Translation by Jessinthedungeons.

Chapter 28 - The Ruins of a Temple

The frame of Rowena Ravenclaw's portrait opened silently, revealing the passage I knew where it went to. I held the locket around my neck and the metal was hot against the palm of my hand. I was rescued last time and Dean had already come here and left. I'll leave too.

Severus put his hand on my back, felt the warmth of his palm, and guided me into the opening in the wall and the light of his wand illuminated the dusty ground before us.

I don't want to go down there... I don't want it...

— Breathe slowly — he said, in my ear. — Control your fear.

With the light from the tip of his wand floating ahead, I tried not to look for too long at the stone walls around us. The dust from the ground was marked by footprints in some places, proof that Dean and Lupin actually descended through this passage to the tomb, in search of clues. They found nothing, only emptiness and silence. The same silence I did now, I imagine. And that absence of sounds seemed to increase as we passed one of the curves of the path, as did the cold that seemed to crush my bones.

I focused again on controlling my breathing when panic once again wanted to overwhelm me, reminding me of the manticore in my last foray into this horrible place and bringing me the image of my near death.

Each time the passage led us to dive deeper into the interior of the castle, I held Severus's fingers harder to prevent me from losing myself to my own fear.

— Did you know this place? — My words came out so low that they were devoured by darkness.

— No. But I imagined that the founders were buried somewhere in the castle. — Severus answered, his soft voice almost lost in the echo of the walls.

— Why do you think Dean and Lupin could not find the tomb? — I asked.

— The founders of the school did everything around us. In a way, they had a kind of magic of their own that was molded to every stone built in this castle. It is to be hoped that their tomb will not appear to anyone. — Severus explained. — I'm not even sure if it will appear to me, even if the castle still recognizes me as a headmaster.

— Why do you think it appeared to me then? — I whispered.

— Regulus told you that? — Severus asked back.

— You know he didn't.

— Then it won't be me who will have the answer, Hermione. And now is not the time to talk about it. — He held my hand stronger for emphasis and we continued to follow down.

There was no light, no sound, not even running water. But I could finally feel them: the whispers interspersed with the icy breeze. The hair on my arms crept up and I struggled to control the grip on Severus's hand, or I would crush his fingers.

— Have you met him? — I whispered the question, deciding that hearing Severus's voice as we went down, helped me keep myself under control. — He was younger than you, I know, but did you cross paths at school?

— Yes. — Severus answered briefly. — Regulus also became a Death Eater.

— I know. — I whispered, my other hand still playing nervously with the locket on my neck.

— He came to me once. — Severus continued. — He seemed to be fighting an internal battle, he wanted to tell me something, but did not have enough courage to do it.

— Didn't you help him?

— I tried to get into his mind, but Blacks used to be natural occlumens. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him at the time. — Severus paused. —A short time later, he was dead. Accused of treason by The Dark Lord.

Horror accumulated in my throat.

— And did you not investigate the reason?

— Why would I do that? Regulus didn't tell me when he got the chance. — An incredulous sound came out of my lips, and Severus stopped the walk to look at me. — I was in a problematic and difficult phase at that time, Hermione.

I nodded, but I was unable to restrain my eyes from shining with unspent tears.

— How do you think he found out about the horcruxes? — I asked, my voice still gripped by grief for Regulus.

— I think he had teachings about dark magic that no other Death Eater had. The Blacks were ardent supporters of evil magic, there were dark books and artifacts in that house even when the order banned them altogether. — Severus explained. — My guess is that he learned about this before joining Voldemort's cause. When Regulus learned of The Dark Lord's obsession with immortality, he used his brain to put two and two together and realized what he had done.

— And couldn't you come to this conclusion until Harry told about them?

— I stopped studying dark magic as soon as I changed sides. — Severus whispered, turning on another of the curves of the passage. — And Albus ensured that my suspicions never went in the right direction.

— Why would he do that? — I always wondered why Dumbledore did not entrust Severus with information about the horcruxes.

— I don't know for sure. The last time I questioned him, his exact words to me were "I prefer not to put all my secrets in one basket, especially a basket that spends so much time hanging on Lord Voldemort's arm".

