Raylynx's POV

I stepped out from beneath the dangling branches of the willow tree on the shores of the Great Lake. Night had fallen and the late autumn stars sparkled brightly in the sky. I shivered as a cool breeze picked up, sending ripples over the water's surface.

I slowly swept my hand over myself, concentrating hard on the spells. I had gotten to the point in my training where when I thought the magic words, I could feel the tingling sensation of magic drawn in from the air surrounding me and entering into my consciousness. The magic flowed into my arm and then pooled in my hand, burning mostly brightly at the very ends of my fingertips. It was like my body had become a constellation of stars that magic could bleed silver into. I could almost feel, very distantly, a sort-of gold magic, magic that felt more like sunfire than the starlight I was capable of emitting. But that was very, very old magic. I had no idea how to tap into that sort-of magic, since there were no words for it to guide my way.

I felt my clothing tighten slightly as they became water-resistant. Next, a bubble appeared around my head, giving me the odd appearance of an update down fishbowl on my head, but guaranteeing me a fresh supply of air underwater.

I drew the stone from my pocket and clasped it tightly in my hand.

"When you dive into the Black Lake, a certain creature will come to drown you," the fortune teller told me. "You must touch this rock to him- it- in order to save your life."

I took a deep breath. I will survive. I promised Jared.

I dove.

I felt my lungs contract in reaction to the chill of the water. I squinted, trying to see through the murky water. With no sunlight, it was impossible to see anything.

Wait, was that a swish I just heard?

My hearing was distorted by the Bubble Head Charm. But I could have sworn I heard something. I turned around, but saw nothing except inky black darkness.

I raised my hand again, and a small ball of light appeared in front of me.

I screamed. It was only a bubble in the pitch-black water.

A gigantic tentacle was mere feet away from my face, moving towards me faster than I could really process.

I shut my eyes reflexively.

The slimy coldness wrapped around my neck and squeezed.

I choked, my arms flailing uselessly in the water as I struggled.

Spots of bright light appeared before my eyes.

My fingers scrabbled helplessly against the slimy, ropelike tentacle wrapped mercilessly around my neck.

The numbing chill of the water that had shut down all my nerves began to overtake my senses too. Surely, this was death…

No, I have to live! Think, Raylynx, think. Do not submit to fear so easily!

As my mind calmed, I remembered that I still had a chance at life: It was the stone that I was still clutching in my numb fingers. When I moved my arm, the stone slipped, almost falling between my fingers.

No, please, hold on.

The tentacle was still squeezing my neck. My vision was beginning to dim. I tried to draw the stone towards the squid, but the movement made my chest burn. The water was so cold that my hands were numbing quickly, and I couldn't tell if I still had the stone in my hand. Praying with all that I had, I directed my unfeeling hand towards the squid's tentacle around my neck. Please, let the stone touch the squid's skin. A sharp pain shot through my chest.

Then, quicker than a blink of the eye, I was pushed out of the Lake. I landed hard on the rocky shore. The splash of the water on the rocks, the clattering of the wand, and the heavy thud of my own body… These were the sounds that told me that I was yet alive.

Shivering madly, coughing and sputtering, I managed to peel open my eyelids. In the freezing cold waters of the lake, its waves still lapping up on shore, was the Giant Squid.

I slowly, shakily got to my feet.

"You t-tried to k-kill me," I said to the Squid.

The Squid made no reply, only sat there in the water sluggishly.

Then, my eyes fell on the growing pool of red blossoming all around the Squid.

"You're hurt?" I realized.

The Squid feebly waved a tentacle.

It must have been the stone. I couldn't concentrate on the amount of force I was putting into my arm. I only knew I had to touch it against the Squid. I must have cut a lot deeper than I thought.

A wave of guilt washed over me.

At the same time, I was terribly suspicious of the Squid. What if he tried to drown me again? What if something had simply gone wrong the first time and he had meant to truly kill me and just failed?

But there was nothing for it. I couldn't sit here and let the animal die just because of my own uncertainty.

I steeled myself for another fight and braced myself for the cold as I gingerly stepped back into the freezing water. I sucked in my breath between my teeth and waded over to the Squid.

"Where are you hurt?" I asked.

He slowly raised a tentacle.

Warily, I put my hands over the bleeding wound and murmured aloud healing spells.

I wasn't expecting much. Healing spells weren't my best area of magic and I didn't have a wand.

But to my astonishment, the spells materialized into golden light and wrapped themselves around the tentacle. When the light vanished, he was perfectly healed again.

Golden light!

How could this be?

It wasn't my magic, that's for certain.

