Harry Potter and the Deep Freeze

A Gateway to the Unknown

Fred and George Weasley had been restless since the discovery of the Black Tower. The idea of a looming, spiraling structure just beyond the sanctuary's protection filled them with equal parts curiosity and unease.

But their restless energy had also sparked an idea—one that sent them bounding into the Great Hall, where Harry was speaking with Neville about the latest frost updates.

"Harry!" Fred called, a mischievous grin on his face.

"We've had an epiphany," George added, gesturing dramatically.

Harry raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. "Do I even want to know?"

Fred plopped into a seat across from Harry while George paced excitedly.

"You know that arch in the Frozen Path?" Fred began.

"The creepy one with the cold air that makes your teeth chatter?" George added.

Harry nodded, his curiosity piqued. "What about it?"

"Well," Fred continued, "we were thinking... Why don't we use the capturing device—the one on the stick—on it? But instead of just waving it around, what if we placed just the screen inside the archway?"

George nodded enthusiastically. "It's like setting up a magical camera. We leave the screen inside the arch for a bit, then pull it out and see what it captured."

Neville frowned. "What's the point? It's just an arch—it doesn't go anywhere."

"Or does it?" Fred countered, his eyes glinting. "We don't know what's on the other side because we've never looked properly."

Harry leaned forward, intrigued. "You think the arch might show us something tied to the frost? Or the Black Tower?"

"Only one way to find out," George said with a grin.

Into the Frozen Path

Later that day, Harry, Fred, George, Neville, Luna, and Draco made their way to the Frozen Path. The winter landscape was as eerie as ever, the trees heavy with frost and the air biting cold despite the dome's protective barrier.

The archway stood like a sentinel in the middle of the path, its stone edges frosted and unyielding. Harry paused in front of it, staring into the shimmering haze that filled its opening.

"Right," Fred said, pulling the capturing device from his bag. "Here's how this'll work. We've detached the screen from the stick, so it'll stay in place once we set it down."

George held up the enchanted screen, its surface shimmering faintly. "We leave this in the archway for a few minutes, let it do its thing, then bring it back and see what it's found."

"Simple enough," Harry said. "Let's do it."

Fred approached the arch cautiously, the screen held securely in his hands. The cold seemed to intensify as he neared the structure, and his breath came out in visible puffs.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, placing the screen in the center of the archway.

The screen flickered, its surface shimmering as it began to record.

The group waited in tense silence, the frost around them unnaturally still. Every few seconds, Fred or George would glance at the archway, as if expecting something to happen.

"Three minutes," Draco said, checking his watch. "Bring it back."

Fred stepped forward and carefully retrieved the screen. Its surface was glowing faintly, signaling that it had captured something.

"Let's get out of here," Harry said, his voice low. "Back to the office."

In the Headmaster's Office

Once they were safely inside Harry's office, the group gathered around his desk. Fred set the screen down carefully, and George tapped it with his wand to project the captured images onto a larger enchanted mirror on the wall.

The first few images were unremarkable—just the shimmering haze of the archway and the frosted landscape beyond.

But then, the next image appeared, and everyone froze.

It was a door.

A massive, black, iron-bound door, its surface covered in jagged runes and faintly glowing symbols. It was embedded in a dark stone wall, its imposing frame matching the architecture of the Black Tower.

"That's the front door," Draco said, his voice low.

"The door to the Black Tower," Luna whispered.

Harry stepped closer to the projection, studying the details. The runes on the door pulsed faintly, their glow rhythmic and unsettling.

"It's connected," Harry said, his tone thoughtful. "The archway—it's a gateway. And it's tied to the tower."

"But how?" Neville asked. "The arch is here, inside the dome. How can it show something outside?"

"It's not showing," Luna said, her voice calm but firm. "It's linking. The archway is a bridge between this place and the tower."

Fred and George exchanged a glance, their earlier excitement now replaced with unease.

"So, what do we do?" Fred asked.

"We prepare," Harry said, his gaze fixed on the image of the door. "The tower isn't just watching us anymore. It's inviting us in."

As the image of the Black Tower's door lingered on the enchanted mirror, a heavy silence filled the room. The archway had revealed a connection that none of them had anticipated—and with it, a new challenge.

The frost was no longer a distant threat. It had a focal point, a purpose, and a path leading straight to it.

And now, Harry and his team had to decide whether to cross that path—or fortify against whatever might come through.