Chapter 46. Long lost family and a beating heart.
"Jess?" Felix asked in a soft, almost fragile tone.
Theo and Draco, having heard the commotion, made their way over to the bedroom where Jakob, Felix, and the girl were.
Pansy moved to follow, but Jakob noticed. Without breaking his gaze from the ongoing situation, he lifted a hand, subtly gesturing for Pansy to stay by the window.
She hesitated for only a second before nodding and resuming her watch.
"F-Felix? Is… is that you?"
The girl stammered in a small, hesitant voice. Her wide eyes flickered with recognition as she stared up at the older boy, squinting her eyes slightly to shield them against the daylight.
Felix let out a shaky breath as he reached out his hand as if to make sure she was real. "Ya, it's me little princess."
Jakob's gaze flickered between Felix and the girl, his confusion turning into alarm as he spoke. "You know her?"
Felix didn't take his eyes off the girl as he gently cupped her cheek. "It's my little sister."
Draco and Theo exchanged stunned glances while Jakob crossed his arms, his mind already working through what this all meant.
His voice turned cold as he spoke. "So that's why you came here. You knew she was here. You knew something was off and didn't bother warning the rest of us before we stepped inside that house."
Felix finally turned to him, shaking his head. "No. I had no idea she was still alive."
Jakob's expression didn't shift. "Explain."
Felix let out a slow breath, his hand not leaving his sister's cheek. "Last year, my folks and Jess came to Salem for summer break. They never returned. Nobody lifted a damn finger to help, so I started doing some digging myself." His voice grew heavier. "Last record I found put them here. When I dug deeper, I found out about this tour."
Jakob stayed silent, watching Felix and Jess with a calculating gaze.
Felix turned back to his sister and finally pulled her from the wardrobe. She was small, probably no older than eleven, her face streaked with dirt, hands trembling as she clung to his arm.
His voice softened. "Jess… you know where Mom and Dad are?"
The girl swallowed hard. "They died." Her voice wavered, barely holding back tears. "Three loops ago."
Jakob frowned.
"Loops?" His voice sharpened as he crouched down, levelling his gaze with hers. "You mean this is happening over and over again?"
Jess nodded.
Felix's face fell, the weight of it all finally breaking through. But Jakob… Jakob smiled, looking as if he had just cracked a particularly difficult puzzle.
"Why the bloody hell are you smiling for?" Draco questioned, baffled with a hint of worry creeping into his voice.
Jakob's knowing grin widened as he still looked at Jess. "Because I know what this is now."
Felix frowned. "And that means…?"
Jakob stood, straightened and brushed off his robes. "I was worried we'd actually travelled back in time, that there was no way to return. But this? This changes everything."
Felix opened his mouth, ready to press for answers, but Jakob had already turned his attention back to Jess.
"Have you noticed anything different while you've been trapped here? A sound? Something you saw? It'd usually happen at the end of the loop."
Jess blinked, looking slightly confused by the question. She glanced at her older brother, who offered her a reassuring smile. "Well..." Jess said as she furrowed her brow in concentration.
Meanwhile, Pansy, still by the window, cast a quick look at the group.
She hesitated, then slowly stepped toward another window, angling herself to hear better.
Her focus shifted to their conversation. Until something outside caught her eye.
At first, she frowned, unsure if she'd seen correctly. Then her breath caught, and her eyes widened.
"Um… guys?"
Jakob ignored her, too focused on Jess, silently urging her to remember.
Jess hesitated before speaking.
"There… there is one thing." She swallowed. "In one of the loops, when I was running from the monsters, I passed by the judge's house. I heard something, sounded like a beating heart. And then… everything reset."
Jakob's eyes lit up.
He placed a grateful hand on her shoulder. "I think I know how to get us out of here."
Jess didn't share his enthusiasm. Her expression remained blank, almost wary.
Felix and Theo, on the other hand, looked ready to jump in relief. Theo even let out a quiet "Holy shit."
But before they could celebrate, Pansy walked back in with a worried and disgusted look, and her next words instantly killed the mood.
"Jake… there are half-eaten bodies outside."
Silence fell over the group.
"A lot of them."
Jakob rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed tiredly. " Pansy, that's not surprising when—"
"They're naked."
That caught Jakob's attention, making his gaze snap to Pansy. She met his look with an alarmed expression, confirming his unspoken question. His eyes flicked back to Jess, who had clung to Felix, whispering something and pulling him towards her as if trying to convince him to stay.
"Jess, how long have you been in this house?" Jakob asked warily.
The skinny girl frowned at the question, gripping tightly onto Felix's clothes. "The undead don't come here, so I've been hiding here for a long time."
Jakob hummed, his tone carefully neutral. "Must've been hard. Living out here for so long."
Felix shot him a confused, almost offended look. "Of course it has. I would've gone crazy."
"I'm sure she has." Jakob answered, his eyes never leaving Jess. Without a word, he subtly pressed against Draco and Theo behind him, nudging them to step back.
Felix caught the shift in Jakob's expression. "What are you—"
He never got to finish.
Jess, realizing she had been found out, grinned wide and unnatural. Her lips pulled back, revealing rows of rotting teeth.
Before Felix could react, she struck.
Her wand plunged through his back, piercing straight through to the other side of his chest.
Felix's breath hitched, his body seizing up as the wand speared his heart.
