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The Daily Diviner - Issue 49

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The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#1
CEs and Creatures and Inquisitors, Oh My!
Feature
Written by Creme_de_Creme
Edited by LittleI

Hello lovely readers! Welcome back to the Feature section of the Daily Diviner! I hope you are as excited as I am for the end of November. You might be asking yourself, “Why is she excited for the end of the month? It's only just begun!” Well dearest reader, at the end of the month, Potterworld’s Inquisitor team hosts a set of hour-long activities called Community Engagements. For those of you who do not know what that is or what it means, read on! I will also give a little sneak peek of the theme of this month’s Community Engagement activities!

So, what exactly are Community Engagements? Community Engagements are like mini-events that last for about an hour. They are scheduled for the end of a month and hosted for an hour. Community Engagements include unique gameplay and activities that you cannot normally do in-game while wandering about the world. Some of the things you can do at a Community Engagement event include meeting various people on Potterworld, making friends, and getting cool and unique items. Some of the activities that have been featured in previous Community Engagements include solving murder mysteries, scavenger hunts, cooking competitions, and much more!

Now, on to the best part! What is this month’s Community Engagement theme? Magical creatures! I am sure that you have seen the various magical creatures around the server. Starting in year one, you find out about Wiggleworms and continue discovering creatures ending at level 80, with the discovery of Dementares. Each encounter is exciting and new. I cannot wait to show you what we will be doing with magical creatures.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for this month’s Community Engagements. You won’t want to miss it! If you are interested in making fun Community Engagements, consider applying for Inquisitors on the Potterworld website. Recently, they lowered the level requirement to level 50 AND made the application questions easier to understand. I hope you consider applying and have a wonderful day! Reporting for the Daily Diviner, this has been Creme_de_Creme.
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#2
Welcome Back, Haunted Hollow!
Editorial
Written by mckennq
Edited by bluecherub

Boo! Hello readers, and welcome back to the Editorial column of the Daily Diviner! There’s a hint of mischief in the air, which can only mean one thing: the Halloween season is upon us! As many of us know, Potterworld goes above and beyond with the festivities surrounding the occasion, and they certainly did not disappoint this time around. With tons of spooky hats and brand new seasonal releases to the store and a fun event filled with both familiar and new faces, there’s no end to the fun you can experience in these few weeks! With that said, let’s get right into our first topic: the Spooky Store Releases!

On October 16th, the Store Managers announced the release of Halloween-themed store items, a batch of both new and old seasonal items themed around the holiday, along with an exclusive Halloween sale! While we saw items from last year return, we also saw the arrival of three brand new releases: the Devil’s Pitchfork wand appearance, Witch’s Broom broom appearance, and finally, the Pumpkin Death Effects. Each item is wonderfully created, and they look absolutely spectacular in-game! I highly recommend you check them out in the in-game store, which can be found by using the command “/me,” and clicking the top hat, and consider purchasing one. As for the returning seasonal items, we have the classic Halloween Emotes, Plague Hat, and Jack-o’-Lantern Mask. I’m extremely happy that they decided to bring them back to the store this year and can’t wait to see people showing off their new purchases in the world!

The Spooky Store Release and sale wasn’t the only thing that was introduced to players this season. That’s right: the previously teased Halloween Event (as read in Silquer’s article in issue #47) is now upon us! On October 23rd, we were officially invited back to Haunted Hollow, ready for yet another Halloween season, but this time for a much different reason! None other than Droobledore himself has bought a mansion in the area and has invited us to a masquerade ball for only the most prominent witches and wizards (and magical creatures, of course)! Throughout your stay at Haunted Hollow, you’re sure to run into some familiar faces, and even run into some new ones, so make sure you stop by to say hello! Rumour has it quite a few need your assistance this year. Personally, I cannot wait to help out the people of Haunted Hollow! This event was creatively designed by the Magiventologist Team, and I highly recommend playing through the many gameplay opportunities, whether it be apple bobbing, trick-or-treating, delivering candy, or simply exploring the detailed, revamped, and well-thought-out build.

