First clue
The Gryffindor common room was unusually quiet when Isagi, Reo, and Rin gathered around the old parchment they had uncovered in the library. The crude sketch of the so-called Forgotten Grounds stared back at them, its jagged lines and faded ink offering more questions than answers.
Isagi traced his finger along the unfamiliar pathways drawn on the map, brow furrowed in thought. "I don’t get it. This doesn’t match any part of the castle we know."
"Obviously," Rin muttered, arms crossed. "If it did, we wouldn’t be sitting here trying to figure it out."
Reo leaned in, tilting his head. "Could it be one of those rooms that shift around? Like the hidden staircases?"
"Maybe," Isagi said slowly, eyes narrowing. "But look at this—" He pointed at a small marking near the center of the sketch. It looked like an archway with strange runes scrawled around it. "I think this is supposed to be an entrance."
Rin examined the symbol. "I've seen something similar before."
Both Isagi and Reo turned to him in surprise.
"You have?"
Rin nodded, his expression unreadable. "Last year. I found a door in one of the lower levels, but it wouldn’t open. It had markings like this on it."
"And you didn’t think that was important?" Reo asked, exasperated.
"It was just a locked door," Rin replied coolly. "Hogwarts is full of them."
Isagi sat back, thinking. A door that wouldn’t open. A hidden part of the castle. A creature that was said to wait for those who sought the truth.
This was starting to sound less like a myth and more like a challenge.
He grinned. "Guess we’re paying that door a visit…”
The lower levels of Hogwarts were eerily quiet at night. Unlike the busy hallways of the main castle, the dungeons had a way of swallowing sound, making even the faintest footsteps echo through the stone corridors.
The three of them moved carefully, wands gripped tightly. They weren’t technically breaking any rules, but if a professor caught them wandering around unsupervised, detention would be the least of their worries.
"Alright, Rin," Reo said in a whisper. "Where’s this door of yours?"
Rin led them through a narrow passageway, the walls growing colder with each step. Finally, he stopped in front of an unassuming stone archway.
"There."
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an old section of the castle wall. But as Isagi stepped closer, he saw the faint traces of something—intricate carvings barely visible beneath centuries of dust and grime.
"This is it," Rin confirmed.
Isagi reached out and ran his fingers along the carvings. They weren’t just decorations—they were runes, ancient and complex.
"Do you think it’s a spell keeping it locked?" Reo asked.
"Probably," Rin answered. "But I’ve tried all the unlocking charms I know. Nothing worked."
Isagi frowned. "Then maybe it’s not about magic. Maybe it’s about... intention."
The words sounded strange even as he said them, but something about the runes gave him that feeling. The Astralis Beast was said to appear to those seeking the truth—what if this door worked the same way?
Reo raised an eyebrow. "You mean, like a test?"
Isagi nodded.
Rin scoffed. "That’s ridiculous."
"Is it?" Isagi challenged. "Hogwarts is full of enchanted doors and hidden rooms that respond to thoughts. The Room of Requirement literally appears when someone needs it. What if this is the same?"
Silence. Then Reo exhaled. "Only one way to find out."
Isagi took a deep breath and focused.
"I want to find the truth."
The runes began to glow.
A low rumbling filled the air as the stone shifted, the carvings rearranging themselves like puzzle pieces. Dust cascaded to the floor as the door—the real door—appeared before them.
The three of them exchanged a look.
"Well," Reo said, grinning. "That’s new."
Isagi smirked. "Told you."
Rin rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.
Then, slowly, they stepped through the doorway—into the Forgotten Grounds.
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