World of the Dead
"If… if you could actually summon Ariana's spirit," she started, looking thoughtful. "Maybe it would help Professor Dumbledore… find closure. I think he might really need that."
Blake nodded, his expression serious yet thoughtful. "I hope so too. Family matters aren't easy to resolve, but sometimes… we just need the right push."
He paused, a flicker of something more mischievous flashing across his eyes. Though he didn't mention it, he also thought about how much this could shake Dumbledore. There might even be special treasure chests in it if things went as planned. Such a unique feat would certainly turn some heads in the wizarding world.
After five minutes of chatting with Nagini, she nudged him. "It's time, Blake."
Blake nodded, positioning himself in front of the intricately drawn magic circle and gesturing for Nagini to take a few steps back. He took out a bowl of dragon's blood, pouring it carefully over the raw chicken at the center of the circle while chanting Ariana's name in a low, steady voice. As he completed the incantation, he launched his necromantic spell, feeling his consciousness shift.
In an instant, Blake felt his awareness detach from his body, and he was transported to a strange, mist-covered world—a realm where time and place seemed to fold in upon themselves.
The air was thick and gray, carrying an oppressive silence. Every direction was clouded with shadows that seemed to watch, whisper, and drift through the murky grayness like forgotten memories. A sense of foreboding filled the atmosphere.
"So, this is the world of the dead…" Blake murmured, studying the mist that hung around him. "No wonder the knowledge I studied mentioned that the living could never truly understand this place."
The world around him was hard to decipher; shadows drifted in and out of view, undefined and insubstantial. Blake focused, letting his concentration settle as he began to search.
Quietly, he repeated Ariana's name in his mind, calling to her spirit, willing her to appear. Time seemed to stretch on, and he began to feel the weight of the spirits around him growing heavier, though none took form.
"Where could Ariana's spirit be?" he muttered, his voice barely more than a whisper. He was puzzled and frustrated.
"Did something happen to her soul when she died?"
The shadows seemed to respond, subtly closing in around him, the faint whispers growing louder. The figures hovered just beyond his vision, their presence a murmur at the edge of perception, like words lost behind a thick wall. He couldn't make out any faces or details, and Ariana was nowhere to be seen.
Feeling a need to test his power further, Blake decided to try calling someone else. "Lily Potter," he thought, focusing on her name.
Immediately, one of the shadowy figures brightened as if illuminated by a spotlight. He could see her clearly—a woman with red hair and striking green eyes, her expression warm and sad.
She drifted toward him, her face illuminated within the fog. But before he could reach out, her light faded, and she dissolved back into the endless grey.
Without warning, Blake felt a powerful tug, pulling him back. The gray mist receded, and he found himself back in his room. The magic circle around him was almost completely spent.
Where the raw chicken had been, there were only scattered bones, and the red-dyed candles had burned down to nearly nothing. The vibrant lines he had so carefully drawn had blurred into faint shadows.
"Blake, what happened?" Nagini asked, her eyes wide and filled with curiosity. She'd expected a spirit to appear, yet had only seen the gray smoke swirl and fade.
"When you sat down, the whole circle filled with gray smoke," Nagini explained, still watching him closely.
"Then it just… faded away. I thought it worked."
Blake sighed, rubbing his temples. "I didn't succeed in bringing Ariana's spirit here," he said, looking down at the remains of the sacrifice. "But… it wasn't a complete failure."
He glanced at the remnants of the ritual and realized he'd learned something important about the spirit world. His stay there had depended on the sacrifice he offered—the raw chicken, which had acted as a temporary anchor, allowing him to visit but not remain.
His experiment had made one thing clear: to enter and remain in the spirit realm, the quality of the sacrifice was crucial. Without a powerful offering, he would only ever have a brief, unstable connection.
This simple raw chicken had served as his "battery," running out just as he was beginning to make progress.
Nagini looked thoughtful, tilting her head slightly. "Maybe… it didn't work because it was your first time," she suggested.
"Shouldn't we try again?"
Blake shook his head, a shadow of frustration crossing his face. "No, Nagini. The issue isn't my skill or experience. I even tested my ability by summoning someone else, and Lily Potter appeared almost instantly. If Ariana's spirit were here, she'd have appeared too. But I felt nothing."
Nagini's eyes widened as she absorbed his words. "You're saying… that Ariana's spirit isn't in the world of the dead?"
Blake nodded slowly. "Exactly. There are only a few reasons why her spirit wouldn't appear, and I'm considering three possibilities."
Nagini leaned in, intrigued. "What are they?"
"The first," Blake began, "is that Ariana's soul was obliterated when she died. If that's the case, she no longer exists in any world—not even in the realm of the dead."
Nagini's brow furrowed, visibly unsettled. "But… Professor Dumbledore said she died from a spell in a chaotic fight, right? There wasn't any mention of soul-destroying magic."
"Exactly. If she died from a common spell or curse, her soul should still exist. Obliteration would require something much darker. So, I think this scenario is unlikely." Blake's voice took on a pensive tone as he continued.
"The second possibility is that Ariana became a ghost."
Nagini looked puzzled. "You mean… like the Hogwarts ghosts?"
Blake nodded. "Yes. Some spirits linger in the living world, caught by unfinished business or deep emotions. But if that's the case, Ariana's spirit would be haunting Godric's Hollow or following her family. Dumbledore, of all people, would have sensed her presence by now."
Nagini pondered this, realizing that if Ariana's spirit had lingered, her family, especially Dumbledore, would have seen or felt her over the years. After all, they were some of the most powerful wizards in the world, attuned to magical presences.
"So… what's the third possibility?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Blake took a breath, his eyes flashing with an intense, quiet excitement. "The third option… is that Ariana never died."
Nagini's mouth dropped open in shock. "That can't be… Dumbledore was there when it happened. He'd have known if she were alive."
"It sounds absurd, I know," Blake admitted, his tone hushed yet firm.
"But if we've ruled out all other explanations, then this one, however improbable, deserves consideration."
He looked away, as though trying to piece together the faint threads of his theory. "Think about it. Dumbledore was young and inexperienced. In the chaos, he might have missed something."
Nagini frowned, lost in thought. "But if she survived, then where has she been all this time? Why hasn't she reached out to her family?"
Blake shook his head, frustration marring his expression. "I don't know. Maybe she was hidden away, or perhaps something else is keeping her from returning. It's a mystery… one I can't solve right now."
Nagini nodded, silently taking in the implications of his theory. She felt a sense of awe mixed with foreboding. The idea that Ariana might still be out there somewhere was both thrilling and unsettling.
Blake, too, felt the enormity of what he'd uncovered, sensing that there was a much larger story lurking beneath the surface.
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