Fantastic Books And Where To Find Them

Fantastic Books And Where To Find Them [[Next|page2]]

You are a non descript man with glasses, walking through a dingy book club. People walk by you without staring. You quietly step up towards a womam in a ragged coat, bent over a bookrack. You quickly hide behind another row of books so she can't see you. You observe her actionsthrough the space between the shelves "Mr Granger, Mr Weasley, I found it!" The bumbling clerk shouts loud enough to raise the hackles on the woman. She jumps around in panic. There's something shoved within her overlarge coat. Her eyes meet yours. "R- R- Remus Granger..." she mumbles. And then she's off like a shot. You begin to chase her, and she collapses a shelf behind her. The books spray every which way and clog your path. [[What do you do]]

You take a few steps back, scream 'Wingardum Leviosa' and hover yourself over the pile. Unfortunately you reach too high and bang your head against the wall. [[Next|Mungo]]

You decide against jumping over and the row to your left. By the time you reach the door, she's gone. Absolutely vanished. THE END

You breathe in deep, squat and run towards the pile of books. You remember the times your mom made you read about Jesse Owens, the muggle who made Adolf Hitler look foolish. You leap over, and are astonished to find you've cleared the rubble. The woman is less than 5 metres ahead of you, outside the exit the bookstore' entrance. She looks ready to seal it with a magical spell Do you [[Dive at her]] [[Shout 'Expelliarmus']] [[Throw a book at her]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

The door slams in your face. She's off and runing like a hare. The store owner looks at you menacingly. THE END

The spell reverberates off the nearly closed door and hits you in the face. [[Next|Mungo]]

You grab a book from the counter near you and toss it at her. It travels faster than she can finish moving her wand. It slips out of her hand. She tries to pick it up, and in doing so the book falls out of her coat onto the ground. She stoops to pick it up, but you rush through the door. You can either chase her or pick up the book [[Chase her]] [[Pick up the book]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

By the time you recover your senses, you are sprawled across a bed in St. Mungo's Hospital. A Department of Magick wizard is citing you for Magic use in the presence of Muggles. See you in 6 months of solidary, Remus. You dolt

You run after her, through the crowd. She's shiftier than you and disappears. You return for the book infront of the bookstore. It's not there! For a moment you think she might have circled back and picked it up. But then you see.. [[Nasty sights|colin]]

You grab the book, and by the time you look up, she's gone. A stunned crowd looks on as you pocket it. 'Well done, Remus' comes a voice that's seemingly all around you. [[Find out whose voice it is|colin]]

You pull your hand back to hit him, and something -or someone- catches it. You turn around to look. Your arm is hanging there, in mid-air, feeling like some wrench has grabbed it in place. You turn your head back and see Colin inches from your face. You are startled and fall or your feet. But the vice-like apparition holds you up by one arm. "Sneak attacks aren't nice, Remus. Oh no. Not very nice at all." His voice is so menacing you can almost see flames in his pupils. Suddenly the clamp on your arm is released and you collapse. He turns and walks away, unperturbed. [[Diagon Alley]]

You decide it's not worth it and follow along. You will get your revenge later [[Diagon Alley]]

You head back to your base, crossing through the throngs of Muggles going about their daily lives. You wonder how it would be, to live life so clueless to the wonders of magic. You reach Diagon Alley a few minutes behind Colin. It's almost like something is helping him walk with larger steps than any human could manage. 'Half Giant git', you say under your breath. You're in Diagon Alley. It's a quiet hour. You know Colin will take all the credit. Again. You stand with your hand next the windmill. It's the access to your guild's lair. You wonder if it's worth it. 'I should just leave! They'll never respect me', you think. What do you do ? [[Turn back and leave]] [[Spin the windmill]]

It's Colin Spinbottle. A few years older, a few scars more experienced and an unmitigated git. He smiles serenely as he walks towards you. 'A few hiccups, but better than nothing. I knew you'd find her, Remus' He pulls the book out of your hand. 'Hey!' You shout, as you try to get your breath back. 'I got that! Master Xitori would want-' He's already walking ahead of you with the book ensconsed somewhere in his leather jacket. 'Master Xitori would like to know his students work as a team, not like mercenaries trying to get all the glory.' His smugness makes your knuckles it. You are desperate to sock him. 'When I hand him this book, trust me that I will make it known how valuable you were to this mission.' 'Really?' You blurt. 'Oh yes,' he says in his salesman's pitch. 'I will not tell him you weren't absolutely useless. That would be' - he turns to look at you while still walking away - 'cruel.' He laughs to himself and turns away. You feel the anger swell in you. What do you do? [[Sock him]] [[Continue to walk along]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

