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The link is also in the synopsis.
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Quinn was peacefully eating his breakfast in the Great Hall when Eddie came barging in and sat beside Quinn, "Hey, did you hear what happened last night?"
Quinn waited till there was no food in his mouth before asking, "You are early today."
"Of course, I am early. You woke me up by kicking me off my bed. I was wide awake the second I felt the ground. Thanks for being gentle," grumbled Eddie as he piled food on his table.
Quinn laughed, "Sorry about that. I misjudged my strength, and you were sleeping too close to the edge of the bed. Don't sweat the small stuff. So, what was the thing you were talking about?" Quinn took a bite from his food.
"Oh, yeah," excitement clear in his voice, "Yesterday, Harry Potter was caught roaming outside after curfew. Then he tried to blame Draco Malfoy for tricking him into breaking the curfew, something about a wizard's duel. I am not really sure."
"Oh, really? That is really interesting," said Quinn as he recalled the book's event of the Midnight duel, where Draco tricked Harry and Ron into coming to the Trophy room on the third floor for a wizard's duel but didn't show up as part of Draco's plan and tipped Filch so that Harry would get in trouble.
'In the canon, they didn't get caught, but this time they did; I wonder if they still found the Cerberus behind the locked door on the third-floor corridor,' thought Quinn before asking, "Was he alone?"
Eddie shook his head, and with food still in his mouth, spoke, "He had Weasley twin's younger brother... and a Gryffindor girl with them."
"Who caught them?"
"They were caught by Filch just outside the Gryffindor common room. Apparently, they were returning from the so-called duel farce," revealed Eddie. "I heard they got a stern scolding from Professor McGonagall and Professor Potter and they say the girl was so scared that she cried, like really hard."
"Ouch," Quinn uttered with a smile on his face. Being scolded by a professor for breaking rules was probably the current Hermione's biggest fear.
"Professor McGonagall said if he did something like this once again, his Quidditch privileges would be taken away, and he won't be allowed to play this year. Here I was thinking McGonagall was becoming what Snape is to Slytherin," scoffed Eddie as he thought about the blatant favoritism given to the Boy-Who-Lived.
Yes, even in this timeline, Harry Potter had managed to get a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. If he was good on a broom without ever holding it in eleven years of living in the non-magical community, then this time where he was raised in a magical household, he was just too good to ignore.
Lily did try to forbid Harry from joining the Quidditch team in his first year, but McGonagall was able to convince her to let him join. Quinn wondered what McGonagall say to convince Lily.
Quinn turned to look back towards the Gryffindor; he searched and found Harry Potter and Ron Weasley sitting together.
'Where is Hermione?' wondered Quinn as he searched for her, and to his surprise, Quinn found her sitting with Ivy Potter far away from Harry and Ron. 'Huh, this is new.'
From what he knew, the Potter twins weren't like the Weasley twins and didn't hang out together all the time. The Potter twins were more like Patil twins, where they talked to each other when they got time but mostly did their own thing and sat in different circles.
Quinn watched as both girls talked to each other in hushed tones. From where Quinn could see it, Ivy was consoling a clearly upset Hermione.
'I wonder how would the future pan out for the golden trio,' Quinn looked at Ivy and Hermione and thought, 'I wonder if there will even be a trio this time?'
.
- (Scene Break) -
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On a Thursday, one hour after the curfew, Quinn was on the tallest tower of Hogwarts, the Astronomy Tower. The highest height one could be in Hogwarts. He was here with his telescope, mapping the star and planets' position for a potion brew that required a specific celestial positioning in one of its steps within the recipe.
He had been coming to the Astronomy Tower for a week to note the position to get some observations required while brewing.
Quinn had his eye looking into the eyepiece of the telescope when he heard a voice that startled him, "Child, you do know that it is after hours, right?"
A startled Quinn almost knocked down his telescope when he turned to see how it was. It slightly relieved Quinn when he saw the Hufflepuff ghost, Fat Friar floating behind him.