Then…

I looked up at the Squid.

"You are a highly magical being," I guessed.

The Squid raised the same tentacle and beckoned to me.

I hesitated.

I no longer have the stone. If he tries to kill me, this is it.

The Squid waved his tentacle, impatient.

"You owe a debt to me," I said, realizing how foolish I sounded.

But I had to believe in him.

I stepped forward. In the blink of an eye, the Squid wrapped a strong tentacle around my waist and then plunged me into the water.

I reflexively gasped. My Bubble Head Charm had long since broken.

But then I realized that I could breathe perfectly well.

Surprised, I opened my eyes. My mouth dropped open. I could see perfectly clear for miles around and what was more- everything glowed. The rocks, the wildlife, even the currents in the water… In fact, I could see histories layered on top of each other- shining kingdoms of old, now but mere ghostly images floating in the water. I knew this was the Squid's vision.

I could breathe perfectly well, too, and I wasn't cold anymore.

We sped down and down into the depths of the Black Lake, further than I thought possible. We even passed by a mermaid kingdom, but they merely bowed to the Squid.

Then, the Squid nudged me with another of his tentacles. We were slowing down.

I looked at him, and he pointed towards an underwater cave. This cave glowed brightest of all, and I knew without a doubt that the sword was in there.

A voice that sounded like an ancient wind passing through sycamore trees whispered in my mind, "If you are not deemed worthy, you will not make it out alive."

I nodded.

The Squid unceremoniously pushed me into the Cave, which was actually completely dry. I fell onto my hands and knees. I slowly got up, feeling the immense weight of magic shimmering in the air. The Squid's vision had left me, and I squinted into the dark cavern to see- a glint of silver sparked in the darkness. I stepped forward and saw a shining silver blade stuck in a black rock with ores of glittering silver embedded in it.

I knew, without knowing how I knew, that the sword sensed my presence. The consciousness of the sword resided here. I took a deep breath. Would Excalibur deem me worthy? No, in my case, would Godric Gryffindor deem me worthy? The old insecurities of not being a Gryffindor rose within me, but I steeled myself. I cannot believe in those self-delusions anymore. I know now how foolish those insecurities were. It was never for me to decide whether I am a Gryffindor or not. I am what I am, and I accept that. This is the true test.

I reached out and my fingers brushed the handle.

I suddenly realized that the sword recognized me, from when it had fallen out of the Sorting Hat for me.

I gripped the handle tightly.

I am what I am, I thought firmly. I am here for you to judge me.

Suddenly, a tightness enveloped my mind.

I grimaced slightly at the unpleasant feeling.

The tightness began to move, trying to penetrate into the very depths of my mind.

I fought every impulse to resist it, to push it out. I breathed deeply and tried to relax my mind into peace.

Read my mind, I thought openly. Read everything there is. I am not afraid.

A silvery voice entered my mind. Draw me.

I pulled upwards, and to my amazement, the sword easily slid out of the stone.

Then, I felt a rush of air enter the cave.

I turned and saw the last of the Giant Squid's tentacles slip through the cave entrance's barrier.

Only- only it wasn't the Giant Squid. It was-

"Merlin?" I breathed out.

"Yes," Merlin answered, in that sagely voice. "It seems you have been deemed worthy, both by myself and by King Arthur, or rather, for you, Godric Gryffindor."

I looked at the sword in my hand. The rubies in the hilt shone brightly and I could make out the engraving "Godric Gryffindor".

Merlin stepped towards me and waved his hand. Suddenly, the sword glowed in my hand. I watched in awe as it the rubies disappeared into a hilt of solid gold and new letters etched themselves in the blade: EXCALIBUR. Then, the sword faded back into its original form.

I looked at Merlin with astonishment.

Merlin smiled wryly, a hint of contempt in his eyes. "You see, it pays to believe in what others do not take seriously- fairytales and historical lore. These overlooked, but primordial sources of magic… I hope you will always hear what they are trying to tell you."

Unable to think of anything wise to say in the presence of a sage who had heard it all, I blurted out, "I didn't know I was feeding toast to the great sage this whole time."

He chuckled.

Then, he asked me, "One last thing. Where did you receive the stone?"

I looked at him curiously.

"The stone you stopped me with the first time," Merlin clarified.

"Oh. A fortune teller gave it to me," I answered.

Merlin's eyes widened and then his face crinkled in anger.

"A fortune teller? Pray tell, was this fortune teller a she?"

Anxiously, I nodded.

Merlin became vehement. He spat out, "Enchantress!"

He paced back and forth, obviously unnerved.

