A/N: I'm terribly sorry to have delayed this chapter so much, but there were some unexpected issues along the way and I lacked inspiration to write this chapter well enough for posting. Secondly, thank you for the reviews, keep them coming. And thirdly, I was asked in a review why Blaise does not take Felix to get Rose, and I think that he would have considered it several times, but would never follow it through, because he knows no magic can grant love.
Chapter 37: Choose
"Linda!"
It was a faint call, a distant echo drowned in the hubbub of the Hogwarts halls during dinnertime. It was feeble, weak in comparison to the clamour around me, which seemed somewhat oddly magnified today. But I heard it.
Loud as my surroundings were, I heard it. Because I was listening for it.
"Linda! Linda wait!"
There it was again, a call only two people in the entire wizarding world would make, a call whose instructions I had obeyed before they were even voiced.
I stopped in my steps, moving to the side and close to the wall, urging my familiar to mirror my movements, saving us both from being trampled by a throng of students rushing past us, presumably headed down, to the Great Hall.
But that wasn't quite right. Or rather, the haste in their steps, the excited whispers amongst students, the glistening eyes, all these little things, so miniscule that I would have hardly noticed them had it not been for my cousin, whichever one it was that was calling to me now, were out of place here.
Something had come to pass today, something quite significant as it seemed, and I had quite a good guess in mind as to what this matter was.
Or rather, it was no guess at all.
I turned around slowly, once more thankful beyond expression for the company of my familiar. The mere presence of Serpen by my side assured a circle of personal space, quite a significant one at that, assuring that, as I changed my position to look for the girl who sought me out, I made physical contact with no one.
The morons around me bumped into each other, pushed one another out of the way, yanked their friends to safety or dragged them behind themselves, all in their haste to see the show. A woman brought to nothing.
How utterly lowly of them.
I suppose nothing more could be expected from cubs, I thought as I allowed my eyes to wonder across the crowd, briefly assessing each and every face, looking through them all, unable to find the only face in this crowd that bore any sort of interest for me. They are all just children still.
"Linda! Linda please!" I heard the voice call out, and this time, due to the large portion of my attention that had been granted to the task, I made out the owner of the voice, even if I could not find a single visual trace of her presence in the crowd.
Daphne was of average height for a witch her age, if not slightly above the average, and in spite of that irksome fact, even the second attempt to find her on the part of my eyes, failed miserably.
There were just too many of these bumbling idiots, mostly Ravens and felines, and mostly higher years, all so bloody high. All flocking to watch misery like a band of Dementors hunting their pray.
I blinked once, reaching a hand to Serpen who raised his head in an attempt to help, earning a satisfied hiss as my skin made contact with his scales, the faint warm hand stroking the cold scales, a silent thanks conveyed effortlessly.
"Linda!"I heard Daphne call again, her voice matching my mood as both of us grew ever more annoyed. "Oh for Merlin's sake!"
Not a second after I heard this exclamation, I saw a Gryffindor fifth year girl of some flowery name ,which I had never honestly bothered to remember, stumble to another dark skinned Gryffindor fifth year, latching herself onto the aforementioned feline and scratching her quite clearly in her attempts to keep herself upright.
Now, dense as the crowd was, not many would have noticed the reason for this sudden fall, but I did, and the quick jab of Daphne's elbow to the girl's ribs was clear to my eyes. I was quite amused with her actions, especially with the disgusted look she gave to the flowery girl as she passed her, but Daphne did not seem to share the sentiment, worry clear in those globes that served as her eyes, seeking my figure.
Her lips were pursed tightly together, her eyes bore faint bags, properly concealed evidence of sleepless nights, her eyes were large and somewhat murky with how tired she must have been, but her mind was clear. So very clear.
My cousin had not recovered from the unfortunate development that struck her, nor could she ever quite recover from it. No one could ever forget that sort of pain, nor understand it unless they loved, at least once in their life, truly loved another person.
I could not comprehend it fully, but I considered it something akin to the ugly beast that clawed in my chest that very same minute, that had been clawing at me for a while now, ever since Blaise had inadvertently chosen to show me that which I could now not stop seeing. Or stop feeling.
And a beast that would claw at me for the rest of my days.
But my cousin was not a weak woman, no, she was a girl that I took much pride in. My fighter.
Not two days after that truly tragic night, she sat down beside me in the common room, bravely holding her head up high, and told me that she wanted to help more than she was doing at that moment. That she wanted to help me in whatever it was that I was doing.
She did not say it, she did not have to for I knew it well. She wanted revenge. She needed it, she still does. And I would help her have it.
