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[Wednesday - 3:47 PM]
The Charms classroom emptied in the usual post-lesson chaos—students gathering books, comparing notes, complaining about the upcoming essay on the Severing Charm's theory. Darius packed his bag, his mind already shifting from the day's classes to tonight's work.
"That was brutal," Terry groaned, slumping against his desk. "Flitwick expects us to write two feet on why the Severing Charm requires different wand movements for different materials. Two feet! That's like... actual research."
"It's fascinating though," Stephen said, carefully organizing his notes. "The magical resonance of different materials affects spell efficiency. Wood versus metal versus stone—each requires adjusted casting technique."
"You say fascinating, I say tedious," Terry countered. "Darius, please tell me you understand this enough to help me later?"
Darius looked up from his bag. "The basic principle is that denser materials have stronger molecular bonds, requiring more focused magical energy to sever cleanly. Your essay should discuss material properties, energy distribution, and wand movement precision."
Terry blinked. "See, you just explained it better than Flitwick did in forty minutes."
"Professor Flitwick explained it perfectly," Darius said with mild amusement. "You just weren't paying attention after the first ten minutes."
"Details," Terry muttered, but he was grinning.
Emma appeared at Darius's elbow, Sarah trailing behind her. "Study group tonight? I need help with Transfiguration theory and Sarah's hopeless at explaining it without using words no student should know."
"I use precise terminology," Sarah defended herself calmly. "It's not my fault you find Latin confusing."
"Everything's in Latin! The spells, the books, the ingredients—why is everything Latin?"
"Historical precedent," Stephen supplied helpfully. "Ancient Roman wizards established—"
"Don't care," Emma interrupted cheerfully. "Darius, study group? Please? I'll share my Honeydukes stash."
Darius hesitated. He needed the evening—forest surveillance to review, unicorn protection protocols to refine, camera feeds to monitor in case Quirrell made his move. Saying no would raise questions, disrupt the quiet routine he'd carefully built around himself.
And… Honeydukes was a good deal.
[Social maintenance: Essential for cover preservation. Recommend limited participation. One hour study group provides normalcy, then Partner can excuse himself for "independent research" without suspicion. Balancing social obligations with mission preparation: Critical for long-term operational security.]
"One hour," Darius agreed. "Then I have my own research to work on."
"One hour of Darius-level help is worth three hours of anyone else," Emma declared happily. "Common room after dinner?"
"After dinner," Darius confirmed.
They walked together toward the Great Hall, conversation flowing around him—Michael joining them to complain about Herbology, Anthony debating the finer points of potion-brewing with Stephen, Terry wondering aloud if Professor Snape had ever smiled in his entire life.
But underneath it all, Darius's mind was already in the Forbidden Forest, running in quiet tandem with Nano—mapping sight lines, stacking contingencies, rehearsing intervention paths. If Quirrell moved tonight, they'd be ready. If he didn't, they'd refine the net tighter. Either way, Darius was already preparing for the moment when something innocent and pure became a target.
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[Wednesday Evening - 6:45 PM]
Dinner passed like the usual way. The Great Hall buzzed with midweek energy—students comparing homework loads, making plans for the weekend, speculating about what the Halloween feast would bring.
At the Gryffindor table, Darius noticed Harry Potter laughing at something Ron Weasley had said, both boys looking more relaxed than he'd seen them since the term started. Hermione sat nearby, shaking her head at whatever joke they'd shared but smiling despite herself.
They have no idea what's coming, Darius thought. In just over a week, their lives get complicated in ways they can't imagine.
At the High Table, Quirrell picked at his food with characteristic nervousness, his eyes occasionally darting toward the enchanted ceiling as though expecting something to fall from it. But Darius could now see through the performance—could recognize the calculation beneath the fear, the predatory intelligence hiding behind the stuttering facade.
[CAM-QUIRRELL-OFFICE: Subject observed 2:37 PM, reviewing forest maps. CAM-QUIRRELL-QUARTERS: Subject observed 5:23 PM, preparing traveling cloak and wand. Assessment: Hunt preparation in progress. Estimated timeline: Tonight or tomorrow night. Partner's intervention window: Narrowing.]
