HP: The Third Child of Prophecy

Chapter 133: Staff of Poseidon

At 10 o'clock in the morning, Alexander Smith was still lying curled up in bed in the Ravenclaw dormitory. Everyone—except Ron—understood why he didn't want to get up today.

Even Anthony, who had recently appointed himself as Alexander's loyal little brother, kindly brought back a plate of pumpkin pasties and a glass of milk from the Great Hall and placed it on his nightstand.

Since Ron was still lingering nearby, Alexander couldn't thank Anthony properly at the time. He waited until Ron left for a moment before silently consuming the now-cold pasties and milk.

Ron, of course, kept returning every few minutes, poking his head in, impatiently hoping to drag Alexander out to bask in the spotlight together. Ron had never been so popular before, and he was reveling in it.

But then something unexpected happened—Hermione burst into the boys' dormitory.

"Hermione! What are you doing here? I thought girls weren't allowed in the boys' dormitory!" Alexander sat up, startled and flustered.

Hermione gave him a sharp look. "It's only the girls' dormitory that bars the opposite gender, Alexander. Boys can enter the girls' side, but girls can walk into the boys' dorm just fine—have you forgotten that?"

She scanned the room, pausing as her eyes landed on Ron's bed—where his name had been proudly stitched in shimmering gold thread.

During their time together so far, Hermione had grown to understand Ron's eccentricity. While Alexander and even Neville tried to avoid unnecessary attention, Ron not only welcomed it, but encouraged it—going so far as to recruit an older student named Sage to help him publish a book.

"Oh, I should've known this was Ron's doing," she muttered.

"But... what did I forget?" Alexander asked, still confused.

"Look next to you!" Hermione snapped, pointing at the adjacent bed—Alexander's.

She couldn't openly talk about Atlantis, not without him present. Without him as the "intermediary," they couldn't begin the journey. Instead, she gave Alexander a sharp reminder.

"Merlin's beard... I completely forgot!" Alexander gasped.

"This has nothing to do with him. He's always been so quiet and unnoticed. If it weren't for—well, that—we wouldn't even remember he existed," Hermione said, frowning.

Alexander bit his tongue. He wasn't ready to tell her about what he'd noticed—that his entire presence seemed to be under his own control. It was like he had some kind of magical dampener that let him fade into the background at will.

In fact, Alexander's forgetfulness about their journey to Atlantis had everything to do with Ryan. He was subtly shielding them all, ensuring no one remembered too early.

—

Far away, nestled deep within the forests near Nottingham, stood a stone castle hidden by spells too ancient for Muggles to detect.

A figure appeared at the castle gate. As if sensing his arrival, the great oak doors creaked open.

Waiting beyond them was a squat, wiry house-elf with luminous bulbous eyes and a perpetually nervous expression.

"Master , the scepter is ready," said the elf—Jack—bowing deeply and holding out a gleaming crystal staff. The staff shimmered like sunlight refracted through ocean waves, the inside seeming to contain the essence of the sea itself.

"Hmm... the look is deceiving. Perfect," he murmured, running a finger along the smooth shaft. "We'll use this, and this necklace later as well."

He touched the delicate chain around his neck—the one Kate had given him.

He didn't want to waste time escorting Alexander and Hermione the usual way. But teleporting them directly to Atlantis beneath the ocean would stretch credibility. He needed a convincing cover story.

So he'd asked Jack to craft a proper-looking magical artifact: a dramatic, glowing Staff of Poseidon—completely for show. The necklace Kate gave him? That had its own special function as well. It allowed her to observe the entire journey, to feel included, especially after she'd missed their outing last week.

"Right then," Alexander said, smiling to himself. "Let's begin."

With that, he vanished.

—

Back at Hogwarts, Alexander and Hermione were startled by a sudden whisper in their minds.

"Alexander, Hermione—head outside now. No one will notice you. Meet me at the Black Lake."

"It's you!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Hermione, do you mind giving me two minutes? I'm still in my pajamas," Alexander said with a groan.

A short while later, dressed and disguised by subtle enchantment, the two made their way through the castle. As they passed through the hallways, students appeared to ignore them—but oddly, gave them space without even realizing it.

Hermione, too excited to notice the strange reactions, rushed ahead.

Alexander, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel nostalgic. For a fleeting moment, it was like he was back in primary school—utterly invisible because of Dudley's looming shadow.

He didn't mind this odd return to anonymity.

That is, until Hermione accidentally stepped on the back of his shoe.

"Ow! My shoe fell off!" Alexander yelped.

Hermione blushed and apologized quickly, hopping in place as Alexander fixed his lopsided trainer. Years of wearing Dudley's oversized hand-me-downs had made him used to loose-fitting shoes. Even now, he still picked clothes a size too large out of habit.

Finally, they reached the Black Lake.

Although it was only September, the air had already grown chilly. The surrounding mountains were wrapped in gray mist. The water was calm, but a whirlpool had begun forming near the shore.

"Why is no one around?" Hermione asked, rubbing her gloved hands.

"Look at the lake," Alexander said, squinting through his glasses—which, thankfully, were no longer held together with tape.

From the whirlpool, a column of water rose like a transparent tunnel. Moments later, two figures were expelled from it, sliding down the stream onto dry land.

One was Alexander, holding the shining scepter.

The other was a tall, cool-looking girl with platinum-blond hair, dressed in Hogwarts robes and bearing the Ravenclaw crest.

"This is Kate Lewinster," he said. "She's in fifth year. You've seen her around, surely. She's the only other person who's been to Atlantis."

Still, his sudden presence had spoiled whatever romantic two-person journey they might have planned. He was effortlessly charming, but Alexander was beginning to doubt whether anyone—anyone—was truly immune to that smile of his.

He tried to change the subject.

"Uh, Alexander... what's with the scepter?"

His eyes gleamed.

"This is the Staff of Poseidon. It can take us anywhere water flows. We'll use it to enter Atlantis."

He held it up dramatically, and the crystal shimmered with impossible light.

Kate, still icy and silent on the outside, was laughing uncontrollably in his mind.

Alexander couldn't help but grin.

Let the adventure begin.

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