The flickering gaslight of the Slytherin dungeons did little to illuminate the crumpled piece of parchment Severus held. It was hastily folded, bearing only three words in a surprisingly neat hand: Seventh floor. Urgent. And below it, a small, almost childlike drawing of a niffler pulsing a blue aura. It was unmistakably Echo's.
Severus sighed, his black hair stirring with an irritated flick. Urgent, indeed. Echo's definition of urgent usually involved a magical creature in distress or a particularly intricate prank gone awry. Still, the message piqued his curiosity, and a grudging respect for Echo's… unconventionality always drew him in. With a final roll of his eyes at the audacity of the boy, Severus rose and stalked out of the common room.
The journey to the seventh floor was quiet, the late hour ensuring the corridors were empty. Severus's mind raced, conjuring scenarios. Had Echo finally managed to transmute a troll into a teacup? Was he attempting to teach a Fwooper how to perform opera? He reached the designated corridor, a long, tapestry-lined stretch known for its blank wall opposite a particularly ornate vase. There was nothing here. No sign of Echo, no strange lights, no agitated creatures. Just the familiar, dusty silence.
Severus was about to turn, a sneer already forming on his lips for this wasted journey, when a faint ripple disturbed the air beside the ornate vase. A dark, wooden door, unadorned and unannounced, slowly materialized, its ancient hinges creaking softly. Before Severus could fully process the appearance, a hand, undeniably Echo's with its distinctive, slightly calloused fingers, poked out from the opening. The fingers wiggled, beckoning him inside with an almost mischievous urgency. With a deep, suspicious frown, Severus peered into the darkness beyond the door. He still hesitated, but his curiosity won out. He pushed the door open further and stepped inside.
The room that greeted him was a cozy study and practice area for spells, designed for comfort and magical pursuits. Soft, warm light emanated from glowing orbs suspended in the air, illuminating a comfortable four-poster bed draped in rich velvet and a large, inviting armchair beside a roaring fireplace. Bookshelves lined one wall, overflowing with tomes on obscure magical theory and creature lore, while a sturdy desk with various quills and parchments stood ready for study. In one corner, a bubbling cauldron simmered over a low flame, surrounded by shelves of exotic ingredients for potion brewing. Along another wall, a series of intricately enchanted vivariums hummed softly, each housing a different magical creature – from shimmering pixies to miniature griflettes – all carefully observed. A faint, sweet scent, a mix of ancient parchment, forest moss, and something indefinably comforting, permeated the air. Sniffles playfully scampered around the room, occasionally trying to swipe at shiny objects. Echo, his black hair a calm, inviting blue, stood near the fireplace, and Shimmer poured Severus a steaming cup of tea from a delicate silver pot.
Severus found himself momentarily disarmed, a flicker of genuine appreciation in his eyes. This was… surprisingly tasteful. Even serene. He almost allowed himself a small, private smile.
Then, his gaze swept further into the room, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Lounging in various states of repose among the cushions and armchairs were none other than James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew – the Marauders. Potter was casually tossing a Snitch in the air, Black was polishing his wand with an irritatingly smug grin, Lupin was engrossed in a book, and Pettigrew was nervously gnawing on a pastry.
"Potter?" Severus hissed, his voice laced with venom, his black hair flaring with instant, furious crimson. "Black? Lupin? Pettigrew? What in Merlin's name are they doing here? Echo, what is the meaning of this travesty?"
Echo, however, remained unfazed. He merely gave a long-suffering sigh. "Relax, Severus. They're here because we need to talk. About Lucius. And whatever new disaster he's brewing for me, and by extension, for the school." He glanced at the Marauders. "Besides, they already know about… everything."
Severus stared at him, aghast. "Everything?" he spluttered, his crimson hair pulsing with disbelief. "You told them? About the beast? About your… unique magic? Are you insane? They're imbeciles, every last one of them! They'll blab to everyone in Hogwarts by morning tea!"
Sirius Black, who had been enjoying Severus's outrage with a smug expression, finally spoke up. "Calm down, Snivellus. Echo knows what he's doing. And besides," he added, his voice taking on a rare, serious tone, "Lucius tried to use Remus like a pawn. He tried to frame him, to expose him. And as the old adage goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend." He gestured between Severus and the Marauders. "Unpleasant, I know, but sometimes needs must."
