Hey! We have a content warning this chapter for animal death and description of injuries inflicted on an animal, so please take care of yourselves. Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy this chapter!
"Goodnight."
The word hung in the air, nothing more than a whisper, destined to become nothing other than an auditory illusion those who heard it would blame on being half-asleep. Bathed in darkness, Arthur's eyes stared unseeing at the roof of his four poster bed. Shock had chased any thought of sleep from his mind. Thomassen had spoken. Thomassen could speak, he simply chose not to.
Why? Was it an attempt to garner sympathy from those he plotted against? A way to appear inconspicuous and harmless so no one would suspect him of wrong? What did he need from them to put in that much effort? Arthur's fingers itched to write down his thoughts, to add this newfound knowledge to his notebook and unravel the muggleborn's plans. He needed to describe his voice before he forgot, before he next heard that soft, gentle sound uttering a curse that would be his demise. It took all his self-control to lie still. He couldn't give himself away, not when he had plans of his own for tonight.
He waited patiently, hoping that whatever Thomassen had been up to, it would exhaust him enough to fall asleep instantly. Arthur couldn't have anyone suspecting he had been awake this late hour. Sneaking out of the dorms in the middle of the night would be risky enough without anyone suspecting him of something.
How long until he could deem it safe to slip out of bed? He hadn't planned on Thomassen taking so long to return. Strange for him to be unaccounted for the past few hours. Did his absence have anything to do with the thing that had scared even their professors? Just what was he planning?
He could worry about that later. For now, he had to focus on the task at hand. Soft snores and slow, steady breaths suggested his housemates were all asleep. Could he be sure of that? He hesitated, listening intently. Nothing to suggest anyone was still awake. He decided to risk it. No one stirred as he pulled his shoes on and swung his bag over his shoulder. He hadn't had much time to pack it earlier, stuffing in it a book on first aid spells and the supplies his mother had insisted he take with him. The thought that she had expected him to get into fights every day slightly worried him, but at least he wasn't lacking in disinfectant and gauze. He wasn't foolish enough to believe he wouldn't need them.
The door creaked treacherously as he opened it. Arthur prayed no one heard the gentle thud as he shut it behind him. First hurdle cleared.
The stairway was thankfully empty, not even an echo drifted up to Arthur's level. Where should he try first? He headed straight to the common room, only to curse inwardly as he spotted Astoria Greengrass guarding the exit. He should have expected that. The staff had deemed whatever had harmed the unicorn a serious threat; it made sense for the corridors to be heavily patrolled too. He could only pray he would be able to cross the school grounds unnoticed.
Which passageway should he take, though? Most of the ones he could access from inside his house required parseltongue to open. He knew the chimney on the far side of the common room best, having used it a fair number of times the previous year, but with Greengrass on watch, Arthur crossed it off his list.
The boy's bathroom was risky but his best bet. Few people knew of it. If someone walked in on him, not only would he be whisked away to detention faster than he could blink, there were high chances the entrance would be sealed permanently. He couldn't have that. But what other choice was there? He'd just have to be careful.
Tightening his grip on his bag, he crossed the small corridor branching to his left, hoping Greengrass wouldn't be able to see him from the common room. Lessons from last year ran through his mind, reminding him to step lightly, heel first, and control his breathing, moving as silently as humanly possible.
Sneaking out of his own house. Hiding from his own housemates. The notion filled him with bitterness. He should be sneaking out with friends as part of a dare, to steal some trinket from a classroom. Instead, he was by himself, determined to try and help an animal he didn't trust the staff to care for properly. Then again, who could he ask to accompany him? Lupescu would make too much noise, give them away at the worst possible moment. He'd ask too many questions, wouldn't understand why Arthur insisted on doing this. No, he was better off doing this by himself.
The door made little sound as Arthur slipped into the bathroom, allowing him to breathe easier and relax slightly. He couldn't afford to dawdle, however. Keeping his ears pricked, he walked over to the sinks in the centre of the room. They were gathered around a coiled serpent whose scales gleamed silver, its eyes pinpricks of emerald. Small snakes serving as taps opened their jaws as if to strike, their tails raised, balancing the bars of soap that rested upon them. Arthur walked around them, to the sink underneath the serpent's head. Here, the stained glass covering the wall painted his surroundings in a green and yellow hue, as the giant squid depicted bobbed up and down without a care in the world.