Soon, Darius thought grimly. He's going to make his move soon.
"Darius?" Emma's voice pulled him back. "You've been staring at your potatoes for a full minute," she said. "At this rate, you're going to burn through them."
"Sorry," Darius said, refocusing on his plate. "Just thinking about the Charms essay."
"See, that's your problem," Terry declared. "You think about homework during dinner. Dinner is sacred homework-free time."
"Then why do you spend every dinner panicking about unfinished assignments?" Anthony pointed out dryly.
"That's different. That's justified panic, not voluntary obsessing."
The banter continued, warm and familiar. Darius participated enough to maintain appearances, but part of his mind remained on the forest, the hunt, the innocent creature that would die if he failed to act.
[Wednesday Evening - 7:30 PM]
The Ravenclaw common room had settled into its evening routines—study groups clustered around tables, older students working on NEWT-level assignments, a few younger years playing Exploding Snap near the fireplace.
Darius sat with Emma, Sarah, Terry, and Stephen at their usual table, Transfiguration texts and notes spread before them. Emma struggled with the theoretical basis for Cross-Species Switches while Darius patiently explained the magical principles.
"So you're telling me," Emma said slowly, "that switching a beetle into a button isn't actually changing the beetle—it's convincing reality that the beetle was always a button?"
"Essentially," Darius confirmed. "Transfiguration rewrites the fundamental description of an object. You're not destroying the beetle and creating a button; you're editing reality's understanding of what that object is."
"That's either brilliant or terrifying," Sarah observed. "Possibly both."
"Definitely both," Stephen agreed. "Which is why Transfiguration accidents can be so catastrophic. You're not just breaking a spell—you're partially unraveling reality's coherence."
Terry looked vaguely ill. "I'm never going to be able to do this, am I?"
"You will," Darius assured him. "You're overthinking it. Trust your magic, focus your intention, and let the spell do the work."
[Time check: 8:17 PM. Recommended withdrawal from social engagement approaching. Partner's research requirements for forest surveillance: Substantial. Suggest concluding study session within fifteen minutes.]
Darius helped Emma work through two more practice problems, corrected Terry's fundamental misunderstanding about molecular bonding in transfigured objects, and confirmed Stephen's excellent theoretical analysis of permanent versus temporary transfiguration.
"Right," he said, gathering his books. "I need to work on my own research now. You all have enough to work with?"
"More than enough," Emma said gratefully. "Thanks, Darius. You're a lifesaver."
"Literally," Terry added. "I was about to drown in Transfiguration theory."
Darius smiled and headed toward the dormitory.
Nano, he thought,, analyze the Forbidden Forest maps. Cross-reference terrain with likely unicorn sighting locations.
[Report: Analysis acknowledged. Integrating stored cartography, habitat data, and recent anomaly patterns. Probable unicorn activity zones identified. Stand by for prioritized locations and contingency overlays.]
[Report: Analysis complete.]
[Forbidden Forest overview: Approximately 3,000 acres, spatially expanded by magic. Primary territories identified—centaurs in the eastern quadrant, acromantula colony in the northwestern depths, unicorns concentrated in the central glades, with lesser magical fauna dispersed throughout.]
[Unicorn behavior profile: Preference for open glades with clear sight lines, access to clean water, and unobstructed moonlight. Predominantly nocturnal. Peak activity aligns with full moon phases—next occurrence projected three days after Halloween.]
[Human access vectors:
– Primary: Hagrid's hut, utilizing maintained groundskeeper trails leading inward toward the central glades.
– Secondary: Northeastern boundary near the castle, where Hogwarts wards thin intermittently. Higher risk due to proximity to acromantula territory.]
[Inference: Subject Quirrell will require nighttime entry to encounter a unicorn. Highest-probability route is via Hagrid's hut and established trails. Northeastern access remains a viable but less likely alternative due to elevated danger.]