"I'm sorry?" I managed to say through my fear and confusion. "Is this about the fortune teller?"

Merlin finally stopped pacing. He snorted at me and said scornfully, "So she calls herself a fortune teller, does she? She is no fortune teller."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Well, she's no fraud," I said defensively. "Everything she has predicted has come true."

"She is no mere fortune teller," Merlin said, shaking his head. "She is none other than the Lady of the Lake."

The hairs on the back of my neck shivered when he spoke aloud her name.

"The sorceress of immense power, the sorceress I took under my own wing…" Merlin ground his teeth. "Curse her! Curse her to ashes!"

"Why-?" I began, but Merlin cut me off.

"She left me! She stole all my knowledge and then she trapped me for a hundred years under that awful stone- the stone which gave birth to the shard that you overcame me with!"

Merlin muttered to himself, "I wondered what immense power you held, but now I see. Now I see…"

I remembered how the fortune teller had reacted to the stone, saying Merlin's name allowed. I thought she had merely been using the name as an exclamation, but to think that she was truly the Lady of the Lake herself.

"She didn't want to," I heard myself say. "When she touched the stone, she reacted as though…" My voice trailed off, as I realized I did not have the words to describe the emotions I had seen in her expression, nor the odd shimmer in her eyes when she said her name. Instead, I asked Merlin, "Did you love her?"

Merlin scoffed. "Love a witch demon? No, no, never! It was only because she enchanted me… It was only because…"

His voice softened, quieted, and his grief began to outweigh the anger.

"Maybe she was wrong," I said. "But can't you forgive her? Can't you forgive her this once? She must have had a reason to do that to you. A different path of fate, maybe…?" I also fell mute as I realized that I was not speaking for the Lady of the Lake, of whom I knew nothing about, but for myself, because I had abandoned the ones I loved the most.

Merlin was quiet for a long time.

Afraid of what he was going to do to me, I made no move and said nothing. I knew that in the face of such immense and mysterious power, I was completely subject to his will.

"You are young," he said finally. "But you are much like her. An enchantress with no intention other than to gain knowledge for the sake of power."

His eyes flickered over to me, and I could see the anger simmering in them.

I swallowed hard. "It's true," I admitted. "I want to protect people, and for that, I need to become more powerful. I have left everything I have loved beyond to search for this power."

Merlin's eyes flashed and for a moment, I thought he would kill me.

Instead, he spoke in a low voice. "You must return to them. Do you understand me? You must free them from the curse of grief."

I began to agree, but he cut me off, "Should you fail, I will make sure you burn in hell for eternity."

I fell silent, and my very blood trembled in my veins.

Then, Merlin said, "I will let you go this one time." He stepped towards me and grabbed my wrist. He pulled me out of the cave, where he transformed in the Giant Squid again and brought me back to shore.

Dripping wet, I climbed onto shore. Through the branches of the tree, I could see the moon high in the night sky.

I looked back at the Giant Squid, already swimming away. "Merlin," I called out, and then I said the words I had swallowed back in the cave. "I think she loved you. She loved you, but she could not be with you."

He paused in the water.

"I don't know what I, if anything, can do in the presence of such ancient, powerful magicians, but I swear to you that if I can, I will free her, and then I want you to see if she makes her way back to you."

The Giant Squid swiveled an eerie eye unto me.

"I promise," I said again, my breath a cloud of fog in the chilly night air. It was a visible promise.

The Giant Squid blinked, and then slowly vanished under the surface of the Black Lake.

Shivering, I gripped my sleeve in a fist and thought hard: Exaresco.

My clothes slowly dried and loosened from my body.

I opened my hand and held it in front of me. Calorum aeris.

A long trail of hot smoke, as though from smoldering embers, issued from my palm and wrapped itself around me.

Standing on that silent lake, I stepped out from beneath the tree branches for a moment to gaze at the castle lights.

I allowed myself to admire its beauty for a moment before I began to move towards it, with a plan to infiltrate it.


Remus' POV

I let out a breath as I sat down in the window seat of the third floor. I had just finished my walkthrough of Hogwarts. I remained on patrol until three in the morning, however, and so I took a seat to rest my feet for a little while. I closed my eyes and leaned back for a moment. It was strange. If I concentrated hard enough, I could feel the Unbreakable Vow within me, flowing through me. That's how I knew that Raylynx was still alive, and all right. But it destroyed me to watch the others suffer in her absence. Sirius, in particular, had begun to withdraw further and further within himself. Still, I knew that this was how I could repay Raylynx, if I ever really could, for the endless kindness she had shown me after Hogwarts. Since the presence of the Unbreakable Vow meant that she was alive and meant that she was loyal, this neutral feeling of magic became a very warm, if not burdensome, feeling to me.