Arthur crouched down, level with the pipes, doing his best to ignore the murky water that pooled around the sinks. He wrinkled his nose. Despite its beauty, the place stank.
He visualised the pattern required to open the passageway in his mind and identified the two pipes he would have to tap with his wand. Three - two - one. Upper pipe - lower pipe - upper pipe. A relatively simple rhythm to remember, Arthur just hoped the noise wouldn't alert others to his presence.
The sink groaned as it was pushed forwards by an invisible force, before shifting to the side, revealing the darkened staircase it had been concealing. Gaze darting to the door, heart quickening ever so slightly at the noise the entrance had made, Arthur cast a hasty lumos before darting onto the first step.
The passageway shut behind him, a loud thud that echoed in the narrow passageway. Arthur gulped. No turning back, not for a few hours at least. If that noise had aroused any suspicions, he needed them quelled before he headed back inside. Steeling his nerves, he began to make his way down the stairs.
It had been quite the discovery, to learn about the complex network of tunnels hidden both underneath Hogwarts and within its walls. Countless entrances led both inside and outside the castle, most likely created by the paranoia of its founding members. Most had been forgotten with the passage of time, until only a select few still knew the location of each one. Arthur had only uncovered the secret knowledge by browsing through the restricted section the previous year.
Good thing he'd thought to memorise the labyrinth the passageways formed. He shuddered at the thought of finding himself lost down here. There was nothing down here save for the occasional rat. Humidity made the air unpleasant to breathe, a constant chill accompanying it that sank into his clothes and left him shivering. If not for the light cast by his wand, it would be pitch black. Arthur couldn't imagine a more unpleasant death. He wondered how many skeletons lay undisturbed within these tunnels, what their final thoughts in life had been. He hoped he wouldn't stumble across any.
A sharp turn led him into a twisting corridor with walls of stone. The floor, however, remained earthen, his shoes making little sound as he followed the invisible path he knew by heart. Arthur couldn't help but notice deep marks in the stone every now and again, long, jagged dents that reminded him of scratches. He shivered. Hopefully whatever monstrosity someone had decided to keep as a pet before releasing it into these tunnels was long gone. He didn't fancy meeting it.
He took the left path at the next crossroads, pleased to find the dusty set of steps that should take him to the school grounds, near the field where flying lessons were held. His foot slipped on stone smoothed with age, forcing him to reach out and catch the frayed rope he had been avoiding touching so as not to break his neck. Hands shaking, heart hammering in his chest, Arthur tried to steady his breathing. Careful. He didn't want to break a bone down here.
How much time passed before he continued to make his way up the stairs, Arthur couldn't say. Relief flooded his veins as he finally reached the wall concealing the exit. Slightly darker stones could easily be mistaken as being caused by humidity, but served the same purpose as the pipes had back in the bathroom. He tapped a different rhythm this time and stood back, not as concerned by the rumble of the wall rearranging itself as he had been earlier. Fresh air filled his lungs suddenly, a welcome change to the dampness of the tunnels.
The rain had thankfully stopped, replaced by a thick fog that swallowed the light cast by lumos. Well, at least it meant no patrolling professors would be able to spot him easily. He just hoped he wouldn't find himself turned around.
His shoes squelched as he crossed the muddy terrain, towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest. With a little luck, there would be a trail he could follow. He wasn't sure where he would prefer to find the animal. The fields surrounding the hut Hagrid lived in made the most sense, but if it's injuries were too severe, then it would have been left where it had fallen until it was well enough to be moved. Arthur would rather sneak into the oaf's garden than be forced to linger so close to the forest in the middle of the night, but the risk of getting caught there was higher.
At least the presence he had felt earlier had vanished. Thank goodness for that. If Arthur could go through his life without ever feeling that terror again, he would be most grateful. He made a mental note to research the phenomenon when he had some spare time. Although it had scared him, his curiosity burned brighter. Besides, it never hurt to be prepared just in case the sensation returned someday.
There was no sign of life at all, it seemed. Strange. Arthur would have thought the area would be highly guarded. Yet it seemed as though the professors were far more worried about students sneaking out the conventional way than using any of the secret passageways. Yet another reason why they were incompetent. The professors last year would have been more concerned about something sneaking in than anyone sneaking out. Not that Arthur was complaining. At least this way he could roam freely, without looking over his shoulder every five minutes.
