A Chilling Answer.

The next day began just like any other, except this time, once again, most students in the castle had fallen sick.

However, this time, the sickness was exceptionally prevalent and several students suffered bouts of vomiting and fever.

Loki felt something trip the ward he'd set up in the random classroom, so he quickly abandoned breakfast to get Sirius's letter for him.

The letter was short and didn't even contain a salutation.

'I received a letter and a parcel from the Aurora Order. Have you gotten any news about Peter Pettigrew yet?'

Ignoring Sirius's question, Loki pulled out the second letter, the one from Aurora Order, and began to read it carefully.

'I have included the first half of the payment, fifty Galleons, in the package for half of the information.

I have a new task for you.

Leave with Gehrman Sparrow the item that is inside the package.'

Loki looked at the three short sentences that were on the letter with a little disappointment.

'He was careful enough not to let any information slip from his plan.'

'...but I did get a weird item that I have to give to myself.'

'Perhaps I can analyse it better and learn something about all this by understanding what it is supposed to do?'

Loki stuffed the package into his pocket and decided he would examine its contents later, he quickly walked back to the Great Hall and slipped back into the crowd of students waiting to be escorted to their classes by a teacher.

His first class of the day was Herbology and Loki was escorted there by the Herbology Professor Miss Pomona Sprout.

The classes went swimmingly well and Loki eventually moved to a random empty classroom ready to examine the package he had been given.

Opening the package Loki found a large stuffing of newspaper that surrounded a simple bronze knut.

Pulling out his wand immediately, Loki separated the newspapers from the coin using a simple levitation charm and placed it on the table for him to examine.

Loki observed the coin from all angles for a while as he tried to see if he could spot anything weird about it but there seemed to be nothing life threatening.

But Loki wasn't convinced just yet.

Pulling out his Topaz pendant Loki performed his first divination of the day.

"The coin is a Beyonder item."

"The coin is a Beyonder item."

"The coin is a Beyonder item."

…

"The coin is a Beyonder item."

Loki opened his eyes and looked at his pendant, it was spinning clockwise rapidly.

Then he stopped the pendulum and performed his second divination.

"It is safe for me to touch it." Loki asked seven more times and opening his eyes he got his answer.

The pendulum was spinning anti-clockwise slowly.

'So dangerous, but still something I can handle?'

'I see.'

Then Loki moved on to his third divination.

"I can examine this item by wrapping it in my spirituality." Loki stilled the pendulum and asked it a new question seven times.

Opening his eyes Loki looked at the pendulum with a slight apprehension since he needed this to have a positive response.

He needed to be able to use his spirituality to interact with the item so that he could examine the runes that were used in making it so that he could learn exactly what the item was supposed to do once it came in contact with him.

It was a crucial step to understand how he could defend himself and learn more about this mess he was in.

As soon as Loki's eyes lay on the pendulum his heart sank.

The pendulum was spinning anti-clockwise, rapidly.

Rapid enough to stir up a small breeze.

'So definitely not huh.'

Taking a deep breath in to calm himself and analyse the situation more carefully Loki looked at the coin that was in front of him.

After a few seconds, he used his divination to ask another question, "There is a way to safely touch the coin with my spirituality to examine it."

"There is a way to safely touch the coin with my spirituality to examine it."

"There is a way to safely touch the coin with my spirituality to examine it."

…

"There is a way to safely touch the coin with my spirituality to examine it."

Loki opened his eyes and looked at the pendulum in his hand, it was spinning clockwise.

His heartbeat sped up and a smile emerged on his face.

'So, I can do it. I just have to figure out how.'

'I see. I see.'

With his mood back on track, Loki did a fourth divination to figure out an answer to a question he had.

"I can use spirit vision to examine the coin."

"I can use spirit vision to examine the coin."

"I can use spirit vision to examine the coin."

"I can use spirit vision to examine the coin."

…

"I can use spirit vision to examine the coin."

His answer was simple, the Topaz pendulum spun around anti-clockwise, he couldn't.

The phrase 'You must not directly look at a God.' rang in Loki's mind but he pushed it aside and performed his fifth and final divination.

"I can take this coin to the Puzzle Room without suffering any grave consequences."

Loki asked the question seven times and slowly opened his eyes.

The pendulum was spinning anti-clockwise in a similarly rapid fashion.

'So that confirms it. The Aurora Order is planning to do something with the founders.'

'Effect them perhaps? Or maybe even corrupt them and take control over them?'

With his old questions answered and new ones leading him in his search for more answers, Loki re-packed the item into its original packing and carefully stuffed it into his pocket.

After re-adding all the tape around the coin, Loki carefully wrapped it in small walls of spirituality so that no one would be able to detect what was inside the box and any attempts at finding it using divination would be for naught.

Walking out of the classroom, Loki began to go to the dungeons to go back into his dorms when after turning around a bend, he knocked into someone.

"Ouch!" Loki whispered rubbing his nose that was hurt.

Just as Loki was about to complain further he saw the person brush past him as if he wasn't even there and continue walking at the same pace they were before.

A piece of paper had fallen onto the floor and Loki bent over to pick it up.

"Hey!-" Loki shouted to return the piece of paper to the person but he paused when he read what was on it.

'Keep the item with you at all times. It will keep you safe from the sickness.'

Although the message did make Loki pause, really it was the handwriting that grabbed his attention.

'Ah…it's Mr. X who wrote this letter.'

'But, why is it with this girl?'

Loki looked at the girl who was mindlessly walking the corridor and chased after her while tiptoeing and staying mostly silent.

Once he was in front of her, he recognised her even though her eyes were blank and she appeared to be possessed.

'It's the same girl who asked me about Gehrman Sparrow, Mary Jackson. One of the girls hired as a mercenary to find me!'

Loki stayed silent, covering himself under illusions and followed the girl through the corridors, occasionally taking out the Marauder's map to check if any teachers were around.

But not so surprisingly, Loki could see the girl avoid all teachers who were on patrol, even Miss Norris and Peeves.

Soon, there were two more people, both students, who were walking in a similar fashion with their eyes rolled back.

Loki didn't have to use Spirit vision to tell that they were all in the same state.

But he did nothing to help them out of it, not because he was apathetic to their lives or he had a grudge against them for helping the Aurora Order, but simply because-

'I'm no match to whatever entity is doing this.'

Loki was scared. His palms had turned sweaty and his lips dry.

His throat was parched and he couldn't find it in himself to even try to stop what was happening.

After all, when the great 'Adam' couldn't realise that someone was working right under his nose, how could he, a measly Sequence 7 Cryptologist, aim to defeat such a thing?

Loki carefully watched them all step out of the Hogwarts castle and slowly make their way towards the Whomping Willow that did not react in any way to their presence.

They vanished soon after, entering its roots.

'Well, I know what the coin does now I guess…'

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