Then she jumped.
Latching onto him like a rabid animal, her mouth stretched impossibly wide before she sank her teeth into his neck and tore.
Muscle and skin ripped apart with a sickening tear, blood spilling down his chest as she laughed joyfully.
Felix's knees buckled. His hands weakly clawed at her, trying to get her off, but she only bit down harder, loudly chewing his raw meat with an open mouth.
His struggles slowed. His body sagged.
And then, Felix fell face-first onto the wooden floorboards.
Jakob lifted his wand with a steady aim, his expression and voice stripped of all emotion.
"Avada Kedavra."
A flash of green light erupted from the tip, striking Jess square in the chest.
The force sent her small, bloodied body crashing onto her brother's back.
She didn't move.
The four Slytherins stood frozen, their eyes locked on the two lifeless bodies sprawled before them.
Felix lay still, his blood seeping into the wooden planks beneath him.
Jess's grin remained fixed, her wide, vacant eyes staring into nothingness.
Theo sucked in a shaky breath, stepping back, but his legs buckled before he reached the wall. He crashed against it, sliding down until he was curled in on himself, arms wrapped tightly around his knees as if trying to hold himself together.
"I can't fucking take this anymore," he choked out in a raw and hopeless voice. One hand came up to cover his eyes, but it did nothing to stop the tremors that wracked his shoulders. The tears, once barely held at bay, finally broke free.
Pansy and Draco exchanged glances, neither knowing what to say, their usual sharp tongues useless in the face of this.
Jakob stepped forward, crouching beside Theo, giving him a warm but steady smile.
"When we get out of here, I'll Obliviate this from your mind." He promised. "You won't remember any of it."
Theo sucked in a breath, trying to compose himself, trying to swallow down the sobs, but it was no use.
Jakob's grip on his shoulder remained firm.
"But until then, I need you to hold on." His voice didn't waver. "We know where we're going. We know how to end this."
Theo swallowed hard before nodding weakly. His breaths were still uneven, but at least he was trying.
"That's good." Jakob gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Just breathe. Slow. Steady."
Holding Theo's gaze, Jakob took a deep breath, motioning for him to follow. It took a few rounds, but eventually, Theo's breaths evened out, and his control returned.
Once Theo had steadied himself, Jakob pushed to his feet and turned toward Pansy and Draco.
"It's a blood curse." He said with a certainty in his voice. "I've read about this specific one before. It's called the Insanity Ring. It loops reality, forcing people to relive the same events until whatever was sacrificed to power the curse is destroyed."
Pansy's brows furrowed. "So finding the book wouldn't matter?"
Jakob shook his head. "No. The book would reset with every loop."
Draco frowned. "Then what's keeping the loop going?"
Jakob's gaze flicked to the lifeless girl on the ground before looking back at them. "Jess mentioned hearing a beating heart. And it came from the judge's house. That's where we need to go."
The others exchanged glances before nodding.
Without another word, Jakob turned toward the door.
"Wait, why don't we just stay here until the next loop?" Draco asked, making Jakob halt in his tracks. "Wouldn't it be easier to sneak past the villagers before they turn? When they're not… you know… undead?"
Jakob closed his eyes for a brief second, tightening his fingers around the door handle.
Damn it, Draco. Why did you have to ask that?
With a sigh, he glanced back. "Because if we don't reach the heart before the next reset, we'll never be able to escape," Jakob said dryly. "That's what makes this whole thing so enjoyable."
He pushed the door open. "So we have to find whatever's powering the curse and destroy it. Fast."
Pansy, who had followed closely behind, asked. "When exactly does the loop reset?"
Jakob didn't slow his pace as they stepped outside. "No idea. But Jess mentioned hearing a heartbeat before it happened. I'd say that's our warning."
No one looked particularly thrilled by the answer.
Draco scoffed, throwing a sneer toward the village ahead. "I think I preferred the 'going back in time' theory."
"Yeah, me too." Jakob muttered tiredly before nodding toward the settlement. "Let's go."
They moved quickly, keeping low as they jogged back toward the village.
Jakob took the lead, guiding them through the side streets, avoiding unnecessary fights. The fewer undead they had to deal with now, the better.
When they reached the edge of the settlement, they stopped behind the first building. Jakob raised a hand, signalling for them to halt.
The others crouched behind the remnants of a broken fence, waiting.
Jakob turned, his sharp and focused gaze sweeping over his three friends.
"If there's one of them, I'll take care of it. If there are two, Pansy, take the one on the left."
Pansy gave a firm nod, already gripping her wand, keeping it at the ready.
"If there are more than that, we don't engage. They'll call for reinforcements before we can take them down. If that happens, we run." His voice dropped slightly at the next part. "If someone falls or gets attacked, you keep running. I'll handle it. No one stops. No one looks back. Understood?"
They all nodded, though none of them liked the thought of leaving someone behind.
Jakob didn't waste time. "Alright, here's the plan. There are three houses between us and the judge's estate. If we're careful, we can get past them without being noticed." He gestured ahead. "Watch your step. Stay quiet."
Without another word, he turned and led them forward.
They moved cautiously toward the first house, keeping their postures low as they neared the cluster of buildings. Jakob cast a quick glance back at Draco, silently telling him to keep an eye on the windows.
Draco gave a slight nod, raising his wand and scanning the surrounding homes.