His makeshift torch passed over a darkened patch of grass. He paused, crouching down to inspect it. He frowned, apprehension gnawing at his stomach. Now that was very strange. From the state of the grass, something had been lying here, but a trail of blood suggested it had pulled itself to its feet and headed back to the forest.
How? Why? Did this mean it wasn't as badly injured as Arthur had feared? If not, then why hadn't it been moved somewhere safer? It made no sense.
Should he follow it? He'd expect to find it at the edge of the forest at most; venturing into its murky depths was an entirely different matter. As much as he prided himself on knowing more than the average twelve-year-old, he was still only a first year. If anything truly dangerous decided he would make a tasty snack, he wouldn't stand a chance. Was it worth risking his life for this?
He glanced behind him. Was it just his imagination, or had the fog grown thicker? His robes were well on their way to becoming drenched, the cold starting to seep into his skin. If he wasted more time standing here, he'd have nothing to show for his midnight adventure but a cold. He'd made it this far. No point in turning back now. Clenching his wand in trembling hands, he pushed forward.
Twigs and dried leaves crackled as he stepped on them, alerting anything nearby with a functioning pair of ears to his presence. Try as he may, moving silently didn't seem possible. Branches cracked as he pushed them out of his face, bushes rustled as he brushed past them. Still he followed the trail of blood, deeper and deeper into the forest.
The unicorn had better be alive when I find it. I do not want to have done all this for a corpse.
The bitter thought made him stop dead in his tracks. What if the unicorn had died? What would he do then? Would he be prepared to face such a potentially gruesome sight? He shivered, wrapping his robes tighter around himself. It really was cold out tonight. And that fog was starting to unnerve him.
What if he was walking into a trap?
He snorted, dismissing the ridiculous thought instantly. Who would bother setting up a trap for him of all people? But had the unicorn walked into a trap? What could lead it to making its way back into the forest, injured as it was? Did Arthur want to find out?
A frail whinny made up his mind for him, too close for him to turn back and pretend not to have heard it. He quickened his step, stomach tying itself into knots as he headed in the direction the sad sound had come from.
Please don't let it be beyond help.
The fog cleared the moment he set foot in the first clearing he stumbled across. Moonlight washed over his surroundings, illuminating two shapes in its very centre. Arthur froze. So that was how the unicorn had been lured back in. The thing had attacked her baby. His heart thudded in his chest as he made his way over to them, wand at the ready, unease pickling at his skin. What had he just walked into?
"Hey there, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," he murmured as the smaller shape stirred, too weak to do more than let out a scared snicker.
Poor thing must be terrified. Did it know that its mother was... Arthur turned away, swallowing hard. He wasn't prepared for this. He hadn't expected to find... His stomach churned unpleasantly. No. Best not to look. Focus on the task at hand instead. He could throw up later.
The foal, Kirkland. You can still help it.
His knees buckled, body shaking, as he crouched down, as close to the foal as possible. If only grass stains were the only things he had to worry about. Pushing his drifting thoughts to one side, he tried to take in the extent of the animal's injuries. More light would be much appreciated; although better than the previous fog, it was still too dark to catch anything more than a glimpse at them. From the little he could see, however, they didn't look life-threatening. A few deep gashes, but mostly superficial scratches. Whatever had attacked it had planned on keeping it alive, then. Thank goodness for that. But if that was the case, then why did it look so weak?
His gaze moved to its face, and his heart stopped.
"Oh god-"
He barely had time to turn away from the foal before his stomach emptied its contents, leaving him bent over tears in his eyes, body shaking violently. He wished he hadn't seen that. He wished he wouldn't have to see that again. A very specific procedure was necessary when it came to harvesting unicorn horns, so as not to harm the animal. To see it done in such a careless and violent manner made Arthur feel ill. More bile rose to the back of his throat as he glanced over at the poor creature's mother, static roaring in his ears.
Enough of that. You have to focus. We have a job to do.
It took all his courage to tear his gaze away from what remained of the adult unicorn and meet her child's pleading stare instead. He forced his features to soften, letting soothing reassurances spill from his lips as he thought through the best way to take care of it.
They couldn't stay here, that much was obvious. If the fog hadn't made him suspicious before, the fact it had all but dissipated the second he stepped into the clearing left no doubts in his mind as to the malice behind it. They needed to get out of here before whatever had set the trap came back. But where could they go? Whereabouts in the castle could he hide a unicorn?
The passageways? Little chance of being discovered, but would the unicorn heal in complete darkness? Arthur hoped so. He didn't see any other option.
