Alexander Chronicles Year 5: The Growing Darkness
Chapter 26: The Ancestral Home
…
"Where exactly are we going?" Selene asked as the trio walked the street of Hogsmeade.
"Slytherin´s old home." Alex answered as he adjusted his hood. "His eldest inherited castle and his line kept it until that line of the family was absorbed in the Gaunt's, and they lived there for a while. There was some notes in another journal that I found in the chamber, made by a man called Corvinus Gaunt. He was another descendant of Slytherin. Anyway, those notes indicates that Corvinus had a special stone that Slytherin had research on. Corvinus lived in Slytherin old home, so I am hoping it will be there or at least there are some clues."
"Yes, but what are you looking for." Selene asked.
Alex smiled "Do you remember the story that grandma used to read to us. You know that tale of the tree brothers. Do you remember what the second brother got from Death? A stone that could bring people back, at least partly."
Alex couldn't see it, but Selene nodded. "It is just an old fairy tale."
"No, Slytherin believed it had some truth in it. And Corvinus certainly believed he had the stone from the story."'
"Wait you want to contact our grandfather?" Selene asked running up to Alex.
"Yeah that is the plan" Alex smiled Slytherin had believed that the stone could be used to bring people back for real. Although it would be difficult. Still Alex had to try if he succeed then he could bring everyone back: his grandfather and grandmother, and everyone he might lose in the future. It would be perfect. He Alexander Black could be the one that conjured death.
The trio walked in silence as they walked further in into Hogsmeade and into the streets where people lived. When they finally the street that led out of the little town Alex lifted his wand in the air and flicked it. Within seconds, there was a snap, and then the honking of a loud horn as a purple triple decker bus appeared, stopping in front of the trio.
A man stepped out. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, for every stranded Witch or Wizard," he said with a small bow. Alex, Draco, and Selene entered the Knight Bus, taking a seat. "Skipping school are we?" Alex didn´t say anything. "Right then where to?" the conductor asked as he realised that no one would comment on what he had said.
"Wales, Eastern Edinburough Village," Alex answered. The conductor nodded.
"Wales, Eastern Edinburough Village it is," the conductor repeated, leaning against a window. "Take it away!" A second later, the bus sped off in a quick and magical fashion.
"Is it in Edinburough Village?" Draco asked.
"No we have to walk a bit." Alex whispered. "We are going to the coast"
Selene nodded. "Smart move the village is big enough to make it difficult for the Ministry to find us."
"Can I see the journal?" Draco asked.
"Why?" Alex finally spoke.
"Let me see it!" Draco hissed, reaching towards the journal. Alex pulled the journal back and lifted it up.
"Not here!" Alex hissed back, glancing towards the Conductor of the bus. Draco followed his glance and nodded in understanding.
About half an hour later, the bus finally stopped. "Edinburough Village!" the conductor wailed. "That'll be 22 sickles a piece." The trio of cousins pulled out their sickles and paid the conductor and soon exiting the purple bus, and entered the lively village of Edinburough.
Alex looked around the village. They seemed to be on the main street of the village. It was a beautiful village, frozen in time, with brick roads and joining homes, corner pubs, and stores. "Did we just go back in time?" Selene suddenly spoke. "How old is this village?"
"I'd say it's pretty old, considering Slytherin used to live here somewhere outside of the village," Draco said, as he turned towards Alex to see that he had already begun walking. "Oi! Wait up, Black? What's your hurry?" Alex slowed a bit as his cousins caught up to him. "What if someone still lives there?"
"I doubt that." Alex answered. "The castle is long forgotten."
The trio of cousins continued on through the village, and soon meeting the edge, following a dirt road out and into the small wooded area. At the edge of the wooded area was a sign that had read "Keep Out! Or Else!"
"That doesn´t sound very inviting," Draco, drawled out, eyeing the sign as the trio passed it. As Alex passed by the sign, he felt as he had passed some invisible veil, feeling a strange cool tingling sensation throughout his entire body.
