The Caretaker Quest - Part 7
This is part 7 of the "side quest" for "Disappearing Hogwarts".
An unofficial alternate timeline based on HeadQM´s highly praised quest, Disappearing Hogwarts.
Reading the original story is not exactly necessary but heavily encouraged since this quest will contain references to it.
Created mostly as a place to wait while HeadQM was away for a while but slowly evolved into his own thing.
Quick recap so far:
>Recently graduated Ravenclaw student is hired at Hogwarts as the new Caretaker.>Merlin somehow ended up inside your head.>Harry Potter´s daughter died, letting Salazar Slythering (previously stuck inside her head) free to continue his quest to control The Beast, an all powerful ancient creature accidentally created by Merlin.>He is currently now trapped inside a poor and weakened girl named Artemis.>This bought you valuable time while you learn how to contain The Beast>Hogwarts is slowly becoming an administrative mess now that Harry Potter himself disappeared.>You have a private investigator lurking around Hogwarts and is heavily suspicious of you.>You also learned an ancient powerful spell>Fought Artemis while she was possesed by Salazar and took her to St.Mungos after defeating her.>Merlin regained some of his senses back and you are now lurking around St.Mungos looking for an explanation.What will happen now? Let's find out!
Part 6 here
>>6236973links to previous threads
Part 1:
https://archived.moe/qst/thread/6038711/
Part 2:
https://archived.moe/qst/thread/6080818/
Part 3:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/6122821/
Part 4:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6159531/
Part 5:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6196175/
Part: 6:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6236973/
List of currently archived threads
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Caretaker%20Quest
Thanks to IlvermoryQM for the links!
(if anyone can figure out a way to save the ".moe" threads into "thisisnotatrueending" that would be much appreciated)
Previously, on the Caretaker...
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Merlin speaks first
“I think the basement might hold something of interest, I would recommend exploring it”
“Really? I don't know…it's a basement, they most likely only have some old equipment and storage stuff…but if you insist, sure, but may I recommend going for the 4th floor first? I just have a…feeling…”
“Sure, the order seems irrelevant as long as we are able to visit both areas, lets us go to the 4th floor”
And so, you go to the 4th floor, not before letting the reception witch know that you will be there, just in case they need to inform you of any updates regarding Artemis…you decide to omit mentioning your basement plans for now.
You ask for some quick instructions on how to reach the 4th floor, you then follow a row of wide stairs, you climb them and look up as you do so seeing several rows of steps, way more than you think would be needed to reach the next floor, but before you know it you are already at your destination, the 4th floor.
“I think we skipped the 2nd and 3rd floor somehow” Merlin says.
“Magic stairs, enchanted to take you directly where you need to, very useful for hospital emergencies”
“Hogwarts could really use something like that…”
“Yeah, perhaps we could find the spell and use it?”
“It takes great magic to break any of the castle's spells, let alone adding a new one”
“Oh c'mon, THE great Merlin and me? im sure we could make it work somehow”
“Hmm perhaps we could, but lets not dwell on uncertain futures, we have things to do”
“Right, right”
You begin exploring the floor, it's long and spacious, several corridors branch out from each side, creating an impossibly big area for such a small building.
There are a few doors that are open and let you see inside them, most look the same, with several beds and windows looking out the street despite knowing that they should have any kind of view blocked by the building next door, there shouldn't be any sun coming in either…thanks magic.
Sadly, that's the happiest that most rooms look, since their inhabitants are all either in some sort of catatonic state, sleeping or wandering around like zombies.
A couple of healer witches greet you as you walk around, a bit surprised to see anyone “visiting” this floor.
“Hello, may I help you find whoever you came to visit?” Asks a witch, her voice motherly but tired and soft.
“Thanks, but that's ok, I'm just here, umm…exploring a bit while waiting for some news on a girl” You say, not really lying.
“I see, well, do let me know if you need anyth-No! Mr.Jones! drop that! please excuse me”
The witch leaves to stop a wandering patient with a confused look on his face and lifting a chair for no particular reason.
You look at her go, wondering if you should give her a hand but a boisterous and egotistical yet still cheerful voice commands your attention.
“Dont worry about her, she can take care of him no problem, come here instead! it's been a long time since I've had somebody pay me a visit!”
