"What is going on?" Bernard asked what Thomas was thinking. Students and teachers alike were in scrambles. Racing off like dragons were nipping at their heels.
"There is one way to find out." Lars reached out and caught one of the older students by the arm. By his robe colours, he looked like he was from Lars's house- Slytherin. "What is going on Jones?"
"Lars!" He turned and his face turned from one of anger to recognition. "Haven't you heard?"
"We have been in a dark corner — studying." Lars shook his head. Thomas inched a little closer, curious what Jones was going to say.
"A whole classroom of students passed out." Jones snapped his tanned fingers. "Gone, like the girls in the infirmary."
"Like Pipa?" Thomas felt his knees shake. Were their souls missing, like hers? Or had this man, who they couldn't even guess who, had taken them?
"Yeah, like her." Jones nodded his shaved head. "Professors are scurrying to the Deviations Classroom. Everyone else is supposed to go back to their dorms."
"It happened in Deviations?" Bernard asked, his eyes wide at the shocking news.
"That's what I heard, if I were you two, I would book it to Gryffindor room asap." Jones looked to Lars. "You coming, or you're seeing your little friend is back to his dorm first?" Jones pointed right at Thomas when he said little. It struck a bit of a nerve. He may be short, but he wasn't like he had to be referred to as some lost little kid!
"Quaffle in one." Lars said with a wink, "I'll see you soon Jones." Lars waved him off.
"Sure, see ya later little vampire." Jones smiled, making it hard for Thomas to say anything, so he didn't. He only lifted his hand and waved him off.
"A whole class this time." Bernard shook his head, "We can't wait any longer."
"No, we go to the Chamber, now." Lars said, pushing to the side, as they ran the opposite way the student were going. Going along the wall, serious while the others were panicking. They had no time to prepare — this was happening now!
"It's already opened!" Thomas grabbed the front of his robes. His heart almost stopping in disbelieve. Were they to late? The Entrance to the Chamber was at a snake-engraved sink tap on the Second Floor Girls' Lavatory. That much Bernard had told Thomas. The place where a ghost of a girl named Myrtle Warren, more commonly known as Moaning Myrtle was often found. This was where Thomas had met her too. She was nowhere to be seen, and from Thomas understood, she rarely left this place.
Had she been harmed too? Thomas hoped not, for all the ghost at the school, she was the only one not to avoid him, in fact, she was the only one to talk to him. Hopefully, Thomas wished, the ghost couldn't be hurt. That troll Thomas fought could, but whither or not that was a real ghost. Thomas would probably never know.
"A Corridor may be entered by giving the command of "Open" or "Open up." To a snake engraved on the entrance in Parseltongue." Lars said out loud, looking down the gaping hole. That was revealed without the bathroom sinks to block their view. "I guess, in a way, at least this solves one problem."
"Are we too late?" Bernard voice their shared fears, but his knees made him drop. Thomas grabbed him, holding him up by his side.
"We can't be, right Lars?" Thomas looked to Lars who was standing upright, but much paler. Thomas if he to looked like that? Pale, that even his lips lacked colour, but faced firm. Eyebrows shadowing over his eyes. Shielding them from their own fears.
"Jones said passed out, not dead. The man loves his gossip, but only if it's correct." Lars gave Thomas, and Bernard a thin smile. "I'm not going to lie, it can't be good, but we still have a chance."
"Should we hop down their then?" Bernard tapped Thomas on the shoulder. Thomas let his waist go, but kept his hand their, until Bernard stood upright on his own. Only then did he let it fall to his side.
"Does everyone have their wands?" Lars said pulling out his from his side holster. Thomas nodded and did the same.
"What kind of wizard do you take me for?" Bernard took out his own from the insides of his robes. "Let's go and save Pipa."
"And all the other students too." Thomas said, with a nod.
"The other students too?" Bernard looked at Thomas with surprise.
"If they're down there, we can't leave them can we?" Thomas looked at Bernard, his mind hitting a blank wall, at why Bernard would even question the idea.
"Even after everything they did?" Bernard asked, "Many people wouldn't." Thomas gave Bernard words a quick thought, but shook it off.
"They may not like me, and they surly would leave me in the same situation." Thomas had no doubts about that. "But if I want to be a good master vampire one day." Thomas did want to be a good one, he wasn't sure if he wanted to lead or run things like Professor Nocturne did.
