#20 Whatever Comes

The Clocktower Courtyard was the least interesting of the Hogwarts courtyards, as it was smaller and mostly stone structures or benches. There was a stone fountain in the middle, which didn't overflow despite the downpour adding to it.

The raging weather certainly worked against Saoirse, making it hard to see anything -- let alone something quest-related. It was rather futile, with everything being so wet. Thankfully, the castle itself provided a bit of shelter so that the worst of it was kept at bay.

It took a long time for her to figure out if she was in the right place, so much that she'd missed lunch in the process -- at least, by then, the thunderstorm had ended, leaving only the heavy rain. She could search for clues or anything that caught her eye, without worrying about the lightning and thunder overhead.

The answer proved to be at the fountain itself. There was clearly something silver on the bottom, but it was vague. Or was it unrelated?

When Saoirse reached for the silver whatever-it-was, she ended up going much further -- as if falling into the fountain that was secretly much deeper. She could breathe fine, and around her was murky but eerie, almost like another area entirely. There was no sound of rain, chatter of students, or anything she'd left behind.

She received another vision, this time of the Black Lake. Come to think of it, her surroundings did vaguely remind her of it. Then her vision showed an underwater treasure -- too far in the distance to make out exact objects, but among it was shines of gold and things of mysterious lure or value.

A voice, unfamiliar and somewhat inhuman spoke to her. There was no mistaking that it was a warning, of sorts:

'It cannot be found until you first know what you're searching for.'

The vision changed to the Hogwarts library. A bookcase revealed a door, then--

Saoirse blinked and suddenly it was loud again as she burst to the surface. Rain poured down on her and the courtyard, students wandered by laughing or gossiping about something. She was sitting in the fountain, its water only a few inches deep. The silver she'd sought turned out to be another crest, but it didn't do anything now. It had served its purpose.