210 Chapter 210: Tentative Allies
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1 May 1994, Hogwarts, Scotland
Neville looked around and saw the entire room fracture as if it were glass, leaving a stone chamber in its stead. He turned and tried to look at his rescuer, only to freeze when he recognised him, "Warrington?"
The older boy's eyes visibly widened as he reached down to him, "Longbottom. Well, isn't that a surprise?"
"What's going on?" the younger boy muttered to himself as he grasped the Slytherin's hand and pulled himself up.
"Oh, nothing. I just heard screaming and ran towards it. You're the first person I've seen since I entered the maze. I think they used a lot of expansion charm; there are hundreds of us in here. Did you see anyone?"
Neville shook his head, "No. But if the challenges are like the ones I faced, I don't think a lot of third and fourth years are still in the maze. The runic puzzle was touch, but whatever you saved me from was the worst."
Both boys walked side by side outside the chamber, "That was Nebula Phobium. It's some kind of thick, swirling fog that taps into the deepest fears of those within it. The fog itself can shift, even become corporeal after it sucks enough magic out of the victim. Adding in the fact that the spell can layer illusions on top of the fog, and it can enhance the fear its victim feels, it's a very nasty spell. I only know about it because of an extracurricular assignment I made for Lupin. I never thought I'd see it for real."
The former Longbottom scion shook his head, "Thanks for helping me, by the way. I don't think I would have been able to keep up for long."
"It's a cruel spell. I didn't even recognize you when I stopped it. And even if I did, I would have done the same."
"Really? Even after what I've done to you?" Neville asked with a hesitating tone.
"Of course, I would have. Look about the duel thing…"
The former Longbottom scion protested, "Look, I know I messed up. Words cannot express just how sorry I am about what happened. I won't try to explain myself but there was something wrong with me. Like some kind of mental effect that made me very quick to anger and violence. I was getting frustrated during the duel and then things really got out of hand. But it's gone now; I went to healers and everything. I know this doesn't make up for what I've done to you, or the fact that you almost died at my hands…"
The older boy just didn't let him continue and raised his hand, "But nothing. Look, what you did was horrible, especially since my little sister was in the stands, but I don't care. What's done is done."
It was odd, to say the least. Looking back at his actions since his crest was unlocked, his duel with Warrington was one of the events he regretted the most. It was obvious that the older boy was the better dueler, and he should have won. But Neville's scar thought differently. It kept pushing and pushing, channelling his frustration and turning it into rage, giving him ideas, spells, and tactics that would make him win, no matter the cost.
He had almost killed someone. It was hard to explain the horror he felt afterwards. And yet Warrington was just waving the whole thing off as if it was nothing. Neville, even without his scar yelling at him, even with his newfound clarity, wouldn't have forgiven someone who would have tried to kill him.
And yet, he couldn't help but feel hopeful at the thought of forgiveness, at the thought of the weight being lifted off his shoulders, "You're letting it go just like that? You almost died."
"Yes, I have. But I didn't. Your grandmother went to speak with me after the fact. She paid me a small fortune just to not press any charges. Don't worry, I wasn't planning on doing it anyway. Still, I signed the paperwork and everything. My family was really struggling for gold. We were even thinking about selling our family home just to pay for my sister's school. I have been working my ass off every single day for years to make sure that doesn't happen. I was under so much pressure… Your Grandmother's gold saved my family. I don't have it in me to be angry at you if the end result was my sister's happiness. All it cost me was a scar, in the end."
Neville couldn't help but stiffen when he realized just how much his grandmother saved him in this crisis. The idea of legal issues just didn't enter his mind. He was just so absorbed with the idea of losing his family crest that he never considered it.
Still, even if he still felt guilty about it, Neville couldn't help but feel relieved. This was the best possible outcome for this mess he had put himself in.
He took a deep sigh, "Still, I wanted to say that I'm sorry."
