CURSED CONNECTIONS: The Mystery

°PROLOGUE°

Darkness enveloped the quaint little village of Hogsmeade. Only one lamp post flickered, in the centre on the village square. The usual hustle-bustle of the village seemed to be at rest during this hour. All the bars, cafés and shops had shut down after earning the day's profits.

Except for one.

Madam Rosmerta sat in front of the stranger, eyeing cautiously as the stranger gulped down the Firewhiskey. The dimly-lit interior of The Three Broomsticks and the absence of staff indicated that the stranger had visited the bar much after the closing hours.

"What brings you so late here?"
Madam Rosmerta questioned as the hooded figure in front of her had pushed the last drop of Firewhisky present in the bottle down the throat.

"You know, Rosmerta, I don't intend to do it. But I guess the circumstances are grave enough to prove what I am doing here", The stranger smirked.

Madam Rosmerta rolled her eyes and scoffed lightly, but quickly covered it by a cough.

"Don't do it. You don't  know what you've gotten yourselves into."

"Ah, Dear Rosmerta. I understand your concern, but as you speak of it, I DO KNOW what I've gotten myself into and what I'm going to do", The stranger pushed back the hood slightly so that Madam Rosmerta could get a clear view.

She let out a gasp of horror as she clasped both her hands over her shocked mouth, words unable to express the sight she beheld in front of her eyes.

"You..."

"Yes, Rose?" The stranger let out a small chuckle.

"Please, don't do it. He's just a child, don't do this to him", Madam Rosmerta requested the stranger, her voice quivering due to the tears that had started to form in her eyes, sparkling as the dim light of the cafe reflected softly in her dilated pupils, filled with fright.

" What do you think, Rose? I can't let that boy go off like that, especially when he has discovered it. Hogwarts had tried its best under Dumbledore to find and destroy it, but the boy made it worse."

"He didn't...Are you serious?"

"Oh, I must've been a fool, telling you fake rumors, isn't it? The secret, which was so carefully guarded by Dumbledore, has been discovered by him. The kid." The stranger spoke nonchalantly.

Tears had started rolling down her cheeks now. She had started to care for the boy so much, she treated him as his own. Now, the mere thought of him being scratched, let alone killed, brought tears to her eyes.

"Please... I beg you... Spare him... He's just a 15 year old boy..."

The stranger stood up abruptly and stared at Madam Rosmerta, lips pressed into a thin line, but a hint of a smirk played on them.

"You know, Rose, I always thought that the boy would do something out of the world. Something unimaginable. But, to be honest, I didn't expect him to be such a dirty piece of filth, endangering the existence of the whole Wizarding World like this... I must end him. I must kill him."

Saying so, the stranger left The Three Broomsticks, leaving Madam Rosmerta to drown in her sorrow as she gulped down the remaining three bottles of Firewhiskey and bawled her eyes out.

~HOGWARTS

We're here."

"I don't see anybody. It's too dark in here."

"Where is it? Aren't we supposed to find it here?"

"For once, Tae, SHUT YOUR MOUTH. I'm not able to hear it."

"FINE, Joon Hyung. I'll keep silence. Just get it and let's get out of here, I'm terribly scared."

BANG! BANG! BANG! ~

"What was that? "

"Shh, Chim~ Wait a little-"

"NO! JOON! DON'T GO THERE!"

"I'll be okay, Jin Hyung, it's just-"

"Hyung, I'm stronger than you, I can handle this."

"Are you out of your senses, Tae? Just because you're strong doesn't mean it could be opened by force. Who knows what dangerous thing lies-"

"We already know that it's dangerous, Yoongi Hyung. Besides, this door... It can't be opened by force, this requires a key. A... Magical key, not a regular key."

"Where could you possibly find a magical key?! It's just ridiculous, it isn't even-"

"Shh, let me see it! I can see it... Hidden there... In the-"

"In the?"

"God, CHIM, could you please, PLEASE, SHUT THAT LITTLE MOUTH OF YOURS? "

"Got it! Let's go out of here, we need to find the key first."

"Why are even opening it? It is supposed to be the most terrible threat to all of us. To... All of Hogwarts and the Wizarding World."

"It's not that we have a choice, Hyung. It's the only way we can find out how and why Hoseok Hyung's sister disappeared three years back."