Selene walked though as well, and Alex could fell she was sensing the same. "There is magic protecting this." Selene said looking at Alex.
"It is properly anti muggle wards." Draco commented as he looked around. "Or the owners of the castle knows that we are here. I don't like this place," Draco added, noticing how dark it had gotten. "I don't like this at all."
"I'm sure it's fine," Alex assured, though he didn't exactly believe in his own words. He had read about this place being deserted, but maybe there were things that still lurked in the woods that surrounded Slytherin's home.
"Alexander," Selene spoke, looking behind her back. "I think there is someone watching us."
"I agree," Draco said. "How far until we get there?"
Alex stopped in his tracks, reached into his back pocket, pulling out a piece of parchment. Draco and Selene gathered next to him, seeing that he was holding a map that seemed to be drawn by a five year old. Selene and Draco shared an amused glance to which Alex notice. "Alright, we can all agree that I'm not an artist. I'm gifted in other ways," he stated, and looked at the map, pointing at it. "We're about here. We shouldn't be that far away. I think we're actually almost there. Come on," he said, continuing to walk forward.
"Or that could be miles with that map," Selene commented, but still followed her cousin along with Draco
Alex continued to lead his two cousins through the woods that soon began to dwindle and open up. A clearing could be seen, yet the clearing wasn't empty at all. Once they were out of the woods, all three cousins stared in awe. They had come across a small ancient looking castle. The brush and trees surrounding the castle were over grown and unkempt. Vines and moss covered the front of the castle.
"Come on," Alex said, moving towards the castle. Selene and Draco shared a glance and followed Alex. Soon, the trio approached the large willow doors. Alex pushed on the door, but it didn't budge.
"Maybe it´s locked?" Draco suggested. Alex pulled out his wand.
"Stop" Selene hissed, clenching Alex wrist. "You can't use magic stupid. You still have the trace on you. The Ministry will be on you in a second if you use a spell."
"Maybe this place is warded," Draco suggested, as he looked around. Alex, remembering about his last encounter with the Ministry before fourth year, and took what Selene said seriously. He couldn't risk using magic and being caught by the Ministry, especially since he was expelled from Hogwarts now.
"It most definitely is," Selene agreed, looking around the place. "Especially if this place was Slytherin's. We probably won't be able to get in. You-Know-Who might be the only one who could get in since he's related to Slytherin," she commented giving Alex the idea. He turned to Draco and smirked.
Alex turned towards the door and concentrated. "Open," he said in parseltongue. The door opened and Alex smirked towards Selene who was in shock. "You didn't think Voldemort was the only heir of Slytherin, did you?" he said, entered the castle.
"I don't understand," Selene said, as she and Draco followed and entered the castle. The door closed behind them as Alex turned towards her.
"How else did you think I found Slytherin's secret room in the Chamber and could get in?" Alex asked.
"Wait are you saying that we are related to Slytherin?" Selene asked looking at Alex.
Alex nodded, "yeah that is why you can speak parseltongue."
"Oh," Selene said. "I never realized I could speak parseltongue, before I head you speak it in the school. So I never really thought of why we could speak it."
Alex nodded, "does your family knows?"
Selene looked at her feet, "I don´t know. I mean properly. I always wondered why I was sent to collect the journals." Selene paused, "still it is amazing really to be related to Slytherin himself."
Alex gave Selene a small smile, he wasn´t sure that her family knew. Otherwise, Voldemort would have used her for his resurrection instead of him. Before he could speculate any more, the castle´s torches instantly lit up.
The trio looked around. "That wasn't eerie at all," Selene commented, but as they looked around, they were in stunned silence. As everything on the outside of the castle looked unkempt. The inside of the castle looked clean and organized.
"Whoa, it must be charmed or something," Draco commented.
"So, where are we headed?" Selene asked.
"We're looking for the back door," Alex answered making his way farther into the castle, "That would lead us to the family graveyard. Slytherin is buried there."
"Are our other ancestors buried here as well?" Selene asked.
Alex shocked his head. "No, we are related to the son that left the castle."