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You decide it's not worth it yet. You spin the windmill. The teeth turn till they become one flat surface. Your head begins to spin and you feel that familiar sensation. A whirlwind begins to form around you and you begin to shrink till your body begins to disintegrates into bits. You feel your cells dissolve into air and float away, in a vortex, over the floor of Diagon alley. And into the rectangular slits of the drain. Unseen as usual. Your cells reform, and you're in your Guild lair [[Go meet Master Xitori]]

Master Xidos looks nothing like one would expect a Warlock to be. Short. Balding. One wooden leg. Yet power swirls around him. Something about him and his very presence seems to suggest nothing in the universe could move him an inch to the right even if they tried. He smiles at you. 'Welcome back, Remus. Colin here tells me you were very helpful in getting the book back.' Colin looks at you, with the timidity of a young lamb. His voice is like that of a choirboy. 'Master, without Remus I would have struggled a lot. I told him to stay out of the way so the witch couldn't kidnap him and hold him hostage against me. And he did it bee-youtifully.' His eager smile made the corners of his mouth stretch across his cheeks. You feel the blood rush into your cheeks. You desperately want to punch him again, but you remember last time. "That's a lovely compliment, Colin. Well, Remus? Anything you want to say to your mission commander?" Master Xitori stands there. Expectant. [[Tell him Colin is a git]] [[Say Thank You]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

You can't stand it and blurt out what happened. Xitori looks annoyed at both of you. "Is that so?" he says and turns to Colin. Colin is looking down. He knows better than to try lying to a Legilimens that was now looking for the truth. Master Xitori would catch it the moment Colin's heart began to race and adrenaline began pouring out of his glands. "Well, thank you for telling me, Remus. But perhaps you would have been better served by keeping this between you two. Teams never look for individual success." He walks out of the room. Colin flashes you a glare of hate, then walks out. [[The message]]

You gulp the swelling fury in your throat and say "Thkoo, Colin." The words are palpably bitter. You can't make them any clearer. Colin's smirk continues to blister your skin. You turn and walk away. Just walk away, focus on your feet moving. Don't look back.... [[The message]]

You pout on your own. Your friend Shorno comes to find you and punches you. "Hey there, hotshot. I heard you did a great job." "Shut up, Shorno. I don't want to talk about it." He laughs at your anger, then puts his hand on your shoulder. You shake it off. "Okay, okay, don't talk. But I have a little plan for tonight." He looks both directions, and whispers in your ear. "It's about the mission. We might have found a book. We need a 3rd guy. You in?" What do you do? [[Say you're in]] [[Decline]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

Shorno punches you lightly. "Be ready at 11. And remember, no one knows." He makes a shushing motion with his finger and walks out. [[Later that night]]

You decline to go, and they adventure without you. HAPPY NOW?

You stand at the exit of Diagon Alley, just beyond Bertie and Botts. The whole Alley is deserted. It is a magical sight. And scary. You have never seen Diagon Alley empty. A large kid you only know as Fridge is shaking so much you can hear his large body moving in the stillness. "Are you s- sure we sh- should be here, Shorno?" Shorno is busy holding his wand over a door. "Quiet, you fools" he hisses softly, still staring at the door. "B- but it'- it's the w- w-itch" The others stare at him. He doesn't finish the sentence. But they know what he wants to say. Witching hour. The time of Diagon Alley that no one risks. Not even 1st order mages of the Wizengamot. Toady, a small, thin boy enjoys Fridge's fear. "Oh, it's so **spooky**.. Think we'll see Jack the Ripper, you reckon?" "Cut it out, it's not funny!" Fridge is almost sobbing. Remus can't believe such a large body can contain so much fear. Toady continues. "He's the immortal mage the muggles were all chasing. Liked to cut bodies up, he did. Take their organs out and then disapparate. Driving them mad since 1800s. Cor, my great grandma went out with him, or so my gran says. He was a nice boy." Another kid with a deep voice says "Yeah, and your great grand also hit the Leaning tower with a Deorthogonality spell, did she?" The boys giggle. Toady laughs. "Shh!" Shorno turns towards them. The door opens. It is inky black inside. [[Enter the door]]

