As the night drew on, we knew that we had to rest. My wounds were throbbing, and Mikkel was exhausted. We found a small room in Selene's cottage where we could rest.

"I'm going to have to send a message to my sister," I said as I sat down on the floor. "She's going to be worried sick about me."

Mikkel nodded in agreement, and we both knew that we had to contact our families as soon as possible.

"Hey, Muninn," I telepathically called out to the raven perched on a nearby tree. "Can you fly to Hogwarts and let Emma know that I'm safe?"

Muninn gave a firm nod and cawed in agreement before taking flight into the night sky. Watching him disappear into the darkness, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.

"By the way, I dropped your wand when we were running," I said, turning to Mikkel. "We'll have to look for it on our way back."

Mikkel nodded again, and we both settled in for the night, knowing that tomorrow would bring new challenges.

The next morning, we woke up feeling a little better, but still sore and tired. We knew that we had to contact our families and figure out what to do.

"First things first," I said as we got up from eating breakfast. "We need to contact our families and let them know that Mikkel is safe."

Mikkel nodded in agreement, and we both got to work writing letters to our families. I explained what had happened to my father and assured him that I fulfilled the quest. We also asked for their advice on what to do about Lily.

After we sent the letters off with Huginn, we turned our attention to Lily.

"I'm sorry, Lily," I said, turning to her. "But we have to wait for instructions from our families, and we need to return to Hogwarts for our own safety."

Selene interrupted. "I'm sorry, my dear," Selene said, "but I cannot let you leave without some kind of assurance. I have an idea that could help us both."

We all looked at her expectantly, unsure of what she was about to suggest.

"I can offer to make an Unbreakable Vow with you," she said, her expression serious.

We all recoiled at the suggestion. The Unbreakable Vow was one of the most powerful and dangerous spells in the wizarding world. To make such a vow would mean pledging our lives to fulfill our promise, and failure would mean certain death.

"I don't know if that's necessary," I said, feeling a sense of unease.

Mikkel nodded his head in agreement, and even Lily looked worried.

"I understand your concerns," Selene said, "but I cannot take any chances. Lily is too important, and I need to make sure that she stays safe."

After a moment of hesitation, we all agreed to the vow. It was a risk, but it was the only way to gain Selene's trust.

The atmosphere in the clearing was thick with tension as Selene pulled out her wand and began to recite the incantation for the Unbreakable Vow. The light flickered and shuddered, as if the very air was shaking with fear.

I could feel the weight of the vow as Selene laid out the terms. We were to give Lily a new identity and only reveal her true identity to those we trusted implicitly. And lastly, never to mention the vow.

As Selene's words echoed through the clearing, I felt a chill run down my spine. I knew that this vow was binding, unbreakable. It was a weighty responsibility, and one that I was not sure I was ready to shoulder. But, repaying a life-saving debt is a price worth paying.

The vow was made, and we left the forest. We promised to return as soon as possible.

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As we walked away, I couldn't help but feel uneasy about the whole situation. The Unbreakable Vow weighed heavily on my mind, and I knew that failure to keep it would kill me.

As we trudged through the dark forest, I turned to Mikkel and asked him about his capture and why he had ventured into the Forbidden Forest. His expression darkened, and he replied in a stern voice, "It's none of your business, Charles."

I could sense the tension between us, and I knew that there was something more to Mikkel's story. But I respected his privacy and didn't press the matter any further.

Instead, we focused on our journey back to Hogwarts. It was a long and arduous journey, and we were exhausted by the time we reached the castle gates. We were immediately whisked away to the hospital wing, where Madame Pomfrey tended to our wounds.

As we lay in our hospital beds, recovering from our injuries, Emma suddenly ran up to me and hugged me tightly, her arms wrapped around my neck.

"Oh, Charles, I was so worried about you!" she sobbed.

I hugged her back, feeling a sense of relief and comfort in her embrace. "I'm okay, Emma. I'm safe now."

She pulled back and looked up at me, her big brown eyes filled with tears. "I was so scared. I didn't know what to do."

I stroked her hair gently, feeling a surge of protectiveness wash over me. "It's okay, Emma. I'm here now."

Emma kept clinging onto my arm as if she was afraid I would disappear again. As the day passed, she finally let go of my arm and collapsed onto my hospital bed, her eyes red and puffy from crying. I started rubbing her back gently.

"It's all right, Emma," I said soothingly. "Everything is going to be okay."

As I lay in the hospital bed, I couldn't help but think about my identity all night. Who was I really?

But as I gazed out the window and watched the sun slowly rise over the Hogwarts grounds, I realized that it didn't really matter. This world was my home now, and I had to embrace it with open arms. I had to embrace both identities and make them my own.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm wash over me. No matter what happened in the future, I knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be.

More days passed as I and Mikkel recovered from our injuries, and we waited anxiously for word from our families. But then a stern-looking teacher entered the room, eyeing us suspiciously. "Mr. Nielsen and Mr. Madsen, may I ask where you have been for those past few days?" Flitwick asked, his voice stern.

Mikkel and I exchanged nervous glances. We couldn't tell him the truth, or we would risk being expelled from Hogwarts. "We were exploring the castle and got lost until we somehow exited outside castle walls," I said, my voice wavering slightly.

Flitwick raised an eyebrow. "Lost? For a whole day? And two whole days for you Mr. Madsen?"

"Yes, sir," Mikkel added, nodding his head.

Flitwick raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to us. "I find that hard to believe. I have reports of the two of you coming out from The Forbidden Forest," he said in a stern voice. "You should know that The Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all students. Now, I need you to tell me the truth about why you went in there."

Mikkel and I exchanged another glance. We couldn't reveal the truth, no matter how much trouble we could be in. "We were just exploring the lake," I said.

The teacher raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Exploring, you say? And what happened to your wands?"

"We, um, dropped them," Mikkel chimed in, looking equally nervous.

Flitwick looked at us suspiciously. "I find that hard to believe. The Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all students. If you don't tell me the truth right now, you will both be expelled from Hogwarts."

I swallowed nervously, glancing over at Mikkel for support. Time to use some meta knowledge. "Professor Flitwick, we had heard rumors about the students disappearing, and we went into the Forbidden Forest to investigate. That's where we discovered something very concerning, actually."

Flitwick raised an eyebrow skeptically. "And what exactly did you discover?"

"Information about a basilisk," I said, my voice low. "We overheard some dark wizards talking about it residing under Hogwarts, and we believe it may be responsible for the disappearances and petrifications of the students. We ran as fast as we could from them but they followed us, which is the reason for the injuries."

Flitwick's expression shifted, becoming more serious. "I see. The petrifications have been happening since you two disappeared. Thank you for telling me this. I will need to have a discussion with the headmaster. However, I must warn you that you are not yet excused and are still in danger of expulsion if any of this is found to be false."

I cleared my throat "Sir, we understand the gravity of our actions and accept any consequences that may come. But please understand that we only did it out of concern for our fellow students' safety."

Flitwick's gaze lingered on us, his expression still guarded. "If this turns out to be true, then you have helped us immensely and this school. The headmaster and I will take that into consideration."

Mikkel and I nodded in agreement, relieved that Flitwick seemed to believe us, at least to some extent. "Thank you, sir," I said, grateful for his understanding.

"But, why keep lying about what you did if it was for the good of the school?" Flitwick said.

"We were in the end afraid of the repercussions of our actions entering the forest," Mikkel replied emotionally.

Flitwick gave us a stern look. "You two will be under close watch from now on. And if anything suspicious happens, you will be the first to be questioned. Is that clear?"

We both nodded, understanding the severity of the situation. "Yes, sir," we said in unison.