Only The Beginning

The Scriptorium

I have written to my brother. He now knows how I accessed the corridor's entrance and that there's no straight path to reach the scriptorium. It's a maze with many challenges to solve.

I hope that my brother will follow my lead and we can study our ancestor's legacy together.

Noctua Gaunt

"Ominis, there's a journal entry here... signed by your aunt." Olive said carefully.

"Your aunt? Ominis your family has been here? And you didn't tell me?" Sebastians voice was hurt.

"She mentioned difficulties we may face, says it's like a maze."

"This is exactly why I didn't want to come here, it's too dangerous! Would someone please figure out where that blasted noise is coming from!" Ominis was pacing hurriedly back and forth, hands lightly covering his ears.

"Noise?" Sebastian turned to her confused.

"Ominis, there's no noise." Olive's worried voice called to him.

"There is. It's coming from over there." He pointed at a wall where there once was something but had since crumbled to rubble on the ground.

Olive approached it carefully, she could make out shapes in the stone, it was some sort of relief. "Reparo." The stone slowly began to return to its original place, the sculpture on full display.

"It's a person, facing a snake?" Sebastian went closer, the light from his wand illuminating the relief.

Ominis took a deep breath and tightly shut his eyes, "I hear it clearly now, it's a voice. It's dark and deep, sinister, it's saying 'Speak to me'." His body jolted as a shiver went through him.

"How are you hearing voices?" Olive questioned, not understanding what was happening to her friend.

"I'm a parstlemouth, it means I can hear and talk to snakes, a gift to the descendants of Salazar Slytherin. It's associated with dark wizards, I vowed I wouldn't have to use it ever again, but I'm led to believe that if I speak it right now, this door will open. Are we sure about this?" His voice became small at the end.

"I'm not sure about anything right now, but I don't think we have a choice anymore, the only way out is in, the door shut behind us." The silence was so thick it felt like it would consume them.

Ominis took another deep breath and when he opened his mouth, what sounded like an ancient language mixed with hissing fell off his tongue. Slowly the two snakes intertwined on the door in front of them untangled allowing the door to swing open.

"Ominis you're a genius!" Sebastian cheered, unable to read the anxiety coming from his two friends as he charged into the next room.

The familiar sound of the door closing behind them rang out, Sebastian was too focused on inspecting the pillars up ahead to pay any mind to it. "I think these dials have something to do with the closed gates!" He called over his shoulder.

Olive joined him as he was inspecting the dial, a serpent sat on 2 round spinners with strange shapes, this was some sort of puzzle. She began to turn the spinners to see the other shapes and as she did, the snake sitting on top started to rotate, black eyes glittering at her. A faint ticking sound was coming from the dial, a countdown for what was to come next. As the snake returned to its original spot, it lunged at her face, fangs bared. She instinctively covered her face with her arms and screamed as she felt the serpent sink its teeth into her arm before letting go and returning to its post on the dial.

Sebastian caught her as she was pushed back by the force of the bite, keeping her from falling to the floor. "Bloody hell! Olive are you alright!?"

"What was that?! Why wouldn't she be okay? What happened!" Ominis' voice came from just behind them.