I could feel a note of bitterness in Severus's voice when he answered me. It must be angrily difficult for Severus to point out that his greatest defender was, at the same time, the person who accused him with subtlety. I can't imagine how he felt during the time following Dumbledore's death, nor do I like to imagine the possible conversations between them until the elder Wizard managed to convince Severus to kill him. A feeling of discomfort settled in my stomach for indirectly making him remember such a troubled phase of his life.

I shuddered at the coldness of the space around us, at the same time as my breath condensed before me. Further and further down we went, until we reached the base where the three portals met.

Severus looked at me and I tilted my head slightly towards the rightmost arch, which led to the tomb. Silently, we follow through it, going down and down until we lose track of time and never let go of each other's hand. I knew that only the light of his wand and his warm hand squeezing mine, were what kept me from feeling like I was about to fall straight into the darkness.

— Just a little more. — I muttered, recognizing the heights we passed.

— We're past lake level. This place... it's under the pillars of the castle. — Severus commented when the air became denser.

— Do you think that already existed? I mean, before the castle was built?

— I don't know. And I suspect no one knows, no one alive, at least. — I tried not to start bleating like an animal, with his gloomy observation. — What about the tomb? What is it like?

— You'll see. — I murmured.

We passed the room where the hooded Death Eater had controlled the manticore on the night of my attack. The wood chips from the door destroyed by the beast were still scattered on the stone steps. The corridor on the left continued down, and the air was now almost suffocating, taking us closer to where we needed to go. If I were honest with myself, the shivers of my body had already alerted me to something different down there. There was a gloomy emptiness in the air, an aura of death, even the condensation of my breath in the cold air seemed to be short-lived.

I let go of Severus's hand as we stood before the old wooden door with the skeleton knocker of the Hogwarts symbols animals, removed the locket from my neck and handed it to him. We had both talked about the relic the night before, and he asked me to remove it when we were about to possibly meet with the ghost of the younger Black. Finally, I reached for the doorknob and opened it. The tomb was dark, barely discernible in front of us.

— I was waiting for you. — Said a low voice inside. — But your companion is a pleasant surprise.

We both entered and this time, the torches did not magically light up, the only light inside the enclosure was the glow of the ghost of the young Regulus, floating against the far wall, he observed Severus and then slid to where I was lurking, at the entrance.

— Come in. — He addressed me and I took only one step inside and none more. — I heard whispers about your last foray here. — Said the young man, watching me carefully.

— Did you hear? — I asked.

His smile bordered on fun.

— Are you scared?

— Yes. — I answered. Don't lie, it was one of Severus's instructions to me before we went down.

Regulus floated a little closer, but still held on the other side of the cell.

— Hermione Granger. — Muttered Regulus, as if he could taste the sound of my name in his tongue. — Where's the twin of my locket?

— One question for another. — I answered, exactly as Severus had instructed me hours before.

Regulus's eyes slid back at my companion.

— You have always been the most cunning among us. — He answered with a twinge of fun before his eyes fixed again on me. — Tell how you destroyed it, what you saw... and I will answer your question.

Severus gave me a subtle nod, but his eyes showed caution.

I needed to calm down to think and be able to remember Harry's detailed description of what was inside that Horcrux. There was a hissing voice that mocked Ron's dreams. "Always the least loved by the mother who desired a daughter... less loved now by the girl who prefers her friend... always Second, always, eternally in the shadow".

Severus stood motionless while monitoring Regulus's ghost. Everything I remembered seemed to be being read by my companion as if he was wearing legilimence on me, even if our eyes were not fixed on each other. Perhaps our mental bond is so strong that we don't need eye contact for one to see the other as an open book. I wondered if Severus thought I would give up exposing everything I knew about the destruction of the locket, given the lack of news about Ron.

I clenched my hands into fists.

