The List

Chapter 32. The Undercroft.

— Sebastian, where are you taking me?

Everleigh glanced at the boy's side profile as they walked through the corridors of the school. They had left the hospital wing after Madam Blainey walked in, and Sebastian had remained eerily silent, leading her down hallways, and stairs. It seemed as if they were going to make it into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, which would've made sense. But the door was closed, and Sebastian didn't stand in front of it.
He kept walking down the staircase to the floor below.

— Just trust me on this.

He said, scanning his surroundings like he was making sure they had no witnesses in sight. Everleigh walked behind him reluctantly until they were behind the stairwell, in a dark corner away from the open hallway. It felt like a perfect spot for students to make out without being worried about professors or Prefects seeing them. That thought alone made Everleigh's throat dry up. Especially when Sebastian came to a halt right in front of an old cabinet and extended his hand at her.

While pretending to date, they had held hands only because he had initiated such contact practically forcing her to reciprocate. In fact, Everleigh didn't recall lacing her fingers around his at all but he still had dragged her around like she was a child.

It was different this time.
His stretched out digits were asking instead of demanding. Her gaze moved from them to his eyes a couple of times, before her hand closed the distance and intertwined with his.
His skin was warm, and his grip was firm but gentle. It made her feel... funny.

Sebastian tugged her towards him until she was standing directly next to him, both of them facing the cabinet. It was full of symbols that resembled clocks, and around them there were moons, and stars, and numbers. The designs looked quite beautiful, and Everleigh studied the patterns of it with amazement. Until she felt Sebastian looking down at her and she tilted her head to meet his gaze.

His eyebrows were pinched.

— Grayson, I'm going to show you something. — He spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper. Like one who was sharing a very important piece of information. — Something that you can't tell anybody else.

— Alright... — She responded with uncertainty, her interest perking up and lacing with the already warm feelings the tangled hands were provoking in her. — What is it?

Sebastian stared at her for a few more seconds before returning his attention to the cabinet. Exhaling a sigh, he retrieved his wand from his pocket and waved it at the clock symbols. They started spinning, ticking and ticking, until something clicked. Like a door unlocking.
A second later, the door of the cabinet disappeared and in its place, a passage showed up in front of them.

She was in awe, trying to comprehend how in hell he had discovered this, but Sebastian was already pulling her through the frame, and that dark walkway turned into an immense room.
The cabinet closed behind them, but Everleigh was too busy staring around.

He let go of her hand, watching her take small steps towards the inside, eyes flickering rapidly around as her mouth opened in a perfect circle.

She had heard about a special room inside the castle that appeared when someone was in very great need of it, and contained what that individual needed at that time. Not a lot of people had seen it, but the ones that did, placed the room on the seventh floor corridor.
So this couldn't be it.

This was something else.

It was ample. Too ample, perhaps, with columns that connected to a concave ceiling. Simple but elegant candelabras hung from it, effectively illuminating the entire hall.
There were old barrels and boxes on a corner, at the bottom of the room. Blackboards full of writing and formulas stood in a little area that seemed designed for studying. There was a potions station, desks, planting pots and cabinets full of books and vials.