Suddenly, I sat up straight and swiveled around. I could have sworn I saw a shadow leap out from the witch's hump. I drew my wand and waited, but nothing happened. Slowly, I stowed my wand away, but I began to pace the hallway again. Then, Sirius, who was on guard with me, appeared at the end of the hallway.

"Anything to report?" he asked quietly. He looked very tired, with dark circles under his eyes and weariness etched into his still handsome face.

"I thought I saw a shadow. But it may have just been the light playing tricks on me. I had my eyes closed for a second," I explained.

Sirius nodded. "We'll just have to be extra aware the rest of the shift."

I nodded my agreement, and we walked down the hall together.

Raylynx's POV

I had almost been caught. I barely dared to breathe, even though my heart was pounding with nervousness. I knew I had almost given myself away when I leapt from the witch's hump. I had cast a Disillusionment Charm on myself, but without a wand, the magic wasn't quite strong enough and I appeared more as a shadow than as a true chameleon. Luckily, I had been able to jump into the shadows of the hallway curtains. The person on patrol suddenly sat up and I froze. It was Remus. He grimaced a little as he squinted and peered down the hallway. He drew his wand and I flexed my fingers, ready to cast a Confounding Charm. But he only scanned the hallway before he stowed his wand away. I let out a silent breath of relief.

It's just Remus. Could I approach him?

The desire to speak with him almost overwhelmed me. Despite my better judgment, I started to step out of the shadows when another figure appeared from the staircase at the end of the hall.

My breath caught and I all but threw myself backwards into the shadows.

"Anything to report?"

"I thought I saw a shadow. But it may have just been the light playing tricks on me. I had my eyes closed for a second."

They came into view, then.

My heart caught when I saw how tired they both looked, but the change in Sirius was far more noticeable. I bit my lower lip.

Sirius spoke to Remus, and for a moment, all I could see was his lips parting and all I could hear was the tones of his deep voice.

Remus nodded in response, and they began to walk down the hall, coming ever closer to me.

Heart pounding, I flattened myself against the wall and held my breath.

As they passed the curtains, Sirius' cloak brushed against my hand for the briefest moment.

The warm cloth that swept past my hand…

I closed my eyes and prayed that my heartbeat wouldn't give me away.

Fortunately, they continued to the end of the hall, still conversing.

"Prongs is getting restless. Try to write to him this week, won't you?"

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that."

When they turned the corner and passed out of sight, I leaned back against the wall and exhaled.

But when I leaned back against the wall, I heard the soft clinking of metal inside my cloak and I remembered why I was here.

That's right. I cannot falter now.

I hardened my resolve and I made my way forward, taking the stairs to the second floor. Once on the second floor, I slipped into the girls' lavatory. Luckily, Moaning Myrtle was off haunting some other part of the castle. I quickly made my way to the sink- that curious sink I had bumped my head on once. I bent down and sure enough- the light glinted ominously off the small snake engraved in the pipe. I took the fourth stone from my pocket.

"When you come to the entrance of the chambers, you must hold the rock and focus to speak the password."

If I'm wrong about this and this isn't the entrance to the chambers, then I have nothing left to go on. Please, please work.

At the same time, fear gripped me as I realized that if this was truly the entrance to the chambers, that also meant that the great basilisk's lair was actually inside the depths of Hogwarts.

I held the rock up to the pipe. Focus? How?

The light glinting off the snake engravings made them look as though they were almost moving in synchronization. My head heart and my vision swayed. My brow furrowed. I stared harder at the snakes. The movement grew more and more visceral, until it actually looked as though one of the snakes was devouring the others. Something stirred inside me and for a moment, I felt as though I was going to vomit. I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my forehead. My mouth opened and my breath was heaving. Suddenly, my tongue moved of its own accord and I heard the strangest slithering arise from my own mouth.

To my surprise and horror, the sink began to move and the ground beneath it trembled. I toppled over onto my side to avoid being swallowed up by the hole appearing fast in the floor. I held my sleeve to my mouth and nose as ancient dust poured out of this decrepit opening.

Blearily, I opened my eyes and crouched at the gaping hole, no longer covered by the sink. I peered down into the darkness, but nothing could be seen. Nervously, I gathered my cloak and gripping the stone tightly, I slid down the tunnel. I slid to a stop before I hit the end. I slowly crawled out of the tunnel and into the dusty tunnel. Holding my breath, I quietly made followed the tunnel until I came to a rounded door, marked by stone sculptures of serpents.