All he knew is that he wanted to be strong enough to stay with his friends. To do that, one of the things he needed to be was a good vampire, witch, even siren. Thomas added his other mother into his thoughts. To do all this, Thomas had come to the conclusions that there was one trait he needed to work hard at.
"I have to be a good man. Good men do not abandon people to bad places, because they don't like them." Thomas said rolling up his sleeves, and walking over to peer down the hole. "Right?" Thomas looked over to Lars and Bernard.
"Right, Thomas." Lars smiled so hard that his eyes sparkled a grey blue. "We'll save anyone who needs us."
"You're a better man than me, Thomas. I'm not sure I could say the same." Bernard, smiled. Once again, in that sad way that Thomas had begun to hate to see on his face. It made him older, and brought a grey cloud that weighed down Bernard shoulder's.
"What are you talking about Bernard?" Thomas said feeling a swell of confidence. Of truth. "I learned some of that from watching you, you know?" Bernard opened his mouth, but words failed to come out. "You stood up for me, more times than anyone. It would have been easier to leave me alone."
"Yet, you didn't." Lars said, patting Bernard hard in the back. "You are a regular gentleman, teaching us all sorts of things."
"I did what you would have done too Lars." Bernard turned away from them, but it didn't hard the dark red stain of his embarrassment peeking out. From his hair, in the form of his burning ear tops. "Let's go already."
"Lumos." Lars said lighting the edge of his one in a soft white glow.
"Lumos." Thomas and Bernard said together. Their light shinning bright together. Making the entrance not as dark as it once was. Still, all they could see was the dark tunnel of who knew what that laid below.
"On three?" Thomas asked. The pipe, or tunnel was large enough for the three to jump together, so why risk the travel alone?
"Three." Lars said and jumped down without them.
"Hey!" Thomas said, jumping in feet first like Lars.
"Well, just leave me behind then!" Thomas could hear Bernard shout and slid in after him. With Lars blond head as a guide. They fell in one straight line. Thomas expected some sort of ill feeling from the rushing wind, and the force that was pulling him down. Instead, he found the ride, while the circumstance were not, rather fun.
"Mmp!" Lars landed and rolled with a thud. Crunching what looked like to be some small stones and sticks in his wake.
"Ack!" Thomas fell into a running fall. Either something would stop him from running or he would fall, while trying not too. A large stone did the decided for him. Knocking the wind right out of him, and knocking him flat on his backside. "Ah!" Thomas gasped, getting his wind back into him.
"If you had waited for me." Bernard came down with a soft thump. "We could have done the spell together." Bernard shook his head.
"Lars started it." Thomas said in his own defence. Standing up and shaking the dirt of himself, while looking around with his wand. To see what it was that they were standing on.
"You didn't have to follow." Lars said, doing the same as Thomas. "What spell did you use by the way?"
"Arresto Momentum, it's used to help quidditch players that fall off their broom. To get the ground safely." Bernard said with a shrug, "Lumos." Lifting his wand he looked around. "Are we on top of a pile of bones?"
"They looked older." Lars said picking up what Thomas thought might be a part of some creatures rib. "They're covered in a thick layer of dust." Lars tossed it back into the pile back by their feet.
"Not all of them. Look." Bernard pointed out a rough path forged from the piles of old animal bones. It's path? Leading straight into the darkness.
"Let's go." Lars said, once again leading the way. Thomas got a chill in his heart. It flowed around him, whispering to him, like the darkness he had in him — had done.
"You guy's I have a bad feeling." Thomas said rubbing his arm with his free hand. Something wicked was coming. Thomas could feel it.
"It's hard not to feel something bad down here." Bernard said, shivering and walking alongside Thomas.
"No, I mean literally." Thomas tried to explain.
"Baubillious!" A voice cried from the dark. Bright, white strikes of lightening came raining down them like blade strikes.
"Bernard!" Thomas pushed Bernard away from one of the strikes, jumping backwards, into the tunnel. With the strength he had showed when he had saved Squeakers, that time in flying practice.
"Thomas, run!" Lars said, "Impedimenta!" Lars spell targeted the witch who appeared out of the shadows. Both successfully slowing her down and pushing her back into the shadows.