"Friar, you almost scared me to death. What are you doing here?" asked Quinn as he patted his chest to calm down his beating heart.
"I should be the one asking that question, little raven. It is after curfew; you should be in your common room and not outside," said Friar as he watched Quinn.
"Ah, I was just doing some work with my telescope," said Quinn, not wanting to give out much information.
Friar stared at Quinn before smiling, "You know, we wondered if you had stopped roaming Hogwarts after curfew, but seeing you here shows that you still have that exploring spirit in you."
"Eh, what do you mean?" asked Quinn in confusion. 'What does Fat Friar mean by that,' he thought.
"Oh, you know, last year, you spent every night outside your common room walking around the castle. We ghosts saw you plenty of times," laughed Friar. "We even saw you earlier this year, but then a few months ago, you stopped appearing, so we wondered where were you?"
Quinn realized what Friar was talking about. After creating Recon, Quinn made sure that no portrait, ghost, house-elf would ever see him in the castle, but before Recon, he didn't have the best tool sneaking tool, so it wasn't a surprise that some ghosts saw him roaming the halls of the castle.
Quinn sat down on the floor of the tower's roof and spoke, "Ah, no, I still come out every day, but I have gotten better at not being seen, haven't I?"
Friar sat down beside Quinn and answered, "Yes, you have. Tell me, why do you hold such interest in the castle?"
"Hmm... I traveled many places throughout the world, saw many intriguing and magical sights in those places, but I never stayed more than a few days. Hogwarts is a wondrous place, and in my mind, it would be an utter waste not to know more about it. I have time so why not explore it," Quinn looked at Friar and said, "You studied here when the founders were alive. Has it changed since then?"
Friar hummed in thought before saying, "Oh yes, it has changed. The castle wasn't as great during the founders' time. The castle has aged well with time, as wine does. I have been here for so long and have seen the change. It has gone from being a building built by the founders and the architect to become a magnificent and magical place. Full of life and joy. Magic is a great thing and it breathed life into the castle."
Quinn stared at the stars in thought, "It is indeed a mysterious place. I have learned a lot from it. Full of knowledge and wisdom."
"There has been chatter among the ghosts that you have been helping students. That room of yours on the fifth floor. You have been doing a lot of good," said Friar.
Quinn chuckled at Friar's words, "Now I know I have made it big if even the dead are talking about me."
Quinn's consultation service business has been coming along quite nicely. Even though the requests he was getting were minor repairs, help with homework, and other menial tasks, his customer base was still growing steadily.
But, these minor tasks were enough for Friar as it was his nature to look at people's good qualities and ignore their faults.
"I think that you have been doing an excellent job, and I appreciate your services to your fellow students, so I will give you a gift, a gift that you will like," Friar said in a joyous tone.
Quinn was skeptical about the so-called gift, but he still listened; after all, Helen Ravenclaw led Voldemort to her mother's diadem.
"As you love exploring the castle so much. I will start you on an adventure, little raven. In Hogwarts, there are these Cursed Vaults, legendary rooms hidden around the castle, they are hiding secrets, not known to anyone but the creators." Friar stared into Quinn's eyes as he revealed, "Each room is guarded, guarded by curses and wards that stop the seekers from entering them, keeping the secrets inside safe. Not even us house ghosts know who built them or when they were built. The origin of the vaults has been forgotten by everyone. Among the many theories circulating, some say that the founders created them or that a Headmaster who suffered from paranoia created them to hide his treasure, or that the architect who helped the founders build Hogwarts built these vaults to hide something of great importance."
Friar's words fully captured Quinn's attention, a part of Hogwarts that he didn't know or mentioned in the books. He wanted to learn more about these vaults.
"If you asked my friend, Nicholas, he would say that the vaults hold back dangerous things from being unleashed into the world, or house dangerous secrets that would bring doom if fallen into the wrong hands, but he is always overthinking stuff. Other ghosts alleged that these vaults house priceless treasures such as gold, prophecies, and other powerful magical artifacts dating back to before the school was founded, while others believe they contained Dark Magic. But, ultimately, no one knows what is inside," said Friar.
