Susan Bones sighed over her breakfast. It had become habit for her to look over the Classifieds in the Daily Prophet, even though she already had a perfectly good job as a Research Assistant in the field of Veterinary Charms. None of the jobs listed ever appealed to her, anyway – she snorted at the new one advertising a position as a relationship counseling assistant: Services on the rise; in need of creative helper with good magical strength – and here was another one, requesting a piano teacher at the new Magical Music School. She just wanted something different.



“I’m a little young for a mid-life crisis,� she told herself, half smiling. She’d turned twenty only three days before. Only two years out of Hogwarts and she was drifting already.



Susan’s musings were interrupted by the appearance of an unfamiliar owl swooping down through her open window. “Who are you?� she asked the handsome creature. “I wasn’t expecting Justin’s owl till noon, and you’re certainly not Ferdy. What’s that you carry?�



As she untied the letter, the owl swooped away. “Unusually thick parchment,� Susan murmured, wondering who could have sent her a letter. Her confusion only increased when she scanned the message, which seemed to be in the form of a riddle, or an invitation....



Before Susan could look more carefully at the poem, the parchment burst into flame, leaving her with only an image and an indescribable yearning. The image was a familiar one – she’d spent seven years at Hogwarts and could recognize the front doors when they were shown to her (Complicated charm, she thought, impressed). The yearning was what was so peculiar, though . . . somehow . . . rather like a magnification of what she’d been feeling lately. Words from the riddle like “glory� and “custom-built prize� floated through her head. Was this what she’d been waiting for? Had her heart somehow known what was in store and started wishing in advance?



Whatever was happening, there were plans to be made. There was a date with Justin to break, a request for time off at work to make, and jinxes to practice. Without further ado, Susan waved her wand to clean up her breakfast and went toward her bookshelf where she kept her schoolbooks, as well as her painstaking notes from Dumbledore’s Army. Some of those spells might come in handy that night.







Susan stifled a yawn as she trudged up the path from Hogsmeade, where she’d Apparated a couple minutes ago. She was amazed that she was already this weary. She’d sometimes seen the sunrise with Justin after a night out and gone throughout the day with no ill effects.



She felt bad that she’d had to break her date with Justin – he’d seemed so disappointed over the FOHN, the new Wizarding equivalent to telephone (she could never remember what the acronym stood for), which Justin was very fond of, seeing as he was Muggleborn. But . . . this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and there would be other chances to go out with him.



With a start, Susan caught herself smiling at the memory of Justin’s bashful grin under his mop of dark curls and forced herself to think of the topic at hand. It was surprisingly hard; she’d had so little to think of besides her job and Justin for so long that he’d somehow filled her mind, just as he completed a part of her heart. She’d even found, as she’d practiced her spells and analyzed her desires, that he was one of the reasons she wanted to do this. He’d fought so bravely in the Last Stand against Lord Voldemort while Susan had been enlisted by Professor Sprout to stay back and keep the younger children safe while the rest of her friends risked their lives.



She wanted to prove herself. She wanted to contribute to the glory that Hufflepuff had received, at long last, in their stalwart defense of Hogwarts and the right. She wanted to prove that she was worthy of the last name Bones, worthy of her martyred relatives.



The lights of Hogsmeade dimmed behind her and she was left with only the light of the stars and moon to illuminate Hogwarts castle ahead. Her steps slowed. A word suddenly burst from the back of her memory into her mind, and she recognized it from the riddle: “danger.� Was she ready for this? She had no idea what was ahead, if this was some sort of bizarre trap that some madman had set for her, or if it was simply a test to prove her worthiness for the prize – whatever it was. Before she could lose her nerve – she’d broken a date for this, after all – Susan wrapped her braid around her head in a coronet to keep it out of the way, checked for her wand and her knapsack, and proceeded on with a firm step.



A sudden rustle in the trees startled Susan, and she almost cried out. “It’s probably just an owl, or a thestral,� she told herself reassuringly, only to jump again at the sound of her voice. “I’ve really got to stop talking to myself,� she whispered quietly. Suddenly she whipped her head around in response to a feeling that she was being watched. Maybe it was Filch, on the lookout for trespassers on the grounds now that school was out. Maybe it was someone more sinister...another phrase from the riddle sprang to her mind: “Don’t get caught.�



It was a relief to get to the front gates and enter the welcoming safety of Hogwarts. Susan’s relief was short-lived, however, because she’d hardly touched the handle when she heard something like half a whisper, a sibilant hissing, “Sssusssann.�



“What?� she yelped. “Who are you, what do you want?�



There was no reply, only a creak as the front gate opened and Susan gasped at the sight of a trail of lights leading toward a mass of – was it stone? Or was it a mass of shrubbery so dense it only looked solid? The best way to find out, she reasoned, was to head towards it.



