Someone To Die For

by Ravnstein

Part II of The Show Must Go On - Secrets, like potions, are a delicate brew of carefully guarded truths and concealed lies; each but a shard of our existence, burrowed deep within; their weight both a burden and a source of power, and I, Salazar Slytherin, have carried them all my life. But all secrets share one common truth - they shape our destiny, for better... or for worse.

1. Prologue: Someone To Die For

"Some say that Pandora's box was a gift from the gods, while others believe it was a punishment."

Unknown

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At merely six-years-old, Luna Lovegood stared at the ornate box whose polished surface gleamed in the dim lighting of her mother's study with an intensity that defied her age.

For as long as the pale-haired witch could remember, the box had been a permanent fixture within their home - and enigma shrouded in a mystery and wrapped up in the deceptively plain façade of a simple box, yet did whisper such takes of forgotten and ancient gods - and of the forbidden curses they had once unleashed upon mortal-kind. And as delicate fingers hesitantly reached out to touch the box, a shiver did run down Luna's spine; a premonition of the chaos that lay dormant behind its innocent visage.

But curiosity burned with this child, a flame that refused to be extinguished by the warnings of the past, and with trembling fingers, Luna traced the intricate patterns that had been etched into the surface of the cube; each line and curve a testament to the craftsmanship of its creator. And yet, beneath the simplified beauty of the box did Luna know lay a darkness - a shadow that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.

Hesitation had fingers pausing, heart but a beating tempo of trepidation and fear as a young mind tried to grapple with the consequences of its actions. But then, with a resolve born of defiance, Luna reached for the latch, her fingers closing around the cold metal with a sense of inevitability.

The latch clicked open with a finality that echoed through the room, and the lid of the box creaked open, revealing the mysteries that did lie within. Luna's breath caught in her throat as she peered inside, her eyes widening in awe and terror at the sight before her.

Within the box lay a collection of artifacts - ancient relics that were imbued with the power of gods long forgotten. Each item pulsed with a malevolent energy, their presence an eerily familiar reminder of the darkness that had once upon a time been unleashed upon the world.

But it was the centrepiece of this collection of death, pestilence, war, and famine that drew Luna's gaze - a jewel of unearthly beauty, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly cerulean-blue light. She reached out to touch it, her fingers tingling with a strange sensation that was both familiar and foreign as they brushed against the cool surface.

And then, in a flash of blinding light, the young girl felt the world around her shift - a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes swirling in a dizzying whirlwind of chaos. She cried out, her voice lost amidst the commotion of the storm raging around her as she was all but consumed by the power of the artifact.