Harry was in no mood to indulge in a quick game to satisfy his itch for excitement. He was exhausted, utterly and completely drained, as if his very core had been hollowed out.

After all, he’d overexerted himself for hours in the Map Chamber, and now he felt lightheaded, unable to muster any energy.

So when he suggested heading back to the dormitory for a nap, Veratia was visibly puzzled.

But trusting Harry’s judgment, Veratia didn’t dwell on it. A violet glint flashed in her eyes as she watched him trudge back to the dormitory.

All that practice with Occlumency hadn’t been for nothing. The moment that glint flickered in Veratia’s eyes, Harry cleared his mind completely.

Veratia’s subtle attempt at Legilimency slid off his polished mental defenses, finding no chink in his armor.

Back in the dormitory, Harry collapsed onto his bed and was out like a light.

The moment his head hit the pillow, he sank into a deep, dreamless sleep.

At dinnertime, Ron saw him sleeping so soundly that, after some hesitation, he decided not to wake him. Instead, he brought back a tuna sandwich for Harry to eat whenever he woke up hungry.

The next day was Sunday, with no classes, so after breakfast, Harry returned to the Map Chamber.

But...

When he arrived, he found that the portraits of the professors that once lined the walls were gone.

?!?!

What in the world?

Harry stared in shock at the empty spots where the portraits had been, as if some master thief had swept through the Map Chamber.

This was too strange. After searching fruitlessly, he left the chamber and pulled out his crystal ball to contact Veratia.

"Beep... beep..."

Veratia’s image flickered into view above the crystal ball, revealing a striking blonde woman with a high ponytail. Judging by her surroundings, she was in her room in the Muggle world.

"Hey, Harry," Veratia greeted cheerfully. "Good morning!"

"Good morning," Harry replied, his voice heavy with worry. "I just got to the Map Chamber, and the professors’ portraits are gone—stolen, frames and all! Who would even think to take the frames?"

"Oh, that was me," Veratia said lightly. "Sorry, you were so exhausted yesterday, I didn’t want to bother you. I was going to tell you soon... I thought the professors seemed lonely in the Map Chamber, so I moved them. They might end up in an office or somewhere else eventually. They shouldn’t be confined to just one corner of the castle, don’t you think?"

What a flawless excuse. Harry couldn’t find a single crack to argue against.

"You’ve thought this through, Veratia," he said, swallowing his frustration and accepting the situation. "If that’s the case, I’m sure the professors are thrilled to have someone looking out for them. It’s a good thing."

Veratia tilted her head slightly, her gaze flickering toward Professor Rackham and Professor Bakar, who were quietly grumbling nearby. She smiled. "Don’t worry, the professors are very happy."

"That’s a relief," Harry said, his tone sincere but resigned.

After a bit more small talk, Harry ended the call.

Well... it seemed the professors were out of the picture now.

That left him with no choice but to practice the method Professor Rackham had mentioned on his own.

But... was Rackham’s method even reliable?

Harry had his doubts, but with no better options, he decided to give it a shot, treating it like a last resort.

Still, he’d need a safe place to practice and someone to keep an eye on him in case things went wrong. Otherwise, he’d be in real trouble.

The thought gave him a shiver of unease.

Yesterday, he’d been reckless. If something had gone wrong in the Map Chamber...

Well, not necessarily. Headmistress Fitzgerald’s portrait hung in the Headmaster’s office. She could alert Dumbledore, who could then inform Veratia. There was some safety net, at least.

As he left the Map Chamber, three names came to mind.

Cassandra, Poppy, and Sirius.

He quickly ruled out Cassandra.

No, not her.

Cassandra and Veratia were too close. He couldn’t trust her to suddenly have a change of heart and let him practice advanced Occlumency.

What about Poppy?

Poppy could work. He’d keep her in mind.

And Sirius? Of course. His godfather would never let him down.

With that, Harry headed to the Hufflepuff common room.

He spotted Megan chatting with some classmates and called out, "Megan, can you find Poppy for me? Poppy Sweeting?"

"Sure thing!" Megan gave an OK sign and disappeared into the Hufflepuff common room.

About five minutes later, she returned.

"Sorry, Harry," Megan said. "Miss Sweeting isn’t in the dormitory, and no one knows where she is."

"Alright," Harry nodded and turned toward the castle grounds.

If Poppy wasn’t in the common room, she’d definitely be at her nephew’s tent.

As expected, Harry knew Poppy well. He found her inside Professor Newt Scamander’s tent, sipping tea from a cup.

"When did you start liking tea?" Harry asked, curious. "Didn’t you say you don’t like it in the mornings?"

"Because unicorns can’t drink coffee, Harry," Poppy said in her soft, sing-song voice. "I’m a unicorn. A uni-corn."

As she spoke, she swayed side to side in her chair, gently bumping her head against Harry like a wobbling toy.

"But you’re in human form right now," Harry said, his face darkening. "Look, my godfather’s an Animagus—a dog—but he still eats chocolate in human form..."

"Actually," Newt interjected, looking down, "Animagi can’t eat certain things in their animal forms, but it’s fine in human form. We still don’t fully understand why, but that’s how it works."

Harry shrugged, thinking of Professor McGonagall.

Right... human-form McGonagall didn’t react to catnip. Imagining that stern, proper witch acting like a cat was just too bizarre.

