Sullivan turned back to Snape, his expression a lot more serious now. "That dog's running on a fixed loop. So this is some kind of illusion world? Are our real bodies still outside somewhere?"
Snape shook his head. "No. We're still controlling our own bodies—magic flow feels normal. Whatever's messing with us is only scrambling our five senses."
"Let's test it outside," Sullivan said. He led Snape and Teemo back onto the main street and pulled something from his bag.
Snape recognized it immediately—the same Magical Disruptor orb Sullivan had used during the Quidditch match to shut down Quirrell's spell. No matter what magic was active, this thing could throw it off at least for a second.
Sullivan stepped into the middle of the street, cranked the orb to full power, and let the spherical wave of magical disruption ripple outward. The pulse spread a full hundred meters in every direction.
Every person walking or working on the street froze mid-motion the instant the wave hit—like someone had yanked the plug on a bunch of robots.
Five seconds later they all started moving again, but there was a three-second delay before they picked up exactly where they'd left off.
Sullivan and Snape shared a quick glance—equal parts relief and worry. The good news: the Disruptor actually worked, which meant the townspeople were definitely being controlled by some kind of magic. The bad news: it was high-level magic. The orb could only interrupt it temporarily, not break it.
And the environment itself hadn't changed at all. That suggested they were standing in a space where real and illusion were fused together so tightly they couldn't tell which was which.
While they were still processing that, the same middle-aged man from before strolled up again with the exact same friendly smile. "Where are you three from, travelers?"
The expression was identical. The Disruptor must have reset the guy's loop.
Sullivan tried a different approach this time. He put on his meanest scowl and snapped, "None of your damn business!"
The man raised his hands apologetically. "Sorry, no offense. I just wanted to tell you there's a temple in our town that houses the merciful Hopping Pot."
"Anyone who prays sincerely and states their wish will receive a magical potion from the Pot to make that wish come true. If you have any desires, you should definitely give it a try."
Different opening line, same sales pitch. The guy was steering them straight toward the Hopping Pot again.
They brushed him off and kept walking until they reached a fruit stall. A cheerful older woman beamed at them. "You folks from out of town? Everything here was picked fresh this morning. Pick whatever you like!"
Sullivan grabbed an apple and handed it to Snape, then asked, "Where's the inn in this town? We need a place to stay."
"The inn's straight down the street at the far end of town," the woman said, pointing. Then she added, almost as an afterthought, "Oh, and you'll pass the Hopping Pot temple on the way. The great Pot is very merciful—if you pray sincerely and tell it your wish, it'll grant you a potion that makes the wish come true."
Sullivan didn't answer. He just looked at Snape, who was sniffing the apple like a bloodhound.
Snape gave a tiny shake of his head and passed the apple back. Sullivan took it, turned to the woman, and asked, "How much for this one?"
Business made her even happier. "Five apples for a penny."
"Sorry, we don't carry pennies, but we have these silver coins. Will this buy one apple?" Sullivan pulled a silver Sickle from his Undetectable Extension Bag.
The woman took the Sickle, bit it, and smiled. "Of course! Take the apple, dear."
Sullivan noticed something odd about the bite mark she left on the coin, but he didn't comment. He pocketed the apple and the three of them kept walking.
They chatted with a few more locals along the way. No matter how they started the conversation, every single person steered it right back to the temple and the Hopping Pot.
"Looks like we're going to have to visit that temple," Sullivan said with a wry grin at Snape.
"Isn't that why you came here in the first place?" Snape shot back. "Or have you changed your mind?"
"Nope. Let's go."
The temple was already visible up ahead—a gleaming white marble building that stood out sharply from the surrounding shops.
A small plaza with a fountain sat in front. A handful of kids were laughing and chasing each other, occasionally scattering the pigeons that waddled around the square.
"It looks like this really was a peaceful little town once," Snape said quietly, almost to himself.
Sullivan didn't know what memories that stirred for Snape, but he had other things on his mind. He just replied, "Maybe."
He handed the apple back to Snape. "This thing really safe?"
Snape took it again. "Texture and smell are fine. If you're brave enough to take a bite, I could be more certain."
Sullivan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. In a half-real, half-illusion space? Eating random fruit is a great way to die. Best-case scenario it's a rock. Worst-case it's a lump of rotting meat covered in slime. I'm not taking that chance—I've already got a layer of magic protecting my hand just from holding it."
"You're the Potions Master," Sullivan suggested. "Take a nibble. You'd know what's in it instantly."
Snape didn't bother arguing. He dropped the apple into his own Undetectable Extension Bag and turned toward the temple without another word.
Teemo, ever helpful, piped up, "Mr. Su, if you need someone to test it, Teemo can try."
House-elves really were the sweetest creatures. Sullivan smiled. "It's fine, Teemo. Let's just go inside first."
They followed Snape into the temple everyone in town kept recommending so enthusiastically.
It wasn't a huge building. The moment they stepped through the doors they entered a spacious hall. Two young women in flowing white robes—something like nuns—stood near the entrance.
One of them immediately came forward with a warm smile. "You three must be visitors. Whatever your wish may be, simply pray sincerely to the Hopping Pot and the great Pot will grant you a potion that makes it come true."
Sullivan couldn't resist. "What if I want to rule the world?"
The nun froze for a split second, like a program glitching, then recovered smoothly. "Please don't joke like that inside the temple. The Hopping Pot is a great and righteous being. It would never help anyone do something so wicked."