— There was a voice. — I began the report and Severus's head turned to me. — It was the voice of Tom Riddle. It offended Ron, said it saw his heart, his dreams and his fears too. The voice said that everything he desired was possible, but everything he feared was also possible. — I needed to pause when my voice clambered. — Harry told him to stab it with the sword, but Ron seemed bewitched by the conversation of the snake carved there and it continued. It said that he was the son least loved by his mother, that she desired a daughter, not him. And it said... — I needed another break. — It said that I did not love him and that he would always be second, living in the shadow of Harry.

Regulus's eyes seemed to shine brighter.

— So, two shapes came out of the two medallion halves, grotesque shapes of mine and Harry's, first the heads, then the whole body. Ron was even more mesmerized when my blurred form began to say that he should not have come back and that we had laughed at his cowardice, stupidity and presumption in thinking that I would look at him when I had Harry Potter by my side. And Harry mocked that Mrs. Weasley herself had confessed that she would prefer him to be her son and that she would make the exchange satisfied. Both of us told Ron that he was nothing. — I wiped away the tears that fell from my eyes, and it took a few seconds to continue. — Until my shape tangled with Harry's in an embrace and our lips touched each other. Ron managed to strike the blow of the sword after that. He destroyed the medallion. — I concluded.

— Can you realize that this was for you? — I raised my gaze to the form of Regulus, but his eyes were fixed on Severus.

My advisor's face had become even paler than usual and his mouth was a thin line.

— No. It was me and Harry there. — I spoke, confused.

— Were you there? — Regulus insisted.

— Yes. — Severus confirmed in a low voice.

— The trap was for you. Tom always suspected that you would betray him.

— Where are you getting to? — Severus let go angrily.

— It was Lily and James's shapes in that projection, Severus. I don't know how you managed to manipulate the dark magic of the locket without Potter and Weasley realizing it, but that trap was for you. — Regulus said.

— Enough of you! — Said Severus, his voice resembling the sound of a sword cutting through the air. — One question for another and you have already asked many.

The floating form slid from the wall until it sat on the stone tomb of Salazar.

— It's rare the day I meet someone who violated a Horcrux. Forgive me for wanting details about a master of manipulating black magic. — Regulus gestured with his translucent hand towards me. — Ask, Miss Granger.

— We suspect that the disappearance of magic is linked to books. — I spoke as firmly as I could. — Do you know anything about it?

Those eyes shone.

— What is written in these books?

— Names.

— From wizarding families? — I confirmed it with my head. And Regulus looked at his own nails, before giving me a cynical smile. — Families like mine? — I confirmed it again. — I heard that when Hogwarts was founded, Magic was contained within a book.

Severus's face was again a mask of calm.

— Where did they hide it?

— Tell her something she doesn't know yet, Potion Master, and I'll tell you what I know.

I prepared myself for whatever truth was about to come.

— Regulus had a mole right next to his left nipple. And I know that because I slid my tongue through it a few times.

The ghost held back a hoarse laugh, even as I looked at Severus gaping.

— You've always been my favorite. — He said, giving a smile that bordered on an emotion resembling longing. — All right. This book was hidden in the same place where the twin Gaunt medallion was. — Severus began to turn to me, as if going there immediately, but the ghostly voice added: — and it disappeared a long, long time ago.

— And I suppose you don't know who has it now. — Said Severus. — Thanks for the help. — He thanked me, and put his hand on my back to guide me out.

But if there was a chance Regulus would know... I turned to the ghost again.

— There was a man... last time. — I spoke.

Severus had contracted behind my back, but his hand remained in place, warm and firm. And I wondered if this touch would serve as an anchor to comfort him that we were both there, still breathing.

— I didn't think he was human. — I continued — He seemed to be able to float, like a ghost.

For a moment, Regulus's eyes blinked briefly at my unspoken question. So, he said:

— When the castle was erected, the founders forged the book and the admission penalty from that original book where the magic was contained. In it, the names of all wizards born in our lands and who have a guaranteed place in our school are described. Throughout history we have never heard of another fragment of the Original Book, the one that founded our world. But Voldemort suspected that the Pure-blood Directory contains a tiny fraction of it. — Regulus's eyes semi-closed, becoming slits, due to interest. — Hogwarts still owns the admission book, but it is lost among the thousands of hidden places of our beloved castle. — he continued. — And the Directory, the original, is almost a lost myth. The whispers tell me that he is guarded and protected with blood spells attached to his creator and that he must be voluntarily given direct descending skin, no tricks, no magic involved. Creatures so clever and adorable the Wizards... — Regulus seemed lost in ancient memories; then, he shook his head and finished: — gather the two and you will achieve what you plan.

