There are many kinds of magic in the world—strange, wonderful, and covering every possibility.
Terence advanced slowly, pressing the attack. However, the old man behind the rocks raised his wand and gave a sharp wave.
The ground beneath the three of them suddenly sheared away, collapsing toward the Black Lake below.
Terence, at the front, was the group's shield and sword. He had to press forward to block the old man's attacks, but only if he held his ground could Rey and Helena follow his footsteps across the crumbling terrain.
However, things didn't go that smoothly.
They were standing right on the edge of the Black Lake's cliff. When the ground gave way, apart from Terence who was furthest forward, both Rey and Helena fell with the collapsing earth.
Rey had just suffered the torture of the Cruciatus Curse and hadn't fully recovered. Now, he was free-falling from a great height. His poor heart couldn't take much more. With a terrified scream, he plunged downward alongside Helena.
The drop was over a hundred meters. The sensation of falling instantly reminded Rey of his first flying lesson at Hogwarts—the one where he nearly fell to his death.
"Arresto Momentum!"
With a loud cry, Helena cast the spell just in time, significantly slowing their descent. If she hadn't, falling from this height would have smashed them flat, even if they hit water.
Their momentum slowed, ears popping, and then—splash. Rey hit the water.
The night water was bone-chillingly cold. The shock jolted Rey, clearing his groggy, pain-addled mind instantly.
But the aftershocks of the Cruciatus Curse remained. Rey's strength hadn't fully returned. Unable to struggle, he sank straight toward the bottom of the lake.
Plunging into the water in such a weak state, Rey hadn't managed to hold his breath in time.
In his panic, he swallowed several mouthfuls of lake water. Just as despair set in, his sinking body suddenly stopped.
Helena had grabbed him. She immediately began swimming toward the surface.
Helena was agile, moving through the water like a mermaid. In seconds, she broke the surface.
Gasp... gasp...
Breaking through the water, Rey finally caught his breath, inhaling greedily. He had been suffocating and nearly drowned.
He let Helena hook her right arm around him, leaning into her support as she slowly backstroked them toward the shore.
---
The Black Lake was deep, even though it wasn't yet full. The "shore" they reached was actually a rugged, exposed cave at the bottom of the castle cliff.
Helena dragged Rey into the cave, then used magic to dry both his clothes and her own.
"Thank you!"
Finally recovered enough to speak, Rey thanked her sincerely. If not for Helena, he would have become a permanent resident of the Black Lake. Future generations might have known him as one of the Hogwarts ghosts.
As a man, that was admittedly a bit embarrassing.
"No need. You saved me earlier, didn't you?"
Helena giggled, clearly amused by Rey's awkward state. She seemed to have developed a fondness for seeing Rey looking flustered.
Rey could read the teasing in her smile, so he could only shake his head and smile bitterly.
"Rey, how did you avoid the Body-Bind Curse earlier?"
Thinking back to the ambush, Helena remembered that all three of them should have been hit. Yet Rey had been fine. If he hadn't been, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Now that the crisis had passed, her curiosity took over.
"If I told you, I don't know if you'd believe me."
Rey replied with a lack of confidence.
"If you say it, I'll believe it."
Helena answered directly, her eyes fixed on Rey as if demanding he share every secret.
"When I was in the Valley of Evil Spirits, I brought back a ghost dragon. A small one. It can instantly lift negative magical effects."
Rey answered truthfully. Since she asked, there was no need to hide it.
"Is it the Guide Spirit you met at the entrance?" Helena's interest peaked, her voice rising an octave.
Rey nodded. "Yes."
"Aren't Guide Spirits manifestations of the main evil spirit? If the evil spirit is destroyed, shouldn't the Guide Spirit disappear too?"
Terence, eager to show off, must have explained the mechanics of the Valley of Evil Spirits to her in detail. Her question was logical.
"That, I really don't know. All I know is that it came out with me."
Rey spread his hands, indicating his own confusion.
"Where is it?" Since such a magical little dragon existed, Helena naturally wanted to see it.
"There. Right by your right foot." Rey pointed.
But the spot looked empty. Helena reached out to touch it, but felt nothing.
To Rey's eyes, however, the scene was different. Helena's hand passed straight through the transparent chubby dragon, while the little guy widened its eyes and stared up at her.
"You can't see it or touch it, but it exists. I'm not lying."
Rey smiled awkwardly, his tone helpless. There was a dragon right at her feet, but she couldn't perceive it.
"You mean my hand just passed through its body?" Helena found it fascinating.
Rey nodded. "Yes. It's staring at you curiously right now."
"Only you can see and touch it?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I can see it, but it can bite me."
"Oh. Let me test it then."
Helena pointed her wand at Rey, preparing for her "test."
"Hey, hey! How are you going to test it?" Rey jumped in fright. A wand was like a loaded gun; you didn't just point it at people.
"Simple. I'll cast a negative spell on you and observe the effect."
Helena's brilliance—and impulsiveness—shone through. She planned to verify the dragon's existence by cursing Rey.
Before Rey could voice an objection, Helena cast the spell.
"Petrificus Totalus."
Rey fell over without fail, stiff as a board, hitting the ground with a thud.
This little lady was truly a woman of action. She didn't give anyone a chance to object.
---
The experiment was a resounding success. To ensure accuracy, Helena cast the Body-Bind Curse on Rey three times in a row, observing his state before and after the magic was lifted.
Her curiosity only grew. She badgered Rey for details about the dragon's appearance, then used her wand to draw fiery sparks in the air until the sketch matched the chubby dragon perfectly.
Helena sighed in admiration. "This is the first time I've ever encountered such a magical little dragon. Your luck is incredible."
"Heh. Blame the whole bottle of Felix Felicis I drank."
Rey laughed at himself. Thinking back, maybe this really was a lingering effect of that potion.
"What do we do now?"
Finally getting back on track, the curious Helena remembered their current predicament.
"Didn't you want to see the Great Dragon? We might be in its cave right now."
Rey looked up at the winding tunnel leading upwards. He thought to himself: This is probably where the underground harbor and boathouse of Hogwarts will be in the future, just a bit deeper down.
If that was the case, this tunnel likely led straight to the dragon.
---