The Mage's Path: Chapter 43

Hi all, 

Here’s the third chapter for the week. Took me ages to find my groove. Somehow, I had forgotten almost everything about this story. 

Chapter 43

Harry and Celeste didn't linger in the safe room for long. They knew they had to return to Hogwarts quickly to reduce the trouble Harry was facing. 

Jeanie was resting in the golem subspace, recovering her resources. She wouldn’t be returning for the rest of the dungeon unless they truly needed her.

They exited through the door on the far side. It led to the final flight of stairs up to the seventh floor, which opened into a short corridor at the top. At the end was another door. He pressed his palm against the wood, and it swung inward without resistance. Beyond it, was a chamber.

Harry gagged. "What the hell is this?"

The chamber contained a pool that was filled not with water, but with blood. The liquid covered the floor from wall to wall, thick and viscous. Even from the entrance, the metallic stench clawed at Harry's throat. 

"Please don't tell me we have to go through that,” Celeste said. 

Harry scanned the room. There was no other way across the pool. He doubted the broom would work as its use had been restricted on the previous floors. No other way but to wade through it. The pool extended roughly a hundred metres to an archway on the opposite side. Although it was disgusting, it didn't seem dangerous. Could there be more to it?

"I don't see another way through.” Harry frowned. “What sort of test is this? I expected to fight a boss."

"The boss could be waiting on the other side."

The surface of the water began to ripple, catching Harry off guard. He took a step back as blood started to rise from the depths, slowly forming the shape of a demonic face with massive horns.

The skull opened its mouth. "Congratulations, fledgling. You have ascended the tower and now face your final trial, but you must go it alone. Your companion will be transported to the other side once you have completed it."

Celeste grinned. "Alright, now we're talking." 

The demonic face continued. "I can finally share the real reason for these trials, beyond just advancing to an Acolyte. It's to unlock your demonic potential. The blood in the pool is made up of hundreds of demonic creatures. As you wade through the pool, you will absorb it, fuelling your own demonic potential. Cross to the other side, and your awakening will be complete. But it will not be an easy process. It may be only a hundred metres, but it will feel like an eternity."

"I think I prefer a boss monster," Harry muttered.

"The key to unlocking your demonic potential is the crown. In the middle of the pool is a chest with the final enchantment gem. While you can continue forward without it, it will diminish the potency of your awakening."

"You're not asking for much."

The demonic face smirked. "Make sure you don't falter, for it means your demise, and more fuel for the next applicant. You may start when you are ready."

The face collapsed, splashing back into the pool with a wet slap. 

The demon’s words sounded ominous. If he were to hazard a guess, the trip across the pool would involve a lot of pain. Although he had a high pain tolerance, he wasn’t a masochist. Did he really need to subject himself to this torture?

"I think we need to address the elephant in the room,” Celeste said. "Is this some twisted scenario Gaia dreamt up and isn’t actually real, or are you really a demon in disguise?"

Harry grimaced. He didn’t want her to bring the subject up, but there was no avoiding it. "You already know the answer. This dungeon hasn't exactly been subtle about it. The question is, would it be a bad thing? Will I turn into some hideous monster? Or will I gain some powerful new abilities?"

"Why take the risk?” Celeste crossed her arms. “I'm abandoning you if you suddenly grow a pair of horns and a tail."

"Wow, I'm feeling the love." Harry paused. "It's no coincidence the key to upgrading my occupation lies in this tower. This was meant to happen, regardless."

"If you say so. I suggest you get naked if you don't want to stain your armour."

Heat rushed to Harry's face. "Turn around."

"You've got nothing I'm interested in."

She complied anyway, spinning to face the wall. Harry hurried to remove his armour and underclothes, shivering as the cold air prickled his skin. After storing his gear away, he approached the edge and took a breath, preparing himself. 

Harry slipped into the pool. 

A raw, animal sound burst from his throat. He hadn’t braced himself enough for the sheer agony. It felt like thousands of blades were slicing into every centimetre of exposed skin. Pain wiped out all thoughts and everything else, leaving only one urgent need: to escape.

"Harry!"

He couldn't answer. His legs moved on instinct through the blood; each step dragged against resistance, thick and heavy. His vision swam, darkening at the edges. The pain burrowed into his skull, wrapped around his spine, squeezed until his bones creaked. He bit his tongue to stay conscious, knowing that if he fell, he wouldn't be able to get back up.

