The Restricted Section
Magnus looked over the notes he had made on everything Tear related. The Tear's last known location had been in Albania, but it moved around from place to place. Andy was in possesion of the Ace of Diamonds, and the Spanish Magical Museum was in control of the other Shadow Cards, which meant he had to somehow retrieve them to find the Tear. Andy would come with him, of course, and Terence hopefully would too. Daphne would take some persuading, Charles and Lily would only go together, and Summer and Daemon probably would not come. Peter was a mystery. He would be useful with his vast amount of knowledge, but only if he was up to it. This was all assuming that they actually wanted to find the Tear. Things like that sometimes are best left undiscovered.
After a train of thought led to a promising idea, Magnus went in search of a ghost. There must have been at least one ghost that was around back when Merlin and Tobias Dragon went after Morgana. Henry Dragon's journals said that they had used the Tear to defeat her, so it was possible that a ghost may know something that was not written in any book.
"So this is the famous duelling chamber." An unfamiliar voice said as Magnus turned the corner. It was a ghost, but none that he had ever seen around the castle before. He was talking to a figure Magnus instantly recognized. It was the Bloody Baron, but when he spoke, it sounded nothing like the rasping voice all of Hogwarts had come to associate with him.
"The very one. I recall one duel between Merlin and Toby, back before they were friends."
"The first great Hogwarts rivalry," a third, familiar, voice answered. It was Percival, an ex-friend of Andy's, but he did not look solid, instead seeming to be a ghost. Could he have died? No, it would have been the talk of the school. Something did not add up. "If I remember correctly, Toby was sure to win–"
"Before your brother cast a wandless charm–" the Bloody Baron continued.
"And knocked him off his feet," the two finished together, laughing.
"Woah. Hold up. You were Merlin's brother!" Magnus couldn't help but exclaim.
"The one and only," Percival replied, turning around, a smile ghosting his silver face. "I was wondering when you would come looking for answers."
"How did you know?" Magnus asked.
"You are a Dragon. You lot always do."
"And why do you look like a ghost now, but looked so human earlier?"
"The perks of being a poltergeist," Percival answered, glancing at the ghost Magnus did not recognise.
"When did you learn you could do that?" the ghost questioned.
"Long as I've been a poltergeist," Percival continued after the ghost's questioning look, "I only change my appearance around humans."
"Poltergeist... Wait, so you're Peeves?" Magnus asked in wonder.
"The one and only," Percival replied again. "So, what is it you wish to know. It is about the Tear, I assume?"
"Yeah. I was... Well, I wanted to know if there was another way of finding it. Without the Shadow Cards. I heard a rumour that Merlin and Tobias Dragon found it without them."
"Well of course they found the Tear without the cards. The cards came into existence three centuries after Merlin lived. I would know, my friend helped make them," the Bloody Baron answered.
"So how did they find it?" Magnus pressed, eager to find the Tear.
"First I would like to know why you want to find it. Tell the truth, we'll know if you aren't." Magnus glanced between the three before answering.
"Curiosity, I guess. My Great-Grandfather, Henry Dragon, came across the Tear by accident. He wrote that he would return and document his finds, but that was his last expedition. I want to find out what is on the other side, even if I don't return here. And I also suppose that I want to find him, or at least his remains."
"There's something else," the unfamiliar ghost said, "I can see it in your eyes."
"Well... It seems almost as if I am meant to go through the Tear. I find out about it in Henry Dragon's journals, somehow get permission to read The Secrets of the Nine Worlds, and find the Ace of Diamonds, the missing Shadow Card. It feels as if something wants me to go through that Tear."
"Andy, Daphne, and Terence were with you when you found the Ace. How do you know it was not one of them? Perhaps it is Terence, who is to use your knowledge of the Tear, Daphne's knowledge of the European Circle, and Andy's knowledge of the magical arts, to go through it." Magnus chewed over Percival's words in his head for a few moments.
"I just have a feeling that I need to go though the Tear, no matter what," the Bloody Baron and Percival exchanged a knowing look.
"There's still something else. Something deeper," the unfamiliar ghost prompted, still looking at Magnus's eyes.
"Well then I don't know what it is," Magnus said, hints of anger seeping into his voice. "Can you just tell me what I need to know?" Percival sighed.
"I do not know if it is wise or not to tell you. But then again, I suppose that your previous knowledge of Latin, French, Hebrew and Ancient Greek, will not be nearly enough to understand the book. Let alone deciphering the hidden meanings of the illustrations. Oh, and your abilities to read musical notations, that's also important. "
"It's in a book?"