Wait, you recognize that guy, what was his name? Figaro? Chilaro?...Gilderoy! That's his name, you have heard of him before, apparently he disappeared for a bit after some weird accident…or something like that, you know that most of the details are public but you never bothered looking into it.
All you know is that he can't even remember his name sometimes..
Still, whatever accident he went through, that didn't stop him from ageing gracefully, his hair is white with a gentle golden hue and still has lots of it, you are sure most people would kill for hair like that.
He is wearing a very comfy and fluffy looking yellow robe with white trims and matching slippers.
“Ah! a new face comes to see me and my masterworks!” He says loudly.
“You are-”
“Childero Rockhard! in the flesh!”
You struggle to hold in a chuckle.
“A pleasure to finally meet you, sir.”
“I know it is! Now, what brings you here boy? heard of my masterworks and came for an original piece huh? you aren't the only one, you know?”
“Masterworks?”
“My paintings of course! How many do you want? 2? 4? 10?! I can give them a special signature for you, make them even more valuable!”
You look behind him and see several easels, each holding paintings, some finished, some incomplete, behind those, down on the floor and leaning against the wall are rows and rows of canvases, all with finished paintings of different topics.
“Who is this person, Brandon?” Merlin asks.
“I believe he was a famous book writer back in the day, i remember hearing something about some sort of accident happening before i went to Hogwarts that ended up with him losing most of his memories…or something like that, i didnt really cared much for it so i dont know the details, all i know is that he was famous at some point”
You can feel Merlin looking at the paintings through your eyes as you reply, he appears to enjoy them.
You direct your attention back to Gilderoy.
“Would you mind if I take a look at your…umm…catalog, before we make a decision? i would like to see what have you done so far”
“ho! ho! Looking for my best huh? smart boy! sure! go ahead, I'll be here putting the final touches to my most recent piece.”
He then picks up a brush and walks closer to an unfinished painting.
You walk closer to the end of the room where all of his paintings are scattered on the floor or leaning against the wall.
“He has talent” Merlin begins. “His style reminds me of the ones from back in my day…”
You notice that most of his paintings are self-portraits and a few landscapes of places you don't recognize, with portraits of a few healing witches here and there.
“A bit full of himself though…but still, pretty good”
“I like your landscapes, Sir.”
“Ahh yes, places i think i´ve been to but have no memory of, most of those come to me from time to time, usually along with people who i also dont remember, im still unsure if they are related or not, but so far i just cant remember”
You see a few other paintings, nothing too interesting besides one that appears to be some sort of tunnel system and a BIG snake…no, that's a basilisk…weird.
“Nevermind those old paintings boy, im entering a new chapter in my artistic career! I call it…My “Cosmic Fate” era! it's going to sell like ice mice in summer!”
“...Your WHAT era?”
“Ooh! interested aren't you? here! let me show you!”
He leaves the painting he was working on and goes to a bed on the opposite side of the room, you suspect that's his bed.
He kneels down and pulls a set of paintings from under the mattress and lays them all on his bed as you get closer.
As soon as you see them, you and Merlin feel that chill once again running through both of you.
Paintings of space, constellations unfamiliar to you, abstract shapes and even stars.
They all are…dark, both in theme and color palette.
There is one painting of a constellation, but it's so messed up you can't even make out what constellation it's supposed to be.
There is one of a planet…? no, not a planet, a star, it appears to be the sun…with a giant hole going through it.
“Is that a hand coming out of the hole?” You ask Merlin without moving your mouth.
There is one of a bright, silver tree in the middle of the sky…it looks…familiar…
And there is a final one, it's a canvas filled with nothing but solid black, no stars, no color, not even his signature. Just black.
There is a pit in your stomach, a desert in your mouth and a chill in your spine.
You turn to look at Gilderoy, he seems happy, proud even.
“Some of my best if i do say so myself, 4 out of 5 paintings ain't bad at all, eh?”
“4 out of 5? What happened to the 5th one?” you ask.
He sighs dramatically and pulls out one last painting from under his bed.
“At the time it was my best work yet, but then one night while i was adding some small details, it simply became…wrong, not even me and my perfect artistic talent could fix it, so I had to abandon it”
He hands you the canvas.
As soon as you touch it, you and Merlin feel a wave of dread washing all over your body and souls.
