Slytherin Tales: The Divine Seven

Chapter 22: Stars Aligned

Word Count: 1,091

Chapter 22: Stars Aligned

I woke a few seconds after the fall, picked myself up, and rubbed my back, which was rather sore from the brutal contact with the floor.

"Sachie! Are you okay?! Did you hit your head?!" I heard Elliot call from above.

"I'm fine," I called back. Looking around, I noticed several large blank pieces of parchment affixed to the wall. "I think this room is where we're supposed to go next. You're going to have to jump."

"J-jump?!" Rubina squeaked, her blue eyes full of fear. She cowered into her pale blue and white shirt.

"It's not that far of a drop, just don't look down," I tried to reassure through slight lying, though I could tell it didn't help as the group conversed in an attempt to muster up the guts. Sable was the first to drop down the trapdoor, landing on her butt at the bottom. Next was Genesis, who hardly even made a sound, then Val, who complained about it immediately after, then Rubina who shrieked the whole way down, and finally Elliot jumped. Once everyone landed safely, we examined the room and the wall of parchment. On the wall next to it was a shelf with several model orbs.

"I think it's a star map," said Genesis.

"A blank one," Val replied sarcastically.

"These must be representative of the planets," Sable pointed out, taking one of the orb models of the shelf.

"Try lining them up, perhaps the door will open when everything is in it's correct position," I proposed. We began to grab the orbs, checking the labels to see which was which, and helping each other correctly place them. We all did our part to complete the chart, attaching the orbs to the parchment in order. I liked this puzzle. It reminded me of all the times I used to go stargazing with Leon, when dad would take us out at night and sit with us on top of the roof and just watch the stars. He'd point out the visible constellations and tell us the stories behind each. Life was simpler back then, when it was the two of us. I wonder what Leon will think once he hears I've been accused of. Actually, I don't have to wonder. I know what he would say. I frowned, shaking my head at my thoughts as I placed Jupiter into the correct spot, surrounding it with several smaller moons.

It took quite a while, and a fair amount of bickering, before everything was finally placed just right. Once we were certain our work was correct, we stepped back to view our work. The lights in the room suddenly exploded into small fireworks, startling all of us. At the far wall, an archway materialized, revealing a set of stairs that spiraled down below. We quickly scurried down the steps, the pitter patter of our feet echoed, but our excitement overtook us. At the bottom was another archway leading to a separate cutoff area. We slowly stepped into the chamber and our eyes lit up as soon as we saw what was at the far end. Statues and columns lined the whole room and in the very center of them was a stone pedestal with a small red pendant balanced atop it.

"We did it! Guys we did it! We actually made it!" I exclaimed, thrilled beyond belief. Sable, who was feeling just as elated, rushed up to the pedestal.

"Be careful!" Rubina yelled. She stopped, and so I slowly made my way up to it. I steadily lifted the pendant off its podium, and when nothing happened, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I feel like they really need to beef up their security if a bunch of first years were able to solve all their riddles," Val snarkily judged, walking over to me to examine the pendant.

"Getting into the trial rooms would be near impossible, I think they didn't expect anyone to know Parseltongue," Elliot pointed out.

"They don't account for that margin of error, so in cases like this, it'll be their downfall," Genesis said, looking as cold as ever. "Let's put the pendant back for now and get into our hiding spots."

"Right," I agreed, placing it back exactly how I found it. We all hid behind different statues, which were luckily large enough to hide our small bodies. We listened and waited, but heard no footsteps. An hour passed, still nothing. We hadn't spoken a single word the whole time out of fear of someone walking in at any moment, though we did quietly munch on our snacks. Another hour, and another.

By now it had to be the middle of the night. We were all getting sleepy. Well, most everyone. Genesis seemed to have the same amount of energy regardless of sleep, Elliot seemed too determined to fall asleep, and my thoughts were so restless that I would never have gotten a wink of sleep. My thoughts of doubt returned as we waited, contemplating in silence. Maybe I should call this off, what if we're wasting our time? We have no real evidence they're after the pendant, just speculation. Maybe they just wanted the staff and needed a scapegoat so they threw the ring in my pocket at some point. When did that ring even get in my pocket? Why are we here? Why am I here?

I was about to call out to the others to suggest we head back when suddenly we heard a noise. And then another. My heart skipped a beat. Footsteps. Someone was coming! My heart beat faster as the sound got closer. Finally, footsteps echoed through the chamber as they slowly approached the pendant. I looked at each of my friends, who were now on high alert. We all pulled out our wands simultaneously. I held out my fingers and once everyone in hiding acknowledged me, I counted down.

Three. Footsteps became louder.

Two. They were getting closer.

One. They stopped, finally at the pedestal. Now!

"GOT YOU!" I yelled as we jumped out, pure adrenaline rushed through me, energizing me. We finally had the thief right where we wanted him. We solved the mystery, our suspicions had been correct. But I was not prepared for who we saw, I never would have suspected or guessed. To my horror and shock, the thief we'd been chasing, the person who tried to frame me, who almost got me expelled... it was none other than him. Before us stood the tall figure of my beloved brother, Jason.