The Shadow of Slytherin

The keepers' cavern

Whenever you wander the world, a silver wolf walks beside you, most of the time more like a guide than a guard, but since you have gotten yourself into plenty of trouble, the wolf tends to stay close, even when poachers threaten to turn his fur into a coat.

After the last trial, with no more than Ranrok before you to fight, Professor Fig finally sees that he should have brought in the other Professors sooner, especially Professor Weasley of whom he had been doubtful and cautious, but after Ranrok has found the last repository, time is of the essence.

Your mind clear most of the time, you go on to talk to Ominis as he is concerned, but not only for you since he does not know about Ranrok and the repository, but about Sebastian, and Anne in particular.

Neither you nor Ominis have spoken much with Sebastian since his uncle died, he has been avoiding either one of you, and the teachers have agreed to send him home to Feldcroft as Anne's condition has worsened and they fear she might not make it.

Close to losing a great friend, you have often found Ominis sleep at the window in the DADA Tower, refusing to eat or go to class. And when Anne sends a letter, saying her goodbyes to Ominis, he has locked himself into the undercroft speaking not a word with anyone, not even you.

***

The final battle near, you find yourself in the RoR, brewing another potion, one you have tried before many times, but never got to use as it seemed unnecessary.

Your chest aches and you press your hand to it to keep from screaming out, but then the soothing cold streams over your skin, absorbing the pain, you exhale, leaning back onto the stone ground, with the beautiful tree beneath you, which you have enchanted to grow roots that lead from the middle of the room all the way to the roof along the columns at the wall, small lampion like blossoms that glow in bright orange and pink tones.

Another sharp inhale, your rips cracking as you rise from the ground, you sit still, wiping some blood from your nose. A soft breeze comes from the vivarium, cooling your skin as it burns.

The cauldron before you on the ground, you have demanded for Deek not to enter the room until you allow him back in. And although Deek respects your wishes, he did look concerned and went off to tell Professor Weasley about it.

Bubbles popping at the surface, you toss an entire vial of Dagonhorm venom into the cauldron and stir it, seven times counter-clockwise, then fourteen times clockwise and tap the top three times, mumbling an incantation to enhance the power of the brew.

Black smoke rises from the cauldron, filling the entire room, but when you add a bit of unicorn blood into the mixture, the smoke dissolves and leaves behind a shimmer in the air that sticks to your skin, drawn to the invisible lines of the relic magic that trace over your body.

Pouring the mixture into a glass sphere that you seal off with a spell, you place a few of those spheres into your pocket and the rest on the shelf downstairs to the left, in a giant room that has opened up a day after Garreth Weasley snuck a few more ingredients he should not have, into your pocket with a note saying you might make use of them.

And you have. The Dagonhorm mixture turns out to have a grave effect in combination with fire or water. Through the marches, you stroll, the wolf in the distance as usual, your eyes on the target, a giant river troll that growls at the sight of you, and while you remain calm, the sphere in hand, it waves its club and strikes, missing you by a hair-length.

At the wave of your fingers, the club knocks up from the ground and bashes the troll into the head, making it stumble backwards over a dugbog that does not enjoy the sudden attack.