"Is Professor Dumbledore an Animagus?" Harry asked idly. "I mean, I know he’s not, but if he were, what animal do you think he’d be?"

At that, even the usually shy Newt looked up, locking eyes with Harry for a moment.

"A bee," they said in unison, nodding.

"Not necessarily," Poppy chimed in. "Loving sweets doesn’t mean a bee. It could be a bear—they love honey too, don’t they?"

"No way," Harry and Newt said together. "Dumbledore couldn’t be a bear."

Poppy thought for a moment and conceded. Dumbledore, that wiry old man, didn’t exactly scream "bear."

Unbeknownst to them, in certain future communities, "bear" would carry a very different connotation.

"So, are you planning to ride me around?" Poppy suddenly stood up, her energy bursting forth. "Come on, I’ve been waiting forever! The last time we had fun together was two years ago. Ever since Veratia came back, you haven’t ridden me once."

Harry’s face turned black with embarrassment. Merlin’s beard, Poppy, that sounds so wrong.

He’d only ridden her in her unicorn form, like one might ride a horse, not... whatever else that could imply.

Clearly, Newt had misunderstood. He was staring at Poppy and Harry with a look of shock, as if they’d just revealed some scandalous secret.

"Hey!" Poppy tugged at Harry’s sleeve, bouncing excitedly. "Come on, let’s go! Please? Pretty please?"

"I’ve got something important, Poppy," Harry said, feeling a bit dizzy from her enthusiasm. "I need your help."

The moment she heard Harry needed her, Poppy’s eyes lit up, and her sleepiness vanished.

"What? You need my help?" Poppy said eagerly. "No problem, Harry—you’ve got the right person! Tell me, what’s up?"

"It’s about Occlumency."

Harry decided to keep it brief, explaining everything that had happened in the Map Chamber in detail.

"...So that’s the situation," Harry said, adjusting his glasses. "Veratia moved all the portraits out, and now the Map Chamber’s just an empty shell. The professors are gone, and I need someone to watch over me while I practice Occlumency. That’s why I thought of you."

"Yay!" Poppy pouted slightly. "How could Veratia be so sneaky? Don’t worry, Harry, I’ve got you. You’re safe with me."

"I trust you, Poppy," Harry said, patting her shoulder.

"Oh, one more thing," Poppy added. "Why don’t we go to Mr. Flamel’s alchemy lab? He’s over six hundred years old, after all. He could share some wisdom about Occlumency as an elder. What do you think?"

"That’s a brilliant idea!" Harry agreed.

True to his action-oriented nature, Harry wasted no time. He and Poppy headed to Nicolas Flamel’s alchemy lab. He’d planned to send a message to Sirius, but Lupin informed him that Sirius was off in the Muggle world, apparently getting very close with a Muggle girl.

Lupin had phrased it delicately, but Harry got the gist.

That was good news...

But since it was a Muggle girl, Harry decided it was best not to tell Walburga Black’s portrait just yet. He wanted a peaceful summer without her shrieking.

"Your idea is solid, Harry," Flamel said after hearing him out. "But it needs some refinement. Your magical power is sufficient, but Occlumency tests your mental strength... Let me think..."

Flamel turned and scurried into his workshop.

Moments later, he returned holding a blue gemstone.

"Here," Flamel said, handing it to Harry. "This can convert magical power into mental energy. It’s exactly what you need. Take it, lie on that sofa, and Miss Sweeting, Mr. Scamander, and I will keep an eye on you."

Newt, head bowed, nodded quickly when his name was mentioned.

Harry took the gem, and a warm sensation surged from his toes to the crown of his head.

It was a clarity he’d never experienced in all his years.

"This gem..." Harry turned it over in his hands, looking at Flamel. "It actually works?"

Flamel’s face darkened slightly. What, you think I’d give you something useless?

Realizing his slip, Harry apologized and lay on the sofa.

Following Professor Rackham’s instructions, he closed his eyes and began constructing a mental model.

Half an hour later, Harry opened his eyes, frowning.

Rackham’s method wasn’t quite right.

Or rather, it wasn’t entirely wrong. Each of the three professors’ ideas was partially correct.

Perhaps...

What if he combined all three?

With that thought, Harry gave Poppy a reassuring glance and closed his eyes again.

As he built the mental model, he increased the rate at which he converted magic into mental energy.

Ever since absorbing the Philosopher’s Stone, the strength and volume of Harry’s magical power had reached terrifying heights.

By accelerating the conversion, his mental energy surged to a level even prodigies would struggle to match.

No, not just prodigies—no one could match it.

With this overwhelming mental force, previously obscure barriers unraveled smoothly.

Guiding this mental energy, Harry had a sudden inspiration and began constructing the Map Chamber in his mind.

When that was complete, he felt he had more to give, so he expanded the model to encompass all of Hogwarts Castle.

Even then, he had energy to spare. Emboldened, he pressed on, constructing the entire Hogwarts Valley in his mind before stopping.

It wasn’t that he’d run out of mental energy—he just didn’t want to risk going too far and causing trouble.

In his mental world, Harry tried shattering the Hogwarts Castle he’d built. To his surprise, the moment the thought crossed his mind, the castle collapsed in a spectacular crash.

Panicked at seeing his carefully constructed castle in ruins, a miracle occurred. The instant he thought of repairing it, the shattered castle restored itself to its original form in a flash.

--

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