A week after Hermione's birthday on the 19th, I dove into the Black Lake without a gaggle of girls following behind me. It wasn't raining today. It was pouring. Only an hour in and the lake's water level already noticeably rose a little. It was raining that much.
The last two dives after finding that cave with the painting on its back wall, the kraken was active around the stone slab - but this time, I was finally lucky. The massive kraken was on the complete opposite side of the lake and paid attention to something in the far distance.
Quickly making my way down with a propelling charm, I was in front of the slab in no time, entirely unbothered by any other distraction.
Four disks were below the Raven Clan logo, and those disks had countless grooves and lines going across them. I tried my best to find those three lines that were highlighted in the painting, but due to the sheer abundance of lines going over the disks' surfaces, it proved harder than I had anticipated.
I thought knowing the answer to the riddle would quickly see me solve the mystery and find the true treasure of Hogwarts, but sadly, I was mistaken. Toying around with the disks for half an hour, I couldn't make heads or tails because no matter what, only two lines connected like they did in the painting. The third was seemingly missing.
My mind was racing with possible solutions. From carving the third line myself, using my wand as the third line or something different entirely, I tried to think of what could be the problem. Eventually, something told me that I was looking at it the wrong way before frustration could settle in.
One hand on the slab, I used it to turn myself around and made my body stationary with my head down and my feet up. The simplest solution was the correct one. The puzzle finally made sense - or, well, the painting did. The fact that either the painting or this locking mechanism was upside down made little sense at all, but it got me to finally find the solution.
Turning the disks so that the lines fit, the stone slab gave of an ethereal, otherworldly light all of a sudden. Swimming upside down, I was completely caught off-guard by a sudden pull coming from the slab. Something opened and sucked in the water in front of the slab despite no visual changes other than the light.
It had turned into a sort of portal?
Steeling myself and preparing my body as best I could, I allowed myself to be dragged forward. My awkward posture and the power of the suction allowed for little else. I had no other choice but to think that was by design since the painting was upside down.
Passing through the surface of the slab, I suddenly felt warm air touch my skin as I looked around with my Eagle Vision active. Everything around me was golden for a short moment, but the glow vanished quickly, or rather it concentrated on an elevated platform with what looked like an anvil with an intricate, metallic, giant construction of sort hanging above it.
Dressed in a muggle wetsuit against the cold without shoes, I quickly dried myself and transfigured decent footwear for myself in case I needed to run, I cautiously looked around this giant rocky cavern. Faint lights lined the room all around. I knew these kinds of lights.
They were Isu in origin.
Heimdall had the same lights in his abode, that tower where he gave me the warning or introduction about the Pieces of Eden.
And I was quite certain I was looking at one right now the more I saw nothing in this room except for that anvil in the center. Unfortunately for me, I didn't see an exit, either. For a brief moment, I debated calling Patrick or my other elves to get me out, but my blood... it was getting excited. Choosing to trust this weird sensation I got, I took cautious, probing steps towards the anvil with the futuristic contraption above it until it started to light up and I heard soft, whirring and clanking noises that told me something started turning on.
"Welcome," a jovial voice greeted with a lot of warmth and... happiness?
"The processing unit says almost a full millenia passed, my predictions were correct," another more calculating but still melodious voice said from the complete opposite side of the cavern.
My head snapped in that direction only to see something that only my dreams of Heimdall taught me what it was: an Isu consciousness hologram. Despite the different coloring, they could have been 'regular' ghosts, too, but I knew better.
"Now, now Rowena. Aren't you the least bit curious who this little fella might be?" The first voice gently chided, and I looked back. Another hologram came to life.
Both were of women, both had an otherwordly golden shine... and I knew both of them. Well, I knew who they were.
"Lady Huffepuff, Lady Ravenclaw," I solemnly greeted and bowed down a little.
Mere portraits didn't deserve my respect. Ghosts were of no consequence, not truly... but these holograms were Isu technology. I had no idea how much of it was a mere speck of a soul imprint or if these two somehow uploaded their minds into some form of magi-technology device to live on forever.
