16 The Silver Shield
Balance loses me as I slip off the ledge, falling for only a short time until I land with a smack onto the hardwood floor. Why did I close my eyes? Pushing up off the ground, I look around to see a, almost, regular Hogwarts hallway decked out in Ravenclaw colors.
Almost being the keyword. A weird haze cut off both ways, making it more like a section of a hallway. Other than the haze, the last notable difference would be the door to the Ravenclaw tower and the unmistakable Eral sitting in the middle.
'You could have warned me,' I write to him as I look behind me to see an open window identical to the Music Mirror; aside from the windows opened inward as opposed to outward.
"I didn't tell you to close your eyes. You ok?" I nod in response as I walk with him to the Ravenclaw door.
'Why are their weird hazy-like walls cutting the corridor off?' My question elicits a brief period of confusion until understanding registers on Professor Flitwick's face.
"You might be referring to the protective enchantment that's on this part of the hallway, it acts similar to the muggle repelling-charm, but instead of muggles, it affects everyone except Ravenclaws. Although, I've never heard of anyone being able to physically see the enchantment."
"Good evening sir, If you drop me I'm sure to crack, but give me a smile and I'll always smile back. What am I?" Earl gives the riddle as we approach him.
"Good evening to you too, what a coincidence! We came here from the Music Mirror; mirror!"
At his enthusiastic answer, the Earl merely rolls his eyes, "One day I'm going to stump you."
'Have a good night, Earl,' I show her the note as we walk through him, it's weird when you put it like that, and Professor Flitwick leads me through a few turns of the maze of bookshelves until he stops at one in particular.
"The way to tell that it's this bookshelf are the four identical blank purple books," Professor Flitwick explains, only adding further confusion as he takes the one on the fourth row and inserts a red ribbon bookmark, with the Gryffindor crest, into it. Returning it to its place, he grabs the purple blank book on the third row and inserts a yellow bookmark, with the Hufflepuff crest, into it.
Repeating this process with the next two purple books, a Ravenclaw bookmark and a Slytherin bookmark on the second and first rows respectively, he takes a small shield looking Silvercrest out of his pocket and inserts it into a cut-out area on one of the shelves. Motioning me to stand right next to him, in front of the bookshelf, curiosity begs me to ask questions but confusion leaves me silent.
"Don't worry, although most wand-activated passageways need magic to access, this one does not, omnes receperint!" With his words, he taps the bookshelf as it begins to rotate. Doing a one-eighty, I look behind us to see a lofted room with dark wood flooring. You can barely see the stone walls, for most of them are covered with bookshelves.
The area in front of us has two navy leather sofas, one a two-seater and the other a three, and an armchair positioned in front of a fireplace. Under the overhang to the left and through a set of sliding wooden doors are a small desk and work area. Curiosity getting the better of me, I climb the metal spiral staircase to find more bookshelves, of course, another armchair sat next to a window, and a queen size blue bed.
'What is this place?' I ask after jumping from the overhang and landing silently on my feet; I'm starting to feel much better.
Not answering my question, he searches the bookshelves until he stumbles upon a fancy brown leather bonded book with five slots on the cover.
"Each house has a similar room to this, if allowed by the headmaster, they connect through a hallway beyond that door," He motions to a door to the right of the fireplace. Grabbing the bookmarks out of the purple books, he slides each silver crest into the slots. As he takes a small silver shield out of his pocket and inserts it into the middle, The book flashes with a purple light. Passing me the book, letters begin from on the top of the cover, reading out "Our Silver Shield".
"Created by Helga Hufflepuff, with the help of Rowena Ravenclaw, the secret dorms in each house have housed and protected those who have needed it for generations. That book holds the stories of previous residents and their time here. Some just add who they are, and why they're here. I've tried to add what they've done after graduation but not everyone has wanted me to," he explains, leading our conversation to the sofa.
'Why are you telling me this?' I ask as I hand the book back to him.
"What I'm trying to say is that, you're not alone. People, other half-breeds like you and I, have walked these halls and have risen above the torment and the bigotry. There are other people at this school like me who will fight to help you become all you want to be. If you decide to stay at Hogwarts, you're welcome to use the Silver Shield dorms. I won't judge you if you decide to live a life without all this pain but just let me ask you this; who are you? What defines you as a person?"
I stare in awe as he hands me the silver shield. The simple answer, 'I'm Catlyn, a part-vampire who can't create enough magic to cast spells.'
Slight sorrow seeps into the corners of his mouth, "Is that it? Is that all you are? Because from what I've seen, and remember I haven't known you long, you're a book nerd. your interest in magic is shown on your face whenever the topic is brought up. The only thing that matches your interest in magic is your love of wands. Your inquisitive nature tells me that even if it isn't magic, you want to know about it and understand it. So tell me again, who are you?"
How could I be so stupid, was I really about to through away Hogwarts, my lifelong dream of being a wandmaker, the few semi-decent people I know, just because of a small problem? I've learned how to deal with my cravings, I learned BSL to overcome the silencing rune, and even when every movement was, and still is, torture, I still kept ongoing. How is this any different from every other thing that has blocked my path?
'I am Catlyn Ollivander, Ravenclaw, part-vampire, bibliophile, and future Wandmaker.'
