After speaking to Ominis, we decided to split up.
Sebastian and Ominis headed back to our common room to retrieve the locket.
Meanwhile, I went to find Natty and Poppy.
I suspected that they may still be in the Great Hall, so as soon as we left the Undercroft, I immediately made my way there.
As I did, I couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt wash over me as I replayed the scene before in the Great Hall.
They had seemed so happy to be back.
So carefree.
I didn't want to take that bliss away from them so soon.
But what choice did I have now?
After everything Ominis had done, we owed it to him.
When I finally reached the doors, I didn't hesitate to open them, that thought now playing on a loop.
He put himself back in that house.
He put himself back in their grasp.
I knew how hard it was to put everything aside, and just for a locket.
The least we could do was get this over with.
When I entered, the Great Hall was practically empty, with small groups of students still dotted on the tables.
Thankfully, one of those groups was Natty, Poppy, Garreth, and Blaine.
They still seemed to be having a nice talk, with Garreth telling them some story, throwing his hands in the air, which no doubt meant he was talking about another concoction.
I smiled at the thought, before turning it into a laugh as I saw Poppy's mortified reaction.
Yet, it quickly faded as I was brought back to reality.
As much as I wished I could join them, Ominis and Sebastian were waiting.
I rushed over to the table, trying to compose myself so Garreth and Blaine weren't suspious.
However, as soon as they saw me, their faces dropped.
"Is everything okay, Em?" Poppy asked, causing me to laugh nervously.
Clearly I wasn't as convincing as I thought.
"Yes. I just need to borrow you and Nat, if that's okay?" I tried to give her a subtle look, keeping a smile on my face.
Natty and Poppy exchanged a quick look, their eyes widening.
It took a moment for them to process, but they quickly got up from their seats, not bothering to say goodbye to the boys before rushing over to me.
I immediately led the way as we sped out of the Great Hall, leaving Garreth and Blaine looking rather perplexed.
"Where are you going?" Garreth called after us.
"To talk about girl stuff." Natty called back, a smirk on her face, knowing that would put him off.
Sure enough, Garreth went quiet.
I took a quick peek behind me, and almost laughed as I saw his face.
He was almost as red as his hair, and quickly turned back to Blaine.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When we finally reached the Slytherin common room, Sebastian and Ominis were already waiting outside.
Sebastian was tapping his foot impatiently, staring at the ground, while Ominis paced back and fourth, clutching something close to his chest.
As we approached, Sebastian's head whipped up, giving me a concerned smile, before looking at Ominis.
I hadn't seen him this nervous since the scriptorium, and by the look of Sebastian, he was starting to get the same feeling.
It was starting to rub off on me as my body began to feel numb, a pit growing in my stomach.
We'd had a taste of Salazar Slytherin's ideals before, which gave us an advantage, but I couldn't help the feeling of dread grow as that day flashed across my mind.
Of all the founders, he terrified me the most.
Because I knew what those ideals did to a person.
And so did Ominis and Sebastian.
"How long has he been like that?" I whispered to Sebastian, pointing at Ominis who still hadn't seemed to notice our arrival.
"Pretty much since he got the locket. I say the sooner we get this over with, the better." he replied, a slight bitterness in his voice.
I nodded in agreement before cautiously approaching Ominis.
Even when I was practically inches away from him, he continued to pace around.
His expression seemed so conflicted, his face scrunched up tight.
His breathing was heavy, and his hands were shaking as they clutched the locket as close as they could, as though he were trying to absorb it.
I gently placed my hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump and turn to face me.
He seemed to know it was me as his expression changed, trying to put on a brave face as his body stiffened.
"Is everyone here?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.
"Yes." I answered in a soft voice, my brows furrowing as I took in his state.
His expression changed as he realised that the time had come, his grip on the locket now so tight that his hands were white.
"Ominis..." I said, placing my hands on his.
"You don't have to come if you don't want to. I can take the locket and we'll meet you later." I suggested, but Ominis quickly shook his head.
"I'm not scared for me, Em. I'm scared for us all. Everything he stood for was evil. After what happened last time... I just don't know what he has in store for us." he admitted, his voice more stern.
I turned to the others, wondering what they thought of this.
Poppy and Natty seemed very confused, but understanding, given the rumours of the Gaunt family and Salazar Slytherin.
Meanwhile, Sebastian mirror Ominis' expression, looking at me as his face twisted at Ominis' words.
