"Fifth year"

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Lenora POV:
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"Oh, brilliant! So if I don't manage to get my ass functional soon, I'll die." I groaned, trying harder to move my limbs.

"Essentially, yeah!" The man said in a far to cheerful voice.

I didn't reply to his comment, but continued to try and coax any form of motion from my body. I grinned to myself as slowly, but surely my body began to fully function again.

I peeled my eyes open as I slowly began to sit up with some assistance from the mystery man.

"Come on, up you get." He encouraged as he pulled me to my feet. "Now let's get to the heart of that maze, shall we?"

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Sirius POV:

"Nothing?"

The boys, Lily, and I were in the common room, listening as Nora's father gave us an update. "None of them had cast a spell even remotely similar to the one that hurt Nora."

"This is rubbish! Those pricks hurt Norie and the school is just letting them get away with it?!" James exclaimed angrily as he fidgeted, his leg bouncing feverishly.

"Is there a way to remove wand history? Like get rid of any traces of harmful spells from your wand?" Moony asked curiously, his worried brown eyes glancing up at the Magizoologist.

"You know, I'm not sure." Mr. Scamander stated, perking up with a sudden idea. "I'll go ask Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall."

The green eyed man then quickly walked out of the Gryffindor common room, the portrait closing behind him.

"And now we wait." Remus sighed, leaning back on the couch as his eyes stared up at the ceiling.

"Or we can do some of our own investigating?" I suggested with a grin, earning nods of agreement from the others.

"Yes, Paddy!" James laughed, clapping me on the back.

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Nora POV:

"So, if you don't mind me asking, who exactly are you?" I said to the tall young man as he lead me towards the labyrinth. "Because this entire time I've been mentally referring to you as 'helpful-but-vague-stranger'."

"Oh, right! I'm awfully sorry about that, Lenora. I've always been a bit rubbish when it comes to social interaction, manners, and the lot." The large chinned young man rambled slightly. "My name is Harold Bennet, but I prefer to be called Harry."

"Pleasure." I replied politely, holding out my hand for him to shake. "You can call me Nora, Harry. After all, you are helping me get out of my mental debacle."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nora."

"So, if this is all in my head, then why are you here?" I asked the brunette curiously, before continuing. "No offense or anything, but I don't recognize you as someone that I've ever met. So, how can you be a figment of my imagination, if I've never seen you before?"

"I actually go to your school." Harry replied, making me even more confused than before. "I'm a two years above you and a Ravenclaw. I'm actually your friend Timotheé's cousin, on my mum's side."

"If you're a real person, then how–?"

"Oh, there's actually quite a simple explanation for that!" He simply replied, cutting me off. "I'm a Legilimens and I come from a long line of Dreamwalkers on my dad's side."

"Oh...." I stated understandingly, remembering how I'd read about Dreamwalkers a few months ago. "My Aunt Queenie is a Legilimens, as well."

"Huh, small world." Harry told me with a chuckle and a nod of his head.

"Indeed, it is."

At that, we approached a large structure and my anxiety began to rise. Eighty foot stone walls stood intimidatingly before us, the maze's entrance being blocked by a tall iron gate.

As the two of us walked closer to the gate, I noticed a thick chain wrapped around its iron bars. A bulky lock held the chain links of each end together securely.

"Now what? It's locked and we don't have the key or anything to break it with. I'd suggest climbing over it, but the walls are too high and the vines seem too weak to support our weight." I stated with a sigh, my green eyes scanning the area for anything that could help.

"Can we use magic here? Even if we did, I don't have my wand or my broom. So, Alohomora won't work and neither will flying over the walls." I rambled curiously as the wheels turned in my head and I tried to come up with a solution.

"You are correct, magic doesn't work here. However, you're imagination does." Harry told me with a smile, as if he knew something that I didn't.

This only confused me further, as my frustration with this entire situation grew. "And what the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Think about it, Nora." The older boy told me with a grin. "This is your mind, Nora! As far as I'm aware, you should be able to control the environment at least a little bit."

"No shit..." I muttered in surprise as the realization sunk in.

I went closer to the gate and stared down at the lock. My brow furrowed in thought as I tried to think of something that would open the gate. I pursed my lips and let out a frustrated sigh through my nostrils.

"You can try picturing something happening to the lock in your mind." The Bennet boy suggested with a shrug. "Just close your eyes and imagine it melting off or something."

"Alright, It's worth a try." I muttered to myself, before closing my eyes and thought about the big metal lock melting off of the chains.

After a few seconds of silence, I opened my eyes to find that nothing had happened. I let out a loud groan and threw my head back in frustration.

"Okay, okay, just try something else!" The teenage Legilimens stated, trying to remain optimistic. "Try thinking about it unlocking! It's worth a shot, right?"

"A shot in the dark." I grumbled under my breath, before reluctantly closing my eyes again and trying Harry's suggested method.

Once again, I waited a few moments, before opening my eyes. Letting out a sigh at what I saw, before giving my new friend an unamused look. "So much for that method, Harold."

"Hey, don't give up just yet!" He argued, holding out his hand in a 'hold on a moment' motion. "Did you try actually picturing it becoming unlocked in your mind? Like created a mental picture of the lock opening?"

I opened my mouth to say something sarcastic, but immediately shut it again when I realized that I hadn't actually pictured it happening in my mind. I took another brief look at the iron lock, before closing my green eyes once more and muttering. "I suppose that imagination is key in this situation, after all."

With my eyes shut, I pictured the sound of the tumblers clicking into place and the lock popping open. I imagined the opened lock hanging loosely on the chain links, ready to be removed from the gate.

Suddenly, I heard a single click and I opened a single green eye. Just as I imagined in my mind, the lock was opened.

It had worked.

"Merlin's beard...." I breathed in shock, blinking down at the now accessible gate. "It worked."

"We don't have time to stand here and gape like a muggle, Nora! We've got to get you to the heart of the maze!"