Stella woke up with a slow blink. She was very uncomfortable.

Turning her head and looking to her side, she noticed she was laying on top of a strange stone table in the middle of a big round granite hall with several passages leading out of it. Maybe an altar of sort?

It was dark and very damp. The only light source in this strange place seemed to be some floating candles on the far ends of the hall. She couldn't figure out where she was or what had happened to her. Why she woke up in such an odd place.

"Ah good you are awake," said a familiar voice from somewhere in the vicinity of her head. She looked up to see Omer staring down at her with an unsettling smile on his face, a kind she'd never seen before. Something about his accent wasn't right.

Suddenly everything flooded back. Her memories of the cave – the very same one she was probably in right now – and her husband's weird behavior. How she got back home after being saved by Rasmi and how she found poor Katopodis' wand hidden in their bedroom by Omer. She couldn't believe it. After all these years together, how could he?

Stella tried to shift herself. She was tied up by her ankles and wrists.

"Don't bother trying to move," muttered Omer coldly. Slowly caressing her right arm with freezing hands. "Enchanted ropes."

Tears began to flood Stella's eyes.

"Why, Omer?" She sobbed. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Shut it woman!" He yelled at her. "Your husband is gone."

"I am done pretending to be this buffoon, this barbarian imbecile," he continued. "Done with the silly games. You have proved to be far more trouble than you are worth. Now, you will serve your purpose, and die."

"What? I – I don't – understand… What are you talking ab – "

"For centuries I have been stuck in this cave. For centuries I have bided my time, waiting for the right person to come and find me. An arrogant fool with the right set of skills that I could possess and make my own. And so, by chance, your foolish husband came. He came all brave and ready to receive me. Through him I learned about your modern world. Through his feeble mind I've gathered all the information I need about the place and time I find myself in, the language spoken by you barbarians – and about you."

"I – you – you're not my husband?"

"Idiotic woman!" He yelled at her. "And to believe I thought you would be a good match for my powers in my prime. Though I suppose you were not smart enough to recognize I was not your husband… the fault here lies with me I suppose," he chuckled maliciously. "No matter. I have been lucky beyond any reason. By chance, a boy with immense potential had showed up right here on my doorstep. He will do just great. Finally, a body that would be able to contain my powers. One that would not decay with every passing day. Now, with your assistance, I will be able to truly return to my past glory!"

Stella now noticed the odd strips of red and purple that ran through her husband's face, neck, and arms. Was his body succumbing to this evil inside him? Was he already gone, or could he still be saved? Her heart began to pound so fast and hard she thought her chest might explode at any second. She could barely wrap her head around what Omer – or rather his possessor – was telling her. Had she really been so foolish? Had she been thinking this man to be her husband for days? Sleeping beside him in her bed? Hugging and kissing this – this thing – as if it were the man she'd married?

Omer's possessor laughed again. A cold hard laugh full of malice.

"Nothing to say my pretty? Are you not interested in how you will prove useful for me in capturing the boy? Not interested in what you will be dying for?

"I've left him a message. One that will make sure he comes to your rescue, as arrogant, talented boys of his age so often do for attractive women in distress."

Stella could think of a few things she was slightly more interested in – a good way to escape this place for a start. Still, she had to keep him talking, if not for simply delaying him until help arrived. If it ever did arrive.

"Do you – by 'boy' do you mean Rasmi? The teen that's been exploring around this cave? The one that saved me – "

"Of course!" hissed the creature inside Omer. "Who else if not that boy?! That beautiful, talented, delicious boy. I knew I sensed a great powerful presence in here when you finally paid my cave a visit. At first, I thought it was you – your husband did think very highly of you, he seemed to believe you were more powerful than you proved to be – and yet, when you told me of the boy that came and saved you, I knew trying to lure you here had paid off after all. I knew the sweet scent of that once-in-a-generation kind of magical power. Exceptional. Just as I was in my day."

"But who – who are you?"

"My name is Herpo. I was alive and famous when your ancestors were nothing more than a few scattered wildling tribes, cannibals, and tree worshipers. Alive when the Romans, the Crusaders, and Turks ravaged my homeland. Alive long enough to advise and court emperors and caliphs and kings. Though, eventually, my body decayed my spirit remained still, trapped in this cave. So is the nature of this ancient spell, as I've learned, one's soul existing in this mortal realm does not mean their body will."

"You're Herpo the Foul?!"

Now she knew why his accent sounded so unusual. It was one that she never would've heard before. Herpo the Foul was an Ancient Greek Dark Wizard who had gone down in infamy for the first to successfully produce one of the darkest works of magic ever conceived – the Horcrux.

"You catch on quick; I'll give you that. But of course, you've heard of me even now. You know of my greatness, of my immense success in achieving immortality, and yet none of your kind seems to think I have survived to this day and age. But again, no matter, they will all know that I am back soon enough. Once I take control of Erasmus, nothing will stop me from rising to power again. This time, this delightfully powerful, deliciously potent boy and his young body will serve me for even longer than my original mortal shell did. I will live on as the greatest – "

"Blimey Herp," came a voice from the far end of the hall. "If only the girls back at Hogwarts thought of me the same way you do…"

Herpo turned to the source of the voice. Spotting Rasmi stepping out of one of the passages to the hall, he hissed excitedly.

"You came, my boy! My sweet foolish, arrogant, wonderful boy! You came for me!"

"As uncomfortable as your words make me Herpo, I'll have to admit, I did yes."

Herpo hissed again and laughed his cold high-pitched laugh.

"What say you, you'll let Stella here go, and you can have me, eh? A life for a life? Just let her go, and I'll come to you."

