Chapter Text
- Prologue -
The Cold of Winters' Past
Old caretaker Harrison wheezed down the steps into the school’s extensive basement. He flicked his torch on, blinking his watery eyes to help adjust them. Down in the basement the light switches were faulty to non-existent and so, should his torch fail him, he would be plunged into a dark abyss.
A hacking cough escaped his lungs. He really ought to see a doctor about it. Mrs Harrison had been urging him for weeks. Multiple times a day if he was honest to himself – but that was her dementia. It was December, and winter was always the worst time to fall ill.
It was also the worst time for problems with the boiler. The Headmaster had been complaining about the freezing quality of the library in particular for at least a week and, having stumped through it on his way to the basement, Harrison could verify this. His ancient bones were very sensitive to the cold these days but being in the library had reminded him rather horribly of a winter he had spent as a boy ice skating on a frozen lake. The ice had broken beneath his feet and he had almost drowned.
Harrison coughed again, reaching the boiler room, a small lump really compared to the rest of the basement, which ran beneath the entirety of the school, the only intact reminder of the manor house that had resided here before the Blitz over forty years ago. He still remembered it from when he was a young man.
Directing his torch at the boiler in question, Harrison began to examine it. He stooped down, his back creaking indignantly with effort, wondering if perhaps there was a leak.
Then he straightened.
He thought he had heard something – or someone – moving behind him. Slowly, very slowly, he turned himself around, peering ahead. His little, sagging eyes strained themselves, trying to discern any source of noise.
‘’Ello?’ he croaked uncertainly; his old brain often played tricks on him. ‘Anyone there?’
There was no response. Harrison frowned. If he really forced his eyes to focus, he thought he could just make out the silhouette of a person. They couldn’t be a student; all the students were very willing to engage him in conversation. Unless he was imagining things of course. Mrs Harrison told him he did that a lot.
He blinked suddenly. He had heard footsteps. He knew he had!
‘’Ello?’ he repeated, his wizened hand tightening around his torch.
There was definitely someone there. And they were moving into the light. His aged eyes widened. What on earth –
‘Avada Kedavra.’ a voice said lazily, and old caretaker Harrison dropped to the floor, dead.
- Chapter One -
The Creature in the Library
Lily
The bell rang.
‘All right, you can pack away.’ Lily said, putting down her piece of chalk and turning back around to face her students. ‘Have a good weekend.’
‘You too, Miss!’ several of them intoned in response as they rushed from the room into the corridor beyond. She had to supress a scoff; giving up her weekend to mark her year eleven class’s mock exams didn’t exactly qualify for a good one.
Lily began to collect the books that her year seven class had left haphazardly on their desks instead of placing them neatly in the disappointingly empty green plastic box she had put at the back. She hummed while she walked about the room, a slightly amused smile playing about her lips as she heard shuffling footsteps behind her.
‘Yes, Sarah?’ she asked, twirling back around, only to have her smile switch to a look of concern.
If year sevens were stereotyped as small, Sarah was even smaller. She had pulled the sleeves of her overly-large school blazer over her knuckles and was biting her lip in a way that had Lily realising she would be late arriving at her sister’s house for their weekly dinner together. It was a shame for Lily really had hoped to disprove Petunia’s smirking statement that she would never be on time for one.
‘I…’ Sarah seemed unsure of where to begin so Lily motioned for her to sit down while she herself parked on a desk.
‘Take your time.’ she told the little girl, smiling encouragingly.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have agreed to become a form tutor, even if it had meant a pay rise. By coincidence she taught her tutor group history, which gave them ample opportunity to wail at her about their inconsequential problems. She cared about her students – of course she did – but the younger ones in particular had the habit of seeing almost everything as the end of the world.
‘It’s Daisy…’ Sarah managed finally, and Lily nodded. Ah yes, friendship problems. Her favourite. ‘Well, she was really upset earlier and – when I was going to the library at lunch – I think I saw what made her so upset.’
‘And what was it?’
‘I…’ Sarah looked nervous again. ‘Can I show you?’
