Authors note 1: Umm... more gore? And yeh... enjoy!
Chapter 29. Sacrifices and a beating heart.
As soon as Jakob had uttered the words, the dead rose up, and they all stared at the seven students for a few seconds, growling. Then like they all were in sync, they rushed towards them, screaming and reaching for them.
Jakob pushed Pansy, who snapped out of her fear paralysis.
"Go!" The group started to run with the dead close behind them.
John looked back and waved his wand shouting an incantation. The gravel and medium rocks rose a meter, hovering for a second. John waved his wand again, not even looking back this time, and the stone shot towards the fifteen-biters. It pierced the running dead, but only one fell as it went right through its skull. The rest continued on like nothing had happened and roared in rage.
The group continued running beside the houses, trying to search for anything strong enough to keep them safe.
Jakob ducked as he heard a window crash from a building above them- They ran passed before the glass touched the ground. When They turned, they saw that a little boy had run right out, landing on the path they had just passed and landed with a sound that sounded like he broke every bone in his body.
The little boy rose up and started his hunt together with the rest of the living dead.
"What should we do?" yelled Carmen as they came closer.
Jakob looked around, and his eyes widened and pointed.
"There! The church!"
"We are not going to make it!" yelled Felix, who had just cast a spell, making the ground turn to quicksand. Two dead runners fell inside, but the others just ran over them, crushing their upper bodies and heads in the process.
Jakob saw that the group began to run slower as they started to feel fatigued.
John suddenly stopped.
"Run. I will meet you there!"
He turned towards the zombies and pointed his wand.
"Fiend Fyre!" He roared, and a large firebird shot out from his wand. It roared as it incinerated everything in its way. Two third of the cluster burned up instantly, and a house became the next victim.
John nodded, satisfied, and turned around to follow his friends. He was about to run when he heard a window crash and a woman jumped out.
She landed on John, head first, who had raised his hands in panic, and Jakob thought he had died by the impact. But then he heard the dying scream of the boy as the dead woman started to feast on his face. The rest of the dead joined the meal, ripping and biting into the muscled boy.
"John!" screamed Carmen as tears began to roll down her face. She was about to wave her wand, but Felix grabbed the crying girl dragging the girl towards the four Slytherins.
"We can't save him. Come on!"
The three Slytherins who had witnessed the scene looked at Jakob with terrified expressions.
Jakob glanced back, seeing the dead feasting on John, who had his arm raised in a last futile attempt to give any resistance. The little boy grabbed it and bit into his hand, tearing away two of his fingers.
Jakob turned away and beaconed his friends to continue.
"We are almost there, hurry!"
They ran, and as they came closer to the building, more of the dead started to chase them.
They ran up to the large white building with a clock in the tower, which showed ten minutes past three. When the group ascended the stairs, they almost slammed into the massive oak doors and tried to open them.
"It's locked!" screamed Draco in frustration.
Jakob rolled his eyes and moved him aside.
"Don't let fear and panic cloud your mind. Alohomora."
There was a click, and he pulled one of the circled handles, opening the door.
Jakob looked around with his wand raised as they all got inside.
"They are coming." said the black-haired boy as he closed the door behind him and turned the big key, locking it again.
The door rattled as the dead stood outside, trying to smash their way in.
"It's going to hold but not for long if more arrives." sighed Jakob leaning on the door and taking a breath.
"Do you know how to ward a door?" he questioned, looking at Felix and Carmen."
Felix glanced at the girl who was now sitting down against the wall with her hands digging into her hair and crying.
"She was the best at warding, but I don't think she will be able to do anything now."
Jakob rolled his eyes.
"Alright. Felix, Draco and Theo search this place for those creatures. Pansy, I need you to protect me when I ward this."
The two Slytherins looked at Felix, who nodded and glanced at Carmen.
"What about her?"
"She is useless right now. She will stay here, and we will deal with her later."
Felix frowned, opened his mouth to say something but closed it again and gestured for the two Slytherin boys to stay behind him as they began their search.
Jakob gave pansy a nod, turned towards the door, and began chanting as his wand started carving the runes into the oak gate.
The black-haired girl stood with her back towards him and her wand ready if something decided to attack them. They heard a yell in another room, followed by the growl, and pansy gripped her wand tighter while Carmen started to swing back and forth, whispering.
"I'm sorry, John, I'm sorry."
A few seconds later, they heard something falling, hitting the stone floor.
"What happened?" called Pansy and waited, almost holding her breath.
"It's alright! Theo found one of them, and Felix killed it!" she heard Draco yell back and sighed in relief.
She then noticed that Jakob had stopped and turned around to see him staring at her.
"Hold out your hand."
A confused Pansy did what she was told, and Jakob quickly put her gold coin in her hand, closing it with his own and saying.
"Hawaii."
There was silence, but nothing happened, and Pansy looked baffled at her roommate. He shrugged at her unanswered question.
It was worth a try." he then turned around.
"Why would you use your own coin on me?"
"I didn't. I took yours that you had in your back pocket." answered the boy and continued with the last runes.
Jakob, who was now done, inspected his work and walked over to the window on the right side beside the oak doors.
The window was so high that he needed to jump up and climb a bit to be able to see anything.
"They are not getting past it. But it won't hold if more of them come." he jumped down, and pansy walked over to him.
"What should we do now?" she asked, looking at Jakob with teary eyes.
Jakob smiled at her.
