Days turned into nights, and eventually, even Hermione Granger had to admit defeat.
She had scoured every available resource, cross-referencing ancient texts with obscure magical theories, yet she had failed to find even a single whisper regarding the secrets of the black parchment.
Harry and Ron had shown surprise at first, as seeing Hermione give up on an academic pursuit was a first for them. However, that surprise quickly turned into understanding and a relaxed patience.
They assured Hermione that they would find out what the scroll did at the right time.
They had not bothered Aaric about it either, operating under the agreement that he would tell them himself when he found out.
Meanwhile, Aaric had been contemplating whether he should simply tell the trio the truth about the artifact. He was currently discussing the dilemma with Luna in his room.
"Let us just go talk to him," Luna said with a nonchalant shrug, referring to the entity connected to the parchment.
Aaric tilted his head in thought for a moment. It was the most direct path. He shrugged in agreement, and in the space between one breath and the next, he and Luna were teleported away from the mortal plane and into the realm of the gods of their world.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. The air here was heavy, ancient, and still. The well was still there, covered in thick, silvery webs. They noticed there were even more divine seeds and flowers glittering within the weaving than the last time they had visited.
"It is good to see you again, Child," a voice greeted them.
It did not come from a specific direction but seemed to rustle like dry leaves across a stone floor. Death materialized from the shadows, his presence strangely calming.
"Good to see you too. This is Luna," Aaric said with a respectful nod. He held the hand of Luna gently as he introduced the girl to the primordial god.
"We... have met before," Death said. There was a brief pause in his raspy voice.
Aaric could not see the expression of the god beneath the eternal shadow of his hood, though he did not feel any malice from the god toward Luna.
The history between them was complicated, involving the soul of Pandora Lovegood.
"If you are wondering, I do not hold resentment toward you for taking the soul of your mother. A Greater God of the Dead asked me for the soul, and as she is now a demigoddess, she is above mortal rules," Death added, his tone neutral.
Luna gave the old god a serene smile and inclined her head toward him in a gesture of respect.
She was happy Death did not bear a grudge, as she admitted to herself that she had done a selfish thing by taking the soul of her mother.
Though, truthfully, there was little he could have done even if he was dissatisfied, given the hierarchy involved, so she had not been truly worried.
Death nodded, accepting the gesture, before turning his shrouded head toward Aaric in a silent question.
"I found a parchment with your aura emanating from it," Aaric stated. He implied his question with a raised eyebrow and a tilted head.
"It is a contract," Death stated simply. His gaze moved to the side, as if recalling a memory from centuries past. "One with his part honored," Death added, looking back to Aaric.
Aaric nodded slowly, tapping a finger on his chin.
The words of the god indicated it was a one-sided contract, a debt that compelled the god to do as the holder of the contract bid. It was a powerful, dangerous thing to leave lying around in a wooden box.
Aaric glanced toward Luna and tilted his head in question.
"Well, I don't think Harry would misuse it. He may just ask to talk to his parents or to revive them," Luna said with a shrug, seemingly unbothered by the possibility.
"Would that displease you, My Lord?" she asked Death directly.
"A bargain was made, and it will be honored," Death stated firmly.
His personal feelings on the matter were irrelevant. Even if Harry were to ask him to revive his parents, the laws of the contract bound him.
Aaric and Luna nodded once. The matter was settled. Aaric then produced a golden thread in his palm. It shimmered with a light that did not belong to the waking realm.
"This is a token of my gratitude, as our last conversation taught me... a lot," Aaric said.
He extended his palm toward the god.
Death tilted his head, intrigued. He raised a skeletal hand, hovering it just above the thread, feeling the energy radiating from it.
"This... the Dreamlands?" the god whispered in astonishment.
Aaric nodded with a smile.
"I invite you to the Lux Aeternum Court," he stated.
Death did not hesitate for a moment. He reached out and picked up the golden thread. The god wrapped the thread around his bony wrist.
With a rustle of fabric, he flapped his tattered wings, vanishing from his own realm to visit the Dreamlands.