The first house posed no trouble.
But the moment they stepped out from the cover of the wall, Jakob's fist shot up.
Stop.
His eyes locked onto a woman pacing back and forth, emitting a low, guttural sound. Her head twitched at unnatural angles, the right side of her face a grotesque mess of exposed bone and torn flesh.
Jakob didn't hesitate.
"Diffindo." His voice was barely above a whisper.
He silently thanked Bellatrix for teaching him as the spell struck clean, slicing through half her skull in a sharp arc. She crumpled instantly, her body hitting the ground with a dull thud.
They froze, waiting. Listening.
No movement. No new sounds beyond the distant, sluggish shuffling of others like her in the distance.
Satisfied, Jakob gave a small nod, signalling that it was clear. They pressed forward, moving swiftly to the next house, taking cover against a short stone wall.
Leaning into the rough surface, the three Slytherins steadied themselves while Jakob moved ahead, stepping lightly to the edge and peeking around the corner. What he saw made his stomach clench.
John, or what was left of him, lay in the dirt, his torso torn open, limbs twisted at unnatural angles. They hadn't even finished eating him. His insides had been ravaged, but the creatures had stopped mid-feast as though they'd lost interest. Five of them still lingered around the body with vacant eyes scanning aimlessly around.
Jakob pulled back, shaking his head at the others.
Draco pointed upward, motioning toward the roof before gesturing a walking motion, then looked to Jakob, Pansy, and Theo for approval. His meaning was clear, get to higher ground.
Jakob considered it. The idea had merit; they'd be out of reach with a better vantage point. But the risk outweighed the benefit. Climbing would make noise, and the tiles would certainly shift under their weight. Even if they reached the top unnoticed, the undead inside the houses wouldn't ignore the sound of four teenagers moving across the rooftops.
He shook his head.
The three boys stood in thoughtful silence, each weighing their options, until Pansy, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, suddenly stepped past Jakob.
He turned, frowning, his instinct flaring to pull her back.
But before he could, she moved to the edge of the wall with her eyes fixed on the group of undead beyond.
Jakob's hand shot out, his instincts screaming at him to stop her.
Then Pansy raised her hand, palm facing the dead, and closed her eyes.
Jakob stilled as he watched the familiar markings of her tattoo emerge, the dark ink shimmering faintly against her skin. Slowly, he peeked past the corner just in time to see the undead falter, their aimless shuffling, pausing as if sensing something. Then, as if compelled, they turned and wandered away, disappearing around the corner and away from sight.
Pansy let out a sharp exhale as she cut the connection, but when she opened her eyes, she smiled at him with an utterly triumphant smirk. Jakob stared at her, unable to hide his amazement. At that moment, he wanted to kiss her. He also wanted to interrogate her, but that would have to wait until the second they got back.
He gave her a proud smile and gave a motioning nod forward, silently acknowledging her lead. She returned it, stepping forward with careful yet steady movements.
When Jakob glanced back at Draco and Theo, both wore the same bewildered expression, their eyes darting between him and Pansy as if demanding an explanation. Jakob merely shrugged and grinned at them before continuing behind their new leader. Maybe, just maybe, they would make it out of this alive.
They moved quickly with renewed hope and stronger focus.
When they reached the last house, they pressed themselves against the rough exterior, their ears straining for any sign of movement. Draco suddenly reached out, grabbing the fabric of Jakob's tank top and jerked his head toward a nearby building.
A hunched figure swayed near a window, its movements jerky and its hollowed gaze searching outside, but it hadn't seen them yet.
Jakob nudged Pansy, gesturing toward the window. She understood immediately. Lifting her hand once more, she made a subtle motion, and the creature inside reacted, its head twitching before it turned, staggering away from the glass.
They moved swiftly toward the judge's house, slipping through the already-open door. The air inside was thick and stale, carrying the faint scent of decay.
Theo eased the door shut behind them, careful not to let it creak, while the others immediately set to work, scanning the room for any signs of the cursed object.
Jakob's voice was low and measured as he spoke. "Modesty said there were four witches, but we only saw three. The last one must have sacrificed herself somewhere in this building."
The group exchanged quick glances. Knowing time was against them, the four Slytherins spread out, searching for any sign of the sacrifice.
Growing frustrated that they seemed closer to an answer yet still grasping at shadows, Pansy glanced between the three boys, still rummaging through the space. "Maybe we should split up to cover more ground? We don't know how long we have."
Draco snorted, not even looking up from the cabinet he was rifling through. "Pansy, that is the fastest way to get ourselves killed. Have you ever read a book where splitting up ended well?"
Pansy rolled her eyes. "We're wasting time, Draco."
Theo, crouched near an overturned desk, sighed. "I hate to agree with her right now, but she has a point."
That drew every pair of eyes in the room to him. He shifted uncomfortably under the attention. "What? I can be reasonable sometimes."
Draco let out a heavy sigh, gesturing toward the dark staircase ahead. "So… who's going up there?"
Jakob, standing closest, twirled his wand between his fingers before answering. "I'll take Pansy."
He didn't wait for approval. Without hesitation, he approached the staircase and began ascending. Pansy hurried after him, keeping close.
When they reached the landing, they stepped into the room where it had all begun, the same room where the three witches had died.
Nothing had changed.
