A/N: Hey guys!! Finally updating this after a long hiatus while I worked on The Malfoy Project. Thanks for sticking around!! I love and appreciate every single one of you <3
Towards the end of the Trojan War, the Greeks pretended to withdraw, leaving a large wooden horse. The Trojans brought the horse into their city, and that night, the Greeks who had been hiding in the horse opened the gates for their comrades, who had sailed back under the cover of night. They entered and destroyed the city of Troy, ending the war.
»»——⍟——««
💙
amora
"Is something wrong, Morie?" Odalis Welford was clutching her textbook close to her chest as if someone was out to steal it. Our robes brushed heavily against each other, and for a fleeting moment, I considered telling her everything.
Two weeks had had passed since the new term started and I still could not find the sodding Tomb. To make matters worse, the professors had begun to increase their nightly patrols for some unknown reason, as if Hogwarts wasn't practically Azkaban already.
I had spent the first week observing their routines, counting the number of steps they took, listening for specific sounds to use as markers. It was physically and mentally draining, and I was beginning to feel like a shrivelled up prune by the start of the second week. But I had sworn to myself I would not fuck this up.
I channeled all my energy into feigning surprise. "No, why would it be?"
"You're especially quiet today," her sharp gold-flecked eyes peered at me. I kept mine straight ahead. "And you're especially overthinking."
She did not laugh my retort off as she normally would have. "Well, if there is... something wrong, I mean, you'd tell me, right?"
There was genuine concern in her voice, and I was struck by a pang of guilt. Odalis had been my friend since First Year. We went everywhere and did everything together - common room parties, all-nighters in the library; she knew about my parents, my unrequited love for Erebus, and my sudden loss of interest in school.
But what she did not know was my complicity in a kidnapping. The impending overtaking of the Wizarding government. The inevitable war to follow. And I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible.
"Of course," I said.
She was not satisfied with this answer, but knew this was all she was going to get out of me for now. We spent the rest of the walk back in comfortable silence.
The Ravenclaw common room had been one of my favourite places in the castle, with its soothing blue hues, Astronomy equipment, and shelves upon shelves of books. But today, it failed to provide me the relief I so desperately sought.
A faint but distinct sweet-and-sour smell of sweat hit our noses the moment we entered. Half of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team stood in the middle, still decked in their dirty robes. A group of Fifth Year girls surrounded them, listening to a grand retelling of the match that had taken place earlier in the afternoon. The shutting of the door behind us turned their attention.
"Didn't see you two at the game! We decimated those Hufflepuffs!" Cillian Killiney called out in our direction, but we all knew he wasn't addressing me.
"Yeah, well, we had better things to do," Odalis sighed in disinterest. "What was that saying?" Quincy Stewart spoke over her. "You mess with the eagle, you get the talons!" They hooted unanimously, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
Odalis, however, did not bother holding back. "Perhaps you lot can regale us with your exciting Quidditch tale after a shower?"
Beside Quincy, Sebastian Dubois gave us an apologetic shrug. I forced a smile at him which I immediately regretted, for he took it as an invitation to come over to us.
"Sorry, we are - how you say - ecstatic!" he grinned and turned to me. "Morie, you had Divination, too?"
I felt myself softening a little. Sebastian was probably one of the only boys who would address me directly, like I was a real person. Except for Erebus, of course, but Erebus didn't count. The rest of the school shunned us for being children of Death Eaters, and I thought of Lilith's screeching laughter and the look on Erebus's face when I was clutching Nutmeg's warm body against my chest, drumming heart against my own, as he said, "They're just rabbits, Morie. They don't have feelings."
Children of Death Eaters, venom ran through our blood.
I looked at Sebastian. He was a Seventh Year like us and the nicest of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. With his doe eyes and mop of dirty-blond hair, he was the boy every girl vied for. It also did not help that his French accent made him all the more endearing. In fact, I might have rather fancied him had Erebus not been hogging that spot for years. However, I was not in the mood for small talk right now, and that was exactly what Sebastian seemed determined to do.