"We are not going to break down or cry. We are going to think and find a way to get back. We can't do it if we look like her over there." he pointed his thumb over to Carmen, who was still sitting and whispering the same sentence. Not giving any impression that she was listening to what he just had said.
Pansy glanced over to the girl and then frowned at Jakob.
"She just lost her brother. Don't be mean."
Jakob sighed and took her hand.
"Pansy, she horribly lost her brother, I get it, but she won't stand a chance right now. I won't allow that to happen to you, Draco or Theo. You know what I have been through. How many times do you think I wanted to end up like that?" he nodded over to Carmen.
When pansy did not answer, he gave it.
"Zero. If I had stopped thinking, I would have died and lost Amy, and if I do it now, I will lose you two. You can feel later, but put your fear aside in the situation, see the hints, and think."
Jakob walked past the girl who stayed quiet, unwilling to tell him that he was right, and looked around.
There were benches. A lot of them, and further ahead, stood a sort of altar with a golden cross in the middle.
He looked over to his right, where a path led someplace else. He turned his head to the left and saw another identical to the one on the right.
The three boys returned, and Felix updated the three that had been waiting.
"We met one of those creatures, killed it and locked it up just to be safe. There is a door that leads out to the backside over there, I believe. and a kitchen with some food over there." Felix pointed towards the different paths.
Jakob nodded.
"Good, I will ward the other door, and I need someone with me. The rest of you can start cutting up the benches and Bar the windows and door."
The boys and pansy looked around and nodded.
"Felix, that spell you did when you turned the road into quicksand. Can you do it on this floor?"
The older boy looked at the stone floor and then back up at Jakob.
"Yeh, I think so. Why?"
The younger Slytherin pointed towards the benches.
"We must make long stakes and put them into the ground, pointing towards the door. The undead is going to break through sooner or later, and we need a good defence to distract them while we escape."
Felix nodded, and Jakob looked around.
"Who wants to go and keep me company?" none of the two boys looked like they wanted to be the ones protecting, and Jakob rolled his eyes.
"I can go?" asked Pansy, but Jakob shook his head.
"No, You are staying here. I will take Draco with me."
"Why? Pansy just-"
"Because you must stop acting like everyone will save you! You are going to die if you continue like this. Both of you." stated Jakob, glaring at the two boys. Who glanced nervously at Jakob and then towards each other.
"You will follow me and protect my back while I put up the ward, and then you will continue to protect the ones that matter to you."
Jakob walked away, and Draco looked stunned over his best friend's reaction and looked over to his other two friends, who had the same confused expression.
Draco hurried after Jakob, and when he caught up to him, he turned his back and raised his wand.
"Why did you say that?"
Jakob sighed as he stopped chanting.
"Because you are weak, Draco. You have never been in a truly dangerous situation until now, and I can't protect you if none of you is going to help me."
"I'm not weak, and what have you done that makes you so confident?"
Jakob turned and looked at his best friend.
"I have done shit that would make your worst nightmares have nightmares. Why do you think I got accepted into the Slytherin five?" they saw me for what I could do. I see that in you, Draco, but you need to start carrying your own fucking bag and stop believing that people will serve you. You brag about your family name, but one day you won't have your father behind you, wiping your arse all the time."
Draco broke his eye contact.
"You… I try to be better every day because of you, and you repay that by telling me that I'm weak? Fuck you."
Draco was about to turn around when Jakob stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm telling you because I'm afraid I will lose you tonight. I have been there for you every time you get into trouble. How often do you think someone was there for me when I did what needed to be done. Draco, I don't know if I can protect you this time, which worries me. I need to know that you won't hesitate to kill those things or make a difficult decision when the time comes."
Draco met his eyes again, trying to see if he was full of it, but instantly saw that his best friend was showing worry, which terrified him more than the creatures did.
"I won't. I know fire spells, and my father taught me a spell that I think will work on them. But that is the last resort. I won't die here, I promise."
Jakob patted his shoulder and gave him a smile.
"Good. It would be awkward to spend the rest of this summer with your parents after I carried your corpse back to them."
Draco chuckled as Jakob turned around to continue- The blonde boy held his wand raised as if something decided to creep up on them. The Malfoy heir gained something new in his eyes. The scared boy seemed to have vanished, and someone else had replaced him.
When Jakob was done, they walked back to see that the other three had blocked the windows and gate with the benches. Felix was just finishing up transfigurating a new spear with a metal head and pressing it down into the melted rock that then solidified.
About nine spears pointed towards the entrance, and Jakob nodded, satisfied with the result.
"What do we do now? Asked Pansy, who had found a wool blanket that she put over Carmen's shoulders. The older girl had passed out. Probably because of the shock, thought Jakob, and he looked over to the group.
"Now, we take a moment to think. We need one that stands guard while the others rest. I will take first watch, and if you hear banging, you get ready to fight."
"What about the door in the back?" Asked Felix.
"We don't need to guard it. There are no windows, and if they break through, we will hear it from here." answered the black-haired boy.
The group moved to the middle of the room and lay down. Felix had levitated the sleeping Carmen and sat beside her.
Jakob had taken one of the broken benches and climbed up on it. He watched out and saw that the situation was getting worse.
Around 30 of the undead stood a few meters outside the door and walked towards it. Something invisible pushed them back, and they stood still for a moment and then tried again.
"They seem docile, almost like they only try to walk over here because of the magic," he whispered to himself.