I didn't bother to thank him. Not with the first direct information Regulus had given us. Not when I had been forced to say those things about Ron... We turned around, Severus's hand slid off my back and held my hand. The light, affectionate touch. And suddenly I didn't have the strength to even hold back.

Regulus hummed a whistle in response.

— Take the arch on the left, Miss Granger.

The door slammed behind us, and further and further up in the darkness we followed, through the cold and dormant stones of the walls of Hogwarts. Just before we reached the picture frame in my upstairs room, I spoke to Severus:

— Do you think he told the truth?

— You first.

— Yes. — I answered, and Severus agreed with his head.

— You? — I insisted.

— Yes. — He spoke at last. — Regulus never lied. He had this... gift. We can call it that. He liked word games and riddles, but when he needed to be straightforward, he was. He was never exactly good with lies and I was an excellent Legilimens, and an experienced brewer in Veritaserum even as a teenager. There was no room for lies between us. For omission only.

The bitterness in his voice indicated to me that Severus resented that Regulus had not told about his discovery of the Horcruxes.

The arch on the left was a portal. Still at Hogwarts, but he took us to the far shore of the Black Lake. We could see the castle in the distance and right in front of us, an island. Just like the one that contained Dumbledore's tomb. However, in this one, there was a construction that was half submerged.

— It's the ruin of Merlin's temple. — Severus said, laying his eyes on the same spot.

— Sounds like a stupid place to hide a book. — I said, looking at all the water around.

— And the last place anyone would look. — Argued Severus, moving away and squatting by the waterline. — Sure Voldemort protected it with waterproofing spells and this place is only visible for brief moments throughout the day when the tide is low. This lake is magical and follows lunar influences in the same way as an ocean.

— So how do we get in? — I asked.

— We wait for the tide to drop completely. It's probably bewitched against boat crossings. — Said Severus, still hunched over with his forearms resting on his thighs. — Let's not risk an attack by the creatures of the lake. We will walk in.

I frowned.

— Low tide completely only at night this week. Cho was with the tide table just before going to visit Hagrid, something about grindylows. — I commented.

— Then we wait.

Severus transfigured one of the fallen leaves near the bank into a field towel and we lay in the shade of one of the trees. I curled up next to him, and we stood for a long time admiring the blue sky above us. Another leaf was transfigured into a blanket to wrap us up, and we just lay there waiting for the low tide, while we were consumed by the expectation of what might happen.

— Was it hard to talk about him?

His question made me hesitate, as did noticing the hesitation in his own voice.

— Yes. — I answered in a whisper.

— I did not measure how much he loved you. — He stated, his voice now with the usual calm as always.

— He had a strange way of demonstrating. Even I doubted Ron's love even while we were together.

— What he did... — he paused his voice, making it even calmer and more lethal. — Would that be a big enough gesture to win you back?

I took our hands attached to his lips and kissed his palm.

— Nothing else will be enough after I found my way to you.

A sigh came out of him, just before Severus pressed his lips to my forehead and his arm increased the grip around me, almost as if to ensure that we remained tied to each other in this relationship we created.

— But I'm going to miss him. — I confessed.

Severus's warm hand slid down my arm in a comforting caress. Seconds and minutes passed before he lifted my chin and kissed me long and slowly.

— I understand. — That was his only sentence.

I pressed my ear against his chest, listening to Severus's heartbeat as a comfortable silence fell upon us. With his hand rising and falling behind my back, my thoughts disconnected from the tension that the search for the book caused and fluctuated for days, months and years of moments with Severus's unshakable presence. My imagination went through all the mishaps we went through to build this relationship and I was able to see myself being happy alongside him throughout my future.