The only problem was, every time she headed towards it, it seemed to stay the same distance away. It was incredibly tempting to throw something, or at least stamp her foot like she had when she was little, but she reminded herself that she was twenty years old, far too old for such antics. There would be a simple solution to this; she only needed to think for a minute or two.



Susan glared at the lights leading to the maze, thinking for a moment that they were laughing at her dilemma. Then she looked closer; they were fairies, and they were laughing at her.



“Is it your stupid little magic keeping me away?� Susan hissed at the nearest one. It stuck its tongue out at her and laughed a little more. “Well,� Susan continued, “I don’t need you to lead me to the maze! It’s big enough I can find it without your little ‘fairy lights’.�



And with that, she stormed away from the trail of lights, instead approaching the maze from an angle. To her immense relief, this time it got closer as she approached it, and she could see that it was neither stone nor shrubbery but a shimmery, imperturable veil that was a faux mixture of the two.



“Obviously they’re not planning on having this up terribly long,� Susan muttered, circling the maze to find the entrance. It was in plain sight and led to an open hallway. After trekking down the corridor for a bit, Susan couldn’t help but murmur to herself, “Some maze this is, it’s all straight.�



Immediately there was a jolt, and Susan found the next step she took putting her in front of several pathways, each leading in a different direction.



“Teach me to talk to myself.� However, this was definitely more like it; now all she needed was some of this danger she’d been expecting and it would turn into a great adventure like she’d been planning on. She took the middle pathway and soon had that wish granted.



First there was the pile of rocks that blocked her path; a few good Reductor Curses took care of that. A clever Extinguishing Charm rid Susan of the wall of fire that met her next, and three years of summer dancing lessons lent her enough lightness of foot to dodge the hail of dropping Dungbombs.



Gasping, Susan stumbled into a large room accompanied by a constant undercurrent of curses emanating from a creature that hung from a cage above a large stone book. She cautiously approached the tome, wand ready for any unexpected curses, and read the faint engraving:



Ahead is a room of disgruntled gnomes. One of the gnomes has a key. You will need that key to pass through the door in this room and continue your journey. The Jarvey may help you or it might hinder. Good luck, adventurer.



“What do you think, Jarvey?� Susan asked the fuzzy thing that still spat out unintelligible, but clearly vulgar, mutterings. “Will you help me with these gnomes?�



The mention of gnomes just made the Jarvey hiss more violently, and Susan caught the end of a curse that included “gnomes�, “cage�, and even “person� – all coupled with rather unsavory words.



Susan quietly moved out of earshot to continue thinking aloud. “If the gnomes really are disgruntled, it might not do me any good to threaten them with a hungry Jarvey. However...it may frighten them enough to give in. Oh, I wish I knew more about gnomes!� She went to reach for her braid to pull, as she tended to do when thinking, but found it still wound around her head. “Dash it all. I think I’ll just go on without the Jarvey. I can always come back for it if that’s what I need to do.�



With the creature still hissing and muttering behind her, Susan passed through the archway that led to the bunch of gnomes. She almost got annoyed when she had to put an Impervius Charm on herself when it started snowing on the way – some of these obstacles were seeming quite paltry; almost like busywork. Who had made this maze? If it weren’t for the prize and the promise of glory that still led her on, Susan might have gone home to bed.



The gnomes were ready and waiting for her when she found them, clearly as disgruntled as the message had said they’d be.



“No feed to Jarvey!� one shrieked shrilly as it caught sight of her. The rest soon joined the chant, and Susan was very hard-put to make herself heard above them. Finally she cast a blanket Silencio over them all.



“I am not going to feed you to the Jarvey!� she announced very clearly. “If that’s what they told you, whoever they are, they were wrong! I just want the key and then I’ll leave!�



“Jarvey will escape when you gone! They said!�



“Who said?� Susan asked immediately.



“They did. Put us here.�



Susan pondered for a moment. Her Aunt Amelia had talked to her about the importance of diplomacy in every situation, and Susan knew that if she were here she would have informed her in no uncertain terms that gnomes were entitled to the same diplomacy as anyone else.