That’s not the only exciting thing that this event is offering; there are plenty of new, exclusive rewards never seen before. Whether it be the Ghost Guardian, a brand new guardian introduced especially for this spooky event, or the Bat Headband, an adorable black headband with bat wings and ears on the top, the Magiventologist Team sure did not disappoint with the heaps of rewards we were presented with this year! We also saw the return of the Sandersister wigs, one for each sister, relics of the Sandersister’s who were introduced in the Happy Death Day quest. I’m so glad they decided to bring these back, as I think they’re a wonderful collectable to have, and the thought of owning even one practically drives me amuck! With the return of the Boo Bucks currency, I recommend saving up to purchase the multitude of amazing rewards that this event has to offer- I know I will!

The Halloween event seems like heaps of fun this year, and I can tell a lot of thought and passion was put into creating such content! The prospect of seeing not only old faces from last year’s visit to Haunted Hollow, but also new ones that we have the pleasure of helping out sounds like barrels full of fun, and I cannot wait to see what players think of the event this year. The Spooky Store items will be available until November 16th, with the sale ending on November 1st. Additionally, the Halloween event will only run until November 16th, so make sure you get a chance to experience all the spooky festivities this season! I hope you all have a spooky Halloween full of both tricks and treats, and you thoroughly enjoy yourselves come October 31st. This has been McKenna writing for the Daily Diviner!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#3
New Arena Maps
Editorial
Written by Ivy_Winter
Edited by snotflower

Hello readers, and welcome back to the Editorial column of the Daily Diviner! Today, we will be going over the new season 4 arena maps that were released at the beginning of November.

The season 4 maps include two new flying maps and one new dueling map. The two flying maps include the Mahounoshiro School of Magic in Japan and the Dormunstrad School of Magic in Northern Europe. The new dueling map is Hogsworth’s own dueling classroom.

The two new flying maps will allow players to see some previous builds from old events. When I tried them, I noticed that with the long length of the Dormunstrad map, it’d be better to use it for tournaments instead of qualifiers. Especially for new players who might be attending their first challenge, this map may be too difficult for them. As for the new dueling map, it looks really good for 1v1 dueling challenges.

I had the opportunity to speak with Lead Arena Master Salmandingo about the release of these new maps.

Why did you pick these maps for the season 4 release?
"I picked those maps because they perfectly fit into the theme of magical schools! We have a lot of interesting schools, and we found that we can showcase their beauty through flying & dueling maps!”

What can we get from these new maps during challenges?
“We can get a wider variety in map difficulty for the flying courses, as well as beautiful builds that are sure to impress you!”

How are Season 4 maps different from Season 3?
“Season 4 maps will have a specific theme, unlike the season 3 releases which didn't really have a common theme and felt pretty unrelated to each other.”

After my talk with Sal and seeing the maps myself, I knew that they would be loved by the community. The maps were such great builds in past events, and it was sad knowing that we weren't going to see them again when the event was over. But now, with the new arena season upon us, we have another chance! Whether you’re a new or veteran player, you can participate in upcoming arena challenges, see these new maps, and get the chance to explore them while also competing.

I hope everyone enjoys the new arena season and maps, and good luck to all competitors! This has been Ivy_Winter reporting for the Daily Diviner.
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#4
Pankake’s Potterworld Seasons!
Student Spotlight
Written by joyellen
Edited by mckennq

Hello lovely readers, and welcome back to the Student Spotlight column! In this edition, we will be highlighting the talent of student Pankakes_81! Pankakes is a brilliant artist who has made marvelous resource pack add-ons for Potterworld. He has made three resource packs so far, two of them being devoted to making our seasons on Potterworld more prevalent and eye-catching. I had a chance to try the packs out for myself, and I was astounded by the difference it made to my experience playing on the server! The resource packs added a newfound sense of beauty to parts of the server that otherwise go unnoticed, and I cannot recommend it enough to give the add-ons a try! To find out more information on the resource packs and how you can experience them yourself, you can check out the link here.

