The cold wind of Hogsmeade carried the scent of roasted chestnuts, snow-damp cloaks, and mystery.
Aarav walked through the bustling village, his dark green robes blending among Hogwarts students enjoying their weekend trip. But he wasn't here for butterbeer or candy.
He was here for answers.
System Ping:
▶ Quest Activated: Legacy of the First Wands
▶ Objective: Visit Wandmaker Garrik Olwin in Hogsmeade
▶ Reward: +1000 EXP | Lore Fragment | Wand Affinity Analysis
▶ Warning: Garrik Olwin is Soulbound to Hogwarts; answers may be encrypted.
He reached the crooked building at the end of the street. "Olwin's Curios & Elder Wands" was carved above the door in peeling silver letters. The shop was almost invisible to normal eyes—only those with magical perception would see it.
He opened the door.
Inside, silence hung heavy. Wand cores floated in enchanted jars. Wand blueprints, carved on dragon hide, glimmered on the wall.
And behind the desk sat a wiry, blindfolded old man with silver hair flowing to his waist.
"You've arrived," Garrik Olwin rasped. "And your wand sings of two worlds."
Aarav stepped forward. "You know who I am?"
Olwin smiled without opening his eyes. "No. But your wand remembers where you've been. Phoenix feather and elder ash... yet it holds power beyond this realm. Tell me—do your spells listen to you, or bend to your will?"
"Both," Aarav said truthfully.
Olwin nodded. "That's dangerous."
The wandmaker stood, bones creaking.
He placed a hand over Aarav's wand and whispered a charm in a forgotten tongue. The air shimmered.
Aarav's wand glowed with ghostly symbols.
System Alert:
▶ Wand Affinity Analysis Unlocked
Core: Phoenix Feather (Awakened Tier)
Wood: Ash of Elder (Resonant)
Foreign Binding: Dimensional Link [Marvel]
Compatibility: 92%
Potential Unlocked: Dual-Affinity Wandcraft
WARNING: Wand can be corrupted by overexposure to Cross-Realm Energy.
Aarav's breath caught.
"You know about… other realms?" he asked.
Olwin turned slowly.
"I once made a wand for a man who vanished through a mirror," he said. "He returned... changed. His wand didn't accept him anymore."
"What happened to him?"
"He tried to fight a god... and lost."
Aarav's thoughts flicked to the Marvel World, the chaos magic, the relics he intended to study.
Olwin's voice turned grave.
"Balance your learning. Power unmoored becomes ruin. Seek not only spells—but the Founders' Foundation. Their knowledge is older than Hogwarts… and hidden beneath it."
Aarav leaned forward. "Are you talking about the Chamber of Secrets?"
Olwin laughed, a dry, sharp sound. "No, boy. Salazar's chamber was a pale echo. I speak of the Chamber Before Chambers—built by the ones who taught the Founders themselves."
He tapped a silver map onto the desk.
"I cannot show it to you. But this will guide you."
System Message:
▶ Item Acquired: Fragmented Map of the Forgotten Root
Status: (1/4 Fragments Collected)
Function: Reveals Deepest Level of Hogwarts' Foundation
New Questline Unlocked: The Pre-Founders' Legacy
Flitwick Vault Key: Reactivated
Aarav pocketed the fragment.
"What else lies beneath Hogwarts?" he asked.
Olwin paused. His blindfold shimmered slightly, as if hiding more than blindness.
"The place you seek is protected by ancient locks… not just magical, but conceptual. Some only open to those who've died once already."
Aarav stiffened.
"How do you—?"
But Olwin was already sitting back, fading into his chair like a mirage.
"I don't answer questions, young Gaunt," he said softly. "I only give warnings."
Aarav turned to leave, and the door vanished behind him.
Back at Hogwarts, under the flickering candlelight of his dorm, Aarav studied the fragment. It pulsed when held near his wand.
The interface opened a secret menu:
▶ Vault Key Activated
▶ Flitwick's Vault Available: Rare Charms, Lost Spell Blueprints
▶ Echo Somnus Upgrade Option: [YES/NO]
▶ Pre-Founders' Legacy: 1/4 Map Fragments Collected
Current Objective: Investigate the Hidden Chamber Below the Lake
He stared into the dark window, watching snow drift over the Forbidden Forest.
"If what Olwin said is true… then the Hogwarts I know is only the surface. And beneath it… lies the true source of ancient magic."
His wand pulsed in agreement.