Ancient Magician (Severus x Reader)

Chapter 22: Riddles & Puzzles

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𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 2 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 22: 𝑅𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑠 & 𝑝𝑢𝑧𝑧𝑙𝑒𝑠

"𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝐵𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑓𝑢"

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As I sat curled up in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, I stared at the old, weathered book resting in my lap. Its cover was unmarked—blank and mysterious—like it was hiding something important. I'd flipped through the pages more than once already, but they remained frustratingly empty. I sighed, rubbing my thumb along the spine. How the hell am I supposed to figure this out?

Just then, a small, folded slip of parchment fluttered out from between the pages and landed softly on the floor. My heart skipped a beat. Where did that come from? I picked it up with trembling fingers and unfolded it. Written in an elegant, curling script was a single message:

"To reveal the words on these pages, solve the Riddle I've left behind."

I blinked. And before I could even process what that meant, the first page of the book began to shift before my eyes. Lines of ink seeped through the paper like magic, forming the first clue:

"Open a book and you will see. Ask Madam Irma, and she will surely guide you on your way."

I leaned in, whispering the words to myself, "Madam Irma...?" My brow furrowed in confusion, but before I could contemplate the message further, the portrait hole burst open with a loud thud.

In stumbled Hermione, Harry, and Ron—all looking quite disheveled and absolutely furious.

"What the—what happened to you guys?" I asked, sitting up straight, suddenly alarmed by their expressions.

Ron flopped down beside me with a grunt. "You won't believe it. Right after you left class, that absolute maniac Goldilocks—Professor Lockhart—opened the pixie cage. On purpose."

Hermione looked like she was about to explode. "And then left us to deal with them! Alone!"

My jaw dropped. "What? He just... left you there?!"

"Yup," Ron huffed, crossing his arms. "It was chaos. They were everywhere—pulling books off shelves, tearing parchment, biting Neville's ear."

"Thankfully," Hermione said, slightly calming, "I managed to cast a Freezing Charm and got most of them under control. We stuffed the rest back in the cage."

Harry added with a scowl, "And just when we got it all sorted, he returned like nothing had happened and had the nerve to give us detention."

"Wait, detention? Are you serious?" I gaped at them. "You cleaned up his mess!"

"Apparently, being 'obnoxiously brave' gets you a week of punishment," Ron muttered bitterly.

"A week?!" I groaned. "That's ridiculous."

Hermione tried to lighten the mood. "Well, I'll be joining you two. Might as well make the most of it!"

"Yeah, have fun with that," Ron said, shaking his head. "There is no way I'm showing up to another one of his detentions. Hell no."

I couldn't help but laugh softly. "Honestly? That might be the smartest thing you've said all day."

"But—" Hermione began, then paused. Her gaze had landed on the book still open in my hands. "Wait, what's that?"

My grip on the book tightened instinctively. I snapped it shut. "Oh, this? Professor Flitwick gave it to me."