Hogwarts Mystery [HP APPLY FIC]

year two, chapter nine

A/N - trigger warning, distressing scenes

Winnie was the last one out of the vault.

The final lion had taken a lot longer to defeat, and it hadn't looked like it would be a victory for them when it first appeared. It was the size of the other two combined, collecting all of the remaining smog in the room to be a part of its daunting figure. Ian had been fully engulfed in its smoke at one point, but after a well timed spell from Evan, they'd made it out without too many scratches.

Once they'd defeated it the air in the vault was finally clear and a ladder appeared underneath the trap door, giving them an easy escape route.

The pressure on her chest refused to ease, though, even once she knew they were safe.

It didn't help that Rowan's eyes widened in horror when they saw them. Each of them was covered in soot from scaling the chimney, and they stank of acrid fumes, the strong and bitter smell sticking to the back of Winnie's throat.

"We should get back to our dormitories and clean up," Ian said finally, taking control of the situation.

Zoë fiddled with the ends of her hair, nodding absently. "I—I'll walk Rowan back." Then, to Rowan, "I'll fill you in on the way."

Rowan seemed pacified by this, scanning Zoë over once more. "Are you sure I can't convince you to see Madame Pomfrey about that cut on your arm?"

"This?" Zoë scoffed. "It's just a scrape. I'll be fine."

Rowan pursed their lips but didn't push her.

"Can I follow you guys? You know, make sure you get back safely, and play lookout?" Caleb offered to Winnie and Ian.

They exchanged an uncertain glance, but Winnie reluctantly agreed. "It can't hurt, can it?"

"I guess I'll come with you, then," Evan said to Zoë and Rowan, going after them out of the portrait hole.

The general feeling in the group was that no-one was quite ready to be separated, still feeling shaken by the contents of the vault.

The Fat Lady grumbled about being woken, but she let them pass with little resistance.

"I'm sorry, Ian," Winnie rushed out as soon as they'd left the Gryffindor common room.

Both Caleb and Ian frowned at her.

"I don't understand," Ian responded, eyeing her cautiously. "What are you apologising for?"

"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been involved in this at all."

Caleb averted his gaze as they walked down the stairs. (This seemed like a private discussion.)

"I chose to come," Ian countered, voice strained. He clearly thought the line of conversation was pointless. "Everything I did was of my own free will. I should be apologising for tapping that damned pedestal."

Winnie flinched at the venom in his tone when he said 'damned'. She had grown used to him being delicate with his choice of words. "You didn't know."

"Neither did you." His mouth curved into a small smile. "Besides, however you'd tried to stop me, I would have taken it as a challenge and found a way to come along anyway. Fate willed me to enter that vault, and who am I to deny fate?"

"Fate? More like your own stubbornness," She teased, taking on a more upbeat tone.

The lights that adorned the walls dimmed as they grew closer to the dungeon, making the atmosphere seem colder.