The bodies remained where they had fallen, their lifeless forms sprawled across the floor. The infant's corpse lay unnervingly still in its swaddle.
Jakob's voice remained even. "Can you feel anything?"
Pansy's gaze swept the room, her fingers twitching slightly as she searched for something unseen. After a moment, she shook her head. "No. Nothing."
Jakob nodded and continued his search, stepping carefully around the bodies. He was halfway across the room when Pansy spoke again, her voice quieter this time.
"Jake… why can I sense the dead? And not just that—I can control them."
He turned to look at his roommate and gave her a small, knowing smile. "You've been touched by the god of magic and death. I think that affinity gives you control over them… whether you asked for it or not."
Pansy frowned with clear confusion marring her face. "How can you be so sure of that?"
Jakob didn't look up, his attention on an old book he had just pulled from a wooden box. He flipped through its brittle pages as he answered. "Because your tattoo started appearing the moment you controlled the dead villagers."
His voice carried both admiration and something else, something bordering on envy. He sighed, shaking his head slightly as he snapped the book shut. "What I would do to have that kind of power."
Her eyebrows lifted, intrigued. "So, you're saying that—"
She didn't get to finish.
The sound of rapid footsteps pounded against the stairs, and a second later, Theo burst into the room, panting. His eyes darted between them before he managed to get the words out.
"Draco found it." He sucked in a breath. "It's a trapdoor. Hurry."
Jakob and Pansy didn't hesitate.
They moved quickly, descending the stairs, careful to keep their steps light despite the urgency.
When they reached the kitchen, Draco was already there, standing at the edge of a dark opening on the floor, staring down into the abyss below.
Jakob followed his gaze and saw that a rug had been pushed aside, revealing a trapdoor. It was unsettlingly familiar, almost identical to the one covering the entrance to the three-headed dog back at Hogwarts. The wooden hatch had been wrenched open, revealing a gaping black hole. None of them spoke. None of them made a move to go first.
Jakob took a steadying breath and looked at his three friends with a wide smirk. "Alright, let's go."
And with that, he jumped.
The moment his feet hit the ground, he flicked his wand forward. "Lumos."
A faint glow illuminated the space around him, showing a narrow and damp tunnel with thick roots snaking down from the ceiling that stretched further than his eyes could see.
The scent of earth filled his nostrils, but there was something else beneath it, something he couldn't quite place.
Jakob stepped aside, making room as the others landed beside him one by one. They exchanged wary glances and without saying a word. Jakob led them forward, deeper into the darkness.
It was subtle at first, like walking through an invisible sheet of air, but the moment Jakob crossed a certain point, he knew. A shift. A break in the atmosphere. It felt almost exactly like the ward he had placed outside the corridor in Hawaii.
Jakob stopped and felt the hairs on his arms rise. He turned to check on the others, and his gaze landed on Pansy.
She had gone pale, her expression frozen in shock and fear.
Her voice barely rose above a whisper. "They know we're here. They're all coming."
Jakob's eyes stayed locked on Pansy, watching as her face lost more colour by the second.
"Run." He said in a low tone. "Faster than you've ever run before." Then, as if panic had caught up, he yelled, "Go!"
He spun around and bolted forward, the three Slytherins right behind him.
Above them, the ground trembled, the pounding of countless footsteps echoing through the earth. A deep, unsettling rumble shook loose bits of dirt from the tunnel ceiling. Then came the sounds, inhuman growls, frantic, guttural screams reverberating through the walls like a prelude to an oncoming storm.
The tunnel abruptly widened, opening into a circular chamber. The walls were uneven, with earth packed tight, as if the space had been carved out for one singular purpose.
He saw it.
In the centre of the chamber hovered a beating heart.
It almost glowed, its steady rhythm unnervingly calm as it pulsed.
Jakob barely took a second to scan the area before turning to his friends. "Hold them off. Throw everything you have at them."
Draco, Theo, and Pansy moved into position near the tunnel entrance, raising their wands toward the dark passage ahead, where the growls and screams grew louder.
Jakob reached into his pocket, his fingers wrapping around the cool handle of his knife.
He pulled it free, its red-engraved metal gleaming faintly under the light.
With his wand in his left hand, he shifted the blade to his right, closing his eyes as he took a slow, steady breath.
Then, he began the incantation.
The growls grew louder, the tunnel amplifying the sound of what could only be described as pain and death. Pansy's eyes locked onto the first set of vacant eyes emerging from the darkness. She raised her hand instinctively, her fingers trembling slightly as she reached for whatever force lay within her.
A handful of them stopped, their bodies going rigid, heads twitching violently as if something had latched onto them. But it wasn't enough. The ones behind didn't care as they ploughed through their frozen counterparts with relentless force. Bones cracked, and bodies crumpled under the weight of the hoard, but it didn't seem the attempt did anything to slow them down.
Draco tightened his grip, bracing himself as he aimed his wand at the gaping tunnel entrance. His hands shook slightly, not from fear but from the sheer pressure of what he was about to do. He took a slow breath, his lips barely moving as he whispered, "Let's see if Father was right."
Then, with a sharp inhale, he roared: "Calidum Trabem!"
A blinding beam of white-hot magic erupted from his wand, slicing through the rushing undead like a blade through parchment. Flesh burned, bones turned to ash in an instant, and the forward momentum of the hoard was thrown back as the searing light carved through them.