"Alright, little one, I need you to cooperate with me." He caressed the foal's snout. "We're going to have to walk a little. Can you do that for me?"
No response, not that Arthur had been expecting one. Honestly, it was a miracle the animal was domesticated to this extent. Hopefully it wasn't just because of its injuries. Clucking, he urged it to stand up.
"Come on, work with me. Up you get."
It took much pushing and shoving, and even more encouraging words, for the goal to even attempt to stand. By the time it toterred on unsteady legs, the fog had crept back into the clearing, and dread was beginning to settle in Arthur's stomach. His teeth chattered. They needed to hurry.
"There you go! Just need to walk a little now. Not far. You can do it, can't you?"
Yet again, Arthur regretted not having a partner in this endeavour. He wasn't sure what Vasilica could have helped him with, short as he was, but it would have been better than nothing. At the very least, he would have been able to keep a look out for danger while Arthur helped the foal along.
Well, no use in moping. It wasn't too far a walk, he just hoped the poor thing wouldn't collapse again.
They stumbled through the forest, loud enough to alert the entire area to their presence. Branches scratched Arthur's face and snagged on the foal's coat as they pushed through the dense undergrowth, back to the relative safety of the school grounds. The unease that had been creeping up his spine retreated, his thudding heartbeat slowing. Not much further.
Despite his reassurances, however, it felt as though an eternity passed before they reached the wall that would take them back to the tunnels. Arthur shivered, damp robes clinging to his skin and sinking straight to his bones. He couldn't wait to be back in the dormitories, snuggled up in his warm bed, but he had a job to finish first.
"Come on, little one, almost there. Just a bit further."
Praying the foal could stand on its own for a few minutes, Arthur opened the passageway as quickly as possible. They made it a few steps inside the tunnel before the foal's strength left it completely. Arthur helped it lie down, muscles screaming in protest at the effort to took to prevent it from collapsing. Well, at least they were inside. Hopefully they wouldn't risk anything here.
With predators out of mind, Arthur could focus on the task at hand. Tend to its wounds. That was all he had to do. Make sure nothing could get infected, ensure it wouldn't lose any more blood, and fetch it food and water. The latter two shouldn't be too difficult. He knew the path to the kitchens, and everyone knew the house elves never asked questions. The first two, however... He bit his lip. He hoped he had learnt enough hovering at his grandfather's side and during his original first year at Hogwarts to help.
With no fears of attracting unwanted attention, Arthur could cast a small ball of light that floated above the foal's body, making it easier to see its injuries. Fortunately, his estimations back in the clearing seemed correct. With the exception of the severed horn, they shouldn't be difficult to care for. Arthur really didn't fancy running into whatever had attacked it, though. He shuddered to think what creature could have claws so long and such an impressive bite. It chilled him even more to realise that it had enough intelligence not to fatally injure its prey but to use it as bait. Just what was the Forbidden Forest home to?
Pushing those unnerving thoughts to the back of his mind, Arthur got to work. The night was short. He couldn't afford to waste any more time. After all, he was still hoping to catch a few winks before facing the next day.
Never had Vasilica seen Eirik so enthused before. A smile stretched across his face, his eyes sparkling with delight as he helped himself to some bacon. Restless, he had already been lightly scolded for accidentally kicking Gilbert's shin when he first sat down. Now, he was almost still, save for the tapping sound of his foot against the floor that the scrape of knives and forks was slowly drowning out. Seeing him so full of life awakened Vasilica's curiosity. It took all his self-restreint to wait for Eirik to finish loading his plate with food so he could tell him what had happened.
In the meantime, he distracted himself by sweeping his gaze over his surroundings. The Great Hall bustled with more movement than usual. For once, the entire school had shown up for breakfast. The air hummed with anticipation as students shot discreet glances at the high table, where the headmistress was discussing something with Professors Vargas and Hagrid. Everyone wanted to know what had happened yesterday afternoon. Why had they been confined to their common rooms all evening? Had the danger passed? Just what had it been?
Despite the number of people in the Great Hall, however, one face was missing at the Slytherin table. Arthur's bed had been empty when Vasilica woke up, which wasn't unusual by itself; the boy often ate before everybody else. For him to be absent at breakfast, however, considering how invested in the unicorn's scream he had been, was highly suspicious. Vasilica couldn't help but worry.
A polite cough snapped his attention back to Eirik. The notebook was passed his way.
