Harry Potter and the Deep Freeze

The Ranking Crystal

**** My 100th Chapter!!!!*****

The dark walls of the crystal lab gleamed faintly as Draco worked diligently to organize the various crystals into groups. The task was methodical, almost soothing, as he separated the types they had identified so far:

Frostheart Crystals: Five snowy white shards with faintly shimmering frost.Dark Shards: A large cluster of jagged black crystals.Reflection Crystals, Core Crystals, and more—each in neat rows, their faint glows filling the room with an ethereal light.

As he placed the last of the Reflection Crystals on its pedestal, something caught his eye.

Near the back of the table, partially obscured by a dark cloth, was a crystal he hadn't noticed before. Unlike the others, it was perfectly smooth and transparent, with no color or light emanating from within.

"What's this?" Draco muttered, picking it up.

The moment his fingers touched the crystal, a faint glow appeared at its center. Slowly, a number materialized within its depths: 3.

Draco frowned, staring at the number as it floated inside the crystal. "What in Merlin's name..."

He placed the crystal down carefully, then turned toward the hallway. "Oi! Potter, everyone, get in here! You need to see this!"

The Discovery

Harry, Luna, Neville, Fred, George, and Dudley entered the room moments later, each of them curious about Draco's call.

"What's all the fuss about?" Fred asked, leaning casually against the doorframe.

Draco pointed to the transparent crystal on the table. "That. When I touched it, a number appeared inside. Look."

Harry stepped forward, picking up the crystal. As soon as his hand closed around it, the number changed to 100, glowing brightly.

"Interesting," Luna murmured, stepping closer.

"Looks like it likes you best, Potter," Draco said dryly.

"Not everything is about competition, Draco," Harry replied, though he couldn't hide his curiosity.

He set the crystal back down, gesturing for someone else to try.

Testing the Crystal

Neville was next. He picked up the crystal cautiously, and after a moment, a faint 5 appeared within.

"Five?" Neville said, looking slightly puzzled. "What does that mean?"

Fred reached for it next, and the number changed to 4.

"Not bad," Fred said, grinning.

George grabbed it from him, laughing as the number shifted to 4 again.

"Twins for the win," George quipped.

When Luna held the crystal, the number glowed softly at 2.

"It feels... peaceful," Luna said, tilting her head. "Almost like it's looking into me."

Finally, Dudley took the crystal, and the number flickered before settling at 6.

"I'm at the bottom," Dudley said, frowning slightly.

"That doesn't mean anything bad," Neville reassured him. "It's probably just measuring magic."

Draco crossed his arms. "It's a hierarchy system. A ranking."

Understanding the Crystal

Harry picked up the notebook he had been using to catalog the crystals and jotted down the results:

Harry Potter: 100

Luna Lovegood: 2

Draco Malfoy: 3

Fred and George Weasley: 4

Neville Longbottom: 5

Dudley Dursley: 6

"The crystal seems to measure magic—or something close to it," Harry said, studying the transparent stone.

"It's not just raw magic," Luna added. "It feels deeper than that. Like it's looking at potential."

"Or compatibility with the tower," Draco suggested.

Neville nodded. "That would make sense. If the tower is testing us, this might be another part of the test."

Harry placed the crystal back on the table, watching it flicker faintly. "We'll call it the Ranking Crystal. And if it's tied to the tower, we need to figure out what these rankings mean—and why they matter."

As the group stood around the crystal, its faint glow reflected in their eyes, a new layer of mystery unfolded before them.

The Black Tower wasn't just testing their abilities—it was organizing them, sorting them into roles they didn't yet understand.

And as Harry stared at the glowing 1 in his notebook, he couldn't help but wonder what the tower had in store for him—and why it had chosen him to lead.