Theo let out a triumphant yell, watching the creatures disintegrate under the spell's raw power. But then the beam flashed. The white-hot energy pulsed and flickered before the brilliant light vanished in the span of a heartbeat.
Draco barely had time to react. His body swayed, his knees buckling, and before anyone could reach him, he collapsed unconsciously onto the ground.
"Jakob, hurry! Draco is down!" Pansy shouted urgently.
The second wave of undead surged forward, filling the space left by the ones Draco had just obliterated. Pansy raised both hands, her entire body trembling as she pushed her magic to its limits.
The first row of turned villagers jerked to a halt and raised their arms in a grotesque mimicry of defence, clawing at their brethren, holding them back with desperate, unnatural strength.
But the hunger of the hoard was relentless. Those behind them pushed forward, tearing into their kin.
One by one, her makeshift shield of the dead crumbled under the sheer force of the onslaught. For every wall of the body that fell, another turned, standing in its place, only to be torn down moments later while the horde continued pushing forward one wall at a time.
Jakob's chant faltered, his concentration breaking as he turned toward the fight. His sharp green eyes darted to Draco's unconscious form, then to Pansy, whose face had gone deathly pale from the strain.
There wasn't enough time.
His grip tightened around the knife in his hand. For a moment, he hesitated—just a fraction of a second—as his gaze dropped to the pulsing red barrier in front of him. It shimmered like a living thing, protecting the ancient, beating heart embedded within the chamber.
No more time. No other choice.
Jakob flipped the knife in his grip, and without another thought, he drove the blade straight into the barrier.
Knowing he had no other choice, Jakob let his wand fall, his focus narrowing to a singular point.
He raised his free hand, pressing his palm against the dagger's pommel, forcing it deeper into the shimmering red barrier.
The resistance was immense, like trying to push through thick, living flesh. The barrier pulsed in response, fighting back, but the knife inched forward, piercing through layer by layer.
Behind him, Pansy's body began to tremble violently. A fresh stream of blood trickled from her nose, her breaths turning ragged. Theo watched in horror as her scream grew weaker, her body visibly sagging as her magical core drained. Her eyes fluttered, unfocused, her arms shaking as she fought to hold them up.
Then, suddenly, they dropped.
Her knees buckled, and her body crumpled to the ground.
"Jakob! Pansy is down! Hurry, they're almost here!" Theo's voice cracked with panic as he turned back toward the tunnel. They moved as one, an endless, mindless force that would not stop until there was nothing left of them.
Jakob clenched his jaw, his entire body trembling from the sheer force of will it took to push the dagger forward.
"Need… just… more… time!" he growled through gritted teeth, every muscle in his arms straining as he forced the blade deeper.
The heart within the barrier was frantic now, its rhythm erratic, each deep, wet thump-thump echoing through the chamber.
The dagger was only a centimetre away.
Theo's breathing came fast and more uneven. His hands clenched at his sides, his eyes darting wildly as panic tightened its grip around his throat. He needed to think. He needed to act. But the chaos, the screams, the monstrous growls, it was too much.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
The sound drowned out everything else. The screams, his own ragged breathing, it all faded. It was happening. Jakob's pulse spiked, sheer panic gripping his heart.
No. No. No. His strength was failing. If it reset now, if he failed now, they were done.
His arms shook, the dagger just centimetres from piercing the heart. His grip began to slip. The barrier pulsed, fighting back, keeping him from what needed to be done.
Theo saw it; the dead were nearly there, their rotting hands reaching, clawing, seconds away from tearing into them. There was no time. No other option.
He raised his wand and aimed it not at the dead but at the tunnel's roof.
"Bombarda Maxima!"
The explosion was instant. The tunnel roof shattered with a deafening roar, dirt and jagged rock collapsing in on itself. The force sent a shockwave outward, casting Theo backwards.
His body crashed into Jakob's back, knocking him forward. The sudden impact drove Jakob's full weight onto his hand and the pommel, and the dagger plunged the final centimetre straight into the beating heart.
Jakob barely registered the blade sinking into the cursed object, halting its beating before he lifted his head. Above him, the cave was caving in. The world became dust, falling stone, the suffocating weight of the earth crashing down.
And yet, he smiled.
His eyes fluttered shut, and in his last moment, he felt the cool press of soil against his face.
The weight of the earth never came.
Instead, Jakob felt... Nothing.
For a moment, there was only silence, no crushing debris, no screams, no sound at all. Confusion flickered through his mind as the world around him shifted.
He opened his eyes.
The attic.
He stood there, his body still tense as if bracing for impact. But there was none.
Pansy, Theo, and Draco were beside him, whole and unharmed, mirroring his own shocked expression.
Pansy was the first to speak, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are... Are we… back?"
Jakob let out a slow breath, scanning the room before nodding. "Yeah. We made it."
Theo blinked, still catching up to reality before his gaze flicked toward Draco and Pansy. His brow furrowed, and he pointed at them. "Wait, why are you two standing? You both fell."
Draco glanced down at himself, flexing his fingers as if to confirm he was real. "I—" He cut himself off, shaking his head as if the answer didn't matter.
Jakob's attention snapped to the book he had been reading before all of this began. He strode over, picking it up, his grip tightening around the worn leather cover.
He pulled out his wand and tapped it against the book's spine. The tome shrank instantly, small enough to slip into the pocket of his shorts.
