Trial of Time: A Hogwarts Legacy Story

(P1) Chapter 10 - Confringo!

Sebastian POV

I pace back and forth in front of a staircase in the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower. I sent Ciri an owl earlier telling her to meet me here. I feel like she probably needs a safe place to rest and to practice spells, now that I know she's being hunted by some of the most powerful wizards in the magical world. From what I can tell about Ciri, it seems as if she would trust me more with her secrets if I'm willing to share some of mine. It may sound like a bit of manipulation, but I do actually care about her. And I have to know the truth about what's going on between her and Ranrok and Rookwood.

I am also nervous to be meeting with her, seeing as I'm still fairly mortified by the Amortentia incident in Potions. I couldn't get out of the classroom fast enough that day. Ominis definitely noticed, but thankfully he hasn't brought it up again. It's been a couple of days now, and Ciri hasn't really acted any differently towards me. Still waving at me in the halls and chatting with me briefly between classes. I'm presuming she didn't notice anything, and I'm thoroughly relieved since I wouldn't want to make anything awkward in our newly formed friendship.

Are we even friends? I'd say so. I wouldn't take the fall for a Scribner detention for just anyone.

I see her quickly descending the stairs to meet me.

"There you are."

"Here I am," she smiles. "I got your owl. What's going on?"

"There's something I want to show you. Follow me."

I escort her a few feet away from where we met to the corner of the hallway, just below the staircase, to a large brown cabinet with different symbols and clocks on it. With a flick of my wand, the clocks on the door start turning like gears as it opens slowly.

Ciri's eyes widen, "What in Merlin's-"

"Ladies first," I gesture towards the door with a smirk. Hesitantly, she steps inside.

"Are you bringing me down here to murder me, Sallow?" she teases as we descend down the concrete staircase.

"You think that just because we venture into the Restricted Section once means that I'm always up to no good?" I fake an offended tone. Ciri laughs.

"Don't make me answer that."

We reach the gate as it rises up. Ciri steps in, immediately in awe of the room.

"What is this place?"

I walk over towards a pillar in the middle of the room and lean back against it. "It's called the Undercroft. Ominis showed it to me when we first became friends. It's a secret room in the castle that no one knows about, not any of the professors or even the headmaster himself."

Ciri moves over to an old chalkboard, her eyes scanning the runes and symbols written on it. "How is it even possible that no one knows about this place?"

"It's a secret of the Gaunt family, which is why I must insist that you keep this between us. And don't tell Ominis either. He has no love lost for his family, but he would kill me if he found out I showed it to you."

She turns toward me. "What do you mean? What's wrong with Ominis's family?"

I hesitate for a moment before I decide to tell her the truth.

"The Gaunts are direct descendents of Salazar Slytherin himself. Pureblood elitists, really. They hate Muggles and Muggle-borns, and most of them have resorted to using Dark magic against them. Ominis isn't like his family, though. He refuses to adhere to their beliefs. And when he was a small child, he refused to cast the Cruciatus curse on a Muggle, so, his family..."