It is dark. This is no normal darkness. All fo you step across the area, or passage or whatever. You have no idea, because it's just too dark. You don't know how long you've been walking. The surface you're tepping on makes no sound. There are no shadows. You can hear the others whispering. You can't make a thing. Their voices seem to get distant from you. Distant. Even more distant. Are you actually with anyone? Or are you alone? Wait. Where are you? Something grabs you from [[Behind]]

You jump. The person next to you jumps. It's Toady. His voice is shaky. "Ok, Shorno. We followd you. But you have to tell us. What are we doing here? And where are we supposed to go? What is this place?" Shorno's voice comes from below. You look down. How can it be coming from there? A little light flickers. But nothing is visible. You don't see an actual flame. But it feels like the darkness of the shadowy membrane across the room has lifted a little. "Guys, I selected you lot because I thought you were the bravest. Look, we have to cross this area. We are still in danger. I promise, once we're clear. I'll ex-" His voice cuts short. People look around at each other. The darkness is mild enough that you can vaguely make out Fridge's giant frame next to you. And then Shorno screams "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" You begin to run with the others. Shorno's voice is left behind you. Something stops your feet, that still want to run. Are you going to leave him behind? [[Go back for Shorno]] [[Leave Shorno]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

You grab your own pants with your balled up fists and walk backwards. The darkness is again infinite. You cannot even see your hand centimetres away from your face. "I'm coming, Shorno. I'm coming." You can't see a thing. Youdon't know which way you're going. Where Shorno is. You know this was a mistake. You want to turn and run. Shorno's yells are coming from all around. You still can't make out where, but you can smell him. Yes, that's definitely him. You turn towards the smell. It's coming from above you. You can feel faint thumps in the ground. You hear his voice. Which one is it? They are coming from different directions. Which direction do you pick? [[Make a decision]]

You decide to keep running. You run and run. In the darkness. You run. You still run. And then, at some point. You stop. And the blackness eats you whole.. THE END

You are as dead as a dog! THE END

You keep sniffing. His sweat has a certain opalescence to it. In the pitch blackness. you feel like an Animagus. A dog. Like you are seeing with your nose. A hand reaches out and grabs you. It' Shorno! You can suddenly see. The blackness becomes visible to you. He's stuck below you.. half in, half out. The darkness isn't just visual. It's some real thing. Pulsing with life. You can see it now, all around. It's eating some of the other boys. Spreading into their mouths when they open them to scream. Shorno's head and shoulders are above the blackness. His mouth is filled by it. His pupils are starting to change. You feel the ground below you change. The air around you. Something is getitng heavier. Beginning to press. It has found you. [[Decision time]]

You are as dead as a dog! THE END

Your hex bounces all around the blackness. It doesnt even light up a spark. You feel the weight around you increase. So this is what crushing gravity feels like. THE END

The whole world screeches. It is a piercing shriek, and you can hear it scream. The hatred you felt for Colin reverberates in its screams of agony. You grab your ears and try to keep the dying wails out. You notice the redness on your eyelids and open them. The room is lit. It's not dayight, just a dark room. But you can see. Shorno and Toady and Fridge. You can see them. Fridge is missing half his body. He is dead. You stare. The kids start to cry. Shorno struggles to his feet and shouts at them to gather. They do not care. You are all little boys. Boys who joined a Guild because their Wizard parents were too strict. But now, in this moment, after the loss of one of our own, you hve reverted to little boys. Little boys that don't care that their leader wants them to form. SMACK! Shorno slaps you. He looks you in the eyes as he always does. His hand is on your shoulder. "Thank you for saving my life, but we have to move, Remus. Help me get them all up. Come on, we're not safe yet." He pulls you to your feet. You help him round the others up. They trudge on. Some are shell shocked, others hug the zombie-like for comfort. You leave Fridge's body behind. There was nothing to cover him with. The fact that you committed an Unforgivable curse doesn't hit you yet. [[Next|After black]]

You fail to hurt it. It doesn't fail to eat you. THE END

You fail to stop it. Something gnaws at your pancreas, and you see your heart torn out in front of you THE END