Severus slowly turned his furious gaze back to Echo, his hair now a frustrated, confused purple. "I am genuinely surprised, Echo," he sneered, his voice low and dangerous, "that you are tolerating Potter and his… ilk. I thought you had more sense."
Echo's purple hair flickered with a faint, mischievous blue. He gave Severus a slow, almost conspiratorial wink. "Oh, it takes considerable restraint, Severus, I assure you. Especially when Potter starts boasting about his Quidditch skills. Sometimes I have to physically remind myself not to turn them into ferrets and leave them near the nest of hungry Hippogriffs."
A snort of laughter escaped Remus, quickly stifled. James glared at Echo, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Lily, who had quietly entered the room from a side door, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits, quickly interjected, sensing the rising tension. "Don't worry, Severus," she said, her voice reassuring. "James and the rest won't do anything stupid or malicious, not while Echo is here. He has a way of… keeping them in line." She gave Echo a warm smile.
Severus looked at Lily, then back at Echo, a flicker of something akin to grudging respect in his dark eyes. "He certainly does," he muttered, a faint, almost nostalgic edge to his voice. "I still remember that brawl last year. Echo, all alone, against the four of them. With only his fists." He shook his head, a rare, almost imperceptible smirk touching his lips. "It was quite a sight."
Peter Pettigrew, who had been silently nibbling his pastry, visibly shivered. "I remember that," he squeaked, his voice trembling slightly. "It was… terrifying. Like trying to fight a really feral Kneazle, but instead of claws, he just… decked us. Over and over again."
Echo's blue hair brightened with a satisfied, almost proud yellow. He stretched out his hands, flexing his fingers. "My magic may have its limits, Severus," he said, a genuine, unburdened smile spreading across his face, "but my hands are rated E for everyone."
Echo's yellow hair softened to a resolute black, his smile fading. "As much as I'd love to pound these four into ground beef, we have bigger fish to fry. And our current fish wears a wig." He glanced pointedly at Severus, who, despite himself, let out a soft snort of amusement. "Lucius Malfoy is working with someone bigger and more powerful than himself. Someone who knows things – things about Remus and about me. They're using Remus as a way to gauge how much pressure they can put on me before I lose control or let the Dark Beast out."
He ran a hand through his black hair, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "Anything with Remus has obviously failed. They tried to frame him, to expose him, and all that did was make me publicly shame Malfoy. So there's no doubt they'll try something else, but what is the question?" He looked around at the assembled faces, his gaze lingering on Remus. "Trying to expose Lucius for his dealings is hard. The little stunt he pulled with the Doxy and Bowtruckle definitely gave us some wiggle room, but now he'll be even more selective or secretive, depending on whoever Lucius is kissing up to decides."
Severus crossed his arms, his purple hair still radiating frustration. "Then what, pray tell, is your brilliant plan, Echo? Are we to simply sit here and wait for this unseen puppet master to make their next move, while Malfoy skulks in the shadows, presumably reporting our every twitch?"
Echo, with a calm sigh, finally settled into the plush armchair by the fireplace. Shimmer, now a contented silver ripple, immediately began to meticulously pick at strands of his black hair, an almost meditative act. "That, Severus, is precisely why we are here, in this room. The Room of Requirement. It is, perhaps, the most secure and secret place in this entire castle. No one can track us here, no one can listen. From this point forward, this is where we plot. This is where we figure out our next move." His black hair softened to a thoughtful indigo.
James, ever eager, bounced the Snitch in his hand. "Right! So, we need to find out who's behind this. We could just… follow Malfoy. See where he goes, who he talks to."
"And risk being caught by a teacher and giving him more ammunition?" Remus countered, looking up from his book. "Malfoy's already on high alert after the Great Hall incident. He'd spot us a mile away."
"What if we used Polyjuice Potion?" Peter squeaked, eyes wide. "One of us could pretend to be Malfoy and find out who he's meeting!"
Severus scoffed. "And who among us possesses the skill, not to mention the stomach, to impersonate Malfoy for any length of time without revealing themselves? Not to mention the ingredients for a Polyjuice Potion are highly controlled and difficult to acquire without suspicion."