“I – I’ll take the Jarvey with me when I go!� she burst out. “I’ll leave it somewhere else. You’ll be safe from it. But if you don’t let me have the key, it may escape anyway and start wreaking havoc among you. Your best bet is to give me the key, and then whoever put you here will have to put you back.�



Obviously words like “wreaking havoc� were a little above the gnomes’ comprehension, but they got the gist of Susan’s proposal. They pushed one gnome to the front of the group. He was clutching a small brown sack, but when he was right next to Susan he let her have it. Inside was a silver key, but also a note.



“Diplomacy is the best policy,� Susan read. “Why, that’s my auntie’s saying! How did they know? This is getting curiouser and curiouser,� she concluded, sticking the brown bag with the note into her knapsack and smiling nostalgically at the memory of her mother reading her favorite Muggle book to her daughter.



“Jarvey must be gone,� a gnome reminded her, and she snapped back to the present with a yawn.



“Don’t worry, I won’t forget.�



And she didn’t; as soon as she had the door unlocked she grabbed the Jarvey cage and took it with her, ignoring the animal’s hisses for its favorite food. She hung the cage in the nearest alcove and made sure to shut the door behind the gnomes before continuing on her way. Even if the Jarvey was able to break out of its cage after she was gone like the gnomes thought, it couldn’t get to the little creatures.



The way was straight once more as Susan traveled down the maze. No more obstacles hindered her for the time being, but she still felt on edge, waiting. What would happen next?



Suddenly thunder rumbled and Susan got caught in a freak lightning storm. Directly after that it started snowing again. Just as she heard the distant rumble of thunder once more she stumbled into an area that was remarkably peaceful and green. Privet and yew trees lined the periphery of the area, marking out a hedge that was relievingly real after the veil that imitated it only loosely. Grasses and flowers lined a small brick path that, Susan could tell already, led to a dead end. A small path that led toward some pumpkins led only to the gourds, not to any way of escape.



Susan sighed. This was a very pretty place; it reminded her of her grandmother’s garden, right down to that large stone bench down at the end of the path. When Susan was caught by a sudden bout of sneezing, she realized one particular difference from her grandmother’s garden – no sneezewort would be found in such a haven. On top of the bench were assorted several jars of what looked like dried herbs and plants, as well as a Mimbulus Mimbletonia and a small sack on the other end. In the middle was a small dragon-leather notebook, which Susan opened cautiously. The first page read:



In my midst you’re sure to find

Plants and Herbs of every kind



Search me well and you will see

Fluxweed, Hellebore, Gillyweed



Beware the Mandrake’s cry if you

Should ever dig for Gurdyroot



Before you leave me you must bring

Lovage, dittany and Shrivelfig



And in my pages you must write

The other names of aconite



With that the door will open wide

And you may take of what I hide



So stop to ponder if you will The Malowsweet won’t make you ill



Herbology had never been Susan’s best subject, but she hoped she knew enough to complete this challenge. If all else failed . . . she rummaged through her knapsack, suddenly in a panic. “Didn’t I bring it?� she muttered. “How could I not bring it?� Finally she grasped hold of what she sought and brought out a small book in triumph.



“Who’d have thought that this 1001 Herbs and Fungi would’ve helped?� she laughed, placing it on the bench next to the notebook. With that, she Conjured a trowel and went to work.



“Fluxweed, Hellebore, Gillyweed, Gurdyroot, Lovage, dittany, Shrivelfig....I have to find all of these? Well, I know that fluxweed has a blue flower. I guess I should start looking!�



It took a good ten minutes to find and properly dig up a small fluxweed plant almost under one of the privets. She couldn’t even identify the hellebore by the flowers because, despite it being in a magical atmosphere, it didn’t seem to want to bloom.



The Gillyweed was almost impossible to discover. Finally Susan found a small bucket behind one of the pumpkins and inside was a small patch of the slimy stuff.



“That’s not fair!� she cried when she finally found it. “It’s just — ugh.�



As she found each item, she carried it to the bench. She didn’t know whether she needed to put it in the sack or to just leave it where the notebook could, somehow, sense it. She’d figure that out later.



“There wouldn’t be Mandrakes here, would there?� Susan whispered to herself as she plied her trowel in a likely area for Gurdyroot. “I don’t even know what Gurdyroot is good for; we never went over that in class.�



Whoever had planted the garden had gotten lazy with the lovage and dittany; she found them right next to each other in an empty place, just waiting to be plucked up.