I looked back at Ominis, my hands grasping his tightly as a wave of determination washed over me.
"I know what happened last time was bad, and there hasn't been a day that I didn't regret it. But we made it out. We lived. And that was because we had each other. We worked together to get out. And I have no doubt we can do it again." I said, glancing at Sebastian as I spoke.
They both needed to hear this.
A small smile made its way onto Sebastian's face, as though he wasn't expecting that outlook.
It almost seemed relieved.
Ominis just held his twisted expression for a bit longer.
However, he eventually sighed.
"You're right, I suppose. These trials are designed to test you, not kill you." he observed.
"Exactly. Whatever it is, as long as we have each other, we can get through it." I reiterated, making sure not to mention last year's trials.
Because I'm pretty sure those were actually designed to kill me.
Ominis paused for another moment, contemplating his next move.
Eventually, I felt his hands relax slightly, causing me to move my own away.
I watched as he lowered his hands, and revealed the locket lying in his palms.
And it was surrounded by traces of ancient magic.
I looked at the others before reaching out my hand, gesturing for them to come closer and grab it.
They hesitated at first, but slowly began to move forward, grabbing each other before Sebastian held my hand, giving me a reassuring squeeze as he did.
"Are we all ready?" I asked, wondering if I could even answer that question myself.
The others all gave a quick nod, and I turned back to Ominis.
He gave me a firm nod, finally ready to do this.
I looked down at the locket, seeing the magic dance around the emerald pattern inside.
Whatever this was, we could handle it.
I knew it.
So, without further hesitation, I grabbed the locket.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A burst of ancient magic enveloped the room, causing me to close my eyes at the sudden action.
I waited to open them again, wondering if I could anticipate what I'd see.
Would be it some weird puzzle again?
Maybe even a giant snake?
But I didn't hear anything.
It was silent.
"Um... Em?" Poppy spoke, tugging my arm.
I opened my eyes, and looked at her, not daring to look around.
I gave her a questioning look before she gestured around us, looking rather confused.
"What happened?" she asked.
I looked at her, wondering what she meant, before I finally noticed our surroundings.
We were still outside the common room.
My eyes widened as I began frantically looking around, wondering what could have possibly gone wrong.
I did exactly what I'd done every other time.
The magic had activated.
So why were we still here?
The others had taken it upon themselves to look around too.
However, Ominis was more concerned about something else.
"The locket is gone!" he cried, whipping out his wand and searching for it.
I quickly began to look around too, wondering if it had fallen during the blast of magic.
But I couldn't see it anywhere.
After a few minutes of racking our brains to figure out all that went wrong, Sebastian suddenly turned a corner.
"Em, you might want to see this..." he called.
I quickly ran over to see what he wanted, before he pointed in front of him.
As I saw what he was talking about, I cocked my head in confusion.
The corridor was gone, replaced with an odd mist.
"Huh..." was all I managed to say as I reached forward, wanting to see what it was, but Sebastian quickly grabbed my hand.
"Probably best not to touch something we aren't sure of." he instructed, dropping my hand by my side.
I rolled my eyes.
"You're one to talk. What? You think it's poisonous?" I said sarcastically, causing him to glare down at me.
"Maybe..." he grumbled.
"It is odd though..." I muttered, before turning to the others.
"Guys, can you see anything odd down the corridors?" I called, catching their attention.
Poppy and Natty quickly raced to the other two corridors, with Ominis still looking for the locket.
It took about a minute before they called back with an answer.
"This one is blocked by mist." Poppy called, seeming surprised.
"Is yours, Natty?" I yelled, waiting for her verdict.
Moments later, Natty ran back to us, panting as she did.
"That one is clear... but you need to see something." she spoke in between breaths, before turning back to show us.
We immediately followed her, wondering what she could have possibly found.
Yet, as we followed her, I couldn't help but remember following someone else down this corridor...
It was the same one I'd followed Sebastian down...
The one that leads the Salazar Slytherin's scriptorium.
As we walked, I realised that she was heading straight for the entrance to the scriptorium, although, if I remembered correctly, there was no way of knowing it was an entrance.
However, as we finally approached it, a look of confusion crossed my face.
This time, there was a door.
But it didn't exactly look inviting.
I glanced behind me, wondering if the pillars were still around, hoping that accessing the scriptorium would be as easy as before.
