Theo POV

We stood in our room, standing over the map of Hogwarts that showed our location. I'd heard rumors that there was a map that would show anyone in Hogwarts, but we only had one that showed us since we were casting the spell. That map would be excellent for finding out what people were doing though. I was kind of jealous of whoever had it, if it was in fact real. The string was taut and the scrying stone clung to a spot on the map that made my eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"How can the mirror be in the black lake?" Draco asked. He tried to swing the scrying stone again and repeated the spell. It clung again to the middle of the black lake.

The Slytherin common room was located beneath the lake of course, but the scrying stone showed smack dab in the middle of the water, well away from the common room.

"Could it be in the Chamber of Secrets?" I asked. Draco just shrugged in response.

I wasn't sure if the chamber went that far under the lake either. The only way we could be sure would be to investigate it ourselves and the best place to start would be the lake since we didn't exactly know where the entrance was to the chamber anyway. We found our way to the boathouse and unhitched a boat from the dock. In silence, we used the scrying stone with map and wind produced from our wands to push the boat in order to get us to the location of the mirror. When we were directly over it, we looked instinctively over the sides of the boat and were met only by our reflections on the dark water instead of the sight of the creatures below. We both knew that the lake was home to many creatures beneath that glossy surface- the giant squid, grindylows, and of course the merpeople who were extremely protective of their territory. There was always the worry of the unknown creatures as well. Students had swam in the black lake, on the very edges were it was safe during the shoulder seasons of summer. The only time any of them had ever encountered it's inhabitants however were the champions during the Triwizard Tournament and that almost resulted in death.

"I guess there's no sense in delaying the inevitable," I said, trying to talk myself out of the worry in my gut. I doubted I could convince Draco to head back to the castle anyway, even if I wanted to myself, which I didn't. A swim in questionable waters wasn't going to stop me.

Draco cast a charm to hold the boat in place followed by a warming spell on us both that would hopefully last until we found the mirror.

Careful to not overturn the boat, we stripped off our robes, shirts, and pants. We sat in our swim shorts and thanks to the warming spell it was as comfortable as it would be if it was the middle of summer and not in the 40's. Draco jumped into the water first with his wand. When he surfaced, I joined him, overjoyed to find the water comfortable instead of freezing.

With the bubble head charm and diving spell in place we both dipped below the surface. The water was only slightly murky and our lumos spells lit up the space as we dove down into the abyss. The lake was 20 meters deep, a depth that most humans couldn't swim without special gear, but the diving spell would ensure that our bodies would hold up under the pressure and not be susceptible to the bends on the way up. I don't know what we expected to see at the bottom of the lake. Maybe thick patches of wispy algae. There was some of that, but there was also a large stone platform beside what looked like the entrance to some sort of underwater cave.

My heart pounded in my chest as we entered into the cavern. I refused to look at Draco, to acknowledge my own fear as we swam through the space that seemed to get tighter with every meter forward. After what felt like forever, the chasm opened into a chamber of stone and air. Releasing our bubble head charms, we stepped out of the water and into the cavern, breathing in the air that smelled like damp rocks. Our attention wasn't captured by the cavern itself, but to a large, golden column that sat in the middle of old ruins. It seemed lit from within like a large lamp. I couldn't stop my feet from walking towards the strange column anymore than I could stop myself from reaching mindlessly for Draco's hand. I heard his steps beside mine as I walked until he pulled me abruptly to a halt. We were so close to the column that all I would have to do is take one more step and I could reach out a hand to touch it.

"Do you know what it is?" I asked, never taking my eyes off the golden glow. My voice sounded full of wonder.

"I think it's some sort of vault. My father had one in his private collection that was similar." There was a pause and I could hear his worry when he spoke again though I didn't look in his direction. I was still staring at the glowing column. "Usually the vault opens with some sort of price. Blood or tears, sometimes memories. The one in the manor used to show you your greatest fear every time you opened it. Mother brushed against it once when I was young. She wouldn't stop holding me and she screamed so loud…"

He went quiet for a moment and I knew I should feel sad, or hurt, or worried for him. All I felt was awe. The hand that wasn't in his ached around my wand, my feet itched. Why was he still holding onto me?

"I'm pretty sure she got rid of it after that because I never saw it again."

The ache in my fingers turned to burning and I took the final step forward, nearly ripping Draco to the ground. He had to drop my hand. I didn't care. I just needed to touch it…the world spun as my hand caressed the glowing side of the column.