The only way for her to show her pain was to not look behind her, to the right. She could not look at Alphonse. A sign with my hand, a nod of acknowledgement, and he stood up from his place, leaving the room, his shoulders hunched in the least visible way.
It was to relieve her of her own worry that I chose to share what I guessed would come to pass sooner rather than later, careful to leave unnecessary details out. And now that it did, she sought my guidance once again.
"Linda" spoke she again, this time voicing my name as a sigh of relief, stopping in front of me and moving closer to the wall, standing just beneath a lit torch that now cast rather ominous shadows across her face. "You were right."
She let out a deep breath, glancing to her left from the very corner of her eyes, and lowering her voice as she whispered the remaining part of her message.
"It has begun."
I closed my eyes for the barest of moments, raising my hand from Serpen's head, all thoughts of amusement gone from my mind. Serpen gave a worried hiss, sensing the darkness that now once more crept into my heart.
A heartbeat, two. That's right, I had something to do, I had no time for amusement.
My eyes snapped open, a sombre mood now governing my mind.
"Who?" I asked, out of no real need for information, merely confirmation of what I already knew.
"Sybil Trelawney." Spoke Daphne, reaching her left hand to her right arm, grasping it around her elbow.
"Very well." I responded, my mind now finding a new perspective to settle into.
"Come cousin" I spoke, and slowly, deliberately extended my hand towards her. Her worried eyes settled on my hand, and after a second that she used to recognise my action, she relinquished her hold on her right elbow, accepting my outstretched hand. "Dolores has invested a great effort to present us with this show. It would be improper to fail to attend."
Every nerve in my body squirmed with discomfort as her warm hand took mine, but I held her hand none the less. The comfort and safety provided to my cousin by this small gesture greatly outweighed whatever trouble it brought to me.
She was still a child, and I would do my damned best to protect that innocence.
I made a step forward, a small nod to Serpen my invitation to join us, and as Daphne fell into step beside me, two green robes joined those of scarlet and blue.
But as we descended down, deeper and deeper into the heart of the castle and closer and closer to the Entrance hall, even my circle of personal space, courtesy of my familiar, grew ever smaller.
Streams of students of all houses and years joined us on the way, now building up a magnificent torrent of chattering voices, scampering feet and bumping elbows.
This was not working out quite as well as I would have preferred it to.
Our walk, thus far unhindered, now broke up into bits and pieces of walking, interspersed with pauses in our steps, necessary , as it seemed, to allow for this or that stream of students to join the river that now flowed relentlessly onwards.
But time was of essence in this situation, I simply could not afford to be late.
I was focused on the crowd ahead, these troublesome thought swarming my mind, and therefore missed the warning Daphne had been as kind to provide in a simple tightening of her hand in mine.
A hand suddenly appeared in my peripheral vision, and I barely noticed it from the corner of my eyes, before it found its resting place over my shoulder.
With a curse already prepared on my lips, my head snapped to my left, only to meet by far too annoying, familiar ocean blue eyes.
A sense of relief replaced the rush of adrenaline that appeared mere seconds earlier, the mirth in her eyes proving a refreshing sight to my tired mind.
Not that I would ever admit it.
"Helooo Lindsy!" grinned Arielle, latching herself onto my person and dragging out the first word she uttered beyond any sensible need. "I scared ya didn't I?"
Shadow let out a cough-like laugh, she too pleased with her mistress.
"Feline." I responded, reaching my free hand up and swatting her hand off of my shoulders. "Scaring me is a feat you are hardly capable of."
"Liaaaar" sang Arielle, but let go of my shoulder like a good cat, her eyes quickly noticing how I joined my hand with that of my cousin. "isn't she Daphne? Such a big liar."
She shook her head in mock sorrow at that, attracting my attention to her hair, which she had pulled up in a high ponytail that was now swaying from side to side remarkably. There were only two wavy strands allowed to remain free in order to frame her face, at present reaching to her collarbone.
They too bore witness to passing of time, as I distinctly remembered them reach only to her jawline the night that we almost lost her.
"Hello Arielle" responded Daphne and I needed not turn to know that she had a polite smile stretching her lips "you will forgive me if I do not take a side in this conversation."
My eyes focused on the crowd in front of us, trying to make out just how long we were expected to stand around in one bloody place. A place that happened to be located three floors above the place where my presence was actually needed.
"Yes, yes I know" I vaguely registered Arielle as saying, "you never do go against your dear cousin, do ya?"
I also noticed a motion to my side, but dismissed it as some unladylike gesture Arielle must have made. I, on the other hand, could ill afford such behaviour, and that thought alone stopped me from tapping my foot against the stone floor beneath me in impatience.