Sirius grinned, a flash of his usual recklessness. "Alright, how about this? We set a trap. Something big. Something that would force Malfoy's 'master' to show their hand."
Echo shook his head slowly. "Too risky. We don't know enough about this person. A trap could backfire, and innocent people could get hurt. Or worse, it could give them exactly what they want – for the Beast to reveal itself." His indigo hair flickered with a warning red.
Lily, who had been listening intently, spoke up. "What if we focus on information? There must be a way to find out who Malfoy has been communicating with. Letters, perhaps? Or a magical artifact he uses to communicate?"
"Malfoy is cunning," Severus pointed out. "He wouldn't keep anything incriminating where it could be easily found. And any magical communication would likely be heavily encrypted, beyond our current capabilities to decipher without drawing attention."
James sighed, flopping back against the cushions. "So, we're back to square one? We can't follow him, we can't impersonate him, we can't set a trap, and we can't find any direct evidence. This is harder than Quidditch."
Lily, however, still looked utterly overwhelmed. She took a deep breath, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "Echo," she began, her voice still a little shaky. Her gaze flickered to Echo's face, a new thought dawning. "You have that unique bond with the House-Elves, don't you? Could you… Could you ask them to keep an eye on Lucius? They could, you know, appear anywhere, practically invisible…"
Echo's black hair pulsed with a thoughtful blue. "That's… actually a good idea, Lily," he admitted, surprising himself. "They're incredibly quick, and yes, they can turn invisible and apparate within a split second. They could follow him anywhere in the castle."
"Exactly!" Lily exclaimed, a flicker of hope in her eyes.
Echo, however, frowned, his blue hair darkening to a reflective indigo. "But Lucius is clever, Lily. He might have ways to stay hidden even from them. He could put up enchantments to keep them at bay, or he might go to places where they can't go, like… the Forbidden Forest."
A collective sigh of exasperation rippled through the group.
"It's not like you can just send your pets or other creatures to spy and report on his doings, Echo," Peter, who had been quietly observing from a distance, chimed in, almost as an offhand remark.
Echo, who had been about to respond to Lily, froze. His indigo hair flared, then settled into a vibrant, almost manic green. He turned to Peter, his eyes suddenly alight with a dangerous gleam. "Say that again, Peter?" he asked, his voice low and intense.
Peter, startled, repeated, "It's not like you can just send your pets or other creatures to spy and report on his doings. Why?"
Severus, who had been watching Echo's face, suddenly narrowed his eyes. "He has that face," he muttered, almost to himself, but loud enough for the others to hear. "The one where he's going to do something monumentally stupid."
Echo grinned, a wild, unhinged expression. "I am," he confirmed, his green hair blazing with mischievous intent.
Remus stepped forward, a look of genuine alarm on his face. "Echo, please," he begged, his voice laced with concern. "Don't do something that'll leave you in a pool of blood again, like last time."
Echo waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, I'm not going to end up in a pool of blood, Remus. Not this time." He paused, his grin widening, a glint of genuine menace in his eyes. "But it might just blow up his head."
Lily gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Echo! Stop!" she cried.
"Don't worry, Lily," Echo said, his voice brimming with wicked amusement. "I've already thought it through."
Sirius scoffed. "Yeah," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "For about five seconds."
Echo sprang up from the armchair, his green hair still blazing with an almost terrifying excitement. He scooped up Sniffles, who let out a startled squeak, and gently but firmly set the Niffler down on the sturdy desk.
"Alright, Sniffles," Echo whispered, his voice low and intense, his eyes fixed on the Niffler. "Listen very carefully. You need to remain absolutely, utterly still. Do not move a single whisker. Do not even blink. If you do, my brain might just… well, it might just blow up. Understood?"
Sniffles, sensing the unusual gravity in Echo's tone, immediately froze. His tiny, beady eyes, usually darting with avarice, became unblinking, fixed on Echo. Not a single tuft of his dark fur twitched. He was a statue of perfect stillness.
Lily, her expression a mixture of fear and exasperation, stepped forward. "Echo, please," she pleaded, her voice sharp with worry. "Don't do anything stupid! You've already got enough going on!"
