My body could feel that today was special. There was an eerie gossamer over everything and the air moved slowly, and carefully, quietly shuffling the autumn leaves across the castle grounds.
I was sitting in my room, putting my last touches of makeup on for the evening. Poppy was off with Kali and Bella, giggling and getting ready a few doors down. I could hear Pansy shouting at another slithering girl from the common room.
I slipped on my dress, and gazed at my reflection. I had to admit, I looked pretty damn good, but I was so nervous about tonight I couldn't even appreciate my effort.
When the clock struck eight I headed down the corridor, fiddling with my fingers. The halls were empty, since almost everyone got here half an hour ago. Silas said he would be waiting for me by the fountain at the back of the room. As I made my way I caught a glimpse as Draco.
He was wearing all black, in a slick suit. He looked dashing. Especially next to Pansy and her gaudy mess of fabric.
It was obvious she was trying to impress with how much cleavage she could hang out. I'm surprised none of the professors dress coded her. He stood by her awkwardly, looking for someone to talk to. Finally he spotted Blaise and caught his arm, freeing himself from Pansy's eternal grip. She caught my eye and glared hard.
Had Draco told her what happened between us? No, he wouldn't have. I'm sure she just still hates me after last year.
Finally I spotted Silas. I rushed to his side and he smiled at me, soaking in my appearance. "You look incredible."
"So you do," I answered back, butterflies in my stomach.
He took me by the arm and led me to the dance floor. "Okay, thirty minutes of dancing, then we sneak out the back when the band starts playing. Everyone will be distracted, so it's the perfect time to slip out. Then straight to the mirror."
"You got everything?"
"Yeah. It's all already down there." He took my by the hand and twirled me onto the dance floor. "Now just smile and move your feet." He lifted my hand and I spun below it, then he took the small of my back and lowered me in an arch.
"Wow, Salvatore, I didn't know you were such the dancer." I remarked, a smirked in my face. "Something they teach at Durmstrang?"
He laughed lightly, never breaking away from my eyes. "I grew up dancing, my mother is a ballet teacher. She wanted me to be a Prima Ballerina, much to my fathers contempt, and I've been dancing ever since I could remember. It's not the world for me though. I need something more... real."
"Well, you got your wish. Tonight is going to be as real as it gets," I said. Or more grimaced.
"Everything will work out. We'll get through the mirror, and find Aegon, and take him home."
"I'm surprised you showed your face here Wraith," a familiar snotty voice said from behind me. I turned to see Bella standing with Kali and Poppy. She leaned in towards Silas, making what she called her seduction face. Her words, not mine. "You know Silas, you shouldn't be hanging around Layla Wraith. She tends to hurt the people she's closest to," she broke from his eyes and shot me daggers.
Her words stung but I kept my face cold and stone. "You really need to work on hiding that insecurity of yours Bella, it's showing," he snapped back, harsh but cool.
She made a whatever face and continued on. Kali looked back at me with pitiful eyes.
"I can't believe you used to be friends with her," Silas scoffed.
"She didn't used to be like that," I sighed, trying not to let me past rise up too much. "Let's get drinks. I need drinks. The Weasley twins always spike a punch bowl, I'll go find them and figure out which one it is."
I moved through the crowd of students occupying the transformed great hall and headed for the two tall gingers grinning to each other.
In their seventh year, the Weasley twins dropped out of school to open up their joke shop. Since business has been going so well, they decided to come back and finish their seventh year. It might have been weird if it was anyone else, but everyone loved them and welcomed them back with open arms. I'm just glad I got one more year with them. Seventh year would be dull.
"Fred, George," I said, relieved to see two faces of people who never judged me after last year. "I could use a drink. A strong one. Point me in the right direction, will you?"
"Layla," they both greeted me. "You look dashing."
"You two don't look so bad yourselves," I smiled. "I like the haircuts."
"There's a bowl of butter beer by the chocolate. We put a charm on it to smell sower so the teachers wouldn't want to try it, but it taste just the same." Fred gestured to the refreshment tables. I noted the two butter beers they were holding.
"Thank you, I'll be needing a lot," I turned to walk away.
