The forest was still at dawn, wrapped in shadow and morning light. They moved carefully between the trees, eyes scanning the ground for the kind of place the instructions had demanded: dew untouched by footsteps, hidden from the sun.
Even in the quiet, there was an ease between them now, a silent understanding that hadn't existed yesterday, born from the workout session they'd shared. A glance, a slight tilt of the head, a soft smile—no words were needed. Amelia felt it, and it made her chest flutter, a private warmth she could only share with him.
At last, they found it—a hollow tucked beneath a twisted tangle of roots, carpeted in moss, so dark and damp that no light had ever touched it. Even at noon, the canopy here would smother every stray ray.
"This will do," Amelia said, kneeling and tying a nearby root with a shred of ribbon.
No boots would disturbed the moss, no careless hand would brush the dew that was here. For seven days, it would lie waiting. Amelia muttered a few protective wards under her breath: one to repel animals, one to keep sunlight away-not that there was any, and a protective bubble to stop any wandering thing from disturbing the area.
She's thorough.
"Okay, next on the list," Amelia said, eyes glinting. "We still need the chrysalis."
Gilderoy frowned. "Where are we even looking? Those things don't exactly glow like a gold coin."
Amelia smirked. "Magic, Lockhart. We don't dig blindly. Watch." She flicked her wand, murmuring an incantation. Tiny sparks flitted over the forest floor, hovering and tracing a path.
They followed the glowing trail together, and soon a faint glimmer highlighted the two hidden chrysalis buried beneath a patch of dark soil.
There it was: two chestnut-brown pupal shells, smooth and firm, almost polished by the earth around it. Gilderoy carefully dug both, brushing the clinging soil away and carefully placing each chrysalis in unbreakable vials they had brought. Fragile little thing… treat it like a Fabergé egg, Lockhart. Don't screw this up.
He remembered its natural life: the caterpillar had fed on nightshade plants, burrowed underground, and then waited in this pupal stage for four to six weeks before emerging as a winged moth. In the wizarding world, however, this humble chrysalis was far more than an insect's home—it was a key to transformation itself.
-
Seven days passed in a blur, and the night of the full moon arrived. Amelia and Gilderoy stood together at the clearing on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, under the full moon. She handed Gilderoy the crystal phials.
"Stick them on the half-cut tree trunk," Amelia instructed.
Gilderoy rolled his eyes slightly. "The book said the phial must 'bathe in moonlight'. Bathing, ha! What is it supposed to do, splash around in silver light like it's water? All I can do is leave it where the moon can see it and hope the magic doesn't mind."
Amelia chuckled. "Next step: spit your leaf into the vial. Finite," she added, pointing at her mouth, then at his.
It's spitting time.
Both leaned over, carefully removing the sticking charm, and deposited their Mandrake leaves inside.
"Now the hairs," Amelia said, plucking a strand from her head and placing it in her vial. Gilderoy followed, grimacing slightly as he chose a particularly fine blond lock from his own.
They paused for a moment, collecting themselves before moving to the dew-filled spot they had prepared earlier. Amelia removed the protective enchantments, and Gilderoy carefully dipped a silver teaspoon of dew into each vial.
She then unsealed the unbreakable vials containing the two Death's-head Hawk Moth chrysalises, her hands trembling slightly as she carefully placed one in each of their main vials.
A quick sealing charm, and the mixtures were ready.
I swear, one slip and it's all over.
"Let's get this to the Room of Requirement," Amelia muttered, and they stepped lightly through the castle corridors, the leather bag cradled in Gilderoy's hands.
Gilderoy paced along the seventh floor, visualizing the space he needed, muttering under his breath. He moved deliberately back and forth three times, concentrating on a chamber perfectly hidden and undisturbed.
When the wall shimmered to reveal the narrow door, he pushed it open, revealing a tiny, empty chamber magically attuned to their purpose. No other students, no wandering professors—just a dark, still small space to protect the mixture until the next electrical storm.
Finally… a safe spot. My precious little vial babies, you're safe here.
From the next day, without fail, Gilderoy and Amelia appeared at sunrise and sunset at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They placed the tip of their wand on their heart and chanted clearly:
"Amato Animo Animato Animagus!"