"A short but confusing and complicated one, yes." Percival answered, "it would be a year at the least before you could understand what it was saying. And that is with the help of experts."
"But you know what it says?" Magnus asked, more eager than before.
"Well, my Hebrew is a bit rusty, and I haven't deciphered an illustration of this type in a couple of centuries, but yeah, with a bit of time I probably could."
"So, can't you just tell me what it says?"
"The book is in a hidden alcove in the back of the restricted section. Or at least it was last time I checked. Someone might have moved it. If you want to go through the Tear, you can find out how to by yourself."
"But you said it would take a year at the least! How am I supposed to wait that long?" Magnus protested.
"People have waited their entire lives for even a glimpse of the Ace of Diamonds. Organisations have lasted centuries in hopes of finding the Tear. You are but thirteen years of age, and are already further than some have come in a millennia. I think you can wait a few years to find it," the Bloody Baron replied.
"Can you at least tell me the name of the book?"
"Only if you tell me how to find Orion Storm," Percival answered. Magnus furrowed his brow slightly in confusion, but agreed.
"Orion Storm... He's a Slytherin, in the year below us. Half-blood, not many friends. Hangs out with some Ravenclaws from time to time. Andy has talked to him once or twice. Something to do with potions, I think. From what I've heard he got into an argument with Draco Malfoy at the end of last year. I don't know what it was about. He reads in the Quidditch Stands or by the Black Lake, whichever is quieter. And that is all I know about Orion Storm. Now, what is the book called?"
"The Mysteries of Magic and Music. However, the title is in Hebrew, so I'll write it down so you can actually find the book." Magnus thanked him and turned to leave, but the Bloody Baron called him back.
"I would not ask the librarian where it is. As far as the catalog is concerned, the book does not exist. It would only raise suspicion."
"But how am I meant to get to the back of the restricted section without anybody noticing?"
"That is for you to find out," he answered, a knowing look in his eyes.
~|~
Percival turned to Alexander after Magnus had left, "I am going to find Orion Storm."
"This is about the Blood Pact your father and Wylan Dragon made, is it not?"
"I thought it would be fine after all the Times had died. But the pact continues through blood, not name. If Orion Storm is the only living descendant of my father, we need to do whatever we can to ensure that his skin never touches that of any Dragon."
"I know what the words of the pact were," Alexander responded, "and I agree with you. But how to go about it? From what Magnus said, Orion Storm has never come in contact with a Dragon. We could just leave it, and hope that he never meets Magnus, nor any other Dragon, except on a new moon."
"I hate to inject, but what is all this about Blood Pacts and new moons?" Julier asked.
"Years ago, before I was born, the families of Time and Dragon were rivals; they had been for as long as anybody could remember. But my father, the eldest of his siblings, and Wylan, the eldest of his, decided to put a stop to the bloodshed. The made a Blood Pact which said, in summary, that their descendants could not touch each other, unless it was a new moon. Spells of this type have to be connected to an object that bears witness to it. They chose the moon, but when it cannot see, on a new moon, the two families could touch. This of course did not end the fighting, but at least lessened it."
"Which is why Orion Storm, the illegitimate son of Percival's father, can never touch the skin of a Dragon," Alexander explained. Julier looked slightly confused, but after a couple of moments his expression cleared.
"Right. I suppose that make sense," he said. "On with the tour?"
"On with the tour." Percival agreed, leading the ghost out of the dungeons.
~|~
A day after talking to Percival, the Bloody Baron, and the unfamiliar ghost, Magnus found a piece of muggle paper slipped into one of his books. All it said was 'מסתרי הקסם והמוזיקה'. He assumed it was the title of the book Percival had been talking about. Magnus knew sneaking into the Restricted Section would not be easy by himself, so he went in search of Andy.
She was sitting on a bench next to the Black Lake, talking to a boy with curly brown hair and dark skin. "Andy!" Magnus called, making her turn. "Can I have a moment?"
"Sure!" Andy called back. She said a few words to the boy, who nodded in response, before standing up and walking over to him.
"Okay, so I need your help with something. It might be breaking a couple of school rules," Magnus said uncertainly.
"I am the infamous prankster Time. How many rules do you think I have broken and gotten away with?" Andy asked, laughing, "So what is it that you want help with?"
"I want to steal a book from the Restricted Section."
"So just get Professor Snape or Fawley to sign a permission slip," Andy suggested, confused.
"Yeah... The thing is that the library doesn't actually know that this book exists. And it is right at the back, hidden inside an alcove. This isn't something I can just check out. I need to steal it." Andy raised an eyebrow.