The Shrivelfig was a tad tricky, as the bush it was found on was hidden behind some irises, but it easily released a fruit to be placed on the bench with all the others.



“Now what?� Susan asked aloud. “Oh, the other names of aconite. Oh dear....�



She vaguely remembered a Potions lesson on this once. Maybe she could find it in her book....



Ah, there it was. (This wasn’t cheating, was it? Susan wanted to be fair but she also wanted to get out of this garden – she was sick of sneezing every time she came near the bench.)



Wolfsbane, also known as monkshood or aconite, is an extremely poisonous plant.



Susan Transfigured her trowel into a quill and dashed off the answers into the notebook. Nothing happened.



“Maybe I need to use these jars,� Susan decided, moving closer to check. “Yes, see here there’s a bit of powdered hellebore, perhaps if I just fill the jar with what I have....�



With a flash, the jar jumped across the bench, hopped on the notebook leaving a mark behind, and ran straight into the Mimbulus Mimbletonia.



“Agh!� Susan was sprayed head to toe in Stinksap. “Now that was really unfair.�



However, now she knew what to do, and her Shield Charm protected her from the rest of the blasts of Stinksap that the jars caused when they hopped off the notebook.



As the last jar of Gillyweed hopped away, a door appeared at the end of the brick path and Susan was about to go through it when she remembered the sack next to the Stinksap-producing plant.



“If I may,� she said politely, edging the small bag away from the Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Inside was a small roll of parchment.



“When all of the household chores are done, Gardening work can only be fun. My grandmother used to say that. I never believed her, but she still chanted it all the time. What is going on?�



With a small shrug, Susan slid the sack into her knapsack, did a quick Cleaning Charm on herself, and plodded through the open door.



It was getting late; Susan could tell. Her steps were weary and her eyes drooped. She hardly noticed when the veil surrounding her started getting narrower and dimmer, until a careless swing of her knapsack hit the wall and she realized how constricted the area was. It continued to get darker and narrower until she could barely squeeze through.



“I should take it easy on the Cauldron Cakes,� she muttered as she tried to push through a particularly close area. Her efforts rocketed her violently into a small chamber where she almost ran into Justin – but a very changed, very disturbing Justin.



“W–what are you doing here?� Susan gasped. “Justin, why are you here, in this maze?�



“Because,� Justin replied in a strange, sinister voice that, somehow, frightened Susan more than she’d been frightened by anything in her life. Without warning, Justin started advancing on Susan, who screamed and started edging around the room, trying to get to the exit she could see on the other side.



“You didn’t honestly believe I loved you, did you?� the altered-Justin cried malevolently. “Deep in your heart, didn’t you always know, always fear that this would come to pass? Those little situations that you tried to put out of your mind, but wouldn’t leave because there was something just a little...wrong?�



Susan shut her eyes for a moment, trying to escape the evil, twisted face of the man she loved, but was only tormented by images: Justin forgetting a date and not having a good reason for it; catching him deep in talk with Padma Patil – deep, and very close together.



“I couldn’t ever find you really attractive,� he went on. “It was only a matter of time, you knew, before you’d realize to what ends you were being used.�



She was gasping, struggling to breathe against the weight of the words that struck like knives into her heart. That small, vulnerable part of her was so afraid of being betrayed by someone she loved. She’d lost enough people precious to her that death was no longer a great trouble to her, but to have this torture, of losing all trust, was something she just couldn’t handle.



“I thought, I was sure . . .� she panted desperately, looking up into Justin’s face, looking for a trace of the love she knew she’d seen only the day before. This couldn’t be happening, this was her worst nightmare, she must have fallen asleep... “Wake up, wake up, wake up!� she muttered to herself.



“Oh, it’s not a dream, Susan. And from now on, I will only appear there.�



This was too much. “Silencio!� Susan cried, aiming her wand at the one she’d sworn never to cast a spell against.



He laughed. “You can’t silence me!�



“That’s not right,� Susan whispered, a small hysterical giggle escaping her at the idea of the Silencing charm not working. The Justin-thing looked taken aback at the sound, and something clicked into place in Susan’s mind.



“You’re not Justin. You’re a boggart!� She scrambled feverishly to find something, anything, to make this boggart more amusing to her, but failed. The only thing to do was to escape now.



