At eight in the evening, outside the library.
Hermione and Ciri had already arrived early. Seeing that Lewis hadn't shown up yet, the two began chatting, discussing what ancient magic might actually be like.
But as the appointed time approached, there was still no sign of him.
"Why isn't he here yet?" Hermione said anxiously. "He always arrives a few minutes early."
"So that's why you came early too, isn't it? How considerate of you, Miss Granger."
Ciri's last sentence carried a teasing tone, as if she had caught Hermione slipping.
"Right back at you, Senior Leann," Hermione shot back immediately.
Just as the two were about to bicker again, a familiar figure stepped out from the library.
"You actually went in ahead of time? You're the one who told us to meet at eight," Hermione complained.
"Relax, Miss Granger. Lewis must have his reasons," Ciri said calmly.
"She's right," Lewis said, raising the book in his hand. "I do have a reason."
Hermione glanced at the cover. The Emerald Tablet Commentary.
"I used borrowing a book as an excuse to enter the Restricted Section earlier," Lewis explained. "I set a coordinate at our destination before coming out to meet you."
"The Restricted Section isn't visited often. If we all went in together, it would look suspicious. But with a spatial marker, we can teleport in directly."
"I see… sorry, I misunderstood," Hermione said, a little embarrassed. Then she frowned again. "But why not just go at night when no one's around?"
"Good question," Lewis replied. "Because the Restricted Section is too important. That means tighter security—especially after hours. Multiple locks, alarm spells, even ghost patrols."
At least, that was how it worked in Hogwarts Legacy.
He had no interest in replaying Assassin's Creed with two teammates in real life.
"Compared to that," he continued, "it's much safer to act before Madam Pince leaves. Between her and all those magical defenses… she's easier to deal with."
"If she heard you say that, she'd be heartbroken," Ciri said, defending the librarian.
"That's different," Lewis shook his head. "She's also a Lockhart fan."
The three moved to a quiet corner.
Lewis grabbed both of them and activated the spell.
"Teleportation Rune—activate."
In an instant, the world shifted.
They reappeared in the lowest level beneath the Restricted Section, standing before an iron gate.
Hermione looked around in awe.
This was an old, unfamiliar chamber. Paintings lined the walls—though none of them moved. In one corner stood an iron maiden. At the center, a preserved mermaid mummy lay on display.
Behind them, a staircase led upward—to the Restricted Section they knew.
"We really… teleported beneath the Restricted Section," she whispered, barely containing her amazement. "I thought no one could Apparate inside Hogwarts except the Headmaster. How did you do this?"
"I didn't Apparate," Lewis replied. "Most of my spatial magic doesn't work here either. This is different—it's a fixed-point teleport using a rune."
"That's still incredible," Hermione said, looking at him with admiration.
Lewis waved it off and led them forward.
At the end of the room stood a thick wooden door.
Beyond it was a vast stone storage hall.
Descending a spiral staircase, they entered a massive circular chamber.
The room was empty—except for a single stone archway standing in the center.
"So this leads to the Map Chamber you mentioned?" Hermione asked, already eager.
"Alohomora!"
Nothing happened.
There was no lock.
"Open!"
Still nothing.
The spell hit the stone and didn't even stir a speck of dust.
Clearly, the protective enchantments on this door were far beyond standard spells.
Hermione tried several revealing spells.
No effect.
Finally, she turned to Lewis helplessly.
He had already begun analyzing.
The magic here was ancient. Powerful. The creator of this chamber far surpassed him.
Brute force was out of the question.
But Lewis didn't rely on conventional methods.
He had other tools.
Although the door was heavily protected, it lacked interference enchantments.
Which meant—
He could trace the magical signature of the portal itself.
"Analyze Portal."
Within moments, Lewis pinpointed the spatial coordinates connected to the archway.
Even though teleportation was restricted within Hogwarts—
Portals were inherently linked.
And he exploited that connection.
"Dimension Door."
In a flash, the three bypassed the gate entirely.
Crossing space itself.
As the saying went—
Your competition might not be your rivals—
But someone from a completely different field.
On the other side lay a dim, grand hall.
The floor was polished marble, vast and seamless. Golden patterns of vines and leaves adorned the ground, pillars, and walls, giving the entire space a majestic brilliance.
At the center stood a small stone platform.
On it—
A basin.
Above it floated a book.
"…Is that… a Pensieve?" Hermione gasped. "I've read about it! It lets you see memories!"
Pensieves were incredibly rare magical artifacts.
As far as Lewis knew, only the Ministry of Magic and the Headmaster's office possessed one.
The three approached.
The book flipped open on its own.
From its pages, silvery liquid seeped out and dripped into the basin.
"What is that? Mercury?" Hermione asked.
"No," Lewis said quietly. "That's memory."
"Left behind… for whoever comes here."
He set up a few defensive spells around them.
Then—
Without hesitation—
The three leaned forward and immersed their heads into the Pensieve.
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