In the Empty Classroom
Quirrell carefully erased the lingering traces of his spellwork, flicking his wand with a practiced motion. The remnants of magic dissipated at once, leaving no visible evidence behind in the dimly lit classroom.
A few minutes later.
Once they were certain that Quirrell had walked a safe distance away, two figures slowly materialized. The same shimmering effect rippled through the air as they reappeared, threads of color weaving around them like enchanted mist.
"He's a cautious one," Aurora murmured, her gaze following the retreating figure of Quirrell down the corridor.
"But his master certainly isn't," Ian remarked, voice tinged with dry amusement. He hadn't expected Voldemort to send Quirrell to deal with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor so soon.
Even if the current professor wasn't Grindelwald, just some inept wizard barely qualified to hold the post, it was no simple feat to dispose of someone quietly at Hogwarts. Even a student like Ian knew that the castle itself was far from a silent observer.
The enchanted portraits, the ever-watchful suits of armor, and even the very stones of Hogwarts carried memories of what transpired within its walls.
"You seem to know quite a bit about this man's background. If I'm not mistaken, he only returned to Hogwarts today," Aurora observed, turning to the Ravenclaw beside her.
"That's the sharp intuition of a Niffler, my friend. Only someone with my level of perception is fit to be Hogwarts' greatest detective." Ian gave Aurora a self-satisfied pat on the shoulder.
"???"
Aurora simply stared at him, clearly baffled by his self-proclaimed title.
"You might want to remind your grandfather to watch his step," Ian added, lowering his voice. "Wouldn't want him to trip over something unexpected."
He hoped, of course, that Grindelwald would dispose of Quirrell before the man could become a real threat. It was a small precaution, but one that might save them a great deal of trouble later.
Aurora, however, shook her head. "If my grandfather were so easily taken down, you wouldn't be seeing him here at all. The only person in the world who might be able to defeat him is Dumbledore."
A statement made with absolute confidence.
Ian hummed thoughtfully, considering her words.
"…Are you planning to use Veritaserum on him?" His mind drifted to the ingredients Aurora had pocketed earlier from Snape's storeroom.
"Yes."
Aurora nodded. "There's a secret he refuses to tell me. A secret I need to know. It's been weighing on me for too long, keeping me from any real peace."
She didn't elaborate, but Ian could guess, it was likely something to do with her parents, or something just as personal. He decided against pressing her for details.
"If you already know how difficult he is to deceive, how do you plan on making him drink Veritaserum without realizing it?" Ian asked. He found it hard to believe that someone like Grindelwald wouldn't notice a tampered potion.
This question gave Aurora pause. It was clear she hadn't thought that far ahead. She struck Ian as the kind of person who tackled problems one step at a time, rather than planning meticulously in advance.
For a young witch with prophetic abilities, this was likely a side effect of her gift. After all, she had the luxury of relying on her foresight to guide her when necessary. This habit, however, made her prone to overlooking the need for careful preparation.
That approach might work with ordinary people, but against someone whose own foresight vastly exceeded hers… Aurora had no immediate answer.
"Do You Have Any Suggestions?" Seeking help from her only friend, Aurora hesitated for a moment before confessing her past attempts. "I always thought Dumbledore was my grandfather's greatest weakness…"
In pursuit of that theory, she had even dabbled in human Transfiguration, attempting to deceive Grindelwald by taking on Dumbledore's appearance. However, her skills had been lacking, and she had been caught midway through the transformation.
Not that it had mattered.
Grindelwald had seen through her the moment she started, he had simply let her continue, amused by the spectacle. Once she realized he was only toying with her, she abandoned the idea entirely and turned to a more straightforward method: Veritaserum.
"How old are you again? And you're already experimenting with human Transfiguration?" Ian was incredulous at Aurora's sheer audacity. It wasn't just reckless, it was borderline absurd. He had a magical advantage of his own, but the German girl standing before him certainly didn't.
A Hogwarts Metamorphmagus in the making?
That would've been something.
"I could teach you, you know? Though, I'm not particularly skilled at it myself…" Aurora assumed Ian's amazement was curiosity, maybe even interest in learning the spell.
But Ian immediately shook his head, his response as rapid as a Fanged Frisbee gone rogue.
"At least let me hit six feet first. I understand how this magic works, learning it too early can mess with your growth. I think you'd be better off not delving into it too soon, either."
Faced with Ian's reasoning, Aurora didn't argue.
"I've already stopped practicing," she admitted.
There was a faint trace of regret in her voice, though it wasn't for the magic itself. It was for the wasted effort, the months of study that had ultimately failed to bring her the answers she had sought.
Ian fell silent, mulling over the problem. Then, an idea struck him.
"The safest option is to have Dumbledore ask for you," he suggested. "Didn't you say you're officially recognized as his apprentice?"
"From what I know of Dumbledore, as long as what you're asking isn't something dangerous, convincing him to help shouldn't be too difficult."
Then, lowering his voice, Ian added, "Though I might need to find you the right outfit." He was already considering asking the house-elves to recreate the dress Ariana Dumbledore had worn the day she passed away.
Aurora's brows furrowed. "Would that really work?"
"If it does, I think Dumbledore could help you get our professor to drink the Veritaserum," Ian mused, blinking at her. But his suggestion didn't seem to inspire much confidence.
"Well, unless you've got a better plan," he continued, "your grandfather isn't exactly an easy target. We can't just… I don't know, spike the Hogwarts plumbing with Veritaserum or something."
He was, of course, only joking. He hadn't expected the idea to be taken seriously.
But Aurora suddenly halted, her face lighting up in realization.
"That's a brilliant idea!"
Ian stopped short, alarmed.
She leaned in, already calculating something in her head.
"Wait," Ian said slowly, watching her with growing horror. "You're not actually thinking about doing that, are you?"
Aurora was completely unfazed. She was already estimating how much Veritaserum would be needed to flood the castle's water supply.
"??????"
Ian was utterly dumbfounded.
"You can't seriously be considering this! Snape's storeroom doesn't even have that much!" He instinctively clutched his pockets, wary that she might decide to "borrow" the potion ingredients he'd procured through his own means.
Aurora, however, had already reached her conclusion.
"True… It wouldn't be enough."
She sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed.
(To Be Continued…)
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