The next day, the final Quidditch match arrived right on schedule.
Oliver Wood, ever the dedicated Gryffindor captain, came over to greet Arsenal—even though his team didn't have a substitute Seeker. He urged Ravenclaw to play their hardest and absolutely not go easy on them.
Watching Wood's slightly dejected figure as he walked away, Arsenal couldn't help but sigh. "He really does love Quidditch with all his heart. Just… rotten luck, that's all."
He clapped Wyzett on the shoulder. "Honestly, as long as you're still at Hogwarts, I doubt Gryffindor has much hope of winning the Cup."
The vice-captain coughed awkwardly. "Captain, maybe keep your voice down! If Wood hears you, he'll come back for a duel."
The best way to honor your opponent, of course, is to give it everything you've got.
With no backup Seeker, the match turned into a rout. The final score: fifty to four hundred seventy. Gryffindor suffered a historic defeat.
But for Arsenal, it was a dream fulfilled—he finally got to hoist the trophy he'd wanted for so long before graduating.
Under Professor Flitwick's magical direction, golden rain showered from the sky. Ribbons and banners painted colorful arcs overhead. The Quidditch pitch became the heart of the celebration as Ravenclaw students flooded the field, hands reaching for the victorious team, the air alive with singing and applause.
Wyzett hadn't forgotten the note Dumbledore left him. He had plenty of questions swirling in his mind—answers only the headmaster could provide.
After the celebrations, Wyzett slipped out of the common room, running into plenty of familiar faces along the way.
"Wyzett! That last goal was incredible!"
"Thanks!"
"Wyzett! Ever thought about going pro?"
"Haven't really considered it…"
"Wyzett! Can I get your autograph? If you end up on a professional team, this'll be worth a fortune!"
"Uh… one at a time, please! No shoving!"
It took some effort, but at last Wyzett escaped the crowd and made his way to the familiar gargoyle statue.
"Jelly Slugs!"
The squat stone gargoyle sprang to life, folding its broad wings and hopping aside to reveal the spiral staircase hidden behind it.
Wyzett knocked a few times before the door to the headmaster's office creaked open.
The moment he stepped inside, Fawkes swooped from midair and landed gracefully on his shoulder.
Wyzett fished out a Dirigible Plum. "Thank you so much… It must've been tough, being a locket all term, right?"
Fawkes shook his head gently, nuzzled Wyzett's neck, then took the Dirigible Plum in his beak and fluttered back to his perch.
The headmaster's office was quiet—only the silver instruments puffed little clouds of smoke, making odd, whimsical noises. Most of the portrait inhabitants were absent, and those who remained were dozing in their frames.
"Where's Headmaster Dumbledore…" Wyzett glanced around, frowning slightly.
An enormous mirror towered before the window, blocking out the light. It was a magnificent thing, reaching all the way to the ceiling, its frame adorned with exquisite serpentine carvings. The snake-shaped sculptures at the base looked so lifelike, it seemed they might slither forward at any moment and coil around some unsuspecting prey.
Just two nights ago, Wyzett had seen this very mirror.
Back then, Dumbledore had been lying in wait in his office, using the mirror to enter the dungeons—protecting Harry and bringing Voldemort under control.
There are so many wonders in the wizarding world: magical plants, fantastic beasts, moving portraits—even ordinary household items could be enchanted with unimaginable magic.
And this mirror was no exception.
Wyzett approached the perch. "Fawkes, do you know where Headmaster Dumbledore has gone?"
Fawkes shook his head, then stretched his neck and hopped over to the desk, pacing back and forth.
"Are you telling me to sit down?" Wyzett pulled out a chair, but his gaze kept drifting to the mirror.
He saw not just his reflection, but three distinct images in the glass.
To the left: swirling black chaos, flickering with ash-red sparks. Sometimes, those sparks gathered into a strange, menacing shape—a skull with its mouth agape, a thick serpent writhing from within like a twisted tongue.
The sight stirred something in Wyzett—a sense of eerie familiarity, a feeling that this symbol belonged to him somehow, yet remained just out of reach. He couldn't grasp its essence, and so he couldn't truly command it.
After a long moment, he looked away from the chaos and focused on the center.
There, he saw himself surrounded by books—an endless sea of them, stacked like pillars to the ceiling, stretching beyond sight in every direction. This scene glowed softly, its light framing the other images as if to claim dominance, as if to say: This is what matters most.
To the right, the mirror was filled with pure white—like a snowy field, but warmer, utterly spotless, immaculate.
Drawn in, Wyzett found himself pacing before the mirror, curious to see if anything would change.
The scenes on the left and right remained fixed, but the central image mirrored his every move, following him as he walked—just like a normal reflection.
He glanced at Fawkes. "What do you see in the mirror?"
Fawkes tilted his head, flew over to inspect the glass, then blinked at Wyzett. He fluffed his wings and tapped his chest with his beak.
"So… you see yourself? Just a regular mirror? You don't see the darkness or the white?"
Fawkes nodded twice, then shook his head—confirming the first, denying the last.
"How mysterious…" Wyzett murmured, activating his Oculus Magicae, hoping to uncover the mirror's secrets.
The instant he did, the serpentine carvings at the mirror's base sprang to life.
With lightning speed, they lunged forward, coiling tightly around him.
Wyzett immediately broke the magical sight, his hand closing around his wand. He swung it, incanting, "Nox!"
The room dimmed in an instant. He shifted into his Devil's Snare Form, trying to pry the animated snakes loose.
But before he could break free, the mirror exploded with a surge of brilliant silver-blue light, swallowing him whole—until, in a blink, he vanished from the headmaster's office…
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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