“You’re foolish, stupid, ugly, and so naive!� the boggart shouted desperately as Susan edged once more toward the exit. “I could never love you and you’re a fool for trusting that I could!�



Even though the words still hurt, Susan didn’t believe them anymore, and she cast a scornful laugh over her shoulder as she ran from the room. She winced as she heard a very Justin-like scream of pain but didn’t look back, just continued running.



Finally, Susan stumbled to a halt, certain that the boggart wasn’t going to chase her. She couldn’t tell how far she’d run – the maze looked exactly the same in both directions, the veil shimmering nauseatingly. Susan closed her eyes, fighting the need to be sick.



When she opened them, there was a wall right in front of her, blocking her way forward. The way backward was clear, but that way led to the boggart, which still gave her shivers. Susan hissed in frustration and as she did so, a small parchment unfolded itself from the air and hovered in front of her.



“What’s this?� Susan murmured, peering at what was written on the page. “Is this a riddle?



“Starts at the center of labyrinth,

Ends at the third of Corinth.

The invisible ink’s bane,

Secret messages I gain.



“Hmm. ‘Invisible ink’s bane.’ What’s that spell again? Oh, yes! Aparecium!� she said confidently, pointing her wand at the parchment and tapping it three times.



Nothing in particular happened. The parchment bobbed up and down a little bit from the tapping, but that was all Susan could see.



“Now, Susan, remember what your dad said about the importance of using your head as well as magic,� Susan told herself. “Let’s look at the riddle itself and see what clues it holds. Center of labyrinth? A Minotaur! No...that can’t be part of the answer. Third of Corinth. Third . . . of . . . Oh! It’s ‘r’! And the center of labyrinth is . . . it’s also ‘r’!�



For the first time in she couldn’t tell how long, Susan sat down to think. “So it’s something that starts and ends with ‘r’. And works about the same as Aparecium.� Her mind was drawing a total blank; it was just too late at night, and too much after undergoing a shock such as she’d just had with the boggart. “I . . . I just can’t do it,� she whispered. “I’ve reached the end of my rope; this riddle that should be easy is just unbearably hard.�



And, almost on cue, it began to rain.



The raindrops mingled with the tears that began coursing down Susan’s face as she tried desperately to work her mind. Just as she was about to sink into despair and cry herself to sleep she heard within her heart a voice whisper, “Slow and steady, darling, that’s the way to go.� With the thought of Justin’s soft voice in her ear and his solid presence next to her, she calmed herself.



“It’s not hard, you know this, just think . . . think about that store in Diagon Alley, the one with all sorts of devices for uncovering secret messages. The Spy, it was called.� There’d been invisible inks, magnifying glasses that could crack any code, and those bright red erasers.



Revealers.



“It’s a Revealer!� And she put up a shield against the rain and stood to face the damp parchment. “I’m not going to be able to rub one against you or anything; I don’t tend to carry one around with me, not being Hermione Granger.�



However, there was a slight pop next to the parchment and, lo and behold, a bright red Revealer arrived. Susan rolled her eyes at the great creativity of the enchantment and rubbed the Revealer along the bottom of the parchment, watching these words appear: Look behind you.



Susan complied and found simply a small brown sack, much like the others, resting on the floor. Opening it, she found her father’s saying: “All the magic in the world won’t do you much good if you don’t have the wits to survive the world itself.�



With a small smile and a big yawn, Susan pocketed the parchment and continued on her way as the wall in front of her disintegrated and left the way ahead clear once more.



The way didn’t remain clear long; although the rain had stopped when the wall had disappeared, Susan soon had to protect herself from the third snowfall of the evening, as well as a rogue doxy that chittered meanly at her. It zoomed away abruptly, however, and Susan could see why.



The path ended a few steps ahead, and after that was nothing. The walls of the maze reached out further than she could see, making it impossible for her to hold on to something as she peered over the edge into a valley of sorts, where the path continued. The cliff was too far to jump from, Susan could tell. The way down was sheer and smooth as steel, with no footholds for her to climb down.



Something stirred within Susan; a wild, adventurous bit of her that was awakening at the sight of a real physical challenge. This was no mere digging in the garden; this was something that would be full of the danger that had excited Susan earlier that day.



