Ancient Magic and Parseltongue

Chapter 3, caught in a trap

    "We need help," Anne said sitting harshly on the bed. "We can't have bullies coming after us too!"
"Anne, please breathe."
She glared at her brother, but took a breath. "Godric might be able to help us. Let's just explain it to him."
"Or he might be working with Salazar too."
She half slapped her leg in frustration. "Not everyone is going to betray you!"
"Not everyone is going to end up your friend either. Unless we can guarantee he wouldn't give Salazar the information we tell him, I can't just trust anyone who comes across our path that seems nice."
"You keep living in the past! Not trusting anyone will be your downfall!"
She looked like she regretted the words as soon as she said them.
Realizing both of you had gotten too emotional, you stood up to leave.
"Where are you going?" Ominis asked, his wand already lifting up to track your movements.
"I'm going for a walk."
"Wait-" Anne started, but you kept walking.

      You found the library, not as full as the one you knew, but you quickly realized the restricted section books were laying about freely.
Shaking your head, you moved to try finding something that tells you about something related to repositories, but it had less than the future library had.
"Looking for answers?"
You jumped, having been too focused on research to notice Salazar had gotten close.
"You're not going to find them here. Most of these books belong to Rowena and Helga. If you want to know how to control your magic, you need to look for someone who has it. In this case me."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He chuckled as you slipped the book you were holding back onto the shelf. "I know you saw the magic I took from that girl. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."
He pulled his wand from his sleeve and pointed it at you.
"What? You want my magic?" You asked looking up at him. "Kill me afterwards?"
"People like us are rare as it is. To waste such a talent." He shook his head, taking a step closer. "I want to help you realize your talent."
He smiled as you remained quiet, just watching him, waiting for him to tell you the whole truth.
"Why don't you think about it? Though, I'm not a patient man, I won't wait forever."
He walked off with a nonchalant smirk, while you released the breath you'd been holding.
"He didn't take my magic? Why? I would have thought he'd want it."
"Why do you sound like you hoped he would?"
Jumping once again, you spun seeing Ominis behind you.
"You gave me a start."
His features remained neutral. "You're ignoring the topic."
"There's nothing to say."
"I believe there is. Since when do you not want to be magical?" He asked moving closer, his expression pinching in what you could almost mistake for fear.
"It's not that I don't, it's just... complicated."
"Is this because of all the attention it gets?"
Sighing, you sat down where you could see the whole library. "No, it's- after Rookwood, Harlow, Ranrok, sealing the repository and curing Anne, I thought I was done being the magical freak," you admitted getting his brows to bunch. "It's hard to explain. I just feel like...the more I find out about this magic, the more I use it, I lose a piece of myself. How long until I'm no longer me? How long until I'm just another Ranrok or Isadora?"
He reached into your pocket and pulled your dad's pocket watch out. "Remember what he said." He placed it in your palm and cupped your hand between his. "You have a choice."
"I'm not so sure anymore," you whispered, feeling his hands tighten.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm always going to be hunted for what I have. How long until I turn bitter? I'm already guarded and can't trust people easily."
He slid his hands carefully to the sides of your face. "Those who're guarded, have something valuable to protect. Something they know deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. Besides the people who want you just for magic, aren't worth worrying about. If you're that concerned about it, we can become two bitter people, scaring anyone trying to come up to our house because we want to be left alone."
Picturing it made you laugh as he pulled you against him.
"Sounds good to me."
He nodded before resting his head on yours. "Me too."