It's a perfect image of a blond young wizard, sword in hand, standing his ground against a creature of darkness, you can't even make out what that creature is supposed to be, behind it there is a sea of indescribable creatures of madness and rage. The sky is aflame and both ancient and modern cities are destroyed.
It's an impossible level of detail for a simple brush and paint, and yet, after everything the painting shows, none of it is the source of your fears.
Instead, the small mistakes in the painting are the ones that cause you confusion and dread.
The painting is complete, you KNOW it is…but…it has more, there are things that SHOULDN'T be there, things that SHOULD be there, you don't know how you know this, you just KNOW, you know what's wrong with the painting.
Your eyes gravitate towards the small “mistakes” in the painting:
The blond wizard's arm, it's blurry, you can't tell if it's supposed to be there or not.
The sword, should be a bright silver, instead, this one is red and angry.
He stands alone, he should be surrounded by friends and allies.
In the corner of the painting, amongst the sea of creatures of madness, there is a woman in a yellow dress, she screams in agony as she burns and is torn apart.
Your grip on the painting is so strong, you can hear the wood of the frame creaking. Merlin forces you to drop the painting on the bed.
“Its awful, i know, not even i can stand watching it for long, ugh”
Gilderoy takes the painting and hides it under his bed.
“Thats why I've been working on a replacement!”
He walks to the painting he was working on while you were checking his catalog and turns it towards you.
The painting shows the dark silhouette of a man surrounded by the cosmos, holding a small but bright light cupped in his hands, he is offering it to a pillar of light in front of him while another pillar of light behind him is shown with cracks and crumbling…the man is missing his left foot.
When you see the painting, you also feel that dark ancient magic. So does Merlin.
“It's inside him” He says. “A piece of The Beast is inside this man”
You look at him, a bead of sweat running down your face.
He looks at you, smiling, unaware of what he just painted.
“And this is only one of the many paintings I have planned! They come to me in my dreams sometimes! I want to paint them all”
He then takes the painting off from the easel and puts it along with the other “cosmic” paintings, completing the set.
“I might expand this set of paintings later, if I have more of those dreams of course” He says cheerily.
“Sir. How are you feeling?” You ask with a small shake in your voice.
“Feeling? Fine i suppose, i have been feeling pretty good lately since i started painting, sure some dreams are weird and some might call them nightmare-ish, but I don't feel bad when I see them. It's almost like this is what I was made for! Like I'm fulfilling my destiny!”
He takes another empty canvas and sets it in the easel, readying his material to paint something new.
“I think The Beast is creating prophecies through him and his paintings” Merlin says inside your head with a hint of danger.
“Seems like it…what do we do?”
“The plan remains the same, boy. We remove The Beast”
“But…how do we do that?”
“I believe i know a way…but you are not going to like it”
“...what is it?”
“Do you know how to contain a fragmented soul?”
“...Oh, fuck off…”
“Told you you wouldn't like it…”
“But…Horcruxes? Is there no other way?”
“Do you know of any other way to contain a soul? im open to suggestions”
You scrape your brain for any idea, any plan that could work, any alternative you might know, but you find none. There is only one solution.
But then…an idea.
“Wait…before we do this…are we sure this is the best thing to do?”
“What are you talking about boy? this is what we have been trying to do since the very beginning, this is our main goal”
“I know, I know, but, hear me out…we could create a Horcrux to contain it, or…we could use it to our advantage”
“What foolishness are you saying, boy?”
“You think The Beast is spewing prophecies through his paintings and dreams, right? Perhaps we could take glimpses into the future through them, see what's ahead of us and use it to our advantage, adapt and counter attack!”
“You can't adapt to prophecies, there is nothing to adapt to, prophecies do not change, prophecies become real one way or another!”
“Theres gotta be a way to do it, i refuse to believe a prophecy is set in stone like that”
“Boy, you are talking about breaking destiny, no one has ever done that before, its impossible!”
“People used to think that hurting a Poltergeist was impossible, we eradicated one not too long ago, i have The great wizard Merlin stuck in my head, tell me if that sounded possible before”
Merlin stays quiet for a bit.
“We have done the impossible before, we can do it again.”
“This is a huge gamble, boy. Think this through…”
>Create a Horcrux to contain The Beast
>Leave it inside Gilderoy and use it to your advantage
>Other (Write in:)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
And now, we continue.
You stand there, looking at Lockheart starting a new piece, and based on the colors he has already laid down, it doesnt appear to be a prophecy this time, looks more like another landscape with clear skies and green grass.
