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"Are you ready?" Pandora asked, unable to hold back as she watched Severus Snape pull out a piece of parchment and squint at it for what felt like ages.
"I'm ready," she said, patting the small bag on the table. "Everything's in here."
"Just a moment," Snape replied without looking up, his eyes still glued to the Marauder's Map. "Let me check again."
He'd been tracking the tiny black dot labeled Mulciber, waiting for it to vanish from the map before making their move.
At that moment, the setting sun streamed through the high windows of the Room of Requirement, casting slanted rays into the room. The light was already growing dim.
The two of them had just eaten a quick meal of bread slices here, with no intention of heading to the Great Hall for dinner.
As time ticked by, Snape's eyes suddenly lit up: Mulciber had finally slipped into the secret passage, and the black dot disappeared from the map.
"Come here, I'll cast a Disillusionment Charm on you." He hurriedly waved Pandora over.
With that, Snape raised his wand and tapped it lightly but deftly on her head. "Done."
"Nice work, Severus," Pandora said admiringly, glancing down at her body just before it blended into the background.
At that moment, her form no longer seemed to belong to her.
It wasn't complete invisibility, but her colors and textures had shifted to match the walls and objects around her perfectly, like a human chameleon cleverly camouflaged in the environment.
"Let's go." Snape was about to tap his wand on his own head when he noticed a translucent wand floating in midair, landing on him with a tap.
A cold, icy sensation flowed from the spot where he'd been tapped, spreading through his body.
"Thanks, Pandora," Snape said, grabbing the small bag. "This thing's heavier than it looks. I'll carry it."
The door to the room opened silently and closed just as quietly, blending seamlessly back into the stone wall.
The two of them carefully descended the stairs to the fifth floor.
Seizing a moment when no one was around, Snape opened the mirror that led to the secret passage.
"Go, get in quick," he whispered to the empty air around him, wary of being overheard.
Uncertain whether his companion had already entered, he waited a few seconds before pulling his foot away from the entrance.
A faint glow appeared in the air, flickering like a firefly in the night sky, illuminating the rough, uneven stone walls.
"This place is pretty nice," Pandora's voice echoed in the passage. "It'd be great for experiments. Why do you want to destroy it?"
"Er…" Snape faltered, unsure how to respond. "Well, this place could be used by bad people. Don't you already have a lab? This spot's not that important, is it?"
"Fair point. Alright, I'll get started." Pandora didn't dwell on it. "Put the bag on the ground. I can't see it."
"Oh, right." Snape set the bag down. "Let's undo the Disillusionment Charms."
As the spell took effect, they reappeared.
Once visible, Snape watched as Pandora pulled out an assortment of small jars from the bag, filled with various powders and liquids.
Amid the singsong cadence of Pandora's incantations, the magical materials floated into the air, slowly merging together and layering themselves onto the passage's walls and stone steps.
As she chanted, glowing Runes began to shimmer on the walls, their mysterious light pulsing as if they might leap off the stone.
A moment later, they did just that—breaking free from the walls and hovering in the air, their faint glow fading into nothingness.
"Rare ancient magic," Pandora said, her voice tinged with satisfaction. "I tried all sorts of magic-dampening potions and spells to clear them out.
"They even gave me some new ideas. That ᛇᚷᛚᚠᛟᛋᛇᛟᚾ Runic symbol—I always thought it meant 'explosion,' but it turns out it's used in a protection charm."
"What?"
"ᛇᚷᛚᚠᛟᛋᛇᛟᚾ."
"Forget it," Snape said, starting to question whether his Outstanding grade in Ancient Runes was a fluke. "What's next?"
"Let's use a powerful Blasting Curse—Bombarda Maxima," Pandora suggested, her eyes gleaming with eagerness.
As she began to utter the first syllable, Snape quickly stopped her. "Wait! Let me do it. Step back."
He wasn't entirely confident. What if something went wrong with her? He didn't want any accidents happening to Pandora on his watch.
Just then, a sharp, fishy stench wafted from the stairwell, and a chilling sensation crept up Snape's arm.
Before he could process the smell, a slimy, bone-white hand gripped the stone steps and began to climb.
He looked up and gasped: a horde of Inferi was clambering up from below.
A sea of pale heads and hands emerged from the darkness—men, women, children—all with sunken, sightless eyes, advancing toward them.
"Inferi!" Snape shouted. "Bombarda Maxima!"
A surge of magic slammed into the stone wall, cracking it in several places, but it wasn't enough.
They were out of time to destroy the passage.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The first Inferius collapsed with a thud, tumbling back down.
"Impedimenta! Incarcerous!"
Snape retreated, frantically waving his wand in the air, but more Inferi kept climbing.
Their withered hands clutched the cold stone, their hollow, misty eyes staring blankly. Tattered, mold-stained robes dragged behind them, and their sunken faces bore expressions of disdain.
"Pandora, run!" Snape grabbed her and raced toward the entrance, trembling as he traced a small owl with his wand. "Alohomora!"
The Inferi, mindless and relentless, continued their slow advance, reaching out with dry, skeletal hands.
He prayed the exit would open soon, letting him and Pandora escape safely.
"Wait, Severus," Pandora said, stumbling as he dragged her along. "I have an idea."
She struggled to break free, but Snape held her wrist tightly, refusing to let go.
"Forget it, just go! Find the professors!" Snape shouted, his voice cracking with panic.
The entrance finally swung open.
Before Snape could pull Pandora through, a flash of light blinded him. He felt something seize his ankle, and suddenly he was hoisted upside down into the air.
"Got you, Snivellus! Give it back!"
James Potter's snarling face loomed before Snape's inverted gaze, his eyes blazing with fury and hatred.
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