I had the great privilege to interview Pankakes_81 about his resource packs and other talents! Without further ado, let's jump straight into the interview!

Introduce yourself! What is your IGN, Potterworld house, and any allegiances you have?
My IGN is Pankakes_81, the “_81” at the end signifies that the original was taken and I’m not, in fact, 40 years old. I’m a fresh third year Griffin student despite playing for 2.5 years already. That’s because I spend more time on the forums than in-game. Lastly, as you could’ve guessed by my name, my favourite food is potato salad.

What made you want to create the Potterworld Seasons resource pack add-on?
It started with the Emissive pack I made after I noticed the flames on the torches in the dungeons don’t glow at all, just like the wands and lamps in dormitories for example. Bypassing the server-side resource pack allowed me to change anything I wanted. At that time, I also suggested unifying the biomes so PW could have a worldwide winter. After the suggestion got declined, I decided to make the Autumn pack to bring the seasons to players in some way. After that was the Winter pack.

Could you describe the process that went into creating the resource pack? Was it challenging?
The base for the seasons is in the leaves and grass. Those are changed with the corresponding colormaps, and this was also the biggest challenge due to spruce and birch leaves having hardcoded colours– that means no matter what the base colour is, Minecraft will always overlay it with a green tint.
Then there’s the blocks such as mossy cobblestone or flower stems. I had to open each texture, convert it to an RGB profile, mask the green parts and then change the hue and saturation so it suited the grass or ”snow” in the corresponding resource pack. This part was more tedious than hard.
And lastly, there’s the details. For example, in the Winter pack I had to replace some sounds such as walking on grass to walking on snow, or completely remove the rain sound and texture. If I had just replaced it with the falling snow texture, it’d play at 2x speed, making it look weird.

Is Potterworld Seasons your first creation?
Yes, PW Seasons was my first ever resource pack, although it’s always easier to change colours instead of making one from scratch.

What is your favourite aspect of the resource pack add-on? And why?
The ambience and immersion they create, I guarantee a wide ear-to-ear smile if combined with the right music. The world really feels more alive when the environment changes throughout the year from lush green to vibrant orange to soft white. I still wish to see Hogsworth during snow and to walk across the lake once it’s frozen.

Do you have any other resource pack add-ons in the works that we can look forward to?
I’m still working on the Spring pack in my spare time, and because I want to have lots of flowers in it, I have to create custom models for grass and leaves to bypass the aforementioned hardcoded colours. As for the 1.13 versions, I won’t be doing those because every single texture has a different name compared to 1.12, basically doubling the amount of work. Once 1.12 isn’t supported, I will update the packs to 1.13+.

Aside from creating remarkable resource packs in his spare time, Pankakes also has quite the talent for rendering! I learned more about it during the second portion of the interview.

What made you get into rendering? How long have you been rendering for?
I was motivated to try rendering PW models after Sunnya’s Render Workshop. Before that, I’d done exactly two renders. Since that workshop I’ve done 6 renders, 5 of which are PW themed. It’s not much, but it’s honest work. However I had some experience with Autodesk Inventor (CAD software for modelling mechanical parts) so I wasn’t that lost in 3D software.

What are the easiest and most challenging aspects of rendering, and why?
From easiest to hardest: importing the models and posing a character, editing the textures, the idea, lighting and environment.
When it comes to textures, I create additional ones for subsurface scattering of soft skin, light emission for glowing parts of models, roughness/metalness for, well, metallic parts and making normal maps so the textures have depth.
With the lighting, I have to use way more lights with different colours than it’d be realistic to get the desired result, I do this mainly by trial and error. Frankly, I do find this part the most fun as well.
As for the environment, Potterworld doesn’t allow downloading the map, so some artists create their own in single player and then import it. I turn on shaders (Nostalgia or Sildur’s) on the server, take a picture and then use a software called f.spy that lets me match the perspective for Blender. After that, I just align a 1m block to get the scale right. In the end I blend the original picture with the render in Photoshop. That’s where I also do post-processing.