"No." Daphne responded "because Linda would never go against me, or any other person fortunate enough to hold favour in her heart."
This was getting bloody ridiculous. If they didn't move in a second, by Merlin, I would move them.
Serpen sensed the agitation in my mind, and hissed in recognition, him too angered by this obstacle so inconveniently placed on our way.
"Yes, yes, Lindsy's loyal, I'll give her that." Responded Arielle, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, her hands behind her back as she waited, "Although not true to herself, nope, not true at all."
That was it. That was bloody it. I would not be deterred from my duty by a flock of Dementors.
"Come along Daphne," I spoke, tugging on her hand lightly to gain her attention and slowly turning on my heel, trying to maintain my balance in the process "Serpen."
Daphne turned around obediently, not questioning my request with a single word.
We walked forward, only to have Arielle fall into step beside me, turning her head so she could peer at me.
"Where are we going Lind-" she started to say, only to stop mid-sentence as she ran into a boy, their shoulders colliding in a rather painful manner.
"Watch it!" hissed he, attracting my attention and thus revealing his identity as a seventh year of my house. He had not noticed me at first, his immediate line of sight focused on the girl he had almost knocked to the floor.
"You watch it asshole" sneered Arielle right back, Shadow letting out a low growl from the very back of her throat. She brought her hand up, massaging her shoulder while in the same time trying to determine if she had suffered any real damage.
She was slightly shorter than the boy, and he opened his mouth to respond, his eyes glowing with such malice, no doubt meaning to spout some venomous insult. However, whatever words he had meant to utter stuck somewhere at the back of his throat as his eyes travelled right, past Arielle, and meeting mine.
For the barest fraction of a second, there was no reaction. And then, as his mind registered whom he was seeing, and whose friend it was that he had bumped into, his eyes widened , his pupils dilating in visible fear.
His upbringing was thorough, that much I granted him, and his face remained set in a carefully constructed mask of impassiveness. But his eyes betrayed him, and he cast them down, now finding the ground beneath his feet simply impossibly curious.
He gave me a curt nod, his pace quickening as he hurried to remove his person from my line of sight. As I recalled, we had duelled before, when I was a first year or so, and the result was his week-long stay in the Hospital Wing.
And now, there was surely no doubt in his mind that my curses would prove much more… challenging. And that the best he could hope for was a three week long stay in the hospital wing, if I showed him mercy beyond that which I deemed myself capable of.
"Coward" muttered Arielle, turning her head and glaring after the boy "What a fucking wimp."
A short glance at her had me conclude that no real damage had been done to her shoulder, her pride suffering the most damage.
"All these Slytherin men of yours" she continued, most likely having recognised the words that were beginning to form on the boy's lips as well as I had, and causing my stomach to drop in response to her carelessness. "they can be such little shits."
Daphne's hand tightened in mine, an instinctive reaction of her muscles, mirroring the pain she tried so desperately to keep hidden.
One sentence was all it took for Arielle to display just how cruel she could be, without even meaning to do so.
I glanced to my right, watching Daphne clench her jaw, making a hero's effort to keep her feeling hidden. She knew well that they could only be used against her.
I turned my head lightly, doing my best to keep the movement subtle, and gave Arielle the best glare I could possibly muster without alerting Daphne.
Arielle opened her mouth to continue talking, her mind presumably still in need of relieving itself of the anger it harboured.
Fortunately, her eyes met mine a second before she could further inflame already horrible wounds, and her mind, intelligent as it was, quickly registered just what it had done.
A single thought appeared in my mind, pronounced in her voice: "Shit."
"Not everyone though." She continued, her voice now maintained at by far too casual a tone, her mind obviously trying to control the damage it had caused "There are some exceptions to the rule of course."
She would have made by far a wiser decision in keeping quite.
"For example Blaise" she tried, remembering that he was Daphne's closest male friend. "He's a great boy. Perfect for Roseycheeks wouldn't you say Daphne?"
She was sorry for what she had done, accidentally I was sure, but she was only making the situation worse with every word.
"Yes." Agreed Daphne, her voice never breaking, even, controlled. "I have no doubt he would stop at nothing for her."
Positive as her words were, there was something undoubtedly ominous in them. Something sad.
Arielle read well into them, casting me a worried look mere seconds before Daphne spoke again.
"But I trust Linda's judgement, she has always shown much more wisdom than I have." Said she, her eyes focused on the hall ahead of us, seeing through the students that rushed past us, through the walls, the stone, time itself. "If she believes it is best for them to be apart, than so it must be. Sometimes, love just isn't enough, and not all loves are meant to be."
I saw it, honestly, there was no chance for me to fail to notice that one tear that escaped her efforts and rolled down my cousin's cheek.