"It has something to do with the Tear, doesn't it," she said, clearly not as a question.
"I am fairly certain it has a way of finding it without using the Shadow Cards. The only problem is that it is going to be very difficult to understand." Andy nodded at Magnus's response.
"I'll help you. I know just the right secret passageway to use. We just need to sneak in, get the book, and sneak out. You should ask Terence if he wants to help," she planned.
"One thing, I don't know where the alcove is, or how to get the book out of it," Magnus said.
"That's fine. We'll go multiple times if need be. Chances are nobody will be that far back anyway," Andy reassured. "Meet me in the kitchens before dinner tonight so we can find the passageways. Now, with that sorted, I'm going to go and talk to Orion." She walked back to the bench and immediately began talking with the boy again. Magnus looked after her for a moment before turning to go back into the castle, in search of Terence. Upon finding the other boy, Magnus explained what they were going to do. Terence agreed to help, and soon it was time for dinner.
The three Slytherins exited the kitchen and followed Andy through one of the main dungeon passages. She stopped next to a seemingly ordinary wall and pressed one of the stones lightly. Andy walked through the wall as if it were water, creating ripples along the stone. Terence and Magnus exchanged an uncertain look. A hand appeared back through the wall, beckoning them to follow, accompanied by Andy's slightly muffled voice.
"This is awesome!" Terence exclaimed once he had entered the tunnel. It was not small or dark as he had imagined, but rather ornately designed and lined with glowing torches in iron brackets. All three of them could walk comfortably, and it seemed as if even Hagrid would be able to stand without banging his head.
"How does this passage even make sense?" Magnus asked, not bothering to whisper.
"It is magic, it doesn't need to make sense," Andy replied, accompanying her words with a chuckle. On both sides of the smooth stone walled corridor were doors. Not just wooden doors, but ones made out of metal and stone and silk and many other materials. Terence and Magnus gaped at them, but Andy just smiled. "They each lead to a different place," she explained, "it is how I can navigate the castle and the grounds with ease. I haven't gone through every single door, but I've marked the ones that I have with their location, like people who have found this before me." Andy gestured to a nearby one. There was a bronze plaque, next to a red wooden door with golden accents, that was engraved with the words 'Gryffindor Common Room'.
"This goes to the Gryffindor Common Room?" Terence asked in wonder.
"Yes, but you need their password to use it. It's the same with the Slytherin Common Room one. With the Ravenclaw door you have to answer a riddle, and the Hufflepuff door opens like the kitchen door does," Andy answered.
"So some of these need passwords, or have a secret way of opening them?" She nodded in response to Magnus's question.
"Most of them, actually," she added. Andy stopped in front of a black metal door with words etched into it. It silver plaque read 'The Restricted Section – Forbidden Books'.
"What does it mean by 'Forbidden Books'?" Magnus asked.
"At the very back of the Restricted Section, there are books nobody can check out, or are even allowed to read. By the looks of it, no human had been there for several years before I came along," Andy replied, before saying some words in a language Magnus did not recognise. The door swung open, revealing a dark room filled with locked cases. She took a nearby torch out of its bracket and entered, gesturing for her friends to follow suit. After they were all inside, the door swung shut. Magnus looked behind him and saw that, thankfully, the door was still there.
"Don't open any of the cases." Terence warned. "There must be some really dangerous book here. They are labeled, which will help. What are we looking for?"
"The Mysteries of Magic and Music.l," Magnus answered, "but the title is in Hebrew. Here, this is what it will look like." He had cast a duplicate charm on the paper Percival had given to him, and handed a copy to Terence; Andy already had one.
"I don't recognise any of these languages," Terence said after half an hour. "Apart from the occasional one that is actually in a version of English that I understand. And those titles were creepy."
"As bad as 'The Pleasures of Killing'?" Andy asked.
"'Twelve Ways to Torture a Torturer'," Terence replied. "Why are these books even in Hogwarts! They should be locked away in Gringotts being guarded by a dragon!"
"To be fair, nobody would actually read these books." Magnus pointed out.
"But what if they have wierd brainwashing abilities, or are cursed?" Terence countered, "they should not be in a school."
"Half these titles are harmless. 'The Writings of Lythanniel Thorne, Volume Four: Immortality' doesn't exactly scream evil. Being immortal isn't evil. What you do with that immortality is what makes it good or evil."
"Perhaps it has capabilities for both great good, but also great evil. The risks of releasing that evil are far greater than that of good." The talk of immortality caused Magnus to think of Percival. The thought was followed by a sudden realisation.
