Serena Snape: Love of Magic

Once I got back to Hogwarts I could tell the difference the focus of ancient magic had made, I had become more sensitive to ancient magic, I hadn't noticed it before, but now I could feel the ancient magic seeping through the walls of the castle, they were faint, but they were there.

It was either that, or now that he knew that searching was easier to identify, he hoped that after tonight he would know the answer.

I snuck out of the Slytherin common room again after curfew, this time I had a much longer way to go than the simple trip to the Chamber of Secrets, which was a disappointment, I put on Aria, turned invisible and started walking.

The library was my first stop, sometimes I hated Hogwarts, it was great, but everything was far away, I could easily avoid the teachers and prefects who were making their rounds, that let me get to the library quickly, I avoided making as much noise as possible, I would have to invent something to silence my footsteps, but for now walking slowly would do.

I grimaced when I saw Madam Pince sorting through the books, she looked like she lived in the library except for meals, Pince was always in the library but I couldn't go back now, she was already here so I carefully avoided her and walked over to the entrance to the restricted section, I rolled my eyes at the rope separating the normal section from the restricted section, I didn't know whether to be relieved that it wasn't closed off with a metal gate like in Hogwarts Legacy or take it as a bad sign.

Still, I passed the rope and entered the forbidden section, Aria was a spectacular lifeguard, the ghosts and paintings that were watching didn't notice me as I moved in front of them, so I quickly reached the bottom of the library, ignored the books that caught my attention and kept walking, there would be another time to read those forbidden books.

I continued deeper into the now, warehouse? storage room? whatever it is that's under the library filled with stacked items and trinkets until I reached a spiral staircase and heard it.

Whispers, murmurs, noises that weren't there before, I still had to get used to the traces of ancient magic, but it wouldn't be worse now, they were really fascinating, I followed the particles of magic that created a path.

Not trying to suppress my smile, I knocked on Aria twice disabling the invisibility and retracting the hood so I could see, then I went down the stairs. When I finally got to the bottom, I saw it, the stone arch in the middle of the small room, I followed the trails and the noises that grew louder and louder until I reached the point of greatest concentration, I took out my wand and it was almost natural, the movements came to me as easy as breathing, the vestiges of ancient magic concentrated in my wand before exploding and the arch came to life, I smiled widely, almost impatiently I crossed the door, I was in the Athenaeum.

The sensation of walking through the stone arch made me shudder slightly, it was the first time I had felt ancient magic as such, it was a disconcerting but certainly welcome sensation, after weeks of not making any kind of progress, knowing what ancient magic feels like was a pleasure, with a jolt I began to walk down the stairs to the entrance door of the Athenaeum, the ornate door was a pleasure to behold, I took out my wand and entered.

I had to admit it, despite being a cave, everything was decorated grandiloquently, the game did not do justice to the details that were everywhere, I could feel the traces of ancient magic, I had felt it before, in Hogwarts, I had not been able to identify them in the castle, they were so mixed with the normal magic that they almost assimilated with each other, but here, the whispers of ancient magic were stronger, more... noticeable, the floor, the walls, the columns, everything seemed to have traces of ancient magic.

The path was... relatively easy, the mechanisms, puzzles and obstacles that were put in place differed from what I remembered in the game, but they weren't really a problem, in most of them I was able to pass the traps simply by flying with my wings.

The statues that were defending the place were more complicated, they were stronger than they looked, resistant to both magic and physical damage, they oozed ancient magic, just destroying them made me shudder, I wanted to study them, I wanted to know how they were created and if I could replicate them, unfortunately, I had to destroy them in order to continue advancing and despite their resistances, the alchemy of flames as explosives was still really effective, several clicks were necessary but they finally crumbled.

When I finally reached the Pensieve room a smile spread across my face, the book was floating above, either it had been returned, or the events of Hogwarts Legacy never happened even though the Keepers seemed to have existed.

I slowly approached the pensieve, when I was finally in front of it, the book opened and dropped the memory into it before closing and falling to the side, before it hit the ground I grabbed it and sent it to the inventory without hesitation, I smiled widely before diving into the memory.

It was my first time entering a Pensieve, the feeling was disconcerting, I barely had time to orient myself when the memory started, luckily for me, the memory was the same as the game, the Keepers used magic to end the Feldcroft drought and then I saw the Keepers' first conversation with Isidora Morganach when she joined Hogwarts-no.

At no point did it mention that Isidora had started Hogwarts in her fifth year like in the video game, strange, even more so because to begin with the starting age of Hogwarts was a few years later than the canon, I didn't know if that meant that the ancient magic continued to manifest naturally at 15 years old or was delayed until 16~17 to coincide with the fifth year, while I was thinking I was expelled because of the memory, this time it was less disorienting and I recovered quickly.

Now, I still didn't know if seeing the same memory as in the game was a good indication or not, but time was ticking so I pulled out the book and started looking through it, I squealed happily when I saw that none of the pages were missing, I could tell that some were torn out and then repaired from the cuts that still remained at the edge of the pages, but everything was intact, including the map to the map chamber, I put the book back with a smile .

