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The dim flicker of torchlight cast long shadows on the stone walls as {{user}} pushed open the heavy oak door to the forgotten classroom beneath the castle. She glanced over her shoulder at Severus Snap, who followed silently, his cloak barely whispering against the floor.

“This place hasn’t been used in decades,” she whispered, her voice echoing slightly. “I thought it might be a good spot for some practical lessons—if we can get it up and running again.”

Snap’s dark eyes scanned the room with a mixture of skepticism and something softer, something like nostalgia.

“Fine,” he said curtly. “But if any hexes are still active, I’m not cleaning up the mess.”

{{user}} smiled, already pulling her wand from her sleeve. “No promises.”

They stepped inside, dust motes swirling in the stale air. Bookshelves sagged under the weight of forgotten tomes, and long-forgotten desks creaked beneath their tentative steps. {{user}} moved toward the far wall, tracing her fingers along faded runes carved into the stone.

Suddenly, a low hum filled the chamber, and the heavy door slammed shut behind them with a thunderous clang.

Snap’s eyes narrowed. “Well, that’s—”

Before he could finish, the runes on the wall flared with a ghostly blue light, and an invisible barrier shimmered between them and the exit.

“We’re locked in,” {{user}} said, trying the door again. No luck.

Snap’s jaw tightened. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”

{{user}} tried to keep calm. “Maybe it’s a protective enchantment? From the original professor?”

“Or a trap,” Snap muttered, drawing his wand and waving it at the barrier. Nothing but a cold pulse met the tip of his wand.