“Let’s see,� Susan mused. “I could . . . that wouldn’t be too bad, would it? It might . . . but I can . . . that would help.�



Completely disregarding the rope she’d placed in her knapsack when she’d packed for the adventure, Susan pointed her wand at the floor underneath her and yelled, “Reducto!�



There was a rumble from near the bottom of the cliff, and Susan readied her wand for another spell. As the veil-like wall began to slide down toward the bottom, taking Susan with it, she raised her arm and shouted, “Parare!�



A thin, filmy sheet flew out of Susan’s wand, followed by a gust of air that lifted her off the ground. She floated a foot or two above the rubble of the cliff (it looked almost as if it had been shredded, or torn like a piece of fabric) and landed perfectly safely on the path that led her to her next adventure, laughing and running from the adrenalin that rushed through her. She almost missed the customary brown sack, and its contents made her laugh all the harder.



It was no quote from a family member this time; in fact, it was from someone she hadn’t gotten along with well at all: Zacharias Smith.



“You’re so boring, Susan. Why don’t you live a little? Get your nose out of a book or something.�



Lifting her nose high to show its freedom from any book, Susan looked back at the cliff she’d slid down and felt her heart swell with pride.



The maze started to get darker again, so Susan lit her wand as she jogged along. Suddenly, she heard a sound that was unconnected with the slap of her feet against the ground – it was someone muttering behind her.



Before she could turn around and see who else was in the maze, her mind went blank and she experienced a floating feeling. “Don’t turn around,� the voice said, and she no longer desired to see what was there.



This feeling was vaguely familiar, a small bit in the back of her mind pointed out. For some reason it reminded her of school. But why would that be?



“Jump up and down,� the voice said, and Susan found there was nothing in the world she would rather do than jump up and down.



‘This is slightly stupid,’ that small voice said to her. ‘Why are you jumping up and down just because he said so?’



“Now pat your head and rub your tummy,� the voice continued.



As she attempted the feat, the small voice inside her told Susan in triumph, ‘You’ve been Imperiused! Don’t let them do that thing to you, go ahead and fight!



‘It’s illegal for them to do this to you,’ her inner voice continued as she began doing the Hokey-Pokey. ‘Say no. Say it!’



“N-no!� Susan burst out as the voice then commanded her to kiss her elbow. “Stop this, you can’t do this to me!�



And with that, the Imperius curse was lifted and Susan turned around but could see no one, only a small brown sack.



“Constant Vigilance!� was the motto this time, and Susan continued on her way, jumping at small echoes and trying to recall what Professor Moody had said: “You’ve a strong mind, Susan. Don’t let it go to waste.�



In a moment of trying to distract herself from the echoes of the maze, Susan rummaged around in her knapsack, taking stock of the rope, magical First Aid kit, basic Potions kit, snacks, and water that she’d brought. Suddenly she ran into an invisible barrier.



“Ow!� she said, rubbing her ear, which had made first contact. “What the – ?�



There was a straight red line laid across the path, and try as she might Susan couldn’t get across it. She tried spell after spell that might get her through the barrier, but nothing worked. She moved into her repository of curses, shooting nasties that would have sent any human to the Hospital Wing. Nothing worked.



Infuriated, Susan sat down and decided to have a drink – she’d carried the water all this way, after all. It was almost enough to make her want to turn back; however, the thought of trying to get up that demolished cliff, as well as past the boggart and an angry Jarvey, prompted her to try one last hopeless spell.



“Expelliarmus!�



Much as Susan had expected, the line was not Disarmed. However, the charm had triggered something in the barrier, and a small bubbling cauldron appeared. Before she had much time to marvel, it billowed out copious amounts of purple smoke that formed itself into words:



An hour long you’ll have to brew

The potion that will let you through



A simple, first-year worthy task

But no Professors here to ask



So quickly you must leave this cage

Or be here till you surely age



As the words faded into the air, Susan heard a sliding behind her and turned around in time to see a section of the maze come over the path to cut off any chance of retreat. Sighing, she pulled out her basic Potions kit and began thinking about a potion that would help her get across the line. It had been a long time since she’d had to make any Potions, and she’d never liked it, sad as she’d been when she’d only managed an Acceptable on her Potions OWL because it ruined her chances to be a Healer.



“I’m sure the kit came with an educational pamphlet,� Susan said, picking through the various ingredients, knives, and stirring sticks that comprised her Potions kit. It’d been a present from Justin for her birthday, even though he well knew how little she liked Potions-making. However, it had just come in useful, so she couldn’t complain too much.



