Sebastian's giddy high only lasted until the edge of the hamlet. As our boots kicked past a few spell test dummies in a line, the path dipped between the hills and so did Sebastian's smile. The air felt thicker here as we approached the abandoned estate.
Debris littered the ground illuminated in flickering lantern light.
"They're digging for something." Sebastian's voice was as low as his spirits as we climbed toward a plateau. "They've set up stations around their camp for everything." He motioned with an outstretched arm, wand in hand.
Covering the tables were stacks of knives, swords, armor, shields... always ready for a fight.
We wound around and around, peering into dug out crevasses, across tables, into stoves and crates - finding nothing out of the ordinary. The only light from the tips of our wands and the gleam of the moon.
"They used to say this belonged to a Hogwarts professor, but I never heard any more-"
Sebastian paused just outside the broken estate itself. His eyes darted over the falling stones, tinged in black soot and the muscle in his jaw clenched tightly. I slid my hand into his to give it a reassuring squeeze.
He smiled limply but there was no emotion behind his eyes, as if he wasn't truly even there.
I ducked through a broken wall, careful to avoid a shattered pile of glass just inside. Wood beams had caved in around the entire room, a small stone fireplace sat crooked at the far end. A few books had managed to escape the flames while others were not so lucky and were strewn across the floor in various stages of burnt and ash.
My hands gripped my wand tighter as I held it higher, letting the faint light dust the crooks in the walls.
A large wood mirror sat propped against the floor, top tipped upwards to a point and little gold details inlaid around the edges. As I crept closer, dirt and rubble crumbling beneath my boots, I realized the mirror wasn't a mirror at all but a portrait.
Smooth short strokes expertly laid across the canvas depicting a person sitting proudly with their hands crossed gently in her lap. Black bits of soot, ash and slashed canvas dripped across their face. Something about their placement and the lack of scorch marks around the frame itself was particularly peculiar.
"Sebastian! Over here." He moved quickly to my side, knuckles clenched against his wand. "Do you think this was damaged by the fire the night An- that night?"
He crouched lower to inspect the dark marks. "Could be? But it looks to me as if this was intentional." His brows furrowed as he glanced back to me over his shoulder. "Why burn a portrait?"
I shrugged, frowning and left Sebastian to touch the burnt canvas while I inspected the only other intact room of the estate.
Nothing.
Frustrated, I moved just outside and closed my eyes to let my consciousness drift inward. I wanted to feel my ancient magic, to give me any sort of clue as to why it was depicted in my book.
The space behind my lids was dark, only faint bits floated across my vision. My fingertips remained numb and I was about to open my eyes again when a deep stabbing, familiar pain crashed across my chest. Red blinding light flashed across the underside of my lids and my muscles locked. I could have sworn I could see distinct faces between the reds and blacks but the pain made everything blurry.
I crumpled to the ground, clenching the fabric there through trembling fingers.
"Atley? Atley!" Sebastian's voice was frantic and he was at my side in a moment. "What is it? What happened?"
I pried my eyes open and the pain drifted away as quickly as it had come.
"What the fuck?" I breathed.
Sebastian's hands were on my shoulders but he was frantically looking around behind us, as if expecting to see something or someone.
I lifted a hand and felt a wave of nausea slam against my stomach. I only spoke after it had passed.
"I'm fine. I just felt- something. Like my ancient magic."
"I didn't see any light?"
"It felt more... subdued, more faded around the edges but still a piercing pain."
Sebastian ran a hand across my forehead and tucked a strand of hair back across my head.
"You're burning up."
"I think I'm fine. Really. I don't feel it anymore."
I let my eyes drift across his shoulder, hoping to ground myself once again. A few more barrels and crates stacked along the edge of the plateau. A stone path wound around them from the front door of the estate and dipped back to the ledge where a little stone bench sat stiffly aside a wood well.
I squinted against the dark but could just make out the hamlet below.
Recognition seared itself to my thoughts and I stood quickly, nearly knocking Sebastian over in my haste.
"Whoah Barlowe. What-" And then he spotted what I had. "Bloody hell. This is the view from your book! This is the Feldcroft depiction!" Excitement clung to every word as he stepped to my side.
"This did belong to a Hogwarts Professor Sebastian. Isidora Morganach."
Sebastian's eyes widened. "The ancient magic witch from the pensieve memories?"
I nodded. "There has to be more here we're missing. There has to be."
Turning quickly on my heel I charged back into the estate, wand held over every inch of the space. I kicked wood panels and pushed around thick chests. Sebastian scoured the other room, creeks of heavy furniture shifting across the floor.
Papers, quills, spilled ink, old books, a few brooms, the painting, a couple tables, a cauldron, a stool...
and nothing helpful.