You sigh.
“We have to leave it inside him, at least for now. We cannot create a Horcrux anyways…i dont even think i would be able to follow the necessary steps to do so”
“I understand” Merlin begins. “If you think this is the best course of action for now then i will not oppose it…However, i will say this…”
You feel him somehow staring directly into your soul, your heart feels cold and heavy as he does.
“You are merely delaying the inevitable, eventually we will have to take care of this.
That means, you better start getting comfortable with the idea of taking a life because sooner or later you will have to…and i think you will appreciate it better if it's under our own terms, because i doubt Salazar or any other pieces of The Beast will give us the luxury of choice in the future.”
Then, just as suddenly as the feeling began, it ended. The coldness in your heart goes away and you feel the weight on your chest disappear.
“Woah there, are you alright?” Says Gilderoy with a hint of worry. “You look like you just saw a dementor or something”
You shake your head a bit, trying to get rid of those last bits of fear from your mind.
“I-yeah, yeah, i just…i think i forgot to eat or something, just had a bit of lightheadedness…”
“You should never skip meals, my dear boy. Why don't you go ahead and get something to eat? I´ll be here painting my next masterpiece! you can come back later for any of my magnificent paintings!”
“Yeah I´ll…I think I'll do that…take care sir.”
“Until next time, dear boy!”
You then turn to leave the room but stop before you cross the exit door.
“Hey, Merlin, Sir…The beast is a part of you, right? Can't you just, I don't know...reconnect with it?"
“In theory, yes, that's the plan. But just like pieces in a puzzle i have to find the proper way to…”make it fit” and merge with…at least thats how i think it will work”
“You are not sure?”
“Well, we haven't really had the chance to do so, we have one piece here right now for us to test it, but you refuse to take action and I can't really force you to do so despite how much I want to.”
“But…we don't know what will happen, what if he gets hurt?”
“People WILL get hurt, Brandon, it's inevitable…so far we have been extremely lucky but we will soon reach a point in which innocent people being hurt will be the lesser of evils.”
You feel a pit forming in your stomach.
“You sure know how to motivate people...”
“Im just letting you know, it will happen, so better make peace with it…Now, shall we go to the basement? we don't have much time left before Miss Snyde returns”
“Yeah…let's go”
Just as you are about to leave, you see one final painting, it's leaning against the wall next to Lockheart's bed.
It's a painting of 4 people, they all lack distinctive facial features, all sitting in a long table, all on the same side, they appear to be having a nice conversation, their body language seems to indicate that but only one of them is complete, the one with green robes and a bald head, he seems to be enjoying some grapes.
There is a woman, slightly curvaceous in a loose yellow dress who is holding a cup of wine, but her head is painted over with black lines completely covering her face.
There is another woman with a body tight blue dress, she is sitting, but the head is missing. You can see the white canvas where the head should be, it's not finished yet.
The same happens with the big muscular man wearing a red robe over some light leather armor.
You stare at the painting for a second before deciding to finally leave.
You make it to the staircase without problems and think of the basement as you descend the many steps, however, you end up in the ground floor instead.
“This does not appear to be the basement” Merlin says.
“Huh…I was specifically thinking about it, wouldn't be surprised if magical access to it is blocked, it's not exactly an area that's regularly open to the public…”
“So how do we get there?”
“Simple, magic or not, that basement exists and must have a regular access to it, all we have to do is find it”
But before you start sneaking around, you cast your signature disillusionment spell.
“There, now we shouldn't have to worry about getting caught so easily”
Then you explore the corridors, trying your best to stay away from the path of distracted healing witches or the few wandering patients or visitors.
You walk and explore every corridor you come across, opening every door you can that doesn't look like just another patient room, office space or janitorial closet.
Until you reach the last corridor.
It looks just like every other one, this one is normal but it shows signs of being the least transited one, the walls are clean but it gives you an abandoned feeling.
At the very end of it and turning to the right, there is a staircase with white tiles just like the ones from the corridor, it's being blocked by some yellow tape and a singular “Under renovations - Do not cross” sign.
“That looks like the basement to me” you say as you get closer to it.
“Wait” Merlin commands. “I can feel magic…protection spells”
“You can feel spells now?”
