Emilia’s head felt heavy and every single bone and muscle in her body felt as if it was on fire. Her back was hurting for laying on the cold and rock-hard ground and her eyes fluttered open, barely seeing anything in the darkness.

With struggle, she managed to raise her head and lift herself up to sit and look around.

A small room. A cell. No light and no one around. The atmosphere in the air was heavy and wet, particles of dirt were in the air and it was difficult to breathe.

Was she underground?

Using her both hurting arms, she stood back up on her feet, leaning against the carved stone wall and moved to the set of metal bars she noticed up front. Trying to look past them, she could see a small, curved passageway with almost no light and only one torch stuck in the wall at the very end, no soul in sight. She looked down at her ripped clothes. No wand.

She tried to grab the bars of her cell but immediately hissed in pain as it burned her skin like fire. Stepping back from it she heard a barely audible whisper.

‘Emilia?’ – a faint voice sounded somewhere on the other side of the wall.

‘Huh?’ – she moved to the corner where the bars and the wall met and tried to look through without burning herself once more, unsuccessfully. – ‘Ash?’

The boy’s quiet voice spoke again.

‘Y-yeah.’ – he sounded hurt. – ‘Are you alright?’

‘I… I don’t know. Where are we?’

He sighed and she could hear a faint cry coming from his cell.

‘At the old moonstone mine. Downer’s hideout.’ – he revealed tearfully.

Her heart dropped at the realization.

‘Fuck…’ – she whispered, panicking.

How do I get out? She thought to herself. The cell was obviously enchanted, that’s why touching the bars burnt her. And Ash would not be of any help… He was the one that caused all of this. But, as it seemed, he was a prisoner as well, having failed to finish his part of the plan.

She backed out towards the back wall, her heart pounding fearfully.

She felt the cold of the wall immediately easing the pain of her burning skin as she pressed against it.

‘Emilia…’ – Ash wailed from the other side of the wall. – ‘Emilia, I’m so so sorry, I’m begging you to forgive me, I…’

‘Stop. Just shut your mouth.’ – she cussed at him, hiding her face in her hands, not handling the tension of the situation mixed with the rising panic within her.

It took her a good minute to calm herself down enough to peacefully speak again.

‘Did they hurt you? Are you injured?’ – she asked the boy, in her mind also asking herself why she still cared about his wellbeing after what he’s done.

‘I think they might’ve broken my right arm… It really fucking hurts.’ – he gasped in between sobs.

She sighed and walked back to the same corner that was the closest to his cell.

‘Stick out your hand. I’ll try to grab it and help you.’ – still conflicted, but unable to stay cold towards him, she ordered.

‘Oh my god, Em, thank you, thank you, I…’

‘Just be fucking quiet.’ – she cut him angrily, pulling out her own arm carefully through the bars, trying to reach his arm sticking out from the left cell.

Searching around with her hand, she finally met with Ash’s fingers and grabbed it before losing it in the darkness again. Her face was pressed against the cold wall separating her from the boy and it contrasted with the striking temperature of the enchanted bars.

As she focused her mind, holding on one of the boy’s fingers, instead of feeling the usual flow of her magic oozing out of her through her hand, a sudden urge in the back of her mind called for her to pull it back instead.

Unwillingly, she could feel the power in her pulling back not only from her own hand, but, moreover, from the boy himself, as if she was sucking him out of his own strength.

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Ash suddenly wailed out in pain once again, trying to pull his hand back but Emilia’s grip tightened and despite the bars beginning to burn her skin she could not stop the flow of the energy crawling it’s way back into her body.

She began feeling strong, stronger than ever, a sudden burst of adrenaline awoke in her and it completely silenced the painful groans of the boy in the other cell.

After several seconds she finally let him go and she could hear him fall to the ground and wiggle in pain on the other side of the wall. Breathing heavily, and feeling as if she was being guided by a 6th sense, she approached the metal bars.

Unphased by the burning sensation, she grabbed the bars with her hands, her brows narrowed in concentration, and pulled them apart as if they were made out of paper. She spread them far enough for her to wiggle through, and as she stepped out of the cell and onto the dark passageway, she stared down at her palms, watching her red skin begin to peel off and form blisters, but she felt no pain.

She stepped towards Ash’s cell, only to see him hiding in the back, trembling and sobbing in pain with his broken arm twisted in a weird angle, his skin pale and ill and boy looking as if he was just one step ahead of death.

