4. Runes

A/N: I'm making a small change to the previous chapter. Scorpius woke up in the same place, but there was no tunnel or second cavern. He wakes up and sees the Black door which led him to the room he is in now.

Thanks for reading!

Scorpius had explored the scriptorium he had been in. He had looked at the ancient armor next to the old fireplace, looked at the ancient scrolls and books around the top floor. There was a side room that held robes, different styles of masks and other clothing including armor and weapons. He had then gone down to the sword in the stone. It was old and battleworn, having multiple chips in the blade. The handle of the sword looked as if it were made of stone because the old leather had hardened. He had tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge. Words were carved into the stone below where the sword stood.

"Caledfwlch, the sword of the king." the words read.

Scorpius had walked back up the upper floor and had started looking through the books on the table. A letter was found on top of the whole mess addressed to anyone who would read it.

"To the squib who is reading this letter, My name is Merlin. This scriptorium was a place I had made for myself and my ward Arthur Pendragon, who is a squib himself. I'm not sure of the situations and events that have brought you here, but know that fate has willed it so. Hopefully what you find here will help you in your endeavors, and bring you to greater heights.

Ps. The squid is your key to entering and leaving this place. I have enchanted it to bring you to and from the scriptorium."

Scorpius put the letter down and began to look around the table at the scribbles, drawings, and notes strung across the it.

It didn't make much sense to him, though he found what looked to be an old journal.

"I've done it, I've done it!" The book said.

" I've made probably the most important discovery of my lifetime!" It read. "I've figured out how to create magic runes that bestow power to the one they've been branded on. Somewhat of a barbaric tactic, but a tactic nonetheless!" the enthusiastic writer, who Scorpius thought to be Merlin, wrote.

"The problem I've run into is that I have only been able to make about four runes or so. Yes… very troublesome indeed. Still so much research to do!" The book stated.

Scorpius was now sitting, reading more into the book. He had picked up one of the small cylindrical stones and looked it over. It was about five inches in length and about an inch and a half in diameter. One end had a symbol protruding out of it, while the other end was smooth.

"The four runes I've been able to make are as follows.

The Rune of the Giants. This rune is placed on the recipient's right bicep. This rune grants one the strength of the giants.

The Rune of the Dragon. This rune is placed on the recipient's left breast over the heart. This rune grants one healing abilities and the hide of a dragon. meaning that one's skin will become as strong as a dragon's hide, making them impervious to most spells and other physical attacks. This does not protect against some of the more deadly curses however. Yes… lost a couple good people testing that.

The Rune of Foresight. This rune is placed directly under the recipient's left eye. This rune gives one the ability to see into the future for a split second in battle, and raises one's awareness and reflexes.

Lastly is the Rune of the King. This rune is placed on the back of the recipient's right hand. This rune gives One the ability to wield the legendary sword Excalibur. This rune is very complicated, and may have unforeseen effects on the recipient, as only one person may have this rune at a time."

Scorpius sat back in his chair and looked at the small stones around the book. He picked one up and looked at the symbol that was one in. He matched the symbol that was in the book to the one in his hand.

'This must be the rune of the Giants.' He thought to himself. He picked each one up and examined it closely. After setting each rune back down he turned his attention back to the book and continued to read.

"Through extensive study and application, I've come to the conclusion that you can only put one rune of a recipient per month. Any more than that, and the recipient will expire. Through more study we have also come to the knowledge that these runes work best on squibs, as they have no magical core to occupy their being."

Scorpius read through a few more pages of information before he came to a paragraph that caught his attention again.

"The runes are able to be put into one time use forms. Meaning that I can mass produce them. Through branding it on one's skin, they will gain the attribute of the rune, but that stone will no longer be usable again. Luckily I have stored a number of the runes except for the King rune. I've only been able to make three of those. One is for my ward Arthur, the son of king Uther who was born a squib. He is very talented with a sword and I believe that through the power of the sword I can make him king. I have made these runes for Arthur, and I will think about making more for other squibs. But for the moment, I will simply store what I have. So much to do, yet so little time."

Scorpius looked at the runes he had aligned across the table behind the book he was reading.

Could he use these runes? The book said that once used, these stones would lose their power.

He started to rummage around the table once more, looking for another book or journal he could read. He couldn't find one, but his luck held out as he found something else. Instructions on how to use the brands. It was very simple. He just had to heat it up, and brand himself. The hard part was actually making the runes, but after that? It was simple.

Scorpius got up and walked to the fire place. He looked it over and noticed some very old wooden logs next to it. He placed them in the fireplace and took one of the magical torches that lined the room and lit the fire. The flames burst to life, giving the room an orange tint, he went back and looked at the four runes on the table. He picked the rune of the Dragon and brought it over to the fire. He placed the whole stone in the fire then stood back and began to wait.

