The atmosphere within the cavernous depths of the forbidden territory was thick with a cloying, suffocating dread. The air itself seemed to vibrate with a sinister energy, centering entirely upon the tragic figure of Rose. However, the girl who stood there, trembling and broken, was not truly the daughter of Ron and Hermione; it was the fragmented, desperate soul of Lord Voldemort, trapped within her likeness. The Dark Lord, usually a figure of supreme terror, looked utterly terrified. His eyes—nested in Rose's face—were wide with a primal fear, and he was visibly injured. His breathing came in ragged, shallow gasps as he looked up at the woman looming over him.
Elthira stood over the fallen girl, her face contorted into a mask of chilling triumph. There was no mercy in her eyes, only a predatory glee that made the skin crawl. She was smiling—a wide, jagged expression that reached her eyes but carried no warmth. Her sharp, talon-like nails were already buried deep into Rose's shoulder, the flesh yielding beneath the pressure of her supernatural strength.
Rose's voice ripped through the silence, a piercing cry of agony that echoed off the cold stone walls.
"Ah!"
The scream was raw, born of both physical pain and the sheer horror of the vampire's touch. But Elthira did not recoil; instead, she leaned in closer, her voice rising to a fever pitch, a shrill and manic declaration that claimed dominion over everything James Potter held dear. She shouted loudly, her words dripping with obsession.
"James is mine!"
The declaration hung in the air like a curse. She tightened her grip, her nails sinking further into the shoulder of the girl who looked like Rose.
"Only mine!"
Elthira's eyes flashed with a greedy, unhinged light as she continued her proclamation of conquest.
"James is mine and also the Ravenclaw Gemstone is also mine!"
Standing several yards away, James Potter was frozen. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. The sight of Rose—or what he believed to be Rose—being tortured by the woman he had allowed into their inner circle sent a wave of nausea through him. He was shocked, his mind reeling from the betrayal, but that shock was rapidly being overtaken by a burning, incandescent rage. He had felt suspicious of Elthira for a long time, a nagging whisper in the back of his mind that something was deeply wrong with the vampire, but seeing it manifest in such a brutal display confirmed his darkest fears.
Beside him, Scorpius Malfoy was also watching, but his mind was not just on the present horror. He looked at James, and the sight of his friend's conflicted face triggered a vivid memory—a memory of the heated argument they had shared shortly after Rose and Elthira had gone missing.
In the memory, the tension between the two boys had been at a breaking point. Scorpius had stepped into James's personal space, his face flushed with anger and disbelief.
"Hey! Are you out of your mind?"
Scorpius had shouted, his voice cracking with the weight of his frustration.
"James, I thought you were a very intelligent and smart and kind-hearted person."
He had paced back and forth, gesturing wildly at the empty space where their friend should have been.
"I thought you were sensible and also the smartest."
He stopped then, looking James dead in the eye with a look of pure disappointment.
"But you left as a fool in front of me and us."
In that moment, James had been a wreck. He was already tensed about the disappearance, his mind a whirlwind of guilt and desperation. He was searching for Rose everywhere, his eyes darting to every shadow, every corner of the castle and the grounds. The others were searching too, their calls echoing through the halls, but the silence that answered them was deafening.
Scorpius, fueled by a protective instinct for Rose, had maintained a serious look, his tone dropping into a low, angry growl as he questioned James's judgment.
"Why did you let that Elthira into our team?"
James hadn't answered, his gaze fixed on the floor.
"Didn't you know she is an ally of Voldemort?"
Scorpius had stepped closer, his voice rising again.
"Maybe she is the reason for Rose's disappearance, and also she disappeared as well."
The accusation hit James like a physical blow.
"You are the reason for Rose going missing."
Scorpius's eyes had turned cold, a darkness reflecting the fear he felt for his best friend.
"If anything happens to my best friend Rose,"
He paused, letting the weight of the threat settle between them.
"I would never forgive you and will kill you."
James had stopped for a moment, his entire body stiffening. His eyes, usually bright and full of life, became deathly serious. He was more worried about Rose than he could put into words, and Scorpius's words were like shards of glass cutting into his soul. The pain of the blame was immense, but James remained silent, his jaw clamped shut as if he were holding back a flood of explanations he wasn't yet ready to give.
Scorpius, driven to the edge by the silence, had shouted again.
"At least for God's sake, just tell us! Why did you let Elthira that vampire into our team?"
He threw his hands up in exasperation.
"She is already dangerous and even killed her own Dementors and Death Eaters!"
James stopped in his tracks for a brief second, the mention of Elthira's lethality causing a flicker of something in his expression, but he quickly masked it. He kept on walking like an emotionless person, a hollow shell moving through the world. Even though Scorpius's words were hurting him deeply, he refused to break his stride.