A minute later, the trio came across a wooden door. Alex opened it, revealing a regal bedroom, nothing of importance. He shut the door, and they continued. The trio came across more doors in different corridors, some leading to bedrooms, a dining hall, a kitchen, and a small library, which peaked Alex´s interest as he walked further into the library.
"Really Black?" Draco commented, as he and Selene followed Alex inside.
"I just want to take a quick look," Alex replied, mindlessly walking up to a shelf of books.
"Maybe one time you can just walk past the library." Draco said. Alex ignored him
A few minutes later Alex was at a small table with a few books open, reading them with a serious look upon his face. Selene also had found a book of her own and was reading it. Draco on the other hand, was tearing out pages of one of his old school book, scrunching them up into a ball, and tossing them into a nearby wastebasket.
"What are we doing?" Draco spoke up, leaning off the desk and standing up straight. "Shouldn't we be looking for Slytherin's grave?" Alex and Selene looked up from the books they were reading.
"Those books contain our family´s history and knowledge." Selene said as she eyed Draco. "It is important."
Alex sighed and rubbed his eyes. He looked at his watch, noticing that a couple of hours have drooped by. "Sorry, got a little carried away," he said, closing his books. He stood up and began to put the books in his bag. Selene did the same, placing the books she had been reading into her bag.
"So we are stealing now." Draco commented.
"Again it is our family´s." Selene said, "Are we going to stay here?" she asked looking at Alex.
"It could be good safe house." Alex said as he looked around the library. Selene smiled at this.
Draco rolled his eyes, grabbing his own bag. The trio exited the library and continued on their way, when minutes later, the walked into a small Atrium with a large wooden darks at the back wall.
"It's about time," Draco breathed out in relief. Alex rolled his eyes and moved forward, opening the doors, which revealed a small courtyard, and behind that courtyard was a graveyard.
"Let's go," Alex said as he quickly began to walk through the courtyard. "This was Slytherin's home and his Graveyard. I bet he was the first one to be buried here." He then began to jog through the graveyard with Selene and Draco in tow.
A couple of minutes later, Alex stopped, smiling as what stood in front of him. It was a small mausoleum with a stone door. On the stone door, was the crest of Slytherin. "This has to be it!" Alex exclaimed with a grin.
"Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Draco huffed out.
"Because, this is my ancestor!" Alex excitedly spoke, and looked at Selene. "Our ancestor, can you believe it Seli?"
"Yeah, but the stone. Why would it be in Slytherin´s tomb? I mean it was that Corvinus guy that found it." Draco asked as Selene nodded.
"Yes, but Corvinus Gaunt idolized Slytherin and his notes said he would lay the stone in his resting place. Corvinus thought that belonged with him."
Alex touched the stone door, and a second later, it slid open. He watched in awe and then stepped into the mausoleum with lit up instantly once he was inside. Selene and Draco followed, both in awe as well. Once inside, there in the centre of the room, was a stone tomb, with Slytherin's crest. Alex whipped out his wand and suddenly wave forward.
"Wait!" Draco shouted in horror, but it was too late. The top of the tomb popped off and slid to the floor. Alex turned and looked at Draco questioningly. "What if it had been cursed?"
"Something would have happened first once when entered the tomb," Alex replied, "Say, if you had entered first," he began walking towards the tomb. "Then something would have happened to you, but it was I who walked in first, the actual Heir of Slytherin." Alex looked into the tomb, and there he was. Skeleton Slytherin himself, in his finest set of robes and armour, holding on to an emerald coloured sword. Selene and Draco too stepped forward and looked into the tomb.
"Whoa, cool sword," Draco breathed out, and began to reach for it when Selene snapped out and grabbed his wrist.
"Did you not just hear what Alex said?" Selene hissed. Draco nodded in understanding. Selene reached out and grabbed the sword, pulled it out and handed it to Draco. "Don't break it! It's a family heirloom." Draco nodded in awe, grabbing the hilt of the sword and taking a few steps back, swinging it. Selene rolled her eyes and looked at Alex who had stopped searching.
"Damn it is not here."