Arielle saw it too, and I wondered briefly if she understood the tragedy as well as I did, if it shook her as deeply as it did me. If she could understand how horrific it was that Daphne, my cousin who believed in happy endings with all her heart, who recognised my feelings before I did, who did all she could to grant me happiness, now lost such a big part of who she was. Her belief in love.
I tightened my hold on her hand, all thoughts of Umbridge momentarily forgotten, offering her support in the only way I was allowed.
Imperceptibly.
"Alphonse?" I heard in my mind, Arielle once more preforming wordless Legilimency to utter words that were never to be uttered out loud.
"Yes" I thought, adding a note of anger to the thought, knowing that she was listening.
"I'm sorry Rosalind." She thought, her facial expression changing not once. She was getting better at this, betraying no sign of the silent interaction, but managing to portray the sincerity in her words vividly to my mind.
"I know. Just stay quiet."
There was no response to my silent demand, spoken or otherwise, but I knew it was heard. And that it would be abided.
"We do not have much time." I spoke, breaking the pregnant silence that settled between us, feeling it as pressure against my chest, pushing against my ribcage and crushing my heart. "Let us hurry."
I increased my pace, giving another squeeze to Daphne's hand that still found safety in mine.
To say that these last few days were positively torturous for her would be the kind of understatement that was not to be uttered by one of my social standing. And that torment, that pain and misery, I found to be mirrored in my heart.
There were not many people that I truly loved in this world, but Daphne was one of them. I knew it would hurt to see her cry, I knew my heart would break with hers, I knew I would share her pain. But I didn't know it would hurt this much.
And it hurt, by Merlin it hurt.
But my feelings, be they of this or that inclination, were irrelevant. Daphne needed my aid, she needed me to be strong. I would be an anchor for her in this relentless storm.
"Arielle" I called, turning my head lightly to meet her eyes, using the chance to assess her expression "walk ahead. In some twenty steps , you will find a pathway to your left. Follow it."
She gave me one brilliant smile, showing off her teeth, and responded. "Sure thing Lindsy. "
One had to admit that there was charm in her smiles, but that did not mean they were sincere. This particular one, I knew it well, was false. It lit up her entire face, showing off her cheekbones, but did not reach higher than that. It did not reach the most important part of her face, leaving her eyes exposed to my inquisitive glance.
Happy as she may have seen at first glance, Arielle was anything but. The remorse I had felt in her words was genuine, and it tore at her, that and so much more, causing sadness that I found hidden at the very corner of her eye.
"Come Shadow, let's take a little walksie." Called Arielle, beckoning with her hand for her familiar to follow her, thus diverting my attention from her, to the cat that calmly followed its mistress through the corridors of this old castle.
Shadow, unlike her mistress, was a bit more expressive, showing the sentiments of her mistress to be mirrored in herself. She walked slowly, almost at a tired pace, with her head hanging just a bit too low. Sharing a burden.
I watched them walk ahead, disappearing after a moment or two from my line of sight, finding the secluded passageway.
Daphne and I, on the other hand, maintained the pace one would assume at a leisurely walk around the grounds, neither uttering a single word.
One step, two, three.
Soon enough, we too reached the passageway, entering it as inconspicuously as possible under the circumstances, with Serpen bringing up the rear. As soon as we had made a couple of steps away from the almost imperceptible intersection, I pulled lightly on Daphne's hand, inviting her to keep up with the increase in our walking speed.
The hallway, a short and narrow structure that was adorned with nothing save for a few candles on its walls, sloped downwards, and I knew us to be on the second floor as we reached Arielle, who was standing at another intersection, with her elbow resting on the snout of some unsuspecting gargoyle.
"Follow us." I spoke, turning right this time, and reaching into my pocket.
There were no students here, the passageway we had just used remaining relatively unused from the founder's time, to that very day. Perhaps the reason for it could be that its purpose was known only to a selected few, and that even fewer people were capable of using it.
I raised my wand, muttering "Lumos!" under my breath and watching as Serpen slithered past us, remembering this corridor as it seemed.
Serpen had only used it twice with me, and that too was done rather reluctantly. The way to gain access to the ground floor through this corridor was rather … unpleasant, and was thus employed only in the direst of needs.
We walked forward for a couple of more moments, and the more we walked, the narrower our path became. A couple of more steps and we would reach it.
"Linds, where are you taking us?" asked Arielle, a note of curiosity to her words. As expected, the channels she used to gain information about this old building did not provide her with the knowledge of this path. Nor could they.
"You shall see." I responded, my eyes focusing on what lay at the end of the corridor.