“I learned how to detect them when I was still alive, i guess that still works even if i dont have an actual body”
“Sweet, so…what do we do?”
“Let me take control for a moment”
“Sure, go ahead” You close your eyes for a moment and give Merlin control of your body, he then slowly waves a hand around as if he were feeling the air.
He gives you back the control of your body.
“A simple protection spell, not hard to break, just hard to find for anyone who isn't looking for it, you should be able to break it easily” He informs you.
“Guess they weren't expecting any kind of visit, can't really blame them, who wants to go to an old basement when they are most likely here in a medical emergency? they probably just set this up as a formality”
It takes you a couple of attempts but eventually you manage to break their protection spells without alerting anyone.
And down you go, into the basement of St.Mungos.
You push open the double door at the bottom of the stairs and enter what appears to be a single big room with some old muggle medical machines, several cabinets of potion ingredients and a bunch of old hospital beds laid on their side and piled up next to a wall.
The room is lit up just like the ones above it, with a couple of orbs that gently float around the room casting a warm yellow light.
You stand around, looking for any obvious signs of…anything.
“There doesn't appear to be anything here…just old medical stuff”
You say as you slide your fingers over the frame of a bed next to the wall, picking up a small layer of dust.
“Not here, below us, Boy. Powerful magic is right under us…it feels ancient…familiar, but I can't figure out what it is, we need to go deeper.”
“Deeper?”
You look around once again, making sure to inspect every wall, look behind every cabinet, you pull the beds away from the wall.
There is nothing.
“Sir, there is no way to go deeper, i see no more stairs, there is no path”
“Yes there is, Boy. they are here, i…know it? How do I know this?”
“Sir?
“Why do I know this?” You feel Merlin freaking out a bit inside your head.
“Sir.”
“What is down there?!” He says frustrated.
“Sir!”
The floating orbs that light the room flicker for a bit, they look like flames being threatened to be extinguished by a gust of air, then they return back to normal.
“I-im sorry, Boy. I think I need…”
Silence, he stops talking despite your protests and no matter how many times you call for him he simply wont reply.
“Sir? what do i do now? there is nothing here…Sir? Sir!...Guess I'm on my own for now…”
You rest your hands on your hips and look around once again.
“Certainly I don't have to dig my way down, right? there HAS to be something around here that fits…whatever we are looking for…”
You do some quick calculations in your head, you should have between 30 and 50 minutes left before Merula supposedly returns and you are currently in a restricted area with Merlin giving you a silent treatment…not ideal.
“Ok, ok. I think we've come out of worse situations than this…just have to find…a solution to my problem, thats all…hmmm”
You look around once again.
“Its either use the rest of my time looking for an entrance or path to whatever it is below us…or dig my way down…that one is not going to be stealthy”
You fidget with your wand in your hand, weighing your options when you suddenly get another idea.
“Powerful magic you say?...”
You kneel down and touch the floor with your palm open.
There it is, that cold familiar feeling. The same magic you found in that classroom in your first days as a caretaker, there is LOTS of it down there.
You look at your wand and then at the floor, then back to your wand.
Then you remember when you made some weird sort of connection with that kid Elliot when you both were in the Great Hall months ago, that black tendril that came out of your shadows and linked both of you together for a moment.
“Could I do the same?”
You don't have much time left, what will you do?:
>Use the rest of your time to investigate the room as much as you can and find a path. (Roll 1D100)
>Use the rest of your time to DIG through the ground as quietly as possible. (Roll 1D100, Beat a DC of 75 to NOT get attention on you)
>Try to command the ancient magic within you and link up with the one below you. (Roll 1D100-5 (+10 from magical expertise) (+5 from a previous temporal stored bonus against a singular ancient spell) (-20 from trying to command ancient magic for the first time without Merlin's help) Beat a DC of 85)
>Other (Write in:)
After an unintended vacation, we are finally back!
sorry it took so long to create a new thread, i honestly just got lazy and couldnt make a thread before the last one got archived, but now that we are back the plot should move along, stakes will be higher from now on!
Rolled 20 - 5 (1d100 - 5)
>>6274569>Try to command the ancient magic within you and link up with the one below you. (Roll 1D100-5 (+10 from magical expertise) (+5 from a previous temporal stored bonus against a singular ancient spell) (-20 from trying to command ancient magic for the first time without Merlin's help) Beat a DC of 85)Experience is experience. But maybe we should try to channel the ancient magic through a spell that reveals magic, rather than doing RAW ancient magic. Ancient Revelio!