But alas, they were gone, and the rest of the corridor was now covered in the strange mist.
The others seemed to be looking at me for guidance, wondering what the next move would be.
But honestly, I didn't have a clue.
Suddenly, an odd noise began to emerge from the door.
A hiss.
It carried on for a moment, before stopping just as quickly.
Sebastian and I slowly turned to face Ominis, remembering what had occurred the last time we came here.
And sure enough, Ominis had gone white, which meant that he had heard something.
It would make sense that Salazar Slytherin would want a Gaunt involved, so making one vital to completing the trial wasn't too surprising.
"What did the voice say, Ominis?" I asked, hoping it would be something useful.
"It said 'blood'..." he trailed off, his voice confused.
As the words left his mouth, the door began to shift.
We all turned to face it, just to see that there was now a sharp shard sticking out, with a small curve beneath it, almost like a bowl.
Another hiss emerged from the door, and we immediately turned back to Ominis.
This time he lifted his head, his face twisting into a look of disgust.
"Pureblood." he spat.
It took a moment for the words to register in my mind.
What did that have to do with getting in the scriptorium?
Then I remembered.
One thing Salazar Slytherin valued more than the dark arts, was pureblood status.
I looked back at the door, stepping forward, and glanced between the shard and the bowl.
In order to get through, we needed to prove we were pureblood.
I slowly lifted my hand, preparing myself for what I needed to do.
I could feel the others gaze upon me, wondering what I was doing, but before they could ask, I had already grasped the shard.
I seethed in pain as I pushed my palm into the sharp edge, feeling it break the skin, followed by the feeling of blood escaping.
It wasn't a lot, but hopefully it was enough.
The blood dripped down into the bowl, before disappearing as the bowl seemed to absorb it.
As it did, the pattern in the door seemed to flash red, causing me to let go and step back.
I watched as the door changed, seeing it dissolve and become a red pool, showing me the staircase on the other side.
I turned to the others, who only watched me, wondering what I had done.
"Can you see that?" I asked, pointing to the door, wondering why they weren't as surprised about the change.
However, they just shook their heads, looking at me as though I were crazy.
I looked back at the door, confused as to why it was only me who could see it.
I reached out a hand, touching the pool in front of me.
Sure enough, my hand went through, and I realised why.
"We have to go through separately." I explained, turning back to them.
"If you prove you're a pureblood, you can enter." I continued.
The others seemed taken aback at the discovery, but nodded nonetheless.
I faced the door once again, preparing myself for whatever lay ahead.
This was only the beginning of what Salazar Slytherin had in store for us.
And after stepping through this door, there was no turning back.
But we had to do this.
We had to stop Isidora.
So, without another thought, I made my way through the door.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once I was inside, I could no longer see the corridor.
All I could do now was wait for the others to make their way through.
However, as I glanced at the stairway below, I couldn't help but let curiosity get the better of me.
I slowly began to make my way down the stairs, hoping that it was just some riddle waiting ahead.
But as I reached the bottom of the staircase, I stopped in my tracks.
My eyes widened as I saw what awaited us.
It was that room again.
With the same damn door.
My mind began to spiral as I stared at it, my breathing becoming heavier as I recalled the last time I'd seen it.
When I'd experienced that pain.
The thought of having to do it again...
I felt someone walk up behind me, placing a worried hand on my shoulder.
"What's wrong?" Ominis asked, remaining behind me.
I didn't dare answer him, too scared to open my mouth.
I heard the others come down the stairs not soon after, and making their way past me, into the room.
Sebastian looked at me, confused, before looking into the room.
Realisation crossed his face, before being replaced by fear.
He looked back at me, taking in my expression.
I had never seen him look so guilty before.
"Will someone please tell me where we are now?" Ominis snapped, his hand still gripping my shoulder.
"It's the door from before, Ominis." Sebastian spat out, his distaste for the memory coming out.
Ominis' expression filled with fear again, before Natty and Poppy looked at us all in confusion.
"What door?" Poppy asked.
Sebastian pointed towards it, his expression tired.
"The last time we saw this door, someone had to cast crucio in order to pass..." he explained.
Poppy and Natty seemed to panic at this, walking closer to the door for a better look.
My mind still spun at the idea of that spell.
The screams etched into the door.
I had taken it before.
I had even cast it before.
But for some reason, this room made me feel so...
Helpless.
"No. We are not doing this again." Ominis snapped, stepping forward.