There, illuminated with two lit torches, was nothing but a stone wall.
Serpen gave a loud hiss as we came to a stop in front of this obstacle, feeling uneasy with the task ahead.
"It is alright Serpen, I will be by far more interesting to her this time, I assure you." I spoke, reaching my hand down and stroking his head lightly, soothing his worry.
He did not like her, not since the first time they met. It was something in her eyes I think, something that scared my familiar so that he chose to slither back, joining Shadow, who too stared at the wall apprehensively.
"Linda…" whispered Daphne, glancing at Arielle, who was crouching beside her familiar, petting her head in an attempt to calm her down.
I took a deep breath, understanding the difficulty of the task ahead, and slowly released my hold of Daphne's hand.
"You are to tell no one of what you witness here. You are never to use this passage yourself, nor to reveal it location or existence to anyone." I spoke, waving my wand and extinguishing the bluish light that I had summoned to illuminate our way.
"Do understand" I continued, turning around and meeting their eyes, "by showing you this passage, I grant you respect and trust the kind that could, if abused, have a by far too steep price. "
Arielle kept my gaze for a while, looking for something in my expression, before nodding once. She would let this matter go, that much I could make out form the wordless exchange. Another nod from Daphne, given much more readily and quickly, and I turned my back to them, stepping forward and raising my wand.
I counted two stone slabs to the right from the torch on my left, and tapped the third slab with my wand. Then, I counted two slabs down, turning right once more as I reached the third, tapping the second slab from the one on which I had made the right turn.
Only one more.
Two slabs up, turn on the third, two slabs to the right, turn on the second, than two more up. I traced the path to the last slab I was to tap, and hesitated for a second more.
This would not be pleasant at all, but it was needed.
A tap of my wand against the slab, and I opened my mouth, speaking as clearly as possible "It is desire that proves to be the downfall of each great wizard or witch."
For a second or two, nothing happened, but then, as we watched, the bricks shivered lightly, before moving backwards, into the wall, and then to the sides, removing a large gap in the wall ahead, through which not a single light managed to break through.
We heard some screeching, the sound I recognised as stone moving, and as we watched, a square glass surface, of the same size as the space left barren by slabs mere moments before, appeared in our line of sight, moving forward, and replacing what was once stone.
It was a mirror, a tall, wide mirror that bore no reflection but that of an empty corridor. The corridor we came through.
As we watched, a single figure appeared in the mirror, walking towards us slowly, infinitely slowly. But a blink of an eyes was all it took, and she stood before us, her face obscured by the shadows cast from her hood, her entire body covered by a black robe.
Daphne flinched somewhere beside me, but I betrayed no sign of surprise. She recognised it, I knew, and fear blossomed in her heart in response to the Dark Arts present here.
There was no such fear in me, for I had been here before. I had stood here alone, and triumphed, there was no reason for me to fail today. I could not afford to.
"Come here Daphne." I head Arielle call, and saw Daphne move backwards, now shielded by Arielle who also pulled out her wand, having it ready.
"My, my" I heard a voice speak, a voice I knew well, a voice that caused a growl from Shadow and a distressed hiss from Serpen "you are not alone tonight."
"Irrelevant." I responded, focusing the figure's attention on myself. "I am the one that will be on trial today."
"Oh dear me" I heard the voice say "I thought that you had changed since the last time you came to play."
As I watched, two small, pale hands reached upwards, to her hood, lowering it slightly , only to reveal a familiar face.
She reached into her cape once more, releasing the ice blond strands from the binding of the cape she wore, and letting them reach her collar bone, the baby blue eyes meeting mine.
"But now I realize you haven't changed at all." She said, her full lips stretching into a sardonic smile.
I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me, all present recognising the girl for what she was. My reflection.
Before me, before my very eyes, stood a perfect copy of myself, a menacing smile on her lips.
"Perhaps this time, I shall win." She continued, smiling at me.
"Perhaps I am in a hurry this time." I spoke, lowering my voice for the second sentence "You were summoned, now do your duty."
"You are always in a hurry." She responded, and as I watched, she tucked her hair back, now once more covering her face and hiding her hands in her robes. "If desire be his downfall, then self-restriction shall be the light to lead him to glory."
The voice changed, now dissimilar to any I had heard before, including mine, and uttered the last part of his speech.
"A trial is before you traveller, a test of heart. Triumph, and I shall be the light to aid you on your way to glory, fail, and these bricks shall cast you back into the darkness of anonymity. Do you consent?"
A heartbeat, two.
"I do."
I could not see the smile on its face, but I knew it to be present as the figure stepped back, then once more and once more, before stopping.
It shimmered before our eyes, and then its magic took effect, separating it into four separate figures.