"We need help," Bernard said, "this is bigger than we thought!" Bernard stood.
"You should have thought of that, before you came, little boy!" A figure came at Bernard from the side.
"Petrificus Totalus." Bernard flicked his wand and froze the wizard in midair. Dropping him like a stone to the ground. Not before his spell turned and hit the ceiling of the place they were in.
"It's coming down!" Thomas called out in warning. The rock above their heads turned into a rain of sharp stones, and deadly boulders. Thomas, couldn't watch out for his friends, as he side stepped a larger stone by going father back. Into the safety of the darkened tunnel, deeper into the Chamber. Thomas found safety from the cloud of dust, and stones that tumbled down. By hiding far enough back to watch the storm of dust in the dim light provided by his shaking wand.
"Lars! Bernard!" Thomas called out as soon as the dust cleared. Running to the stones blocking the tunnel. He couldn't make out a sound, outside of his own panting breathes. Not a whisper or a moan could be heard beyond the barrier of rock that stood before him. Thomas gave it a good couple of pushes — there was no way he could move it. Thomas didn't know any spells to move it either.
"How did this happen?" Thomas wasn't smart like his friends to pull out spells to get himself out. Not yet, but he felt in his gut, and so did that dark part of him. That this wasn't right. How could a ceiling, that stood solid for centuries, suddenly fall?
"Did they want this?" Thomas wondered. Not that, Thomas thought they wanted him, but only one of them. Both Bernard and Lars were from influential wizarding families — they could mean something. Alone, and by themselves. They would also be, another soul, waiting to be offered. To whatever task these strange wizards were doing.
"What should I do now?" Thomas had two choices. Wait here, because he knew in his heart, that his friends were okay. They had to be, or he could go on. Thomas turned his wand to the dark tunnel before him. "If I don't go..." Thomas couldn't imagine the fate that awaited him. "They would go." Thomas thought of Lars, also smiling, and always bravely leading the way. Bernard, who would do the same thing — in his own way. In a quieter, more silent manner that was truly his own.
"I'll go." Thomas looked to the rocks behind him, placing one hand on the bolder in front of him. "I'll be waiting for you guys to come save us." Thomas whispered, before turning. Running into the darkness with only his light from his wand to guide him. Waiting any longer, Thomas would surly change his mind. Instead, he would rush forward, knowing that one way or another. They would come and rescue him.
"It's been awhile," Thomas thought aloud. Walking with hastened steps thought the Corridor's dark, and rather scary paths. "Since I've been alone." Thomas hadn't spent a moment without being able to reach out his hand, and have someone reach back to him, since the O'Sullivan's took him in. Professor Nocturne, or the Old Man, as he once was to Thomas. Was there, but not all the time, and of course, now Thomas knew why. Still, it was not the same.
"Now it's my turn." Thomas tightened his free hand into a ball. Thomas would be that hand. Reaching out to whoever needed him beyond that wall. "Or snake?" Thomas said. Every nerve in Thomas's body was tingled.
Not with fear, it was like the darkness inside him, the thing he was afraid of was eager. It wanted this door to open, yet Thomas what he would find if he did. And then, at last, as he crept around another bend. He saw a solid wall ahead on which two intertwine serpents were carved. Their eyes set with great, glittering emeralds. Looking at the great stone wall before him.
"How do I get past it?" Thomas wondered. Trying to feel along the wall for a seam or some other entrance. He wasn't afraid anymore, like the darkness in him, was wanting this door to open. Of all the times to be stuck in his own fear, now wasn't the time. Thomas pushed all that aside.
"Open up!" Thomas demanded. Pounding his fist on the door. He couldn't speak snake but maybe he could get it to listen to him anyway.
"Does he want in?" A stiff voice hissed from close by. Making Thomas freeze.
"I think so." Another calmer voice spoke up, still holding a hissing sound but not as hard as the first.
"Should we heslp him?" A more child like voice asked.
"He is ours, after aslsl." The calmer voice said.
"Akreed." Said the stiff voice.
"Hello?" Thomas said tentatively. The voice were close by Thomas couldn't see them. What he heard didn't sound bad, but the not knowing was... unnerving. Yeah, Thomas was a bit unnerved. Not scared t all. Not him. "Whose there?" Thomas asked, proving is to himself that everything was well.