‘Of course.’ Lily agreed, getting up, utterly nonplussed. Sarah was a strange child, Lily had observed that from the first time they had met; though she used a pen, Lily had spied an eagle feather quill in her school bag once and began to formulate her suspicions. Her mother too was rather eccentric when she had met Lily for parents’ evening. It was then that Lily really began to wonder whether Sarah might be a –
‘Miss?’ the girl in question asked, already at the door of the classroom. Lily shook herself, smiled, and quickly hurried after her.
There weren’t many students loitering around the school. Most, like her final class of the day, had practically sprinted off school premises, eager to enjoy as much of the weekend as possible. They only passed one teacher and after that they saw no one at all. The area near the library was barely populated at the best of times but now it was completely deserted, without even a single, frantically working sixth former to break up the monotony of emptiness.
‘Sarah, what are we –’ but Lily broke off as Sarah pleadingly shook her head to silence her.
They entered the library and were instantly hit with a rush of cold air. Everything was completely still, and Lily frowned in confusion. She shivered suddenly and glanced down at her hands, a sudden burning feeling spreading across her fingertips.
Her heartbeat quickened. She knew that feeling. That feeling had been particularly reoccurring in her youth but now, as an adult, she seldom felt it. But when she did, what subsequently followed was never good. She knew that all too well.
Sarah was watching her, something redolent of relief flickering in her eyes as she observed Lily register the sensation in her fingers. But then she turned way and latched onto one of Lily’s hands, pulling her forwards. They neared the end of the library.
When building the school Lily taught at, the architect had decided to retain the original entrance to the basement and this entrance resided next to the librarian’s office at the back of the library. Sarah pulled Lily further through the books and, as they came closer to where the basement door resided, for one wild moment Lily thought Sarah was bringing her into it.
They didn’t reach the door, however. A sudden rasping and sucking noise met their ears. Instinctively, Lily pushed Sarah behind the nearest bookshelf, her eyes wide with undiluted horror at what she barely glimpsed before she too darted out of sight.
A hand, a rotting, shrivelled hand belonging to a hooded owner.
Lily clapped her hand to her mouth to stop herself screaming; it wouldn’t do to show fear. Slowly, she turned to look at Sarah, who appeared similarly scared but was also watching her expectantly. She knew that look. It was the look of a year seven still under the impression that adults could solve anything. Since Lily was Sarah’s teacher, that doubled her qualifications in being suitable for solving things. Friendship problems Lily could deal with – but not this.
‘You can see it too, can’t you?’ Lily breathed, lowering her hand just a little to look at Sarah, any desperate notion that she had imagined the creature instantly eclipsed. ‘We – we have to go… We’re not safe…’
Cautiously, she began to crawl along the row of books to the far wall where there was a gap in the shelves that led all the way back to the front. She didn’t doubt that the creature knew where they were but for some reason it was reluctant to leave its space by the entrance to the basement. Whatever the reason, she didn’t want to give it an incentive to change its mind.
The exit couldn’t come quickly enough but as the two of them reached it, the library door was thrown open by a darkly clothed man. Lily’s hands suddenly burnt white hot and she hastened to obscure Sarah from view, getting to her feet so that the man would only spot her.
‘Needed a book.’ she said, smiling and holding up a thick volume as his eyes fell on her. They narrowed, and she smiled brighter, gently nudging Sarah to stand up behind her. He grunted and walked away. As if electrocuted, Lily sprang into action, almost sprinting from the library, bringing Sarah with her.
They ran all the way back to her classroom and collapsed, breathing heavily. Sinking to the ground, Lily pushed the classroom door shut with her back and then leaned against it. Sarah pulled an inhaler out of her pocket and inhaled deeply.
Lily closed her eyes, slowly regaining her breath and feeling the sensation in her hands slowly ebb away. She was confused. What Sarah had shown her should never have been there, nor had that man, for Lily was quite certain he was not an employee of the school but rather a stranger. And, somehow, she was sure the two things were linked. It was too much of a coincidence that he should head towards the back of the library to where that thing lurked.
‘Why didn’t you do anything?’
Lily’s eyes snapped open.