He had somewhere else to be, the night was still early.

Almost humming I looked at the pensieve and considered it, I shrugged and touched it before trying to see if I could fit it into my Pocket Space, the answer, yes, my smile grew even wider, I had a pensieve, I had stolen a pensieve, today was already a good night.

Bouncing with my steps I headed towards the exit of the Ateneo, the mirror had left me in the same arch of the entrance under the library, I put on my hood and made my exit without any problem.

I didn't feel like heading into the cavern, so I wanted to see if I could take the easy way out. I headed to the entrance to the bell tower courtyard. From the entrance I turned to one side, went down the stairs until I found the sleeping dragon statue. From there it was easy. I headed to the warehouse full of barrels, opened the barred door and went down the spiral stairs until I reached my objective.

I sighed in relief as the floor opened up and more stairs emerged from the ground, not wasting any time I continued down, until I reached the slightly ruined hallway, I smiled when I saw the door to the map chamber, my smile grew bigger as the door swung wide open.

The chamber was beautiful, the architecture was just like the athenaeum making it beautiful to look at, my sight first focused on the four giant portraits before moving to the center of the chamber where the map should be before whispers of ancient magic prompted me to look at the pedestal in front of me, I took the book out of my inventory and placed it on the traces of ancient magic.

It was... beautiful, I went down from the entrance looking fascinated as the map appeared, the magic particles looked more like stars in a night sky, it was incredible to see, a shame the view was lost when the map of Hogwarts and its surroundings formed, it was certainly incredible, but I preferred the previous view.

"Well, I must say I am, happily surprised to see someone," I raised my head and looked at Percival Rackham in surprise, I just smiled widely.

"Professor Rackham" greeted the painting cheerfully.

"Indeed I am," Professor Rackham nodded. "I must admit I wasn't expecting any visitors, especially since you're completely alone." I blinked in confusion.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I tilted my head in disbelief, Professor Rackham stroked his beard.

"I assume you share… our ability?" I nodded.

"To see vestiges of ancient magic? Yes, that's right."

"Interesting," Professor Rackham hummed. "Your fifth year, I presume?"

"Shouldn't I?" I asked carefully, Rackham smiled slightly.

"On the contrary, it seems that you have just awakened your gift, there is no better time than now" he stroked his beard "it is difficult to notice when someone awakens the gift of ancient magic, they are no different from normal wizards and witches, they have access to their magic from an early age just like them because they begin their studies at the same age, by the time they begin to see the traces of ancient magic it is difficult for them to differentiate both parts of their gifts" well, that answered my question, if Rackham and Isidora Morganach entered Hogwarts at the age of 13 since the first school year, then the student from the 1890s would have been too, I hope that doesn't mean any change too big as to make my meta-knowledge unreliable "I see you even brought the Map Chamber book with you."

"Yes, I found it in the Athenaeum, under the restricted section of the library."

"I see... the fact that you've come this far tells me that you possess an extraordinary magical ability... whose potential and power will be unlocked, if you manage to prove your worth." the tests, I nodded waiting for him to continue.

"And she's already failed, Percival." My eyes widened as Niamh Fitzgerald's voice came from her portrait as she appeared.

"Principal Fitzgerald." The former principal narrowed her eyes in my direction.

"What do you mean, Niamh?" Professor Rackham looked confused, and so did I.

"She shouldn't be here, she isn't allowed to be here, and she shouldn't have any knowledge of this place, which leaves the question, how did you find the Athenaeum and the Map Chamber?"

"What?... why shouldn't I be here? I followed the traces of magic." I explained confused, what the hell was going on?

"And that shouldn't be possible, the book may have been in the Athenaeum, but the location of the Athenaeum is secret, the locket with its location was not in the vault, it is still in the possession of its current owner?" I blinked in confusion.

"Current owner?"

"The fifth keeper." My eyes widened, fifth keeper? There shouldn't be a fifth keeper unless… the student! The MC of Hogwarts Legacy was in his fifth year in 1891, simple calculations, he should be at least 100 years old! Unheard of for muggles, but a wizard or witch should be in perfect condition even at that age.

"…is that so?" Professor Rackham asked with a frown, Niamh nodded.

" Yeah, the fifth one doesn't know how… she got here and she's not… happy." My eyes opened wide.

"I- what? Why not?!" I asked quickly without understanding.

"Why else, girl? For your behavior in the principal's office! And I must say that I totally agree with his decision... you remind me of Isidora" the former principal almost spat and I visibly shuddered.

"How... how does he know!? Why?!" My mind was working overtime trying to figure out what the hell was going on here, my thoughts were cut off when the doors to the Chamber slammed open.

"I expected more from you Miss Snape, I thought you would have put everything together by now." no. No. No no no no no no.

Impossible.

The numbers didn't add up.

It shouldn't be possible.

Because?!

Why him?!

"Headmaster Dumbledore?"