"I had a panic attack in the library yesterday. Thought it was better to hide in there than risk running into something on my way back to the common room. The professors must have somehow noticed I was missing, because Professor Vargas came looking for me last night."
A few words had been crossed out as Eirik had considered how to tell the next part of his story.
We chatted for a while - did you know he's learning BSL? He's not quite there yet but it was nice to not have to write everything down for once - and guess what? He's offered to teach me nonverbal magic! He can't make any promises, but he's going to try his best, which is more than can be said for Banks. Our first lesson is on Saturday."
Excitement rivalling Eirik's bubbled in Vasilica stomach. Finally! No wonder he looked so happy, he had finally found what he had been looking for the past two months. Vasilica felt a sudden urge to jump out of his chair and give him a big hug. He resisted it. He doubted Eirik would appreciate the attention such an action would draw. Instead, he leant over the table to pat his hand vigorously.
"That's amazing news! Hope it goes well, I can't wait to have you in lessons with the rest of us."
Eirik practically beamed at him, not even noticing when Natalya accidentally elbowed him as she reached for the milk.
"I can't wait to leave Banks and her useless teachings behind for good."
Despite his words, however, Vasilica noticed how he glanced over to the Gryffindor table, smile dampening ever so slightly as his gaze settled on Mikkel, who was laughing at something one of his classmates had just told him. Vasilica frowned. He really wished the two would get over their arguments and just talk to each other. Their spat had gone on long enough.
Before he could say anything, however, Eirik changed the subject.
"Where's Kirkland? And what exactly happened yesterday?"
So Eirik had noticed too. Then again, just because someone wasn't well liked didn't mean they were forgotten about. Vasilica shrugged.
"No clue. It's really weird." He sighed. "And I don't really know how to describe it. The air felt really weird, like... like fear, I guess. I just felt really frightened for some reason. Arthur was with me, and he felt the same thing I did, just not at the same time. We were making our way back to the castle after flying class and we heard this scream. A unicorn's scream, which isn't normal, so we ran back to the castle. That's when the professors showed up and told everyone to stay in their common rooms until further notice. I think they went to check it out."
He grimaced. That had sounded so much more coherent in his mind. Then again, there were some elements he didn't want others knowing. The vision, for example. He didn't want anyone listening in to think he was crazy. Eirik didn't look impressed, furrowing his eyebrows and pursing his lips.
"You're hiding something."
Vasilica couldn't meet his friend's eyes, settling for a half-hearted shrug. Hopefully Eirik would understand and wouldn't push him for answers. He really didn't want to talk about that thing he'd seen. Not until he understood why he had seen it.
Fortunately, their conversation came to a sudden halt as Arthur finally made his appearance, settling down next to Vasilica and reaching for the orange juice. Vasilica didn't miss the way he regarded Eirik with an even more distrustful stare than normal. Eirik didn't miss it either. His own stare was flat and cold, his lips curling into a victorious smirk as Arthur was the first to look away.
"Has Professor McGonagall said anything yet?"
Vasilica shook his head slowly, taking in his friend's dishevelled appearance. His hair was tousled, particles of dust clinging to some of the dirty blond strands. Even more dust clung to his robes, along with darker stains Vasilica guessed to be mud. His skin was deathly pale, making the dark bags under his eyes stand out even more. He hadn't been in his bed asleep like the rest of them last night, that was for sure.
"Not yet, but looks like she's wrapping up her conversation with Professor Vargas and Professor Hagrid, so hopefully soon." He paused. "You okay? You look like you haven't slept."
"Nightmares," Arthur sniffed. "I thought it better to read somewhere quiet rather than listening to you lot snoring."
Both boys chose to ignore Eirik's snort of disbelief. Before Vasilica could decide whether to pretend to believe him or not, the headmistress stood up. Immediately, silence befell the room, all conversations ceasing on the spot. Countless students leant forward, turning their attention on the witch who gracefully made her way to the podium. The three boys exchanged a glance as she began to speak, her words reassuring them that the danger was being dealt with and they had nothing to fear, but informing them they were no longer allowed to wander the grounds by themselves. Not one mention of the unicorn was uttered, nor of the nature of the threat. By the time she finished, the students were left with even more questions than they'd had that morning.
Vasilica bit his lip. Arthur's unhappy scowl and Eirik's pensive frown suggested they were about as satisfied by the headmistress' speech as he was. What exactly were the professors hiding from them? Was there any way for them to find out?