The first two figures to my left walked forward, holding hands, alerting me to their identity before they even spoke. They were always the first.
"Which is it that your heart desires most this time? Do you know traveller?" I heard the voice speak again, giving me directions I had no need of.
I had played this game before.
Slowly, the figures reached for their hoods, lowering them and shattering my heart.
To my immediate left stood a tall man, with jet black hair, a firm jaw and baby blue eyes. His hand was holding that of a shorter woman, the top of whose head reached the man's jaw. She was astonishingly beautiful, with ocean blue eyes and long, wavy, honey blond hair. Her face was oval, and her eyes so warm, bearing remarkable semblance to those of my sister.
I heard a whimper from Shadow, mirroring her mistresses' shock, and a quiet call of "Linda." As both of the girls beside me recognised the people in front of me.
My mom and dad.
"My love" I heard my mother say, her voice so warm, so familiar, like a lullaby one forgets as a child and delights in hearing as an adult. "my beloved, beautiful daughter."
I watched her hand reach for mine, and had to fight every nerve in my body to keep mine from reaching back, only to meet glass.
"Is it us child?" I heard my father ask, his voice strong, deep, like that of my grandfather must have been when he was of this age. "Is it us whom your heart desires most?"
I missed them terribly, not a day passed without a thought of them gracing my mind. But my answer was not what they wished to hear.
"With all my heart, I wish that you were here. But there is no magic to bring back those that are no longer with me, no matter my needs. Rest well."
I turned to the second figure, using more self-control than many would be capable of, remembering this to be naught but a clever illusion.
"The second." I called, watching them cover their faces from the corner of my eyes, and step back into the shadows.
I knew who it would be, and my hand clenched by my side, anger coursing through every fibre of my being in spite of my knowledge that this too was illusion, that she wasn't here.
As she stepped forward, she swayed in her steps, walking like a complete mental case that she was. Her walk was followed by a cackling laugh, alerting me to insanity that governed her mind, even if she wasn't real.
"Wee little girly" she laughed, her hands removing her hood and freeing a mane of curly, jet black hair that seemed as frantic in appearance as its owner was in mind. Her brown eyes focused on me, and she stuck her tongue out quickly, in a snake-like manner, licking her upper front teeth as she retracted it.
"Does the wee little girly" asked she, sauntering forward and widening her eyes in a delirious manner, "miss mommy and daddy?"
She stopped a breath away from the surface of the glass on the other side, peering down at me with a crazed smile pulling on her lips.
"Poor little girly, she lost soooo much." She spoke, letting out a cackling laugh more, making me bury my nails into my palms, drawing blood in my attempt to calm myself.
"Is it me girly? Is it my presence you desire so?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and observing me with wide eyes.
"Nothing in life "I managed through grit teeth "would please me more than peeling skin off of every bone on your body. Personally."
I took a deep breath and continued "But I am in a hurry, and yours is not the presence I desire most. I shall see to it that I have it, and I shall see to it that you burn you bloody bitch. Now bring me the third."
She gave me a wide smile, before pulling on her hood again and walking backwards, into the shadows.
I forced my fist to uncurl, flexing my palm once twice, and lifting my head to watch the third, last person walk forward.
"Or maybe" I heard a voice speak, recognising it momentarily and feeling my heart skip a beat, "it is my presence you desire most?"
I knew she had recognised him, but I had not expected Daphne to speak up.
"Is that-" she started to say, but Arielle interrupted her, having more sense in this situation than my cousin had.
"Don't Daphne." She spoke "don't interfere."
I did not glance backwards, even though I sensed movement, my eyes focused on the figure in front of me , who stopped in his way a few paces from the surface of the glass that separated us from each other.
He raised his hands, meaning to lower his hood, but I spoke up, interrupting his action.
"No, don't!" I found myself exclaiming, the call coming out as more urgent than I had intended it to be.
"Please." I added, wishing to soften my request, adding an impersonal note to it, feeling my heart hammer in my chest at the thought of seeing his face, even if it were just a mirage.
"Well, well beautiful, you wish for me to keep my hood on?" he asked, the illusion of the man imitating his mannerism perfectly. "Why might that be?"
"I know who you are, there is no need for you to lower your hood." I spoke, raising my chin and speaking to the figure as a whole , no longer addressing the smug man before me.
"I have made my choice." I spoke, and he inclined his head, hooded as it might have been, stepping backwards and joining his companions.
Another blink of an eye, another shimmer, and there was but one figure before me again, and she stepped forward again, her hood lowered.
"What is your choice?" she asked, tilting her head lightly to the side in observation.
