Chasm of Chaos// A Hogwarts Legacy Story

{Chapter 13}

Jace

The door leading to the tunnels is surprisingly easy to get to if you know where you're going. It only took Seb and Rowan a few moments to properly navigate the surrounding area in order to find what it was they were looking for. It's a large metal door, engraved with varying symbols that span across the front. Each symbol is etched into the shiny metal with great detail. Rowan runs his hand over the door. With one look I can tell he senses no magic anywhere near it. The door is tucked away underneath a staircase, deep down a hallway. We only needed to slip past a few professors before it was just us in the winding corridors.

"Why would they make this so easily accessible?" Seb questions.

"I have a feeling whatever is inside can hold its own," Rowan says with a small sigh.

Slowly he pushes the door open. Its locks clank to life as he twists the small handle. Ever so slightly Rowan nudges open the door. Its hallway is dark and glum, only supported by a few dull torches struggling to withhold their light. I eye the hallway with curiosity. Everything inside of me is telling me this is a bad idea.

"Ladies First," Seb says, motioning for me to go with a slight wave of his hand.

"You're right-" I say with a smile. I waste no time shoving him forward. "Ladies first," I mutter. He staggers into the hallway, throwing me a middle finger as Rowan rolls his eyes.

"Keep it together," Rowan says, eyeing us both down as he moves past Seb and into the hallway.

I move myself into the hallway, letting the door shut behind me as we all raise our wands. The light bounces from the wet walls. It's as if no one has been down here for ages.

"There are no tracks in the dirt on the floor," Rowan says. I glance at the dusty floor, finding great discomfort in the fact he is right. We are the first pair of tracks to coat this floor in a long time.

I push back the small tingling feeling on my spine the deeper we make our way into the tunnel. Each step feels as if we are throwing ourselves deeper into the jaws of a monster that has no mercy.

"Once we get rid of all of the magic, will you be out of our hair?" Seb questions in a small whisper. He's avoiding having Rowan's listening ears.

"She will still be pregnant. I'm not leaving until I know she and the baby are safe," I say, letting the truth spill out of me with no restraints.

"Why? Why care?" Seb questions. His eyes tell me he is honestly looking for a genuine response.

Why is a great question. Why do I care what happens to a child that is not my own?

"I can't give you an answer," I say, watching the brunette's eyes roll as he only half accepts my honesty.

"Seb. Enough," Rowan states, clenching his jaw as he looks back to the both of us.

"Stop speaking about my wife and stop speaking about my daughter... both of you," Rowan mutters, keeping his eyes narrowed as he looks forward.

I hold up a middle finger to Seb, smiling as he has a silent reaction to the crude gesture. The air becomes thinner the farther down we find ourselves. Thankfully the hallway is starting to spread out, becoming more of a room the deeper we go. I see banners lining the hallways. Each one has a separate design, entirely original in its nature. I run my hands along the walls, feeling the material of each gentle banner.

"Quite the place to keep a relic," Rowan says with a scoff, letting his small smirk devour him.

A small motion in the darkness up ahead has me stopping in my tracks. Rowan and Seb notice it too. Their bodies are at a complete standstill as they look back at me with wide eyes. Three loud clicks sound off. I hear the sound of something's mouth moving as its lips move up its teeth.