"Oi! Barlowe! What about this?"
I ducked under the broken stone arch to his room. Sebastian's back was to me, crouched down next to a pile of rocks and rubble.
"Is it blocking something?" I dipped my head next to his to get a better look.
"Only one way to find out." He grinned, a bit of his chaotic nature drifting back across his nose. "Stand back."
Sebastian blast at the pile and bits of rock crashed around the room into little heaps. Soot rained down across our skin and clothes and I coughed black dust from my lungs.
He wiped his eyes, small bits of soot caked over his cheeks and I grinned.
"You look ridiculous."
"That's a bit rude." He pouted and then grinned as his eyes raked over me. "Especially coming from someone who looks like that."
My head dropped to my body and I noticed just how dark the fabric of my clothing was, soot covered soot and I noticed my hands were even coated. I could only imagine the rest of my face and hair were engulfed in the stuff.
I stomped my foot and peered into the new hole in the wall without another glance back.
Sebastian's muffled giggles following close behind.
"Oh! A stairwell. I wonder whats down there."
Lifting our Lumos casted wands high, we climbed carefully down into thicker darkness. Creeping black vines moved like snakes against the corners.
Devil's Snare if I had to guess.
The rest of the room was nearly untouched. Bookshelves lined the walls and a little wood table sat perfectly to my right, a few quill stained pages lain gently just on top.
"Looks like journal entries from Isidora." Sebastian grinned, lifting a few closer to his face.
"Bring those with us. Could be useful."
"Yes ma'am." Sebastian slapped a hand across his forehead in salute and I rolled my eyes.
Pushing past a rather oddly placed bookshelf, I found myself face to face with a large gold mirror. Its insides rippled against the light of my wand and I took another step forward. Warm candle light reflected in it along with pillars and green pillows. It looked an awful lot like-
"Sebastian! You're not going to believe this. I can see the Undercroft."
Sebastian scoffed. "What, like a day dream? Because that happens to me too..."
I slapped a hand against his arm as he approached.
"No. Like a passageway. Like the one after the first trial."
"Wait- We can get straight to the Undercroft from here?" Hr grinned. "Ominis will be floored. NOT that I'm going to tell him..." He added quickly.
"But- the school broom we borrowed... We can't just leave it?"
He looked at me as if I had just told him pigs could fly- although I suppose maybe they can with the right magic...
"The hell we can't!" He laughed to himself. "Did I use that right? Hell?"
I shook my head and pressed my palm against the glass, it rippled like water under my fingertips.
"Alright." He sighed. "Invisible, secret, ancient magic passageway, here we come!"
I laced my fingers with his.
"If we hadn't have done this before, I'd be tempted to hold my breath."
We stumbled through and nearly fell on our faces as we were deposited into the familiar warmth of the Undercroft.
Sebastian twirled around, glancing over everything as if for the first time.
"Why would it lead us here? Don't get me wrong, bloody convenient it is, but still- odd."
"Sebastian!" My eyes snapped to a glowing, swirling string of light against the far wall.
Stones and bricks shifted backwards into each other again and again and again until a little inlaid archway sat perfectly still in its place. A simple wooden triptych hung unassuming right in the center.
We walked cautiously closer and I let my fingers graze the edges before swinging it open and stepping back to take a look.
Sebastian choked on air. "Wow. I think something's missing. I could be wrong though." The sarcasm dripped like honey from his tongue.
Inside was nearly empty save for a few ripped canvas pieces, one tree'd painting on the left and a small inked paper tacked in the center. The little parchment was covered in runes of all kinds and incredibly messy. They reminded me of the ones from my book, from the little symbol on the inside cover in particular.
"Anything helpful?" Sebastian had crossed his arms as he watched me.
"They look like the Keeper's runes? But I can't be sure." I ran the paper through my fingers and tugged it off the triptych gently.
Sebastian was quiet. Boot kicking at the stone floor.
"Do- do you think... A Keeper lived in that house centuries ago... and Ranrok and his lot have been searching there. You said before that goblins may be wielding some form of magic... D-do you think Anne was cursed by ancient magic?"
"I don't know... I don't think so?"
Sebastian dropped his head. "Alright... but that doesn't mean it wasn't ancient magic. There's still so much you-we don't know about it."
"That's true." I turned back to the wall. "Maybe this triptych will give us more answers."
"I hope so."
His fingers slipped between mine and I let my head rest against his shoulder.
"Ah! Barlowe, you're getting soot all over my impeccable clothing! And my face!" He tilted his head away from mine.
I swung my head around and placed a sooty kiss across his nose.
"Ridiculous." He grumbled through heated cheeks.