"The third one. "I spoke, looking away, not being able to maintain eye contact. "He is the one I desire most."
I heard a gasp from behind me and felt cold sweat wash over me. It was shameful, my choice was shameful, but true.
"Are you sure?" she asked, a mocking note to her words "Because you do not appear to be. Are you really?"
"Yes, yes I am" I snapped, annoyed with my own reflection in the mirror. "now do your duty!"
She gave me one more malicious smirk, before covering her head once more and stepping back.
" I have seen, I have felt and I have judged." Spoke the same impersonal voice. "As you triumphed here, may you triumph on the path ahead. Pass traveller, glory lies ahead."
The figure turned, and walked back, disappearing in a blink of an eye.
Another heartbeat, and the mirror swung open, revealing a faintly lit hallway that extended for a couple of paces, before turning into steps downward.
"Come, we lost too much time already." I spoke, making a step forward, putting away my wand simultaneously. I could not use it here, or rather, its use would be rather limited.
The hallways was low, so much so that, had I been wearing higher heels that night, I would have been able to reach the ceiling with a simple stretch of my arm upwards. It was narrow as well, never meant to accommodate larger groups of students, having just enough space to accommodate two people of thinner built, standing side by side.
I made another two steps, allowing my cousin to follow, passing the invisible threshold with no little hesitance to her steps. Arielle walked in last, preceded by the both of our familiars, bringing up the rear.
The hallway, or rather, the passageway, was rather poorly lit, only two torches placed at the very entrance, illuminating a couple of paces around their position, and two more torches standing guard over the top of the long, gentle descent.
As soon as Arielle passed the threshold, coming to a stop no more than a hair's breadth away from the entrance, the glass beside her swung back, and had she not jumped to the side, she would have been knocked back outside. The moment the glass surface slid into place, we heard the unmistakable sound of glass shattering, followed by scraping as stone slabs slid back into place.
"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Arielle, and I turned to see her observe the wall with apprehension, if not even a bit of anger. "The fucking wall almost killed me!"
Shadow let out a growl, placing her weight on her hind legs, getting down into a position that indicated she wished to pounce on the wall and tear it to shreds, most likely in revenge to the harm it exposed her mistress to.
Arielle turned around at that, her eyes settling on myself and Daphne, who stood with her back turned towards me, observing the wall with the same fear Shadow displayed so openly. She had moved backwards as the glass moved, seeking safety by my side, and now stood two steps away from my person.
"Bloody hell Lindsy, what kind of passages do you use?" she asked, a wicked, blessedly honest smile illuminating her face even in this dark room. She knew that I would not consciously lead her to peril.
"Covert ones" I replied, giving her one more brief glance before turning on my heel, and once more extending my hand in Daphne's direction.
She had seen a frightening thing mere minutes before, and I judged that physical contact, that seemed to be so beneficial to others, was appropriate here.
It wasn't easier this time either, but there was less hesitation in Daphne's acceptance than there had been in the same action done on her part mere minutes before.
She accepted my offered hand, taking it into her own and pressing tightly, stepping closer to me in the same movement. She was afraid, and rightfully so.
Dark matters were to be addressed today.
"Yes, yes" answered Arielle, presumably taking out her wand in the same time, for she spoke up behind me "Lumos!"
A heartbeat, two, and the incantation was followed by a surprised exclamation.
"What?" I heard Arielle exclaim, demanding an answer from her wand as it seemed, and prompting me to look back at her with a smirk on my face.
She was staring at her wand with narrowed eyes, shaking it a bit and making me wonder what the purpose of such an action could possibly be.
She frowned at her wand, and I decided to observe another attempt of hers before disclosing the truth of the matter to her.
"Hmm, interesting" mussed she, before lifting her wand, aiming it at me. "Expelliarmus!"
Nothing, not even a twitch of my wand in my pocket, even if I had made no attempt personally to keep it within the premises of my robes.
"It's like something is interfering with my magic here" mussed Arielle again, her narrowed eyes still focused on the wand in her hands.
She brought it closer to her face, raising her hand and bending it in the elbow, lifting the wand that now found its residence in her open palm to chin-level and tracing its length with her eyes, having every intention of finding the fault in the wood that inhibited her magic so.
But I knew well that she would not find it, for it simply wasn't there.
As amusing as her attempts were, and as fruitless as they would prove to be upon further examination, I had no time to waste on observing them.
With that in mind, I tugged slightly on Daphne's hand that still clasped mine, attracting her attention before tilting my head to the side lightly, indicating to the steps behind us and wordlessly conveying my invitation.
Her eyes travelled to Arielle's figure, who still laboured to solve this unexpected mystery, before returning to my person and settling there. She gave me a light nod, turning around with me and following me as I made a step towards the steps.
