Tuesday, 7th January 1992
The day went on like any other. Daniel's schedule was filled with Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions after breakfast, followed by Charms after lunch. And, of course, at midnight, there would be the Astronomy lesson. But that was still hours away, leaving him with plenty of time.
'Now's my chance to spawn the Pixies Dungeon Boss,' he thought with a grin, anticipating the challenge. He had just started to leave the Charms classroom when a voice called out behind him.
"So..." Michael began, his tone laced with curiosity. "Weren't you going to show us where you were yesterday?"
Daniel froze mid-step. 'Right, that.'
'Ugh, I totally forgot. Guess I'll just have to spawn the boss tomorrow,' he thought, mentally shifting priorities. He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."
Terry shot him a look, his eyebrows raised in mild disbelief. "Yeah, right."
Daniel raised an eyebrow in return, catching his friend's skeptical gaze. "What's with the look?"
Terry shrugged, a hint of concern in his voice. "It's just... you've been spending more and more time alone lately."
Daniel thought about it. 'Do I?' He reflected for a moment, realizing that he had indeed been spending a lot of time training or hunting in the dungeon by himself. "Guess I've been a bit of a bad friend," he muttered under his breath.
"Sorry about that," he added, a bit of guilt creeping into his voice. "I got a little too absorbed in magic."
Anthony, ever the easygoing one, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's nothing, mate. Just don't disappear on us again, yeah?"
"Yeah, thanks," Daniel muttered, feeling a mix of relief and embarrassment.
They stood there for a moment in silence, before Terry spoke up, his voice softer now. "Yeah... I'm sorry for questioning you too."
The air lightened, and they all shared a smile. With the tension gone, Michael broke the silence. "So, where's this hidden place?"
Daniel grinned "On the fourth floor. Follow me."
They made their way up through the castle, following a quiet corridor at the far end of the fourth floor. It was dimly lit, and the cool stone walls gave the space a slight chill. When they reached the end, they stopped beside a large antique mirror. It stood inconspicuously in the middle of the hallway, its tarnished silver frame etched with faint runes.
Terry raised an eyebrow. "This is the place?"
"Yep," Daniel said with a shrug. "I stumbled upon it while I was exploring."
He stepped closer to the mirror, ran his fingers over its cool, worn surface, and used Observe.
[Ancient Mirror on the Fourth Floor]
[ An old, ornate mirror with a tarnished silver frame, covered in faint runes along its edges. The glass is slightly foggy, distorting reflections. Pressing the bottom-right corner with firm intent causes the mirror to shimmer and reveal a hidden passage. ]
With a smile, Daniel stepped forward and pressed the bottom-right corner of the mirror, his intentions clear. The mirror shimmered for a moment, and then, to his friends' astonishment, it melted away, revealing a dark, narrow corridor.
"Alright, let's go," Daniel said with urgency. "It'll close in about a minute."
He stepped into the passage, and the others followed closely behind. As soon as they were all inside, the mirror shimmered back into existence behind them. From their side, they could see everything outside, but from the other side, the passage was completely hidden.
"A one-way mirror," Michael observed with a mix of awe and amusement.
"Yeah, pretty cool, right?" Daniel smiled. "Let's keep going."
The corridor wasn't long, and at the end, they found a wooden door, old and weathered. With a creak, Daniel pushed it open, revealing a small, classroom-sized room, cloaked in darkness.
As they stepped inside, the torches on the walls flickered to life, casting a soft glow over the room.
In one corner stood a wooden table with a few chairs, all covered in dust, beneath a faded tapestry. In the opposite corner, there were training dummies, targets, and a few worn-out spell-torn dolls, clearly used for magic practice. The room had an air of abandonment, the dust thick in the corners, as if time had forgotten it.
"Whoa..." Michael whispered in awe, his voice echoing slightly in the otherwise quiet space.
Terry bounced on his heels, his eyes wide with excitement. "A secret meeting room!" he exclaimed, already imagining the possibilities. He walked toward the table, brushing his fingers across its surface.
They began to explore, but the room yielded no more secrets, no papers, no hidden books, just a few old and dusty furnishings. Anthony eyed the dust-covered chairs and asked, "Do we, uh, wipe them down?"
Daniel smirked, his wand already in hand. "Don't worry, I've got this."
With a flick of his wrist, he cast "Scourgify!" The dust vanished in an instant, leaving the chair looking cleaner than they had in years.
"Nice," Terry said, impressed.
Daniel continued to clean the rest of the chairs and the table, and after a few moments, they all settled down.
"We could use this place as a secret meeting room," Michael said, his voice full of excitement. "And practice our magic here too. It's perfect!"
"Yeah, and I could teach you guys a few things," Daniel added with a grin, enjoying the idea of sharing his magical knowledge.
Anthony smirked. "Like the Scouring Charm?"
Daniel chuckled. "If you want. But check this out." He stood up and walked over to the training dummies, his wand at the ready.
"Glacius!" he cast, and a wave of cold air burst from his wand, instantly covering the dummy in a thick layer of ice.
"Ohh!" Michael gasped. "Teach me, please!" he added eagerly, clearly impressed.
Daniel smiled, pleased with the effect. "Alright, alright, I'll teach you."
He spent the next hour explaining the spell, and they all gave it a try, but after a couple of hours with little progress, they finally decided to call it quits. They still had to attend the Astronomy lesson.
As they made their way back to the Astronomy Tower, they thought about what else they could do with the hidden room.