On the wall across from them, Alayna pointed to a wood panel that had appeared. She knew that had not been there before. Going through the portal from Isidora's house must have revealed it like the way the rooms had changed in the first trial. Sebastian and her walked over to it and as they grew close noticed that there was a split in the wood panel down the middle. Taking the initiative, Sebastian stepped forward and pulled on the wood panels that once swung to the side revealed...an empty triptych.
"I think..." Sebastian glanced back at her, "there's supposed to be three pictures here."
"It looks like they've been torn out." Alayna pointed out a few scraps that still clung around the edges of the panels. "And this here. Is it a clue?" Pinned in the middle panel was a scrap of paper with a drawing on it. It looked like a sketch of a particular place, but she had no idea where it might be or what it meant.
"You know...I think I might recognize this place," Sebastian said as he peered at the drawing.
"Really?" Alayna was a bit surprised he could tell where it was just from the sketch.
"I think. I could be wrong, but it wouldn't hurt to go take a look. I can go and see if it matches," Sebastian offered.
"Thank you, I'm not sure what this is but it must be important." Percival Rackham hadn't mentioned anything about this. Perhaps it was meant for a later trial and she'd accidentally stumbled upon it? Wouldn't that be something? Alayna grinned to herself thinking how impressed they would have to be if that was the case.
"Well, I guess it did save us the trip back to Hogwarts. As trippy as that was..." Sebastian unpinned the sketch so he could take it with him for reference. "Thanks for coming with me to Feldcroft. It was nice to have a friend by my side."
"Of course. I'm glad I was able to meet Anne." Alayna hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Sebastian. "I'm sorry about what happened to her...and about your uncle being a jerk." Sebastian was silent for a moment and she was afraid maybe hugging him had been a bad idea. But then he wrapped his arms around her as well and she felt his head press into her shoulder.
"Thank you, Alayna. But there's still more I haven't tried." Sebastian pulled away with a smile. "Speaking of...I wondered if maybe the goblins used ancient magic to curse Anne?"
"Hmm...I don't think so. I didn't see any traces of it around her. The Dark Magic I've seen the goblins use is something different I think."
"Alright, I guess at least it's one more thing I don't have to look into," Sebastian said, trying to make light of it. Alayna sighed, wishing she had better answers for him. If it was ancient magic, she probably could have helped, but as luck would have it that was not the case.
"If you need anything, I want to help. I can't bear to think of anyone suffering at the hands of Ranrok and his followers, least of all my friend's twin."
"In that case, I do have something in mind. But I need to talk to Ominis first. I'll let you know what I find out and what we can do from there." Sebastian's smile turned into a smirk. Alayna had a feeling this was going to end in another argument with Ominis. She was starting to get a good feel of the boys' relationship.
"Okay, just let me know when you need help." Which would probably involve talking to Ominis she had to guess. He was definitely the more level headed of the two and didn't exactly approve of Sebastian always sneaking off to find potential cures for Anne. Alayna was sure that he cared for her too, but he wasn't as...reckless as Sebastian. So whatever it was he was planning, she had to guess Ominis would object.
She surprised herself with how well she knew the two already, but she was also glad to have made such fast friends. Even if those friends frequently argued with each other. Outside of the Restricted Section incident, she'd been caught on the sideline of a number of other smaller arguments between Ominis and Sebastian. None of them ever ended in bad blood, of course, but Alayna still found it so unusual. They really were like brothers.
For now, Alayna was stuck in a bit of a waiting game. Waiting to hear what Sebastian's plan was and waiting to hear from Lodgok about his attempt to speak with Ranrok. So when she received a note from Deek a few days later asking for her to meet him in the Room of Requirement, she was excited for something different to do besides go to class and working on homework.
She spent a good chunk of time in the Room of Requirement when she wanted some time away from Imelda and Johanna or when being around others in general was getting to be too much. It was quiet and peaceful in the Room, she'd even taken one or two naps in there.
