Chương 2: Detour
*Cough Cough*
"Are you alright, William?" Professor Fig said as he pushed himself off the ground. He was surprisingly strong for his age as he sat up from the ground without much trouble.
"Yes, Professor," William replied. Despite his age, he was incredibly sore, every muscle hurt, and what's worse, he had a crushing headache.
"Here, drink this…" the Professor said as he handed William a small glass vial filled with runny green liquid continuously producing bubbles.
William felt as if his whole world was spinning. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have drunk a random liquid, but he took the vial, nonetheless.
He popped the cork open and drank. As the liquid ran down his throat, it left a pleasant aftertaste. It felt as if all the tension in William had evaporated.
"That's a Wiggenweld Potion; it heals any minor injuries."
William dropped the bottle to the ground, and a profound sense of clarity rushed over him. He looked around and saw Professor Fig's bloody figure and the cave they were sitting down in. His attention then turned to himself, as he saw the blood and guts on his arms. It would've been a horrifying experience for any 15-year-old, but he had grown up in a world rich with misery. Seeing someone die was new to him, but he had seen children starve, babies catch incurable diseases, and men have their bodies ripped apart in machines.
Professor Fig carefully brought his wand to his head and chanted a spell, "Moitus Abeity."
At first, William couldn't see it, but the Professor had been crying. His face was red and melancholic, and his hands were rapidly shaking, but as soon as he cast the spell, it all went away—like the pain he felt was now null.
Professor Fig stood up with a neutral face, then looked at William and said, "That was the Charm of Nullity. I created it when my wife passed, and I use it when the weight of the world is too much for this old man to bear." The Professor continued, "Are you OK to carry on."
"Yes sir," William said as he slowly stood up and looked at Mr. Fig with determination.
"Good," Fig said as he flicked his wand at William, then himself. The blood and dirt accumulated were immediately flung off the two of them. "Now let's get out of this god-forsaken cave…"
As they walked, the Professor gave William some priceless information: "We teleported because of that artifact. It was a port key, and port keys are enchanted to teleport their target to a preset destination. Why take us here, and why only you could open that container? I have no idea."
When they arrived at the cave's entrance, they saw a mansion in ruins on an oceanic pillar, the sun setting in the background, casting its warmth across the ocean. The beauty of the scenery drew a deep contrast to the turmoil they faced. However, neither would admit the scene made them feel the tiniest bit better.
"We're somewhere in the Scottish Highlands, by my estimation. That key took us farther than our carriage ride, though, it's still quite far from Hogwarts…" The Professor said, breaking the silence.
William took another moment to collect himself. He smelled the warm, moist air of the ocean, the beauty of the mountainous cliffs around him, and then his eyes rested on the broken manor hanging onto the cliffs. "Is that the destination of this port key?"
"It appears so…" Fig paused for a moment. "Both Miriam and George died in pursuit of whatever lies in that ruined castle. If you're up for it, we can use this chance to uncover century-old secrets."
As Professor Fig talked, the tiniest of smiles appeared on his face. 'Wow, one tiny, little spell, and he's back to new. A best friend and a wife dead, and he's eager to explore.' William thought.
Then, a deep sigh escaped William's lips as he looked at the ground. Did he make his curiosity that obvious? Of course, he wanted to explore and discover; of course, he wanted to be powerful and achieve the highest statuses, but he didn't want others to know his power-hungry nature.
Meanwhile, Fig only had the slightest idea of William's nature. He had trained the boy in all the subjects Hogwarts had to offer to catch him up, but he only saw great curiosity and a bit of ambition, but he would never describe William as power-hungry.
"I-I'm up for it," William said hesitantly, "but I want to know how that spell works. Moitus Abeity."
Professor Fig looked at William with curious eyes, then a smile lit his face, "Sure, I'll tell you while we walk."
"Moitus Abeity is a spell I came up with after my wife's death, but you already know that." The Professor laughed as we started to walk down the cliffs via an overgrown walkway.
"It functions very similarly to obliviate, the memory charm, but instead of removing memories, it removes feelings. The wand movement is quite simple, being the shaking your hands make when you feel true grief. You just point it at your head, say the 'magic words,' then voila. All happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, etc. are all gone. All emotions vanish from memory."
"What about your Miriam or George? Is it worth losing all the good times you spent with them?" William was quite skeptical of this 'new spell.'
"Well, I remember that I was happy, so what's the difference? Honestly, it feels like waking up from a drunken state with a massive sense of clarity… Get this boulder out of our way, would you?"
"Hmm, that is not something I would consider ever using. Wingardium Leviosa," William called out to a large boulder with an extended wand. It moved only an inch off the ground, but it was enough to throw it off the cliffs, into the ocean.
'Hmm, why couldn't I pick that rock up any higher? I have tons more energy in me.' William thought to himself.
"You need a better wand, tailored, not a spare. That's why you're failing to do more." Professor Fig said as if reading William's mind.
"Thanks for the advice," William said as they continued walking.