It was strengthened by the images of this happiness that I laid my feet in the fetid mud of the lake, which emitted watery noises as every step of mine squeezed it sideways on our way to the small building. Barnacles, algae and even some grindylows they clung to the gray stones scattered along the small path. But with each grip towards the chamber, something in my chest said to move away.

Severus had checked spells around the site, but found nothing. It was strange, but maybe luck was smiling at us once it was. The door was open, so silently Severus and I agreed that we would not need to light our wands and attract any of the animals fixed by light. The cracks in the ceiling stone provided enough lighting for us to see.

With his knees buried in mud and the water receding and running down the rocks, Severus and I checked the inner chamber.

— I can feel... — I whispered. — It looks like claws running through my spine. — And indeed, my skin tingled, and all my hairs crept under my clothes.

— It's not for nothing that he hid it under stone and mud and the dark water of the lake. — Muttered Severus, the mud making watery noises when he turned from where he was.

I shuddered, and also turned where I was.

— I don't feel anything on the walls. But I know it's here.

We both looked down at the same time and cringed.

— We can't use magic. We should have brought something to dig. — Severus growled.

— There's no time to get one. And I bet if we go back and transfigure one branch into one, the spell will fall apart as soon as we step in here. — I stated with regret, knowing what we would need to do.

There was also the fact that the tide was totally low now. Every minute counted for the water that would return.

We walked with effort amid the firm grip of the mud, and both Severus and I focused on that feeling of claws on our backs that kind of pushed us into the center of the chamber. Here, right here, I could almost hear that whisper.

I leaned down, wincing at the icy mud and the bits of nature and debris that scratched my exposed hands as I began to push them.

— Quick!

Severus hissed and also bent down to pull the heavy, dense mud. Little creatures tickled my fingers. Disgusting I thought, but I refused to think about them and we both dug until we were covered in the fetid mud that made the small cuts opened by the forced excavation burn. I don't know how long after, we looked gasping at a stone floor. And a titanium door.

Severus swore.

— Titanium to maintain full strength inside, to preserve it. Like potion cauldrons. — Severus shuddered and pointed. — The door's sealed.

I used my hands again to scrape off the remaining mud from the door. Every bump against the metal threw cold shots all over my body. But there it was: a swirl carved right in the center of the door.

— That's been here a long time. — I murmured. Severus nodded. — How did Voldemort find that?

— There are runes here. — He said, squinting around the whirlpool. — "If you were born in a magical cradle, here is not your place."

— What does that mean? — I looked at him confused.

— My bet is that Wizards are not allowed.

— What will we do? We're both wizards.

— I bet you. We do not know what he thought when he established the protections of this place. And Merlin wouldn't write runes with such sayings if he didn't really mean it. The Dark Lord certainly brought a Muggle with him to open these protections. I would like to see his face when faced with the irony of these inscriptions.

— Why put the book here, then? His aversion to muggles should have discarded that hideout.

— He was a sadist, Hermione. We will never understand the mind of Tom Riddle, believe me, I tried.

I nodded and spread my hand in the swirl in titanium. A startle ran through my body like lightning, and I grumbled, dropping my weight on the door. My fingers froze there, as if the power was sucking my essence, and I felt It hesitate, question...

I'm a Muggle. I remembered every trace of my childhood and every smile of my parents. I also thought about street games with my neighbors and elementary school classes. I remembered the vacation trips with my parents and every moment spent next to them in the normality of our home.

I did not allow any part of me to remember the magic in my veins.

I'm a Muggle, and you'll let me through.

The lock held out harder, and I could barely breathe as I held my mental shield unshakably over my memories of magic.

Then he heard a click and a creak. I opened my eyes and retreated into the heaped mud the moment the door sank and moved away, entering under the stones and revealing a spiral staircase that descended into a primeval darkness that exuded a damp breeze.

Next to me, Severus's face had again become paler than the ordinary, and his dark eyes shone brightly in expectation.

— I've never seen it — He said — The admission book. A copy with the students' names magically appears in the headmaster's office every early summer. Now I understand why. If with only a grain of his power has... that feeling, I don't like to imagine how being close to the Original Book would make me feel.