"Guys, when I talked to Percival he said that my ability to read musical notations would be important. What if he wasn't just talking about what was inside the book, but also about how to get it?"
"You talked to Percival about this?" Andy asked, and something in her voice made him pause.
"He was the one who told me about the book in the first place," Magnus said in confusion. "Did I not tell you?" Andy shook her head.
"We're looking for the book Merlin and Tobias Dragon used to find the Tear, aren't we," she said knowingly, "I probably should have figured that out sooner. I've been looking for it for a while, ever since Percival told me about–" Andy cut herself off, "about its existence." Terence glanced at her suspiciously, but Magnus hardly noticed.
"Great!" He said, "that means you'll be able to tell us where you've already checked." Andy shook her head.
"I didn't know it was inside an alcove. So I've been looking in all the wrong..." she trailed off. "I think I found it!" Magnus and Terence made their way over to where Andy was standing. "Look, can you see the notes?" she held her torch up to them. Magnus's eyes widened as he saw the notes carved into the stone archway above the alcove. "There are two parts. The top one is Bb, C, Bb, A. And the bottom one is Ab, B, Ab, F, G."
"No." Magnus corrected "They have different clefs. The top uses treble clef, and the bottom one alto. You read the top right, but the bottom would go Bb, C, Bb, G, A. We'll need to go get instruments to play it and come back."
"You guys stay right here. I'll be back as soon as I can," Andy said, running off before either of them could reply.
"So, how is Hogwarts?" Terence asked after a brief akward silence.
"It is way better then I thought it would be. My two younger siblings, Vita and Teo, want to come now too, more than ever, but my Mum said only if I actually like it here. Vita was meant to start this year, but some stuff happened over the summer, so she didn't. Hopefully both she and Teo can start next year. If nothing dramatic happens. Which, let's face it, is highly unlikely. We have more curses on our family than anybody would like to admit. So the chances that they can come are rather slim. I am only here because there is a very tiny possibility that I could actually have a normal life."
"Why's that?"
"Well, curses can contradict each other. For example, a curse saying that every firstborn will go to an afterworld before they turn sixteen years of age could be contradicted, by one that says that every firstborn will suffer a painful, either physically or emotionally, experience on the day that they turn twenty years of age."
"So two curses affecting you could have cancelled out, leaving you relatively normal compared to your family?"
"It short, yes." They lapsed back into silence, this one somehow more akward than the last. If the truth be told, Magnus had never experienced an akward silence in his life. He felt as if he should say something, but he had no idea what to say. Eventually he managed a "do you play an instrument?" Never before had he ever been this unsure, or nervous, over what to say in a conversation.
"No, actually. My mother wanted me to play the guitar and piano, but my father wanted me to play Quidditch instead. Quidditch won on that front. But I still had to take dancing lessons," Terence groaned at the thought.
"What sort of dancing?"
"The famous ballroom types," Terence answered "So the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Quickstep, Argentine Tango, and Rumba," he listed them off of his fingers. "There's way more, but Mother says, and I quote, 'They are unnecessary in one's life. These seven are the most common in Pureblood Circles, so you must learn them to the highest standard if you ever hope to marry high.'" Terence imitated his mother when he quoted her, and scoffed at the end. He carried on.
"As you may have guessed, she is all about blood purity. There are a ton of lesser pure-blood families who hope to marry into the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and the Higgs family is one of them. Us lesser pure-bloods end up with fourth-born, or lower, or somehow not up to scratch members of those families, if we're lucky. My father doesn't really care about it as much, but he still thinks I should at least try to get a good match. Must be nice being a Dragon, you wouldn't have to worry about that kind of thing."
"Our family has way to many curses on us. Most people steer clear. Besides, my family is more about marrying for love than politics. I haven't even thought about it until just now," Magnus replied, staring up at the archway in front of them.
"Got them!" Andy called, entering the room. She was levitating two instrument cases behind her, and holding a torch in her other hand.
"Where from?" Terence asked.
"Room of Requirement," Andy answered, handing Magnus a case, "I hope you know how to play the viola."
"I do, my sister convinced me to learn when I was younger," Magnus responded, taking the viola out its case and tuning it. "Ready?" Andy nodded. She counted them in, and they played the two bar long piece. The stone at the back of the alcove appeared to be corroding away from the middle, revealing a marble pedestal. On top of it rested a red leather-bound book, the title written in gold. Terence lifted the paper next to the book, and the title matched. Magnus reached inside.
“We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”
-- Chuck Palahniuk