"Oh and Layla!" George called after me. "Watch out for that one, ya? Heard her talkin' a lot about you. I think she's got something up her sleeve if you know what I mean," he gestured towards Pansy standing in the corner by Draco, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle. For just a moment Draco's piercing blue eyes caught mine.
I nodded towards Fred an George, thanking them, and grabbed two tall glasses of butter beer on my way back over to Silas. He was politely chatting with a little blonde girl, half his height, wearing a little silver dress.
"You must be Layla," she said in a breathy, high voice. "Silas has told me all about you. We have charms together. I was just commenting on his lovely ring." She stared down at the silver band around his finger, with large green gem in the middle. "It's very beautiful. I feel like I've seen it in a picture before."
He smiled and took one of the glasses from my hands. "It's a family Heirloom."
"Oh how rude of me," she turned towards me, a glassy look in her eyes. "I didn't introduce myself. I'm Luna Lovegood. I have potions with you, but I don't think you've ever seen me."
She was right, I hadn't seen her. I mostly kept to myself during school. And last year I was too busy fucking around to notice anyone. "It's nice to meet you Luna," I smiled and she nodded and dismissed herself, walking dreamily to the dance floor.
I gulped down my butter beer. Pansy was pulling on Draco's arm, trying to get him to the dance floor. I turned and faced Silas, pushing Malfoy out of my mind. He wasn't the one with me, supporting me and loving me. "I think it's been enough time. Are you ready?"
"Absolutely," he smiled and kissed my neck in a sudden show of passion. His hands pulled me hard against him as his lips met mine. "Let's get the fuck out of this snooze fest." He pulled me towards a back door and we managed to slip out unnoticed.
We ran down the halls of the castle as quietly as we could. My heart was racing with both fear and excitement. I was about to do what me and Autumn had been trying to accomplish for the entirety of last year. If only she could be here with me...
Down in the bathroom I knelt in front of the large, gold rimmed mirror. I set two tall red candles on either side of it and lit him. "Do you want to do the honors or should I?" I asked, my voice suddenly shaky. This was the part I had messed up the last time. Me and Autumn had mixed up the spells, sending a deadly purple smoke bouncing off the mirror and straight into Autumn.
Silas put a hand on my face. "I'll do this part, Layla," he said, reading my emotions. He got to his feet and squared up to the mirror. "Speculo," a green flash shot through his wand and collided with the mirror.
I slowly stepped towards it. It looked exactly the same, like nothing had changed. Damnit if this didn't work. I raised my hand to put it against the glass but it went right through it. A laughed escaped my mouth and I turned to Silas. "It worked. It actually worked."
He didn't respond and he put a hand through the mirror, a skeptical scowl on his face. Before I knew it he had fully emerged himself in the mirror, disappearing from the room.
"Silas?" I called, wondering if he could here me from wherever the mirror led to. My chest tightened as I put my hand through the mirror once more. I tried to just walk through but my body wouldn't let me.
Don't Layla. Don't come down here.
Autumn's voice rung in my mind. I couldn't tell if it was actually her or if it was my mind trying to trick me. "I have to."
No, Layla. The shadows, they live here.
"What shadows?" I whispered, utterly confused. "What are you talking about?"
I shook my head, trying to ground myself. It wasn't real. This was just my body tricking me. I was nervous. Scared that something bad would happened again.
Before the voice could reply I lunged myself through the mirror. There was an ice cold sting on my skin for a split second until I was on the other side. The ground beneath me was dark gray rock, making my steps slightly unsteady. "Silas?" I looked around but all I saw was an empty cave with chains and shackles hanging from the ceiling. Twenty feet ahead of me was a vast lake, with murky green water. Black shadowy figures were swirling around in the lake, barely visible.
"The souls of the lake. When someone dies and their body is put into the lake their soul stays here forever." Silas was suddenly standing right behind me, his lips close to my ear.
"How do you know that?" I asked. "I thought you didn't know about the lake."
"There's something I haven't told you," he grabbed my by the waist and led me away from the lake. "Aegon wasn't alone when he came down here. He was with me." He grabbed my hands and cuffed them in one of the shackles hanging from the cave ceiling.
"Silas what are you doing?" I asked, trying to figure out what was going on.
"I'm finishing what I started."