This was definitely Salazar Slytherin's secret chamber. Beyond it, I guessed, lay the basilisk. This time, I knew what I had to do. I held the stone up to the snake sculptures and the faint light swirled around them as they began to move in unison again. I felt that unsettling slithering sound emanate from my mouth again, and the snake sculptures suddenly began to move around the edges of the door, unlocking it as it went. Finally, it clicked and swung open.

Trembling madly, I stepped inside. As soon as my foot touched the marble floor, old lanterns began to flicker on by magic. I froze, knowing that the basilisk was sure to be alerted by my presence. But it was utterly empty. Tall statues of snakes draped with Slytherin's emblems lined the marble walkway. Beyond it was only darkness.

I moved forward cautiously. Then, the end of the walkway came into view and I could see the sword, placed high atop the carved black marble table, which could only be reached by climbing a thin, narrow, and slippery staircase. Arondight, Lancelot's sword.

Seeing the sword made my heart jump. I was so close. I risked starting to run, but then I heard it. A snort. I froze in terror. With eyes half-shut in fear, I turned and looked to the side. I could see the mouth of a huge, enormous snake jutting out just beyond the statue. My mouth opened in a silent scream. I froze for a long, long time.

But it made no move. It must be sleeping, then. I quietly slid forward, but its nostril snorted again.

Can it smell me? It must be able to smell me. Even if it is asleep, it must be bothered by the interruption of human scent.

There was nothing for it. I would have to be quick.

I tried to run stealthily towards the end of the walkway. When I reached it, everything was silent. I was utterly unaware that the basilisk had opened its gigantic yellow eyes for the first time in years, and that it was only a matter of time before it zeroed in on me. Too preoccupied with the sword itself, I began to climb the narrow staircase, which functioned almost more like a slippery glass ladder.

I had just managed to get in reach of the sword- my finger touched the hilt- when I suddenly heard a loud slither and deafening roar- and then a massive body of scales slammed into the staircase just below me. I screamed loudly as everything beneath my feet disappeared. I was holding on only by my arms. The serpent had literally carved out a chunk of the black marble wall from beneath me, scraping it all away without any injury to itself.

In this position, I couldn't even get to the stone in my pocket. But I knew that if I stayed still, I would just be a sitting duck. Unable to quite grab the sword, I could only manage to knock it off with my fingertips. Then, the basilisk struck again and I immediately let go, letting myself fall.

I fell hard on the ground and heard the clatter of the sword as it also fell to the ground somewhere. I quickly rolled over on my side and squatting, grabbed onto a statute, telling myself over and over not to look at the basilisk's eyes. The basilisk's tail whipped just overheard, destroying the statute just above my head. When I inadvertently yelled, it turned to face me head-on. With fumbling fingers, my trembling hand check into my pocket- I heard it slithering towards me, but I was too afraid to check.

Scared out of my mind, I raised my hand and shouted, "Adjuro protego corporis!" I was too scared to doubt that it would work, too scared to consider what would happen otherwise- and so it worked. A huge metal shield expanded from my palm and the basilisk hit it dead on. It shattered, but that was just enough time for me to finally pull out the stone and hold it in front of me. The basilisk stopped mid-scream and suddenly hissed. But rather than an aggressive hiss, it was a hiss of surprise, and then, one of acquiescence.

I dared to open one eye and look towards the basilik. It had closed its eyes and bowed its head. I hurriedly got to my feet and scanned the mess of rubble for the sword. I saw it, lying on the floor between the halves of a statute. I picked it up and started to stow it away when I heard the basilisk begin to stir again.

"He will bow to you only for that moment."

I immediately began to sprint headlong down the walkway. I heard it slithering after me.

I jumped through the entrance hole and managed to shut it seconds before the basilisk lunged for me. I heard the serpent's great body slam against the hole. Afterwards, though, all was quiet. Only my haggard breathing resounded through the tunnel. I stared down at the sword in my hand. It lacked the grandness of Excalibur, Joyeuse, and Ragnarok, but it was razor-sharp and glinted a bright, stunning silver.

Lancelot's Sword of Steel, Arondight, as taken by Mordred... I slowly slid it into my cloak.

The adrenaline kept me moving and I managed to slowly work my way back up the tunnel, using adhesive spells on my hands and feet. The entranceway shut the moment I stepped out. Thankfully, Moaning Myrtle was still nowhere to be found. Taking ragged breaths, I cast a poor Disillusionment Charm on myself, but it was four thirty in the morning and nobody was out, not even Mrs. Norris. I tripped down into the passageway behind the witch's hump, and shivering, fell into a heap before passing out.