Finding the Magic (a Clexa hogwarts au)

Trapdoor

Bellamy and Clarke glanced at each other, not willing to bring themselves to state the obvious. They had to go down the stairs to make sure Lexa wasn't still in the passageway. If she was, they would have a couple of dangerous Phoenix members on their hands. If she wasn't, they'd have no way of finding out where they took her. Clarke's breath caught in her throat as panic threatened to overtake her. There was no good solution.

A steadying hand on her shoulder pulled Clarke out of her thoughts. "We'll find her," Bellamy said. "I don't know what we'll find when we go down this rabbit hole, but we have to be careful and aware, understand?"

When. Bellamy wasn't going to back away from the danger.

"We have to get the girls, we can't go down there alone. If we get into trouble no one will be able to see our sparks..." Clarke shied away from the gaping hole that seemed to radiate darkness into the dimly lit room.

"You're right. Wait here, I'll go get their attention and bring them down here so we can go on together. It will only take a minute."

"Bellamy," Clarke grabbed his arm as he started to step away. "We really shouldn't be splitting up. What if they come through here and I'm alone?"

"I'll be right upstairs at the door. Shout if you need me." Bellamy flashed a reassuring smile as he started toward the stairs.

The further away his footsteps became, the colder Clarke felt, as if Bellamy's presence had been warming the clammy room. Clarke counted the seconds until his return. At 100, there was still no sign of him. At 200, Clarke began to grow worried.

A scream pierced through Clarke's worry and set every strand of hair on end. It was quiet enough to be only heard by Clarke, but the fear in the noise shook through Clarke's resolve and raked cold fingers down her back. The scream was Lexa's.

Abandoning her post, Clarke stood up and took the stairs two at a time into the darkness. She hadn't learned the lumos spell well enough for a powerful beam to light her way, so a thin, watery light kept the immediate darkness away. She could only see a few feet in front of her.

After a few dozen steps, the stairway leveled off into a cave-like corridor. Slightly damp walls and a dirt-covered floor greeted Clarke, but she hardly noticed, her mind intent on finding Lexa.

As she drew closer, she slowed down, finally realizing her folly in taking off so quickly. She barely knew any magic, let alone hexes that would allow her to stand her ground against dangerous wizards like the Phoenix. What was she going to do, dazzle them with her colored sparks?

Clarke took a deep breath and stopped, straining her ears to hear the sound again. Instead she was greeted by the sound of hushed voices, too quiet to make out what they were saying. Clarke took another step closer and noticed a light growing brighter. The culprits were just around the corner.

Every atom in Clarke's body screamed for her to turn and run, but knowing Lexa was so close kept her feet rooted in place. Her heart squeezed in her chest as the bobbing light rounded the corner, followed by tall figures shrouded in darkness. Three of them crowded the narrow corridor, two of them dragging along the unconscious figure of Lexa between them. They slowed to a halt as they saw the girl standing in their path.

"I told you she would come to us," one of the people holding Lexa said.

"I didn't expect it to be so soon," the other chuckled, gripping Lexa's arm tighter as Clarke held up her wand.

"Quiet," the one in front hissed. He appeared to be the leader. "Clarke Griffin."

It wasn't until they said her name that Clarke realized the magnitude of her situation. She was alone, defenseless, and standing in front of three armed and dangerous members of the most notorious group in the wizarding world. And they wanted to kill her.