The Four Shadows

Chapter 16

"Be glad its the weekend. If we had done this during sessions, we would have fallen apart" Helga said as a cool breeze passed through.
  The students had relaxed outside or inside, gossiping about the Ball. The four professors stood in front of Hogwarts, where the bridge met the castle.
"We better get going. We can't waste daylight" James said.
  "You're right. Do you have the letter?" Godric asked. James pulled it out of his cloak pocket, showing it to him. Helga heaved over and hugged Godric, as the chilly breeze picked up.
  "Stay safe, you two" She said as she pulled away. Rowena shared an amiable smile and put her hand on Godrics shoulder.
  "Now no being burnt at the stake, either" Rowena joked. Oddly, the wind had become faster at the moment, even colder. The four looked about, wondering where the wind had somehow picked up at.
"Okay you lot. Make sure theres no havoc being wrecked while were gone" James laughed. "We will be back tonight by the earliest, and tomorrow morning by the latest. Send a Patronus if anything goes to hell, as do we." James said. The four said goodbye and James and Godric disapparated with a loud crack, and were gone in a second.
  "Tea?" Helga offered. "Yes please" Rowena affirmed before they left, going about there day.

In the window high above in Hogwarts, Lithos and his friends Poveglia, Adney and Algar were looking out onto the front courtyard.
  "They're gone" Poveglia said. "Lets go" She instructed. The group hurried down spiraling stairs and moving staircases, sliding around corridor corners, avoiding other students who would have thought they were suspicious. Turning a corner to go down the staircase to the basements, Adney and Poveglia had collided into three other students who were coming up.
  'Watch it!" Poveglia said, dusting herself off. There were two Hufflepuff students and a Ravenclaw student who looked oddly suspicious. "Can we help you?" Poveglia asked. Lithos raised an eyebrow and cut in.
  "I can understand why the Hufflepuffs are down here, but a Ravenclaw?" He asked. His friends turned their heads and looked at him funny. "The Hufflepuff Common Room is down here" he said, rolling his eyes. The Ravenclaw interjected and held up his hands.
  "Well what are Slytherins doing down here?' He interrogated. Lithos and his friends tensed up, for being caught in a lie. Thankfully, one Hufflepuff had groaned and covered her ears, bending down with unease. The other Hufflepuff grabbed her and secured her. "Thera, are you hearing it again?" He asked. Thera nodded, furrowing her brows. Lithos and his friends looked about, wondering what she could possibly be hearing.
  "Whats her deal?" Algar asked. The Hufflepuff boy looked to Algar with a frightened expression.
"This is Thera. She keeps hearing voices and it keeps saying threatening things. I thought she was crazy, but we hear hissing from time to time. Apologizes, my name is Cairo." He said. Adney tilted his head and realized exactly what had happened.
"She's a Parseltounge" Adney said without hesitation. "How is that possible?" he asked. Nobody had followed. "A Parseltounge. Thera can understand Snakes languages. Most of the time, only Slytherins can be Parseltounge. Only dark witches or wizards." He said, getting concerned. Thera straightened up, stabilizing herself. Cairo asked if she was okay and she nodded. Adney had become intrigued and stepped an inch closer. "She's not a Hufflepuff" he accused.
"Woah, Adney. You can't just assume something that mental!" Lithos objected. Thera looked at the group oddly and furrowed her brow with confusion.
"Yes I am" She said defensively.
"What are you then? Half blood? Muggle born?" Adney questioned.
"Pureblood' Thera confirmed. The Slytherin group of friends were taken back. Shouldn't Thera be in their House?
"Your parents' Adney pushed on.
"What?" she asked.
"Your parents. What are they like" Adney said. Thera looked at her friends, then back to Adney who oddly wanted to get the truth out of a girl he had never met. Thera gulped.
  "Evil" She said. Her one word raised suspicion.
"Evil?" Lithos asked. Adney laughed softly, for figuring out the puzzle. He turned around to his friends.
"Slytherin parents, but a Hufflepuff daughter. She probably inherited it or something. If her parents had been here, they surely would have been in Slytherin." Adney said, turning back around to Thera and her friends. 'But that doesn't explain why the Ravenclaw us here, and why you just heard Parseltounge."
  The ravenclaw boy tilted his head, staring at Adney.