‘Why did you show me that creature?’ Lily countered, her gaze flicking over to Sarah, who was now sat on one of the desks.
‘Because I know you’re a witch.’ she answered levelly, though she looked down at her feet. ‘I thought you could make it go away.’
‘I’m not a witch,’ Lily told her, a wry smile making its way onto her face as she stood up. She brushed herself down. ‘I could have been… but I’m not…’
‘But what about that –’
‘I can’t do anything about it, Sarah… I’m sorry.’ Lily walked over to her desk to collect her things. ‘I’m sure it’ll go away of its own accord and if not just promise me you’ll stay away from the library.’
‘Yes, but –’
‘And if you need a witch’s help, why don’t you ask your mum?’ Lily suggested, putting on her coat. ‘She’s a witch, isn’t she?’
‘I can’t ask my mum anything.’ Sarah mumbled. ‘She’ll think I just want attention. She doesn’t take her Squib daughter very seriously.’ A scowl crossed the girl’s face.
‘How about this?’ Lily said, making her way over to the door. ‘If it stays, I’ll contact your mum and get her to help.’
‘Okay…’
‘Come on, Sarah. I think it’s time you headed home.’ She opened the classroom door. ‘And don’t worry about it. Everything’s going to be fine.’
But Lily worried about it, despite what she told little Sarah. As she drove in the direction of her sister’s house, her forehead was creased with apprehension as she mulled over everything she had seen. The presence of the creature did not concern her as much as the unfamiliar man who had entered the library. The creature didn’t seem particularly interested in leaving its position by the basement door and barely any students visited the school’s insufficient library when the town’s library was so much better. The man, however, was an entirely different matter.
What had he been doing there? And why had he looked at her, an actual member of staff at the school, with such suspicion when he was the trespasser? When she thought of the way her hands had burned when he appeared, she knew he was dangerous. That sensation only ever flared up – these days anyway – when someone posed a threat to her.
‘Told you you’d be late.’ Petunia said smugly, a smirk playing about her lips the second she opened the door.
‘Shut it, you.’ Lily replied, scowling playfully as she engulfed her sister in a one-armed hug. ‘I was helping a student.’
‘You know one day that excuse’ll get old.’
‘I can’t help it if it’s true.’ Lily winked. ‘Listen, Tuney, I need a fag – I’ll come in in a second, I just wanted to pop my head in first.’
‘I’ll leave the door on latch.’ Petunia told her, her lips pursing at the mention of Lily’s habit.
‘Thanks.’
The door closed, and Lily sat down on the front step, fumbling about in her handbag for a lighter and her packet of cigarettes. She was trying to wean herself off them and considered it a personal triumph that she was now down to three a day; though, when she thought of how easily she had given up last time, her current progress seemed laughably negligible. Perhaps she had had better motivation then. What did it matter now if she smoked?
Lighting her cigarette, she brought it to her lips and took a long drag. Exhaling a large cloud of smoke, Lily out a bitter chuckle alongside it. Even without smoking she would still be a danger. Some habits were difficult to leave behind; they weren’t quite habits, more something entirely out of her control.
And on the topic of uncontrollable habits – that creature – the way her body had reacted. There had to be a way of moving it from the library. Sarah had said it had made Daisy upset; she didn’t know little Sarah’s friend particularly well, but she had no reason to suspect her of being a squib too so she couldn’t have seen it, only felt it. Or maybe ordinary people could see it too. She didn’t know, although if they could, surely the news of the creature would have spread through the school’s rumour mill. Perhaps she ought to try and contact Dumbledore.
But how could she? She had no means of reaching him. The only time she ever corresponded with him was when he wrote to her first and thus provided a way to respond. She needed his help, however. He would know what to do. He was an actual wizard after all. Not like her.
Crunching footsteps up the gravel path jerked her out of her reverie. Bringing her gaze back into focus, Lily took in the new arrivals. She dropped her cigarette, a sharp pain shooting through her hand. Groping behind her, she pushed open the door.
‘Tuney!’ she called, retreating into the house. ‘Tuney!’
This wasn’t good.