Heat bloomed in his chest, spreading outward through his veins. Not the heat of fire or fever, but something else. It pulsed with each heartbeat, growing stronger as the blood seeped into his wounds. His body was a vessel, sucking up the blood, but he already felt close to bursting. 

He had made it five metres. Ten.

The chest sat in the middle, raised on a stone pedestal. Too far.

Fifteen metres. Twenty.

Harry had no idea how he'd reached the halfway point or how much time had passed. Reality had fractured into nothing but pain and the desperate need to keep moving. His fingers brushed the pedestal, and he hauled himself onto the platform with trembling arms. The blood wouldn't relent—it flooded the stone surface, rising like a ravenous creature determined to drag him back under.

He fumbled for the latch, his fingers slipping twice before the chest opened. He snatched the gem inside without bothering to examine it and socketed it into the crown. Nothing happened. After placing the crown back on his head, he slipped into the pool again before his nerve could fail him completely.

Another agonising five minutes—or was it hours?—and Harry's fingers caught the far edge. He didn't know how he'd managed to reach it, only that the relief was so overwhelming it nearly broke him. He climbed out and lay flat on his back. The pain vanished the moment he left the pool, but his body continued protesting, shivering with violent convulsions.

Dimly, he became aware that the crown had disappeared from his head, and notifications blinked insistently across his heads-up display.

"Harry!"

Harry groaned as Celeste slammed into his chest. "Celeste, I'm naked."

"That's what you're worried about?" Celeste patted his face, her tiny hands frantic. "I thought you were a goner for a moment."

Harry grunted and sat up, looking back at the pool. “Merlin!”

Were his eyes deceiving him? It appeared as if half the blood had disappeared. Surely his body couldn't have absorbed it all.

"Something freaky is going on." Celeste hovered near his shoulder, her voice uncertain. "At least you didn't turn into a demon. But there is something different."

Harry followed her gaze to his upper arm—his wand arm—and saw what she meant. The skin had changed. A bluish tint covered the area, the surface polished and smooth like a scale. He reached across with his other hand and touched it. The texture was rough, reptilian, completely unlike his normal skin.

"What do you think it is?" Celeste asked.

He shrugged, too exhausted to care. If that was the worst his transformation got, he could live with it. “Did you see where the crown went?”

Celeste shook her head. “Check your notifications. I’m sure they have the answer.”

Harry got dressed first, feeling exposed in front of the fairy. 

He opened his notifications and was instantly swamped with multiple messages.

======Congratulations! You have finished The Seven Trials of Thornwood Quest. You have earned the Demonic Bloodline: First Stage (title). You have earned the final Acolyte Mage Page Skill: Path: Unification ======

====== Demonic Bloodline: First Stage (title)

Effects: 

*Vitality + 10; Strength + 5; Agility + 5; Endurance + 5; Spirit + 5; Intelligence + 5; Willpower + 5, Willpower + 5

*Grants True Sight through complete darkness, immunity to blindness.

*All elemental grimoire magic deals +25% more damage and costs 20% less MP.

*Demon Scale: A physical manifestation that evolves the Hybrid Wand Arm (growth item/legendary). ======

"Huh." Harry blinked at the display. "I wasn't expecting that."

If this was the power he received for one cosmetic change, he could accept the trade. The scales would need hiding, though. There was no way he'd escape uncomfortable questions otherwise.

"It looks like all the bonuses from the socketed gems have transferred over," Celeste observed. "Well worth the trouble it took to find them."

Harry continued perusing his notifications. 

======The player has learned the Unification Skill.

Unification | Active | Level: Max | Upgrade: -- | Cost: -- | Attribute: INT

Description: This skill allows the user to synthesise all abilities within a completed skill path into a singular, cohesive Primer skill by investing experience points. The skill retains every ability previously unlocked. It can then be developed further through spending path points, gradually unlocking the remaining abilities from the original path in a more refined, integrated form. 

*Combines all unlocked skills from a single completed path into one Primer skill.

*Requires 50,000 experience points per path.

*The Primer skill will provide benefits beyond the paths’ abilities.

*Learning new abilities with the Primer costs less than unlocking them through the paths.

*Unified Primers cannot be reversed once created.

*At least two skills need to be unlocked to convert a path into a Primer skill.

*INT > 75: Reduces experience cost by 20%. ======

Celeste nodded. “That would make keeping track of your skills easier.”

Harry wasn't listening; his attention was snagged by the next notification.

====== You have gained the ability to advance his occupation!

To advance to an Acolyte Mage, you need to use the Unification skill to create a Primer for one of his paths. This must be done before reaching level thirty to avoid adversely affecting your progression. ======

"Finally." Harry pumped his fist into the air. "It took too damn long."

