the seven devils [completed]

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖘𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓

NOTE: From now on, I am attaching youtube Harry Potter soundtracks that you can play while reading the chapter. I believe it will help you enjoy the story more.

TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF BLOOD AND MAGIC CREATURE DEATH, KNIFE USAGE!

MAXWELL NOTT - THE ARCHIVIST

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Tales of Beedle The Bard.

It was almost half-past the sixteenth hour of the clock, and to anyone who passed by the castle's iced gardens, nothing would seem out of the ordinary. The white landscape was much as it had always been, with stone benches lining the castle's wall, blackened trees standing against the violet horizon, and the icy lake reflecting the dusky rays of light that escaped through the clouds. The only unusual thing was, perhaps, the sickly figure of a pale girl scurrying through the trees, but her skin had lost all trace of vitality, and her white robe made her blend in with the snowy surroundings.

There was a book in her hand, and it seemed to be as dull as the December day. A fairy-tale volume, at that, and besides scanty commentary on the odd reading topic for her age, no person would suspect that something was amiss. Her face was stoic, as it had always been, but her soul was in turmoil, and her eyes betrayed the dread that had taken over her mind.

She knew that time was not on her side and that her foolhardiness could cost her significantly, especially while casting such dangerous spells on school grounds. However, the girl's vanity had been hurt recently, and she wanted to prove to herself that she was still capable of such ancient magic.

How she was so composed, nobody would know, the only telling being the faint tremor in her hands and the way her ears were slightly peaked as she carefully listened to her surroundings. But then again, it was unusual for someone to have such mobility in their ears, which in some way added to her strangeness.

More so, could nobody tell that she was supposed to attend her last class of the winter semester, or perhaps, take one of her exams? Indeed, she was not supposed to be out in the chilly nightfall wind, wandering around like a lost deer.

So why did nobody notice her as she entered the Forbidden Forest, and why did nobody try calling out for her once the blizzard hid her shape behind a swirl of vicious snowflakes? Well, perhaps they just did not care, barely registering her moving figure against the flattened horizon, or maybe they were too frightened to stop her.

She was a witch, after all, and not just any kind. The girl had grown far away from this land, and because of that, many of her peers feared her. There were whispers about her skill, fantastic tales about the dragons she had encountered, and the black magic she had performed. And to every fable, there was a planted seed of truth.