Upon entering the bottom floor of the Restricted Section, the group, along with Callum Vane, aimed to make their way back to Seylon’s Tower. However, a fierce encounter with a guarding hellhound left them exhausted, and their panting inadvertently revealed their position to the professors.
With Professor Wizzlethorpe demanding to know who was there, Caoimhe touched the doorknob at the end of the hall and, surprisingly, disappeared instantly! Taking a chance, the others followed suit and found themselves in Professor Blithe Thimblethorn’s office.
Realizing that the doorknob had been enchanted as a portkey, the group used Callum’s Polyjuice Potion. With Callum’s help, Otto Noxley transformed into Professor Grimbella Thistlepin, Caoimhe into Callum, and Finlay into Miriam. As Wizzlethorpe and Thimblethorn entered the room, Otto, as Grimbella, attempted to convince them that they were merely retrieving papers.
When Thimblethorn sent Wizzlethorpe to summon the headmistress, Otto secretly cast a successful Petrificus Totalis on Blithe. They managed to regroup and decided to make another attempt at reaching Seylon’s Tower.
After determining no one was patrolling the basement, they returned to the Restricted Section, blasted down the door, and ascended through the levels of the tower they had already visited. Callum was visibly impressed with their navigational skills.
On the Dragon Hatchery level, the party discovered that the elusive key was cleverly hidden atop one of the pipes. Caoimhe retrieved it using a well-placed Bombarda spell.
Continuing upwards, they entered Seylon’s suite and encountered multiple intriguing artifacts. A mysterious book detailed a portal room with runes that eluded their understanding. They discovered that standing on certain runes opened secret doors, one leading to magical items (Caoimhe obtained a pair of flying boots and Finlay acquired a protective mail shirt) and other to a strange portal room.
They stepped through the portal and were transported to a chilling domain known as Ice Spider Hollow. Two chests yielded ancient maps and gold and against the opposite wall, there was a sack of fresh herbs.
With no clear exit, the party blasted their way through a wall, only to find a giant Ice Widow waiting on the other side. The spider assailed Finlay swiftly and with great power, nearly bringing him down. In response, Caoimhe immobilized it with Immobilus. Finlay retaliated with Oppugno, wielding ice shards like sharp blades, and together they weakened the spider. Upon its recovery, the spider teleported behind Finlay and struck harshly, but Caoimhe delivered the final blow.
With Finlay healed by Callum, they explored further to find treasures left by past explorers—a knife crafted from an ice-spider’s fang and a key beside a skeleton’s resting place. Outside the cave, they were met with a stark, snowy landscape, the desolation matched only by their growing resolve to unravel the mysteries concealed in the north. They paused to consider their next course amid the ice-encrusted wilderness.