Slytherin Roar: Through the Maze || Tom Riddle's Era

Chapter 10 || Shadows Over Mysteries

I carefully walked over to the end of the wall, and slowly slid my head to the edge where I had a slightly disadvantaged view of the stairs. Holding in my breath, my fingers curled tightly on a particular bump on the stone wall, eyes searching for any hint of a living presence, any shadows flickering on the bright surface of the hallways lit by the torches.

That was when I saw it—or more like felt it. A surge of mysterious energy whisked its way towards the stairs and swept like the wind, making no sound as it went. Gradually, the invisible energy turned into black mist, then into a human form, tendrils of smoke trailing eerily away from the white pale skin that eventually morphed into.

For a moment, the presence halted, the black smoke completely arranging itself into a physical form; the person was completely hidden by a black robe that I couldn't tell if it was a monster or a human. Then it suddenly turned its head like an owl, gaze facing directly at me, and I realised... it was a woman's face. A grin was on her face that showed all of her pearly-white teeth and the end of the lips reached painfully almost to the eyes.

It was like the air itself was rushing away from my lungs to my mouth as she faced me and I stood there, petrified, even when she started to walk away towards what my mind now recognised as the stairway to the Headmaster's Office. By the time my body started to regain its consciousness was when the woman was already gone.

In a hurry, I dashed up the stairs, not giving any mind to the fibres of my muscles flaring up painfully, as I tried to catch up to her. I arrived in front of the gargoyle, my mind trying to comprehend what I was supposed to do next when I felt a cold hand rest on my shoulder.

"Sleep, dearie," a thick, velvety voice whispered to my ears.

No, I thought, but it was too late. Her voice was like a blanket in the cold corridor, warm and threatening for the longest and deepest of sleep. I blinked sleepily a few times before my eyelids fluttered close, my body sinking into the unknown woman's arms.

"Good luck finding me, dearie."

»»»»»

I groaned as voices started to thrum violently in my head.

It was slightly bizarre that I find myself in this situation where I wake up on a bed after something important happened without any memory left in my mind for a few good minutes until the events suddenly hit like a bull created by Hephaestus. But it was more perplexing that this time, I had a good memory and I wasn't in the Hospital Wing under the care of the matron—I was in my dormitory and my roommates were surrounding me.

As I stared up at the ceiling, my brows furrowed when the first thing I saw in front of me wasn't two pairs of eyes. one a blustery grey and the other light-consuming black; instead I got three of them which stared down at me confused rather than concerned.

I groggily got up, making Thompson, Owens, and Wright step back away from the bed. Yawning, I shot each of them with strange looks repeatedly before looking at the blankets.

Yesterday felt slightly dream-like—not that I had any decent and normal dream before. My mind was foggy, yet the memory of the black mist, the woman, and her smooth voice was clear as crystals.

I kicked the blankets away, and when I saw that I was wearing my pyjamas and not the clothes I had on yesterday night. That was when everything snapped.

A strange woman was heading for the Headmaster's Office.

"Is something wrong, Vivienne?" Ivy questioned. "You've been talking in your sleep all morning."

I ignored her. Searching for the clock, I checked for the time. 8:43 a.m.

The woman was able to convince me into sleeping without casting a spell.