At night, everyone gathered together in the Courtyard.
"Who still doesn't know how to ride a broom?" Soren asked, looking at the girls.
All three shook their heads. "We know," they replied together.
"Good," Soren nodded. "Then we move to the Forest in the Magical Creatures Reserve. That's our first location."
They agreed.
Since they only had two brooms, they paired up, Soren sat with Jacqueline behind him, Penny and Cassie shared the second broom.
Penny pouted a little. "I should've brought my Flying Map so we could sit however we wanted…"
Cassie laughed. "It's banned, Penny. You can't bring it."
Penny looked away dramatically. "Still… it would've been helpful."
As they flew low across the grounds toward the Creature Reserve, Soren suddenly spoke, "I've noticed something. Snape never scolds Merula. Even today, he saw her sabotage someone's potion. He didn't say a word."
Penny nodded. "I've heard rumors. Some students say Snape and Merula have some kind of… connection."
"How?" Soren asked. "Merula's a Snyde. Snape is Snape."
"I don't know the details," Penny said. "But people talk."
Soren didn't like the idea, but Jacqueline interrupted him.
"We can deal with Merula later. Right now, we focus on solving the puzzle."
They finally reached the Forest area of the Magical Creatures Reserve.
The moonlight shone through the branches, the ground covered with soft leaves, and faint magical creatures rustled around them.
Soren pulled out Elara's letter.
"Alright," he said. "Let's find the first puzzle."
They walked deeper into the Forest of the Magical Creatures Reserve. The map guided them to a dark cave entrance covered with thick vines.
"This is the spot," Soren said, checking the markings on the map.
Penny lit her wand. "Lumos."
The cave was quiet, too quiet. Only their footsteps echoed as they moved inside.
At the very back of the cave, they found an old stone wall with glowing words carved into it. The puzzle shone with faint blue light, as if waiting specifically for Soren.
Jacqueline read the inscription aloud:
"The one who knows my steps will know the path.
Answer the three questions, and the way will open."
Cassie frowned. "These questions… look simple, but strange."
Penny nodded. "Almost like they were written for a specific person."
Soren felt his heartbeat quicken. These were Elara's puzzles.
He stepped forward. The glowing text shifted and formed the first question.
"What was the first spell I taught you?"
Jacqueline blinked. "How would anyone else know that?"
"It was asking Soren, not us?" Penny said.
Soren answered instantly, "Lumos."
The wall glowed brighter, confirming the answer.
The words rearranged again.
"Where did we hide when it rained during summer?"
Cassie giggled. "That's so random, so where do you hide that time?" She asked, looking at Soren.
"The old greenhouse behind our house."
The stone pulsed blue again.
The final line appeared, "What did you promise me before I left for Hogwarts?"
Soren stared at it for a moment.
He whispered, "I promised I would always follow you. No matter where you go."
The cave glowed bright green, the sign of a correct answer.
Then the entire wall trembled.
A small bronze bowl rose from the floor, filled with sparkling Floo Powder that hadn't been there before.
"Floo Powder?" Penny said. "In a cave?"
Before any of them could react, the powder ignited into bright emerald flames.
"What's happening—?" Cassie stepped back.
But the flames swirled outward, surrounding all four of them.
Soren shouted, "Everyone hold on!"
In the next moment, the world twisted, and the four of them were pulled forward, and transported.
---
They landed on a grassy field under an open night sky. The air was colder, and the sound of wind echoed around them.
Tall rune stones stood in a circle around where they arrived. Blue symbols glowed faintly on each stone.
Penny looked around. "Where are we? This doesn't look like anywhere near Hogwarts."
Soren checked the map again, but this time, the map had changed.
A new note had appeared, folded between the pages. Soren unfolded it slowly. It was in Elara's handwriting.
"Well done, little brother. Since you are reading this, it means… I'm lost somewhere. And you've found my note.
The place you are standing is the Standing Stones of Caer Rhos.
I used to come here whenever I wanted to be alone. Sometimes I come after a long day at Hogwarts. Sometimes when I am bored at home. This place was quiet, peaceful, and full of magical creatures that didn't mind my company.
There is a little hill nearby where I used to sit and watch the moon rise. Sometimes I stayed until morning, just listening to the wind pass through the stones. I even tried to tame a small fox once… but it bit my shoe and ran away.
I also searched here for a magical pet. A few Nifflers used to play around the stones, always chasing shiny pebbles. I enjoyed watching them. They reminded me of you — curious and impossible to stop.
