Allen lifted the tapestry concealing the wall behind the children's bookcase and raised his wand. "Lumos Solem."
He fired a silent ball of brilliant light from his wand into the dark tunnel. Seeing no immediate movement, Allen waited a few moments more. He then cast a Disillusionment Charm over his robes to guard against any unforeseen encounters. He lifted the tapestry fully, crouched low, and slipped into the narrow, cold tunnel.
The walls of this secret passage were covered in intricate, stylized patterns that remained surprisingly bright and vibrant despite the passage of time.
The floor was uniquely decorated with a colorful mosaic of tiles, approximately sixty centimetres wide, from which a curving line of striking red tiles extended down the passage, acting as a guide.
Fragments and cracks at the corridor's end revealed traces of plaster coating and gluing on the underlying stone surface, while sections of the murals showed evidence of having been polished—suggesting the passage was meant to be seen.
Allen quickly scanned the mural nearest him. It depicted a wizard engaged in alchemy. However, the unsettling, deep red liquid boiling in the cauldron gave the painting an ominous, eerie atmosphere. Allen didn't have time to linger. He slowed his pace, gripped his wand tightly, and continued down the tunnel steps, passing through several quiet, deserted passages.
He hadn't walked far when he pushed open the low basement door on the roof of the tunnel. Allen was startled by a rush of cold air, followed immediately by light.
It was a small, low-slung storage room or warehouse. The weak afternoon sun, filtering through a dusty skylight, shone directly onto the spot where Allen had emerged. After the dim tunnel, Allen quickly shielded his eyes, taking a moment to adjust to the dim light.
Pushing open the final exit door, he found himself in an abandoned, snowy garden. The ground was uneven and covered with a thick blanket of white. Outside the immediate grounds, the landscape was desolate and bleak; small farmhouses, built of wood, mud, and straw, were scattered sparsely across the wilderness.
Looking back, Allen saw a large, imposing mansion surrounded by high walls not far from the farmhouse. Snowdrifts on the mansion's roof caught the scattered rays of sunlight, glinting intermittently. Beyond the mansion, high, jagged peaks pierced the clouds, visible in the far distance like rocky islands rising from a vast, white sea.
Based on Emily's usual routine, Allen calculated the time and estimated that she would wake up soon. He quickly retraced his steps. As he passed a certain door, he heard the sound of rushing water inside and realized his Aunt Josephine was taking a shower. He filed this piece of information away; he had the rough framework of a plan forming.
He restored the tapestry behind the bookcase and tiptoed back to the bedroom door. The little girl in the red dress, still holding her frog, immediately appeared in the door's portrait. She glanced quickly at Allen, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes, then vanished back into the frame.
Allen pushed the door open and entered the room. Thankfully, his sister was still fast asleep. Allen tiptoed to the bed, gently lay down beside her, closed his eyes, and pretended to rest.
For the remainder of the afternoon, Allen played dutifully with Emily under his aunt's supervision, then engaged in polite conversation with Aunt Josephine, asking about her "interesting experiences" in the Department for the Control of Magical Creatures.
After putting Emily to bed at 9:00 PM, Allen cast a "Deep Sleep Charm" on the little girl. According to the Encyclopedia of Magical Ailments, the spell was originally developed by an insomniac wizard who also suffered from premature hair loss. While it didn't solve the hair loss (which proved unrelated to sleep deprivation), it successfully resolved half of his problem.
Allen kissed the sleeping Emily's forehead, then turned to wait outside the bathroom. His intention, of course, was not to peep, but to procure his aunt's wand while she was occupied bathing.
Unlike when adult wizards weren't present, the Ministry of Magic did not extend the blanket exemption for underage magic (allowing Harry to perform the Hover Charm or Hermione to practice Transfiguration before school started) to locations where a high likelihood of offensive spell usage existed.
Since his aunt was present, Allen would be detected. Fortunately, Allen wasn't as fastidious about wands as some wizards, knowing the core connection was only truly vital for the most complex magic.