"How was class?" he nodded at the textbook in Odalis' arm. She snorted vehemently. "Honestly, it's all rubbish! I mean, if you expect to tell the future from the lines on your palms, I'd expect you to have jellybeans for brains!"
"Oh," said poor Sebastian, ruffling his hair sheepishly. "Sorry, I failed Divination last year so I'm not taking it for N.E.W.T.s this year."
"As you should! Like I said, it's all rubbish. I wish I failed, too. In fact, I might drop it. Anyway, we need to do our Potions essay now," she announced quickly before he could respond, much to my relief. "Catch you later, Seb!" With that, we left him standing there, forlornly watching us leave.
"Godric, I hate Quidditch players," Odalis mumbled as we climbed the stairs. "They don't ever shut up!" She was right. They were all the same across the four Houses. Loud, obnoxious, and self-obsessed.
I allowed myself a chuckle, but a sudden feeling of longing pulled from within my chest. What would it be like to be a Quidditch player? Maybe if I had tried out for the team, I might not have turned to a dark army to satisfy my lack of belonging. I might have found my true calling, maybe even had a shot at dating Sebastian. I would have been hurtling in the air beside him. After that, I would be whooping in victory with his arm draped over my shoulders as we beat everyone over the head with details of our match. Maybe.
"But Seb is so fit, isn't he!" Odalis was carrying on when we finally reached our dorms, flinging herself dramatically on her bed.
I gave a non-committal grunt of agreement. She stretched and rolled like a cat while I packed my books. "It's so unfortunate he's friends with those goons. Each one of them is a bigger tosser than the next! I'd have totally jumped into his pants, otherwise," she prattled. "Our Quidditch standards have gone to shit ever since Dumbledore died. It's like they have no one to show off to now."
I perked up at the mention of our ex-Headmaster. "I'm sure he's watching us from somewhere," I said.
"Somewhere? I sure hope you don't mean heaven or something!" she scoffed. "'Cause there's no such thing. From the banks of the Black Lake, more like."
"I mean, at this point, how do we even know if he's still there, really." I said this as a statement rather than a question as I folded my white shirts.
That got her attention fully. She did hate to be accused of misinformation. "If you're talking about his Tomb, it's definitely there, alright!" she said, propping herself up on her elbows. "In between those two cypress trees. You know the ones to the left of that uneven mound of grass. Trust me, it's there. They've just cast a ton of protection spells over it, that's all."
"Oh. Like what?"
"The Disillusionment charm. And probably an Age Line, to prevent any wandering First Years from stumbling upon it or something."
My stomach sank. The school's most precious treasure, hidden only by a mere Disillusionment charm and an age line that I would most likely pass? I had hoped it would have been more secure, or maybe I just wanted an excuse not to do it.
"Huh." I was hyper-focused on my white Oxford shirt, pretending to perfect every crease and line. "How do you know all this, anyway?"
She rolled over onto her stomach and kicked her feet up behind her. "I have my sources. Seriously, Morie, you need to start building your network. Connections get you to places nowadays, not skills or experience."
Did I feel guilty for baiting Odalis? Yes. Would I have done it if I didn't think it would save my life? No.
⋇⋆✦⋆⋇
I waited for the sound of Odalis' gentle snoring before easing out of bed. Our common room was situated high up in the Ravenclaw Tower, inviting pleasant breezes and spectacular, panoramic views. But tonight, I cursed the many flights of stairs as I placed each foot carefully in front of the other in case a loose floorboard chose to betray me.
It took me about ten minutes to finally reach the bottom. My next challenge: successfully evade the patrolling professors on their nightly rounds. Today, it was Flitwick. It was easy to be fooled by his small stature and bumbling nature, but the wizened man was razor-sharp and quick with his wand, and I learned in my early years here that there was no point attempting to cast Disillusionment or Invisibility charms. Nothing got past Flitwick.