What is your favourite render you have ever made? Why?
Since I haven’t done many renders, I do not have a favourite one yet, but if I had to choose one, it’d probably be the one where Zach is issuing a ticket to Syster because she parked her car in the Great Hall.

Do you have any tips or advice for those getting into rendering?
Use at least two lights unless you’re making a night scene, use Cycles for rendering, use Blender 2.9 because it’s more beginner friendly. If you’re unsure of something or need help with your art, come to the Potterworld Art Discord where we’re always happy to help.
As for a tip for Blender; top left – Edit > Preferences > System & Load > Check Auto Save and set it to 2 minutes. If Blender crashed and you had autosave on – File > Recover > Auto Save.

I would like to thank Pankakes for allowing me to interview them. Be sure to check out his resource packs and his work in the Potterworld Art Discord if you haven’t already! I would also like to extend a thanks to you, our lovely readers, for tuning into this issue of the Daily Diviner. This has been Joy, have a spectacular day!

Do you know anyone on the server that stands out (cool housing, a museum, active in RP, do something cool outside of PW, etc.)? Nominate them here for a chance to be our next Student Spotlight!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#5
Four Fun Friendsgiving Recipes
Lifestyle
Written by bea_5OOOO
Edited by mckennq

Hello readers, and welcome back to the Daily Diviner’s Lifestyle column! As many of you already know, November has begun- another month for fun holidays and celebrations! One such celebration we'll be going over today is Friendsgiving. Friendsgiving is a celebration shared between friends around the end of November. In order to get into the spirit of this fun holiday, I’ll be sharing a few delicious recipes I found with you all!

Caramel Apple Cheese Ball
This recipe is great for readers looking for an easy to make appetizer that’s still delicious! This recipe consists of homemade caramel apple cheese served alongside your choice of crackers.

- To make this recipe, start by mixing together two 8 oz sticks of cream cheese, ¼ cup of caramel, 1 tbsp of cinnamon, ½ tsp of lemon juice and a pinch of salt until they’re all fully combined.​
- Next, fold in 1 cup of shredded cheddar, and 1 finely chopped granny smith apple.​
- Freeze it until it’s firm. (Around thirty minutes)​
- Once it’s firm, set the pecans out on a plate and roll the cheese ball in the pecans. Once done, you can set it out on a serving platter and drizzle with more caramel and sprinkle some more salt. Finally, serve it up with crackers.​

Harvest Skillet Chicken
This recipe is another delightful but quick and easy recipe, perfect for wizards who need a tasty but simpler main course.

- To start this recipe, take a pound of chicken sliced into bite-sized pieces and cook it in a skillet over medium heat until it’s golden brown. Then set it aside.​
- Add 1 pound of diced onions, 1 pound of peeled and diced sweet potato, and 1 pound of trimmed and quartered brussel sprouts to the pan. Cook until they’re just tender, before adding in 4 minced cloves of garlic, 2 tsp of thyme and 2 diced apples. Cook until fragrant (about a minute).​
- Add 1 cup of chicken broth, and deglaze the pan, by scrapping up any brown bits from the bottom, while the broth sizzles.​
- Add the chicken back in, along with 2 tbsp of mustard, tbsp of maple syrup, and salt and pepper, until the sauce thickens. Once done you can serve it up!​

Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham
This recipe is another easy, yet savoury main course. This one also uses a slow cooker, so it’s perfect for wizards who are up for trying a different appliance for one of their meals!

- To begin, add 4-5 pound ham to the slow cooker.​
- From there, pour over half of a 10 ounce can of crushed pineapple over the ham. (Save the rest to add on top once it’s completed)​
- Mix together a ¼ tsp of cinnamon, ⅛ tsp of nutmeg, ⅛ tsp of ground ginger, and ½ cup of brown sugar. Once mixed, pour it over the ham.​
- Cook it on low for around three hours.​

Delicious Apple Pie
For our final recipe, we’re going to be ending things off with a scrumptious apple pie recipe! This recipe is perfect for wizards looking for a lovely dessert option for their Friendsgiving recipe.

