Faux Amour (Frerard/Bandom Hogwarts AU)

Unnecessary Casualties

Frank followed Jamia and the professor until they came upon the womping willow. Surely they weren't going to walk up to it, were they?

"Are you mad?" He could hear Jamia ask from where he hid in the shadows, "That tree will kill us."

Professor Howell laughed, pulling his wand swiftly from his robes. "It's no wonder you weren't in Ravenclaw. Those students figured this place out a long time ago."

Jamia looked down at her side. Even from his distance, Frank could see hurt written on her expression. He could have felt bad for her, had she not done what she had done to him.

In the time that he had watched Jamia, Professor Howell had somehow stopped the tree's movement. He stashed his wand before moving forward towards it. Frank heard him encourage Jamia forward before he disappeared into the ground. Frank's eyes widened as he watched Jamia disappear as well.

What the hell was under that tree!?

He stepped out of the shadows, cautiously moving towards the womping willow. It still didn't move. Frank made sure to keep an eye on its branches as he pulled out his wand. "Lumos." The extra light of his wand, accompanied by the already provided light if the moon revealed a small passageway at the base of the dangerous tree.

"What the hell?.." Frank squinted at it. He took a few steps closer before freezing his movement.

Twigs were cracking overhead. His eyes flickered up to see the branches of the womping willow begin to twitch and move, as if they were waking up from a nap. Frank swore with a squeak as a branch began to lower towards him. He dove out of the way, aiming himself at the hole at the tree's base. He ended up bouncing on the ground just before it and toppling in. His wand flew out of his grip and he rolled twice before hitting a hard, dirt wall.

Frank groaned lowly. His vision was dancing with spots, and he could practically feel bruises forming all over his body. He didn't want to move, but he pushed himself to get up after a short rest.

"Wand..." He whispered as he patted the ground around him, "Where's my wand?.."

He found it after searching in the darkness, quickly whispering the spell to illuminate its tip. A breath of relief escaped him as the dark tunnel around him was basked in a soft glow. Frank pushed himself fully to his feet, looking around the space he had dove into.

Besides the way he had entered the space, there was only one other space to follow. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to follow it, but he found his feet moving before his brain could connect the motion.

Soon, the tunnel ended, opening up in the space above him. He placed his wand between his teeth in order to have both of his hands free. He then jumped, a few times, and managed to grab hold of the floor above him in order to pull himself up. He started to groan with the motion, but held the noise back as loud voices echoed from above him.

Frank looked up, only seeing worn down wooden planks. Where the hell had he ended up? He rose to his feet, silently pulling his wand out from between his teeth. He gulped. A quick look around the room saw only one doorway, so that was where he went.

As he walked the voices grew louder and more recognizable. He could hear Jamia, for sure, but the other was unfamiliar.

"I told you I couldn't find it. I told you I didn't want to help anymore!" Frank reached a curve in the hallway that he walked. He peaked around it, seeing Jamia standing in the hall ahead of him with tears in her eyes as she looked into a room in front of her.

"You were so close, my dear, why do you stop now?" The voice that came next was soft, but there was something that sounded fake about it. Frank stayed back as the conversation continued.