"Am I supposed to think you would surrender to me? Just like that, without a fight, for a woman you have only met today?"

"No? Not buying it?" Asked Rasmi in a hopeful tone. "Okay, yeah, I didn't think so."

*BANG*

Stella heard a loud explosion in the distance. Thick smoke filled the air in the hall in seconds. Herpo's cold laughter was heard, magnified through the massive granite walls surrounding them.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands grab onto her. They were soft and warm. Living hands.

"Come with me," said a woman's voice. It was Nina, the Bulgarian woman that traveled with Rasmi and Alex.

Feeling the ropes loosen around her wrists and ankles, Stella pulled herself up and let herself be led by Nina's hands to safety.

"Take this," said another voice, Alex's, handing her her wand.

When the smoke cleared, Stella found herself standing among the trio facing Herpo on the other end of the underground hall. She'd never seen her husband look so sickly and yet so menacing as he appeared now. Herpo's soul had been wrecking his body. He may have been hiding it before, but now he had no use for pretenses. The ancient wizard was fully in control and had been for the past few days.

"Well, that was far too easy," muttered Rasmi, pointing his wand at the gruesome image of her husband. "Care to enlighten me how you mean to overcome me and my friends here? Especially in this weak dying body?"

Herpo smiled a horrendous bare teeth smile at them.

"My only goal was bringing you here," he said, barely containing his apparent excitement. "The girl does not matter. Your friends do not matter"

"Right, okay, but what stops us from just bolting out of here and leaving your ancient ass behind?"

After a moment of silence Herpo spoke, in more a hiss than actual human speech he said: "You might want to ask dear Stella here as for the other reason I am so famous nowadays…"

Without another word, the ancient man began to hiss and spit without drawing breath. A sort of throaty inhuman sound came out of him. Stella then felt the ground beneath her feet tremble. She looked around with worry, now hearing loud grinding of gravel coming from all the different passages. She quickly looked at Rasmi to see – for the very first time – actual fear on his young arrogant face. He made a quick motion.

Before she could even react or understand what was happening, Rasmi's spell hit her square in the face. Darkness enveloped her. All she could see was blackness to no end. Rasmi's spell had blinded her completely and, judging by the surprised calls of both Nina and Alex, he'd done the same to them.

Loud, ear-piercing hisses came now from all directions. Stella felt the presence of several massive figures slithering into the chamber.

Herpo laughed again. Stella's stomach churned more and more each time this vile man used her husband's throat to produce this terrible laugh.

"So, you've heard of the Basilisk's deadly stare!" Called Herpo with clear joy in his voice. "Very noble of you to assist your friends. And yet you wouldn't blind yourself to it?"

"Well," replied Rasmi, "my body is no use to you dead, is that correct?"

Herpo sniggered again.

"It's safe to assume, then, that you wouldn't turn your snakes on me for fear of spoiling your big prize."

"Of course, I would never destroy such an amazing body! But my snakes have been dormant for so long. I'm sure your friends would make adequate meals."

"I thought you only had one Basilisk, how come there are ten of them now?" Asked Rasmi, clearly trying to buy himself some time.

"I have been breeding them for centuries. Back when I still had my human form. Even selling them for the right price…"

"Rasmi," whispered Nina, "what is going on? Can you see a way out of this?"

"Not unless we make one…" He whispered back as the ancient sorcerer dragged on. "Stay alert. Be ready to run at a moment's notice." Now addressing Herpo again he continued, "Really? Did you happen to sell a certain Salazar Slytherin a young one as well?"

"Enough talk! It is time to eat…" Said Herpo before speaking in Parseltongue again.

The massive snakes surrounding them shifted. Stella braced herself for what was about to happen –

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

She felt the ground beneath her crumble and cave in. Stella fell hard through rocks and rubble and onto another hard stone floor.

"RUN!" She heard Rasmi's voice shout to her right.

Not waiting for another order, Stella immediately turned and ran as fast as her weak legs would carry her in the direction of Rasmi's voice. She managed to hear Herpo screaming orders in Parseltongue and the Basilisks following them through the massive hole in the ground before turning after Rasmi and running down what seemed to be a long damp tunnel.

Taking a few more twists and turns, barely breathing, Stella rushed through the cave after Rasmi's ever more distant voice. When she felt safe enough, Stella stumbled into a small cavern in a nearby wall.

Leaning against the wet stone and breathing heavily, Stella made sure she couldn't hear any of the Basilisks nearby and aimed her wand at her face. Breaking Rasmi's spell and restoring her sight didn't make the big difference Stella thought it would. Absolute darkness surrounded her.

Taking the risk of lighting her wand would mean she would be more easily discovered by Herpo and his snakes – or whatever else was lurking around this hellish place. Still, she would have better chances of survival if she could see where she was going. Besides, she thought to herself, it doesn't matter if they can see me or not, Basilisks have a great sense of smell anyhow. If they were close enough to see her, they were definitely close enough to smell her.

"Lumos," she whispered, and her wand lit itself. Stella looked around the long tunnel she'd been occupying for the past minute or so. Rasmi, Nina, and Alex were nowhere to be seen. She would have to find them first. Then, find a way to save Omer.

And here's another one for you, this time in a more timely manner :)
I've decided (as I usually do) to split the penultimate chapter into two.
In this next one, we'll see Stella overcoming her fears and truly, finally, becoming the hero of her own story.
As for Rasmi, well here we're seeing a far less refined and more arrogant teenage version of him. Though he is almost just as talented as in my other story, he is not yet a full adult. The events of these coming chapters will play a major role in creating a far more mature and sensible Rasmi.

Until next time.
Hope you all enjoyed this one!
Paul

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