He passed the prefect's bathroom, humming to himself in a sprightly manner. The bricks were cold through my jumper as I pressed myself flush against the wall. He was approaching, and for a moment I thought he had changed his route, but he turned at the corner just before me, just as he was supposed to. I exhaled, counted to thirty before continuing down the dark hallways.
There was no light, and I could barely see past my nose. I forced myself onwards. Finally, the shape of the doors came to view. I just needed to cross a large foyer before I would finally taste the fresh night air. There was just one more obstacle.
Accurate to my expectations, along came Filch and his bedraggled cat, Mrs Norris. He was mumbling to himself, or his pet - it was hard to tell sometimes.
He paused right in front of the doors, the lamp squeaking as it swung on its hinges. I barely dared to draw a breath as I counted to twenty. By the time he moved on, my hands tingled with pins and needles from being pressed so hard behind my back.
"Morie."
I almost screamed in fright. An eager face emerged from the shadows behind me, illuminated by a wand. "Sebastian! What are you doing here?" I hissed in irritation.
"I saw you sneaking out," he said excitedly. "Where are you going?"
"What? N-nowhere! And put that out, for fuck's sake!"
He obediently flicked his wand and we were drenched in darkness once again. "Great, now go back to the dorms!" I said, shooing him away as if he were a stray dog. "Go on! Hurry along!"
"But it is past midnight," he insisted stubbornly. Where are you going?"
I would have yelled at him, but it was impossible to be cross with Sebastian Dubois. His dilated pupils, freckled cheeks, and petal-pink lips could just have possibly melted even Voldemort's cold, dead heart.
"If I tell you, you have to swear you won't tell anyone."
"I swear." He was looking at me with a certain awestruck expression, like a puppy waiting for its next command.
"I'm going to the Black Lake."
"Why?"
I shut my eyes and prayed for strength. "I have to fetch something from Dumbledore's Tomb."
He balked. "Pourquoi?!" I shushed him fiercely. "Because, Seb, it's just something important that I need to do, okay? Now, I need you to go back to your room and pretend you never saw me."
He bit his lip, his eyes now enlarged with with terror and worry. I sighed and turned to him. "Listen, Seb. This is really important to me. If you care about me, at all, you need to please, please, please go back to your room and just let me do this, okay?"
"I'll help you," he blurted.
"What?"
"I can help you. They put a strong Disillusionment charm. It is difficult to do it all by yourself."
"Why does everybody know that except me?" I muttered. "Fine. You can come, but you have to swear to pretend to keep it a secret. Promise me you won't tell a single bloody soul about anything tonight, or Rowena help me I will hex you into oblivion."
"Okay," he grinned.
⋇⋆✦⋆⋇
I unlocked the door easily with my wand. It was surreal to feel the wood under my fingers as I pushed them open. The cold night air blasted the skin on my face, and my nose instantly stung from the chill.
After making sure to close the door carefully behind us, Sebastian and I raced down the hill freely. This time, the darkness was no longer a hinderance to me. Erebus and I had taken this route down to the Lake every other day. But that was a lifetime ago.
Between the two cypress trees, Odalis had said. I'm so sorry, Odie. I hope you can forgive me one day.
True enough, I found the two cypresses, standing approximately fifteen yards apart. There was nothing but grass between them. I pointed my wand at the empty space. "Revelio." I was convinced nothing would happen, and I was right. There was nothing. But Odalis could not be wrong. She would not answer a question unless she was sure of the answer, and when she was, she was always correct.
"We do together," Sebastian urged, raising his wand as well. I adjusted my stance and uttered the spell in unison. Still nothing. I squeezed my eyes and tried to steady my breath. Perhaps I could tell Codrus that it was impossible to reveal the tomb's location. The professors had done an infallible job of hiding it.
No, that would only give him more incentive to storm the school. I thought of Odalis; and dear Sebastian, whom I've now dragged straight into this clusterfuck. I thought of Cillian, and Quincy. And the younger ones.
