𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂 || 𝐒𝐄𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖

Chapter Twenty-Six: Blackmail

Chapter Twenty-Six 

general tw over this chapter, just a lot of discussions of heavy topics

Sneaking out of the library after hours was always a little nerve-wracking for Matty. Madame Scribner always had a close eye out for students there who were breaking curfew. But Matty manages to make it out undetected with an armful of books. She had been quite busy that day so she made it into the library at a late time anyway.

But on the way back to her dorm, Matty swore she could've heard the hiss of a snake. She looked around with a confused expression, trying to find the source of the noise. From the corner of her eye, she saw something slither around the corner.

With her interest piqued, she began to follow it. Snakes weren't allowed as school pets, so why was there one inside? Was this supposed to be some prank? Had someone brought it inside and lost track of it?

The sound led her outside and it was a bit away from the castle. She was still on school grounds, though, so she didn't feel unsafe. But her curiosity about this serpent had her attention so other things went unnoticed to her.

When the noise got louder, it became clear to Matty that this wasn't the hiss of a serpent but rather it sounded much more like Parseltongue, which she had only heard a handful of times before but she knew the distinct noise very clearly. And that's when she noticed that she was a bit further away from the school than she had thought and the serpent was now gone. It was all just a trick to get her out here.

Then, she heard an oddly familiar voice. "You shouldn't be out here alone, especially in the night."

Those words... She had even heard those exact same words before. Back in London, on the night of Mr. Hawthorne's death. It was the same voice too. She turned around quickly, her brows furrowed in confusion. When she did, there was a man standing a couple of feet away from her. Although the night of Mr. Hawthorne's death, she couldn't see the man clearly, she knew that the man standing in front of her—just barely a few feet—was the man that was there that night.

Immediately, unlike last time, she didn't allow him to stop her from grabbing her wand and it was out and pointed at him within seconds. "Who are you?" She asked, her eyes narrowed.

"What, you don't remember me?" He asked with mock offense.

"Yes, I remember you, now who are you?" Matty asked again, her grip on her wand tightening. She didn't feel like playing any games right now. What was he doing this close to the school when he had been all the way in London last time?

"Did Ominis never tell you about me?" He asked. "I'm hurt," he mocked, putting a hand over his heart.

Matty was getting more confused by the second, what did Ominis have to do with any of this? And then she realized it. Her mind flashed back to the portrait hanging in the Gaunt's home above the fireplace. The second brother whom she didn't recognize—that was him! Just standing a few feet away from her!

"I—Your Ominis' brother, aren't you?" She said as if she was trying to convince herself it was. "You were the one I saw in the portrait." She tried to remember what Esme said his name was—Marvolo or something like that.

He was much taller than her, wearing a dark, long coat. His dark black hair was pulled back but it didn't seem to be that long. Getting a better look at him, she could definitely tell he and Ominis were related. The sharp jawline and cheekbones made that much apparent. But unlike Ominis, all light was drained from this man's face. His look just screamed cruel and vicious.

"Ah yes, the portrait you saw when you practically broke into my family's home and soiled it with your filthy blood," Marvolo said, his tone unamused. "You know, I'm a little bit offended it took you that long to make that connection. Now I know why you didn't make it into Ravenclaw."