He had picked the rune for one simple reason. If he couldn't use magic, then magic shouldn't be used against him. He did remember that it wouldn't make him immune to all spells, only most of them, which was fine with him. He assumed he only really had to worry about the unforgivables, which was troublesome, but he wasn't planning on seeing his family for a long while. Only when he went to go get Cynthia.

After a while, he figured that the rune was hot enough and walked over to the fireplace. He crouched down and picked the runestone up with a pair of tongs that were next to the fireplace. Setting the rune on the table, he put his hand over it to feel its heat. Surprisingly no heat radiated from it, though as he moved his hand towards the end that held the rune itself he began to feel the heat. He removed his shirt, and sat in the seat as he grabbed the rune.

'This is gonna hurt.' He thought to himself, remembering the other brand right above where this one would go.

Taking a few deep breaths, he brought the rune up to his chest, then forced it onto his skin.

"Aaaahhh!" He let out a shout of pain, then grit his teeth to fight against the pain. He could feel the rune transferring some sort of power to him, but he almost lost his will to keep it on himself. After a minute of excruciating pain, he let the now empty runestone roll from his fingers onto the floor. He held the new brand and breathed heavily for some minutes, before looking down at it. The skin was raw and blistering, but the rune was there. Suddenly he started to feel an itching sensation as his skin began to grow back, leaving a scar of the rune.

'This must be one of the healing abilities it talked about in the book.' He thought.

Standing he looked about the room once more and walked to the black door.

In one of the many notes he had learned that only Merlin and squibs could enter this room. The door would lock behind him, and as he walked out it did just that. He only needed to grab the doorknob and it would unlock.

'I guess I'll come back in a month.' He thought to himself, walking to the pool of crystal clear water. There were many of the squid's tentacles floating around lazily, creating an eerie sight. Taking a deep breath, Scorpius jumped into the water. The tentacles wrapped around him gently and began to pull him deeper into the pool.

The squid dragged him through the water, passing many places, including the merpeople settlement. Soon they reached the boat house as the tentacles raised Scorpius up and out of the water, laying him gently back on the stone.

He gasped for air, feeling that he was about to pass out from the ordeal.

After a few deep breaths he sat back up and got to his feet. The tentacle retreated back into the water and soon, the water stilled one more.

Scorpius walked up the long staircase that led back up to the castle, and by the time he had made it to his room he was almost dry. He changed his clothes and walked into the hall that held his room.

"Oi, lad!" A voice said. Scorpius turned around and saw Argus, walking towards him.

"Where the hell have you been? I've looked over this whole damned castle for you!" The angry man shouted.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir. I… got lost for a little bit." Scorpius said sheepishly. Filch finally arrived and stuck out his hand. Confused, Scorpius took his hand and shook it. He saw Filch's eyes quickly dart to the back of his hand before looking away.

"I see, well no matter. The headmaster has a task for us to do. Come on, follow me." The man said, walking off.

Soon the pair arrived in the headmasters office, and with a knock, walked in.

"Ah, Argus, Scorpius. I'm so glad you could meet me here." Dumbledore Said, seeing the two enter the office. "There is a task that I need your help with. There was a certain… incident that happened this year" He said.

"I need you two to go and recover some things for me. They are ingredients that are extremely rare, and need to be harvested immediately. I will show the two of you where the entrance is. Hagrid will also be helping you in this endeavor, so fear not. He will be doing most of the work. You just need to help him.

"I'm sorry headmaster, but I think this would be a task better set for the youngen here." Filch said, pointing to Scorpius.

"Oh nonsense Argus. Hagrid will keep you safe, I promise." The headmaster retorted.

Filch looked dissatisfied, but didn't argue further.

The three left the office and walked to the dungeons. On their way they met with Hagrid and continued their walk to the girls bathroom while Filch muttered the whole way.

"What's he thinking? I'm just an old man for goodness sake." He muttered to himself.

"So am I old friend, but I still need things done." Dumbledore said.

The four of them finally arrive at their destination, leaving Scorpius confused.

"Why are we here in the girls bathroom, headmaster?" He asked.

"You will find out soon enough, young man." The headmaster answered cryptically. He waved his wand and the sink began to come apart, pieces of it floating in the air and moving about until a large hole was left.

Dumbledore turned to Hagrid. "You know what I need. I'll see you in a little bit." He said before turning and walking away.

"Well," Hagrid said. "Best not keep him waiting." He finished before jumping down the hole.

Scorpius turned to filch, who also looked at him.

"Age before beauty old man." He said.

"Funny, I'm older and more good looking than you, boy." Filch spat before sitting down with his legs dangling into the hole. He took a deep breath, then jumped in.

Scorpius gave a sour look at the hole before looking at his reflection in one of the mirrors that floated in the air. One side of his face was still extremely handsome, though it had some small scars on that side. The other side however was a mass of burns and scars from his labors and tortures. Lord Malfoy had been "kind" enough to leave him a reminder of what he looked like before.

Shaking his head free from the thoughts he looked down the hole, and jumped.