"Good, you know our names, so history should have been kind to us," Rowena Ravenclaw's hologram said in an almost indifferent voice.
"Pah, Rowena. Stop scaring him. Introduce yourself, little wizard," Helga Hufflepuff's projection ordered as she gave my kelpie wand a small cursory glance.
"Greetings to you two, I am Talion Macnair - soon to be Lord Gamp. I'm a second year student at your school and was sorted into Ravenclaw. But, uhm, the current head of your house considers me an 'honorary badger', Lady Hufflepuff," I greeted with an unsure smile.
"Talion, is it? Curious choice for a name," Hufflepuff said with an amused smile as she tapped her cheek for a moment. After some thought, she said, "Your mother named you and for quite sad reasons, yes?"
'And here I thought Ravenclaw was the smart one, wow,' I thought with a stunned expression before I gave the hologram of the founders a small nod.
During that little exchange, Ravenclaw regarded my person and especially my wand. She spoke up, "Little Talion. Has the wizarding world regressed? Your wand is a subpar creation made from a barely potent kelpie mane."
Looking at my wand, I shook my head and explained, "The door I found to this place was submerged in the depths of the Black Lake outside Hogwarts castle. I didn't want my regular wand to get wet. It was already broken once and repaired with goblin silver. Rose wood and unicorn tail hair are what my true wand is made of. A creation of the Ollivander family. You should be familiar."
"Ah, indeed, indeed. We tried to have that family teach a course at our school, but the best concession we got out of them was that they would provide the first wand of a magical for cheaper. Two of us founders had Ollivander wands, too, you know," Hufflepuff chimed in. "Are there no wand makers rivaling them on the isles, still?"
"Not in Diagon Alley anyway. That's the premiere economic hub in Magical Britain and located in England's capital, London. Uh, my history knowledge isn't the best... you might know it as Londinium or Lundenwic? Ah, and I am trying to find enough materials to create my own magical foci for that very reason," I answered with a shy smile. Failing to recollect what the capital of your home country was called during a certain time period in front of two of the most renowned scholars of their era was... humbling.
"Your Isu blood is quite concentrated," Ravenclaw suddenly interjected to change the topic once more - apparently entirely unconcerned about the current magical world and my lack of history knowledge. Hufflepuff had looked like she wanted to ask something else.
I looked down to see where they had taken blood from me because I hadn't felt a pinch anywhere when Ravenclaw explained, "This room has something called sensors. We didn't need to take your blood."
"Have you had dreams of your ancestors, little Talion?" Hufflepuff asked to get the conversation going once more.
Cautiously, I nodded. I didn't know what I could or couldn't say at this point.
"Oh? Just regular ancestors or Isu, too? You didn't seem surprised to hear the name," Hufflepuff asked again, and I blanched a little.
Of course, I had given something away by not reacting...
"Heimdall. I have seen Heimdall in my dreams," I answered with a low voice, hoping that revelation wouldn't come to harm me later.
Instead, Hufflepuff's eyes lit up. It almost looked like she wanted to come over and hug me as she explained, "A stepson of Rowena, then! This is great! Truly great!"
'Wait, what???'
My disbelief must have shown plainly on my voice as Helga Hufflepuff's hologram, with a laugh, described, "You're not the only reincarnation of the Isu, little Talion. In my early thirties, I awakened memories of the Aesir Idun with Rowena's help. She herself is a reincarnation of Freyja, Odin's wife, and has known so since her teenage years similar to you."
"I will not be calling you son," Ravenclaw said with a dry voice, and I shook my head to show I wasn't asking for that. But I noticed her gaze on me lost a lot of calculative apprehension.
"Where are we? Helena Ravenclaw's ghost in the castle only said this is where your treasures come from, the diadem and the cup, and that she would go mad in here?" I asked since I didn't want to call the hologram 'mommy' either.
"Ah. Welcome, Talion, to The Forge," Hufflepuff introduced with a wide smile as the projection gestured back to the anvil.
"The Forge?"