He looked back at the group, who had made a tiny ball of fire hovering around, giving them a small light to look at while they sat and whispered to each other, and Jakob smiled.
This could have been rather cosy if it weren't for the imminent death waiting outside.
He tried to lay the puzzle in his mind as he looked out again.
Alright, what do I have? I know that they made a sacrifice. They let something loose that affects only muggles, and they turn and start eating everything. They are not like the Inferi. They are more like the Draugr but much stronger and faster. They die if we get to their brain, but why are we here? How do we get back?
Pansy, who had been listening to the others whispering encouraging words to each other, looked over to Jakob, who was silently looking out through the almost barred window.
"How much food was left?" she asked and looked over to Draco, who thought for a moment.
"I don't know, but it might be enough for one meal each if we don't eat like Crabbe and Goyle."
Pansy nodded and laid her head down. She tried to get some rest, but she could almost feel the dead muggles move around out there. She glanced over to Jakob again.
"Maybe we could touch the book and get back?" suggested Theo, but Draco shook his head.
"I didn't see any book when we were there, and I looked."
"It might be hidden in another house," offered Felix and frowned as Theo snorted.
"Yeh, good luck searching for it then."
"Yeh, well, you find a better way then," stated Felix, crossing his arms.
Theo thought for a moment before his eyes widened.
"The gold coins!" he took up one of his own and looked over at Draco, who looked surprised but then a grin spread.
"They won't work, and they would mean that we felt Felix and Carmen behind." they heard Jakob say with a bored sigh, sitting by the window.
"You tried yours? Were you just going to leave us?" asked Felix, glaring at the younger boy.
"I have not tried mine, but I know."
"Then how do you know?" questioned Felix, the light framing half his face.
"Because he tricked me into using mine," answered Pansy, rolling her eyes.
"Can we go back to think of a way now? They are gathering out there." continued the girl. The Slytherin girl did not notice Jakob's frown.
Soon the boys and pansy nodded off, and Jakob continued to sit and watch as more of them slowly joined the rest standing outside.
The sun began to rise, and Jakob stretched his back and got up.
He walked over to Theo and gently shook him awake.
"Take over for me. I need to take some rest. When the clock turns 8 o'clock, wake us all alright. And if you can count more than 70 of them, you wake me straight away."
Theo Rubbed his eye and stood up, yawning.
"Yeh, alright, 70 of them wake you up or eight o'clock."
Jakob patted the boy's shoulder and watched Theo take his place, looking outside. Jakob chuckled as he saw the boy losing that sleepy face instantly after seeing what was waiting for them.
Jakob lay down with his head on Pansy's legs, using her as a pillow.
This makes no sense, he thought as his eyes turned heavier. To go back in time, you usually need a time traveller. No one has ever been able to go back more than five hours without serious harm.
Jakob closed his eyes for a moment. Something does not add up here.
He opened his eyes when he felt someone shaking him.
"Jakob, wake up. It's eight o'clock."
Jakob sat straight up, now seeing the light shining through the windows.
"how many of them are there outside?" he asked as he dragged his hand across his face, taking a deep breath.
"about 60 of them," answered Theo and started to wake the others.
Jakob stood and woke Pansy.
"Hey, it's time to wake up now."
The girl woke up and gave him a smile.
"Good morning, I had this…" she stopped as she looked around and understood that it had not been a dream.
"nevermind."
Jakob gave her an apologetic smile.
"We will find a way. But now we need something to eat, come."
He stood again and helped the girl up.
Draco and Theo stood up and watched while Felix gently woke Carmen.
"Hey, Carmen, we need to eat something before we continue."
The girl opened her eyes and looked at her friend.
"I'm not hungry." she then turned her back to him and the rest.
Felix raised his hand but halted, looking at the others.
"Go ahead and get some food. I will stay with her. Bring back something." said Jakob seeing that Felix was about to lose it. The three Slytherins started to walk, and Felix gave him an appreciative smile.
Jakob slowly walked over to the traumatised girl and sat beside her.
"I can't say I can relate to what you are going through, but I know that John would not have wanted to see you like this."
The girl gave no signal that she was listening, and Jakob continued.
"You are putting others at risk with your behaviour right now. If you continue like this, you won't survive."
Carmen turned around with tears running down her eyes.
"I have nothing to live for. He was everything to me. And now his dead. I just want to have him back."
"Then I suggest that you make your sacrifice worthwhile. Because the only thing that will get him back is if you join him."
Carmen thought for a second and turned her back towards him again.
Jakob sighed and stood up. She was going to be deadweight, and he knew something had to happen to her if the rest were going to survive.
The others walked back out, carrying bread, meat and a jug of water.
They sat down in the same circle and started devouring the food they had found.
"I wish there was more," said Draco, disappointed that he had already eaten his share of the food.
"Yeh, that usually happens when you vomit," answered Jakob and stood up.
"Hey, I wasn't the only one. On paper, you are the weird one, being the only one not to vomit."
Jakob rolled his eyes and was about to give a retort to Draco when he heard that the banging on the door had started again. He flicked out his wand with lightning speed and turned around towards the door.
They all turned around, staring at the door except Carmen, who still lay on the floor. Flinching as the bang got louder and heavier.
"Quick Felix, come!. Jakob ran over to the window and pointed his wand outside, where he saw that the undead had broken through his ward. They had started to line up, pressing forward on those in Infront who tried to break down the wooden gate.
