I cursed Harry again. Mechanical devices impervious to magic. That, of course, meant they were magical–enchanted against magic with magic. It sometimes made my head spin thinking of all the countermeasures to the countermeasures people used. Usually, though, I could sense something of that residual magic, a trace of what was left behind that let me circumnavigate any attempt to block magic. I understood now why Harry had picked me—and assumed this wouldn’t be hard.

He didn’t understand. No one who didn’t have the gift did. Even then, there weren’t many of us that were strong enough to use the skills to their fullest. Magic would eat you alive from the inside if you weren’t careful.

I sat on the cold stone floor and extinguished my light. Closing my eyes, I opened myself up, careful to note the whooshing hadn’t changed. It’s rhythm gave me focus as I searched for the source of its protection. At first, the darkness remained, surrounding me in my mind’s eye as well as body. But then, a glow appeared. I sensed it as a dim white light. Nothing obvious. Again, the magic hid itself even as I found it.

Gently, I pushed with my magic.

I woke prone on the ground with a pounding in my head and a wetness dripping down the back of my neck. The white light orb I summoned appeared in front of me. I prodded the back of my head and my hands came away red. Green swaths of light circled around me as I healed my wounds. Sticky dried blood still matted my hair and neck, a reminder not to be so bold in my next attempt.

How long it took, I couldn’t say, but I eventually mapped out the whooshing device in my mind using the slightest, tiniest touch of magic. It was one big machine. Five pendulum blades, set apart by a few inches. Only one was moving now. I’d triggered it by stepping on a stone tile, also enchanted against magical detection. The others undoubtedly started if the first was avoided.

I needed to avoid them all.