"I saw one other ravenclaw go into a fit like that. These two are my friends, and I went to them to ask if they saw what I saw. Never the less, Thera was going through it too. Were just trying to figure this out. Thera kept hearing the voice so I came down to help and we decided if she got away from weever it is, it would stop, but we crashed into you lot' He said truthfully.
"As us" Lithos said. "We saw a good handful of students in our House go into a fit like that because of Parseltounge. Were trying to figure this out just like you guys" Lithos confessed, but got an elbow to the ribs from Poveglia.
"So much for secret mission" Poveglia said.
"Come with us" Lithos said."Trust me" he said, taking a few steps down the stairs.
  The rest of the group questioned it, but realized he was on the same team. They all complied and continued their traveling to the Chamber.
Once they passed the Kitchens and Hufflepuff common room, they came upon the Qudditch room, seeing the gargantuan round door. Thera, Cairo and the Ravenclaw boy all looked at it with wide eyes.
  "Past the Kitchens and our Common room is prohibited. We've never been this far" Thera said. "Simon, did you know about this?"
  Simon, the ravenclaw boy, shook his head, his eyes still glued to the chamber.
  'I have" Lithos said. "I haven't been in there, but I can guarantee you lot that whatever is causing these Parseltounge fits, is behind that door. And Professor S is behind it." Lithos said.
  "Smart. Parseltounge is the snakes language, you imbecile. What if a giant snake is behind that door?! Do you not remember the night we read those articles? The Basilisk egg missing, the tunnel?" Algar hit Lithos on the shoulder. Everyones attention turned to Lithos and he felt the heat and pressure.
  "Pardon, a Basilisk?" Cairo asked. "As in the massive serpent that would tear our heads off in a heartbeat? You're crazy!"
  Lithos ignored the outrage and walked closer to the chamber door. He hadn't been sure on how to open it, nevertheless, go in it. Simon had walked up next to him, having the answer.
  "It needs a Parseltounge to open it. If its a snake and theres no visible lock, its obvious Thera needs to open it." Simon said. Lithos turned around and saw Thera who was rather frightened. Poveglia had looked outraged with annoyance.
  "You're not that dull witted. We are not opening this! Are you stupid?" She called out after Lithos, but he disregarded her.
  "If we have proof theres a beast down here, we can tell the others, and get Professor S to leave here. He's putting us in peril!" Lithos said. Poveglia had gotten choleric and stormed up to Lithos.
  "Oh yeah and what if theres a chance that the other Professors know and they just wont tell us! That means we would open this Damn thing, letting US being the people who put Hogwarts in Peril." Poveglia said hotly. Lithos was stuck, not realizing he was very wrong about his plans. His assumptions had been off track and none of it was right, but refused to listen to Poveglia, wanting his way and his power. In the moment of angry and tense silence, Cairo realized something.
  "Oh my god" He said, causing heads to turn to him.
"Yeah?" Simon asked.
"He wants to kill us" Cairo put a hand over his mouth.
"What?" Algar asked. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Pureblood. Slytherins only have pureblood in their House. No doubt, Professor is a cold hearted and bitter pure blood. The only reason he would put that there, not for threats,but to purge this school of anyone who isn't Pure blood." Cairo almost yelled.
"You're Crazy" Simon said, scoffing.
"It fits!" Algar exclaimed. "Professor S being gone. He's probably training the snake to pin point Parseltounges! And don't forget the newspapers, about the egg and his absence and his unusual hatred to Gryffindors and students who aren't his House. The tunnel, Lithos! And remember you said that it was probably passed down? His parents were probably spiteful to muggle borns and halfbloods, leaving him to do their dirty work!" Algar broke through. 'There is a Basilisk behind that door, waiting to kill us!"
It was compelling and true, leaving the students shocked and terrified.
"So then lets kill it" Adney suggested casually.
"Mental" Poveglia muttered. Adney rolled his eyes at her, but continued.
"Since it all fits, lets just kill the thing ourselves. And were lucky Professer S wasn't lurking around. We'd all be dead." Adeny said.
"How could we kill it? With Alohamora?" Poveglia snapped. "You lot probably don't know the killing curse do you?" She asked. The group went silent. "That what I thought. Tonight, at midnight, come back here and were going to plan how to take down a possible beast in there"