The older boy nodded, and they started shooting spells. They could not reach the ones closest to the gate, but those in the middle and back got their heads and upper torsors blown off by the different spells.
"This is a bad idea, Jake. They are attracted to the sounds. Yelled Pansy, and Jakob stopped and gave her a nod.
"Exactly." How the hell does she know about this? Wondered Jakob as he turned back, seeing that more of the undead burst through some of the houses and ran towards the sounds of spellfire.
"The door is about to give. Get to the back door, and don't look back!"
Yelled Jakob as he and Felix ran back, following the three Slytherins who were already on their way.
"Carmen come on!" yelled Felix as he lifted the girl, so she stood up. Jakob, who had almost reached the door, looked back towards Felix.
"Dude, come on! She will get you killed!" Felix switched from looking at his childhood friend, who looked monotone, to the gate, which had begun cracking more and more with every new bang.
"I'm not leaving her!" he yelled and looked back at Jakob with a pained expression.
Why is this stupid idiot playing the hero? We need the extra firepower.
"Felix, you still have a responsibility to help us. We need you." Tried Jakob one last time and turned and ran towards the door.
Felix looked back at one of his two best friends and gave her one last hug that she did not respond to, and with tears in his eyes, he whispered.
"I'm sorry, Carmen. I never meant for this to happen."
He then let go of her and ran, following Jakob.
The girl looked to the door waiting for her ticket to see her brother again.
When the undead burst the door, she seemed to wake up, seeing the destroyed faces and hearing the screams and growls. Carmen grabbed her wand in panic and took a step back.
The first row of runners got pierced by the spears. The second row followed, but when the third row pushed, the spears broke by the pressure.
"Stay away!" she screamed and swung her wand."
"Bombarda maxima!" the explosion made the first row of dead villagers fly back, but they had been too close.
Carmen was caught by the explosion and lost her footing, falling down on her back. The last thing she saw before she died was countless mouths that fed upon her body.
When Felix closed the door, he saw that the group had been cleaning up the few dead villagers that had been waiting for them, and Jakob nodded towards a road that led out from the village.
They all started to run, and They did not turn back when they heard Carmen scream or the explosion that followed.
They were not met by anything while on their way, seeing that most of them were in the church.
"Over there," Draco pointed towards a lonely house after five minutes.
They slowed down to catch their breath.
"We need to prepare for the undead inside," said Jakob controlling his breath.
"Do you think there will be anyone inside?" asked Felix, hands on his waist and looking like he was in pain after the run.
"Yes, and we have already lost two people. Were are thinning out and are getting weaker," answered Jakob raising his wand towards the door of the wooden house.
The group closed in, and Theo walked in front of the door turning back, nodded towards them, kicked open the door, and moved to the side, letting the rest get a clear shot if something was running at them.
But nothing came. They carefully walked inside, and Pansy, who was last in, closed the door.
The kitchen looked raided, and two farmers lay dead on the floor with no sign of ever-changing.
Jakob frowned, and they continued forward. While Draco and Theo started looking for anything left to eat, Pansy stood by the window to watch.
Felix and Jakob walked towards the other room with a big bed and a wardrobe.
"Do you think someone else survived?"
Jakob nodded, lowering his wand.
"Looks like it, but they can't be muggles. They might be magical from this time. "
Felix opened his mouth to speak when they heard something coming from inside the closed.
They both raised their wands and gave each other a glance.
Felix walked over while Jakob took a step back.
The older boy turned towards the other boy having his hand on the door handle, and mouthed.
"1.2.3" he opened the door, and Jakob was about to decapitate whatever was inside, but he stopped.
Felix frowned at the hesitation and looked over to see a girl.
She was squatting, embracing her legs with a wand tightly gripped. And looked up towards the boy. She did not wear the old-looking clothes that the villagers wore and looked like she had the same fashion as Felix.
The older boy's eyes widened, and he got down on one knee.
"Jess?"
Theo and Draco had heard the commotion and walked over. Pansy was about to follow but stopped as Jakob gestured for her to keep watch.
"Felix? Is... is that you?" The girl looked up at the older boy. And her eyes looked surprised.
"You know her?" asked Jakob glancing at the older boy.
"It's my sister," said Felix caressing the younger girl's cheek.
Draco and Theo looked shocked at each other, but Jakob crossed his arms.
"So you came here to rescue her? You knew about everything and did nothing to warn the rest of us when we went inside the house."
The older boy turned to Jakob shaking his head.
"No. Last year My parents and sister went here during the summer break. They never returned, and no one lifted a finger to help them. I decided to look into it and saw that the last known location was Salem, and when I did some research, I heard that they had ordered this tour."
He turned back to his little sister, who was dirty and helped her out.
"Do you know where mom and dad are?" he asked the girl, who looked like she could be around 11 years old.
"they died. Three loops ago."
Jakob frowned.
"What do you mean by loops? Is this happening all over again?"
The girl nodded, and Felix looked gravely at Jakob, who was now smiling like he had solved a particularly hard puzzle.
"Why the hell are you smiling right now?" asked a confused Draco.
"Because I know what this is now. I was worried that there was no way back if we had travelled back in time, but this changed everything.
"What do you mean?" asked Felix, but Jakob ignored him and hunched down to the girl.
"Have you noticed something different while you have been trapped here? Maybe It was a sound or maybe something you saw? It would happen at the end of the loop usually."
The girl thought for a few seconds.