The older boy waved him off, "Don't worry about it. Say, since we're the only ones here, do you feel like partnering up?"
"Really?" Neville didn't even try to contain his incredulous tone, "You want to partner up with the guy that almost killed you."
"Will you stop saying that?" Warrington exclaimed, "Look, I know you feel bad and everything. But I think we would be valuable to each other in this place. We could have each other's backs and get through this very quickly."
"No, there's something more to it," the former Longbottom replied with a certainty he didn't know he had.
"Fine. Look, I'm good and I know I'm very good for a wizard my age. But I don't think I'm better than all those seventh years and I need the extra grades for my OWLS. I need all the help I can get. Consider it payback for the whole duelling mess. If you help me, I'll consider us even."
Something still tickled Neville's instincts but he did owe Warrington for what he did, that's not even mentioning helping him with that cursed fog. Still, he felt like something wasn't right. Maybe it was because he wanted to win the task too, hoping that it would somehow make things better, that it would help him, now that the Longbottom family was no longer behind him.
No, he would have lost in the previous challenge anyway. Warrington was the only reason he was still in the task anyway. Helping him win was just his way of paying him back. He owed him that much, at least. And it wouldn't hurt for the wizarding world to see him selflessly help Warrington, "Fine. I'm in."
"Great. Now, we just need to figure out where the next challenge is."
Neville cast his locator spell once more and pointed at the middle of the circle, "It's that way."
"You're sure about that?"
"Yeah, I put an anchor at every corner of the maze to calculate my relative position in here."
The Slytherin looked impressed, "Really? How did you take the expansion charms into consideration?"
"It measures the location over the maze, where the charms don't affect the readings. We're like halfway in."
"Brilliant! What are we waiting for? Let's go!" the older boy exclaimed and ran towards the next challenge.
Warrington was surprisingly upbeat as they walked towards their next challenge. They didn't need to wait for long as the path soon led them to an imposing stone door, adorned with intricate arithmancy formulas that surrounded four large circles arranged in a cross shape. Neville, who hadn't taken Arithmancy, looked puzzled at the complex symbols, but Warrington's eyes lit up with recognition.
"These formulas," Warrington murmured, tracing his finger over the etched symbols, "they represent the classical elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind." His knowledge of Arithmancy, a subject he excelled in, came to the forefront as he deciphered the patterns.
He wouldn't admit it, but Neville was impressed by the older boy's knowledge. He definitely would have been stuck since he had never taken arithmancy as a class, "So, we need to cast a spell of each element on the corresponding circle to open the door?"
"Exactly," Warrington replied with a nod. "It's a test of knowledge and magical prowess. No wonder the headmaster said that the maze was a test of the mind."
Together, they approached the door. Neville took the circle representing fire. He concentrated and then cast a controlled burst of flame, "Incendio!" The circle glowed briefly in response.
Warrington took the water circle. With a fluid motion, he conjured a jet of water, "Aguamenti!" The circle shimmered as if touched by a gentle rain.
Neville moved to the earth circle, remembering a charm that he used when taking care of his. He conjured a small growth of plants, the tendrils and leaves brushing against the stone, "Herbivicus!" The circle pulsed with a green light, as if infused with life.
Finally, Warrington faced the wind circle. He waved his wand in a complex pattern, summoning a gust of air that whirled around the circle, "Ventus!" The circle emitted a soft, whistling sound, completing the quartet.
As the last spell was cast, the stone door rumbled and slowly began to open, revealing the path forward. Neville and Warrington exchanged a look, "You're very good at this, Warrington."
"I've always been fond of arithmancy. I thought about being a curse breaker or a spell crafter. They made enough gold to get me interested but I guess I grew to like it."
Neville just nodded, not knowing what to say, and just cast a wand to illuminate what was on the other side of the door. He gaped at the sight in front of him and heard Warrington gasp behind him.
