Saturday morning dawned bright and crisp, sunlight streaming through the tall windows of the Ravenclaw common room. The tower bathed in soft blue light as the enchanted stained glass danced faint reflections across the floor. Slowly, the members of the group filtered in one by one, bleary-eyed from the festivities of the night before.
Louis was the first awake, already curled in an armchair near the hearth, a steaming cup of tea in his hand. His expression was calm, contemplative, as though the whirlwind of the previous evening hadn't touched him in the slightest. Charles stumbled in next, rubbing his eyes and grunting something unintelligible. Cho and Evangeline followed shortly after, and Arya arrived last, nose still buried in a book.
"Ready to face the chaos?" Charles muttered, flopping into a seat.
"I have a strange feeling this day won't be like any other," Cho said with a sideways glance at Louis.
"No," Louis replied evenly. "It won't."
Together, they made their way down to the Great Hall. As they entered the corridor leading to the main doors, they noticed the unusually loud buzz of conversation coming from within.
The moment they stepped into the hall, it was clear something had changed.
The tables were packed, not just with students eating but with students reading. Nearly everyone was holding up the morning edition of the Daily Prophet, and the front page headline was impossible to miss:
"HOGWARTS STUDENTS SHAKE THE FOUNDATIONS OF MAGIC THEORY – LOUIS DE VERSAILLES LEADS A NEW ERA"
Beneath the title, a large moving photograph showed Louis mid-thought, writing intensely. Another image followed, this one of the entire group, seated together in what appeared to be their QG, though none of them recalled posing for it. Likely, it had been captured during their meeting with Dumbledore.
All conversation came to a halt as the group walked toward the Ravenclaw table. Then, like a wave breaking, voices rose again—more urgent, more directed.
"There they are!"
"That's them!"
"Is that Louis? The one who trained with Flamel?"
They took their seats, but it didn't help. Students from every house and year began drifting toward them, some holding the newspaper, others asking questions eagerly.
"Can I ask you something about page thirty-four? The energy flow chart—did you really develop that on your own?" asked a wide-eyed fourth-year from Hufflepuff.
"How did you come up with the mana resonance theory?" another piped up.
"Are you going to publish another one?"
Louis remained composed, answering briefly and politely, but his usual serenity masked a building fatigue. Cho gave up trying to butter her toast after the fifth interruption. Evangeline nodded to a second-year politely but said nothing. Even Charles, who usually thrived on attention, looked overwhelmed.
The final straw came when a group of third-year Slytherins began chanting "Mana Masters" from the other end of the hall.
"Alright," Louis said, rising. "We're leaving."
The group stood and exited swiftly, weaving through the sea of curious stares and following a side corridor toward one of their hidden staircases. Only once they were a few floors up did they begin to relax.
"Remind me whose idea it was to publish under our real names?" Charles grumbled.
"We didn't exactly expect to become overnight celebrities," Cho replied with a smirk.
"I think we underestimated the magical world's hunger for real theory," Evangeline said.
Louis reached the entrance to their QG and pressed his hand to the wall. The enchantments responded immediately, the door shimmering into existence. It had remained secure despite being left open the previous night—thankfully, the layered wards still required a unique mana imprint.
Once inside, they scattered to their favorite seats. The remnants of the previous night's party lingered—cushions out of place, a few sparkles still drifting from an overambitious charm.
Charles tossed a copy of the Daily Prophet onto the center table. "Have you read this article? They're calling us 'revolutionaries of the arcane frontier.' Bit dramatic, don't you think?"
"Accurate, maybe," Evangeline said quietly.
Cho laughed. "I mean, the book isn't even out yet. People have just pre-ordered it."
"That's the point," Louis said. "The theories are already causing waves. The article leaked enough to start a storm."
"Speaking of which," Evangeline began, lowering her voice, "we should talk about what happened last night."
The mood in the room shifted.
"Snape and Quirrell," Charles said, serious now. "It wasn't just an argument."
"Snape was threatening him," Cho confirmed. "And Quirrell looked terrified."
Louis leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Snape must have sensed something. Just like I did. Two mana signatures. One corrupted."
"He knows something," Evangeline added. "But what is he waiting for?"
"Maybe he doesn't have proof," said Evangeline. "Or maybe he's working with someone. Dumbledore, even?"
Louis nodded slowly. "Either way, we need to stay cautious. Don't confront either of them. Just observe."
The fire crackled in the hearth, the only sound for a moment.
"You think the corruption is getting stronger?" Charles asked.
"I'm certain of it," Louis said. "There was something different in Quirrell's aura last night. It felt… unstable."
Cho shivered slightly. "And to think he teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"He's the one who needs defending from it," Evangeline said quietly.
They all fell silent, lost in thought. The firelight flickered across their faces, casting long shadows on the walls.
Outside the QG, Hogwarts was still humming with gossip, but for the group, the thrill of recognition had already faded. What lingered was something heavier, something more serious than fame.
Not every secret could be hidden by a charming headline or a glowing article. Some truths ran deeper—and darker.