it?"
Astoria forced herself to her feet, inhaling deeply before assessing her surroundings. She was in an abandoned hall—stone archways crumbling, torches flickering dimly, and the scent of damp earth permeating the air.
And standing before her, in the flesh, was Magnus Dainforth.
He was younger than she expected—late-thirties, perhaps—tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp, intelligent eyes that gleamed with something unreadable. He carried himself like a man who had nothing to fear.
Magnus glanced at a nearby broken pedestal and smirked. "Still standing, after all these years. Amazing, isn't it? This place used to be one of the old sanctuaries professors would sneak away to when they needed respite from students."
Astoria stiffened. "How would you know that?"
Magnus met her gaze, a flicker of amusement in his expression. "Because I was one of those students."
Astoria took a step back, eyes narrowing. "You were a student. Here. At Hogwarts?"
Magnus smirked. "Not just a student, Ms Blackwood. A Slytherin."
The revelation made her stomach twist.
Astoria was rapidly processing it "Why am I here?"
"Because," Magnus stepped closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper, "You and I have far more in common than you may think."
Astoria stiffened.
Magnus folded his arms. "You've been kept in the dark. The Keepers make you jump through endless trials, but for what? Do they trust you? Did they tell you the whole truth?"
She didn't answer.
"They see you as a tool, a conduit, something to be...managed." His voice was gentle, persuasive. "But you are so much more than that. You are powerful. You deserve to shape your own destiny. And, I'm sure you've already started looking for answers on your own. What you're seeking—it's called the Vault of Transmutation. In fact, I found it once, in my last year at Hogwarts." Magnus murmured.
Astoria's breath caught.
"But I could not open it. Only someone like you can. Someone special." He drawled, almost mockingly. "You're the key. And I? I'm the map. Together, we can unlock something greater. Something the Keepers fear." Magnus smiled, soft, reverent.
Astoria's mind reeled. The words weighed heavy. He was right—the Keepers had always kept her at arm's length, always made her prove herself over and over again. They withheld truths, shrouded secrets in riddles, and dictated what she could and could not know. A small, dangerous part of her wondered—what were they so afraid of?
But Magnus had hurt her friends. He had threatened them to get to her. That alone should have been enough to dismiss everything he said. And yet, doubt gnawed at her, a whispering thought she could not quite silence.
What if there was more? What if the Keepers weren't telling her everything?
She clenched her fists, pushing the thoughts away.
Magnus seemed to sense her turmoil. He softened, stepping back. "I know this is a lot. I won't force you to decide now."
Astoria's jaw clenched. "I won't help you."
His smile didn't falter. "Not yet."
With a flick of his wrist, the hooded figure reappeared beside her. Before she could react, the suffocating pull of the Apparition gripped her once more—
She stumbled, landing hard on the docks by the boathouse, gasping for air.
Magnus was nowhere to be seen.
Still reeling, she staggered back toward the castle, her thoughts in chaos.
As she crept back toward the Slytherin common room, she barely made it three steps before Sebastian appeared in the corridor, arms crossed, his dark eyes locking onto her instantly.
"You've been sneaking around."
Astoria stilled. "I was—" she searched for an excuse. "I was at the Astronomy Tower."
Sebastian raised a brow. "Alone?"
Astoria huffed, brushing past him. "I needed some air."
Sebastian scoffed. "Bit hurt you didn't invite me." His voice was light-hearted, but his gaze was anything but. He didn't believe her.
Still, he let it go.
For now.