Echo merely gave her a wild grin, his green hair flickering with reckless abandon. "Stupid, Lily?" he retorted, a glint of genuine mischief in his eyes. "Stupid is my middle name."
James, ever the one to seize an opportunity for a jab, piped up, "How can you have a middle name when you don't even have a surname, Echo?"
Echo ignored him completely. His gaze, now solely focused on Sniffles, intensified. He raised his wand, not at the Niffler, but at his own temple. His green hair pulsed, a concentrated, almost visible wave of magic emanating from him. With a slow, deliberate movement, he pulled a small, dark, almost imperceptible thread of magic from his own mind. It shimmered with a faint, dangerous energy. He carefully drew it across the space between him and the desk, then, with a light tap of his wand, connected it to Sniffles's tiny, still head.
There was a dark, almost silent flash, a brief, unsettling ripple in the air. Then, Echo swayed violently, his eyes rolling back in his head, and he crumpled to the floor with a soft thud.
"Echo!" Lily cried, rushing forward.
"Are you alright, mate?!" James exclaimed, scrambling off the cushions.
Severus, despite his earlier disdain, was at Echo's side in an instant, a rare look of genuine concern on his face. "What in Merlin's name did you do, you imbecile?"
Echo groaned, pushing himself up, rubbing his head. His green hair had faded to a slightly dazed, yet triumphant, blue. "I'm… I'm okay," he mumbled, shaking his head slightly. "Just a bit dizzy. But it worked!"
Severus, always pragmatic, raised an eyebrow. "How so? Did you manage to give the Niffler a headache?"
Echo grinned, a flicker of his usual mischievous energy returning. "Better than that, Severus," he said, and then, his voice shifting, taking on a slightly higher, more reedy quality, he added, "I can see through Sniffles's eyes. I can hear through his ears. And I can smell through his nose." He paused, his blue hair brightening with surprise. "Apparently, Lily has candy in her pocket."
Lily gasped, her hand instinctively flying to her pocket, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Echo, still speaking in that slightly altered voice, slowly turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the room. "And wow, everything's a lot… lower down, isn't it? Is this what it's like to be Peter?"
Peter, who had been listening with a mixture of awe and trepidation, immediately bristled. "Hey!" he shouted, his voice indignant. "I'm taller than that and you!"
Severus stared, utterly dumbfounded. His earlier concern had vanished, replaced by a profound, almost horrified astonishment. "You… you just invented a new spell," he finally managed, his voice barely a whisper, his purple hair slowly, erratically, shifting to a shocked white. "Out of thin air?"
Echo, still with that slightly reedy, higher voice, chuckled. His blue hair pulsed with pride. "Not thin air, per se, Severus. It's a very complex adaptation of my own weird magic and some Beast Trait Sharing. But yes," he added, a confident glint in his eyes, "it will definitely be going into my Beast Magic notebook."
Lily, who had been watching the entire exchange with wide eyes, slowly shook her head, a small, incredulous smile forming on her lips. "So, let me get this straight," she said, a hint of awe in her tone. "You just made the equivalent of a living, breathing security monitor… out of a Niffler?"
Echo's blue hair brightened with a satisfied yellow. "Essentially, yes."
James Potter, however, saw an immediate, mischievous opportunity. His eyes gleamed. "A living security monitor, you say? Well, we'll just have to put that to the test, won't we?"
Before anyone could react, James swiftly scooped up the perfectly still Sniffles from the desk. He grinned at Echo, a wicked glint in his eyes, and then, with a flourish, carried the Niffler to the furthest corner of the Room of Requirement, behind a towering bookshelf. He leaned down, his mouth close to Sniffles's tiny ear, and whispered something.
Echo, still connected to Sniffles, suddenly gasped, a mortified blush creeping up his neck, making his yellow hair flare a violent, embarrassed crimson. "James!" he shrieked, his voice returning to its normal pitch, filled with utter outrage. "That's dirty! You absolute pervert!" Echo's emerald hair, a vibrant, almost electric green, pulsed with annoyance. He turned to Shimmer, who was a faint silver ripple on his shoulder. "Shimmer," he muttered, his voice low and dangerous, "punish James. Make it… memorable."