"Oi you two!" Arielle exclaimed, noticing the action from the corner of her eyes and now focusing her attention on us, coming to the only logical conclusion that could possibly be drawn from the unfortunate ordeal.
If she could not, in spite of intellect worthy of a Raven, understand what had come to pass, she would need to seek an explanation from the person who brought her here.
"You aren't going to leave without me, now are ya?" asked she, appearing beside me, accompanied by a sound of hurried steps on the stone floor, a wide grin pulling on her lips.
"I wouldn't dream of it." I replied, glancing at her shortly and noticing that her head was tilted to the side, mirth shining from her eyes. She was at a loss as to what was going on around her, but that did not perplex her. Instead, it gave her great joy to face a challenge she could not conquer easily.
"Sure you would!" exclaimed she, grinning like a complete mental case that she was, "But I wouldn't let you Lindsy dearest!"
"Yes, yes" I muttered, meaning to make a step forward, before her hand shot out in front of me, stopping me in my steps.
"Not so fast deary." Grinned she, showing off a bedazzling amount of teeth "You aren't making a step forward before you explain what happened to my magic."
Daphne's hand tightened a bit in mine, an unconscious gesture that portrayed her curiosity more vividly than she would be allowed to express in words.
I turned my head to Arielle, responding to her grinning inquiry with an eyebrow raised and pursed lips.
"I hardly believe this is the time." I snapped, annoyed with the delay. "We are in a hurry, in case it escaped your notice."
"Then you better talk quickly" smiled she, throwing an arm around my shoulders like a bloody brute that she was and pulling me closer, making me stagger a bit into her, bumping shoulders.
Daphne remained in her place, merely stretching her hand a bit, and smiling in response to my frustrated expression.
"I have a better suggestion." I snarled under my breath, causing a choking laugh from Shadow , who mirrored her mistress's amusement " You walk beside me like a proper feline, and I will explain on the way."
"Hmmm" hummed Arielle beside me, glancing up as if in deep thought, knowing well that she was grating on my every nerve . "Yes, let's do that."
I reached a hand up at that, lowering Arielle's arm from my shoulders and promptly releasing it, making it swing back to her side.
"Very well." I spoke, glancing at her once more in disapproval before making another step forward, Daphne falling into step beside me. "You are correct in assuming that there is something interfering with your magic."
As we made another step, and then another, the hallway darkened, shadows emerging from every nook and corner, following our path like sentinel guardians of a passage long forgotten in time.
"Yes, yes I know" interrupted Arielle, waving that entirely too large palm of hers offhandedly, "skip to the part that I don't know."
Another disapproving glance, another few steps that brought us closer and closer to the stairs, and I responded, a clear note of annoyance lacing my voice.
"But you are wrong, however, to assume that the fault is with your wand. As far as this matter is concerned, and as far as I could tell from a brief glance, your wand is perfectly able to perform any spell you wish to employ its service for." I continued, considering the best way to proceed down the steps.
"Then what's going on?" asked Arielle, by now thoroughly intrigued with the matter at hand, coming to a stop in front of the flight of stairs.
"It is the very nature of your magic that is incompatible with theses halls." I responded, coming to a stop with Daphne , my eyes wondering on their own to the stone walls, focusing on a spider that spun its web directly overhead Daphne, observing its feet as they busied themselves, preparing for foolish pray to wander into its death.
"You are employing, as per usual for your person, white magic, which can be sadly… limiting." I spoke, forcing my eyes to look away from the spider, and glanced at Daphne, who was turned towards me, her wide eyes focused on mine, soaking in every word that left my mouth.
"This is an old building, and some parts of it are , as you could only expect, darker than the rest. Today I showed you one of the darker parts, created by a very talented wizard a long time ago, using Dark Arts… only Dark Arts."
I turned from Daphne at that, focusing on Arielle, who was observing me carefully, processing each word that I allowed to spill from my lips, assessing it, analysing and weighing.
"Powerful magic is at play here," I spoke, breaking eye contact and glancing at the torches, knowing them to be bewitched to burn through the ages to come. "coursing through this corridor, saturating the air and pervading the walls. Such is its strength " I spoke, raising my free hand and turning my palm upwards, chanting a wordless curse and summoning green embers that flickered above my palm, "that only magic of the same kind can coexist in harmony within these premises."
A moment of silence followed my words, and my cousin shivered, feeling the air around her prickle, magic reaching to magic.
"Were you to try and force white magic unto this room" I spoke, and slowly, deliberately closed my fist, watching as flames burned through my fingers and died away, "these very walls would be our deathbed."