"Told you," Draco said as he laid the sword back in Slytherin´s tomb.
"Wait Alex. There was a portrait of Slytherin in the chamber right." Selene´s eyes flickered. As she properly remembered that, she had been the one to destroy the portrait. "Well there might be one here."
"It is worth checking out." Alex said as he flicked his wand and closed the tomb the trio then exited the mausoleum and walked back into Slytherin´s castle. To Alex surprise it didn´t take that long to find a small office. They had only searched for 15 minutes when Selene shouted for them to come. Alex was excited as he entered the office. There was a small portrait in there. "Salazar?" Alex asked as he walked closer. There was nobody in the frame, but Slytherin had mentioned there was a painting with the other founders. He was properly in there. "Salazar!" Alex said a little louder. "Salazar are you here."
"Alexander?" Slytherin said as he appeared in painting. "What are you doing here in my old castle? There hasn´t been anyone here for centuries. And shouldn't you still be at school?"
Alex gave a sheepish smile, "yeah there have been some changes in the leadership."
"Have the senile fool to Dumbledore finally been sacked."
Alex signed, "yeah and been replaced by a Ministry official. The Ministry have taken over the whole school."
Slytherin looked worried, "that still doesn´t explain why you are here instead for the school."
Alex looked at his feet, "well I might have been expelled."
"What my hair has been expelled. Who will protect my chamber from that girl?"
"I am torched that you are more worried about the chamber then you are of me." Alex commented.
"Yes, it is troubling that you have been expelled."
"Yeah, well with the Ministry in change I doubt I lean that much anyway. Beside the chamber is perfectly safe. The girl won´t attack anymore."
"How can you be sure?" Slytherin asked.
"Because she is here." Alex said and pointed at the door, and Selene stepped forward.
"Hallo ancestor." Selene greeted in a polite voice. "I am sorry for attacking your other portrait."
Slytherin eyed Selene. "I am your ancestor?"
"I am related to Alex. He is my cousin. Again, I am really sorry that I attacked you. I have no excuse."
'"You were forced by your mother and brother." Alex said to Selene and then looked at Slytherin. "Look I trust her."
Slytherin signed. "To trusting."
"Yeah I trust her." Alex paused. "Anyway. Do you know anything about Corvinus Gaunt?
Slytherin was silent for a moment then he said. "Like you he found the chamber, and sealed most the exits in the basilisk chamber."
"Do you know anything about a ring he had. You know the Resurrection Stone."
"Why do you ask about that?" Slytherin asked. "It isn´t here. Corvinus´ youngest son took it. He wanted prove that he belonged to the Peverell family, but I highly doubt he knew what he stole. He never came back. He was killed by his own son, who also took the stone, and killed his uncles."
"So you don´t know where it is?" Selene asked.
Slytherin looked at Selene. "No. However, I assume that it still belongs to the Gaunt line or what is left it. I doubt that none of them would know what it actually is other than it is a Peverell family heirloom. I hope you don´t plan to use the stone." Alex didn´t say anything. "Corvinus couldn´t get it to work, and from what I discovered Cadmus Peverell couldn´t use it to bring his wife truly back. It supposedly drove him mad."
Alex thanked Slytherin and the old founder disappeared from his portrait. He didn´t say that he really did plan to use the stone. It had to be possible to bring people back.
…
Alex sat in silence as in silence as he flipped though some family books trying to figure where the Grunts where living now, but there was no records of it.
Alex sighed in defeat. "I need a drink." He turned and began to leave the library. Selene and Draco gave each other a worried look and followed Alex.
An hour later, Alex walked into an old looking pub. It was definitely a magic pup. As Alex could see that were witches and wizards present. There was also a goblin or two in the corning, and a couple of house elves serving drinks or cleaning the pub. Alex walked up to the bar where a barman stood cleaning a shot glass, raising in inquiring eyebrow towards Alex who sat down.
"I'll have a firewhiskey," Alex said.
A nearby witch with red hair looked at Alex. "How old are you kid? Thirteen?"