Ravenclaw nodded and walked over as her ghostly fingers tapped the air as if in calculation, "This anvil belonged to my clan, the Raven Clan, since long before they came to these islands. You seem to have my gift, the God's Eye, so you likely heard of it if my daughter's specter still lives on."
Wow, that was cold. She didn't seem to care about that at all, did she?
"It was Idun's memories that helped us set it up here. While Freyja was unrivaled in the magics of the Vanir, it was Idun's knowledge of magi-craft thanks to who her father was, the master craftsman Ivaldi, that allowed us to re-build this Piece of Eden as a nexus. You're looking at Hogwarts' center runestone."
That... didn't make much sense. How was anyone ever able to change anything about the wards if they were controlled by a literal Piece of Eden nobody had access to?
"Center runestone means there's runestones that aren't in the center, does it not?" Rowena asked in a dry voice as if seeing my incomprehension, and I had the distinct impression that she fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"Don't be so impatient. He is merely in his second year, and he hasn't grown up in the magical world," Hufflepuff's projection chided, and I had to wonder - how did she know about that? Just from the fact that my mother named me and what she named me?
Damn, that woman was scary insightful!
"The Forge, as said before, is a Piece of Eden. It once belonged to Tyr after Odin decided it was too powerful to remain in Ivaldi's care. Tyr did the noble thing and asked for the hand of his daughter in marriage so as to keep it in the dwarf's family, but the dwarf declined and said his daughter was free to love and marry who she wanted. A ridiculous choice considering the item's worth," Hufflepuff looked indignant at that, "It is able to act as a nexus, obviously, but the name comes from the fact that this Piece of Eden can create other items that are pretty much on a similar powerscale of those pieces."
I remembered at that point: In one dream, Odin, Tyr, and Heimdall set out to create a chain capable of binding Fenrir. In the end, they had to give up and instead task a dwarf to create an item for Odin. That had been Ivaldi, who created Gleipnir. Taking another, better look, this anvil did indeed look kind of like the one in my dream - but the contraption above the anvil was new. Nothing like that had been in my dream.
It must be what Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw built as an addition so that it worked as a 'nexus runestone'.
"We obviously cannot allow you to take away the anvil and bring about the destruction of the school, but we can help you build an item that rivals a Piece of Eden," Hufflepuff's hologram explained with a warm smile as she regarded me with a fond look.
"What would you need most? The Forge has rested long enough to create another item," Ravenclaw asked curtly, seemingly occupied with something else.
"Can you tell me how you are here while I think about that? I didn't come here knowing that I could get an item out of it," I inquired with a sheepish smile.
Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw looked at one another for a short moment, and before their silent conversation ended, Hufflepuff started describing their circumstances, "Through our dreams about our past, Rowena and I figured out that nothing was as simple as it seemed. Loki had been planning something, but he was smart. Possibly the smartest Isu of the Aesir, Jötnar, and Vanir. And Odin slighted him constantly. His honor brought into question during the dispute with the Builder. His daughter Hel, made to serve as the guardian of Niflheim. His son, Fenrir, bound to Heimdall's tower thinking he'll bring upon the Great Catastrophe. His lover Angrboda, otherwise known as Aletheia of the Roman Isu, was constantly maligned and schemed against... Loki's anger was well earned, but also... disproportionate. He would see the world burn if it meant Odin had something to lose, but the Allfather didn't see it despite his wisdom. Maybe he was blinded by the Roman Isu Juno. Maybe he thought himself infallible."
"He also killed Heimdall just before the Allfather's family uploaded their DNA into Yggdrasil to start the cycle of their reincarnation. Freyja saw it just before her consciousness faded," Ravenclaw added with a small frown. "It's a wonder that the serum still worked regardless and that you find yourself remembering him. Meta physics truly have no limits."
Meta physics? Oh, did she mean magic? This wasn't how Helena Ravenclaw described her mother at all. Something must have happened during the millenia where they rested inside this 'Forge' or possibly they were 'just' a program, and they didn't reflect their true selves?