The urge in her was telling her to keep walking, he was the sole reason she was there, after all, he deserved it. But her heart fought through and after a moment of her conflicted thoughts battling in her mind, she scoffed quietly and approached the door located right beside the only torch in sight, and on a handle on the wall inside a small room she saw a big metal ring of keys.

She grabbed it with her blistering hand and threw it through the bars and onto the ground in front of the boy, giving him one last look before disappearing in the depths of the mine’s passageway.

...

Rosie and Jaz were standing right next to Sebastian and Ominis when Elle passed next to them and overheard their conversation.

‘Does Professor Weasley know yet?’ – Jaz asked with unusual emotion in her tone of voice.

‘Yes, she just sent out an owl to the Ministry. She is gathering the Professors at the Courtyard and they’re all going to go help before the Aurors get there.’ – Ominis explained, visibly distraught.

‘We need to go too, right? We can’t let anything happen to Em!’ – Rosie exclaimed and was immediately met with nods from everyone.

Elle came up to them with her heart beating rapidly.

‘What are you guys talking about? What happened to Emilia?’ – she questioned them with anxiety in her voice.

‘Ash sold her off to Downer, that’s what.’ – Sebastian scoffed with his jaw clenched angrily. – ‘Atticus went to save her, he found letters that Ash sent to Downer and Professor Black, he was in on it as well, she’s been taken to some tomb located north from the Forbidden Forest, near the old moonstone mine which is apparently where the bastard’s been hiding all these months.’

Elle gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, tears immediately coming up to her eyes before she shook her head and her expression turned serious.

‘I’m coming with you.’ – she stated, determined but scared.

They exchanged worried looks but said nothing.

Seeing more and more people fleeing towards the main entrance, they followed quickly.

Upon leaving the castle and stepping onto the Main Courtyard, they were met with what seemed like half of the students and almost all of the teachers gathered and running around chaotically, a couple of older students running back from the Quidditch field with stacks of broomsticks in their arms, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher even opening the thestral cages located beneath the castle’s walls. Everyone was in a rush and the air was filled with a sense of chaotic determination with a hint of adrenaline.

They all ran up to Professor Weasley, gathered around a group of teachers and Prefects.

‘…And only the students that are legally adults are allowed to come, while we are gone please make sure everyone returns to their dormitories and will remain under lockdown until we are back with an official statement. Is that clear?’ – one of the Hufflepuff Prefects nodded understandingly and began rushing the younger students back into the castle.

‘Professor Weasley!’ – Jaz shouted as the group approached them.

She looked at them with a worried expression.

‘I’m glad you’re here. Mr. Evergreen just returned some with bad news.’ – she fixed her glasses that were sliding off her nose.

They exchanged scared looks.

‘Where is he?’ – Sebastian asked, searching for him in the crowd.

Professor Weasley pointed at the small group of students returning with the brooms from the field and they noticed Atticus approaching them with a handful of the withered school broomsticks in his arms. He dropped them on the ground as he came close and gasped out frantically.

‘They got Emilia. They’ve taken her to the mine. We have to act fast before they flee somewhere else with her, they must know we figured out where their hideout is.’ – he revealed, visibly nervous.

‘I’ve informed the Ministry about all that’s happened, Headmaster Black has already been arrested and taken into custody and a special group of Aurors is on their way here now to help, but before that happens, we’ve decided to act before it’s too late.’ – Professor Weasley explained, more calmly but still, a flow of emotion could be heard in her voice.

‘How come all of the students are willingly coming with?’ – Rosie looked around at all of the schoolmates around them, mounting thestrals and getting on brooms, preparing to take off.

‘I don’t think you realize just how many people at school admire Emilia for how she’s helped everyone.’ – Elle cut in, looking at her with a surprised expression. – ‘Just look around you. She’s fixed mine and Ominis’ sight, helped Sebastian’s sister, managed to help out almost anyone at school in some way ever since she came here. People want to fight for her now, after all that she’s done.’

The rest of the people gathered just took in her statement in a moment of shared silence, feeling the tension of the situation and realizing, just how great and important this was for everyone.

The professors finally prepared and gathered everyone around and Atticus handed his group the brooms that he had brought.

‘Ready?’ – he asked.

‘Ready.’ – they all replied in sync and got on their brooms.

In that moment, over 50 people rose up to the air together and started flying off towards the sun setting up north, on their way to fight for the girl from the prophecy.