Alex glared at the witch. She was pretty young, properly the same age as Tonks, and she looked a bit familiar, but Alex couldn't place her.
"I don´t see how it is your business. " Alex said and looked at the barman, reaching into his pocket, and the slammed his hand on the table. He moved his hand to reveal five Galleons. "Right?"
The barman looked at the Galleons and nodded. "Alright, One firewhiskey coming up." He turned away to get Alex his drink, as the red haired witch laughed.
"Good move kid. Or should I say Alexander Black."
Alex looked at the witch, "I don´t know what you are talking about."
"I think you do Alexander Black, I know Tonks. We knew each other at school." Alex gave the women worried look. "Don´t worry I am on my own mission. So I won´t tell where you are." The witch took a sip of her drink and gave Alex a wink. "The name is Tulip Karasu by the way." Ah that is why she seemed familiar. Alex had seen her in one of Dora´s old school pictures. She had been a part of the curse breaking gang that had solved the mystery of the cursed vaults.
"Right," Alex said
"Anyway I better get going." Tulip said as she finished her drink. "Good luck on your little quest Alexander Black." With those words Tulip left the bar leaving Alex alone. However, Alex didn´t stayed alone for along as Draco and Selene entered the pub seconds later. "There he is!" Draco breathed out. The duo quickly made their way up to Alex. "Mate, you kind of ran off on us." He said sitting on Alex´s right, while Selene sat on his left. The barman then set Alex´s shot of firewhiskey in front of Alex.
Selene looked at the glass with firewhiskey, wondering why Alex was drinking.
Alex eyed Draco. "Maybe I wanted to be alone," he said, taking the shot glass.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Draco said, looking around the dingy pub.
"Got a problem with a pub, mate?" the Barman growled squinting at Draco who put his hands up in defence and quickly shook his head. Alex signed at bit and looked at the barman
"Have you been living here long?"
The barman nodded, "yeah it´s a family pup."
"So you know a lot about the village´s history?" Alex asked.
"Aye."
"Do you know a lot about the Slytherin line?" Selene asked. "Slytherin was supposed to live here."
"I know plenty little miss." The barman confirmed as he looked at Selene. "I can tell you Slytherin had two sons. I can pretty much tell you his lineage." Alex stopped with the glass at his lips. He slowly set his glass down.
"Who were his last surviving relatives?" Alex curiously asked, slightly turning his head towards the Barman.
"Well," the Barman said, as he began to think. "There's the Stewards. They live in America. Then there are the Ambrosius clan, and lastly the Gaunts. However, that line would have lost all their wealth. And I don´t even know if it still exists."
Maybe a few trinkets here and there." The Barman finished but then walked away as someone was waving him over.
"Sounds like a few more dead ends if you ask me," Selene said with a sigh.
"We could go to America?" Draco suggested.
"And pray tell. How are we going to find these Stewards?" Selene asked. "And how would we even get there, we are just three teenagers. Beside it is doubtful they know anything useful since it is the Gaunts we are looking for."
"It was just a suggestion," Draco replied, glaring at the girl. "What do you think Alex?"
Alex downed his shot. "Let's find out where the Gaunts lived," he said. Selene and Draco nodded as the Barman came back.
"Another?" he asked Alex who shook his head.
"No I am good." Alex replied. "However can I ask you one more question?" The Barman nodded. "Where did these last surviving Gaunts lived?" he asked.
"Well," the Barman began, looking pensive. "I believe somewhere in Little Hangleton."
Alex smiled. He knew exactly where that was. "Thank you for the information, and the firewhiskey," he said, standing to his feet. The Barman nodded and smirked.
….
"So where are we going?" Selene asked as they stood waiting for the muggle bus. Alex believed it was safest to travel this way, so the Ministry couldn´t use the trace on their wands.
"The graveyard at Little Hangleton." Alex said.
One bus ride later, the trio of cousins were in the small village of Little Hangleton. Once off the bus, the trio stopped at a small store so they could grab a map. Once the trio entered the store, Alex and Selene easily walked in and looked casual while Draco began to walk in wonder and awe of all the muggle items that surrounded him in the very ordinary store. He looked very out of place.