- To start, we’re going to prepare the crust. Mix together 2 ½ cups of flour, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of sugar. From there, add in 16 tbsps of butter (half at a time) and mix together until it’s coarse. After that, add in 6-7 tbsps of ice water. Next, form the dough into two discs and freeze them until chilled.​
- Once the dough is chilled, take it out and allow it to sit for around fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes have passed, roll out the discs into two thin circles. Place one inside of a pie or tart pan.​
- Now that we have a crust prepared, we can make the pie filling! To start, get ready by preheating the oven to 375°F.​
- Combine 3 tbsps of flour, ½ cup of sugar, ½ tsp of cinnamon, ¼ tsp of ground allspice, and ¼ tsp of nutmeg. Once mixed, pour it on top of three pounds of sliced and peeled granny smith apples.​
- Take the apple mixture and place it inside of the crust. Trim and crimp the edges. Take out the second rolled out set of dough from before and lightly place it over the apples. Fold the dough underneath itself so that it wraps around the edge of the pan.​
- Finally, cut slits in the top of the pie to act as air vents. Set it in the oven to bake for around 20 minutes, and then turn the heat down 15 degrees and bake until golden brown. Make sure to let it cool when it’s done!​

That’s all the Friendsgiving recipes I have for you today! What did you think of these recipes? Is there a certain one you like or think is worth a shot? Thank you for stopping by, dear readers, and I hope that you have a fantastic start to your week!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#6
Fall Weather Pastimes
Lifestyle
Written by Silquer
Edited by Calliequeen

Hello readers, and welcome to the second Lifestyle article of this issue! October passed us by rather quickly, but there’s still plenty of fall left in the year. Rain will continue to fall, the wind will keep blowing, the cold will slowly creep in, and the coziness of the winter months still approaches. While we wait for the steady cold and snowfall of winter, here are some fun fall pastimes for when the weather isn’t quite perfect.

Rainy days in fall are often spent indoors, away from the wet chill of the falling deluge, hiding away from the weather in a dark house. If you’re feeling gloomy on a day like this, hop onto Potterworld and attempt one of the coziest (and also hardest) parkours: the Library Parkour. The cozy lighting, calm isolation, and monotonous clack of the keyboard as you attempt to make your way through the library is the perfect way to spend a rainy day. Throw on a sweater and take the day to relax!

If you want to share your cozy vibes with friends, get a group together and race to see who can finish the parkour first. The winner gets bragging rights!

If the weather happens to take a turn for the windy, you might find yourself locked up in your house, far away from the frosty nip of the wind. If this is the case, make yourself a hot chocolate (the superior fall drink), join a voice chat with friends, and get some work done! Whether you’re drawing, writing, or doing schoolwork, the calming ambiance will surely help your productivity.

Perhaps, you could start a challenge to see who gets the most work done. Set a timer and get to work! Armed with hot chocolate and maybe even a blanket, no wind will be able to touch your cozy atmosphere.

As fall wears on, the cold will settle its tight jaws in the air, and you might be unwilling to leave the warm confines of your room. To justify this, spend your time completing the Potterworld Halloween event! Cozy up at your desk and enjoy the spooky quests and rewards, all while staying nice and warm. If you’d like, quest with a few friends, or even make some new ones to explore the event with. See who can collect the most rewards!

Finally, even if the sun is shining, the breeze is just right, and the sky is clear, you might still want to stay in your home with your cozy sweatpants with a scented candle, have a fall decorating competition with some friends! Gather together anything you can find in your house (colored paper, leftover fairy lights, maybe even a pumpkin! and get creative. Decorate a desk, a drawer, or a shelf, and send photos in a group chat. See who has the best decorations!

Fall is certainly a beautiful season, but on the occasions where the weather isn’t just right, these ideas are the perfect way to pass the time. Whether you use one of these pastimes or come up with your own, make sure to have fun and get creative. Enjoy the remainder of the fall season!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#7
The Fall Shifter
Original Works
Written by ohKeira
Edited by bluecherub

“Angie, hurry up-- the surprise will be ruined at the pace you’re going!” a girl shouted, her knitted yellow and black scarf draped around her neck. Her red hair blew in the wind as she turned to the girl running behind her, panting loudly.