Celeste giggled. "All it took was you suffering through some pain. Are you sure you're not into that sort of thing? It could be your secret to progressing faster."

"Shut it." He didn't need any reminders of his ordeal. Not when he was basking in the satisfaction of seeing all his gains laid out before him.

Harry considered the Unification skill. On the surface, it appeared to be organising skills to make them more uniform and less confusing. Now there would only be individual skills and Primer skills. No more grimoires or paths cluttering his interface, unless he decided to keep them as they were.

The key advantages of this skill, besides organisation, were the additional benefits that came with unifying a path and the reduced cost for future skills. Harry never had enough path points to spend on everything he wanted. He was still short of the experience needed, but not by much. He'd already decided to unify one of his Wind path skills, considering they were his most advanced.

It was another expense, requiring more experience points when he was trying to reach level thirty for the Chamber of Secrets dungeon. He needed to find a decent dungeon to grind for experience or locate more quests to complete.

Before they continued through the floor, Harry wanted to check one last thing. He used appraisal on his wand arm to see what changes the Demon Scale had brought.

======Hybrid Arm Wand | Level: -- (Growth) | Legendary | Type: Magical Focus | Enchantment Slots: 3

Description: An accidental magical focus created through the fusion of an aspen wand with a sea serpent core into living bone tissue. The wand's complete integration with the bearer's humerus has created an unprecedented magical conduit, allowing spells to be cast through hand movements. The aspen wood provides flexibility and strength, while the sea serpent core excels in water-based magic. It has gone through one evolution, gaining enchantment slots and two powerful abilities.

*Enables casting of learned wand spells through hand movements.

*Cannot be disarmed or separated from the user.

* 75% greater efficacy with water-based magic.

*Reduces MP cost of spells by 30%.

*Spell Deception: Transforms all spell manifestations to appear blue regardless of their true nature, obscuring their identity from opponents and making combat prediction nearly impossible. 

*Linguistic Obfuscation: Grants the ability to speak verbal spell incantations in Mermish, the ancient language of merfolk, creating an additional layer of magical deception that renders spell recognition through auditory cues ineffective. 

*Enchantments attached: [Empty] [Empty] [Empty]

. ======

Thanks to the Demon Scale, his wand arm had gone through a significant upgrade. The Spell Deception ability was absurdly powerful—it would leave his opponents essentially blind to what spells he cast. Wizards relied on visual cues to make split-second decisions. Did they dodge or cast a shield charm? Was the shield strong enough to stop the incoming spell? Without that information, they'd be guessing.

Linguistic Obfuscation was also powerful, considering there probably weren't many people who could speak the language. It required him to learn Mermish, however. It might prove useful until he could cast spells silently.

Learning some water-based spells had become a priority—the benefits were too substantial to ignore. Beyond the grimoire spells, he could research more traditional magic and make the water element his speciality in the wizarding world. The seventy-five per cent efficacy boost would give him a significant edge in duelling, and combined with Spell Deception, his opponents would struggle to counter him effectively.

He still hadn’t fully processed that he had some demon lineage in his blood, and it came from his mother's side. Some of the events surrounding Lily Potter now made more sense. This was what she had been trying to hide with her enchantment. Whatever had grabbed her and pulled her through the gate had to be related in some way. A Demon ancestor, perhaps. 

He now understood the nature his form took, or at least the generalities. His bloodline came from a water demon, given his natural affinity for water magic and the scales he now sported on his wand arm. The connection explained why the sea serpent core wand had integrated so seamlessly with his bone.

At least he hadn't grown horns, like the mirror monsters had shown on the earlier floor. Perhaps they were simply manifestations of his subconscious fears of transforming into something monstrous, and not based on anything real. 

Harry stood and stretched, working out any lingering soreness from his ordeal. His muscles protested, but the pain had dulled to a manageable ache.

"Ready to finish this dungeon?" Harry asked.

Celeste nodded. "This place was far more troublesome than I ever imagined. I want out of here."

They headed for the arch leading out of the chamber. 

He hoped there was still more to this floor, as he still needed to find their last set piece for the Twilight Abyss Set. But he could do without encountering another boss. 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Harry and Celeste continued through the seventh floor, but found no monsters or obstacles waiting for them. They followed a linear corridor lined with numerous edifices and portraits depicting powerful-looking demons with a variety of strange forms. The corridor was richly decorated with gold details and costly ornaments that glimmered in the flickering torchlight. It reminded Harry of a hall of heroes, a victory march after succeeding in saving the world.