"Deek?" she called out as she entered the Room. Even in the moonlit space, her plants were growing quite well she noticed as she walked past them. Alayna ran a hand over one of the leaves of a nearby plant just as Deek popped out from a screened off corner of the Room. She'd wanted to give him his own space too since he was helping her out so much. He had insisted it wasn't necessary, but she'd made it anyways and once it was complete Deek had relented.
"Ah, hello Alayna," Deek smiled. He was carrying that same bag she had first seen him with. The one that looked like a doctor's traveling bag.
"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Alayna asked.
"Deek wondered if you would be interested in helping magical creatures? Deek found something that might be useful in protecting them."
"Really? We could protect them from the poachers? Absolutely, but how?" Alayna had been wondering if there was anything she could do to help beat back the poachers more than she already was. Fighting against Rookwood's men because of the ancient magic was one thing, but all she could do was release any creatures they had captured back into the wild where they could be captured again.
"With this!" Deek presented the bag he was carrying. "Deek calls it the nabsack. It has an enchantment that Deek thinks you can use to capture magical creatures and keep them safe."
"And just keep them in the bag? That seems a little cruel," Alayna replied.
"Deek thought the Room might be of use."
"Keep them here? I suppose it would keep them safe...alright. Shall we go looking for some test subjects?"
"Yes! Deek knows of at least two places nearby where magical creatures can be found."
"Lead the way," Alayna smiled and gestured for the house elf to guide her to the first location. They had to leave Hogwarts grounds, but not too far before Deek was motioning for her to keep quiet. Hidden amongst a bit of small hills was a den of puffskeins. Several of the furballs in varying colors were hanging around.
"Poppy would love this," Alayna muttered. Deek offered her the nabsack as he called it. "What do I do?"
"Simply aim at the creature and open it. The nabsack will vacuum them in safely." Alayna nodded and began sneaking up on the puffskeins. She hoped they wouldn't be too frightened as she was only trying to help after all. They would take them back to the Room of Requirement to stay safe until the poacher problem could be dealt with. If it was.
"Gotcha!" Alayna shouted as she opened the bag towards a brown puffskein, which try as it might to escape the powerful vacuuming enchantment the nabsack had, it was eventually sucked inside. The others had scampered off to hide in the process, but at least she had one. It was only a test after all. She would need to determine living arrangements and getting supplies for the creatures too.
"Well done! Deek knows of a mooncalf den up near the large tree on the hill there. Of course, you'll have to wait until dark for them to come out," Deek told her.
"Perhaps we'll wait on that one. I think I've seen some jobberknolls nearby too. Maybe I can find one." She'd seen a few of the colorful birds flying near the castle. So there must be a nest nearby. Walking amongst the trees nearby, she managed to spot one flying around. It had beautiful teal colored feathers with a white belly and a bright orange beak.
"It will be trickier to catch them. You may want to use a spell to help in catching them," Deek suggested.
"You're right. But something that won't harm them...what about Glacius?" Alayna proposed. The freezing spell would simply halt the creature's movement for a few seconds. Enough time for her to use the nabsack and suction them in.
"An excellent idea! It may help keep the creature from panicking as well." Deek nodded. Alayna waited until the jobberknoll landed on the ground before casting the freezing spell. That way it wouldn't be injured from falling out of the sky or off a tree branch. Then she ran over and used the nabsack to vacuum it in.
Alayna and Deek waited until the sky grew dark after that and returned to the tree that Deek had said housed a mooncalf den. The creatures with large bulging eyes were a little creepy, but the way they pranced about made them appear more cute. Alayna managed to catch a white one with black spots all over. With three magical creatures captured, the pair called it a day and returned to the Room of Requirement.
"Surely, I can't just keep them in the Room. It's not exactly the best habitat for wild animals," Alayna said as they entered the Room.
