Chocolate & Honey (A George Weasley Fanfiction) BOOK ONE

Chapter Twenty-Two: Dances and Disillusionment

With George's blessing, I left the Black Lake and went tearing through the corridors, dodging prefects and teachers alike until I reached the Slytherin common room entrance. Music could be heard from inside, and I obviously had no clue how to get in, so I did things the old fashioned way and pounded on the door with my fist. 

The door opened and a Slytherin boy stuck his head out, his tie wrapped stupidly around his head. 

"I need to talk to Darius Avery." I said, glancing behind me to make sure no one was coming. 

"Oi, alright Gryffindor," He said. I furrowed my eyebrows, glancing down and remembering I was still wearing George's sweater, "Who do you think you are making demands-"

I reached forward, grabbing the front of his robes and pulling him out the door and into my face. 

"I am the person who will look over Darius Avery's shoulder and laugh as he inflicts upon you the consequences of not turning around right now, going back inside that common room, and telling him that Senicka Scamander is outside and needs to talk to him. If that is how you want this to go, then by all means, keep standing here and making comments." 

I let go of him and he hurriedly rushed back inside, shutting the door behind him. I sighed, shaking out my shoulders. 

Hufflepuffs can be unhinged when we need to be. 

The door opened again a few moments later and Darius came out, a Slytherin flag tied around his shoulders. 

"Senicka," He said with a smile, "You decided to come after all-"

"I need to talk to you," I said, "Have you opened the egg yet?"

"Yeah, I did. It was awful, it was just this screeching noise-"

"Yeah, well, I think I figured out why," I replied, "But we shouldn't talk here. Things are only gonna get more competitive from here on out, and we can't afford the other schools over hearing us." 

"Ok, um..." He stepped out, shutting the door behind him. "I think I know where we can go." 

~~~

Darius led me through the corridors, both of us using the Disillusionment charm to avoid being seen by prefects and staff. He led me to staircase that led to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, ducking past the stairs into a small alcove. I furrowed my eyebrows, dropping the spell as we stopped in front of a rickety, ancient-looking clock. It had multiple clock faces on the surface of it, some with numbers, others with moons, stars, and astrology symbols. At the top of it was a painting of a sun, adjoined to a circle that was painted black on one half and cold on the other. 

"What is this?" I asked. "I've never seen this before." 

"Its an ancient family secret," He whispered, "You're sworn to secrecy on this, seriously. You're only the second Hufflepuff whose known its location in a century. You can't tell anyone I told you about it."

"Yes, of course. You have my word." I said. He nodded, turning to face the clock again and waving his wand. All of the clocks spun around at once, the images on them changing, before the front of the structure opened with a click. Darius gestured me in, shutting it behind me. I stepped inside, illuminating my wand to reveal a long, stone spiral staircase. I let the way down it, pausing as I reached a gate that looked just as old as the clock. Darius came up behind me, waving his wand again and prompting the gate to lift. 

My eyes widened as I stepped inside, taking a look around. 

We were standing in a large underground chamber of the castle, with large arching ceilings and huge stone pillars scattered throughout. It looked as though it was furnished using old furniture from the castle. There were tables and chairs that appeared to have been repaired, do to the old look of them. There was even a dusty old couch in front of a triptych painting that, having just come from the Gryffindor common room, I was sure must've come from there.