    "I think the two of you should take Godric up on his offer," you started getting them to look over in shock. "If I could get Salazar to let Ominis go, I'd ask him the same. Before you argue, Salazar is the type to torture you until I agree with becoming his student."
"Splitting us up isn't the answer," Sebastian replied turning to face you. "It just leaves you and Ominis vulnerable. We're staying."
"But-"
"I agree with Sebastian. I can't pretend that I don't see what would happen if we did follow that route."
Ominis leaned against the bed post beside you. "There is no guarantee that Godric wouldn't hurt them either."
Rubbing your forehead, you sighed softly. "I know. I just don't want to lose everything we've worked so hard for."
The twins instantly backed down from their defensive stance.
"Why don't you allow Salazar to teach you?"
All eyes snapped to Sebastian, half glaring, Ominis's brows pinched.
"Hear me out before you voice disagreement. We know that ancient magic brought us here and it's fair to assume it's the key to get home. The keepers taught you a lot through memories, but not all, right?" He waited for you to nod before pressing on. "Salazar can help get better control over your magic. Maybe you'll learn how to take us home."
"Don't put that kind of pressure on her shoulders," Ominis said sharply.
"There's no repositories we can use. Percival hasn't been born yet. We have to work with what we're presented, right?"
"That's not fair to ask," Anne whispered.
Seeing the merit of his point, it only clashed against your desire to stay away from Salazar.
"I'll decide tomorrow night. Until then, I'm going to check the grounds." You stood, nearly knocking into Ominis.
"Not alone," he called after you, making you look back at him. "Please not alone."
"Your animagus forms are hard to hide. I'm small enough to get places most can't. I'll be careful. I promise."
You left before he could say anything else.

   You moved through the dungeons, trying to see if you could still get into the repository's caverns, but Percival must have crafted it himself, because the door wasn't there.
You knew it was a long shot, but you still wanted to hold out hope for something, anything, that meant you didn't have to walk that already thin line between being good and going bad.
So, you headed back towards the common room, but before you could, you heard two people arguing.
As quietly as you could, you crept towards them.
"Why are you being so stubborn? They're children."
You peeked around the corner seeing Godric and Salazar. They obviously weren't wanting to be overheard. 
"Let's be honest here, we both know there's something about them that sets them apart from the rest."
Godric glared at him. "Leave them alone."
Salazar chuckled, his body language shifting to a lighter one. "I'm the only one who can teach the girl how to master her magic-"
"Master it? Don't pretend you actually care. You just want to see what she can do. See how powerful she is. Why? She's a child Salazar, don't push your expectations into her."
"The magic we have is most likely passed down from parent to child, Godric. Do you get what I'm saying?"
They glared at each other. "She's not your daughter."
Salazar chuckled, waving his hands around extravagantly. "It's believable, and all I have to do is get her to think she is."
"That's not going to happen. You can't keep getting away with this-"
Salazar snickered as if baiting him. "Getting away with- Godric, the whole school knows you're not strong enough to duel me, even together with Helga and Rowena. You can't stop me."
Salazar started to head towards you, making you wish you were in your animagus form. As you moved to cast the disillusionment charm, someone grabbed you from behind with a hand clamping over your mouth.
They pulled you further into the dark corner, putting their back to the hall.
"The hall is too quiet, they'll hear it if you cast a spell," Ominis whispered beside your ear.
You almost collapsed against him out of relief.
"I don't care how I do it Salazar, but I will find a way to stop you from corrupting that innocent child."
"No one is innocent Godric and she's hardly a child anymore. I will get what I want or I'll just take the magic for myself."
Ominis tensed as Salazar moved right beside the both of you, twisting himself to put his back to his ancestor.
He stopped as your heart started racing. "Godric, we've been friends for a long time, when have you ever known me to give up just because something's challenging?"
"This is different. This is someone else's life. Their future."
He huffed. "And yet, I keep making a point for us to accept only the purest wizards and witches into our school and you keep inviting those filthy half breeds."
Salazar walked off with that, getting Godric to sigh. "Closed minded fool."
Ominis let off your mouth when Godric's shoes faded. As you looked back, you saw his hood drawn over his head. It must have been why Salazar didn't see you in the dark corner.
"What are you doing out here?"
He dropped his hood. "You've been gone for hours, all three of us went looking. Where were you?"
Both of you began down the path towards the common room.
"Searching, in vain, for a repository," you admitted, prying a sigh from him. "I know, I just- I don't know what to do Ominis."
"It's not fair to drop all of this on you, but please don't do anything dangerous without talking to us first. You're part of a group now. We're in this together."
It didn't feel like you were, it certainly felt like you were alone to find the way back home. To figure out how to master your magic. To be swallowed up by the darkness alone.
"Yes, I know, but it's not that easy either."
"Why? Because Salazar's after you?"
Shaking your head, you decided not to hash it. "It's nothing, maybe I'm just over thinking it."
Catching onto the way your voice wavered, his head turned towards you. "Do you believe that or is that just something to say so I'd leave it alone?"
Not replying, his brows pinched, but he didn't press the topic.