𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 ; 𝒹.𝒽

thirty-nine

"It's been three weeks since the ball. I'm sick of you avoiding this Horcrux." Aurora started as she walked into the living room, facing Scarlett and Orinthia. 

"Patience is a virtue." Scarlett said. 

"I'm well out of that." 

Celestina walked in behind Aurora, "Grandmother, just let her..."

To Aurora's surprise, it didn't take more. Scarlett shared a look with Orinthia, and the two stood up. 

"Come."

Aurora and Celestina followed the two to the bottom floor of the home. It looked the most unkept. Orinthia waved her wand, and lit the grand chandelier above them. 

It was littered with cobwebs. Dust enveloped Aurora's senses, causing her to sneeze. Scarlett and Orinthia stood in the middle of the room. The two raised their wands, and deep green runic symbols began to glow on the walls and stone floor below them. 

"Magic will not carry you through this." Scarlett warned. 

The very center of the floor began to rumble. The stone crumbled into a perfect circle, revealing a small spiraling staircase that went down. 

Scarlett looked to Aurora, "Your fate lies below."

Aurora looked back at Celestina, who looked worried. She nodded, encouraging her to go. 

"Have you got anything else to say?" Aurora asked.

Orinthia shook her head and Scarlett stood completely still. She took a deep breath, and began to walk down the staircase, disappearing underground. 

Once Scarlett knew Aurora was out of earshot, she spoke up, "That will handle her."

"Handle her?" Celestina questioned. 

Orinthia looked at her daughter, "She won't make it out alive. The Horcrux was protected by the best witches and wizards America has."

"You don't want her to... get the Horcrux?" Celestina quietly asked. Scarlett and Orintha didn't answer her. Celestina took a few steps closer to them, "You're not... are you on his side?" 

"You'll understand someday." Orinthia said. 

"If you want her dead why don't you just kill her?!" Celestina asked. 

"Because that," Orinthia pointed to the ground, "will do the job for us."

"And if she survives?"

"She won't." Scarlett said. 

Orinthia walked to Celestina, "I am your mother. You must trust us."

"Voldemort is evil–"

"You do as we say." Orinthia said firmly. 

Below the stone, it took Aurora nearly 10 minutes to reach the end of the staircase. She was met with a pitch black. She held out her wand, "Lumos."

Even that didn't work. She sighed and put it away, trying to adjust to the darkness, but it was no use. It was all-consuming, everywhere she looked, it was dark. 

She looked up where she walked down the stairs, and she couldn't even see the light above her. She held out her hands, meeting a wall. She turned around, and felt three more walls until she turned again and was met with an opening. 

She took deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves as she slowly began to walk. She walked down the hallway for over 5 minutes, she still couldn't see a single thing. 

When she took a step, she was met with nothing. Her foot slipped off and she fell off. She managed to hold onto the edge of the floor, her body dangling over a drop that she had no idea how far down it went.