Shimmer, with a mischievous chitter, vanished from Echo's shoulder. A moment later, a rolled-up newspaper, seemingly from nowhere, appeared in mid-air and, with a surprisingly loud *thwack, smacked James Potter squarely on his backside. James yelped, spinning around, his face a mixture of confusion and indignation, dropping Sniffles, who scampered off, giving Echo vertigo.
"What in Merlin's beard was that?!" he exclaimed, rubbing his stinging rear.
Lily, her green eyes wide with curiosity, turned to Echo. "What did he say, Echo? What did James do?"
Echo merely shook his head, his green hair darkening to a resolute black. "I'm not repeating it, Lily. Some things are best left unsaid."
Remus, however, looked at Echo with a thoughtful frown. "Echo," he began, his voice gentle, "can you… truly see with your own eyes? Because right now, they look like two black orbs." He waved his hand in front of his seemingly unblinking eyes.
Echo blinked, then slowly reached up to touch his eyes. His black hair flickered with a confused blue. "Apart from Sniffles being able to see, I can't see out of my own body," he admitted, a note of dawning realization in his voice. He took a hesitant step forward, then another, his hands outstretched. "I'm… I'm walking around blind." He stumbled, his hands landing on something soft and yielding. "What am I grabbing?" he asked, his voice muffled. "Is this a cushion?"
Severus, a rare look of something akin to concern on his face, stepped forward. "Can you… turn it off, Echo?"
Echo nodded, fumbling for his wand. With a precise tap to his forehead, he cut the connection. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the light, and a gasp escaped him. "I can see again!" he exclaimed, then immediately looked down at his hands. "Oh, ew! I was grabbing Sirius's chest!" He recoiled, shouting, "Ew! Ew! Someone cut off my hands!"
Sirius looked genuinely offended, rubbing his chest. "It wasn't that bad, Echo! Just a bit… firm!" A few suppressed giggles rippled through the room.
Severus, however, ignored the banter. He looked at Echo, a thoughtful, almost calculating glint in his dark eyes. "While your… innovation, Echo, could indeed be revolutionary, a single Niffler, even one with a direct link to your consciousness, will hardly suffice for surveillance on someone as cunning as Malfoy. He's not exactly known for spending his time in the Great Hall, charming House-Elves with shiny buttons."
Lily nodded, her expression still laced with concern. "And what about the strain on you, Echo? You nearly passed out just now. Imagine trying to link with multiple creatures, all at once."
Echo, his blue hair still pulsing with a determined energy, waved a dismissive hand. "Sniffles was just the test run. If I can do this with him, a creature whose brain is mostly devoted to shiny objects, then I can do it with any willing creature." He looked around at their skeptical faces. "And I'll be careful, I promise. But we have to test this. We have to see how far I can push this – how many eyes and ears I can look through at once before my mind turns to pudding."
James, predictably, piped up. "You're already halfway there, mate."
Echo stuck his tongue out at him.
Lily, however, reiterated her warning. "Just… be careful, Echo. Please."
Severus, ever the pragmatist, interjected, "Even if you can observe Malfoy, Echo, what then? You're still just hearing and seeing what the creature does. That's not proof. That's anecdotal. The Wizengamot doesn't convict on the word of a Niffler's eyewitness account, however, magically linked to you."
Peter, who had been quietly listening, suddenly chirped, almost to himself, "It's not like the creatures could record their memories for Echo to take and share later, is it?"
Echo, who had been about to respond to Severus, froze. His black hair, which had been a thoughtful blue, suddenly flared into a brilliant, almost blinding yellow. His eyes, usually hollow, gleamed with an intensity that made everyone in the room take a step back.
"Peter," Echo said, his voice barely a whisper, yet it cut through the air with the force of a command. "Say that again."
Peter, startled by Echo's sudden shift in demeanor, stammered, "I-I just said, it's not like the creatures could record their memories for Echo to take and share later, is it?"
A slow, terrifying grin spread across Echo's face, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Oh, but they can, Peter," he murmured, his voice laced with a dark, dangerous amusement. His yellow hair blazed, crackling with an almost palpable energy. "Oh, they most certainly can."