After acquiring his aunt's wand, Allen returned to the quiet solitude of the farmhouse—the original exit point of the secret passage. He intended to use his "Genius Aura" to enhance a complex divination spell to locate Albert. This was a spell far beyond his current theoretical capacity, typically reserved for high-ranking Aurors and requiring years of study.
The spell's effectiveness hinged on the diviner's familiarity with the target and their extensive knowledge of magical theory. Ideally, it was performed with polished silver mirrors and specialized potions, or a hookah-like device that generated imagery from smoke.
Lacking these, Allen had to dedicate significantly more time and raw power to the casting. Thankfully, the target was his own brother, whom he knew intimately. Even with the power of his aura, the spell could only determine Albert's approximate location.
To Allen's surprise, the system, without warning, immediately assigned him a quest upon the completion of the prophecy: "Find the Moonstone." This reinforced Allen's earlier suspicion that the system was inconsistent in its quest assignment, especially since it provided no indication of a reward this time.
Before he could dwell on this, Allen stepped out of the farmhouse once more. He retrieved his Neptune hoverbroom from its storage area, mounted it, and sped off into the distant, snow-covered landscape.
The sky, previously illuminated by a faint moonlight, began to rapidly darken as heavy rain clouds rolled in. The smell of rain intensified.
Finally, a torrential downpour began, accompanied by deafening thunder. The moon was entirely obscured behind thick thunderheads, and a freezing northerly wind howled. Lightning periodically flashed through the clouds, occasionally striking the ground with a terrifying roar. The raindrops, hardened into sleet by the cold winter air, mixed violently with the larger drops.
The icy winter rain and snow lashed violently around Allen. Fortunately, Allen's physique was superior to most of his peers due to his training, and his robes possessed advanced thermal regulation charms; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to sustain flight for long.
Occasional flashes of lightning briefly illuminated the farmhouses below, making them look like fleeting ghosts before darkness swallowed them again.
Allen sped through the misty night, moving from the residential area toward the desolate wilderness at incredible speed. As he neared the predicted location, a massive, imposing stone mountain loomed in the distance, its silhouette etched against the empty horizon by the lightning.
When Allen was close enough, he realized a powerful Muggle-Repelling Charm had been cast over the entire area. After flying around the stone mountain to gain a general impression, Allen gently landed, noticing that the ground felt unnaturally soft, like walking on cotton.
This rocky outcrop was essentially a stone tower carved directly from a natural formation. It resembled a massive, lone boulder rising from the earth, staring grimly down at the surrounding wilderness.
A few narrow rock outcrops offered minimal shelter, but upon closer inspection, Allen discovered an arched entrance, roughly twenty feet high and ten feet wide, carved deep into the thick rock.
The ground outside the entrance sloped outward, naturally directing rainwater away. Given the mountain's rugged nature, the interior beyond the door must be dry and well protected from the fierce lightning and snow. The structure appeared incredibly sturdy, and even in such harsh weather, the probability of structural collapse was extremely low.
Confirming the area was unguarded, Allen approached the entrance. He cast a Cleansing Charm on himself to instantly shed the rain and snow, then activated the specialized Illusion Charm woven into his robe, which provided a more robust concealment than a standard Invisibility Cloak.
Allen did not enter blindly. He carefully examined the entrance first. Unlike many young wizards who relied solely on spells, Allen relied on knowledge that others might consider useless—basic magical history and wizarding architecture.
Using his rudimentary knowledge, Allen determined that the stonework at the entrance was exceptionally solid. He also discovered fragments of a massive, round stone scattered near the entrance. This stone appeared to have once blocked the doorway, but had been violently shattered by a powerful spell.
The remaining door was immensely heavy, yet protected by the standard enchantments of wizarding architecture, allowing it to be easily pushed open by a wizard with minimal physical strength. When left unsupported, it automatically swung back and closed.
He pressed the tip of his borrowed wand against the door and then against his ear, listening intently for any sounds from within. After several minutes of silence, Allen gently pushed the heavy door open and slipped inside.