A prickling sensation crept up the back of his neck, the unmistakable feeling of being watched. He was certain he saw the eyes move in one of the portraits, tracking their progress down the corridor. They remained unscathed, however, as they reached a set of double doorways at the end.

"Is that it?" Celeste asked. "Kind of a letdown."

"Don't jinx it," Harry said, pushing open the door. "I'm too exhausted for any more excitement today."

What grabbed their attention immediately was a plinth in the centre of the room, sending a red beam of light straight up through the open ceiling into the dark sky beyond.

An ominous feeling settled in Harry's gut. "What the hell is that for?"

Celeste shrugged. "Who knows? The gate's over there, so let's skedaddle."

They were standing in a massive circular room, with several windows spaced out along the walls. The strange thing was that the view outside didn't depict daytime, as it should given the time of day in reality. Instead, it showed stormy grey clouds, completely obscuring what lay beyond. Was there a storm raging outside, or was this another dungeon aesthetic?

The room felt like a continuation of the corridor—a monument to demonkind, with even more edifices and artwork covering every available surface. As they walked around the room towards the gate, Harry's attention snagged on a huge tablet with writing etched crudely into its surface.

Harry stopped and examined it. Most of the text was illegible, written in a strange language he couldn't decipher, but near the bottom were words in English.

"It's the same messy handwriting that Adam uses," Harry said.

I'm the only person to have completed the Tower Trials in a long time. The beacon now shines, revealing my glorious achievement to demonkind. I have awakened my demon's bloodline, and my life has been forever transformed. Victor will not be able to touch me ever again.

Now it's time for my next goal—to enter the Abyss Realm and become a King, a leader of the Deadlands territory, where my brethren roam.

He received a notification for a quest completion, but ignored it for the moment.

"Not good," Harry murmured.

"Do you think he managed it?" Celeste asked.

"That's not the issue here." Harry pointed at a particular line. "I'm guessing this red beam of light is a beacon, announcing that someone has completed the trials."

"How is that possible? We're inside a dungeon."

Harry snorted. "Yes, but do you recall the rifts? Dungeons aren't as one-dimensional as we first thought, especially for beings like Adam."

Celeste sighed. "We need to leave now."

He nodded, and they continued to the gate. Sitting a few feet away from it was another chest. Opening it, he found a piece of headwear, which had to be the last set piece.

He chucked it inside his inventory without appraising it, since there was no time to waste.

"Let's go," Harry said.

Celeste flew to his shoulder, and they stepped through the gate. After a single breath, they were back in the ruins inside the woods, the gate having vanished behind them as if it had never existed.

Outside, it was daytime. No storm, and no beam of red light bursting through the top of the ruins. 

Harry checked his watch and saw it was almost lunchtime. Perhaps he could slip into the Great Hall without drawing attention—blend into the crowd of students and pretend he'd been there all morning.

Not bloody likely.

Harry was about to activate Gate Walker when Celeste called out a warning. Before he could react, something poked his back.

He spun around, reaching for his dagger, but stopped, confused by the sight in front of him.

????? - ????? - ?????

A girl stood before him, looking entirely non-threatening, dressed in a black dress and wearing a short, stylish witch's hat over her pink hair. She barely reached his chest in height, her petite frame almost childlike in its proportions.

"Hello, there." The girl waved, her voice carrying the mature timbre of an adult despite her appearance.

"Who are you?" Harry blurted out. Better question—what was with those question marks? And how had she got behind him without him noticing?

"You can call me Misty," she said.

"I like the pink hair, girly." Celeste flew around her in a wide circle, examining her from all angles.

Misty didn't appear bothered by the fairy's scrutiny. "Thank you. It's all natural. What about you?"

Celeste shrugged. "The carpet matches the drapes."

Harry's eyes narrowed, studying Misty more closely. She had an adult voice, so she wasn't actually a girl. He didn't sense any threat from her, but the text above her head displayed only question marks, which meant she was obscuring her information somehow. 

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"I was hunting someone in the area." Misty gestured vaguely at the surrounding woods. "Lost my broom and stumbled upon this ruin. Felt something was off about it, but didn't find anything until you appeared out of thin air. Some kind of teleportation spell?"

Harry ignored her question. "Who were you hunting?"

"A criminal." The girl poked his chest. "I'm guessing you're a wizard. Have you heard of the Abyss?"

Harry's eyes widened, and Celeste almost toppled from his shoulder.