Pansy, who had been standing in front of the window, looked over to the group talking with the small girl. She moved to another window, trying to hear better what they talked about.
When she looked out the new window, she frowned at first and then her eyes widened.
"Um... Guys?" Jakob, who heard Pansy ignored her and looked at the girl hoping she would know something.
"There... there is one thing I heard. When I was running from some of the undead, I ran past the judge's house and heard something. It sounded like a beating heart, and then everything was reset."
Jakob smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I think I know how to get us out of here." He told the girl, who did not seem so happy about it.
Felix and Theo looked like they wanted to cheer and jump in joy, but Draco, who had been the only one listening to Pansy's call, had returned with a disgusted face. And said something that killed the mood instantly.
"Jake, there are half-eaten bodies outside like a lot of them. They are naked."
Jakob glanced back at the girl who had turned to her older brother, trying to convince him to stay.
"Jess, how long have you been in this house." Jakob interrupted, and the annoyed girl answered him while holding tightly on Felix's clothes.
"The undead does not come here, so I've been hiding here for a long time."
"Must have been hard. Living here a whole year," asked Jakob trying to hide the suspicion in his voice.
The older boy looked confused at Jakob.
"of course it has. I would have gone crazy." Said Felix, baffled by Jakob, who still stared at the smaller girl.
"I'm sure she has," answered Jakob, subtly pushing Draco and Theo, who was behind him, to step back.
"What are you talk..."
Jess, who had understood that Jakob had found out, grinned, showing her rotting teeth and stabbing her brother's back with her wand. It pierced his heart. The small girl jumped up on her brother, taking a big bite from his neck, tearing his muscles and skin apart while she laughed, showing the meat inside her mouth.
"Jakob pointed his wand towards her fast and with no emotions.
"Avada Kedavra." the green jet of light hit the girl in the chest, and she fell to the ground, showing the group her dead eyes.
"The four Slytherins stared at the two dead bodies in front of them, and Theo broke down. And sat down, leaning towards the wall.
"I can't fucking take this anymore," he said while he began to cry.
Pansy and Draco looked at the boy, that had now raised his hand to cover his eyes.
Jakob turned and hunched down at his friend.
"When we get out of here, I will obliviate this hell from your mind, alright? Keep it together now, and I promise that you won't have any memory of it. We know where we are going now and how to end this."
Theo nodded and took deep breaths, trying to stop the sobbing.
"That's good. You going to be just fine. Deep breaths. Good," comforted Jakob and stroked his back. When Theo had reclaimed control, Jakob stood up and tuned towards Pansy and Draco.
"It's a blood curse. I've read about this specific one. It's called the insanity ring and will continue until we destroy what was sacrificed to power the cursed object."
Pansy looked over to Jakob.
"So it would not matter if we found the book?"
Jakob shook his head.
"The book would be recreated next loop. The girl talked about a beating heart. And it came from the judge's house. So we know we're to go."
The group nodded, and Jakob walked towards the door when Draco spoke.
"Why don't we wait here until the next loop? Won't it be easier to sneak past the villagers when they are more like... not undead?"
Jakob closed his eyes. Damned, why did you have to ask that? Thought the black-haired boy while grabbing the door handle.
"Because if we don't reach the heart before the next reset. We will never be able to escape. That's what makes this little thing so enjoyable and fun." He said sarcastically and opened the door.
"When does the loop reset, then?" Asked pansy following him out.
"I don't know, but Jess said that she started to hear the heartbeat before it happened, so I guess that will be our warning."
None of the four Slytherins looked particularly happy now when they fully understood the situation.
"I think I preferred the going back in time theory," said Draco. Sneering towards the village. as they all had gotten out.
"Yeh, me two. Let's go."
They all jogged back towards the village, and Jakob directed them around, trying to avoid as many of the undead as possible. When the group saw that they were as close as they could possibly get to the judge's house without entering the village, Jakob turned to the group.
"If there is one of them, I will take care of it. If there are two, Pansy will take the one to the left."
The girl nodded, and Jakob continued.
"If it's more than that, they will be able to call reinforcement before we can take them down, so if that happens, we run. If someone falls or gets attacked, you keep running. I will take care of that, alright. Don't do anything rash, and don't panic."
The three students nodded and gripped their wands tighter.
"There are three houses in front of the judges, and I think we can sneak past them without getting notices, so watch your step and be quiet."
Jakob turned, and they slowly started to make their way towards the first house that was closest to them in the big cluster of homes.
Jakob glanced back at Draco and gestured for him to keep an eye on the windows. The blonde nodded and raised his wand a little higher as he glanced over the different houses and their windows.
They passed the first house without any trouble, but as they got out from the shelter the wall had given them, Jakob gestured for them to halt.
A woman was slowly walking back and forth, making a disturbing low sound and twitching her head. She had blood all over herself and was missing the skin and muscles on the right side of her face.
Jakob quickly pointed his wand and whispered.
"Diffindo." the magic sliced half her head off, and she fell. They all looked around and seemed to be in the clear and continued over to the next house and took cover.
The four Slytherins who leaned on the short wall of the house waited while Jakob took a quick step and peaked behind the edge. He saw John or what remained of the poor sod, at least. They had not even finished eating, almost like they had lost interest in the corpse. Five walking dead villagers roamed around him, and Jakob turned back to the group shaking his head.