"Yes. There has to be another way forward." Natty agreed, searching the room for another solution.
"There isn't." Sebastian sighed.
I could tell by his face that he wanted nothing more than for that to be the case.
He wanted to put the dark arts behind him.
But now we were sucked back into it all over again.
It seemed like a Slytherin curse.
"The last time we faced this, only one person had to cast crucio to open the door." he paused, scrunching his face up for a moment as he debated his next words.
"I don't care which one of you does it... but whoever does, I want you to cast it on me." he demanded, looking at everyone in the room.
We all went silent at the request, not sure how to react.
But for some reason, his words seemed to snap me out of my trance, launching me forward as I desperately approached him.
"No." I let out, grabbing his arm for support.
He looked at me, his eyes sad.
"If anyone should take it, it's me. I can handle it, Sebastian." I insisted, refusing to let him feel that pain.
Especially if I was the one to inflict it.
"I made you a promise, Em. And I intend to keep it." he said in a soft voice, trying to assure me.
I couldn't help but tighten my grip on his arm.
I couldn't even begin to describe the emotions I was feeling.
How strongly I disapproved of this.
I didn't care about his promise.
I would take the curse a hundred times before I let him suffer.
Why didn't he get that?
I wanted to say that.
I wanted him to know it was okay.
That he didn't have to feel guilty anymore.
That his apology in the undercroft was more than enough.
But I couldn't.
All I managed to choke out was one word.
"No."
We were quiet again, staring at each other as we silently argued.
That was, until Natty, stepped forward.
"I have experienced the curse before. I know I can survive. If it must be done, I trust one of you to cast it." she volunteered.
I snapped my gaze towards her, remembering what had happened the last time.
"That's not an option, Natty." I exclaimed, letting go of Sebastian and walking towards her.
"It would be okay, I promise." she insisted.
"No. It will be me. And that's final." I was practically yelling at this point.
They all looked at me with wide eyes, not expecting that sort of reaction.
But I couldn't let them suffer.
I wouldn't do it.
We stayed silent for a while, no one knowing what to say next, before Poppy piped up.
"... but who will cast it?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
My eyes widened at the question.
I hadn't even thought about that.
I knew Ominis, Sebastian and I knew how to cast it, but were any of us willing to?
I slowly turned back to Sebastian, wondering what he was thinking.
He seemed to hold the same surprised look as me.
With all this arguing about who would receive it, it hadn't occurred to us that someone would actually have to do it.
I was about to answer, when Ominis suddenly spoke.
"The voice is back..." he stated, his voice barely a whisper.
All our heads whipped towards him, and we saw that he wasn't even paying attention to our conversation.
He seemed to be listening to something in the distance.
We were all silent as we listened too, and sure enough, there was another hissing sound.
"It says that the requirement is different this time." he began, but there was no relief in this voice.
There was no way of telling whether or not that was good or bad.
"It says that in order to pass, you have to have experience with crucio." he continued.
Sebastian rolled his eyes.
"What does that even mean?" he questioned, sick of the cryptic messages.
"If you stop talking, maybe I'll be able to tell you." Ominis snapped, even more sick of Sebastian's impatience.
He listened for a while longer, his face becoming more confused, before the hissing finally stopped.
"What do we have to do?" I asked, hoping he had an answer.
But his confusion only deepened as he tried to decipher the information.
"It says that we need to have either cast or received crucio." he explained.
"Why?" Poppy asked, her distaste for the requirement evident.
"There were only three things Salazar Slytherin valued. Being a pureblood, being a parselmouth, and the dark arts." Ominis explained, beginning to walk forward.
"It seems that in order to earn his respect, you could cast an unforgivable, or survive one." he sighed.
"So in order to get through, we need to 'earn' that respect."
As he finally reached the door, it began to change.
The faces etched into the door began to swirl, becoming a dark liquid.
Much like the other one.
Although this seemed different.
We watched as Ominis lifted his wand to his head, and without hesitation, he pulled a magical strand from his temple.
A memory.
As it left his mind, he quickly flicked it towards the door, and the swirls became vicious as it adjusted.
Before we could ask what had happened, a scene began to take form on the door.
There, we saw Ominis and an older man.
Although, Ominis looked rather small.
He was crying, begging the man not to hurt him, to not have to do something.
Then I realised, this was the memory of when Ominis' family cast crucio on him.
