At the mention of Anne, I turned back to the small house and couldn't help but feel sad. She was a witch who was happy, attending Hogwarts and spending time with her friends. But that all changed with a curse, and now, she was cooped up in her home, suffering from the curse.
"Hey", I told Sebastian, "I'll be right back."
I made my way into the house to see Anne's perspective of the whole ordeal.
She noticed my presence as I walked in, "I'm sorry about earlier. Those bouts of pain are difficult to bear."
"Are you all right, Anne?" I asked, taking a seat next to her, "I didn't mean to intrude."
"You didn't. Truly", she spoke with a wince, "And I'm all right. The pain from this curse comes in bouts - and often suddenly. It's not anyone's fault."
"It's nice to meet you, by the way. You must be the new fifth-year Sebastian told me about."
I cocked a brow, "all good things I hope?"
Anne let a girlish giggle, "very much so", speaking in a tone with many hints.
We spoke back and forth about Hogwarts, allowing Anne to reminisce about her favourite moments in Hogwarts, especially teasing first-years about spotting mermaids through the common room windows.
The conversation then turned serious at the mention of Solomon.
"They both mean well. I know they do. But my uncle is right. This curse cannot be undone. I can feel it."
My eyebrows furrowed, this is the wizarding world, there surely has to be one.
"Sebastian cannot take away my pain. Perhaps you can help him to understand that."
"I'm afraid it's really up to Sebastian, and his mind seems to be made up."
"I can only hope the realises the futility of his search for a cure soon. I'm getting tired, I should probably rest. Thank you for stopping by and being by Sebastian's side. I hope to see you again soon."
I nodded my head in reply, "I'll continue to be by his side. And now yours", the two of us sharing a smile before I left to check on Sebastian.
"Hey, doing any better?"
"I really do apologise for my uncle", is all he could say. But I knew there was so much more to it, much more than just Anne's curse, something was really affecting him.
"I'll admit I wasn't expecting him to be so angry."
"He's always angry, ever since my parents died", I could only listen and watch as anger began to bubble and spew out of him, "after Anne was hurt, he only grew worse. It's as though he blames me somehow. Always calling me 'my father's son.' As if that's an insult."
He sighed, "I'm the one trying to help her. He's simply given up."
"Both Anne and your uncle seem genuinely convinced that nothing more can be done for her."
"I refuse to believe that! I miss my sister. And I'm going to get her back."
Looking into his eyes, the determination they possessed for some reason scared me. I didn't like the look in his eyes, it gave you the fear of the future and the unknown of knowing how far Sebastian will really go.
A future I didn't know will impact everyone.
His soothing voice interrupted my thoughts, "come with me. I need to show you where it happened."
The two of us ran off to an area just off Feldcroft, until we arrived at a place of rubble.
Sebastian then went on to recount the night Anne got cursed, from her running towards the fire, to the appearance of Ranrok's loyalists, followed by the icy voice that cursed Anne.
"Children should be seen and not heard."
We continued to look around until I came across some equipment that is most definitely not associated with goblins camping out. Looking beyond, it seemed to be the ruins of a home.
"Whose home was this?" I inquired.
Sebastian turned from his search to see the remains of a house that you were looking at.
"Been abandoned long as I've lived here. Rumour was, a Hogwarts professor liver here once - centuries ago - but that's all I ever heard."
He then began to walk up to me, "might be worth taking a look at the house itself", as his head turned towards the more stable remains of the house.
Which, I went to go investigate.
The more I took a good look at the ruins, the more things pieced together, "Sebastian! I've seen this before. This house, the well, the view."
"What do you mean? When?"
I went on to explain the vision I saw about Isidora and about the drought and how she was also just like me as well as Professor Rackham, explaining how when she became a professor this was her home.
After exploring the house, the two of us discovered a stairwell and going down it, only revealed more mystery.
After clearing an odd-looking wall of wooden crates using depulso, I found a mirror, which was quite strange, to say the least, "Sebastian, you're not going to believe this. I can see the Undercroft."
"What, a daydream? Because that happens to me, too."
I shook, my head at Sebastian's comments, so I turned back and explained my rare ability to see wisps of ancient magic.
"I don't know what I was expecting you to say, but it wasn't that. I knew you weren't telling me everything. 'Ancient magic'? What does that even mean?"
I could only shrug my shoulders, "I'm not entirely sure, but the keepers have said that it's a powerful magic that only should be wielded by a select few."
"And you can wield it?"
To which I nodded my head, explaining how Fig and I suspect that Ranrok is possibly harnessing some sort of magic power to which Sebastian could only react in disbelief.
"Are you telling me that goblins may be wielding some sort of wizard magic?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out. What I do know is that my ability allows me to travel through these 'windows' I see."
We turned back to see the mirror that stood in the corner.
"So you're telling me we can go directly to the Undercroft through there? Ominis would be floored."
"We can", I changed my tone, "But, perhaps it best not to tell anyone else about this for now. Even Ominis."
I glared towards him which sent a shiver down Sebastian's spine.
"Understood. Well, then. Invisible, secret, ancient magic passageway, here we come."
We both walked up to the mirror before touching it and moving our way through to enter the Undercroft.
"Why would the door lead us here?"
I looked around the familiar walls to search for any clues until one certainly caught my eye.
"Sebastian. Look."
I pointed towards the door that shared the same symbol I have been seeing in my previous endeavours before it shifted, turning into a triptych. Opening it, revealed a torn painting, but oddly enough a note was stuck in the middle.
"Anything helpful in the note?"
"A rune symbol. I've seen similar symbols used by the keepers."
I looked as if something seemed to be scrambling Sebastian's head before he began to question the keepers and Isidora and how there must've been a reason for the goblins to be lurking around her house.
"Do you think Anne could be cursed by ancient magic?"
I shrugged, "it's plausible, but I don't know enough to quite tell yet."
Sebastian could only nod in defeat, from what he has gathered, this is all still very new to me as to him, but he could only hope that I will guide the way to curing Anne.
"Well now, I need to see Ominis. Don't worry, I won't tell him anything. I honestly did not expect this to all unravel just by visiting Anne, my head a mess."
He gave me a gentle smile, "but I'm glad you told me all this. I'll send you an owl soon, good luck."
I watched as he sauntered out of the Undercroft, turning back to look at the painting.
Just who is it?