In a shadowy, forgotten storeroom, Dumbledore moved quietly among the clutter.
He made his way to the very back, where a massive object lay hidden beneath a dusty gray cloth. With a decisive tug, he whipped the cloth away—dust billowed up in clouds, swirling in the air.
"Mundus Totalus!"
With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore banished not only the dust, but restored the gray cloth to its original snowy white.
"What a splendid bit of magic," he murmured, lips curving in a faint smile as he turned to examine the object beneath the cloth.
It was a grand mirror, easily over two meters tall, its top nearly brushing the ceiling. At the very peak, an elegant line of script was carved: "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi."
Golden serpentine reliefs wound around the frame, and two arched, snake-shaped statues braced the base, giving the mirror an air of solemn majesty.
Dumbledore lingered there for a long while, unable to bring himself to stand directly before the mirror. Instead, he traced the ornate frame with his fingers, nostalgia flickering in his eyes.
A surge of silvery light bloomed behind him—a silver-white, horse-shaped Patronus drifted forward, coming to rest before the towering mirror.
Dumbledore regarded the spectral creature and spoke softly, "Newt, any news?"
The horse-shaped Patronus hovered in the air, its voice aged and gentle. "Headmaster Dumbledore, your memory is as sharp as ever. I did, in fact, preserve an Obscurus once."
"But when I traveled to New York, the Obscurus was seized by MACUSA. After that incident, I tried to recover it, but MACUSA told me it had vanished."
"If my guess is correct… I'm afraid Gellert Grindelwald took it. There's nothing more I can do—I'm sorry I can't help."
With that, the Patronus faded, dissolving into shimmering ripples that slowly disappeared.
"So that's how it is…" Dumbledore watched the last traces of silver light fade, a thousand unspoken thoughts condensed into a single, weary sigh.
Wyzett slept straight through to evening, waking to find the dull ache in his head finally gone.
When he opened his eyes, two nearly identical boys stood at his bedside.
Fred grinned, "How's our favorite materials consultant feeling?"
Wyzett managed a smile. "I'd feel even better if you two would stop spreading rumors about me."
George waggled a finger. "Rumors? We're celebrating the heroic deeds of our savior—like true medieval minstrels!"
"Exactly!" Fred chimed in, nodding enthusiastically. "If you can still joke, you must be on the mend, right?"
"It's still the weekend, isn't it?" Wyzett rolled his neck, a satisfying "crack-crack" echoing in the quiet.
"Yep!" George replied, feigning regret. "Such a glorious weekend, and you spent it all in the Hospital Wing…"
Wyzett stretched luxuriously. "It's not so bad, getting a proper rest for once. Professor Flitwick always says: balance work and rest."
Fred stroked his chin, nodding sagely. "Coming from you, that actually sounds convincing."
Just then, faint footsteps echoed outside.
Fred and George instantly perked up, waving a hasty goodbye. "Time for us to scarper! Hope to see you in the Great Hall tomorrow!"
"Me too!" Wyzett waved back, grinning. "See you!"
…
The twins' instincts were spot-on—the footsteps belonged to Madam Pomfrey making her nightly rounds. Once she was sure the hospital wing was quiet, she left and locked the door behind her.
Once he was certain she'd gone, Wyzett opened his eyes and summoned the Oculus Magicae, letting the world shimmer with magical lines and auras.
"Lumos!"
As he'd suspected, the Hospital Wing was steeped in the energies of Ancient Magic.
Normally, getting into the hospital wing wasn't easy—Madam Pomfrey preferred to treat problems at the door, believing only true patients should come inside.
Seizing this rare opportunity, Wyzett wandered through every corner, letting his mind's map light up with each new area he explored. He checked the mental map again and again, making sure every part was illuminated, then gathered up all the Ancient Magic power he could find.
Time to experiment. That Transfiguration—the one that turned a Christmas cactus into Devil's Snare—was perfect for enhancement.
He wanted to see what properties Ancient Magic would bestow if he poured it into Transfiguration.
Hesitation wasn't in his nature. Without a second thought, he channeled all the magic he'd gathered straight into the spell.
The Wizard's Practical Combat Guide began to flip open in his mind.
This time, instead of simply reading, he felt a deep, almost overwhelming understanding of Transfiguration flowing into him from the still-unturned page. The insights were profound—he could only just grasp the edges, even with the help of The Theory of Transfiguration.
He didn't know how long he spent absorbing this knowledge. At last, the page turned, revealing a brand-new spell:
Ancient Magic: Self-Molding (Devil's Snare Form)—Channel Ancient Magic through Transfiguration… turn your fingers into Devil's Snare…
Drawing on this newfound understanding, Wyzett didn't reach for his wand. Instead, he simply extended his hand.
"Vineaforma!"
His fingers glowed with silver-blue light, tingling and itching as the sensation spread up his arm.
Under the spell's influence, his slender fingers stretched longer and longer, the bones within softening, reshaping.
It was an extraordinary feeling—his will seemed to become his "hand," while his real hand turned to magical clay.
He guided the transformation, and his fingers twisted into deep green vines, patterned with the unique markings of a plant.
"Nox!"
He extinguished the light at his wand tip and closed his eyes, moving quietly through the Hospital Wing.
He walked with uncanny confidence, gliding past beds and cupboards as if he'd memorized the layout. Even in total darkness, he could "see" everything through the senses of his Devil's Snare hand.
As a magical plant thriving in damp, shadowy places, Devil's Snare was exquisitely sensitive to darkness.
Now, in this form, Wyzett had inherited that same uncanny perception.
He suddenly thought of the Animagus transformation—how wizards could gain the abilities of their animal forms. This was similar, but with a magical plant.
Abruptly, he sensed a flare of brightness ahead—a ball of flame had appeared out of nowhere…
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
Explore More Amazing Fanfiction on My Patreon!
Unlock 30+ Advance Chapters and Enjoy Exclusive Stories Early!
��patreon.com/GoldenLong