"Heslslo." Three voices said at once. They were coming from. Thomas looked down.
"Ah!" Thomas jumped back hitting the wall. There were not one, but three snake heads coming out of his pocket. Wait, wasn't that were he was keeping his... "Egg?"
"Ve're not babies." The right one spoke, it sounded female, at least to Thomas. It had green eyes that had a slight narrowest to them. Like she was always frowning, if a snake could frown that is. Thomas wasn't sure.
"Sorry," Thomas said watching in amazement when the snakes came further out from his pocket. That it was not three like he thought, but one snake with three heads. They had a beautiful shimmering copper top. That showed up nice, and bright under the light from Thomas's wand. Underneath, appeared to be a pale yellow colour, like Lars's hair in the sun.
"Iou did not knov." The middle one forgave him, she had a slight tint of red on her little face, like she was blushing. Thomas felt, out of the three, she would be kindest.
"Papa, Sl'll open the door for iou." The third and left head. Chimed in with a smile filled with small sharp fangs.
"Papa?" Thomas was surprise by the name, but kind of warm by it to. They were cute, his little snakes. "I'll call you Triúr." Thomas didn't know where the name came from, only that it suited them. At the moment that the named slipped from his lips. Thomas felt a sliding lock, click into place. That darkness that coiled inside of him. The thing that he used, but couldn't control, was a snake!
"You're my animal to call." Thomas put his hand down, and Triúr used his fingers to slid up. Thomas could feel the softest of her as her small body to work her way up. She fit in the palm of his hand. "Your so cute." Thomas's heart melted at the sight. Thomas thought finding his Animal to Call. Was going to be a big deal, or at least something more dramatic, but dying of cuteness. Could be dramatic, he guessed?
"Of kourse ve are," Right Triúr spoke. They stopped and raised themselves up to speak.
"Are iou not forgetting sonething?" Middle Triúr asked, while the third one had a little snot bubble forming. Already half asleep.
"Ah!" Thomas gasped, he couldn't believe he had let it slip his mind! "Pipa! Wait how do you know?" Thomas asked Triúr.
"Ve aslwais knov, bekause it's iou." Middle Triúr said with a little yawn stretching her mouth wide. "Ve must ssleep, but ve'll be here for iou... Papa." Middle Triúr finished with a bashful turn of her head.
"Open," Called all three. Like that. The snakes moved and the door parted.
"Thanks." Thomas said, watching the three of them curl up in his palm, already half asleep. He slipped them back into his pocket. Taking extra care of its contents, as a good Papa should. Not once did Thomas stop to question. How he had spoken to his new baby Triúr? Certainly, that came along with the position of Animal to Call. Therefor, it didn't need much thought.
Stepping pass the parted barrier of the wall. Thomas walked as fast as he could, without making much noise. Easier feet than he thought, despite the water now coated the path. Soon Thomas could snuff out the light from his wand. Keeping low, Thomas moved in a walking crouch. Wand at the ready. He was standing at the end of a long, dimly lit chamber.
Trying to take all the time he needed to look around. Searching for Pipa's soul, or any of the other missing students souls. He thought they would like ghost, but Thomas wasn't sure. He hoped, that it would be something Thomas could figure out. Taking advantage of the towering stone pillars. That were entwined with more serpents, like the emerald eyed ones. That decorated the Chamber Wall Thomas had entered.
Expect they rose high above him, becoming lost in the darkness. Lucky for Thomas they also castes long, black shadows that he could hide in. Through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place should be good enough to do so. If it wasn't in this location, Thomas might have actually like the place, but being down in the musty waters. Hiding from who knew what. Would ruin any room.
Thomas perked up when he saw the Corridor open up into a larger room, with better lighting. A shadow of a back could be seen from where Thomas hid. Thomas was trying to rack his brains to figure out what to do next, when the figure turned. The brighter light brought his face into full view.
"Professor?" Thomas couldn't stop the words that left his mouth. Any more than he could stop himself from stepping out to confirming what he saw. "How did you beat me here?" Thomas racked his brains, but there was no way. Unless? Thomas came to a horrible conclusion. He could have if... he was the one to first open the Chamber.