🥀 Roses and Novels | Hogwarts Legacy Fanfic | Sebastian, Ominis and Evander

🥀 - chapter 37 -🌹

I apparated from Glagmar Coast to Aranshire, my week with Garreth had flown by in a blur. Today, he was heading to India to stay with Amith and his family. We said our goodbyes, and I gave Matilda a tight hug, thanking her for another wonderful summer by the coast. The Weasleys truly felt like family now.

In Aranshire, I was making my way to my childhood home to access the portal. I greeted the villagers as I passed, then walked up to the old gate and stepped into the garden. Everything still looked exactly the same.

"Alohomora," I whispered, flicking my wand toward the front door.

The door creaked open, but the house was completely empty. Not a single item remained, not even the wallpaper or the wooden floor. I dropped my suitcase and wandered to the back of the house.

The portal was gone, too.

How was I supposed to get to Scotland now? A broomstick might work, but it would take weeks and even if I made it, where would I go? How would I find Ambrose City?

I returned to my suitcase and sat on it, considering my options. I could write to Evander or my mother, Guinevere. Just as I was thinking this, I heard rustling from upstairs. I grabbed my wand and crept toward the stairs, alert and ready.

I climbed the steps cautiously. The noise was coming from a room at the end of the hall. My feet barely touched the ground as I floated forward. When I reached the door and gripped the handle, it gave a low creak. I flung it open.

A large brown owl soared past me and out the window, it had been the source of the noise.

I turned to leave the room, and collided with someone.

He was tall, wearing a silver mask and dressed entirely in black: leather coat, pants, and heavy boots. He grabbed both my arms, and before I could react, we apparated.

I was thrown into a cold, dark dungeon with a narrow window, a stone bench, and cracks in the walls. The masked man locked the iron door with a golden key and disappeared.

I instinctively reached for my wand, but it was gone. I rushed to the door, pounding on the bars.

"LET ME OUT! LET ME GO!"

I kicked and slammed my fists against the iron until my hands were scratched and bleeding. Nothing happened. I slid to the floor, slumping against the door.

Across the corridor was another cell.

"HELLO? Is anyone there?"

Silence.

I got to my feet and searched the room for anything I could use, a weapon, a clue, a way out. The window was far too small to escape through.

Scattered across the floor were pebbles, patches of sand, and a few wooden sticks. Maybe, with a bit of magic and creativity, I could turn them into weapons.

I grabbed one of the branches and began shaping it into a point using a sharp stone. After half an hour, I had my first spearhead. Ten more to go. I hid it beneath the sand so no one would find it.

Time passed quickly as I worked. By late afternoon, I had four spear tips hidden away. Hunger gnawed at me, and my throat ached with thirst. Still, I resisted sleep I had to remember everything. Every sound, every movement, every voice. I needed to survive. I needed revenge.

🙟•◦ 🎕 ◦•🙝

I was carving my fifth spear when I heard distant footsteps and rumbling. I quickly tossed the stone aside and buried the spearhead. I didn't have enough weapons to fight, not yet. For now, I'd pretend to cooperate.