Draco pointed up at the roof of the house, showed a sign with his hands where he walked, and then looked questioning at Jake with Pansy and Theo. The Quade heir thought for a moment but then shook his head. He knew that they would make some noise if they tried climbing, and even if they got up, the undead in the houses would notice if four teenagers walked on their roofs.
The three boys stood there, thinking of what their next move should be, when Pansy, who looked like she had been someplace else, walked past Jakob and peeked over at the group of biters. Jakob frowned and was about to drag her back, but then she raised her hand with her palm facing the group of undead and closed her eyes.
Jakob watched in amazement at how her tattoo appeared. When he glimpsed behind the edge of the house wall, he saw the group of undead stop for a second before they slowly strolled away from view.
She opened her eyes, breathing heavily, but smiled at the gaping Jakob, who felt like he wanted to kiss the girl. He would also have so many questions when they got back.
He gestured for Pansy to take the lead, and she gave him a nod and carefully walked forward.
When he glanced back to the two boys behind him, they had a questioning look on their faces wondering why Pansy had taken the lead.
Jakob shrugged with a smile on his face. They might actually survive this.
When they passed Jhon's remains, no one looked, knowing they needed to stay focused on their goal. Soon they came to the last house. Draco grabbed Jakob's tank top and nodded over to a building where a village man stood looking out with a hunched back swaying from side to side.
Jakob nudged pansy and did the same as Draco, and she raised her hand, making the man turn around and walk away from the window.
They continued to the judge's house and walked inside the already-opened door.
When they were inside, Theo slowly closed the door while the others searched around for clues.
"Modesty told us that there were four witches, but we only saw three. The last one must have sacrificed herself somewhere in this building."
Said Jakob in a low voice as they quickly grouped up. They looked briefly at each other and started their search.
"Maybe we should split up to cover more ground? We don't know how long we have to look around," said Pansy, looking over at the three boys. When they had searched for five minutes.
"Pansy, that is the recipe to get ourselves killed. Have you read any books when that was a good idea?" answered Draco, and the girl rolled her eyes.
"I don't want to agree with her right now, but she had a point," said Theo, which made everyone in the room stare at him in surprise.
"So… who goes up there?" asked Draco looking towards the stairs.
"I will take Pansy answered Jakob and ascended the stairs, hearing the girl's footsteps close behind him. They walked into the room they had arrived in, seeing the dead witches and baby on the floor.
"Can you feel anything?" he asked the girl, who looked around the room. She shook her head, and Jakob continued his search.
"Jake, why can I sense the dead and even take control over them?"
Jakob turned and gave her a slight smile.
"You have been touched by the god of water and death. I think you have the affinity to control them because of that."
The Slytherin girl frowned in confusion.
"How can you be so sure of that?"
Jakob was lifting an old book from a wooden box, studying it while he answered.
"Because your tattoo began to appear when you took control over the dead villagers."
Her eyebrows rose.
"So you mean that…" they heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and Theo hurried inside, panting.
"Draco found it…" he took a breath and continued.
"It's a trap door. Hurry."
They all hurried down the stairs trying to avoid making too much noise, and met up with Draco, standing in the kitchen looking down the black hole. Jakob followed his gaze and saw that a rug had been moved. A trap door similar to the one over the three-headed dog was opened, and none of the others looked like they wanted to take the first jump.
"Alright, let's go," said Jakob with a smile, and jumped down.
"Lumos." He stood inside a tunnel. Roots were hanging down from the top, and a smell of earth and something else filled the air. Something Jakob could not put his finger on.
He moved aside, letting the other jump down. They looked at each other before Jakob led the way deeper into the dark.
He suddenly felt like he had passed through something. Like the ward he had put up outside the corridor in Hawaii. He looked back at his friends, and his eyes went over to Pansy, who locked, shocked and afraid.
"They know we are here. They are all coming," she whispered.
Jakob turned and ran with the three Slytherins behind him.
They could feel almost like an earthquake above them and soon heard the growling and screaming above.
They exited out to a circular room that looked like it had been dug out just for this purpose, and Jakob turned to his friends.
"Hold them off. Throw everything you have on them."
He then took out his knife from inside his Pocket and held in his right hand and held it in his left hand while holding his knife in his right while chanting in an old language.
The three others looked over to the round tunnel as they started to hear the growling closing in. When Pansy saw the first eyes of the dead, she raised her hand. Some of them stopped in their track, but it did little to the rest, who just pushed through them, crushing their bodies in the process.
Draco held his wand with both hands pointing towards the hole.
"Let's see if father was right," he whispered and took a breath.
"Calidum Trabem," he roared, and a beam of white light burst through his wand, burning through the dead runners like butter and pushing the hoard back.
Theo yelled in victory, but the beam started to fade and flicker. After a few seconds, the beam disappeared, and Draco fell to the ground unconscious.
" Jakob, hurry, Draco is down!" Yelled pansy and raised both her hands. She pushed everything she had, trying to stop the new wave of dead biters that had now taken the place of the ones Draco had moments ago wiped out.
The first line of dead villagers turned and raised their arms, trying to hold their brethren at bay, biting and screaming in sync with Pansy. When the line of defenders crumbled through the pressure, the ones behind them turned, and so it continued.
Jakob stopped chanting, looked back, seeing that he would not have the time and then glanced down at his knife for a second before turning it around in his hand. He plunged it into the visible red barrier, shielding the beating hearth.
Jakob dropped his wand, raised his other hand, and pushed it on the end of the pummel on the hilt, seeing that the knife slowly pierced the barrier.
