A Match Into Water || Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 27 - Rackham's Trial

Before Professor Fig escorted me out of the Hogwarts grounds with the black carriage pulled by thestrals, Sebastian wished me the best of luck. I hopped onto the carriage with Professor Fig and the thestrals slowly lifted with the carriage. The memory of my last ride with the dragon incident flooded my brain. Professor Fig immediately noticed and patted his palm on my shoulder for reassurance. "It'll be okay." That was something my father never really says to help me calm down.

I had both of my hands in the pockets of my robe while I felt the vibration effect of the carriage being pulled by the thestrals. I had to breathe in and out slowly to calm my nerves, thankfully it was working well. Looking out the small window on the carriage, I couldn't deny the view of the forbidden forest, Hogsmeade and the north ford bog.

The ride didn't take as long as I thought it would, but we stopped at the north ford bog where the first trial was located. Professor Fig offered me to hop off the carriage first but I politely declined. "After you, professor."

He let off with a chuckle and I went out after him. I could see the tower from afar. Ranrok's loyalists were roaming around and guarding in front of the entrance to the tower like they knew I was coming, so Fig and I sneakily (with the disillusionment charm) and casted Petrificus Totalus on each goblin one by one until they were gone just to figure out they were after something with some sort of names, coming from a letter written by Ranrok.

After everything was all cleared, we both headed to the entrance. I tried budging the door open but Professor Fig insisted on prying the door open with something else. "Alohomora." The door finally opened.

"I was just about to do that myself." That was a bit of a lie for me to say. We both entered the tower seeing all the rusty destroyed stones and the pots cluttered everywhere. The wooden stairs almost made me trip as some of them were chipped off and breakable. It was seemingly that the brooms were enchanted to sweep off the floor for so long. I wondered how long though.

I kept walking up the stairs until I reached Professor Rackham's portrait. "Welcome to San Bakar's tower."

Professor Bakar's tower?

"Glad to see that I was correct in presuming that we would meet again soon after our last encounter." The portrait spoke.

"We encountered some goblins outside of the tower but we handled it pretty well." I nodded my head and glanced at Professor Fig. It sounded as if the loyalists were aware of Professor Rackham's vault and if they have also made a connection to this tower, it could be a greater threat, coming from Rackham's words. "Downstairs, near the entry, a reservoir of ancient magic has already been unlocked. Command it to access a doorway. I'm afraid I cannot say more..." he gave me the instructions for the trial.

"Thank you sir." I put my hands in my pockets again.

"As Professor Fig cannot join you, he and I will see you back at the map chamber."

I nodded again.

"Remember what you see."

Professor Fig escorted me downstairs to the bottom before he walked out the doorway, so I was left alone. Wish Sebastian was here...

The trails of ancient magic appeared at the bottom of my shoe, following my footsteps as it led me at the front of a wall. The entire view shifted for me to see a dark empty doorway appear on the wall. Something that no one else wouldn't see. When I stepped into the doorway I came across an empty blazed hall which felt like the insides of a ruin or a temple. The sounds of crackling torches echoed off the walls.

Step by step.

There was a room.

A study table full of tower stacked books was the first thing I saw. A minimised stairs that lead down to another door. I creaked the door open and all I saw as another antechamber. The same architecture as the one from Gringotts and the restricted section. Same atmosphere as the map chamber. It was even cold as I had expected. My footsteps nearly echoed around the room.