"I'm guessing that's a yes." Misty's expression shifted, becoming more serious. "I'm hunting an Abyss criminal who's returned to Earth. Someone's paying top dollar to dispose of them. I'm a mercenary for hire, mostly working as a bounty hunter."

He nodded. "I'm Harry. I'm the same as you. I sensed something was wrong with the tower, so I've been looking into it."

"A boy after my own heart. Was that Apparition you used?"

“That’s right.”

It was best not to try to explain his ability. Let her make her own assumptions.

Misty turned to Celeste. "And who are you? Never seen a fairy like you. I'm digging the aesthetic."

Celeste preened. "I'm an Umbra Fairy, the only—well, one of only a few left in this world."

Misty smiled and turned back to Harry. "Shouldn't you be in school? Hoggyworts, or perhaps the French school?"

"Hogwarts," Harry corrected. "I'm actually not supposed to be here."

"Your secret's safe with me." Misty winked. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have a spare flying broom?"

"Not a spare one. Why do you need a broom?"

Misty shrugged. "It's how I get around. It's going to be difficult to hunt my prey without it, and my partner's on another job."

"Well, I only have one broom." Harry paused, weighing his options. "What can you give me in return?"

"Hmm, how about I promise to craft you a magical item? It'll take me about a week, but it'll be worth the wait."

Harry crossed his arms. "And how do I know you won't renege on the deal?"

"You don't. But you should do it anyway. The cost of a broom is nothing compared to me owing you a favour."

Harry considered her words, his instincts warring with logic. Although she might look like a child, he had a feeling she was formidable—the way she carried herself, and the casual mention of hunting Abyss criminals. He could always get another Nimbus easily enough.

An idea struck him. “Do you know how to make a Pensieve?”

“Nope. Even if I did, the materials are hard to find. I know where I can get my hands on one, but it’s expensive.”

Harry grinned. “I want the Pensieve. I can pay for it.”

“I’m feeling generous, so we’ll split the price fifty-fifty,” Misty said. “You can pay me back your half when I give you the item.” 

“Deal.”

He opened his spatial pouch, pulling his broom from his inventory whilst making it appear as if it came from the pouch.

"I'll be at Hogwarts," Harry told her, handing over the broom. "Can you find me there?"

"Sure. Albie and I are old friends."

Harry raised an eyebrow. Was she referring to the Headmaster? 

Misty mounted the broom and rose into the air. "Thanks, Harry. I'll see you in a week."

She flew off, accelerating rapidly before vanishing under some concealment spell.

"Did that just happen?" Harry asked.

"Sure did," Celeste replied. "Spunky little thing. Reminds me of myself."

"Yep. She may come in a small package, but she has a voice loud enough to burst eardrums."

"Shut it."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Harry slipped into the Great Hall, doing his best to go unnoticed. He found Hermione, Ron, and Fleur at the Gryffindor table and sat down. When he saw Professor McGonagall turn her head to look at him from the head table, he shrank down in his seat.

“Mcgonagall doesn’t miss a thing,” Ron sniggered, observing his actions. 

“I’m sure she’ll get over it,” Harry said. “Celeste, go distract her while I quickly eat my lunch.”

“Bugger off.” Celeste waved a fist at him, her cheeks bulging. 

“Where were you, Harry?” Hermione asked. “You look like you haven’t slept at all.” 

Harry shrugged. “Around. I got lost—”

“Again,” Fleur finished. “How many times are you going to use that excuse?”

“Until someone believes me?”

“Mr Potter!”

Harry cringed and glanced back at Professor McGonagall standing behind him.

“Hello, Professor,” Harry said. “You look beautiful today.”

“Spare me the flattery, Mr Potter,” McGonagall said, her nostrils flaring. “Would you like to explain where you were today? Felt like skipping your morning classes and going on a lark?”

Harry didn’t say anything, knowing that anything he said would make it worse. 

McGonagall shook her head. “Twenty points from Grtyffingdor, and detention with me tomorrow evening. Perhaps that will make you think twice before playing truant.”

She started to leave, but then stopped. “The headmaster wants to see you in his office. I suggest you hurry if you don’t want to miss the start of your next class.”

Harry sighed when the professor had left. “That wasn’t so bad.”

“What about Dumbledore?” Fleur asked. 

“He’s a pushover in comparison,” Harry replied. “How bad can it be?”

Hermione frowned. “How did you get off so lightly? Skipping classes is a huge deal with the professors.” 

“My natural charisma,” Harry said, filling his plate. He only had a few minutes to eat.

