Chapter 67: Escape from the Castle
The old wizard nodded and clapped his hands.
"You're very clever, and you know a great deal about the magical world. That's no small feat. But so what if I am a saint pursuing the Deathly Hallows? True saints are not inherently evil. Why should that warrant your suspicion?"
Phineas nodded.
"If you were one of Grindelwald's followers, I wouldn't be as wary. But a true saint? You've likely explored countless ruins and uncovered deep magical secrets. For someone like that, one can never be too cautious."
He continued calmly, "I know well what saints are. Anyone who dares to tamper with the power of death is someone you can't afford to let your guard down around."
The old wizard sneered.
"Even if you've seen through me—and rendered this room's power unusable—do you really think you can activate it? Even I only learned how at a ruin after years of study."
Phineas's eyes didn't waver.
"Enough of your stalling. Don't waste time waiting for the others to die off. The vampires are already breaking through."
Indeed, Phineas could feel the presence of the invading vampires nearing.
With a subtle flick of his wand, the old wizard's head was cleanly severed from his body—irrevocably and instantly.
Feeney glanced at the corpse, a faint expression of regret on his face.
"A shame," he muttered. "If you hadn't been a saint, maybe you could've been useful to the Black family."
He raised his wand. "Accio necklace!"
The old wizard's necklace—the symbol of the Deathly Hallows—soared into his hand. It was no ordinary trinket. Wearing such a necklace didn't just mark one as a saint. These were artifacts forged by the original seekers of the Hallows. They bore defensive enchantments like the Shielding Charm—and more intriguingly, were said to sense death itself.
Whether that function was real or myth, Feeney wasn't willing to dismiss it. There was always truth behind magic that endured for centuries.
Pocketing the necklace, Phineas turned toward the center of the rune-covered room. The vampires were now storming toward him.
He smiled faintly.
Walking to the heart of the circle, he drove his wand into the ground and spoke firmly.
"Cen."
The sixth rune. In ancient scripts, it meant "torch," but also "ignite" or "activate." It was the key to triggering this ancient array of runes—an action only possible for a wizard who understood the true depth of magical language.
Though Phineas was just eleven, the Ravenclaw legacy in his mind gave him just enough insight to harness the rune's effect, if only briefly.
The vampires could only watch, eyes wide in horror, as the circle they had protected for generations—one they dared not use except for their ultimate goal—flared to life.
And in a burst of crimson light, Phineas vanished.
Furious and confused, the vampires disapparated, determined to exact vengeance on the wizards they believed had sabotaged their plan. In their minds, only the pure-bloods would resist their rise.
But in truth, the pure-bloods hardly feared vampires. Even now, the power they had revealed was brushed aside. Both sides were arrogant, both underestimated the other.
As for Phineas—he found himself no longer in the castle, but somewhere utterly unfamiliar.
A small town. Or was it a city? Either way, it was small enough to walk across in two hours.
Phineas blinked, disoriented by the sudden change.
"Hello—how can I get to London?" he asked the first person he saw.
But the man stared blankly, answering in a language Phineas didn't recognize.
No one here spoke English.
He sighed, ducked into an alley, and finally turned to the system that had been pinging ever since he escaped.
> You were kidnapped and held in a dark castle. Through your courage and wit, you've escaped. But that was only the beginning.
Mission: Escape from the Castle
Stage 1: Rescue the prisoners held by vampires – Complete
Stage 2: Break through the vampire guards and acquire sufficient weapons – Complete
Stage 3: Discover the secrets hidden in the vampire castle – Complete
Stage 4: Escape the castle safely – Complete
Reward: Complete Animagus experience from entry to mastery (effective upon first transformation).
Feeney's eyes lit up.
Animagus.
A rare and advanced branch of Transfiguration—something he'd long desired to master. Hogwarts' library had almost no real information on it, and learning it independently was nearly impossible.
Until now.
Mastery of the Animagus transformation—just one successful attempt away.
He smiled, excitement building within him despite the unfamiliar surroundings.
He had escaped death, foiled a vampire conspiracy, and discovered a powerful legacy.
And now, he stood on the brink of becoming something even greater.