Legacy Rewritten

Into the Forest

As soon as I was outside in the main corridor once more, I quickly cast the disillusionment charm and said 'Silencio' with my wand pointed towards my feet so that I could quiet my footsteps. I passed three familiar looking Slytherins, heading towards the room, looking furious and skeptical. At seeing their expressions, I didn't hesitate to apparate immediately, ending up right outside of Hogwarts in the courtyard to try and put as much distance in between me and the boys as possible. They wouldn't be able to stop me this time, I was going to get answers as I marched confidently through the gates. I did keep the disillusionment charm on to make sure no unwanted enemies saw me as I made my way across the old rickety bridge, speed walking deep into the forest. 

Zander's POV 

"Professor Hecate, have you seen Ren?" I asked, immediately knowing something was off. I thought it was odd she stayed behind, knowing full well that the note she received last night must've had something to do with it, but I wasn't entirely surprised to see that she was no longer in the room. "Yes, but she's no longer here, as you can see. She left not too much longer before you three came barging in. Now if you excuse me, I have some papers to grade," she said before she turned and tried to leave, but Seb's urgent plea stopped her from proceeding. "Please, we're just concerned. Do you happen to know where she went? That's all we want to know and we'll leave," he begged and pleaded, but she just gave a small smirk. "You can't stop her every time you know. I know you want to protect her, but she doesn't have a choice. 

I'd go and stop Rookwood, Ranrok and Harlow myself, but they wouldn't hesitate to kill me, or any of the professors for that matter. I have no way to defeat them, to get some sort of upper-hand on them, any ancient magic to compete with them and overcome their power. Ren does, and she's more than capable of doing this. I'm not saying that you guys need to let her die, in fact that is entirely opposite to what I want you guys to do. I know all you want to do is protect her, but she is our only hope to defeat these dark wizards, and instead of stopping her, you need to come alongside her. All of us professors know what she's doing, right now she's walking through the forest, but you three are not going to go to her. I can, however, give you a tool that will help you know if she is in danger, if she really needs help and can't do it on her own. Can I trust you to not abuse it? Or should I just continue walking away until you're ready to help her in a way that really matters?" she asked, genuinely surprising me with her honesty. 

I looked at the other two boys, them both nodding slightly that they would do whatever I deemed necessary, and so I looked back over to Professor Hecate, sighed, and nodded my head once while saying that I wouldn't interfere with her quests unless it became necessary. "Give me a moment," she said once more before she walked up her staircase and disappeared into her office for a few minutes, only to come back holding a crisp piece of parchment that seemed to be folded into three rectangular pieces before being folded in half. "This is called the Marauder's Map. It will show you where everyone is at all times, especially if you're focused on one person in particular. It doesn't cover the entire wizarding world, just here in Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the forest and some of the hamlets that go out to Feldcroft and back. I don't have every hamlet, unless of course it holds more secrets than even I know about, but if you don't want someone to see what you have seen, all you have to say is "mischief managed" in the center and it will 'delete' all history. 

 Again, I ask you not to abuse this tool. It is only used for emergencies, understand? I have a copy of it, I'll be able to see how often it is opened, mostly due to the fact that I want to be able to go and grab the rest of the professors in case she bites off a bit more than she can chew. She trusts you three, and I trust that you will not abuse that trust. She doesn't trust easily, does she Zander?" she asks, making sure to look directly at me with a knowing glance. Sighing, I replied, "Yes that's true. I promise: we won't abuse that trust, right boys?" "Yes," Sebastian said first, followed by Ominis after he hesitated for a brief moment. "Alright, have a good evening boys, and be there at the front of the castle when she makes it back," she said, dismissing us as she ascended her staircase again, sending us a knowing smile as she shut the door behind her.