After eating, he rushed out of the Great Hall and made his way up to the headmaster’s office. Dumbledore wasn’t there when he arrived, so he sat down to wait. 

Harry looked around. No Fawkes was around either, so now he could take care of some business while he waited. 

He opened the notification waiting for him. 

======Congratulations! You have finished The Monster’s Fate Quest. You have gained 10,000 Xp and the Demon Life Detector. ======

Harry frowned. What kind of item was this?

He opened his inventory and found the item. Holding the item in his hand didn’t clear up his confusion. It was a brass-and-copper contraption resembling a pocket watch, though its face displayed a circular grid rather than clock hands. There were a few buttons on the side, but their purpose was unclear.

“Appraisal.”

======Demon Life Detector | Level: -- | Rare | Type: Tracking Device | Enchantment Slots: --

Description: The device locates demonic entities through their unique magical signatures. When activated, glowing arrows materialise on the grid's surface, each pointing toward a detected demon whilst displaying the precise distance in kilometres. The arrows pulse with varying intensity—brighter pulses indicate a stronger demonic presence. The device can track up to five separate targets simultaneously.

* Detection range: 5 kilometres radius.

* Tracks up to 5 demonic entities simultaneously.

* Displays distance in kilometres with a 50-metre accuracy.

* Arrow intensity indicates the target's relative level.

* Cannot detect demons cloaked by high-level concealment magic.

* Functions across dimensional boundaries within the same realm. ======

Harry whistled. This was actually an incredible find. Wasn’t he lamenting a short while ago about letting the demon that had been controlling Quirrel escape? At least, he thought it was a demon. 

And Trelawney. His suspicions about the Divination professor had been gnawing at him for weeks. Would this device finally reveal what she truly was?

He was about to turn it on when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He stored the device back in his inventory and sat back in his seat. 

Dumbledore swept into the office. "Harry, thank you for waiting."

Harry nodded, and the headmaster lowered himself into his seat. Dumbledore's hand dipped into a bowl on his desk, extracting a lemon drop. He popped it into his mouth and leaned back, his gaze drifting to the ceiling. Silence stretched between them.

"Sir?" Harry shifted forward in his seat. "I need to get to my next class."

"Very well." Dumbledore pressed his palms together, his fingers forming a steeple as he leaned across the desk. "Would you care to explain where you went yesterday? More importantly, how did you manage to leave the grounds?"

Harry exhaled slowly. "How did you know?"

"I have my ways." The headmaster's expression remained placid. "Well?"

"I found a secret entrance leading straight to Hogsmeade." The lie came easily, smoothly. "I took the Floo Network from there."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed, his gaze sharpening as he studied Harry's face. "Ah, yes. The Shrieking Shack. I believed it was safe from discovery, but alas, my hubris gets the best of me."

Harry kept his expression neutral, even as confusion rippled through him. The Shrieking Shack? What was Dumbledore talking about?

“You know it’s against the rules to leave the grounds,” Dumbledore said. "Since Professor McGonagall has already handed out a punishment, I shall let the matter rest. But I must ask—where did you go?"

Harry thought furiously and came up with a believable lie in seconds. “I went to see my parents' graves. I don't know why I got the urge, but I knew it couldn’t wait.”

“I see.” Dumbledore leaned back in his seat. “I can understand the reason, and perhaps I should have taken you there sooner. But why were you away from the castle for so long?”

The lies flowed now, one building upon another with frightening ease. "I met someone. We got talking, and I lost track of time. Stayed up into the early hours. Didn't wake until late."

"Who did you meet?"

"A woman calling herself Misty. Incredibly petite, with pink hair." Harry paused. "She said she knew you."

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose. "I wasn't expecting that answer."

“So, you do know her? She’s coming to Hogwarts in a week.”

Dumbledore stroked his beard. “Yes, we are acquainted, although it has been many years since we have met. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I do need a Defence professor for the rest of the school year.”

Harry blinked. He tried to imagine Misty standing in front of a classroom, teaching defensive spells to teenagers, and came up short. No pun intended.   

“Harry,” Dumbledore said. “Did Misty mention anything about Lily?” 

"My mother?" Harry straightened. "Why would she mention her?"

"Because they knew each other. Better than I knew either of them."

The words landed like a physical blow. The little woman with pink hair knew his mother?

Who was Misty, really? Their meeting couldn't have been a coincidence. She had a reason for approaching him. Did it have something to do with his mother?

He needed to find out the truth.

So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Harry hunts a demon.

Thanks for reading.