Secrets of Slytherin

Chapter 4: Nightfall

The halls were quiet and still this nighttime. No prefects out on patrol, no ghosts roaming the halls. Sneaking through the castle was particularly easy this night. Talk of the green lightning had finally traveled around school and it raised concerns for the students and faculty. It wasn't the storm clouds itself that scared them, it was fear of the unknown that scared them. All except our detectives on the case. The three Slytherins had already made their way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower, all but waiting for their other companions.

"Can you believe how empty the castle feels tonight? I don't know whether to be thrilled or to feel bad." Sebastian said as he leaned his back against the wall. They were near the entrance to the Undercroft, the same spot where Sebastian and Lyra met to discuss Lyras quest back in their fifth year.

"I don't know. I quite like it." Lyra said. "I rather enjoy roaming the halls at nighttime. Gives a certain vibe that just makes me feel oddly comfortable."

"Yeah. When an annoying Peeves isn't out to get you." Sebastian snickered.

"I don't usually worry about the ghosts. Sensing the living and the dead is a gift I quite enjoy having." Ominus said confidently. "About that actually, I've been meaning to tell you two, I felt something earlier. When those storm clouds were getting closer."

Sebastian and Lyra looked at each other for a moment, then back at Ominus. "Like a person?"

"I'll explain in the Undercroft. And soon enough to, here come our girls." Ominous said with a soft smile on his face.

Natty and Poppy quietly made their way to the three.

"Glad to see you guys made it. Any trouble?" Lyra asked as she hugged her two friends.

"Not at all. The whole castle feels empty tonight!" Natty said. She herself found comfort in that. She loved to sneak out after hours some nights and go into her ghazal form and wander the grounds.

"It's a bit grim to be honest. Even some of the portraits have left their places." Poppy said in a concerned tone.

"Well, that's why we're here. We need to get to the bottom of this." Lyra said confidently. "We can do this. Now, Ominus, could you?"

Ominus nodded and headed over to the large wooden cabinet by the stairs to the DADA classroom. On the cabinet seemed to be some sort of celestial clock. Ominus waved his wand in front of the cabinet and then suddenly the mechanisms on the clock spun and the door opened. "Right this way." Ominus said as he headed inside. The four followed close behind and quietly closed the door behind them.

"This is incredible!" Natty exclaimed, taking in the Undercroft. A large room with four large pillars, torches lit all round, boxes upon boxes stacked up. On the left hand side was the empty portrait belonging to Isidora Morganoch, and the pensive Lyra and Sebastian had uncovered on their quest to recover the full tryptic. "Has this been here the whole time?"

"It's been here for a very long time. Since the keepers trained Isidora." Lyra said, taking in her view. She felt a sudden flash of sadness hit her, realizing it would also be her last year that she'd get to visit the Undercroft. Such memories it held.

"Wow. And those other places you told us about are portals that lead back here? I wonder if there'd be a way to use those portals here and get there. The other way round, you know?" Poppy asked as she walked around.

The gang gathered around the pensive.

"So, here's the deal." Lyra started. "That storm is not a normal storm. It is magic. We aren't sure if it's ancient magic, but it is magic. And there's something else. I had a vison last night." Lyra said, looking towards Sebastian as he looked at her puzzled. "In the vision, I saw those clouds, a weird shaped crown, the eclipse, and a giant stone face. All in which I have no clue. Two of those I can put together, but not the others."

"And that's the crown and the stone face." Natty said confidently.

"Exactly. But in an odd way, I feel less worried about the clouds. Seeing the crown lifted some of my worry away. I may sound crazy, but I think those clouds may be, containing something." Lyra said. It was on her mind all day. It somewhat made sense to her. Obviously the crown was not random. It had to belong to someone. And with the unnatural clouds, it just made sense to her.

"Well let's think. Green lightning, stone face, crown, eclipse. What could those all have in common?" Sebastian asked.

"Maybe the eclipse is the key to releasing what may be contained in the clouds?" asked Poppy. "It can't be a coincidence. Maybe you're meant to break it! You are the one having visions after all."

"That does make sense." Ominous said. Poppy softly smiled towards Ominus for agreeing with her, and he exchanged a smile back.

Lyra thought for a moment and a flash of green light clouded her vision. Her body fell to the ground. Sebastian was quick to catch her before she and the ground collided. Her body was trembling profusely.In her vision she saw the same stone face. The mouth opened up again, this time with a serpent slithering out of it. As it slithered their surroundings seemed to change as it was now wrapping itself around the same three emerald crown, this time with a fuller view of its wearer. A dark ginger hair color, full eyebrows, and forest green eyes. The eyes started to glow green and the words "save me" could be heard as a distant cry. Before more could happen her reality set back into place. She felt herself in Sebastians arms, close to his chest.

"Lyra! Are you ok?" He said worried.

"You had us scared to death. You seemed like you were seizing." Poppy said in dismay.

Natty sat down next to Lyra and took out a handkerchief from her skirt pocket. "You also foamed a bit." She said as she wiped Lyras mouth. She seemed much calmer than the rest. It was the courage she had gained over the years.

Lyra squeezed Sebastian's hand a bit as she looked up at him. "I think we need to go to the scriptorium." She said in a serious tone.

Ominus looked up in concern and Sebastian met him with the same expression.

Poppy noticed their glances at each other and started to really worry. "What is this scrip-"

"Are you sure?" Sebastian said, cutting Poppy off. That was a place he never hoped he would have to go to again. The last time they were there, he had casted the Cruciatus curse on Lyra in order to open the entrance to Salazar Slytherin's scriptorium. All in the quest to find a cure for Anne's curse. It was one of Sebastian's biggest regrets. Causing so much pain to someone he loved.

"I am." Lyra said as she let her grip go and slowly pulled herself up. "The scriptorium won't be hard to get to. Not anymore. It will be safe to get there. It belonged to Salazar Slytherin." At first she was hesitant to speak up, due to the horror she felt seeing the serpent. "The stone man's face opened and a snake emerged, then it wrapped itself around the crown. But I do have a better description of its wearer. But I believe we will find answers in his scriptorium." She said, taking Sebastian's hand, assuring him that she is ok. He smiled softly and held her close. "I know that was a lot. But I am ok now, I promise. Are you guys still with me?"

The group expressed worried looks at each other for a moment, but then all nodded. "We are with you." Natty said, taking Lyra's other hand.

"Then there's no time to waste. Let's go." Lyra said, taking lead as they all made their way to the Slytherin dungeons.