A Mirror and a Labyrinth
"I put forth that House Ambrose should step down from the high houses of divination." Willamina Wist slowly sat down, her face stern, her eyes piercing Adam Ambrose.
A fierce debate erupted within the great Octagon, but neither Adam, Rosa, nor Hazel McGonagall paid it any mind. Adam was plotting, his mind a web of schemes to reclaim Hazel from the "thieving" Sings. Rosa was busy knotting her thoughts, compartmentalizing every secret to ensure the Council could never trace the Emotion Doll or the missing Greenstream twins.
In the center of the storm, Hazel felt it—one of the protection wards she had woven into her brother's aura was triggered. Without a second thought, she opened her senses. She didn't care what she unleashed inside the Octagon; she only cared that Harry was okay.
As her consciousness bridged the gap to the En Dimension, her third eye snapped open. The walls of the Octagon of Echoes vibrated so violently that the debating leaders fell into a sudden, terrified silence. Power funneled in from the void, pouring into Hazel and turning her gaze into a weaponized divination of the immediate future.
"Sings, protect her!" Carrie Clarkton stood, reaching out a trembling hand. "A vision is taking hold of her while inside an Echo vortex."
"No one has survived such a thing in over a thousand years," Samuel Swap whispered in awe.
The Sing family rose as one, encircling Hazel. Those with third eyes stepped forward, and a cage of golden light rose around Hazel. A massive boom shook the foundations of the chamber, and a scene shimmered to life on the obsidian walls.
Minerva McGonagall's eyes widened. "Hogwarts," she breathed.
Hazel turned to her mother, her pupils as black as the void, her third eye glowing a deep, royal purple. "Go to Harry, please, Mother. Help him."
"And who will help you?" Minerva asked, her heart torn.
The Sings spoke as one, their voices echoing with the power of the Anchor. "We have her. She is safe."
The scene on the walls shifted. They watched Harry race through the predatory hedges of the Triwizard Maze. Suddenly, he was face-to-face with Cedric Diggory as they both reached for the Triwizard Cup.
"Now, Mother!" Hazel cried. "Someone will die if you don't act now! You have only seconds!"
A portal tore open behind Minerva. She took one last look at the golden cage breathing around her daughter, drew her wand, and stepped through. The gate slammed shut with the heavy, final sound of metal on metal.
In the Octagon, the vision of the graveyard reached a fever pitch, blurred, and then seemed to restart.
"She made her own vision change," Millston Myers whispered. He looked at Hazel. "Can you show us the current scene?"
Hazel remained silent as the walls shimmered, opening a window into the Little Hangleton graveyard. Harry and Cedric appeared in a swirl of blue light. Cedric stood confused, but Harry—honed by a year of danger—rolled behind a tombstone, his wand out.
Just as a cold voice hissed, "Kill the spare," Minerva McGonagall exploded into the scene. Her new monocle illuminated, pinpointing the immediate threat. She locked onto Cedric; with a flick of her wand, the boy shrank into a smooth river pebble and flew into her hand just as Wormtail's Killing Curse tore through the air where Cedric's heart had been.
"Mr. Potter! Where are you?" Minerva's voice was a lion's roar as a Stunning Spell flew from her wand, lighting up the cemetery.
Back in Tan, Harry's scream tore through the dimension. At that exact moment, Hazel's arm began to sting—a phantom cut appearing on her skin in perfect synchronization with her twin.
The smoke from the Dark Lord's cauldron didn't drift; it coalesced into a face. It wasn't the snake-like Voldemort yet, but the lingering, handsome shadow of Tom Riddle. He looked through the "lens" of the vision, his eyes locking onto Hazel's violet third eye.
"A twin," the smoke whispered with greedy discovery. "The blood is singing in two worlds. Why settle for the boy... when the girl has found the source of the Stars?"
Hazel's breath hitched. She wasn't just watching; she was being hunted across the layers.
Suddenly, a familiar spirit-form wrapped around her shoulders. 'Don't worry, Mistress. I follow the Fate-Seer.'
'No, Nagini. Don't reveal yourself,' Hazel commanded in the silent language of the mind. 'I may need your help later.'
'As you wish. I will still take you out of his reach. Your brother is safe now; do not add to the Snake Lord's power.'
The vision snapped shut. Hazel was thrown back violently, her face snapping upward. Dense black smoke flowed from her mouth, coating the faceted walls of the Octagon.
"Everyone, look away!" Headmistress Pilar screamed. "It's the Emotion Doll!"
The leaders averted their eyes, save for Townston Timms' wooden gullum. As the Doll materialized, its intent rippled outward like a physical weight. The wooden gullum burst into purple flames, and hot, deep red blood began to burn down Townston's cheeks.
As Hazel forced the darkness away, a voice made of a thousand agonies drifted through the chamber: "The Mirror of Indifference..."
The box within Hazel's robes vibrated. The golden cage around her hummed in a low, dangerous frequency.
"They call to each other," Professor Sing whispered, her face pale.
Hazel nodded, her breath ragged. "It is a part of the Doll... or a part of who the Doll once was. I need to understand it—quickly."
Rosa listened, her heart pounding. Hazel was becoming far more powerful than she ever anticipated. And now, she had an item directly connected to the Doll. Rosa sensed the urgency: she could not let Hazel win again.