Against the dark Hearts

Chapter 49

The tent was quiet as we snuck in after bathing and retreated to our compartment. Only the soft breathing of the others sleeping could be heard. I couldn't fall asleep. I was tired and exhausted, but sleep was out of the question. Sebastian slept peacefully beside me. I didn't want to wake him, so I got up and stepped out of the tent to get some fresh air.

The clear night filled my lungs. We were so close, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something would go wrong. It always did. It was as if a power was watching over me, wanting my life to be as dramatic as possible.

I sat at the edge of the ledge where the water from the waterfall splashed over, wetting my legs again. The same shitty thoughts haunted me every day. Every day, I told myself the same thing. We would find Evangeline, and everything would be fine. Everything would be fine. The same damn mantra every day, as if it would magically fix everything. I didn't even believe myself, so how could anyone else?

We all developed some quirks to cope with the situation. Ominis thought we didn't notice, but it was clear that the murky bottle he hid in his cloak didn't just contain pumpkin juice. It was fortunate that he didn't become aggressive, just sad and tired. Most of the time, he fell asleep due to the alcohol, and he didn't care what we thought of it.

Imelda picked at her fingernails until they were bloody, it was terrible to watch. Poppy tried to stop her, but she was irritated and couldn't get restful sleep because someone always woke up screaming.

Natty disappeared into the forest more often, roaming around in her Animagus form. She just wanted to run and clear her head. I had started cutting my thighs again, which led to arguments between Sebastian and me. He became aggressive and would hit things. Trees, rocks. The ground when necessary. We started fighting and sometimes fell into silence. Declarations of love were just as explosive as the previous arguments.

It was only a matter of time before we would finally decide that this couldn't go on. Love or not. I was waiting for the moment when one of us would break the other's heart, and that moment came sooner than I expected.

It was a few days after my birthday. The sun was shining, and the sky was clear, which was strange for a day in February. We weren't far anymore. Our camp was on the beach, and we were moving towards a castle that looked well-guarded.

We knew exactly what would happen when we arrived there, so we had devised a plan. They would infiltrate the castle from different sides and silently take out Grimward's people. She wouldn't expect that. She thought we were stupid children who didn't think.

I would confront her and distract her so they could rescue Evangeline.

Margaret Grimward was waiting for me in front of the castle, as if she knew I would come. She elegantly tossed back her long blond hair. Her smile was malicious and knowing.

"There she is," she said and sent her guards forward to grab me, but I backed away and pointed my wand at them.

"Let her go, and I'll give you what you want, but if anyone touches me, I can't guarantee anything," I hissed. Grimward laughed, she scrutinized me just as I had done to her before.

"You don't make demands," she made it clear. "Not after what you did to Viktor. Bring the little blonde," she said, nodding towards the castle. Shortly after, an almost unconscious Evangeline was brought out.

I swallowed. That changed the plan. If they didn't find her, they could at least take out Grimward's people. But how I would get Evangeline back without putting her in danger was a puzzle to me.

She was wearing a nightgown that was bloody and torn in places. I bit my lip to keep from screaming. They had cut her hair, and not even neatly. There were still longer strands hanging here and there, and her face was gaunt. They hadn't just tortured her with the Cruciatus Curse, they had also beaten her. These people were pure evil.

"You want her back?" Grimward asked and approached Evangeline, holding her wand under her chin.

"I thought you would come running as soon as you knew where she was, but you took so long that I eventually realized she wasn't your great love," Grimward pushed Evangeline's head back, "Just a little stupid friend who was too close to you, right?"

I said nothing, I didn't know what to say. I knew this was about revenge, but only now did I realize what I had done. I was the hero of Hogwarts, but the way Grimward pronounced Rookwood's name, I understood that I was the villain in her story.

"I misjudged you, Ravenclaw, right? Always using your head, but she told me everything."

I still remained silent, trying to find a good moment to attack her, but no matter what I did, in the next moment, Evangeline would be dead, and I couldn't risk that.

"But the Slytherin boy, he got to you, I really understand it. They have something about them that brings every girl to her knees," she laughed, "In the end, I also succumbed to his charm," she said.

My heart raced.

I had not only taken their leader from her. Rookwood had meant much more to Margaret Grimward than just a superior. He was to her what Sebastian was to me.

"Do you think I don't know that your little friends are in the castle?"

I widened my eyes, and her smile grew wider.

Suddenly, I heard screams and commotion. Thundering came from the castle, and Margaret Grimward cast a spell that threw me backward. She kicked Evangeline, who was already kneeling on the ground, held by a guard, in the stomach, causing her to fall back onto the stone floor.

"You'll get the little one, but I'll keep the pretty boy," she said.

"Don't you dare touch him," I hissed, but I already saw Sebastian and everyone else being dragged here. Their wands had been taken from them. Their eyes were filled with fear.

"You can choose. Him or everyone else."

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