There was a loud cry as the man yelled "crucio".
The younger Ominis screamed as the spell hit him.
The cries were almost too much to bear.
They continued for what seemed like hours, each one seeming worse than the other.
I couldn't believe he was this young when it happened.
As the spell subsided, he continued to cry, the man showing no mercy in his actions.
His look of satisfaction sent chills up my spine.
Finally, the memory seemed to fade as the door became clear, showing the other side.
None of us said a word as Ominis stepped toward it, reaching his hand forward to check it had worked.
"You need to extract a memory of you casting or receiving crucio to pass." was all he said, his voice cold.
Then, without a chance for us to say a word, he passed through the door.
"Okay. I'll go next." Natty said, her voice determined.
I couldn't tell why she was so eager, but something made me think it was because she didn't want to see what Sebastian and I were going to present.
And I didn't blame her.
She quickly walked towards the door, before extracting the memory from her mind and flicking it towards the door.
I watched as my face showed on the door, walking towards Natty.
Then Harlow lifting his wand.
And Natty jumping in front of me.
I looked away as I heard her cries again, followed by her mother calling her name.
I felt Sebastian's eyes on me as I looked at the ground, before feeling him shuffle closer to me.
"I can go next, if you want." he suggested, a soft tone to his voice.
I nodded gratefully, with him stepping forward.
I didn't bother looking up as I heard his memory appear on the door.
Because I knew how that story went.
He was the only one of us that had only cast crucio.
And hearing my cries as he did wasn't exactly going to help the guilt he felt about it.
As I heard him go through the door, I knew it was my turn.
But I didn't want to go.
Because Poppy would be left here alone.
I knew she had no experience with the dark arts, so this was doomed from the beginning.
But she would just be here until the trial ended.
She seemed to hold an uncertain look as she faced away from the door, the memories displayed clearly disturbing her.
I quickly went over to her, grabbing her hands.
"I promise, we won't leave you behind." I blurted out, hoping my words would somewhat reassure her.
She gave me a thankful smile, before looking back at the door.
"I didn't know you had all been through so much... makes my issue with the Snidgets seem so small in comparison." she sighed.
"It wasn't. I thought it was just as important. I'm just glad that after all we went through, you managed to avoid such dark magic." I reassured her.
She gave me a small smile and nodded.
"Me too. I hope that this is the last time any of you are reminded of such dark times." she smiled back.
"Now go, they're probably waiting for you." she nodded towards the door.
I gave her hands one last squeeze, before letting go and heading towards the door.
I pulled out my wand without hesitation, ready to face whatever came next.
Poppy was right.
The others were waiting for me.
I held my wand to my temple, forcing myself to focus on the memory that had been circling my mind since we came here.
Then, as though pulling out a splinter, a wisp of magic left me, guided by my wand.
I quickly flicked it towards the door, wanting to look away more than anything.
"Ready?" Sebastian's voice echoed, seeing him back away from me.
"I'm ready." I answered, uncertainty and fear mixed into my voice.
I watched as Sebastian's face twisted, getting ready to cast the spell, his mind wandering to a dark place.
And just like that, it happened all over again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once I stepped through the door, I turned to see what would happen next, given how Poppy was now trapped on the other side.
I was surprised to see that the door remained a liquid-like substance, and slowly became clearer, showing Poppy on the other side.
She seemed just as surprised at the change, rushing to the door and placing her hands on the liquid.
She began moving her mouth, trying to say something, but I couldn't hear a thing.
"I can't hear you." I yelled, hoping she could understand me.
A look of annoyance crossed her face, which indicated that she understood.
But she definitely wasn't happy about it.
Instead, she just pointed behind me.
I hadn't dared look at the room behind me yet, scared of what might be in store.
But now, with her insistence, I didn't have much of a choice.
I slowly turned, trying to imagine what would lay before me.
But I still wasn't prepared.
A small gasp escaped my lips as I took in the scene.
We were in the same room.
The walls.
The floor.
Even the door.
However, upon further inspection, I could see that the others were gathered around the door, blocking the view of whatever was etched into it.
A look of confusion crossed my face, wondering what they found so intriguing.
I began to walk closer, hoping to get a better look.
The others didn't seem to acknowledge my presence as they stared at the door, completely silent.
I couldn't understand why, until I finally got a view of the door.
It was different from the last one.
The faces from before were gone, and in their place were a pair of eyes.