Scorpius had kept on scolding and questioning him, his voice trailing after James like a ghost.
"Seriously, I am shouting like a dog here!"
He followed James, his footsteps heavy.
"You remain silent and keep walking."
He gestured to the group of friends standing further back, all of them watching the confrontation with wide eyes and pale faces.
"Can't you see all our friends stopped walking and want answers from you?"
James didn't look back.
"But you kept on walking."
Scorpius's voice dropped to a whisper of betrayal.
"Do you really care for all of us?"
From the sidelines, Kael had chimed in, his voice dripping with bitterness and a long-standing resentment. He shook his head, looking at James's retreating back with disdain.
"He only cares for his Hero title."
Kael's comment was loud enough for everyone to hear, adding fuel to the fire.
"Everyone in Hogwarts always sees him as a hero because he is Harry Potter's son and also he is Seeker of the Quidditch game and also won against me and my team every time as well."
Kael crossed his arms, his lip curling.
"All girls are after him because of his popularity and also being brave and being Harry Potter's son."
He looked around at the others, seeking validation for his spite.
"Even Miss Amelia selected him as the protector of Hogwarts and sent him here."
Kael's voice turned sharp and accusatory.
"He never cared for anyone, and not for Rose."
He pointed a finger at James.
"And he kept Rose's life in danger."
At those words, James's hands balled into tight fists, the knuckles turning white. He didn't turn around, but the tension in his shoulders told everyone how close he was to snapping. Every one of their friends looked on in silence, their expressions grave and serious. They were caught between their loyalty to James and the undeniable reality that Rose was gone because of a choice James had made.
Scorpius looked at Kael with a look that clearly screamed "SHUT UP," his patience for the other boy's petty jealousies having reached its limit. He turned his attention back to his friend.
"I need an answer."
James was still silent, a statue in motion.
Frustrated beyond measure, Scorpius ran towards James. He reached out and grabbed James's shoulder from behind, shoving him with all his might.
"Answer me!"
James didn't fall. He absorbed the impact, his feet rooted to the ground. But Scorpius was already enraged, his face contorted with the stress of the mission.
From the shadows, Thorn Claw let out a thunderous roar of anger that vibrated through the very ground.
"RRRAAAHHHH!"
Nyx Blazer stepped forward, his presence calming but firm, as he held up a hand to the group.
"Calm down."
James, who was already profoundly disturbed by Rose's disappearance, remained encased in his silence. It was a silence that Kael took as an admission of guilt.
"James is not worried about Rose at all," Kael commented snidely, his voice echoing in the tense air.
"He is just concerned with saving his hero title by saving Hogwarts by hook or crook."
Kael paced a small circle, looking at the others.
"He will never show concern for anyone, and also us."
He looked at James's back again.
"James just pretends Rose being his friend, that's it."
Kael's voice became self-righteous, his chest puffing out slightly.
"All of you comment on me that I am a loser and scared, but the truth is I am also concerned for Hogwarts and also Rose."
He looked toward the darkness where they had last seen her.
"Because Rose is my friend, I will be Rose's hero and will save her."
He sneered at James.
"James is a loser who can't save his team."
Kael sighed, a sound of feigned disappointment.
"I wish Miss Amelia believed in me and Rose too."
Finally, James turned. His eyes were flashing with a dangerous light, his patience finally depleted.
"Do whatever you want!"
He barked the words out, the first thing he had said in what felt like hours. He fell back into silence immediately after, his chest heaving.
Scorpius softened his tone, though it remained deadly serious. He stepped closer to James, looking for any crack in the armor.
"If you ever loved Rose for real, reveal everything that is in your heart, James."
James stopped in his tracks once more. The mention of his feelings for Rose seemed to pierce through the defensive wall he had built.
"If you ever consider me and also Dagger and everyone here are your friends," Scorpius continued, his voice pleading now, "please reveal the truth."
He sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly.
"Yes, I am angry at you and also everyone is angry at you for letting that vampire into the team."
He reached out, not to push, but to offer a hand of friendship.
"But still we believe you and have trust and a deep friendship bond with you."
He looked James in the eye.
"Please reveal the truth. I know you are hiding something from me and everyone."
Kael looked between the two of them, his confusion evident.
"What are you talking about?"
He threw his hands up.
"He is the reason for all the troubles and Rose's disappearance!"
He looked at Scorpius as if he had lost his mind.
"Why are you making him a hero again by saying these heroic lines like 'reveal' and all?"
Scorpius didn't even bother to use words this time. He looked at Kael with a look of pure annoyance and whipped out his magical wand. With a swift, practiced flick, he cast a silent spell.
A large, thick plaster appeared over Kael's mouth, and two large clumps of cotton stuffed themselves into his ears. Kael let out a muffled sound of protest, his eyes widening in shock.