Pansy started to bleed from her nose, and Theo watched as her scream became more tiresome, her eyes heavier, and her arms began to shake. After a few seconds, her arms dropped, and her eyes rolled back as she fell to the ground.
"Jakob pansy is down! Hurry, they are almost here!" Yelled Theo in panic as he saw the new wave of the dead running forwards in an unending line.
"Need… just… More… time!" gritted Jakob threw his teeth, and the dagger was now only a centimetre from touching the heart that now was beating faster and faster.
Theo looked around, trying to think as his panic gripped his own heart and mind.
Thump thump. Thump thump!
Jakob roared as he pushed with all his strength, and panic took over hearing the hearth beat.
Theo saw that the dead was almost exiting the cave, and he pointed his wand with a shaky hand at the tunnel's roof.
"Bombarda, Maxima!" the explosion made the tunnel instantly collapse, and the undead villagers reaching for them got knocked down. Caught by the explosion, Theo was blasted back, hitting Jakob's hand, pressing against the pummel, and the dagger pierced the beating heart. Jakob, who still held the knife with both hands, looked up as he saw the roof caving in, and in his last moment there, he closed his eyes with a smile, feeling the earth hitting his face.
He then felt nothing and, confused, opened his eyes, seeing that he stood in the attic again with pansy, Theo and Draco. They all were fine and looked at each other in shock.
Are we back? Whispered Pansy, and Jakob looked around and sighed in relief.
"Yeh, we made it."
"but why are you two standing? You both fell." Asked Theo, pointing at Draco and Pansy.
Jakob walked over to the book he had looked at before they had been transported. He picked it up and tapped his wand at it, Shrinking it and pocketing it inside his shorts.
"We arrived as we left," replied Jakob, looking over at the closed door.
"So Felix, Carmen and John are going to be fine?" asked Pansy feeling hope rise.
"If you die, there is nothing to restore," said Jakob, taking out his wand and gesturing for his three friends to be silent.
Slow footsteps could be heard walking up the stairs again.
"Hide," whispered Jakob, and they all found someplace out of sight.
The old woman walked inside, glanced at what she thought was the empty room, and sighed happily.
"All in a day's work." She said, strolling forward and putting on some gloves before picking up the book that was opened on the podium.
She frowned as she closed it, observing it like something was wrong.
"Not the paradise I hoped for, but we at least received a warm welcome," said Jakob as he appeared behind a wall of wooden boxes with his wand raised at her.
"How… how can you.." the other three slowly walked out of their hiding and encircled the old lady.
She glanced around with fear and panic showing in her eyes.
"So you lure innocent witches and wizards to your little tour and send them away to that place? You aren't a witch, are you?"
The woman laughed warmly, and the four Slytherin frowned at her.
"Heavens no. I would kill myself if I was. And you call yourself innocent? You magical, you abomination, are everything except innocent." Her voice, which had been warm, switched to anger
"My adoptive brother… Credence killed my mother. They left me to die. I was only 8 years when those magical destroyed everything and left me to die."
"Ah. You had a shitty childhood, and now you want to take it out on everyone else, I see," said Jakob taking a step forward.
"I only continued where my mother left off. She did the lord's work. She was the leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society. When I see her again, she will smile at what I, Modesty Barebone, have accomplished."
"You think you are going to get an afterlife, Modesty?" Asked Jakob giving her a confused smile. The old lady now looked a bit afraid at the statement and took a step back, bumping into Draco. The blonde raised his arm, grabbed her shoulder and pushed her down to her knees.
"You can leave. This won't be pretty to watch," said Jakob grinning that inhuman smile at the older woman who had turned her glance down towards the floor, starting to pray.
Draco and Theo gave each other a look, nodded, and left the room. Before Draco closed the door, he gave the old lady one last hateful look and closed the door.
Pansy lowered her wand and stood beside Jakob.
"I want to see it," she whispered into his ear and smirked towards Modesty.
Jakob kneeled Infront of the praying woman and pocketed his wand.
He gently put his hands on her cheek and lifted her head up, forcing her to look him in the eyes.
She stopped praying and tried to control her shaking hands.
"I don't regret anything. I have a list of everyone I killed, and I will write your name in there one day." Modesty said, giving him an innocent smile.
"I'm not like everyone else. I'm special," whispered Jakob, putting his hands on either side of her temple.
His dark mist slowly formed around her head, and Jakob closed his eyes, still smiling.
The calm mist suddenly entered through Modesty's eyes, ears, nose and mouth, and she started to shake violently.
As Jakob closed his eyes, another pair opened. He stood in a white room.
He looked around and saw a small yellow light hovering a few meters to his left.' He walked forward and observed it.
"It looks so much weaker than a magical soul," he said while he studied it. The small yellow ball of light tried to fly up and away from the danger it sensed, but Jakob instinctively raised his hand and stopped it mid-flight with the dark mist surrounding it like a prison.
"Where do you think you are going?" he smirked and slowly pulled his arm back. The soul that tried to break free was dragged back to him. Jakob held it above his hand and took a second to ride on the wave of terror the soul was feeling.
"Goodbye, Modesty. Or should I say, welcome to the family." he slowly closed his fist, and the mist started to close around it, absorbing the energy.