“Maria, you know I can’t run that fast!” Angie cried out, as she held on to a cotton-beanie on her head. The beanie held back her tangled blonde curls while she ran to catch up to her sister.

“I know, but we have to get back in time for the surprise, or they'll all find out.” Maria called, as she looked down at the empty basket in her hands, woven from various plants.

“The Daily Diviner didn’t finish it all in one day, did they?” Angie grumbled, as she finally caught up to the girl in front of her. “My god, you couldn't have slowed down for me?”

“I’m sorry— we just need to get a move on.” she said, as she turned to look at the trees around them. The red and orange leaves danced above, majestically blowing in the wind.

“You haven’t been the same the past few days. I’m worried about you, Maria.” Angie said quietly, but Maria just shook her head.

“I’m fine. Now, let's get a move on, shall we?” Maria responded, as she continued running forward. Angie trailed behind her as the two ran through the forest, jumping over rocks and fallen tree trunks. Finally, the pair of twins arrived at a large clearing with trees surrounding it, almost like a protective gate. There were scattered mushrooms, pinecones, and even some pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns strewn around from other students.

“This looks perfect!” Angie said, moving around Maria to start collecting materials. Maria went to the other side of the clearing, to do the same. Angie had only put a few things in her basket before a sharp gust of wind cut the ground behind her, making her jump. The speed of the wind picked up, blowing Angie and Maria’s baskets away.

“Our baskets! What are we going to do now?” Maria grumbled. She walked forward, looking at Angie.

“Maria, watch out!” Angie yelled, but Maria had already tripped over the rock and started tumbling down the hill. She rolled down at the speed of lighting and ended up down by the lake. Angie chased after her but stumbled over a tree branch, landing face first into the dirt. As she picked up her head, her face filled with fear and shock. A monster stood in front of them- a boggamorph.

★☆★☆​

As Maria picked up her head, she saw the floating creature in front of her. It looked a bit like a ghost, but instead of a silvery white, it was a dark black.

“It's a boggamorph! I’ve never seen one outside of books. It’s so fascinating.” she exclaimed as she looked at Angie. Angie’s expression, however, was more grim; it wasn’t moving at all. “Angie..?”

“Don’t. Move.” Angie muttered quietly, exhaling a shaky breath. Maria listened and slowly started to back away, but just as she took a step back, she stepped on a tree branch, causing it to snap. The boggamorph turned and charged at the twins, but instead of attacking them, it transformed into their father.

“Father-” Maria said, as she fell down on her knees. Her head dropped low, and she stared at the ground beneath her.

“Hello, Maria. You have grown so much since I last saw you,” the man said. His voice was deep, with an evil smile plastered across his pale face.

“Don’t listen to a word he says, Maria. What happened in the past is over; this is now.” Angie said as Maria dug her fingers into the rich soil.

“Oh Angie, still in great denial.. You know I loved you, too.”

The man smirked as Angie turned her head away from him.

“Turn your head away, Maria! Don’t listen. Don’t make eye contact.” she said in a hushed voice, still on her knees. Maria’s head slowly turned, facing the hill behind them.

“No-!” the boggamorph shouted, and he vanished in plain sight. Maria stood up, wrapping her arms around Angie.

“Hey, look— it’s ok. He’s gone..” Angie smiled as Maria turned to look her in the eyes. Her face was red and tear-streaked, but she returned the smile.

“That was some adventure. I think I’m ready to go back to Hogsworth, now.” Maria giggled as she took Angie’s hand, walking back up the hill.

“I think I am, too.”

Angie gave her hand a squeeze, and the two of them ran back into the magical forest.
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#8
What Hides in the Dark
Original Works
Written by Silquer
Edited by kvmw

The dungeons weren’t often traveled by the living at night. No, instead, ghouls and ghosts of every sort and shape, size and stature, manner and demeanor wandered the dungeons after the sun fell. Rarely was a student caught down there, less out of fear of punishment and more out of dread of seeing the undead and the monstrous in their natural home.

