It was all familiar. The dark loch, the paths, the great castle gates, even the bloody half-giant oaf that was offering to help Cynthia.
"Thanks, I can do it by myself. I didn't get myself expelled when I was a student, you know."
"Pfff"
She looked up to this blood traitor, her green eyes about to burst in tears. "Go."
She looked even higher, to the black night sky, only to see that it was starry. She kept on walking quickly to the Entrance, only to find Professor McGonagall waiting for her.
"You're late, Cynthia. Almost too late, but not quite."
The younger witch said nothing. She only nodded at Minerva OK.
"Follow me?"
"Where?"
"You'll see."
What the fuck was going on there...? First a letter with no name, then Mrs. McGonagall not telling her where they were going, then what...? Cynthia followed her old emerald-loving teacher up to the fourth floor. She couldn't help but notice that the school had been refaced. The corridor they were walking through had the portraits of many heroes of the War, and at the end was a giant gargoyle.
When the two women reached it, it let out a sigh:
"Ahhhh... What's the password?"
"Ever to Excel"
"Mmm... Correct, Mrs McGonagall and Mrs...?"
"Ellis. Cynthia Ellis. Shall we?" She found herself to be quite impatient and curious.
The gargoyle let the door open and Minerva went through it. Cynthia followed her to an even darker corridor which led to another door.
"That's as far as I should go, Cynthia."
She was afraid, for the first time in fifteen years. She was terrified. Where was this door leading...?
"Apokalypsis!"
No result. The only thing she could do was to keep walking. But not in the dark.
"Lumos!" Her spell caused a sphere made of light to appear in front of her. Cynthia guided it to move ahead of her so that she could see where she was going. Suddenly, the sphere disappeared.
"Wanna see where you're going, eh, Cynthi?" She heard a sarcastic voice, that really resembled his.
"Yes, I do. Who are you...?"
She was more than terrified. Her heart was racing, she was sweating, even though it was quite cold.
"The only thing that matters is that I know who you are. And I always have. I know that you can use better spells, so do it, if you want to see where you're going"
A Phansis. That's what he wanted.
She casted the spell silently and kept on going. And going. And going. And going. After quite a few minutes of walking, she finally reached a door. It was open. She opened it with a silent spell and walked into the room that was there. She saw a note on the bed:
"If you choose to teach here, that'll be your room. It's in the Dungeons, the one you'd always wanted to have, the way you want it.
The Headmaster"
She looked around and she saw a wonderful cold room. It was dark, with no window and a piano. A grand piano. She checked the wardrobe. All of her clothes were folded and/or hung inside neatly, her shoes the way they should be, her vast collection of black gloves the same. Someone had arranged her knives in a display on the wall above the piano and her cane was where she would usually put it, next to the bed.
Whoever arranged her room knew her very well. But she didn't know who he or she was.