Harry Potter and the Deep Freeze

The Black Tower

The sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon as Harry stood in the lookout zone of the new tower, staring through the enchanted telescope at the jagged structure on the frost's edge. He had been studying it on and off since morning, but now, as the light faded, the strange spire seemed even more ominous.

Focusing the telescope further, Harry twisted the lens to bring the structure into sharper relief. As the image clarified, his breath caught.

The jagged structure wasn't just a cluster of shards as it had seemed from a distance—it was a spiraling tower. Its black surface gleamed faintly, reflecting the icy glow of the frost. The spire coiled upward, uneven and jagged, as though it had been twisted and forced into shape.

"It looks like... a tower," Harry murmured to himself, his grip tightening on the telescope. "A black tower."

The image unsettled him. There was something unnatural about the way the spire seemed to loom, even from such a distance.

Harry straightened, stepping away from the telescope. He turned to the large capturing mirror at the center of the lookout zone and tapped it twice with his wand.

"Focus on that," he instructed the enchanted device, gesturing toward the spire.

The mirror's surface shimmered before resolving into a sharp, clear image of the Black Tower. Harry watched as the spire loomed larger, captured in perfect detail. Its jagged edges and spiraling form seemed almost alive.

"That'll do," Harry said softly as the mirror recorded the images.

Back to Hogwarts

Not long after, Harry sat in his office, which had been repurposed from the old Headmaster's Office in Hogwarts. The room was filled with a blend of practicality and history—maps of the sanctuary on one wall, ancient magical tomes on another. The portraits of former headmasters looked on in silent observation.

Harry placed the capturing mirror on his desk and tapped it again, bringing up the images of the Black Tower. The spire's shadowy form filled the glass, its unnatural presence sending a chill through the room.

"This isn't good," Harry muttered.

He reached for his enchanted communication mirror, tapping it twice to activate the global Memory Keeper network. One by one, the faces of the other sanctuary leaders appeared in small panes across the mirror's surface.

Sofia from South America, Zhang Yi from Asia, Erik from Europe, and several others looked out from the mirror, their expressions ranging from calm to concerned.

"Harry," Sofia said, her tone brisk. "What's the matter? You look tense."

Harry nodded grimly. "Because I've seen something new—something we haven't encountered before. I need to know if any of you have noticed the same thing."

"What kind of something?" Zhang Yi asked, his voice steady but curious.

Harry held up the capturing mirror, letting the other leaders see the recorded images. The Black Tower appeared on their screens, its spiraling, jagged form stark against the icy wasteland.

"This," Harry said simply.

The Leaders React

There was a brief silence as the leaders studied the image. Erik was the first to speak.

"That... looks unnatural," he said, his voice tinged with unease. "Where is it?"

"Just outside the dome, near the frost's edge," Harry replied. "It wasn't there before. It appeared recently, and it hasn't moved. But there are figures—shadowy creatures—that circle it."

Zhang Yi frowned, leaning closer to his mirror. "I've seen something similar," he said. "A structure, though not quite as tall. More like jagged monoliths. They're scattered near our frost borders, but they're... smaller than this."

Sofia spoke up next. "We've had no towers near our sanctuary, but we've seen the shadows—creatures circling in the frost. They never approach, but they're always there, watching."

Erik nodded. "Same here. The frost is restless, and those shadows—whatever they are—seem tied to it. But this tower... this is something else."

A Growing Mystery

Harry leaned forward, his fingers steepled under his chin. "If this tower is connected to the frost—and I think it is—then we need to figure out what it's doing. It's too deliberate to be a random formation."

"Agreed," Zhang Yi said. "The frost isn't natural. We've always known that. This tower could be a clue—perhaps even a source of the frost's power."

Sofia frowned. "Or a warning."

Erik hesitated, then asked, "Harry, how far is this tower from your dome?"

"Far enough that it's not an immediate threat," Harry replied. "But close enough that I can see it clearly from the lookout zone. The dome's magic is keeping it at bay, but I don't know for how long."

Zhang Yi spoke again. "Have you considered sending a team to investigate it?"

Harry shook his head. "Not yet. The frost is dangerous enough without adding unknowns. I wanted to see if any of you had encountered something similar first."

A Plan of Action

Sofia straightened in her seat. "We need to coordinate. If these towers—or monoliths, in Zhang Yi's case—are appearing near multiple sanctuaries, they're part of a larger pattern. We can't ignore this."

"I'll monitor the tower from here," Harry said. "The capturing mirror is already recording it. I'll send updates if anything changes."

"Good," Erik said. "And we'll start tracking the frost more carefully on our end. If there's any activity near our borders, we'll report it immediately."

Zhang Yi nodded. "The same here. And Harry—be careful. If this tower is a source of power for the frost, it could be more dangerous than we realize."

"Understood," Harry said.

As the leaders signed off one by one, Harry leaned back in his chair, staring at the capturing mirror's image of the Black Tower.

It was a mystery unlike any he had faced before—a looming, silent threat that defied explanation. But Harry knew one thing for certain: whatever the tower's purpose, it was tied to the frost.

And he would find out why.