Hogwarts had just been rebuilt; it did not deserve to crumble again, and I certainly would not be the reason.
"It's okay, Morie. Sometimes it takes a few tries," Sebastian assured me. I had no idea why he was even here, in the dead of night, helping me break into Dumbledore's fucking tomb. But I did not have time to dwell on that now.
I gripped my wand tighter. Come on, Amora. You're a bloody Seventh Year. How do you expect to pass your N.E.W.Ts if you can't even reverse basic charms?
"Revelio."
I felt the resistance of the protective enchantments - a blunt force pushing back against my wand. I almost wanted to break away, but Sebastian's outstretched arm next to mine gave me the encouragement I needed to fight against it, and I willed all my energy into the spell. I felt it giving, slowly but surely. Revelio.
And then the invisible curtain fell, revealing the White Tomb.
It was grander than I expected, and a thousand times more intimidating. A temple of a higher power towering over me, its humble servant. I approached it with restrained reverence. The tomb lay sunken into the ground. Above it was a large block of shining white marble inscribed with an epitaph:
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Headmaster. Brother. Friend.
Do not pity the dead. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love.
I could not tear my eyes off the inscription. There was an unshakable feeling that it was somehow meant for me. Those who live without love. The raspiness of Codrus' voice echoed in my head. Unloved by your father, and now unloved by your darling Erebus. What did I know of love?
"Morie. Morie." I snapped back to reality. "What do you need, Morie?" Sebastian was nudging me gently. My mouth had gone dry. I swallowed. "I need to open the tomb."
We raised our wands once more, and the large marble block began to slide away from the pillars that supported it. I expected a smell, the stench of decay to smack in my face, but there was nothing except the faint, musty smell of old stone.
He even looked the same as how I remembered him - wrinkled skin, creased around the eyes and mouth, half-moon spectacles perched atop his beak of a nose, wiry white beard tucked under gently clasped hands.
Two clasped hands that held the Elder Wand.
Carefully, I slipped my hand in, wrapped my fingers around the hilt of the wand, pulled. It slid out as if it had been oiled. I regarded it in the moonlight. The grey-brown wood, the spheres fitted into the pads of my palms like it was meant to be there. I could almost feel the Thestral core throbbing like a living, beating heart.
"Morie," whispered Sebastian. "Why do you want to take the Elder Wand?"
I looked at him. "Sebastian," I said. "Do you trust me?"
He looked doubtful, his lips twitching with uncertainty. "Oui."
"Good, because you just might be the only one." I take his forearm. "You cannot tell anybody what we have done, okay? It's not about the professors. If you tell..." I take a deep breath to steady my voice. "If you tell, we will all die."
"What's going on? Who is asking you to do this?" he breathed, his face inches from mine. I could kiss him right now. I could.
"Sebastian, your parents live in France, yes?"
"Oui, yes, but what-"
"Go to them," I said. "Go home. Tell McGonagall your mother is sick. Leave Britain."
"But why, Morie?"
The Elder Wand is warm in my hand. Hot. Like I'm holding a piece of coal.
"Because something is coming. And if I can save just one person. Just one..."
From the way Sebastian is looking at me, it looked as if he understood. Something was telling him the war back in our Fourth Year was not really over, that the embers left over are being fanned, reignited by some unknown, unseen entity.
But I knew this entity, I had seen it. It wears a suit of opalescent skin, silver-white hair, and blue eyes so acidic they could cut stone.
⋇⋆✦⋆⋇
We trudged back to the Ravenclaw Tower, ascended the stairs, cold sweat clinging to our skin.
Sebastian started for the boy's dorm, and I spun around to the girl's. "Morie," his voice called after me. I stopped and turned.
He stood halfway into the Boy's Dorm, the door obscuring a perfect half of his body. "You are... one of the... good guys, yes?"
I felt tears prick my eyes. "I don't know, Sebastian," I said. "I don't know."