There was a pamphlet, all right, but it didn’t contain nearly as many potions as Susan would’ve liked. None of them seemed to have an effect that would dissolve a barrier, or blast it into oblivion.



“Wait!� Susan cried suddenly, finger in the air. “I learned how to make a Dissolving Solution in my first year!� She riffled the pages of the pamphlet, looking for the appropriate ingredients. Failing that, she picked up 1001 Herbs and Magical Fungi for the second time that night.



“Daisy roots, I’ve got that in the kit. Hellebore and fluxweed? I picked those earlier, for goodness’ sake! Looks like I’ve got them here, too. And . . . yes, I can do this. I hope I can do it in time. I’ve only got an hour. Well, probably a bit less than that.�



And with that she got to work, grabbing the cauldron and trying hard to remember which order the ingredients went in. The poem had, unfortunately, been all too correct about there being no professor to ask for assistance (though, Susan reflected, she probably wouldn’t have looked to Snape for help).



Finally, a good amount of time later (Susan wished she’d remembered a watch), the Dissolving Solution looked much the same as she remembered it should, and she began spooning it toward the barrier. To her delight, it began erasing the red line. And just as she ran out of potion, the red line disappeared completely and Susan could step over unimpeded. She glanced up at the still-blocked return path and crinkled her brow but simply gathered up her Potions kit and looked around for the small brown bag she knew must be around somewhere. She finally found it and read the parchment inside:



“Potions are useful; it doesn’t matter if you’re good at them or even if you hate them. You’ve got to know how to make them anyway. That’s what Cedric, my old Potions tutor, used to say. How did they know about that?�



She bowed her head in a moment of silence for the first boy she’d ever had a crush on, then continued on her way.



The end was drawing near, Susan could tell. That indescribable yearning she’d felt so many hours ago was stronger than ever, and every step she took seemed to whisper “Almost there, almost there.�



So when it became clear that Susan would have to turn a corner soon, she almost whooped with delight; a corner must mean something new would happen in this maze that was eerily straight. It was with trepidation, then, that she found a swift river coursing across her path when she made the turn.



“I really appreciate some of the enchantment that’s gone into this, like the cliff and this river,� Susan remarked, squinting to gauge the depth. “But I must admit that I never thought the danger would constitute exactly this sort of test. The cliff was fun; much more fun than brewing a potion. But . . .� Susan paused as she pondered the wisdom of speaking these words aloud, “I am a little bit afraid of water. I mean, a cliff I could handle. I could drown in this!� Then she laughed at herself. “I really am tired, aren’t I? Justin taught me a handy spell, well, handy if ever I were to have to cross a raging river, that takes care of this quite easily.�



She raised her wand and brought it down vertically, shouting “Moshenes!�



And the water split right in two, leaving a path for Susan to hurry across.



“Thanks, Justin,� she murmured, marveling at the dryness of her clothing. “I really don’t know what I’d do without you.�



There was no brown sack this time, which intrigued Susan, who took that to mean she must be getting very close indeed.



“Maybe the person who was writing them ran out of quotes for me,� she mused, smiling at the thought yet curious who this person could be. It would have to be someone who knew her very well.



Susan couldn’t believe it when it started to snow again. She was too weary to do more than let it fall onto her, dotting her hair and cloak with little white stars. It didn’t even occur to Susan that the maze was shrinking once more until the top of her head almost brushed the ceiling at the same time her shoulders brushed both the walls.



“I just hope it’s not another boggart,� she muttered, finally getting down on her hands and knees to continue. “Although the maze is getting a lot smaller than — �



Susan had looked up to see where she was going and nearly fell out of the hole that she’d been climbing out of. It was a good-sized room, but what surprised her most was the sight of Justin. She shrank back involuntarily, remembering the boggart, but this Justin looked normal; he was smiling, his eyes full of love. He held out his hand to her and helped her out of the maze.



“What are you doing here?� Susan asked. “This is my maze, you know.�



He quirked his eyebrow at her. “I know, darling. I’m here to inform you that you didn’t make it.�



“I didn’t?� Susan gasped, tears springing to her eyes. “After all I did? Why can’t I just have my prize; I definitely think I’ve merited it!�



“You do?� Justin asked, squeezing her hand gently. “Well, you did make it this far. Would you like your prize, then?�



“Mark that down as silly question number four hundred thirty-four, dear,� Susan answered, rolling her eyes.