He glanced toward the attic door with an unreadable expression. "We arrived the same way we left."
Pansy's eyes lit up with hope. "So Felix, Carmen, and John are going to be fine?"
Jakob gave her a sympathetic smile. "If you die, there's nothing to restore."
Pansy's hope wavered, her mouth opening as if to speak—but before she could, Jakob made a quick gesture for silence.
His wand was already in his hand, his head tilting slightly as if listening.
Beyond the door, slow, steady footsteps echoed up the stairs.
The steady rhythm made the whole group hold their breaths as they turned their attention to the source of the sound.
They had heard those footsteps before.
Jakob's voice dropped to a whisper. "Hide."
Each of them found a place out of sight, pressing themselves into the shadows as the attic door creaked open.
The old woman stepped inside with a content expression as she scanned what she believed to be an empty attic. With a satisfied sigh, she strolled forward, muttering to herself.
"All in a day's work."
She slipped on a pair of worn gloves in an almost automatic motion as if she had done that countless times before. Then she reached for the book, the book that wasn't there.
Her hand grasped at air.
She frowned, blinking down at the empty space where the tome should have been. Her confusion deepened as she patted the spot once, then again as if the book might somehow reappear under her touch.
Her brows furrowed. "That's strange."
"Not the paradise I hoped for, but at least we received a warm welcome," Jakob mused, stepping out from behind a stack of wooden boxes, his wand trained steadily on Modesty.
Her head snapped up, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "How… how can you…" Her voice faltered as the other three Slytherins emerged from their hiding spots, forming a loose circle around her.
The shift in her demeanour was immediate. Panic flickered across her face as she glanced between them, her hands twitching slightly as if calculating an escape.
Jakob tilted his head. "Ahh.. let me guess." He continued, his voice taking on a calm but cold amusement. "You lure innocent witches and wizards into your little tour and then, you send them away to that place? You aren't even a witch, are you?"
At that, the woman let out a warm, genuine laugh, one that made the four Slytherins exchange wary glances.
Then, her expression darkened.
"Heavens, no. I'd kill myself if I was." Her voice, once pleasant, with a heavy accent, had twisted into something more cold. Her sharp eyes swept over them in disgust. "And you call yourselves innocent? Your magical abominations are everything except innocent."
"My adoptive brother… Credence, killed my mother. They left me to die. I was only eight years old when those magical destroyed everything I ever cared about."
Jakob arched an unimpressed eyebrow. "Ah, I get it now." He took a step closer, his wand still aimed at her. "You had a shitty childhood, so now you want to take it out on everyone else. I do love a Classic."
Modesty raised her chin. "I only continued where my mother left off. She did the Lord's work. She was the leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society. When I see her again, she will smile at what I, Modesty Barebone, have accomplished."
Jakob let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.
Then, the chuckle turned into something colder. A sharp and mirthless laugh.
"You actually think you're getting an afterlife, Modesty?" His voice was light, almost teasing, but his eyes, his eyes were something else entirely.
The colour drained from her face, her bravado cracking. For the first time, she looked afraid.
She took an instinctive step back, only to collide with Draco.
The blonde barely spared her a glance before his hand shot out, gripping her shoulder in an iron hold, and with a push, he forced her down to her knees.
Jakob grinned, that inhuman smile that surfaced whenever he felt his darkness stir.
His eyes gleamed as he met Modesty's downcast gaze.
She had turned her eyes toward the floor, whispering a prayer under her breath.
"You can leave. This won't be pretty." He said lightly, almost playfully, but the look in his eyes was anything but.
Draco and Theo exchanged a glance. No words were needed. They nodded and stepped back, Theo disappearing first while Draco lingered just a second longer. His lip curled in disgust as he shot one last hateful look at the old woman before he closed the door behind them.
Pansy, however, lowered her wand and stepped closer, stopping just beside Jakob.
She leaned in, her breath warm against his ear as she whispered. "I want to see it."
Jakob chuckled before lowering himself onto one knee in front of the praying woman, pocketing his wand.
Her voice failed to remain steady as she continued her prayer. "Our Father, who art in heaven…"
His hands moved slowly, almost gently, as he cupped her face, lifting her chin so she was forced to look him in the eyes.
Her prayer faltered.
But then, she smiled, not in fear, not in desperation, but in certainty.
"I don't regret anything." she admitted in a quiet but firm voice. "I have a list of everyone I've killed, and one day, your name will be on that list as well." She said in a voice that sounded almost grandmotherly, smiling at him as if she pitied his future.
Jakob clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he murmured in a soft, chiding tone. His thumb brushed over her cheek in a slow caress.
"You forget something, Modesty." he whispered, his lips barely moving as he spoke. "My name is Jakob Quade."
His hands slid up, his fingertips pressing lightly against her temples.
"I'm not like everyone else."
His smile never wavered. "I'm special."
Then, the mist came.
It seeped slowly from his fingers and began curling around her head like a snake. Thick, dark tendrils of darkness slithered into her skin, into her mind.
Still wearing that smile, Jakob closed his eyes, letting out a relieved sigh.
The mist coiled, slipping into her eyes, her ears, her nose, her mouth.
Modesty gasped, her whole body tensing as a violent tremor wracked through her limbs. Her pupils dilated in terror as the darkness spread, forcing its way inside.