Save for one night.

All it had taken was one lost bet, and here Callum was, out of bed past hours, searching the dungeons for a hidden passageway said to have never been walked through by the living.

He stopped at a dead end. It was a seemingly bare wall, but Callum knew otherwise. He pulled out his wand and whispered, “Vanesco.”

The wall fell away, tumbling down to the stone ground, and behind it lay the secret passageway. It was a damp hallway, musty and moldy, but he gulped down his fears and stepped inside anyway. He could have gone back then, he knew; but then he would be a coward.

Once he’d passed through the threshold, the stones rearranged themselves into the unassuming wall it once was, leaving Callum in darkness.

He cast Lumen, illuminating the tunnel in artificial light, revealing a woman standing in the shadows.

He gasped, scrambling for his wand and pressing his back against the wall. Before he could even think to recast Vanesco, the woman had a cold hand clamped tight around his wrist. He could now only stare at her in fear.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a student here. Please, walk with me,” she said. Her voice was quiet, but not soft. It was human in a way that sharply contrasted her cold, pale features, and put him slightly more at ease (he felt he should be slightly more alarmed at the presence of a strange creature dragging him into a secret passage, but he supposed he was still in a bit of shock).

She tugged on his wrist, and then they were walking through the twisting hallway, going through cobwebs and around puddles of murky water.

When they had made their third turn, Callum mustered the courage to speak into the silence. “Who are you?”

She did not respond until they made a fourth turn. “I am a vampire. This is my home.”

“This passage?”

“No,” she said with a smile, “This castle. But I prefer not to be seen. Not all would take kindly to a vampire’s presence in a school.”

She wasn’t entirely wrong, he thought.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve left the dungeons, and ghosts aren’t much for conversation. Who’s the current Headmaster? Are there any new teachers? Is Gwyn still a professor, or has she moved on? It’s been a long time since I studied here...”

Callum, still in his state of shock, found himself answering everything in depth. Even as they walked through the grim passage, he found himself nearly… enjoying it?

“Are you afraid of me?” she asked when he had finished stuttering around his own words. He couldn’t really lie, not while he was still trembling like a leaf and her cold hand was clamped around his, but she looked so sad, as if she knew the answer, so he chose to lie anyway. There was something about her presence that left him feeling dizzy, almost as if he were in a dream, and the weightlessness of it gave him courage. Or perhaps that was the shock talking again.

‘No,’ he said at last. She laughed, and although they both knew it was a lie, she looked a little happier.

At last, they came to the end of the hall, and the vampire drew her own wand from her dress pocket. Without uttering a word, she cast Vanesco, and the stones fell away, revealing the dungeons once again.

She let go of Callum’s hand, but before she could say anything more, he bolted out of the hidden passage and away from her, the terror of the situation finally descending on him. He had been alone, with a strange vampire, for more than just a few moments. So much could have gone wrong… but didn’t. Although his instincts and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were screaming at him to turn and run further away, he found she had been rather kind to him.

So when she smiled at him and said, “Thank you,” he didn’t run away and merely stared as she turned and went back into the secret passage. The stones closed behind her, and she was gone.

It was the last time Callum would ever see her, but that may be because it was the last time he ever went wandering alone into the dungeons. Still, every time he had a Potions class or visited a Serpent friend, his gaze was always drawn to the walls and the woman that may be wandering behind them. If he learned anything from that night, it was this: don’t judge a book by its cover, for you may just find an unexpected kindness.
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#9
A Sinister Arrangement
Original Works
Written by Silquer
Edited by mckennq

Simon hated London. It was crowded, it was grimy, and it was loud. Still, here he was, strolling through the crowds in search of that one sign no unmagical could see.

Ah, there it was. It caught Simon’s eye in the midday light, brightening up the dull black sign and highlighting the white lettering. The Cauldron Inn. He stepped out of the street and pushed open the dilapidated wood door. No unmagical deigned him a glance as he shut the door behind him and entered.

