A Memorable Tale

47 | If He Wanted to He Would

The next weekend, I sat in the forest with a soft smile, watching a mother Thestral nudging her nose against the smaller one as he hesitated to approach me.

I held out my hand and he slowly placed his chin into it. "Look at those teeth," I marvelled. "Carnivorous, are you?"

Hearing the crunch of snow under someone's feet startled my hand back to my side so I wouldn't look like a mad woman.

However, the sound stopped, and I turned to see if anyone was there but only found footprints and an envelope sitting in the snow. I raised a brow and stood from my seat on a rock. "Hello?"

I contemplated bringing out my wand but ultimately decided on leaving my hands bare.

I knelt down and picked up the envelope, which was suddenly of great interest to the young Thestral that was once hesitant to approach me.

He took it between his teeth and ripped it open, making a folded piece of paper fall out and into the snow, as well as some folded up decorative paper.

I picked it up and read:

In me, you hear screams; groans of disgust,
But in the land of four houses, I am a must.
I have endless windows but lack any walls.
Yes, I am a building, but I haven't any halls.
Come find me.

I tilted my head. A riddle?

The land of four houses was probably Hogwarts; saying it's a must probably means that it's something you have to have or take; endless windows but no walls probably meant it was made of glass.

"The greenhouse?"

And the ink on the page turned into a large check mark.

I smiled and made my way to the greenhouse. Was it risky? Perhaps, but I've faced murderers before, it couldn't be that difficult.

When I got to the greenhouse, I spotted an envelope between the pots we used two years before for the mandrakes. In the envelope, there were five seeds and another riddle.

In me, your worst fear lies
Or crawls, or slithers, or walks, or flies
I am where we have seen death and pain
Yet I have laughs and grand memories to gain
Come find me.

Where does my worst fear lie?

Or crawls or slithers or walks or flies, apparently.

I squinted, trying to remember where I had seen death within Hogwarts, a spider crawling along the table of pots catching my eye.

"The Defence Against the Dark Arts class," I concluded, and the words turned into a large checkmark.

I looked around, trying to spot someone that was watching me answer the riddles, but found no silhouette or shadow to signify that someone was around.

When I got to the Defence Against the Dark Arts class, I noticed the wardrobe that Remus used the year before to hide the Boggart and muttered, "In me, your worst fear lies."

I opened the wardrobe and found the envelope I was looking for at the bottom, along with black ink meant for a quill.

I have a house but no street
But many things I have complete
I have a hero, a sword, but not one knight
I am known for my bravery and might
Come find me.

I furrowed my brow and sat on the floor.

The first line was probably about one of the Hogwarts Houses.

Many things I have complete was probably achievements.

"A hero, a sword, but not one knight," I read once more. "Gryffindor..." The ink began to jitter. "Tower...?" And it turned into a big checkmark.