"As Deek said, the Room should be able to provide for the creatures needs. That includes habitats. Just imagine what they might need," Deek instructed her. It only took a second before the Room began to rumble and something appeared on one side of the space. At first, it appeared as a miniature greenhouse, like a dollhouse. But then it rapidly grew, forcing Deek and Alayna to quickly step back and out of the way. It grew to about the size of a small closet space and the door that swung open revealed what looked like a lush green space beyond it. Alayna and Deek looked at each other before they both walked through the door.
On the other side was yet another impossible space. A grassy green field as far as she could see with trees to the left and right and a few rocky outcroppings. Sun and sky shone down on them from above as impossible as the sky that lit up the rest of Alayna's Room. It was the perfect place for the magical creatures to live and be safe from poachers. Alayna took out the nabsack and this time when she opened it, it did not suck in, but instead let loose the magical creatures she had captured. The puffskein, jobberknoll, and mooncalf all began exploring their new home and even upon doing so, came up to her.
"Oh, hello," Alayna giggled as the mooncalf came up and rubbed against her thigh. She almost thought they were grateful for their new home.
"This is perfect. The magical creatures will be safe here," Deek said.
"Yes, thank you Deek for finding this nabsack. I'll feel a lot better knowing these little guys are safe."
"Deek did not do much. You will be the one saving them!" Deek smiled as humble as ever. Alayna had to wonder if all house elves were like that. He also gave her a spellcraft for a feeding station so the magical creatures could eat whenever they liked. She spent a little time caring for them before deciding to call it a night. They'd stayed up so late to rescue the mooncalf that by the time they got back to the castle it was even later. And Alayna still had classes the next day so she definitely needed to get to bed or else she'd be falling asleep in classes that weren't History of Magic.
Of course the week had even more excitement planned for her when that Friday she received a note from Natty asking to meet her near Hogsmeade. She didn't have class until later that night for Astronomy so she was free all day. Homework could wait for the weekend.
Near the village was a beautifully cultivated garden area which was where Natty wanted to meet. Unfortunately with the colder weather, most of the seasonal plants had died off, but there were still some green topiary around. Natty waited for her in an area that overlooked the lake down the hill.
"Hello, Natty." Alayna smiled and waved as she walked up.
"Hello, Alayna! I'm glad you could make it. You've been rather busy lately," the girl commented.
"Ah yes. But I don't have class until tonight so I'm free all day today."
"That's wonderful because I have some news. Officer Singer won't go after Rookwood and his men because she doesn't have the right evidence. But I've gotten some information about his right hand, Theophilus Harlow."
"This again? Natty, I'd almost thought you'd forgotten about this since I hadn't heard anything," Alayna sighed. She'd also nearly forgotten that Natty planned on going after Rookwood and his men herself and that she had reluctantly agreed to help her out. She should have never agreed to this. Fighting goblins that attacked her with Sebastian was one thing, directly attacking Rookwood was another.
"Of course not! Someone has to do something about them!" Natty insisted. "There's an old castle ruin near here where some of Rookwood's men are based. Harlow is supposed to visit there today, it's the perfect time to gather evidence!"
"Do I even want to know how you got this information in the first place?" Alayna asked, rubbing her forehead. "Never mind that, why are we going today when he's there instead of when he's not?"
"Harlow may take the evidence with him. If we sneak in while he's busy checking up on the place, we can steal documents or something without anyone noticing."
"This is incredibly dangerous, Natty. Rookwood's men do not play around," Alayna spoke seriously. She needed to drive the point home if Natty was going to be insistent on going through with this. There were risks and there was no reason why she needed to be involved.
"I'm a good duelist if worse comes to worse. I can protect myself," Natty remained firm in her determination to see this through. Admittedly, it was brave and exactly the type of thing a Gryffindor would do. It was also what annoyed Alayna a little too much about people from that house. At least, Natty was smart about her bravery unlike Garreth or Leander. Alayna rubbed at her temples for a few moments before answering.
"Alright, alright. But we try to be as quiet as possible. I'd rather not fight a whole castle of poachers."