The sounds of Seagulls and ocean birds permeated the surroundings, making the duo's silence more evident.
As it started to get awkward, William finally interjected. "Where do you think your wife found that port key?"
"Miriam spent years searching for a long-forgotten form of ancient magic. It was a magic used by very few over the centuries, but she concretely said Hogwarts is a stronghold for this 'ancient magic.' There it is. The path to the manor is down below, not much more to go."
William's mouth felt dry, as if a perfect steak was being dangled right before him. "Professor… Why was your wife studying this 'ancient magic?'"
"Miriam always looked at the bright side of the world. So, when she learned of this type of magic, she only spoke of the good it could produce, but I say, just like with any magic, it's about the one who wields the power, not the power itself."
"Quite profound, Professor. Is that ice?" William said as he looked at what appeared to be a massive wall of translucent black glass or ice.
"Hmm, someone wanted to block this path. Maybe the owner of the port key was trying to account for a muggle accidentally getting a hold of it," Professor Fig said as he looked down at the cylinder that used to hold the pot key. "…Because no muggle could get through this wall. Here, William, destroy this barrier, so we can be on our way."
"Right away." William immediately flicked his wand and basic casted. Red sparks flew out of his wand and hit the barrier, causing a large Crack. This just proved it was a test for muggles, as any witch or wizard could throw these sparks at that barrier.
The cracks in the wall only got bigger as William continued to pelt the wall with magical energy. Then…
Boom
The wall shattered into tiny little pieces. They floated in the air like tiny Obsidian butterflies—that is, until they started to disappear. Their disappearance was fast but beautiful as they radiated warm light around William.
"Let's go, shall we? We haven't that much farther to go." The Professor said as he started to walk down the sloped path that led to a destroyed bridge.
William followed behind and took in everything. He thought the butterflies were beautiful, but the up-close visage of this mountainous pillar topped it. The large manor on the cliff's edge now looked like a monument carved by the gods, even in its ruinous state.
William ran ahead of Fig, curiosity filling his eyes. His sprint was brought to a halt by the lack of a bridge to tether the two cliffs together. He stopped himself just in time; his arms flailed back as he finally regained his balance.
"Caution over everything, William. Don't let emotions get the better of your reason." Fig came from behind the boy, pulling him away from the edge by his collar.
"REPAIRO," Fig yelled as he flicked his wand towards the ocean. Bubbles emerged from the sea as parts of the decapitated bridge rose through the water and high into the air. Then, Fig started to spin his wand in the air, and the individual parts of the bridge came together to form a stable walkway.
"Let's go," Fig said as he started walking on the bridge and up the mansion's stairs.
"Wow," William said as they entered the manor. It was a picture of antiquity. Directly in front of them was an enormous, intricate mural. Its meaning was lost to time as it had been weathered for too long.
'It's not surprising considering the roof is gone,' William thought.
"Look around for anything suspicious. We were sent here for a reason." Professor Fig said to William as he went to decipher what was left of the mural.
William wandered around what was left of the house, but he only found a statue of a man with a long beard and ancient clothes. At the bottom of the statue was a plaque with the man's name, "Percival Rackham."
William's investigation didn't end there, though. He then went towards the balcony. He followed along this pathway, coming face to face with a brick wall that had the same symbol on it as the port key container. It showed the watery lines that converged to make a flame. Behind that symbol lies an obsidian wall, black with the same magic as before.
However, this time, like before with the container, it radiated an alluring magical energy. It made him want to touch it. Every instinct in his body was telling him to touch it, but with a sense of caution, he called…
"Professor Fig!"
The Professor took a moment to reach the wall, but he came running. When he arrived, he paused momentarily as his breathing was shortened. Then, he looked up at William with a questioning gaze.
"It's glowing just like before. Can you not see it, Professor?"
"The enchanted stone, yes. The glow, no."
The two then walked closer and inspected the wall.
"What's that room on the other side?" William looked to Fig with curiosity in his eyes, but he only encountered the Professor giving an exasperated sigh.
"Let's see if you can interact with whatever you see," Fig said as he put his hand on William's shoulder.
William reached his hand out to the wall.
As his fingertips touched the wall, an electric jolt ran through him as the two disappeared.
They reappeared with themselves looking at a wall. Their figures are visible in the now opaque glass.
"What the hell was that?" William said as he looked around.
Professor Fig also looked around to find himself in Gringotts Wizarding Bank. It was clear as day to him, as he'd been in here plenty.
The obnoxious snores of a Goblin, the creatures who worked at this bank, resounded throughout the room from behind a desk.
William walked with caution towards the sleeping Goblin. He shook the little creature until it awoke.
It quickly flung its head up in attention. It opened its beady black eyes and yawned. Its wrinkly skin stretched around its face, and as it opened its jaw eerily, it looked unnatural. Then, the teeth of this creature were sharp like a shark maw.
It finished its yawn and then looked at the two visitors. He forced a smile and said, "Hello, welcome to Gringotts Wizarding Bank."
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