>>6274637uff, with those numbers? i´ll keep the idea in mind for later if nobody else comes to our rescue
Rolled 11 (1d100)
>>6274569>>Use the rest of your time to investigate the room as much as you can and find a path. (Roll 1D100)rather not have the risk when we're on a time limit and in a place we aren't supposed be
Rolled 58 (1d100)
>>6274569>>Use the rest of your time to investigate the room as much as you can and find a path. (Roll 1D100)There is like no chance for the last option. Just running the numbers, getting something is better than a full fail with a set DC.
oh man, these numbers...
guess i'll close the votes now, update most likely tomorrow
Your hand lingers on the floor for a few moments, you try to remember the cold feeling of the world losing its color when you were in the Great Hall…this feels almost exactly the same.
“I could try…”
But just as you were about to push out some of your magic through your hand you lift it and hide it inside one of your pockets. Fear stops you from even trying it.
You grunt and stand up.
“I better give this place another look, just to make sure I didn't miss anything…”
You say, mostly trying to convince yourself that you chose not to try it because this is too complex to do it by yourself…yeah, that's the reason, it's totally not because you are scared of what would happen if you actually do it and don't have Merlin to pull you back if things go wrong, that's totally it.
You start searching again, taking your time with each wall, each corner, each space behind a bed, machine or cabinet.
All you find is some peeled paint on the walls and a couple of cracks.
“This can't be it, it just doesn't make sense, why cast protection and security spells on an old basement?...unless it really was just a formality?”
You look at the room again, the orbs that illuminate the room gently swaying in the center of all, you see nothing else that could really be worth anyone's time unless they are a muggle doctor or a healing witch.
It's all covered in a layer of dust, clearly no one has been here for a while.
“There is nothing here…”
You chose wrong, there is nothing down here and you have wasted your time.
“But…Merlin said…No, he can't be wrong, he couldn't, there is something in here, but where?!”
In your frustration, you kick one of the muggle machines with your left foot. It is some sort of chair with a small bowl attached to it, it shouldn't have been too heavy…except it completely detaches your prosthetic foot when you make contact with it.
You expected some sort of metallic sounding “THWOONG” or something, instead you got a solid “TUK”.
“What the hell?”
You inspect the chair after reattaching your foot. It doesn't look too heavy, just a chair with a wide base and a small and flimsy looking bowl attached to it by a small metallic tube, it's not bolted down to the floor, so why is it impossible to move?
You try pushing the chair but it wont budge at all.
You try pulling, that doesn't work either.
“Ok, you are definitely hiding something”
You take your wand out.
“Wingardium Leviosa” You cast the levitation charm…it doesn't work…
You try again, adding a bit more power to the spell…It's still too heavy.
You stop to catch your breath for a moment.
“This shouldn't be hard at all…”
You did a perfect cast, you are sure of it. You are also not tired enough to fail with such a simple spell.
There are only 2 explanations here:
1) something is messing with your magic.
or
2) That's not just a chair.
You are going with the second option. After all, you checked the room, not what its holding within.
“Revelio”
You expect to find a hidden magical item, maybe some sneaky spells you couldn't find before.
Instead you find that almost all objects in the room, the beds, most cabinets and muggle machines, all show traces of having some concealment spells casted on them.
“What? Why?”
Just as you were about to cast “Finite Incantatem” to see what they were hiding…
“Hey! What are you doing here?!”
A pair of wizards show up behind you, they are blocking the exit.
“Hands up! Wand where we can see it!”
>Comply and surrender before things escalate.
>Try to escape before they realize who you are.
>Other (Write in:)
>>6276006They're behind us, so they haven't seen our face yet. That's good. Means we have options.
>Lumos Maxima to blind them, then try to escape before they realize who we are!
>>6276006>>Try to escape before they realize who you are.
You freeze, hands halfway up since you were about to cast a spell but stopped when you heard their voices.
“Ssssssssshhhhhit” You mumble to yourself.
“Dont move!” Says one of, what you suspect are, the Hospital guards.
“Its ok, its ok” You begin, forcing your voice to be a bit deeper than usual to hide your true voice from them.
“Im not doing anything!”
