The Serpent Trio

Part 8- The Undercroft

Cressida POV

"Do I feel like a bad person?" My body felt heavy, this ancient power had torn through me and I was suffering the after affects. I heard Ominis say my name. The room went dark, I felt someone hold me and guide me down. And then I saw and felt nothing.

Sebastian POV

I entered the undercroft, embarrassed thoroughly thanks to the headmaster. He was writing to my uncle to tell him I had been found in the restricted section of the library again. Solomon would have a field day, I'd be in so much trouble. It was only upon hearing Ominis shouting my name in clear distress that I brought myself back into the present.
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER!?" He was hysterical. I ran across the room and fell to my knees next to Cress. She was unconscious but appeared to be breathing. I placed a hand on her face, it felt cold and clammy.
"She's alive." I looked over her as she lay on the floor. "What happened?"
"We were talking, I was touching her face and then she just passed out." Omi was sobbing as he said this. That's when I noticed, her veins and fingertips were darker than usual, almost as if a black ooze was flowing through her skin.
"Hold on, there's something wrong with her fingers." I touched them and recoiled, they were icy cold. "Ah! They're freezing!" Ominis reached down to her hands and felt them himself.
"What should we do Sebastian?" His voice was quiet and weak, as if all his strength had been sapped.
I looked down at Cress before scooping her up into my arms.
"There's only one thing to do." I said as I began to walk out of the undercroft.

Cressida POV

Out of the darkness that symbol flickered. Pulsating with a white glow. It became a bright searing light before it died down again.
"I'm taking her to the hospital Wing." I could hear Sebastian speaking but he sounded so far away. The symbol that was tied to the ancient magic flared up I'm my vision again. If I'm taken to the Hospital Wing questions will be asked. I need to tell them...
"No, not the Hospital Wing." I heard myself speaking but it sounded hollow and disjointed as if not coming from my own mouth but echoing around the darkness that I was trapped in.
"She spoke" Ominis sounded relieved and closer than Sebastian.
"What?" Sebastian's voice echoed and rattled around my head. "No she didn't."
"You didn't hear her?" Ominis sounded confused. "She just told us not to take her to the hospital Wing."
"Take me to the dorm, I need to rest." I directed my instructions to Ominis, my voice still discordant and hollow sounding.
"She wants us to take her to the dorms." Ominis spoke calm and clear in my mind.
"This is madness." Sebastian's voice again, it was edged with anger.
"Look, let's take her to the dorm, keep an eye on her and if she's not back to normal by the morning then we take her to the hospital Wing." Ominis was pleading his case to Sebastian, he was trying to help me, he was trying to do as I had asked him.
"Alright fine, but we take it in shifts to make sure she's OK." Sebastian relented. Ominis succeeded.

Ominis POV

I cast disillusionment on the two of them as we traversed our way back to the Slytherin common room. The last thing we needed was for them to be spotted. Sebastian said there was something wrong with her appearance and I cursed more than ever the fact I couldn't see what was happening.

"Did the charm take?" I asked Sebastian after I cast it.

"Does it look like it worked?" His voice came out harsh, he was clearly on edge.

"If I could see I wouldn't be asking." I shot back, giving effort to convey how stressed I was feeling myself given the whole ordeal. 

"Right, yes, I'm sorry, I didn't think." Sebastian sounded mournful as he said this. "Come on now, let's get going." I heard as his footsteps started off again and I pulled up my wand to guide myself.