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Third Person POV:
Outside, the night air slapped him in the face, cold and sharp as winter steel, the sudden change in temperature stealing his breath for a moment. He barely registered it, his mind still churning, his thoughts a storm he couldn't escape. He kept walking, half in a haze, his feet carrying him forward without conscious direction. The lawns stretched before him, vast and silvered by moonlight, the grass crunching underfoot, heavy with frost that glittered like shattered glass.
When he finally looked up again, he'd come to the edge of the Black Lake.
---
---
Adam stopped.
He stood there, his breath steaming in the cold, his body still thrumming with the remnants of frustration, his thoughts still tangled in knots. But something about the sight before him made him pause, made him truly *see* for the first time in hours.
The lake lay still as polished obsidian, its surface undisturbed, perfectly mirroring the stars overhead. Moonlight spilled over its expanse, turning the blackness into silver sheets that rippled and quivered like liquid metal, the reflections shifting with every faint tremor of the water. Wisps of cold mist hovered just above the surface, shifting slowly, lazily, like ghosts dancing on glass, their forms ethereal and fleeting.
Far across the lake, the dark silhouette of the Forbidden Forest loomed, its trees like jagged black teeth against the silvered sky, their outlines stark and unyielding. Somewhere deep beneath the water's surface, the giant squid slumbered, its presence betrayed only by the occasional tiny ripple that spread outward, disturbing the otherwise flawless mirror of the lake.
Adam's eyes widened slightly, his breath catching in his throat, as though he were seeing the world for the first time.
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**Adam (thinking):**
> It'sā¦ beautiful.
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A soft breeze stirred the water, its touch gentle, almost hesitant, carrying with it the sharp scent of wet stone and winter, the crispness of frost and the faint, earthy tang of the forest beyond. Tiny waves lapped at the icy shore, their murmurs barely audible, whispering secrets only the night could understand. The moon hung so close, so impossibly large, that it seemed almost touchable, its reflection fractured a thousand times in the trembling surface of the lake, each shimmering piece a fragment of something greater.
He felt, unexpectedly, a strange hush settle over his mind. The usual chatter of thoughtsāplans, sarcasm, frustrationāfell away, replaced by something weightless and calm, something that didn't demand answers or solutions.
---
Adam whispered, his voice soft, as though afraid to disturb the lake's serenity:
> "I've neverā¦ really stopped to look at this."
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His dark eyes traced the silver path across the water, the way the light danced and shifted, never the same for even a moment. A soft smile, rare and almost gentle, tugged at the corners of his lips, the expression unfamiliar but not unwelcome.
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**Adam (thinking):**
> In all this absurd messā¦ maybe there's still things worth admiring. Just for being what they are.
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He tilted his head back, his gaze lifting to the stars, their brilliance undimmed by the moon's glow. The night seemed endless, fragile, a beautiful emptiness that swallowed all frustration, all urgency, leaving only stillness in its wake.
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**Adam (thinking):**
> "You cannot create experience. You must undergo it."
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The Camus quote surfaced in his mind, unbidden, and for the first time, it didn't sound like a curse.
A cold gust swept over the lake, rustling his cloak, the fabric billowing slightly before settling once more. Adam drew it tighter around himself, the wool rough against his fingers, and let out a long sigh, his breath fogging the frosty air before dissipating into nothingness.
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Adam (muttering):
> "Alright, Black Lake. I'll try again tomorrow."
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With one last look at the shimmering water, he turned, his boots scuffing against the frost-laden grass, and began the slow walk back to the castle, the silver glow of the lake still lingering in his eyes, its quiet beauty a silent promise of something he couldn't yet name.
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Adam shoved his hands into his cloak pockets as he turned away from the silver glow of the lake. His breath coiled in pale clouds as he trudged up the gentle slope toward Hogwarts.
Above him, the castle loomed against the stars, a hulking silhouette punctuated by flickering windows. He was halfway across the dark grass when he stopped dead in his tracks.
Something rustled behind himālike dry leaves brushing stone, or silk dragging across marble. It was faint, but unmistakable.
He turned his head sharply, scanning the shadows behind him.
Nothing.
The trees along the lake edge swayed gently. Moonlight shimmered across the ripples. All seemed calm again.
Adam exhaled, rolling his eyes.
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Adam (muttering):
> "Brilliant. Now I'm hearing the forest talk to meā¦"
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He started forward once more.
Then he heard it again.
A soft sound, closer this time. Like someone whispering a secret directly into his ear. It was so faint he couldn't make out the words, only the cadenceāa low, sibilant hiss.
He froze, every hair on his arms standing on end.
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Adam (thinking):
> That's not the wind.
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He pivoted slowly, wand sliding from his sleeve into his palm, his knuckles white around the polished wood.
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> "Who's there?" he demanded, voice sharp and cold.
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No answer came. Just silence, stretching thin as glass.
Thenāthere it was again. A murmur, barely louder than breath. The voice felt like it slithered across his skull rather than echoing through the air:
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> "ā¦Adamā¦
ā¦Find meā¦"
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Adam felt a chill claw its way down his spine. His wand tip glowed faintly as he whispered a detection charm, the syllables trembling on his tongue.
No shadow threads appeared. The air remained still, empty of silver strands or dark resonance.
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Adam (thinking):
> Either I'm cracking upā¦ or something's learned how to hide from my spell.
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He swallowed hard, scanning every tree trunk, every patch of frost-silvered grass. He started to back away, inching closer to the castle's distant glow.
But the whisper came again, soft yet urgent, winding around his mind like smoke:
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> "ā¦Find meā¦ before he doesā¦"
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Adam's eyes darted across the lawn, pulse thundering in his ears. His free hand trembled slightly as he clenched it into a fist.
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Adam (thinking):
> Heā¦ who? Voldemort? The shadow creature? Or someone else entirely?
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A breeze gusted across the lake, rattling the reeds. The moon slipped behind a thin veil of cloud, plunging the world into sudden darkness.
When the moonlight returned a heartbeat later, the whisper was gone.
Adam lowered his wand slowly, heart hammering.
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Adam (muttering):
> "Perfect. Just bloody perfect. Now the air's talking to me. Camus would love this shit."
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He glanced once more over his shoulder, the surface of the lake now dark and inscrutable.
Then he tightened his cloak around himself and strode briskly toward the castle, his mind racing with questionsāand the whisper echoing faintly in the back of his skull.
[ End of Chapter. ]
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IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT MY WORKS OR JUST TO SUPPORT ME THEN HERE IS MY PATREON:
š Patreon.com/Doflamingo4