Frank and Bobby, standing nearby, couldn't help but smile at the sight of the silenced Kael.
James finally turned fully toward Scorpius. The weight of the secret he had been carrying seemed to visible on his face.
"I don't know why," James began, his voice low and steady, "but when Elthira appeared in front of me,"
He looked around at the group, ensuring they were all listening.
"She tried to make me fall for her and tried to control me using her eyes."
The group leaned in, captivated by the admission.
"I pretended I fell for her," James confessed. "Because for a moment I lost almost all control, until Rose shouted at me."
He reached up and touched the locket around his neck.
"And also the Chang Guardian locket also saved me from going into her control."
James's expression darkened as he thought about the vampire.
"I don't know why, and I also don't think she is an outsider."
He looked at Scorpius specifically.
"I saw her tattoo on her ear. It is a tattoo mostly powerful magical witches will have, those types of tattoos."
He remembered the scent and the way she carried herself.
"Her perfume and her appearance and also her words are somewhat different."
He took a deep breath.
"I think she is not an ally of Voldemort, but still dangerous."
James looked at each of his friends, his gaze lingering on Dagger and Scorpius.
"I am revealing a big secret right now to all of you."
He paused, the gravity of the coming words hanging heavy.
"But please don't panic."
Scorpius felt a chill run down his spine.
"What?"
James's face was set in a grim line.
"I am 100% sure and also had doubts on her from the beginning, but couldn't reveal this to you and everyone."
Dagger and Scorpius asked in unison, their voices tight with anticipation.
"What?"
James leaned in, his voice a whisper that felt like a thunderclap.
"Miss Amelia is not the one she seems."
He looked at them with a haunted expression.
"She is not good."
The revelation struck the group like a physical blow. Everyone was left shocked, the silence following his words more profound than any that had come before.
Dagger was the first to react, his loyalty to the woman who had guided them sparking a flare of anger. He stepped forward, his face flushed.
"What are you talking about, James?"
He shook his head, unable to process the accusation.
"Don't you know what you are talking about?"
He looked at the others for support.
"Amelia is a great person, the greatest I've ever known, and also she is Dumbledore's cousin-sister!"
He gestured toward the distant silhouette of Hogwarts.
"Dumbledore always considered Amelia like a sister and also gave responsibility to her of the Gryffindor Sword and also his diary and also to guard Hogwarts!"
Dagger's voice was filled with conviction.
"If she is not there... Hogwarts is safe only because of her! And even your parents are also safe because of her! She is risking her life to save Hogwarts!"
James didn't look offended. Instead, a small, sad smile touched his lips. He looked at Dagger with pity.
"Oh, really?"
Scorpius and almost everyone else looked at James with renewed anger, unable to believe he would disparage a woman they viewed as their savior. Only Thorn Claw, Nyx Blazer, and Dim remained still, their expressions unreadable as they watched James.
James let out a short, hollow laugh that held no humor.
"If she is really Dumbledore's sister," James questioned, his eyes narrowing, "why didn't she come to Hogwarts when Dumbledore was alive, or even when he died?"
Dagger stumbled back a step, the question hitting him like a physical obstacle. He opened his mouth to retort, but the words failed him. He began to think deeply, his brow furrowed as he searched for a logical explanation.
"Maybe..." Dagger said, his voice hesitant, "maybe she was trying to protect the Gryffindor Sword."
James shook his head, prepared to dismantle that hope. He was about to reveal a secret that would change everything they thought they knew about their mission.
"Dumbledore left the Sword in a place where it could be kept safe," James revealed, his voice steady and cold. "That place was only known to Dumbledore and Hagrid."
He looked at the shocked faces around him.
"Not to Amelia. And I know Hagrid is hiding this and believing in Amelia because she is behaving and pretending to be good."
Scorpius felt the world shifting beneath his feet. The foundation of their trust was crumbling.
"Why?" Scorpius asked, his voice trembling. "How can you say this? That Miss Amelia is evil like Voldemort?"
James reached into his jacket and pulled out a worn, yellowed piece of parchment. It was the last page of Dumbledore's diary, a page that had been hidden for decades. It chronicled events from many years ago, during the time when Tom Riddle was still a student at Hogwarts.
James held the paper up so they could see the elegant, looping script of the late Headmaster. He looked at them one final time before delivering the crushing truth.
"Miss Amelia was banned by Dumbledore," James revealed, his voice echoing in the chamber. "And she was restricted to never enter into Hogwarts again."
The weight of the revelation settled over them like a shroud. The woman they had trusted, the one who had sent them on this perilous journey, was a pariah in the eyes of the man they most respected. The lines between hero and villain had blurred, leaving them standing in the darkness of the cave with a vampire holding their friend and a mentor who was not who she claimed to be.