"The voice spoke again..." Ominis finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper.
I turned to him with a curious look, unsure of what it could have possibly said now.
"To open this door, we need to have experience with Imperio." he explained.
My eyes widened at the news.
Partially because of what we had to do now.
But also because of what could be next.
"Does that mean that when we pass this door, the next is..." I trailed off, not daring to finish my sentence.
I couldn't help but steal a glance at Sebastian, wondering what his reaction was.
His expression seemed composed, focused on the task at hand.
But as the reality of my question sunk in, I could see his face become pale.
"I'm not sure." Ominis answered honestly, but I could tell by his voice that he was leaning more towards 'yes'.
"Does anyone even have experience with Imperio?" Natty questioned, finally looking away from the door.
The room went quiet for a moment, the flashbacks from last year now coming back again.
I didn't want to admit what I had done, I doubted Poppy or Natty would speak to me again.
I hadn't even told Ominis or Sebastian.
Sure they knew about Sebastian casting crucio on me.
But there was one thing I had never told a soul.
Something that would make Merlin himself roll in his grave.
"Yes..." Sebastian whispered, pulling me away from my thoughts.
I turned to look at him, seeing regret play at his features as he reluctantly admitted it.
Natty was staring at him too, but with a lot more shock.
"Did someone cast it on you?" she asked, concerned, but Sebastian just shook his head.
"Not quite."
Natty's eyes widened at the confession, not sure how to process the information.
And I didn't dare look to see Poppy's.
But seeing the way Natty looked at Sebastian as though he were a criminal, as though she should be scared of him.
I couldn't let the burden rest on his shoulders.
Not with what was to come next.
"I do too." I confessed, causing all three of them to look at me in surprise.
"Really? When?" Sebastian cried, bewilderment masking his previous emotions.
"The time Rookwood cornered me outside Ollivanders. I couldn't take them on all by myself..." I trailed off, hoping he would catch on to what I did.
It seemed as though he did, and he straightened himself up, composing himself.
I wasn't sure how to take the reaction, but it was better than the look I could feel coming from Natty.
Without another word, Sebastian stepped closer to the door, lifting his wand to his head, pulling out a memory once again.
As he flicked it towards the door, I could see Feldcroft swirl into existence.
And then Anne.
She fell to the ground.
The Goblin came at her.
She screamed.
Then it happened all over again.
And all I could do was spectate.
Sebastian's face twisted as he saw Anne, his eyes becoming sad as he saw the way she looked at him.
Then, just as the memory began to fade, a voice chimed in from the distance.
"Boy-"
Sebastian froze at the voice, not expecting it, causing his sadness to be replaced by fear.
It was Solomon's voice.
The way Solomon's voice sounded so angry and demeaning made my blood boil.
He had always been so unkind to Sebastian.
So it was fitting that the only word Sebastian heard in this moment was a reminder of his uncle's constant disapproval.
Sebastian stayed still for a while, watching as the door before him continued to swirl, waiting for him to pass through.
I wanted to say something to him, try and comfort him.
But I feared I would just make it worse.
I had been there in that moment, I had seen the whole thing unfold.
I couldn't fix it then, so how would I fix it now?
Eventually, Sebastian took a deep breath, looking down at the ground, avoiding the gazes of everyone in the room.
Then, he finally stepped through the door.
I immediately began to follow, but I was stopped as someone grabbed my arm.
I quickly turned to see that it was Ominis, and he was holding a worried look.
"I won't be able to follow you through the door, so I may not be able to tell you what the voice says next." he explained, his voice stern.
But I could tell why he was saying this.
Because he had the same worry as me.
We were worried about Sebastian.
"It's fine, Ominis. We'll be okay." I reassured him.
"I promise I'll look after him." I continued.
Ominis' brows furrowed as he debated my response, wondering whether or not he should let me go.
Eventually, he let out a sigh of defeat, letting go of my arm.
No matter what he felt in this moment, even after finding out I had used Imperio, he knew as well as I, there wasn't much of a choice in the matter.
It was either Sebastian and I, or just Sebastian.
And we both knew which was the lesser evil there.
Once again, I walked towards the door, using the same method as before to extract a memory.
However, as I went to flick it towards the door, I couldn't help but hesitate.
After they saw this, there was no going back.
I just hoped that after all we had been through, they could forgive me.
But right now, I had to help Sebastian.