[Priority locations and interception contingencies ready for deployment.]
"I need to monitor both potential entry points," Darius murmured, making notes. "But I can't place cameras outside the castle—the environmental exposure, the magical interference from forest creatures..."
[Agreement: External surveillance problematic. Recommend alternative approach: Partner stations himself near forest edge during high-probability windows. Enhanced senses and nano-assisted awareness provide detection capability. Once Subject Quirrell detected entering forest, Partner can shadow from distance and implement intervening.]
"That means spending nights watching the forest," Darius said thoughtfully. "I'll have to create an illusion, like usual, before leaving the room."
[Report: Affirmative. Enchanted dummy placement combined with bed-curtain privacy charms remains the optimal method. Illusion of a sleeping occupant will persist through routine observation. Risk of discovery remains minimal if return occurs before morning.]
Nano, compile defensive options for wilderness survival. Focus on protection and distraction—no direct confrontation.
[Nano: Retrieved.]
[Defensive measures: Standard Protego assessed as insufficient against Dark Magic at Voldemort-level influence. Recommendation: layered shielding, notice-me-not effects, and positional advantage through terrain.
Distraction strategies: Magical noise projection, false magical signatures, and environmental manipulation rated as most efficient. Creature-summoning flagged for ethical and control risks.
Territorial factors: Centaur domains concentrated in the northeastern quadrant. High likelihood of intervention against wizard activity that threatens forest inhabitants. Potential for indirect support—or diversion—if Quirrell draws their attention.]
[Strategic assessment: Optimal intervention combines three elements:
Early warning to alert forest defenders (centaurs, Hagrid if possible)
Environmental disturbances to complicate hunt
Direct magical interference only as last resort if unicorn imminent danger
Goal: Save unicorn without revealing Partner's involvement or engaging Quirrell directly.]
"I'll need to prepare signal spells," Darius decided. "Something that can alert without being traced back to me. And I need to map the forest approaches in advance so I know the terrain when this happens."
[Recommendation: Tomorrow evening reconnaissance. Partner scouts forest edges, identifies optimal observation positions, establishes emergency retreat routes. Knowledge of terrain: Critical for successful operation.]
Darius spent another hour researching, making detailed notes, sketching maps based on library references and his own knowledge of canon events. By the time he finished, it was ten-thirty.
Not a perfect plan—too many variables, too much uncertainty. But something workable. Something that gave him a chance to save innocent life without getting himself killed in the process.
[Monitoring update: CAM-QUIRRELL-QUARTERS showing Subject pacing quarters, appearing agitated. CAM-QUIRRELL-OFFICE dormant. Assessment: Subject preparing for action. Estimated probability of hunt attempt within 48 hours: 73%.]
Two days, Darius thought as he climbed the spiral staircase to his dormitory. Maybe less. I need to be ready.
His roommates were already in various states of preparing for bed. Terry was still desperately scribbling his Charms essay, having procrastinated until the last moment despite Darius's earlier help. Michael was already asleep, snoring softly. Stephen and Anthony were having a quiet discussion about advanced Transfiguration theory.
"Cutting it close," Anthony observed as Darius entered. "Another late library session?"
"Research for my next theoretical advancement," Darius said truthfully—he was researching, just not for alchemy. "Time got away from me."
"You're going to burn out at this pace," Stephen warned gently. "Even geniuses need sleep."
"I'll sleep when I'm dead," Darius joked, then immediately regretted the dark humor given what he was planning.
He climbed into bed, and closed the curtains. His mind was already in the forest, already preparing for the confrontation that was coming.
[Sleep protocol: Partner should rest. This unit will continue monitoring all camera feeds. Any indication of Quirrell's departure will trigger immediate alert. Tomorrow's reconnaissance: Critical. For tonight, recovery necessary.]
Darius closed his eyes, but his last thoughts before sleep claimed him were of silver-white creatures in moonlit glades, and the serpentine face that wanted to murder them for its own cursed survival.
Not while I'm watching, he vowed silently. Not while I can do something about it.