"So this is Professor Kahn's puzzle?"
Looking down at the huge iron plate below, glowing with an ancient sealing light, Hermione wiped the sweat from her forehead. A spark of excitement finally appeared in her eyes.
The repeated spellcasting had left her mentally exhausted, but she was sure the giant iron plate was a seal, some kind of puzzle Professor Kahn must have set up with care.
Who else could have found something buried this deep?
Was this the reason why the professor had told her to bring Nana?
Hugging the even more excited Niffler, Hermione gripped her wand and looked down into the huge hole, swallowing with nerves.
Casting a Levitation charm or a Slow-Fall charm would make it safe, but standing above a pit almost thirty metres deep still made her heart race.
Taking several deep breaths, Hermione summoned her courage, then leapt in with Nana.
The wind roared in her ears. Thirty metres felt both long and short as she fell. Watching the ground race up toward her, Hermione clutched her wand tightly and shouted, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
She hovered three metres above the floor, then slowly floated down and set the Niffler at her side.
No sooner had she landed than Nana rushed to the side, scampering and sniffing frantically atop the iron plate as if desperate to find an entrance.
Hermione examined the plate below her. The pure white mist hadn't reached down here yet. Without the constant draining effect of the fog, her mind felt more alert, and her spirits returned.
Her Gouging Charms had only opened a tunnel down to the plate. The plate itself was still mostly covered.
Maybe she needed to uncover the whole thing?
Thinking quickly, Hermione raised her wand and swept it in an arc around her. "Defodio!"
Three more powerful Digging Charms left her head throbbing, but finally the entire iron plate stood exposed before her.
It was a massive iron-bound hatch, perfectly spotless, without even a touch of rust. An ancient magic circle was engraved across its face, glowing faintly.
One corner of the hatch showed a painted image of an adorable badger, waving a paw in greeting.
Staring at the massive door, Hermione swallowed hard again.
How enormous would anyone have to be to use an entrance like this?
Was this meant to be a simulated lair for giants? If so, what was the real aim of the assessment?
Even as she wondered why this hatch had been made, Nana suddenly pressed a paw against a corner of the seal.
A soft glow began spreading, illuminating the surface completely.
Nana chirped and pointed across the plate, as if to say, "Go put your hand over there!"
Without a second thought, Hermione hurried to the spot. She found a large hand-shaped indentation in the seal. Placing her hand in the cold, oversized mark made her small hand look even tinier.
Had Professor Kahn made it this way on purpose? It would make sense, Hermione thought, since the whole point was for magical creatures and young wizards to solve this together.
Once her hand was in place, the old seal lit up all at once and began turning in the stone. After a few seconds, a soft click echoed, and the massive hatch slowly opened, nudging Hermione and Nana back as it revealed a huge staircase and a deep, shadow-filled vault below.
Nana bolted down the steps first. After a moment's hesitation, Hermione followed, bounding downward with her heart pounding. Soon both wizard and Niffler stood at the bottom of the darkened vault.
Just as they paused to look around, the enormous hatch above them slid shut with a deep metallic echo.
…
A silver flash flickered within the castle. After a handful of nimble leaps, the shrunken Evans reached McGonagall's conjured Hogwarts water dungeons.
Evans looked around and shook his head slightly.
He had spent plenty of time here as a student. Few people came this deep underground, which made it a perfect place for midnight magical experiments.
But even then, the reason nobody came here was simple: it was not safe at all.
For centuries, these water dungeons held war prisoners, punished unruly students, and were used to dispose of bodies or unwanted things.
All that history left the place shrouded in gloom, haunted by ghosts and the echo of vengeful spirits. Not knowing the layout could mean blundering straight into old traps or forgotten curses.
The dungeons' cursed reputation was so old and so entrenched that even headmasters had given up on fixing it. No one had the manpower to clear every corner.
Yet right now, the water dungeon was nearly empty. There were no spirits, no old wards, not even bars or torture implements, just an empty stone shell resembling the ancient dungeons of legend.
Moving easily across the wide space, Evans quickly spotted the large pit ahead.
He nearly laughed. Digging a hole this big, all the way through the mist, had to have been exhausting.
Hermione would never have done this without reason. Nana must have tempted her into it by promising a puzzle or reward.
But what made her so sure it was a real puzzle?
They were clearly outside the true castle now, and the mist didn't reach here. Was Hermione not suspicious, even for a moment? Could Nana really have fooled her this thoroughly?
Standing at the edge of the giant pit and eyeing the heavy, old-fashioned hatch, Evans frowned.
He had intended to apparate straight to Hermione. But after reaching the water dungeon, he felt some invisible force blocking any further spellwork.
The hatch was no doubt the cause.
Yet it certainly didn't look like any wizard's tomb. Why would anyone put a proper door on a grave?
Maybe this was a "Welcome Home" for the dead?
Evans shook his head, took a running leap while his small robes fluttered behind him, and landed lightly atop the massive hatch.
Examining it with narrowed eyes, he pressed his hand to one of the deep grooves in the metal and felt a surge of faint, tingling magic flow beneath his palm.
Immediately, glowing text shimmered in the air above:
Lost wizard, you are not meant to be here.
This is only a gift left by an aged soul for gentle, curious children who come after.
If you seek gold, the golden tree is already yours.
If you wish for knowledge, everything we have has already been given to Hogwarts.
But if you are truly the chosen one to open this seal, I will offer only these words:
Be cautious, truly cautious. She may return at any moment.
As the words faded, a flowing signature appeared in one corner of the iron.
Helga Hufflepuff