Alex and Selene walked up to the counter where a muggle girl sat, reading a magazine, chewing some bubble-gum. "Hey," Alex greeted. The woman set down her magazine.
"How can I help?" she asked with a nice smile, and then glanced at the clock.
"I was wondering if you had some maps of the town?" Alex asked, glancing at Draco who was looking at a small statue of the Grim Reaper with a head that bobbled.
"I sure do!" the girl answered, reaching under the counter for a map of the village. She glanced at the teens. "If you don't mind me asking, but shouldn't you kids be in school?" she asked, and began to ring them up for a map.
"We are on a school trip." Selene lied. "We are from a school in Scotland, and he have an assignment about small villages in Britain."
"So why the interest in our little town?"
Selene smiled a bit. "It was our teacher that assigned it to us."
The girl smiled, "yeah I remember the days. However, this place have some interesting story if you want a murderer mystery."
"How so?" Alex asked.
"Well a family was murdered. It was some time ago, and the family was weird and were considered snobs, or that is what my grandparents told me. Any way it was in the old Riddle house." Alex´s interest peaked at that point. "And the Riddle pair and their adult son were found dead. There was no one that could say how they died. It was just like they had dropped dead. The room was locked from the inside. It is very weird."
"So did the police had any clues?" Selene asked,
"The caretaker." The muggle girl said. "We kids used to prank him a bit, but he disappeared over a year ago."
"Where is the Riddle house?" Alex asked.
"Want an adventure eh." The muggle girl asked as she showed the location on the map.
"Yeah and thanks for the help," Alex thanked, taking the map. The woman nodded and smiled. Alex and Selene turned and began to leave. They were almost towards the door when they noticed Draco wasn't with them. They turned to see Draco looked at more random and muggle things in awe. The muggle girl was giving him a suspicious look.
"Come along, Draco or Mr. Snape won't let us do anything on her own anymore," Selene said. Draco turned and looked at Selene with a confused look, but then followed Alex and Selene as the girl went back to her magazine.
"So where are we going?" Draco asked.
"There," Alex said, pointing at the map.
Draco hunched over and squinted at the Map. "Another graveyard?" He said. Alex nodded.
"We can start there," he replied. "Work our way over to the Riddle mansion there." Alex starting walked, and his two cousins began to follow.
"But why there?" Draco asked. "What's so special about that place?"
Alex stood up and looked at his cousins. "I have been there before. It was that graveyard where Voldemort was resurrected," he answered, noticing how both his cousins shuddered at the name. "The mansion is where Voldemort´s father Tom Riddle Sr. used to live before he was murdered by his son."
"How do you know this?" Draco asked
"He made a whole speech about it after he came back," Alex answered continuing to walk. Draco nodded.
An hour later, the trio of Cousins were inside the Graveyard. Not in a million years, Alex didn't think he'd be back here in the very Graveyard Voldemort had come back in full. The place were Cedric Diggory had lost his life, the place where his grandfather had been killed. Alex stood there staring at a spot, as he felt someone grab his hand.
"It was here he died wasn´t it?" Selene asked.
Alex nodded, "yeah. He is properly buried here as well. Adrian transfigured his body and buried it. I don´t know where."
"I hate him." Selene mumbled with tears in her eyes, making Alex look at her. Selene whipped her eyes, and touched the place where their grandfather had died.
"Do you want to see where your father-"
"No," Selene hissed. "Otherwise I will spit on it."
Alex looked at her again. "Are you sure?"
"I hate that man."
"Selli maybe it would be good to get some kind of closure."
"I got closure at the funeral. Trust me Alex I am fine. Honestly."
Alex nodded and then looked around. The graveyard was so much different that it was at night. He could see a small white church in the distance, next to a large yew tree. There was the hill that rose above them to their left, where the large old mansion stood on the hillside. Alex raised his hand and pointed.
"There," he said. "Let's go there." Draco and Selene nodded, and the trio began to make their way towards the mansion.