Her chest heaved. She gagged.
She tried to pull away, to claw at him, but his grip was iron.
Jakob didn't even acknowledge her struggle.
As Jakob closed his eyes, another pair opened.
He was no longer in the attic.
The world around him was white, endless, empty. There were no walls, no ceiling, just an expanse of nothingness stretching infinitely in all directions.
Then, to his left, something flickered.
A small yellow light hovered a few meters away, pulsating but very weakly.
Jakob stepped forward, tilting his head as he observed it. It was fragile, trembling like a candle flame in the wind.
"So much weaker than a magical soul," he murmured, studying it with curiosity.
The tiny orb shuddered as if sensing the danger it was in. It tried to flee, jerking upward in a desperate bid to escape.
Jakob raised his hand.
Dark mist shot out, curling around the soul like a cage. The moment it made contact, the soul jerked to a halt, suspended mid-flight, frozen as if paralyzed. It was trapped, unable to escape.
A slow, predatory smirk spread across his lips. "Where did you think you were going?"
He curled his fingers, and the mist responded, dragging the soul back to him. The orb flickered wildly, straining against its prison, but it was hopeless.
Jakob lifted his hand, watching it hover above his palm. He could feel it, its terror, its resistance, its desperate plea for escape.
He closed his eyes for just a second, riding the wave of fear. Inhaling it like it were a perfume.
Then, his smile widened.
"Goodbye, Modesty." he said softly, almost mockingly gentle. "Or should I say—welcome to the family."
His fingers began to curl.
The mist tightened, closing in around the soul, its golden glow suffocating under the weight of the darkness. The light pulsed frantically, shrinking as the tendrils constricted, absorbing its energy bit by bit.
And then…
It was gone.
As Jakob remained locked in his trance, Pansy watched with growing interest.
The old woman's body trembled, her hands twitching at her sides. Tears spilt from her unblinking eyes, rolling down her cheeks, yet she remained motionless.
Then, without warning, an ear-splitting scream tore through the room.
Pansy jerked back, her heart hammering. But something was wrong; Modesty's lips never moved. The sound didn't come from her mouth. It came from somewhere deeper, a place beyond flesh and bone.
The raw and agonized cry stretched on before abruptly cutting off.
Modesty's wide, glassy eyes lost something, a spark, a presence, an essence. Then, her chest rose once, slow and strained. A final breath. And then, there was… nothing.
From her still form, the mist began to retreat, slithering out from her eyes, mouth, and ears. This time, however, it carried a faint yellow hue within its black tendrils, a lingering echo of what once was.
The mist coiled into Jakob's hands, disappearing beneath his skin.
A few seconds passed before he opened his eyes.
He sighed before letting go of Modesty's lifeless body. She collapsed onto the floor, her face frozen in that final expression of terror.
Pansy stepped closer, her gaze locked on the unmoving form. "Is it done? Did she suffer?" she asked in a cold, hopeful tone.
Jakob stood, dusting off his hands before nodding. "Her soul is gone. She—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Pansy froze beside him like she had seen a ghost.
Modesty blinked.
The old woman slowly sat up, like a puppet being pulled upright by invisible strings. Her face was blank. That fire of hatred, the twisted righteousness in her expression, it was all gone.
Jakob's breath slowed as he watched. He knew that look. He had seen it before.
"You didn't kill her?" Pansy asked in disbelief as she stared at the old woman, then back at Jakob.
Jakob didn't answer immediately. His eyes were fixed on Modesty, his own expression mirroring her vacant, lifeless stare. Slowly, he leaned in, inspecting the eerie stillness of her form.
"I took her soul." he explained quietly, more for himself than for Pansy. "Modesty is dead. But… the human body can survive without a soul."
Pansy inhaled sharply before she snapped her gaze to him. "You gave her a Dementor's Kiss?"
Jakob finally turned, meeting her gaze. He nodded.
Pansy could only stare at him, a mix of shock and something dangerously close to awe.
Jakob turned back to Modesty, curiosity flickering across his face. He reached out, tapping his index finger against her forehead with a smirk.
"Modesty Barebone, do you hear me?"
The lifeless eyes that had once burned with hatred shifted. They moved, focused on him.
Jakob barely managed to stop himself from flinching.
"Yes. I hear you."
Her voice was flat, hollow, carrying none of the zeal, none of the righteous fury she had possessed before.
Jakob let out a breathless chuckle as he turned to Pansy. "It's almost like she's staring into my soul." he said, feeling very proud over the pun.
Pansy rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Jakob cleared his throat and returned his attention to his new creation.
"You are only going to listen to my words. You will only do what I say. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
Pansy folded her arms, eyeing him warily. "Jakob… what are you?"
He lifted a single finger, silencing her. His focus remained on Modesty as he continued in a smooth and commanding tone.
"You will never tell anyone, in speech or in writing, that you have seen me, Pansy, Draco, or Theo. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"You will contact MACUSA and turn yourself in." He continued. "Confess to the crimes you have committed against the magical world. Show them the list and the book. Explain everything, how you did it, every detail."
"Yes."
Pansy stood beside him with her arms still crossed, watching in fascinated silence.
Jakob's gaze remained locked on Modesty's lifeless form, his next words coming with a cruel smirk. "Once you are done, you will proceed to kill yourself by any means necessary. If you fail, you will never speak again. Ever."