"What do you think Death would want enough to form a contract with a mortal?" Luna asked Aaric after they teleported back into his room.
"Maybe Salazar baked wicked biscuits," Aaric answered with a playful shrug.
They left the room, walking hand in hand as they searched for the Golden Trio.
They found the three friends, along with Alice Marwood and Draco, in an unused classroom. The air was thick with fumes.
The girls were learning to make potions while Pyra and Draco were using their flames to help in the process.
"You skipped half the ingredients written there," Ron commented.
He was watching Hermione, who was trying to make the Draught of Arcane Recomposition, a newly discovered and advanced potion.
"I do not need to. Draco is using his fire masterfully, allowing for less need for stabilizers," Hermione stated, not looking up from her cauldron.
Draco gave a grateful smile at the compliment, his focus entirely on the golden red dancing at his fingertips.
"Don't praise him too much, Hermione. His head is already in the clouds," Aaric said with a chuckle as he entered the room with Luna clinging to his arm.
"Look who is talking," Draco shot back, looking toward Aaric with a deadpan stare without breaking his concentration on the fire.
"The most humble person in the world, that is who," Aaric answered with a shrug.
He only received neutral looks from everyone in the room at the sheer irony of his words.
"How about you help us with this spell then, Elizabeth the Second?" Ron asked Aaric with a chuckle.
Aaric shruged and went over to help Ron with the spell he and Harry were practicing. Luna drifted over to join Hermione, Alice, and Draco in their potioneering efforts.
The mood was light until the door creaked open again. Viktor Krum entered the room, intending to check up on Hermione.
Ron stiffened immediately. He messed up the wand movement for the spell he was practicing.
A jet of red light backfired, slicing across his arm. He got a cut on his forearm, blood instantly welling up, but he did not make a sound.
The cut was shallow, and in his singular focus on the new arrival, he barely seemed to register the pain.
Only Aaric and Harry noticed the injury.
"You are hopeless," Aaric muttered with a sigh.
He waved his wand over the wound, knitting the skin back together instantly. He did not get any answer from Ron. The redhead just looked toward the stone wall and began practicing the spell over and over with aggressive, jerky movements.
Aaric glanced to the side and looked over at Harry. Harry was looking at the redhead with a mix of concern and deep exasperation.
Aaric and Harry locked eyes, sharing a moment of mutual helplessness. They did not know how to navigate this situation.
Viktor greeted Aaric and Harry amiably. He glanced toward Ron, waited a moment and moved towards Hermione without saying a word.
Viktor had stopped greeting Ron recently when he was only met with silence every time. He moved back to Hermione, engaging her in conversation about the potion.
The lessons went on for an awkward hour after that. Eventually, Alice, Viktor, and Draco left, taking the tension in the room with them.
This left Aaric, Luna, and the Golden Trio alone in the room.
"By the way, I found out what the black parchment does," Aaric mentioned casually, breaking the silence.
Hermione's eyebrows shot up. She gave Aaric an intense look, dropping the book she was holding.
"What? Where? How?"
A barrage of questions flew from the girl, ranging from how he found out the function of the parchment to the intricacies of its magic.
Everyone stood there and waited for the storm to pass, knowing that telling Hermione to calm down would just make things worse.
"Well, I found out what it does from a book in my family library," Aaric answered smoothly.
He received an envious and disappointed look from her in return.
Her envy stemmed from the knowledge an ancient family like the Hawthornes would possess, and the disappointment came from the fact that she knew it would be rude to ask Aaric to allow her to read any book from that library, as it must be exclusive to the family.
"And as for what it does," Aaric continued, shifting his gaze toward Harry. "It is basically a contract with a powerful being. Write what you want from the being, and the being will grant it."
"What will I have to do in return?" Harry asked.
"That is the best part," Aaric drawled out the answer with a smirk. "Nothing."
A/n: I am sorry it is taking me so long to write new chapters. I have opened a shop recently and I don't enough time for now.
The chapter frequency should increase with time. Thank you to everyone still reading.