“Good, keep it that way, now drop the wand and sloooowly turn around”
This is when you begin to panic but you don't immediately do as commanded since you are weighing your options.
…
Nope, there are no options you can think of right now, you broke security spells specifically to not let anyone down here AND went down by yourself, if there is an excuse for this then you can't think of it right now.
“ok, ok…im dropping my wand now, easy…”
You slowly let go of your wand, already visualizing where it's going to fall so you can summon it later with wandless magic.
After a second that feels like forever, the wand eventually falls to the ground with a couple of “tak taks”, it stops a meter away after rolling for a bit, right next to one of the legs of a bed frame.
“Good, now turn…slow”
You turn, agonizingly slow trying to buy as much time as you possibly can.
“Merlin, Sir. If you have any useful tricks under your sleeve, I need them, NOW!”
You pretty much beg at the wizard in your head, but he says nothing.
“Fucking…fine, i´ll do it myself, if anything goes wrong, its not my fault”
You are about to reach the halfway point in your turn, half of your face is being covered by your hair and the neck fold of your coat.
You look down and easily find your wand, it might take a second to summon it back, so you´ll have to be quick about this.
Slowly, you stretch your hand open, readying to catch the wand, you shuffle your feet, getting yourself in position to jump away and…
“Accio!”
They react fast, your wand is barely beginning to move when you already have to jump away to dodge their-
“Petrificous Totalus!”
“Glacious!”
You land on the ground with a heavy “thud” that knocks some wind out of your lungs.
However, despite the pain of landing on your chest, you manage to summon your wand.
As soon as it touches your hand, you force yourself up and despite the lack of air in your lungs, you manage to force out the words.
“Lumos Maxima!”
There is an explosion of light so strong that you can still see the outlines of everything in the room through your eyelids.
The two wizards however aren't fast enough to react to your magical flashbang and are blinded by the light.
They take their hands to their faces while turning around, trying to rub the spots out of their sight.
This is your window to escape, but instead, you decide to buy yourself just a bit more time.
“Glacius!”
You push the guards back and try to ice them to the walls, however, you notice something strange.
No matter how hard you try, the ice won't stick to the walls, instantly melting and forming a puddle on the floor.
“Huh…”
You shake your head, getting your attention back to what's important.
You end the spell, leaving both of them encased in a ball of ice, strong enough to keep them there for a bit but not thick enough to leave them trapped for long and give them hypothermia or something…they´ll be fine anyways, they are in a hospital afterall.
You exit the basement, glad you didn't get caught, but mad that you couldn't get any real answers.
You´ll have to come back here some other day…
As you enter the corridor that takes you back to the waiting area, you take a moment to catch your breath and act normal, you guess you have enough time before the guards escape and go looking for you…something that will be hard because you are sure they didn't get a good look at you.
You take a few moments to get your adrenaline under control and your breathing back to normal…there we go.
You exit the corridor and take a turn that takes you directly to the waiting area, but stop and hide behind the corner when you see Merula, Apollo and Professor Flitwick, all walking into the hospital.
Merula has the look of a hunter in her face.
Apollo looks like he's ready to destroy the world looking for his little sister.
Professor Flitwick looks uncharacteristically serious.
Immediately, Merula goes to a healing witch and begins asking questions, you don't need to hear her to know that she is asking for you.
Apollo and Flitwick on the other hand, go to the reception, most likely asking for any updates on Artemis.
“...Right…no matter what I do, eventually i´ll have to deal with them…”
You once again try to call for Merlin.
“Sir, I could use some advice right now…Sir?...hmm nothing”
You take another peek.
Apollo looks a bit calmer, so does Flitwick, good, must be good news so far.
Merula is no longer there
“Great, she is on the hunt…Looks like i´ll have to:”
>”Confront them now, maybe i´ll manage to smooth things out…just hope the guards dont escape by then”
>”Escape and deal with them later, it's gonna look very bad on me to ditch a student in the hospital, but I can't risk getting caught by the guards and getting into even more trouble, especially with Merula hunting me down.” (Roll 1D100. Beat a DC 75 to escape)
>Other (Write in:)
>>6279256>Change the appearance of your clothes with a spell or two. Conjure some cups of tea up and then walk towards the group. It makes you much harder to find, gives you an excuse for why you were elsewhere, and you might be able to offer them the tea to settle them down.Here's hoping Merula prefers tea over coffee.