Simon grimaced as he walked further into the room. He always forgot how filthy the entrance to Diagonal Lane was, despite how often his line of work brought him here. He crossed quickly, avoiding the tables with patrons littered around them, before reaching the secluded tables at the back of the room and opening the door nestled between the empty booths. He slammed it behind him with a shudder.

He shook away the smog the Inn had put over his mind, took out his wand, and tapped it on the brick wall before him. He had to stay focused, or everything could fall apart.

The bricks turned and twisted in on themselves, creating a path convenient for his size, and stepped through into yet another crowd, this one filled with witches and wizards and children, all going about their way. He slipped his wand back into his pocket and began to make his way down the uneven street.

He reached his destination soon after his entrance to the lane. Past Grimlott’s, through a line of shops, and there it was. A set of stairs led down to a small basement door hidden in the brick. He opened the door and entered the shady pub.

The pub was almost as grungy as The Cauldron Inn. The place was slightly illegal; each patron had to bring their voice to a murmur, if not a whisper, so as to not attract the attention of… unwanted guests.

Guests like him.

Simon, scanning the room, slid into a creaky wooden booth in one of the corners. He only had to wait a moment before another man, hunched over and cloaked in a black robe, took a seat across from him.

“Hello,” The criminal said with a toothy grin. “My associate told me you’re searching for a dragon egg?”

Simon’s heart beat a bit faster hearing those words. A dragon egg. A rare find in this kind of market but doable if you knew the right people. Simon, of course, did. “He told you, right? Where can I find him?”

The man chuckled. “Straight to it, I see. I like that.”

Simon did not like how he said that, but he let it slide. Cloak Man (The name suited him, Simon thought) continued. “You can find him in an alleyway, not far from here. When you walk out, take a left, right, then left again. You’ll see the alley.” Cloak Man grinned again. “But beware, you’ll have to pay a hefty price for your prize.”

Simon smiled coldly back and patted his pocket. It jingled slightly with gold. “Oh, I’m aware.”

Simon left the pub and was out in the streets again, setting out along the stone roads; left, right, left. He stopped and saw the alley immediately.

It was dark, and he couldn’t see inside it. He entered anyway, leaving the bright sun and embracing the cool shade. After a quick scan, Simon could see a figure within; presumably his seller.

Simon approached him. “I’m here for the egg.”

The figure (Simon thought this fit him) nodded, as if he had been expecting Simon, which he probably had been. “I have it, but it isn’t cheap.”

Simon had been ready for this, and he pulled the hefty pouch of gold from his pocket. “How much?”

“Ten-thousand.”

Simon almost gaped. Ten-thousand? Sure, he had brought twenty-thousand, but he hadn’t expected to use half of it… He sighed and pulled out the gold, and, in return Robe Man revealed, tucked underneath his robe, the dragon egg.

They exchanged, and moments later Simon found himself the proud owner of a dragon egg.

“Thanks,” Simon said sarcastically, tucking the egg safely away in an empty pouch he had brought just for the occasion. “But I’m afraid you’ve been backstabbed.”

The next few moments were a blur. Robe Man barely had a moment to mouth the word “What?” before Simon pulled out his wand and yelled, “Stupeficus!”

The criminal, upon finding his magic rather useless, flung himself at Simon with a snarl, but he was too slow, and in moments he was disarmed and cold cuffs were clamped onto his wrists.

Not a moment later, there were blue blurs around the alleyway, and they were suddenly surrounded by Aurorlocks. Simon’s boss nodded at him, and Simon gave him a tired thumbs up.

“What the─”

Simon turned and grinned smugly at Robe Man and, passing the criminal along to some other Aurorlock, pulled out his badge. “I’m an Aurorlock. I sold you out.”

It wasn’t quite as dramatic as Simon would have liked (he was tired and had enough of the city for one day), but it seemed to do the trick. Robe Man cursed at him, but Simon wasn’t listening, already turning his back to let his team take care of the rest.

As he walked out of the alley, his mind was left to wonder. What was he supposed to do with a dragon egg?
 
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