"Deal! You'll see, once we get the evidence Officer Singer will have to do something." Alayna did hope that Natty was right. Putting Rookwood's right hand man behind bars would heavily damage his operations and make him less useful to Ranrok. Which in turn would hopefully damage Ranrok's Loyalists as well.
Natty led the way to the castle in question, not too far from Hogsmeade itself. A little worrying that they were so close to the village, just as their presence in the Forbidden Forest was. They really seemed to be everywhere. The ruined castle was surprisingly well preserved compared to some of the other ruins Alayna had seen around the Hogwarts Valley. Most of the walls were still intact and the front gate appeared to still be operational since it was currently lowered.
"We need to find a way inside," Natty whispered as they hid behind some rocks a few feet from the entrance. There was no one watching the entrance, surprisingly. They were probably all inside of the main building. A telling sign of how arrogant they had become that they did not believe anyone would dare try to come in. Alayna scanned the gate and the walls looking for a way to get inside.
"Over there," Alayna pointed to a part of the wall that had crumbled away a bit making it lower than the other sections. "If you use Levioso on me, I can climb up and find a way to open the gate." She trusted Natty with the spell as one of the best students in their Charms class.
"Leave it to me," Natty smiled and raised her wand. The two girls snuck to the lower section of the wall and Natty cast Levioso on Alayna. It was an odd feeling, being levitated and weightless. It almost made her a little sick to her stomach, but she trusted Natty who expertly maneuvered her over to the wall. Alayna pulled herself up as Natty dropped the spell then turned around to give her a thumbs up. Next, she needed a way inside the tower above the gate. The mechanism to open it had to be inside.
Climbing around to the backside, Alayna found a broken section of the tower wall that had been boarded up. She tried to force them apart with her bare hands at first, but when that didn't prove fruitful she resorted to blasting them apart with her wand. She just hoped it hadn't been too loud. But as she had noticed before, there was no one actually guarding the gate. She squeezed in through the crack in the wall to the large wheeled mechanisms that pulled up and lowered the gate.
Alayna tried to move them too with her bare hands at first, but the gate was way too heavy for her to do such a thing. So once again, she resorted to blasting the wheel and forcefully pushing it with magic. The gate slowly rose until it was all the way up and latched into place so it wouldn't fall back down. A door to the right led out onto another part of the wall which also acted as an entrance bridge leading up to the main castle building. Natty climbed up a crumbling set of stairs on the right to join her.
"Great job, now comes the hard part." Natty looked at the castle building. Two massive doors blocked the entrance. Opening either one would draw a ton of attention.
"The upper areas are open, we'd be better off sneaking around to the upper levels and going in that way," Alayna pointed out. Some of the upper floors had partially collapsed walls leaving the interior open to intruders. Here was where the poachers were concentrated. They would have to sneak past a bunch of them to get up there, but at least they wouldn't be noticed right away if they tried to go in through the front door.
Just as they were making their plan of attack, a group of poachers came from the other part of the wall that branched off to the right of the castle. Natty and Alayna hurried to hide behind a bunch of crates that were being stored on the wall. As they watched, they spotted Harlow among the poachers. He was just arriving for his visit. One of the massive doors opened to allow them entrance and just as they were disappearing inside, Natty disappeared under Disillusionment beside Alayna and made for the entrance.
"Natty!" Alayna whisper shouted after her. They had not agreed on what to do and now she was rushing in without saying anything. Casting Disillusionment on herself, Alayna tried to quietly hurry after her as Natty slipped in the doors. By the time Alayna reached them, they slammed in her face separating them. There was no way either of them could risk opening the door again when Harlow and the poachers had just gone through. Someone would notice the door opening again. So while Natty had made it inside, Alayna was going to have to go the long way around and hope that they could meet up somewhere in between.
"Stupid, brave Gryffindors," Alayna muttered to herself as she began to sneak around the corner of the castle.