The door swung open to reveal a vast expanse of a library, a grand spectacle of knowledge that seemed almost rivalling the famed library of Hogwarts. Towering shelves, reaching almost to the ceiling, were lined with countless books of every size and colour. The air was filled with the musty scent of old parchment and leather, and the gentle rustling of pages seemed to whisper secrets of ancient magic. Ladders on rails and intricate walkways connected the various levels, creating a labyrinth of literary treasure.
Neville's eyes widened in awe at the sight. Rows upon rows of books stretched as far as the eye could see, with ornate chandeliers casting a warm, inviting glow over the entire scene. The sheer magnitude of the library was breathtaking.
Warrington, momentarily stunned, quickly regained his composure and strode towards the nearest shelf. He reached out to grab a tome, his fingers brushing against the spine, but to his astonishment, his hand passed right through it. "It's an illusion," he muttered, a hint of frustration in his voice, "nothing in here is real."
The older boy walked to the other side of the room and found a rectangular hole in the wall. He turned and scanned the room, his eyes sharp and analytical, searching for clues amidst the sea of illusory books. "The real book we need must be hidden somewhere within this illusion," Warrington theorized.
Meanwhile, Neville, rather than joining in the search for clues, began to etch something onto the ground with his wand. Warrington, seeing this, started to protest, but then he noticed the pattern taking shape. It was a runic array, the lines and symbols expertly drawn.
"What are you doing?" Warrington asked, curiosity piqued.
"Harry taught me," Neville replied, focused on his task. "In our runes sessions, he mentioned that large-scale illusions often work by bending light. He also told me that any sudden change in lightning might destabilize it for a few seconds until the spell adapts to the new condition."
Neville activated the runes with a pulse of magic, and a giant pulse of light like an overpowered lighting charm. And just like that, the grand illusion of the library began to unravel, the books fading away to reveal the bare walls behind them.
In the wake of the dispelled illusion, Neville spotted a book that remained solid and tangible. It was roughly the same size as the rectangular hole they had seen in the wall. He picked it up, feeling the weight of real parchment and leather in his hands, and approached the door. Carefully, he slid the book into the hole. It fitted perfectly, like a puzzle piece completing a picture.
As the book settled into place, the wall began to meld into it, the edges blurring and merging. Invisible runes, previously hidden, started to glow with soft light, and the wall opened like a hidden door, which swung over, allowing them to go through.
Warrington gave Neville an impressed look, "Not bad, Longbottom. Not bad."
Neville simply answered with a grin, "Well, I had to pull my weight somehow."
He tried using his locator spell once more only to gasp at the results. The older boy looked at him with a concerned expression, "What is it?"
"I think the library was a shortcut or something. We're almost at the middle of the maze."
"Are you sure your spell is just not malfunctioning?"
The younger boy furrowed his eyebrows, "It shouldn't."
Neville slowly walked forward, his wand drawn, only to freeze as he saw what was ahead. The tournament cup was gleaming on a plinth a hundred yards away. Before he could even register it, he started running towards his prize. The trophy symbolized all his dreams, all his opportunities, all his hopes…
However, he stopped himself when he was just a few feet away from the trophy. What was he doing? Was he really prepared to betray Warrington, who had saved him from that cursed fog, the boy he had failed in so many ways?
The answer was evident: No, he wasn't.
Neville might not be a Longbottom anymore, but what kind of person was he going to be, if he betrayed everyone around him for an ounce of glory?
He heard Warrington coming behind him, "You didn't take it."
"No. I promised you that I wouldn't."
The older boy sounded pensive, "You know, I fully expected you to do it, to betray me."
"I know."
"You're supposed to be this arrogant ass, you know. Who would have thought that you would be so noble? You're making this a lot harder than I thought it would be."
Neville didn't really understand what the older boy was saying, "I don't understand."
"I'm sorry, Longbottom. But I can't let them hurt my sister."
Before he could say anything, Warrington sent him flying back towards the trophy. The moment he touched him, Neville felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel and the maze disappeared from his sight.
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