In fact, that power was filling the chamber, my head, my lungs; suffocating, drowning, and seducing...

— Quick! — I warned, when a small bubble of light shot from the torch next to the door and followed down the curve of the stairs, illuminating slippery steps with slime.

With one hand resting on the icy stone wall, to avoid slipping, I began the descent, with Severus just behind, before the light danced over the water at waist height. I checked the passage at the foot of the stairs.

— There's a hallway and a camera in addition to it. — I said in a low voice and advanced to the dark water, containing a cry in front of the almost freezing temperature and the muddy sensation of the surrounding algae. Severus growled in protest as he followed me.

— This place undoubtedly fills up fast after the tide rises. —He watched, as we dragged our legs through the water, frowning at the many drainage gaps in the walls.

We went slow enough to try to detect any kind of spell or trap, but... there was nothing. And I wondered who would come down to a place like this.

Fool... desperate fools, like us.

The long stone corridor ended in a second titanium door. Behind it, vibrated that power that tangled in us since we set foot in this construction.

— It's here. — I whispered.

— Obviously.

I grimaced at Severus before we both shuddered. The cold getting even more intense, enough for me to wonder if maybe I was already close to death from hypothermia.

I spread my hand against the second door and the pulling, questioning and exhaustion were much worse this time. I needed to lean my other hand on the door to avoid falling to my knees and screaming as the power invaded my head.

I'm a Muggle. I'm a Muggle. I'm a Muggle. I echoed mentally.

A click and a creak, and the door slid to the wall, waters met and stirred as I staggered back into Severus's arms.

— Stupid lock. — He hissed, shuddering angrily at the sight of my state after the mental intrusion.

My head was spinning. One more lock and I'd pass out. The bubble of light flickered into the chamber before us and we stopped.

The water had not met with another chamber, but stood against an invisible threshold, which resembled horribly the veil of death in the Department of Mysteries.

The dry chamber was empty except for an altar of stones and a pedestal of gold. A titanium case was also on it.

Severus gestured with his hesitant hand in the air above where the water simply stopped. Then, satisfied that there were no spells or tricks, he entered, dripping on the stones when standing in the chamber, shrinking his body a little.

Dragging my legs as fast as possible into the water, I followed him, almost falling to the ground as my body adjusted to the sudden air. I turned around... and indeed, the water was a black wall, as if there was a glass panel holding it in place.

— Let's be quick! — He ordered, and I dared not disagree.

We both carefully checked the chamber: floors, walls, ceilings. No sign of hidden mechanisms. Though it was no larger than an ordinary book, the lead box seemed to swallow up all the light; and within it, echoing the same whispers, was the book.

"Who are you? Come closer, let me see you..."

We both stopped from opposite sides of the pedestal and the bubble of light hung over the lid.

— No spell. — Said Severus, the voice a little louder than the shaving of his boots on the stone. — No spell. You need to take it out. — The idea of touching that box, of approaching it... — The tide is turning, — added Severus, checking the ceiling.

— Early like that?

— Maybe the lake knows. Perhaps the water on the side serves the purposes of the book itself.

And if we were stuck down there when the water rose... panic squirmed in my stomach, but I pushed it away and gathered courage, lifting my chin.

"Who are you?"

I flexed my fingers and snapped my neck. I'm a Muggle. Born out of magic.

— Come on! — Muttered Severus. Above, water flowed faster down the stones.

"Who are you? Who on earth are you?"

I am a Muggle; My Name Is Hermione Jane, daughter of two dentists from the UK.

The box shut up. As if that's enough of an answer.

I stretched out my hand and took it from the pedestal, the coldness of the metal wounded my hands, and the power ran through my blood, like a stain of oil in clear water.

An old and cruel voice sounded:

"Liar!"

And the door shut on our back.

Final Notes

All references to the destruction of the locket were taken from Chapter Nineteen "The Silver Doe" of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The underwater chamber scene is inspired by a passage of A Court of Mist and Fury, second book of the A Court of Thorns and Roses saga. If you recognized something, it's probably from Sarah J Maas.

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