I landed in the dark, in an empty space void of walls or windows or doors. The only item in the space was a deep mahogany coffin and beside it was a child. Not just any child- it was me. My father materialized at my side, grasping my shoulder like a vice as tears welled in my eyes, eyes that matched my dead mother's. I remembered that moment so clearly and the night that followed, after Theodore Nott Sr drank far too much Firewhisky.

I didn't have to remember it though because the scene shifted to that night. I could almost smell the alcohol in the darkness.

My father stood above my small child form and I watched his first blow.

When child me cried, he screamed and struck again. Big fists against such a small body. He pulled back to hit me a third time and my frozen body finally moved.

"Stop!" I screamed, closing the distance, but my father paid my adult form no mind. I tried to reach for his arm and my hands slid through his memory while he continued his assaults and I watched myself age. Years of beatings, years of insults and pain that brought me to tears and bruised my skin. Years of trying to perform the episkey spell and failing because I couldn't stop hurting enough to concentrate on the spell followed by years that I just stopped trying. My small body got bigger, stronger, but the more I fought back, the harder he hit, the more sinister he became, and there was nothing I could do except watch.

Time finally shifted and curled. My father's body disappeared and I thought I was being granted reprieve until I saw Draco a few years younger with the fresh tattoo on his wrist. The snake twisted along his skin and my heart ached at his pain, the fear rolling off him in waves.

"I had to!" He screamed.

"We can leave," I offered and he shook his head.

"I can't."

The pain at knowing there was nothing I could do hurt more than my father's beatings. Time continued to move.

"He's dead! Dumbledore's dead and Snape had to do it. Voldemort is going to punish me. He'll hurt you, he'll hurt my mother. I can't let him kill you."

Draco's whole body shook in front of me. Tears welled in his eyes, but before I could comfort him, before the dark memory could turn good, it changed again.

A battle formed in the dark. I saw the bright green and red sparks of magic flying around us. The memory of Draco, now looking slightly more broken next to a memory of me that night. His joy and fear at my arrival were mixed. I recognized that expression on his face and my soul crumpled. I knew exactly what moment this was and what would follow. I'd just found him outside the room of requirement, after Narcissa told me that she'd sent him off with Crab and Goyle in hopes that they would protect him. It was the only time I'd ever hated Narcissa. Of course the two had abandoned him and in my panic at seeing him alone, I'd begged him to leave with me.

I watched in horror while history repeated itself. Another death eater came upon us and heard my pleas. He called me a traitor and flung a killing curse that missed my chest by an inch. Draco lashed out immediately with the cruicatous and the wizard screamed, shaking on the ground in pain, but Draco pulled back the curse. He froze in place, covered in sweat and reeking of fear. I couldn't stop his spiraling panic, couldn't ask him what was wrong. There was no time. I petrified that death eater and began to shake Draco to no avail. He wouldn't move. In the not so distance I could hear the shouts and scream of more people coming- students we'd have to avoid and death eaters we'd have to jinx, so I did the only thing I could do.

"Imperio!"

Draco's shoulder's relaxed while my whole body screamed. I felt disgusted with myself, even as I instructed him to keep fighting, hoping the magic would hold enough to get us through the battle unscathed. We couldn't leave, not while Hermione and Narcissa were alive and in the fight. Draco would never forgive me if something happened to his Mother or Hermione, even if he would swear that Hermione meant nothing. It held as we made our way through the insanity and every minute it did, it ate me up more inside.

Another shift. Azkaban, freezing and hungry, feeling numb to my very core. I laid on my side and squeezed my body to try and hold myself together. Days passed, months, a year.

The scene shifted back to my father, the beatings. I tried to plug my ears, to close my eyes, but nothing worked. I saw it all, heard it all as it repeated in a loop.

I was suddenly thrown back onto my arse. I wasn't sure how many times I'd seen those memories, but I was in the cavern now and Draco ran over to my side, wand still in hand. He knelt next to me.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I grunted, nodding my head as I swatted away the tears from my faces. My cheeks were soaked with them.

"I had to break the connection of your hand to the vault. What the fuck were you thinking?!" He screamed. I was still shaking, trying to get my bearings, when the vault that had shown me all my worst moments on repeat began opening, panels floating off into the air in a rush to reveal the treasure hidden inside.