Harry Potter : Cael Vale’s journey to Hogwarts

The candlelight of the Ravenclaw library annex flickered quietly against the tall stone walls. The chamber was old—forgotten even by most Ravenclaws—and hidden behind a bookshelf that opened only to those who answered an arithmancy riddle.

Cael leaned over a spread of aged scrolls and cracked tomes. His quill scratched feverishly against parchment as he transcribed a dense list of ancient runes—curved, complex, powerful. Some glowed faintly in the dim blue firelight.

His eyes narrowed.

There. The shape repeated again.

The same rune etched into the mysterious door key he'd stolen from the Department of Mysteries, now glowing faintly under the light of his wand.

Cael whispered to himself, "That's the fifth match. Sixth… seventh… no—eighth." His breath caught. "There's over eighty of them… these are it."

He sat back, heart pounding. The entire scroll was a list of complex activation runes, barely understood even by Unspeakables. He had stumbled onto forgotten magic.

He packed up everything and sprinted silently through the halls, not caring if Filch was lurking. Moments later, the Room of Requirement opened for him, forming into a chamber shaped like a glowing sigil dome, filled with chalked runic circles, diagrams, enchanted ink, and stacks of parchment he had used over the weeks.

One by one, he laid the runes on the floor. He cross-referenced each one with the door key, now humming with latent magic.

He whispered, "Revelio." The runes glowed faint gold.

Hours passed in concentrated silence.

He had identified 105 runes from a total of 153.

He gently pressed the key, fingers brushing the carved glyphs. A surge of magic passed through his hand—sharp, cold, like plunging into water. Then—

His breath stopped.

A vision took him.

Mountains. Snow-draped, jagged and sharp. A black stone castle stood between them—massive, imposing, surrounded by towering cliffs. There was no road. No river. Just shadow and silence. The only way in… was by Portkey.

Cael gasped and dropped the key. His heart thundered. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

"So that's where it leads," he murmured. "That's the castle."

He stood in silence, staring at the runes. "If I've uncovered this much, the rest must be hidden too. I have to finish it. I need to go there."

The Room faded back to quiet.

Still deep in thought, Cael left, stomach rumbling. He slipped past the stone staircases toward the kitchens near Hufflepuff's common room—hoping the elves hadn't cleared the hot pies.

As he rounded the corner, he stopped.

A shadow moved. Quickly. Quietly.

His brow furrowed. "Probably just some students sneaking off."

But something was wrong.

The air… it felt heavy.

He reached for his wand. "Lumos."

Light glowed at his tip—then he saw it.

A figure, shorter than him, stood halfway down the corridor. Pale hands. A black notebook clutched in one.

Cael's eyes widened.

"The diary."

His voice sharpened. "Who are you? Show yourself. Now."

Silence.

"I'm warning you—" And with that, he flicked his wand. "Stupefy!"

The red bolt surged forward—but the figure raised its wand and blocked it with a wordless shield.

Cael blinked in disbelief. "Wordless magic?"

Then, the figure struck back.

"Expulso!"

Cael dove behind a pillar as the wall behind him exploded.

He countered quickly. "Protego!" A shield shimmered. "Petrificus Totalus!"

The figure vanished into the Darkness —then reappeared again with a blur.

Cael gritted his teeth. "Depulso!" He pushed the attacker back, followed by "Glacius!" A blast of ice spiraled forward, cracking tiles.

The figure dodged—quick, experienced. Whoever it was, they moved with purpose, training.

"Lumos Maxima!" Cael shouted, pouring bright white light through the hall—but still, he couldn't see the person's face.

The darkness around the figure… it swallowed the light.

"Revelio!" Nothing.

"Homenum Revelio!" The air shimmered—but the figure's identity remained hidden.

"Who are you?!" Cael growled.

The figure raised their wand again. Cael braced—

But then—footsteps.

Voices.

"What was that?! Over here!" shouted someone. A group approached—the sound of prefects, and Filch, furious.

"I heard blasting curses, I did!"

The cloaked figure turned sharply, then sprinted down the corridor.

"Fuck!" Cael hissed, chasing after.

"Impedimenta!" he cast, but missed by inches.

They rounded the far stair, vanished into another corridor—gone.

Cael stood, panting, furious. The prefects were near.

He didn't hesitate.

"Disillusionment!"

The spell shimmered over him like water, and he vanished. The group arrived seconds later.

"What in Merlin's name happened here?!" barked a Hufflepuff prefect.

"Walls scorched, and someone's been dueling," said another.

Cael watched silently from behind an enchanted suit of armor, heart pounding.

⸻

He didn't return to the Ravenclaw library, not tonight.

He slipped quietly back to Gryffindor Tower, whispered the password to the Fat Lady, and entered.

The common room was warm, but Cael collapsed onto the nearest couch, arms still trembling slightly.

He stared into the fire.

Who was that?

They were shorter than most students. Fast. Skilled.

"Definitely someone younger," he muttered. "First to third year maybe. But the diary… it's here. And it's not Harry."

He whispered, "System? Did you see anything?"

The System replied softly in his mind: "No, Host. My view was identical to yours. The figure's identity was completely obscured."

Cael leaned back.

So the diary's owner is using protective enchantments… maybe even something linked to the diary itself.

Outside, the wind howled against the tower. Leaves rustled down the castle walls. Autumn had turned sharp and cold—winter was coming.