"Noting your interest in exploration and learning, I will give you some hints for location of the vaults, and it is up to you if you can find the vaults and enter them to find what is inside. Do note that the vaults might be dangerous and might cause you harm, so I will advise that you proceed cautiously."
Friar floated up and asked seriously, "So, I ask you, little raven. Do you want to embark on this adventure, knowing well that it might not end well? Do you want to uncover the secrets of Hogwarts, not knowing what you will see inside? Say the word, and you shall receive my answer. Refuse and we will part ways."
Quinn stood up and faced Friar. He had immediately made his decision. In front of him was an opportunity that not many received, a chance to explore an unknown part of Hogwarts.
"Friar, I will take on this adventure from you, I will see what Hogwarts hides, what it offers, knowing that it might not end well, knowing that I might not get anything from these vaults. Despite all of this, I want to know, I want to know the hint to the vaults."
Friar nodded and sang,
[
Beyond sight exist five vaults, not known to many.
Their source unknown; lost in time.
Bearing the knowledge that death might come,
I give you the hint of the first one.
A vault so cold that even death might die,
You will find it on the level five stories high.
]
Quinn nodded and immediately memorized the hint, and just to be safe, he noted the words on a sheet of paper.
"I have given this riddle to many students and even some teachers throughout the years, but only a handful of them were able to find the first vault. And, none of those were ever able to enter the first vault and were stopped at the vault entrance," said Friar as he gazed down on Quinn.
Quinn read the riddle over and over again before looking up at the floating Friar and grinned, "Then get ready; I will be the first one to enter the vault and move onto the second one and the next. Someday, I will enter all five."
Friar gently smiled and floated away without saying a word while Quinn stared at the clue and then at the stars, wondering about this new adventure that had fallen into his lap.
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- (Scene Break) -
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Time slowly passed, and Halloween rolled around. When Quinn exited the common room for his morning run, the smell of baking pumpkin greeted him, wafting through the corridors.
"The elves are hard at work, as always," Quinn spoke to himself as he jogged down the corridors to the grounds for his run. Quinn was in a good mood, as today he would get to meet a troll. He was not going to miss this opportunity.
"Oh troll~, I am coming for you. Going to do some ass-kicking, and no one is going to know, nobody, nobody. Dancing with the trolls, Halloween has come. Oh, magic, you are AMAZING!" sang Quinn as he ran his usual route. Quinn was excited that he colored the grass on his entire route orange and purple in the spirit of Halloween.
When Quinn dressed up for the day, he put on his wizard's hat that no one wore for the day and pinned a conjured small lapel pin in the shape of a carved pumpkin to his robes for fun.
When he got down to the Great Hall for breakfast, his eyes caught Flitwick reading the Daily Prophet, so he decided to wish him a happy Halloween, but in a special way.
Quinn stood just beside the entrance of the great hall and took out his fake wand for show. He then used the same magic Flitwick had used to call him to give his keys on the first day of school.
"Professor Flitwick, good morning, and I wish you a spooky Halloween." Quinn's words went straight to Flitwick without leaking mid-way.
Flitwick smiled and raised his head from the table to greet the student who spoke and found no one in front of his spot on the High Table.
"Huh, who was that?" Flitwick looked around the confusion.
"Over here, professor.," spoke Quinn while still standing near the Great Hall entrance.
Flitwick frantically stood on his chair and looked around to see who was calling for him but still couldn't find anyone.
Quinn smiled and decided to end this and said, "Near the entrance, professor." And raised his hand to wave so that Flitwick could see him.
Flitwick, from his table, looked towards the entrance and saw Quinn waving his hand with his wand tip on his throat.
"This is how you did it, professor. I must say it is a fun piece of magic," said Quinn.
A wide smile bloomed on Flitwick's face as he jumped on his chair while clapping. He also took out his wand and placed it on his throat, and spoke, "Excellent execution, Mr. West. Five points for an impressive showcase and five more because it is Halloween." His words charmed to reach Quinn's ears only.