I kept that thought in my head, using the motivation to throw my arm forward, launching the memory into the door.
There was no going back now.
I watched as the memory swirled into existence.
As the ruins Rookwood transported me to began to form.
And the Ashwinder's began to surround me.
As I became more desperate.
More angry.
And then, the words left my lips.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As I stepped through the door, I looked around to make sure my theory was correct, refusing to let myself think about what had just happened.
Sure enough, the room looked identical to the last two.
But as I looked towards the door, Sebastian was already there, staring at the picture, blocking my view.
I walked towards him, trying to get a better look.
I came to a stop beside him, seeing his brows furrow in annoyance as he stared ahead.
This time, the door had a skull etched into it.
Which only furthered my hypothesis.
"That can't be good." Sebastian grumbled, noticing my presence.
I hummed in agreement, not amused by the outcome.
Of course we would be the only ones to make it this far.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
This couldn't be easy for him.
Last year was difficult for him, and he is still suffering the consequences, so taking a trip down memory lane had to be tough.
But he still remained somewhat the same, giving his little remarks.
I just couldn't be sure if it was an act or not.
Sebastian stayed silent at the question, as though he were debating what answer he should give.
I just hoped whatever it was, he kept our promise.
I'd like to hope we wouldn't keep our emotions a secret either.
Although I wasn't exactly innocent in that sense.
"Ask me when this is over." Sebastian finally answered, his voice soft.
I couldn't blame him for not mustering the strength for an answer now.
I had things I needed to come clean about too.
But that could wait until we were out of here.
And safe.
Suddenly, a hissing sound begun, as though it were seeping through the walls.
Sebastian and I looked around to try and locate it, but it seemed that whatever was making it wasn't in the room with us.
With that conclusion, we turned to the previous door, seeing Natty and Ominis peering through it.
Ominis looked at though he were listening to something, which made it clear that he could hear the hissing through the door, and the voice was talking to him once again.
Sebastian and I gave each other a concerned look, anxiously awaiting whatever verdict Ominis would come to, but I could tell by Sebastian's face that he thought the same as I.
That we already knew the answer.
When the hissing finally ceased, we turned back to the door, hoping we were wrong.
However, although he wasn't able to tell us, we could tell by the look on Ominis' face, what the voice had said.
And it was exactly what we feared.
We needed experience with the Killing Curse.
I slowly turned back to Sebastian, feeling my body go numb as the news shot through me.
I had hoped with everything I had that it would be something else.
Because we both knew where this would lead us.
Sebastian looked scared, his hands shaking slightly as he began to slowly look down at his wand.
He remained like that for a while, just staring down at it as though he were holding something terrifying.
But eventually, his eyes slowly moved from the wand to me, trailing up my body until his eyes finally locked with mine.
As he took in my expression, studying my reaction, a sad smile graced his lips, and I could see a decision forming behind those eyes.
"As long as one of us gets through... it will be okay." his voice was barely a whisper.
Was he really trying to reassure me right now?
I was frozen as I watched him turn away, heading closer to the door.
I wanted to stop him.
To find another way.
Even tell the others not to look.
But I couldn't get a word out.
Only watch.
But I was sick of just watching.
I could have stopped Sebastian from casting crucio.
I could have stopped Sebastian from casting imperio.
I could have stopped him from killing Solomon.
I just needed to stop watching and start acting.
For once, I wanted to stop his life from falling apart.
As Sebastian began to lift his wand to his head, I willed my body to move, every inch of my body screaming that it was a bad idea.
But my heart just wanted to protect him.
I quickly stepped in front of him, throwing my wand up to my temple, quickly thinking of the memory that still haunted me.
Without hesitation, I pulled the memory from my mind, and threw it to the door, not leaving a chance for Sebastian to even think of the memory he wanted to extract.
We both stood there, shocked at what I had just done as the door began to swirl.
I was once again greeted by the ruins.
But this time, instead of any Ashwinder, it was just Rookwood.
I watched as we duelled, with him trying to cast the Killing curse on me, with me barely blocking it.
I watched the anger in my eyes turn to fury as I realised what I wanted to do.
What I had the power to do.
I readied myself to cast the spell I'd just learnt, the spell that I only learnt because the man in front of me decided to curse a young girl.
To destroy a family.
And then, with a rageful scream, I let out the words.
"Avada Kedavra!"