"Yes."
"MACUSA's headquarters is in the Woolworth Building in New York. Do you have the means to get there?"
Modesty's blank eyes blinked once. "I do."
Jakob tilted his head slightly, then gave a slow nod, leaning back as he straightened with a pleased smile.
"Then I wish you a happy journey and hope you enjoy your stay. Now, get going."
The lifeless woman stood without a word. Without hesitation, she walked toward the door, her pace neither hurried nor reluctant, just empty.
"Why are you letting her go? And what makes you think she'll actually do what you tell her?"
Pansy's sharp tone cut through the quiet room as she locked her gaze on Jakob's with a mix of intrigue and scepticism.
Jakob sighed, giving his roommate a tired shrug. "I read about this in one of the books on Dementors." He spoke as if the answer was obvious. "Once someone loses their soul, they have no will of their own. No reason to lie. No reason to do anything except what they're told. When the Ministry lets them go, they're simply… given instructions. And they follow them. That's all they know."
As if proving his point, Modesty opened the attic door and stepped out.
Draco and Theo stood outside with clear confusion on their faces as the old woman halted in front of them.
She blinked slowly before speaking in a monotone voice. "Excuse me, can you let me through? I have a thing I must do."
Draco's frown deepened. Theo hesitated, glancing at Jakob through the doorway.
Jakob gave them a simple nod.
With an uncertain glance between them, the two boys stepped aside, letting Modesty pass.
Draco threw his hands up in exasperation, glaring at Jakob. "Seriously? You're letting that crazy… thing go?"
Jakob nodded. "She's already gotten her punishment. I'd say it's worse than the curse she put us through."
Draco and Theo still looked unconvinced, Theo even dragging a finger across his throat in a silent question as if why they weren't finishing it.
Jakob sighed. "Felix and his friends were only the beginning. Others would have come looking for answers. If she confesses, there's no reason for anyone to investigate further."
His green eyes flickered with amusement as he turned his attention to the hollowed old lady. "And after she confesses? She'll kill herself. No loose ends. No mention of us."
Theo looked genuinely impressed. Pansy merely shrugged as if that outcome was just as acceptable as any other.
Draco, however, had noticed the emptiness in Modesty's eyes. It wasn't just death; it was something far worse.
His gaze snapped back to Jakob. "Her eyes… Did you just—?"
Jakob gave him a slow, knowing nod.
For a moment, Draco looked stunned. His hand started to rise toward his mouth, but he caught himself and, in that second, hesitated. Instead, he decided to drag it through his hair, his expression shifting into something uneasy.
Theo, still watching the old woman as she made her way down the steps, spoke next. "Where exactly is she going?"
Jakob sighed as he began rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was tired of explaining. "MACUSA. New York."
As Modesty disappeared down the steps, Jakob remembered something he had promised.
"Theo." He gestured for his friend to step closer.
Theo hesitated for only a moment before moving into the room.
Jakob observed him briefly before he spoke. "I promised you I'd Obliviate you when we came back." His tone held no mockery, no teasing, just sincerity. "You did well. You should be proud of yourself. But I also understand if you want to forget it."
Theo's eyes flickered toward Pansy and Draco, weighing the offer.
Then, after a beat, he shook his head.
""I need to remember this."
His voice carried a quiet determination, and as if to prove it, he straightened his posture.
"I'll have nightmares for weeks. Hell, I'll probably need to sleep with the lights on for a while. But when we were in there… I learned something." He took a steadying breath, meeting Jakob's gaze head-on. "I learned that family can betray you. That control over your emotions can mean the difference between life and death. And that the hero… the hero dies in the beginning."
Pansy and Draco stared at him, clearly not expecting something so… honest.
"Bloody hell, mate, that was…" Draco started, but his words trailed off, his brows furrowing as he actually considered what Theo had just said.
Jakob gave Theo a small, approving nod.
Draco, however, snapped out of his daze with a scowl. "Hey... Why haven't you offered me? I want to forget."
Jakob rolled his eyes. "This is exactly why you need to remember."
And with that, he brushed past Draco, heading for the door.
Pansy smirked at the blond before following.
Draco turned toward Theo, who simply shrugged before slinging an arm around his shoulder.
Without another word, they walked out of the room.
A place they would never return to.
Authors note 2: And there! I tried my best to look at some pictures of the city, but I could only find one good painting of the church (Town hall), so I had to improvise the placement of the buildings. In the next chapter, we will examine the aftermath. Then, Hogwarts Year Three will begin, and here is where my take on the au really starts. The groundwork and backstory are done and now begins the story for real. Cheers!
Info time: Modesty Barebone is a canon character in the Harry Potter universe. She was a young girl living in 1920s America, raised by Mary Lou Barebone, the leader of the anti-magic group The New Salem Philanthropic Society.
Her story was tied to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, where she lived alongside her adoptive brothers, including Credence Barebone, whose suppressed Obscurial powers became a major plot point in the movies. The last known information about Modesty Barebone is left somewhat unfinished in the Fantastic Beasts movies. After the climactic events in New York, where Credence's Obscurial powers wreak havoc across the city, Modesty is last seen in the aftermath of the battle. Unlike Credence, who is believed to have been killed (though later revealed to have survived), Modesty's fate is never explicitly addressed. So, I took her character and implemented it.