"I couldn't tell you. Heimdall told me about some Pieces of Eden he saw in my future, and that was it. The rest of my dreams of the Isu are just bits and pieces - mostly even without auditory sensations," I could only offer in reply together with a helpless shrug.
"He did? Curious. Freyja was unrivaled in prophecies and clairvoyance among both the Aesir and the Vanir. I remember one instance where Heimdall sought out Freyja's guidance on how to focus his own gift for a very particular purpose. It seems that dream of yours was the result," Ravenclaw expressed with an intrigued frown.
"So you uploaded your consciousnesses into the Forge in the hopes someone like me would come here to prevent an evil plan set into motion by Loki or one of his reincarnations?" I asked as I still thought about what kind of item I could possibly want from this forge. Truly, though, this discussion was making it kind of hard not to give it its full attention.
"Prophecy is not as straightforward a subject as you might expect. There are uncountable possible futures where humanity has long since died out during your time. Just as there are a great number of possible futures where humanity already lives among the stars. Since you are here, you have a fate with this place. We will help you with the item and allow you to ask us for guidance when and if you encounter something insurmountable. We created Hogwarts as a haven because, in many futures, magicals were on the brink of annihilation. We do not wish for such an outcome," Ravenclaw solemnly declared as she watched me intently.
"I don't wish for that either. In fact, I plan to rid the magical world of its long ongoing stagnation and cancerous beliefs," I stated before explaining to the two holograms what happened since their deaths.
From the magical statute of secrecy after many witch hunts all the way to modern muggle warfare and technological advancements, I didn't spare any details as I droned on for a few hours. Eventually, I even had to use a 'Tempus' to make sure I wasn't breaking curfew yet because this discussion robbed me of my frame of time.
Curiously enough, I also learned that my dreams of Heimdall were quite a bit different from how Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw learned of their previous lives. We all chalked it up to the fact that Loki interrupted the 'Yggdrasil' upload by killing Heimdall.
"You successfully deflected long enough, though I admit it has been insightful," Ravenclaw's image eventually said as she held up a hand to stop me from saying anything more. "What item would you like to have created by The Forge?"
Taking a deep breath, I explained my reasoning, "I have found the Diadem and know about the location of the Locket and the Cup. I'll be able to get both of them by the end of next summer. As such, I'll already own three items created by The Forge, even if I don't know what the Locket does."
"Grant one of many bloodline abilities like Parselmouth and Metamorphmagus to the wearer after the proper ritual. Salazar was obsessed with those. Much more self-serving than Godric's wish for that hat," Ravenclaw explained in a calm voice, and my eyes nearly bulged out. That was way too overpowered!
Quickly calming my breath, I eventually shook my head and continued, "Amazing, but not what I need most. I've been studying wards and enchantments ever since the Talking Hat imprinted some of its knowledge on the matter into my brain during Occlumency lessons. Heimdall's knowledge about Old Norse runes also helps a lot. All of my enemies live in homes that are heavily warded. They are mostly pureblood lords with illustrious families. My studies came to a halt, though I suppose I would have learned it soon regardless. The item I want would still shorten my path to vengeance and order significantly. I'd like a weapon able to cut through warded space or a shield that makes me invisible to them. Whatever you two think is more feasible."
While the two images of the founders seemed to have another silent conversation, I thought about the fact that the fourth founder treasure was actually the hat for Gryffindor and not the sword like everyone believed. Well, in the truest sense and only in this world where these treasures had a connection to The Forge and the Isu. The Sword of Gryffindor capable of constantly gaining new properties was a truly powerful treasure in its own right, no doubt about it.
But I also now desperately wanted to get the locket from Kreacher and get rid of Riddle's soul piece! It could make me a Parselmouth or Metamorphmagus??? I needed to find out about more magical abilities and quickly research this ritual!
Eying the two holographic witches, I wondered if they would simply tell me or not. And, I wanted to know more about the cup, too. It should be able to do more than just create drink and grains.
Going by this conversation, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it was actually a less powerful fountain of youth or something equally ridiculous.