Anyway… you need to move to your right. You will find a small burrow in the ground. Go inside. It will be safe.
Inside, you'll find a mirror. Behind that mirror is a puzzle, the Dragon Puzzle we always played whenever I returned home for the summer holidays. You were always good at it.
So you should have no trouble solving it. And… take care of yourself, okay? Since I'm not there for you anymore."
Your Dear Sister.
Elara Whitlock.
---
When Soren finished reading the letter, the map shimmered in his hand. An arrow suddenly appeared, glowing faintly, pointing toward the right side, exactly where Elara said the burrow would be.
Cassie stepped beside him. "Looks like the path is clear."
Penny tightened her grip on her wand. "Let's go."
Jacqueline nodded. "We're right behind you, Soren."
They followed the arrow across the grass until the Standing Stones disappeared behind them. The moonlight revealed a small mound of earth ahead, just as Elara described.
A burrow.
Jacqueline whispered, "This is it."
Soren crouched down and peered inside. The tunnel wasn't large, but big enough for them to crawl through one at a time.
"Let's go," Soren said, and he entered first.
The tunnel was surprisingly warm and smooth, almost like magic had shaped it. After a short crawl, it opened into a small underground chamber illuminated by faint blue crystals on the walls.
In the center stood a tall mirror, framed with carvings of dragons winding around the edges.
Penny stepped closer. "This must be the mirror Elara mentioned."
But the mirror didn't show their reflections.
Instead, glowing symbols appeared across the surface, shapes of dragon wings, tails, flames, and claws arranged in a pattern.
Cassie squinted. "This doesn't make sense…"
But Soren recognized it immediately.
"It's the Dragon Puzzle," he said.
Jacqueline's eyes widened. "The one you and Elara played at home?"
"Yes," Soren nodded. "She used to draw it on parchment for me. I know how she thinks."
Penny stepped back. "Then go ahead. We'll watch the surroundings."
Soren approached the mirror. As he raised his hand, the symbols shifted into a question.
"Which dragon breathes without fire?"
Jacqueline whispered, "Without fire? That sounds impossible…"
But Soren answered calmly:
"A Hebridean Black before it hatches."
The mirror glowed, confirming the answer.
Penny blinked. "How do you even know that?"
"Elara taught me."
The symbols shifted again, forming a new line, "Which dragon flies without wings?"
Cassie looked confused. "There's no such dragon."
"There is," Soren said.
"A Hungarian Horntail hatchling. They jump so high they look like they're flying."
The mirror shone brighter.
The last symbols formed a circle with a dragon in the middle, breathing flames in all directions.
Under it appeared a riddle:
"A dragon protects what it loves most. When fire surrounds you, where do you stand?"
The chamber grew warmer. The mirror flared red, and suddenly, a ring of magical fire erupted around Soren.
Jacqueline shouted, "Soren!"
Penny raised her wand, "Finite—!"
Soren held up a hand. "Wait."
He closed his eyes.
He remembered sitting with Elara, drawing dragons on parchment.
She always told him one thing:
"Dragons protect their hearts."
Soren whispered, "In the center.
Where the dragon's heart is safe."
He stepped forward, straight into the center of the fire ring.
The flames vanished instantly.
The mirror flashed gold.
Then it opened, not like a door, but like liquid light parting in slow waves.
Behind it lay a small wooden box wrapped in blue cloth, sealed with Elara's initials.
Soren reached out and picked it up gently.
The moment his fingers closed around the box—
WHOOSH!
Bright green Floo Powder burst around the chamber floor, swirling up in a sudden tornado of emerald fire.
"What—?!" Jacqueline grabbed Soren's arm.
Cassie shielded her face from the wind.
Penny shouted, "Hold on! It's activating by itself!"
The flames circled them faster and faster until everything turned into a green blur.
And then, they were gone.
---
They appeared in a completely different place, an old stone courtyard surrounded by broken columns and tall grass. The moonlight was brighter here, and the air felt colder, sharper.
Penny looked around. "This… isn't Hogwarts."
Cassie nodded. "Definitely not."
Jacqueline hugged her cloak against the wind. "Where did the Floo Powder bring us?"
Soren checked the map again. This time, another new arrow had appeared, pointing toward a narrow doorway in the courtyard wall.
Then he noticed something else.
His hand was still holding the wooden box, the one wrapped in Elara's blue cloth.
Soren took a breath.
"Wherever we are… this is the next puzzle."
The girls nodded.
Jacqueline stepped beside him. "Let's open the box and look what is inside."