The Shadow of Slytherin

After the full moon

Walking around the Hogsmead square, you hand out some of the coins, Niffolas has taken, then head to the three broomsticks. Although the hunt has long ended, Sirona still accepts all coins and hands out butter beers.

"Happy to see you here, is your friend not with you?" Sirona says, exchanging one of the coins for a butter beer that she places before you.

Your lips pressed together, you have a seat at the bar and drink some of the butter beer, the foam resting on your upper lip. As the corner of your mouth lifts, remembering Ominis with the white moustache, you intend to brush off the foam, but someone else is faster, his thumb wiping across your upper lip.

"Dragonfighter," Alec says in his raspy deep voice, the blond moustache on his lips covered with bubbles that pop after a sip from the beer Sirona hands him. "How come you have those coins when you said you would not participate in the hunt?" The elbows leant onto the counter, Alec eyes you as you swallow the entire beer and place a coin to pay for his beer as well. "Where did you get them?"

"Are you jealous, you did not find any?" Your head tilted, you study Alec's face as he grins, the dirty blond hair hanging into his face as he leans down towards you. "Maybe you were too busy charming some people around here" The fingers brushing through his hair, you turn your head and remove your hand when he leans into your touch.

"Oh, come on, Dragonfighter. I will always come, if you call" His eyes still on you, Alec jugs the beer and walks a step towards the door before returning, his body pressed against you as his arms lean onto the counter.

With a deep breath, you struggle to sit still as the veins in his arms grow when his fingers clutch onto the counter. "Alec!" you warn, but at the touch of his lips against your neck, you let out a slight moan, not loud enough for anyone to hear, but Alec snickers, his face getting closer to you.

"Dragonfighter," he winks, "at your service" Saluting you, he pushes himself off the counter, then heads out the three broomsticks, your eyes on him as the door falls shut.

Glued to the spot, you take another deep breath, the tickle of his moustache on your skin still haunting you. With the rest of your butter beer drunk, you stroll out the three broomsticks and in direction of the Magic Neep to get some more ingredients, but at the sight of Alec staggering along the path, the head turned multiple times before vanishing at the cemetery, you change your mind and instead follow him into the mausoleum.

Quiet to not alarm him, you head up the stairs, watching as Alec aches, the body leant onto the dusty table, his fingers white as they clutch onto the old wood that creaks under the strength of his grip. Grunts escape his mouth as he fumbles to unbutton his vest and takes off his shirt, the back and chest covered in scratches that he then brushes over with some paste he has made in a bowl on the table. Groaning, he struggles to cover the ones on his back, but drinks a Wiggenweld potion to ease the pain.

While you stand there and stare, Alec bites down on some root while using his wand to lift the paste and make it go on his back, however the paste just splashes over it instead of covering the gashes and scratches themselves because Alec struggles to hold the wand steady.

With a frustrated grunt, Alec spits out the root and drops his wand, the hand pressed against his forehead. "You know, instead of watching you might want to help me here"

Taken aback at the realisation of him noticing you, you stumble up the stairs, using your fingers to distribute the paste over the gashes, but then lay your hand on his chest to take some of the pain. The eyes closed, you feel the goblin magic within you feed off his pain, easing it as Alec relaxes against your hand, the chest rising far more steady than before.

His eyes linger on you as you breathe out and look at him, the hand moving, but he holds it in place, a smile on his lips. "Thank you, Salem"

At the sound of your name, you step back, the eyes wandering over his body while he leans back, a smug grin on his face. "What are you looking for?"

"An explanation as to why you call me Salem" You respond, noticing the shirt pressed against his stomach. "Let me see" You order him to remove the hand, spotting the giant gash on his lower abdomen. "What have you done?"

"Nothing" Alec winces at your touch, but brushes your hand off him, the shirt dropping to the dusty ground. "I'm fine"

With a growl, you grab his hand, for once using floo powder to get to the RoR and head to the left of the first vivarium, down the flight of stairs in the diagonal wall that leads into the bed chamber, dropping Alec onto the soft sheets, his legs lifted onto the covers, his head rested upon the giant head pillow. No word spoken, you hurry through a door, along a longer corridor to the lower level of the RoR where you have stored the plants, recipes, and potions, gather all ingredients you need and brew more potions, then take some off the shelf in the corner and head back to the bed chamber, rolling your eyes at the sight of Alec, the body stretched out on the comfortable mattress, his head rested on his arms as he watches you enter.

"One word, and I will knock you out" You utter, the potions dropped next to him. "Here, take this one, and this, and-" Turning the bottle in your hand, you pull the cork and smell it, your face scrunching at the stench that hist your nostrils. With a plop, the cork lands back in its spot and you shake your head, "Not, if you want to see tomorrow"

His head rested on one arm, he drinks one potion after the other, still watching as you close your eyes, the hand on his stomach while you use the goblin magic to heal the wound. After a few grunts from him, you open your eyes, noticing how the heat inside you rises once again, the eyes hurting as you open them and look at your work.

His fingers pointed at his face, Alec sits up and stares at you.

"What?" Rolling your eyes, you sigh, "Yes, you may speak"

"Your eyes are glowing, what did you do?"

Inhaling, you sit onto the bed and stare at him. "Headmaster Black has forbidden me to use the ancient magic, so I-"

"You use the magic of that raging goblin? I thought it was locked away, hidden below Hogwarts?" Alec sits up straight, the muscles in his chest playing when his arms move to support his weight as he shifts in his spot. "What?" he inquires at your stare.

"Nothing," you shake your head ever so slight to clear your mind, "No one knows about it, so please, keep it to yourself" You bite your lip, the hair tugged behind your ear as you lean closer, "Now, what have you done?"

"Well, not that it concerns you, but it's a full moon out, and a certain wolf might have got out of hand," his words halting at the sight of your shocked face, "it's nothing, we've got it handled"

"We?" You breathe out, "Well, then how do the others look, if you already got hurt that bad" Your mind wanders off, the usual fear of someone getting hurt kicking in, "Where are they?"

Sniggering, Alec drops back onto the bed, his eyes on the ceiling above as it moves. "They're fine, they're, well, in the room of requirements-" His glance shifts to the walls and the corridors around, "which I guess so are we" The eyebrow raised at your nod, Alec scoffs, then rubs his eyes, a grunt coming from him as he raises his arm. "So you have been hiding this place from us, Morningstar?"

"Ah, we're onto name-calling now, huh, Hawthorn?" The eyebrow arched, you snicker when hair falls into your face and you blow it away, shaking your head as Alec reaches out to tuck your hair back. "What?" The eyes on him as Alec leans closer, you lean back, staring as his face scrunches. "Don't worry, no one will come in. Other than us and Ominis no one knows about it. It's a save place"

"Always that Gaunt boy, are you two a thing?" The green eyes resting on you, Alec takes another of the potions you hand him, fluffing up the pillow to rest his head on, but remains seated, his body before yours as he takes a deep breath.

The glance averted, you inhale, then bite your lip. "No"