As they arrived closer, they noticed how the mansion was rundown. Windows were broken and boarded up. Paint was rotting off the walls, as well as shingles of the roof. Wood was also rotting away. Shrubs, trees, and grass were overgrown and unkempt. It was deserted. A ghost home.
"Wow," Draco commented, "From a distance it looked ordinary, but wow. Up close, it looks horrible."
"How can we know it is abandoned?" Selene asked. "I mean if You-Know-Who´s father lived here then he might be using it as a base."
"I doubt it." Draco said as he looked around. "From what my father told me; the dark lord is like him. So he would never live in a place like that if he has another choice. He is properly using my old home or maybe Nott´s as his base."
Alex nodded, "yeah by the looks of it. It haven´t been used in fifty years since the Riddle murders."
"Oh great an old ghost house." Selene whispered as Alex opened the doors that suddenly just fell backwards. The trio entered the mansion and began to search for anything out of the ordinary, from top to bottom. They searched every room and every crevice, but didn't find anything that felt or looked magical. Soon, the trio regrouped on a balcony, at the back of the mansion, overseeing a large unkempt courtyard.
"Nothing?" Alex asked, as his two cousins arrived with him. Selene and Draco shook his head. Alex sighed as the three cousins leaned on the balcony rail. "Great."
"So what now?"
"We stay here and search the graveyard tomorrow." Alex answered.
An hour passed. The trio was still at the same balcony. Selene was sitting against the wall, reading a book she had taken from the Slytherin Castle. Draco was laying on his stomach, playing with a death bobble head that he had taken from the store they had been to earlier. Alex was leaning on the rail of the balcony, watching the sunset, silently wishing Daphne were here to watch the beautiful sunset with him. At least she was safe at Hogwarts. So maybe it was for the best that they were separated, that way Alex wouldn't be tempted.
Selene glanced at Draco. "Did you steal that?" she asked Draco who quickly snatched the novelty item and tried his best to hide it.
"Steal what?" Draco innocently asked. "What do you mean?"
Selene rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she mumbled. "Even though you've changed, you're still a bit of a Malfoy."
It was Draco's turn to roll his eyes. "Not like I was caught," he said, "Besides I didn't have any money."
"So what?" Selene argued. "Stealing is still wrong. I could have paid for it for you."
"Oh please, I don't want your pity," Draco scoffed. "And beside you are one to talk."
"Excuse me?" Selene hissed slapping her book shut.
"Well you broke in to the Chamber and tried to steal Slytherin´s journals and wreaked havoc in it."
"Shut up Malfoy. And don´t change the subject?"
"I just wanted it, beside it is not like is valuable."
Selene just glared at Draco. "That is enough." Alex said looking at the two, but mostly Draco. "And what you said was out of line.
Draco looked at the ground, but didn´t speak. Alex rolled his eyes and returned to look at the sunset.
As the sun suddenly disappeared, and the moon began to rise, something shimmered into view. That something caught Alex´s eyes as he snapped his head towards the left. There, a small shack had suddenly appeared. A shack that wasn't there before in the daylight.
"Hey," Alex said, to get his cousins' attention, "Come here," he said waving them over, and then pointed out. Selene and Draco got up and walked over to Alex. "Do you guys see that?" he asked, pointing towards the shack.
"Is that a garden shark?" Draco asked
"It wasn´t there before." Selene said. "I am sure of it. It is properly enchanted."
Alex nodded. "Yeah properly."
"Who would want to hide that dump?" Draco asked.
Selene eyed him. "Did you forgot that the Gaunt lost their wealth? It is properly where they lived."
Alex nodded, "You´re a genius. It is properly where the ring is hidden as well."
…
Chapter end
So this the last chapter for 2018. I hope that you all have had a good year. Thanks for following my story I hope that you had as much fun reading it as I have writing it.
. Also big thanks to those who reviewed my last chapter. And to answer C.E.W´s question. I have to quote River Song and say spoilers.
Please continue to review my story and tell me what you think.