As the spell left my wand, and the emotions overtook me, it seemed that my ancient magic mixed with the curse, and as it hit Rookwood, he was obliterated in an instant.
Leaving no trace of what I had done.
As the memory faded, the silence that engulfed us was practically deafening.
But I didn't regret what I had done.
I stepped closer to the door, preparing myself for whatever came next.
"It's like you said" I started, turning to Sebastian.
His eyes were wide, trying to process what he had just witnessed.
I gave him a small smile as he looked at me, trying to put on the same brave face he had done for me.
"Only one of us needs to go."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once I stepped through, I kept my eyes glued to the ground, begging silently for this trial to be over.
I built up the courage to take a small peak up, hoping I wasn't met with any hostile challenges.
As I registered the sight in front of me, I let out a sigh of relief, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
It was the scriptorium.
I never imagined feeling this happy to see it.
But thankfully, it meant that we had reached the end.
And the trial was over.
I took a quick look back at the door, seeing if the others were still transparent.
However, I was met with a solid wall.
It seemed like I would have to find the way out before the others could join me.
I took the opportunity to close my eyes, calming myself down after everything that had happened.
I knew there would be consequences to this, but I was just so glad that not one spell was cast, and no one was hurt physically at least.
I didn't know if I could say the same mentally.
After taking a moment to process, I opened my eyes again, deciding to take a look around.
The place looked identical to the last time I was here, from the furniture to the cobwebs.
At least that meant that we had been the only ones stupid enough to enter.
Yet, I did notice one difference.
One area that was slightly less dusty than the others.
The place where I'd found Slytherin's spellbook.
I ran my hand over the rectangular imprint, as if hoping to remove any trace of its existence.
I couldn't help but let a frown form as I pondered on what could have been.
If I hadn't found it, or just begged for Sebastian to leave it alone.
Even hid it in my room of requirement.
Maybe some of the events last year could have been avoided.
I tried to shake away those thoughts, preventing myself from spiralling down that path again.
It didn't matter how much I thought about what could have been, because no matter what I wished I could change, it was already too late.
I could only try and prevent it from happening again.
And stopping Isidora was the first step to doing that.
I needed to leave this trial and get more power.
I needed to protect my friends.
I pulled myself away from the surface, forcing myself to explore the scriptorium further, heading up the staircase.
As soon as I reached the top, wisps of ancient magic caught my eye, trailing along the ground, before gathering at the base of the exit we had used last time.
I quickly ran up to it, pulling out my wand to help reveal whatever this magic was hiding.
I let the magic run through me, and as I did, the exit began to swirl, taking a new form.
The stone statue disappeared before my eyes, before being replaced by a portal.
Before I could inspect it further, I heard a noise coming from down the stairs, catching my attention.
I began moving towards the top of the stairs for a better look, and saw that the door was now gone, and the others were now free to enter the room.
I watched as they cautiously came in, briefly inspecting the room as they did.
Everyone was completely silent, and I couldn't help but notice that each one of them were avoiding each other, walking separately as they needlessly stared at the floor or walls.
It seemed that Poppy and Natty were the most uncomfortable, making sure to stay completely away from Ominis and Sebastian.
I could only imagine what they were thinking right now.
No matter the context, we were criminals.
And that was a tough thing to accept, even for us.
"We should be able to leave if we walk through here..." I called down to them, pointing behind me.
Without a word, they all slowly climbed the stairs, the creaking of the steps being the only sound.
They didn't hesitate as they reached the top either, each of them heading straight to the portal, not daring to look me in the eye as they passed.
However, after the others passed through, Sebastian paused just short of the portal, causing me to also stop, wondering what he was thinking.
"When we get out, I think we need to have another talk." he said, his voice tired.
I knew this wouldn't go down well.
I'd broken our promise again.
But as long as he was willing to talk, I would do whatever it took to get back that smile I'd grown so fond of over the winter break.
"Agreed." I answered simply, not wanting to overcomplicate things just yet.
We just needed to get back to the map chamber.
We just needed to complete two more trials.
Then we could finally gain back that normality we'd had a taste of.
Sebastian didn't say anything else as he walked through the portal, leaving me alone in the scriptorium once again.
I took a quick glance back before entering myself, taking in the dusty room.
It wasn't worth the pain it had caused.
I didn't care if I was a Slytherin, Salazar could burn in hell for what he'd put us through.
And with that final thought, I stepped through the portal, glad to put that place behind me for good.