Chapter Four – The Dungeon Wall
Shade lay on her bed in her pyjamas looking up at the folding dark material above her head. Once again there was no one else inside the room and all the lights were off. The white light of the moon shimmered across the lake symbolising the last of the full moon. She had a month left. Only a month and the Second War would begin, the school would close down, she would have Nicholas, her master would set her free.
It was almost too much. Her watch blinked 8:05. She gave a deep yawn and closed her eyes. Pandemonium's stare was still burning in her eyes. She breathed deeply, remembering everything. Had he seen what she had? She pulled her black hair out from under her head and stroked it vaguely. There was a knock on the door.
'Who is it?' Shade asked, slightly irritated.
'It's me' said a familiar voice.
'Come in, then' Shade called. She quickly pulled a bathrobe around herself and went to the door. She unlatched it and sidled the door open.
A young man with floppy brown hair and gorgeous brown eyes stared back at her. His lips played a smile and his toned stature made her weak at the knees. He pressed his lips against hers, his hands reaching for her hips. He pushed his tongue inside her mouth. Shade tensed for a moment, unsure of what was happening before relaxing and melting into the kiss. Her tongue brushed over his bottom lip, sliding inside his mouth. Their teeth clinked together slightly as they kissed feverishly. His hands swiftly pulled off her silky bathrobe and played around by her waist. He stroked her bare arms and pushed her out of the doorway, kicking the door closed behind him.
'Nick' Shade breathed between kisses. Nicholas ran his fingers through her smooth hair, biting on her lips and pushing his tongue in and out of her mouth.
'Don't' Shade whispered. She arched her back into his body as he played with her mouth, taking in all that she had to give. His kisses swiftly moved around her mouth and along her jaw line. He placed his hands on the small of her back, stopping her from falling. Her breasts pushed into his chest as they backed into her bed. Nick pushed her onto the soft mattress.
'Voldemort will kill us' Shade said between soft kisses on her lips. Nick slid the loose straps of her nightdress off her shoulders and lifted her head up to kiss her.
'Don't worry' Nicholas whispered back. He bit tenderly on her skin between kisses and moved slowly down her collarbone.
'He gave me special permission… I said you'd need practice.' He winked at her before pulling down her dress. Shade pulled his white cloth shirt off slowly, revealing his tanned skin. He had a scar on his chest. He sat back on his knees gave her a fascinating smile. Shade propped herself up on her arms, letting her dress slide down to her waist.
'What happened?' she asked, her fingers tracing the scar. Nicholas pulled the bed curtains closed and crawled slowly on top of her.
'I had my heart shared with a Dragon' he said and kissed her. Shade's hand stroked his cheek, pushing her tongue into him.
There was suddenly a loud noise as twenty people entered the common room above.
'Hide!' Shade said, pulling her clothes back on and ushering him off her bed. Giggling could be heard as around six girls went down the staircase. Shade pulled a dark green jumper over her head and pulled her hair out from the collar. Her white night gown flowed around her legs as she quickly pulled open the curtains and rearranged her bedcovers. There was a few seconds of silence before the dormitory door was pushed open.
Three girls came in, talking and laughing.
'Did you see her face?' said one.
'Yes! Oh my God, Angela, it was hilarious!' said another. Shade shifted uncomfortably.
'What happened?' she asked, her hands shaking.
'Oh, nothing that concerns an anorexic freak like you' said the third. Shade scowled.
'Well, I'm just going to the bathroom' Shade said.
'Uh, like we care?' the first one said.
'You're probably going to throw up your meal, anyway' the third one said harshly. Shade went over to her trunk and pulled out two objects, a dark green crystal ball and a pocket-knife. The three didn't see the knife.
'What's that for?' said the second.
'If you touch this, you die' Shade warned them.
'Oh what are you going to do? You can't kill us' the third one said.
'I can't…' Shade said, her mouth twisting into an expression of disgust. 'But my master can. If you even think about touching this, he'll see you and take you away in the middle of the night before slowly torturing you and feeding you to his pet… alive.'
'Oh I'm so scared!' the second one mocked. She reached out to grab the ball but missed.
'It's you're funeral. If they find your body' Shade said. The first grabbed the ball and started laughing. Shade tried to snatch it back but the first quickly passed it to her friend.
'Give it back or die!' Shade shouted. The ball went around from person to person. The last one waved it in her face before dropping it on the floor. The ball rolled slowly across the room.
'Whoops' she said and started laughing cruelly with her friends. Shade quickly picked up the ball and slipped on her black boots before stomping out of the dormitory. She ran up to the common room muttering curses and pretending to cast them with her finger.
'Stupid bitches' she muttered, crossing the crowded common room, giving occasional scowls and glares. She pushed on the portrait, shifting it so it inched forwards slightly and slipped through the gap. She knew about the "student censors" positioned around the portrait holes. If the portrait was opened to a certain angle, a magical censor would be activated and record the student's whereabouts. She slid along the wall of the staircase that led to the main corridor and silently opened the large wooden trap door. She jumped out quickly and eased the heavy door shut underneath her.
The corridor was empty, a soothing green light filling the passageway. She quickly ran down to the darker dungeons. The eerie green light was soon left behind as she entered the foundations of the school. Green moss lined the walls and cracks in the floor. Shade lit up her wand quickly and cautiously edged down the slippery steps. She pulled back her black hair into a tight ponytail and went on. She came to the end of the rapidly descending passageway, stopping at a wall of rock.
'Now for the magic' she whispered. There was a strange insignia on the wall with a small teardrop shaped hole. Shade pulled out the emerald gemstone that hung from a silver chain around her neck. She placed the necklace into the hole and stood back. An emerald green light filled the runways chiselled into the rock like mercury. She waited patiently as the wall suddenly seemed to explode with the bright light. Shade stood still as it died down. A doorway had appeared in front of her. She saw a green ripple across the dark void that lay before her. Above the narrow tunnel was a message scribed into the stone.
'As Proof Of Truth And Not Of Steal, Place Your Blood And Pray It's Real'
Shade pulled out the knife from her sleeve and took the necklace in her hand. Her left wrist, covered in cuts and scars was slowly bared. She clenched her fist tightly and drew the blade across her skin. It instantly cut, making a deep red line in her arm. She watched with relish as blood started to bead at the seam. A large drop slid down her arm. She placed the cut against the barrier and winced as a magical surge drew out her blood. She watched the drops cover the green barrier and a blinding white light burn across her wrist. It healed the cut, leaving a fine silvery line where she'd cut herself. The barrier soon returned to its normal colour and she stepped through.
The tunnel ahead was dark, even with the wand light. She knew what lay ahead; a network of tunnels that led to different parts of the castle, these places often unknown to most of the population. She took a left at the first fork in the labyrinth and kept on going until she came to the dark chute with Astronomy Tower written across the stone door. The stone rolled back and she stepped inside. Shade sat down on the red leather seat and twitched as the chair strapped her in. She hated it when magic things seemed to be alive. Bright lights flickered on in four spaces. The chair tilted backwards and the round tube she was seated in shook. She cracked her knuckles and gave a wide grin before the pod she was in shot up into the black murky abyss.