A Troubled Time / Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 32

"He was going to kill me. I had to defend myself. His spell bounced back and killed him." Lucy chewed at her lip as she stood in front of Professor Fig in the Map chamber. Was she sad about Rookwood dying? Of course not. In all honesty, the world was better off without him. But, she couldn't stand the thought of disappointing Fig.

"What matters is you're alright. I should've gone with you, I'm sorry." Professor Fig rested a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm alright. I managed to hold my own against him." Lucy nodded, letting out the breath that she was holding in.

"And that in itself is an incredible feat. Are you ready to move forward?" Fig questioned her, neither one of them taking a step forward just yet.

Lucy nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be." Lucy feigned her confidence. The two of them walked down the stairs towards the four portraits that sat near the center of the room.

"Congratulations. You have completed all of our trials," Professor Rackham spoke from the middle of the four frames, the other professors and headmistress appeared in their respective paintings, "You have proven yourself and have seen our memories."

"You now understand everything that is at stake. Not everyone is what they seem," Professor Bakar spoke from next to Rackham. It wasn't hard to tell he was referring to Isadora and her downward spiral she witnessed.

"What lies in the repository must never be released. Resist the temptation to destroy or control it." Rackham intervened yet again, "The magic you honed must be used to protect our only secret. We leave our legacy in your hands."

As he spoke, Lucy and Fig found themselves moving from the circular space on the floor that held a map of the entire Hogwarts region. The room began to shake and the sound of cracking rocks echoed throughout. They watched as the map slowly faded, becoming as empty as when they first founded. It almost reminded her of the black lake with small specks of light rising from the surface.

The fake liquid slowly began to diminish, revealing stairs and an open room.

"Astonishing." Professor Fig was the first to begin down the stairs to the lone door that sat in the middle. Lucy glanced behind her, checking to make sure no one was following them. She thought she heard a noise, but chalked it up to the disappearing pool before her. She shook her head and followed Fig down the stairs.

"I hope we're not too late." Fig muttered as they walked through the door.

The first thing they saw was a large, marbled bridge. It felt like they were in a cave, surrounded by stone. They began walking towards the door with a familiar looking symbol, one she linked to the ancient magic she had.

"I contacted Professor Weasley. I told her everything. I was wrong to keep it from her and to have you keep it a secret as well." Fig began as they walked, his voice echoing off the walls.

"I'm glad you told her. I can't lie, I did tell some of my friends as well." Lucy twiddled her thumbs as they continued on, "Though I did only tell one about my... origins." Lucy shook her head, "I should've told the others, but I wasn't sure how to go about it."

"I understand, and I'm glad you did. It was too much of a burden for either of us to carry. I'm glad you made friends you could vent to." Fig opened the door, taking them through.

"I should've said goodbye. Just in case." Lucy whispered. She meant to just say it to herself, but the words slipped out before she could stop them.

Professor Fig stopped and looked at her, "I promise, I will make sure you get back alive." His tone was the most serious she had ever heard. Sure, he was always serious, but this almost scared her.