“I can’t believe you still keep count!� he replied. “All right then, I think you deserve it. Shut your eyes, Susan.�



She looked up at him with an incredulous look on her face did as she was told, sensing the lights dimming as she did so. Then there was a flash so blinding she was glad her eyes were closed.



And then Justin said, “You can open them now.�



There, in the center of the room, was a pedestal upon which rested a small box.



“Go on,� Justin said, pushing Susan forward then nervously clasping his hands under his chin.



She cautiously approached the box, heart pounding madly. This was it, the moment that had kept her going all night long. She reached out, caressed the soft velvet of the lid, then grew impatient with herself and wrenched the box open.



Inside was a glittering diamond ring.



Susan gasped and turned around to look at Justin, who was more nervous than ever.



“What’s this?� she demanded, pointing at the ring.



“Erm, can’t you tell?� Justin asked faintly. “It’s an engagement ring.�



“Is that my prize? A ring??�



Justin looked thoroughly alarmed and hurried over to where Susan was ready to spit like a furious cat.



“I thought you’d like it, sweetheart,� he said, trying to lay his hand on her arm, but she jerked it away. “And it’s not just a ring, Susan, you know that.�



“What is it, then?� she asked, feeling thoroughly gypped.



Justin waited for a moment to see if she would listen before looking straight into her glaring eyes. “It’s something new and different for us. It’s an opportunity for both of us, but especially for you. Isn’t that . . . what you want?�



Susan’s eyes softened as she looked into the desperate face of the man she loved so very much and would be very willing to spend the rest of her life with. “Yes,� she replied, reaching up to brush his cheek. “I can live with a change like that.�



The joy in Justin’s smile was irresistible, and she laughed until he caught her in his arms and kissed her.



“Well,� she said breathlessly some time later, “weren’t you going to ask me something?�



“Oh, right,� Justin said, combing his fingers through his hair and grabbing the ring off the pedestal before going down on one knee. “Silly question number four hundred and thirty-five: Susan, will you marry me?�



“Yes, Justin, I will,� she replied, “but you need to answer a few “silly� questions of mine first.�



“Anything!� he exclaimed, kissing her hand as he slid the ring onto her finger.



“First of all, did you come up with this maze? Where’s the glory I was promised?�



“Well, I came up with the maze in the sense that I wanted something really special to propose to you, but there was this company I found in the Classifieds that I hired to do all the enchantment work.�



“And the glory?�



Justin grinned bashfully at her. “You mean, besides all the glory of marrying me? The glory that comes from proving to yourself that you’re a capable witch, and of proving to everyone else as well, once they find out what you did tonight.�



Susan giggled, then sobered. “Did you see my boggart?�



“Yes, and it broke my heart. Darling, you know I would never betray you like that. You’re the love of my life and I will never lie or push you away.�



Susan’s eyes narrowed suddenly. “You know they had me Imperiused, don’t you? That’s worthy of a lifetime sentence in Azkaban. They shouldn’t have done that.�



Justin lowered his head. “I know, dear, that was wrong. If it makes you feel any better, I saw that they got it approved from the Ministry, as it was all part of the maze. And didn’t it make you feel good, knowing that you were strong enough to overcome it?�



“I suppose . . .� Susan replied, still a little suspicious. “Promise me you’ll never put me under the Imperius Curse.�



“I won’t! I don’t think I could handle it, anyway!� Justin laughed and started lifting himself to his feet, but Susan stopped with one more question.



“You came up with all the quotes, didn’t you?�



“Of course, silly. Who else would have heard you quote your family, or listened in on tutoring, or been in Moody’s class with you? Can I get off the floor now?�



Susan smiled and gave him a hand. Justin muttered the incantation that dissolved the maze around them. They were just in time for the sunrise, but Susan had better things to do than sit around and marvel at the view.



“I could sleep for a week,� she murmured, leaning against Justin’s solid weight.



“I don’t doubt it,� he replied, pulling her hair down and unbraiding it. “Why don’t you FOHN me when – or if – you wake up, and we’ll do breakfast — or will it be dinner?�



“Sounds good to me,� Susan said sleepily, hardly able to walk down the path to Hogsmeade.



“All right, love, I will see you soon, then,� Justin said, lifting her chin and giving her a gentle, lingering kiss. “I love you.�



“I love you, too,� she said, and glanced down at her left hand where the ring sparkled in the pinkish light. It wasn’t such a bad prize after all – it held the promise of a lifetime.