While observing the scene, Pansy saw the old woman shaking as Jakob closed his eyes. The Slytherin leaned in and saw tears rolling down from her opened eyes down her cheek before her frozen face let out an earsplitting scream, and Pansy jumped back. Modesty looked like she was paralysed, and the cry did not come from her mouth. It originated someplace else inside her. Suddenly it stopped, and her terrified eyes lost something, and Modesty took her final breath.
The darkness slowly exited from Modesty, having a more yellow glow to it as it went inside Jakob's hands again.
The Slytherin boy opened his eyes again and let go of the old woman, who dropped to the floor, not moving.
"Is it done? Did she suffer?" asked Pansy, glaring at the still form of Modesty.
Jakob got up and nodded.
"Her soul is gone, and she…." they both stared in surprise as the old woman blinked. She slowly got up and stood there with that empty look in her eyes that Jakob had seen before.
"You didn't kill her?" asked pansy looking at Jakob, who stared at Modesty in shock.
The Slytherin boy leaned in and inspected the empty shell.
"I took her soul. Modesty is dead, but the human body can survive without a soul." Jakob gave the explanation more to himself than to Pansy.
"You gave her a dementor's kiss?" asked Pansy, now staring at Jakob in a mixture of shock and awe.
He nodded.
"Modesty Barebone do you hear me?" he asked, poking a finger on her forehead with a fascinated expression.
The woman's eyes turned to him, and he flinched back, seeing those dead eyes looking at him.
"Yes. I hear you." said the old woman in a monotone voice.
"It's almost like she is looking inside my soul." joked Jakob turning to Pansy, trying to keep his chuckle in.
The girl beside him rolled her eyes, and Jakob cleared his throat.
"You are only going to listen to my words. You will only do what I say, okay?"
"Yes." answered the lady, and pansy looked questioning at Jakob, who ignored her.
"You will never tell anyone in speech or writing that you have seen me, pansy, Draco or Theo. Do you understand?"
"yes."
"Jakob, what are you?" asked Pansy, but Jakob held up s finger and continued to give orders to Modesty.
"You will take contact with MACUSA and turn yourself in. Tell them about the crimes you have committed against the magical world and then show them that list and book and describe how you did it."
"yes."
"When you are done, you will proceed to kill yourself in whatever way possible, and if you fail, you will never speak again.
"yes."
"THE MACUSA building is Woolworth Building in New York. Do you have the means to get there?"
"I do."
Jakob nodded and leaned back. Then I wish you a happy journey and hope you have a good time there. Now get going."
The empty shell turned and slowly walked towards the door.
"Why are you letting her go? And what makes you think she will do what you say."
Jakob looked back at Pansy.
"I've read about this in one of the books about dementors. Those empty shells have no reason to lie or do anything. When they are let go from the ministry, someone gives them the information on what to do the rest of their lives, and they just do it."
Modesty opened the door and stopped before Theo and Draco, who looked confused at the old lady.
"Excuse me, can you let me through? I have a thing I must do," said Modesty in her monotone voice, and the boys looked to Jakob for an answer. Jake gestured to let her through, and the boys stepped aside, letting the old woman pass. Draco frowned as he threw up his hands in a questioning gesture.
"I let her go because Felix and his friends were only the beginning of the people looking into this. She will confess, give everyone no reason to look into this more, and we will be able to go home in peace. After she has confessed, she will kill herself and won't mention us." Theo looked impressed, and Pansy shrugged like she was fine with it.
Draco, who had recognised the empty eyes, walked over to Jakob and Pansy.
"Her eyes... Did you just?" he asked, looking at Jakob, who gave him a nod.
"Where is she going?" asked Theo, watching her go down the steps.
"She is going to MACUSA in New York". Sighed Jakob, tired of the explaining, and the two boys nodded.
"Theo." Jakob gestured for the boy to come over, and he walked inside, looking curiously at Jakob.
"I promised you that I would obliviate you when we came back. I want you to know that you did well and should be proud of yourself. But I understand if you wish to forget about it."
Theo glanced over to Pansy and Draco, thinking.
"I need to remember this." He said, raising his head a little higher.
"I will have nightmares for weeks, and I will probably need to have the lights on when I go to bed, but when we were in the I... I learned that family can betray you, that having control over your emotions can mean life or death and that the hero dies in the beginning. That's something Hogwarts will never teach.
Draco and Pansy looked shocked at Theo.
" Bloody hell, mate, that was..." started Draco but quieted down, beginning to think of the words that the boy had just spoken.
Jakob smiled and gave him a nod.
Wait a second. Why have you not offered me that? I want to forget." Said Draco when he seemed to have snapped back.
The Quade heir rolled his eyes towards his blonde friend.
"This is exactly why you need to remember," said Jakob as he passed the blonde boy exiting the room.
Draco looked towards Pansy, who smirked and followed her roommate out. Draco looked to the last boy beside him. Theo shrugged and laid his arm around his shoulders.
"You really want to forget how you heroically cast that spell your father taught you and burned down that horde of zombies?"
Draco smirked and started to tell His friend about the situation like Theo hadn't even been there, and his friend smiled while waving his wand, closing the door behind them.
They would never visit that room again, but it would always be in their minds.
Authors note 2: And there! I tried my best to look at some pictures showing the city, but I could only find one good painting of the church (Town hall), so I had to improvise the placement of the buildings. In the next Chapter, we will see the aftermath of what the four Slytherins started by escaping and killing Modesty. And then, Hogwarts Year three will begin, and here is where my take on the au really starts. The groundwork and backstory are done and now begins the story for real. Cheers!