Severus, who had been watching Echo with a mixture of growing dread and fascination, inhaled sharply. "Echo, what are you implying?" he asked, his voice low and cautious.
Echo turned to him, his smile widening. "I'm implying, Severus, that if I can connect to a creature's senses, if I can see what they see and hear what they hear, then it stands to reason that I can also access their memories. Their experiences. Their recorded observations." He stretched out his hand, his fingers twitching with a newfound power. "All I need is a willing participant. And a target."
Lily, her face pale, stepped forward. "Echo, that's… that's an invasion of privacy. And incredibly dangerous. What if you get lost in their memories? What if you overwhelm them?"
Echo waved a dismissive hand. "Details, Lily, details. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The point is, it's possible." He looked at the Marauders, his gaze sweeping over each of them. "And it means we have an army of eyes and ears. An army that no one, not even Lucius, will ever suspect."
Severus, however, had a thoughtful, almost predatory gleam in his dark eyes. "If you truly intend to pursue this… audacious plan, Echo," he began, his voice low and deliberate, "then we must consider the repercussions. Extracting and viewing memories, even a creature's, is fraught with peril. Your mind, powerful though it is, is still volatile. There's a high risk of mental backlash, or worse, losing yourself in the labyrinthine consciousness of another being." He paused, then, a hint of something almost like pride in his tone, added, "However, there is a way to mitigate that risk. A way to safely store these… observations, and present them as irrefutable evidence when the time comes."
Echo, his yellow hair flickering with keen interest, leaned forward. "How, Severus?"
Severus inclined his head slightly. "A Pensieve. We could acquire a Pensieve. Once the memories are extracted, they can be safely deposited into the Pensieve, where they can be reviewed and presented to the appropriate authorities, such as Dumbledore, or even the Ministry, should the need arise. It provides a detached, objective view, free from the immediate mental strain on your part." He then crossed his arms, a faint, almost smug smirk on his lips. "Furthermore, I have been diligently studying Legilimency and Occlumency. Not for my own personal gain, mind you, but with a foresight that this day might come. I can assist you, Echo, in shoring up your mental defenses, in protecting your mind from the potential… catastrophic effects of attempting such a feat. Think of it as a mental shield, preventing your brain from melting into a puddle of hot butter."
Echo stared at Severus, his wild grin returning, brighter than before. His yellow hair pulsed with unadulterated delight. "Oh, Severus," he breathed, his voice filled with genuine admiration, "I really, truly love how your pretty brain thinks."
Severus merely rolled his eyes, though the faint smirk remained. "Do not get sentimental, Echo. It's simply logical. We must be prepared for every eventuality."
James, always one for dramatics, let out a low whistle. "Blimey, Echo. You're either a genius or completely mad."
"Why not both?" Echo retorted, his yellow hair pulsing with a triumphant, manic energy. With a cackle that bordered on maniacal, Echo sprang towards the enchanted vivariums. His yellow hair flared, crackling with an almost palpable energy as he unlatched the first one.
A puff of fluffy fur erupted – several Puffskeins, purring like tiny motorboats, immediately latched onto his robes. From another, a kaleidoscope of color burst forth as two Fwoopers, their melodious chirps filling the room with a strangely unsettling cacophony, settled on his shoulders. Next came a pair of Jobberknolls perched on his head and arms. Two sleek, feline forms, Kneazles, rubbed affectionately against his legs. A Diricawl waddled out and nestled comfortably into the crook of his arm. Then, with a gentle hiss, a magnificent Occamy, its serpentine body shimmering with iridescent scales, unwound itself from its enclosure and gracefully coiled itself around Echo's neck. Finally, a tiny Bowtruckle clung to his ear, its twig-like body almost invisible against his dark hair. At the same time, a particularly feisty Doxy, its sharp teeth glinting, zipped forward and latched onto his cheek, its wings beating furiously.
Echo, now a living, breathing, and rather noisy menagerie of magical creatures, surveyed the bewildered faces of his friends. His yellow hair blazed with an unholy glee, and a wide, triumphant grin split his face.
"The night is young, my friends," he declared, his voice muffled slightly by the Doxy on his cheek, "and experimentation is never too soon! Let the games begin!"