The stairs you ascend lead you to an antechamber. Shorno gets the last boy through the room, and collapses on the floor. He breathes as heavily as you did when you ate too many Bertie Bott's Every-flavor beans on your birthday. He begins to cry. You can't believe what you're seeing. Then you begin to cry too. [[Next|the room]]

After a long while, Shorno stands himself up and calls out. "Listen up, lads. This is the mission. We're here to procure Agatha Whisby's Manual of Talmudic Secrets. It's one of the oldest books in the magical world, and has been considered lost for eons. But that last book Colin and Remus brought us-" - he looks at you briefly - "told us where to go. Master thought it was too dangerous." He stops. He lowers his eyes. "Master was right." And then, before the emotion could sweep over him again, he hurriedly continues "We are now outside our own dimension. This is Limbo. That creature you saw back there, it was a Black Hole." All the sobs stop. They turn towards him. "Yes, black holes aren't what muggles think. Big holes in the world where all the heavy things accumulate. It's a vicious creature that sits between worlds, trying to consume everything that comes through. It was our only portal here. Now we have choices to make. We've made it past the guardian. But we're far from done. Black holes can't be killed. All they know is to eat. Remus here saved me from it, but the Crucio curse just stunned it. So let's get to it. Before it wakes up. Or none of us will get out." He turns to you. "We have 3 paths here, Remus. Look behind you." You look. There is a large pit of lime colored water. Floating stairs going into the sky. And a rope walkwalk. "We gotta pick one. You figured out how to decode the Black Hole. So? What do you suggest?" [[Which road to take]]

You jump into pit first. The water stings your eyes. You wait a second to see what else will happen. Nothing does. Someone else splashes next to you. It's Toady. He swims ahead of you. You follow suit. In the distance a tunnel becomes visible. It passes for a long while. To the right of it, the pool widens into a series of caves. [[Use the caves]] [[Use the tunnel|You die]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

You die

You escape into the caves as a creature begins to chase you. It's too small to enter. It retreats to the tunnel. Boy are you thankful you didn't use that pathway! You find yourselves in a an elevated rounded room. There is nothing but a small dollhouse in an aquarium. in the middle of the room. But it's not a dollhouse. Footsteps lead up to it. Footsteps getting progressively smaller. A bunch of leaves sit in one corner. You see bits of the leaves spat out next to the footsteps. Everyone understands what they have to do. There are three sets of leavs. Red, white and green. What do you do? [[Chew the red]] [[Chew the white|You die]] [[Chew the green|You die]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

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You shrink until you're small enough to walk up the steps and into the dollhouse. You enter through the hole in the top. When you drop down, you see a long hallway. At its end is a library. And inside, is the book you are looking for. There is a glass window with slants. the Talmudic Secrets. Thought lost for centures. You can feel the anticipation in your ligaments. But as you begin to approach, Shorna grabs you. He gestures towards the mat in front of the door. It is oddly angled. Almost like it's a trapdoor that leaves somewhere. How do you get in? [[Jump over the mat into the door]] [[Slide underneath the window]] [[Look for a rear entrance]]

You slam into the door and into the room. A monkey watches over the book A rock is placed in a glass case A lever stands to your left. [[Toss the rock at the monkey]] [[Press the lever]] [[Use the rock as distraction]] How do you get the book? [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

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There is no rear entrance. There is, however, another monkey with an unmuzzled mouth. It throws fire at you. It doesn't miss. THE END

Bad move. It gets smacked in the face and then turns towards you. [[Run for your life]] [[Try to fight it]] [[Use your wand]] [[Go into the pit]] [[Use the stairs|You die]] [[Step over the rope ladder|You die]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

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You need to be faster, slugger THE END

Do you [[Use a hover charm]] [[Backtrack and find another row with a clear path]] [[Jump over the pile]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

[[Follow his voice]] [[Follow his smell]] [[Follow the thumps]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

[[Use Expelliarmus]] [[Use Crucio]] [[Use Avada Kedavra]] [[Use Diffendum]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]

[[Go into the pit]] [[Use the stairs|You die]] [[Step over the rope ladder|You die]] [C]<countdown| (set: $counter to 5) (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left to decide!] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[ (stop:) (replace: ?Countdown)[ (goto: "Too late") ] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?countdown)[You have $counter seconds left!] ] ]