"Thank you, professor," Quinn replied and then skipped to the Ravenclaw table for a hearty breakfast.
When Quinn was eating, he felt a pat on his shoulder. He looked back to see Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass.
"Happy Halloween, Quinn," Tracey spoke, being her usual bubbly self.
Quinn smiled wide and said, "Ah, my favorite Slytherin." He turned to Daphne and spoke to her, "Just to be clear, I am talking about Davis and not you, Greengrass." Quinn had promoted Tracey and Daphne from Ms. Davis and Ms. Greengrass to just their surname.
Daphne narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything, while Tracey giggled in response.
"Davis, if more Slytherin were like you, the world would be a better place," Quinn spoke to Tracey but looked at Daphne with a smile.
Tracey laughed again while Daphne continued to ignore him.
"So, what is happening with you guys, anything new with you?" asked Quinn.
Tracey's eyes sparkled as she talked, "We finally learned how to make things fly." The first-year students were finally learning the Levitation Charm.
Quinn clapped once before picking two apples from a platter and placing them on the table. He gestured to the two girls and said, "Do try."
Tracey looked at Daphne and telling her to take her wand and cast some magic. Daphne sighed and took out her wand, knowing that her best friend won't stop if she refused. Tracey grinned and took out her wand as well.
"Wingardium Leviosa," chanted both the Slytherin girls. The two apples rose from the table, albeit a little slowly. Quinn smiled as he looked from the apples to the girls with a smile and spoke, "Good work, a little slow, but a good start. Remember, practice makes perfect."
Both of them stopped casting at the same time, and the apples stopped floating. Luckily Quinn was ready, he immediately caught them and placed them back on the table
Daphne pocketed her wand and humphed, "Why don't you show if you are so good." The smile on Quinn's face turned into one of amusement, and he said, "Alright."
He turned back to the Ravenclaw and called out, "Hilliard, a Scouring charm on my hands, please."
Hilliards, a fifth-year prefect, looked up from his book and took out his wand with a sigh before casting a Scrouring charm (Scrougefy) charm on Quinn's hand, cleaning them instantly.
"Thanks," said Quinn before turning to Tracey and Daphne. "Had to get my hands clean, now, where were we? Ah, yes, the Levitation charm." Quinn took out his fake wand and performed the wand movement just for show and whispered the incantation, "Wingardium Leviosa."
The apples that Quinn had set on the table began floating and started rapidly moving.
"Levitating multiple objects, neat, right? With some practice, you could do it too. Remember, the wand movement and incantation are not the main part of a spell. You have to understand the underlying concept behind the spell. Understand that, and you will master spells at a quick pace," Quinn pointed at the High table and continued, "Not my words, this piece of wisdom comes directly from Professor Flitwick."
Quinn waved his fake wand straight down, and the apples set themselves down gently on the table.
"As I said, practice makes perfect." Quinn pocketed his fake wand and folded his hands in his lap.
Daphne looked at the two apples and then at Quinn before seriously nodding.
Quinn smiled; from his interaction with Daphne, he had come to understand her personality. She didn't trust people quickly and preferred a few close and genuine friends rather than many friendly acquaintances. She was a private person. Plus, she had seen the difference between how Quinn interacted with Tracey and other students; Quinn was much friendlier to Tracey than others, so she had doubts about him.
Quinn waved the Slytherin girls goodbye and proceeded on with his day, waiting for the evening to arrive.
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[
A/N [1]: The concept of these Vaults comes from the game, Harry Potter: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. I haven't played the games, so a lot of the things might be different, plus I am working off the Wiki page.
]
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Quinn West - MC - A lot is going in his life; Consultation, Vaults, and Trolls.
Fat Friar - Hufflepuff's ghost - A clergy when he was alive.
Tracey Davis - Slytherin - Hides Slytherin qualities behind her bubbly personality.
Daphne Greengrass - Slytherin - Doesn't trust people easily.
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The link is in the synopsis!