Hogwarts: A Hope Through Time (Book 1)

Prologue

After Hope's hurried explanation about being the loophole to end Malivore and her emotional and heart-breaking conversation with Dr Saltzman. telling him what she thought of herself, 'a cosmic mistake', 'someone that should've never been born'. With tears in her eyes as she tells him about her parents' sacrifice so she could get to this moment.
Hope took a shuddering breath as her eyes started to water. "Take my files, all those notes that I know you keep about me and burn them. Along with Landon's journal." Hope requested over the phone to her mentor and father figure.

"Listen. If you want to erase yourself, that is on you, okay. But you can't ask me to do it too." Alaric pleaded with a tremble in his voice from his office at the Salvatore Boarding School.

"I'm sorry, Dr Saltzman." Hope replied sadly with a sigh as she accepted her soon-to-be-fate, "But I trust you, more than I trust anyone. I wish I would've figured it out sooner too."

Hope hears Alaric sigh with regret over the phone. Her attention is captivated by the Malivore pit as a face emerges and growls loudly, showing that Malivore is close to awakening.

Hope looks down in shock and terror. "I gotta go." She replies worriedly with wide eyes staring down at the tar-like pit while holding Landon's phone to her ear.

"Hope! Listen to me. Wait!" Alaric calls out with concern.

"Not an option. Mhm. Uh... Promise me you're gonna do what I said." Hope interjects quickly, pleading to her Headmaster in hurried determination as she keeps a wary eye on the bubbling pit.

Alaric stays quiet on the other end of the call as there are tears starting to form in his eyes. He hears as Hope pleads with him again, "Promise me." She repeats, hoping to break him out of his stupor.
Alaric looks like he has failed his students once again as he replies, "Alright. I promise." The last two words almost come out as a whisper.

Hope sighs in relief as she takes the phone away from her ear and hangs up. She brings up the call history and deletes her call she had with Alaric then places the phone down gently next to Landon's dead body, whispering so quietly under her breath, "I'm sorry Landon".

As she walks over to the railing of the boardwalk, she wishes she had more time to get to know her friends better instead of ignoring everyone at school. She wonders how her relationship with Lizzie and Josie Saltzman would've been like now that they were all on talking terms and actually friends, after 12 years of the twins trying to be her friend.

She wondered if this was always supposed to be her destiny, for her parents to sacrifice themselves and now she will be doing the same thing. It's almost poetic in her mind.

A sound to her left brings her out of her musings as she sees Ryan Clarke stand up after having his neck snapped by Landon's impressive skills with the Headless Horseman's bone whip. He brings up his hands to his head, grips the top of his head in one hand and his chin in the other and wrenches his head back into its rightful place with a grunt.

"Sorry. I was eavesdropping. What are you waiting for?" Clarke asks nonchalantly.

Hope thought she would be more surprised seeing him pop back up, but with her family, having your neck snapped and coming back to life after a few minutes was practically normal for Hope. "I assumed you would try to stop me."

"Hell no. I was only trying to raise my father because I'm terrified of him. I knew he would find a way out some day." Clarke replies as he walks back toward the security door, the only exit in the room. "But if you are right about this loophole and actually kill the bastard, once and for all... Be my guest." Clarke continued as Hope walked onto the same boardwalk as Clarke. "And if you're wrong, well no harm done, because you'll be dead. So go on, I'll be rooting for you." He finishes with a smirk at her.

"That's not all you'll be doing." Hope says with a distant smile, "Imitantor Pupulus." Hope chants as she moves her hands in the correct motions for the spell.

Clarke looks weirdly at her. "Whatever you think you just did, didn't work--" Clarke cuts off as Hope brings her hand in front of her mouth and Clarke copies her movements. Hope slowly removes her hand away from her face and once again Clarke copied her. "How did you do that? Why did I do that?" He asks worriedly.

"It's a basic mimic spell." Hope answered. "I learned it in 2nd grade." Hope starts walking towards Clarke and due to the mimic spell Clarke starts walking towards Hope. "Also in 2nd grade... Follow the leader." She says with a sad smirk as they now stand face to face.

"You don't have to do this." Clarke mentions warily.

"I know. But it's the only part I'm actually enjoying." Hope smiled but she wiped it off her face quickly as she took a step on the railing, an echo was heard as Clarke's shoe also landed on the railing. Hope shot out her right hand and grasped Clarke's throat in a loose grip. She swallowed slightly as she felt Clarke's hand on her neck. "Too bad you're so clumsy."

Hope forced both herself and Clarke over the railing and into the pit of black goo. There was a splash as they landed and she could vaguely hear a pained groan coming from all sides. Hope lost her grip on Clarke, unsure where he would end up. However she felt content knowing that she saved her friends and family. She let go of her connections to the world and accepted her fate, believing this was her last few moments before she died.

There was a bright flash of blinding light and one last cry from Malivore as it died with a deep groan.