Chapter Text
Hogwarts 11th June 1977
Today was the day. The day everything fell back onto her. Pandora felt sick. It was the day the world was saved in the long run or the day her world was murdered. And the pressure was mounting in her chest like a bead of blood, drowning everything in iron, a crimson drop to swallow it all.
“It’s so nice to meet you! Dorcas loves to talk about you all!”
“Pandora.”
“Hm?” She glances up at Barty who nods to Sita Meadowes, standing in front of them all. “Oh, sorry. Hi. It’s nice to meet you too.”
Her smile softens into something more sympathetic. “I can imagine it’s pretty nerve wracking. Last task. The stakes are higher in this one, aren’t they?”
Pandora huffs a laugh and nods along. You have no idea, she thinks to herself.
“I’m so happy the parents can come for this one, I have been dying for news about it all year! History in the making, isn’t it? The first time in a few hundred years that it’s happening.”
“How’s the job going, mum?” Dorcas wonders. “Is it fun working in Mungo’s?”
Sita wrinkles her nose. “I like it. I was expecting less…bodily fluids, though.”
Dorcas giggles at that. “You’re a nurse! What do you think would happen?”
Pandora can practically hear the excitement swelling in Barty’s chest. “You work in Mungo’s? Really? That’s like my dream job, to be a healer. What’s it like? Was it hard to study? How many areas can someone work in? Is it all done with magic or do some people do it the muggle way?”
Pandora zones out, letting his voice fade into a background buzz. Over Sita’s shoulder she sees Seraphine having some sort of heated discussion with McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey looking back and forth between the two. She wanted to speak with Sera, she always made it seem okay, putting things into a rational construct and laying out clearly with no room for mistakes. But she knows what she has to do has been relayed to her at least a thousand times for the past week and a half. There was nothing else to figure out or train for. This was it.
Seraphine looks up, meeting her eye. She quickly says something to the other two, jogging over to where Pandora stands, faltering a little when she sees Sita. She blinks before shaking her head as she slows to a walk. “Pandora.” She smiles, nodding her head in another direction to follow her.
Sita falters in what she is saying to Barty, looking at the opposite end of the field, but stealing glances at Seraphine out of the corner of her eye. Barty continues on the conversation by himself as Dorcas does a double take at her mother and pinches the bridge of her nose with a deep sigh. “For fuck’s sake, mum.”
“Hm?” Sita looks around to her daughter, eyes flickering up to Sera before quickly looking away again. Pandora stifles a snort and steps out of the circle, following Seraphine away to a quieter area of the grounds.
“Who was that?” She asks curiously, glancing back over to Sita whose full attention is once again focused on Barty.
“Oh, that’s Sita. Dorcas’ mum.”
She nods, turning back to Pandora. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”
Pandora chuckles nervously. “I feel like I’m about to pass out.”
“Have you eaten today?”
“I had a bit of breakfast. Didn’t finish it though.” She shrugs. Seraphine nods, rummaging through her pockets for something.
“Thought so.” She whips out a granola bar, holding it out for her. “There’s coffee grounds in there, don’t worry it tastes nice, but it will give you the caffeine boost as a substitute for adrenaline before the latter actually kicks in. I usually take them in the morning as I don’t get much sleep.”
Pandora takes it gently, fiddling with the corner of the wrapper to open it. “Why not?”
Seraphine just raises her eyebrows and grins. “The voices.” She whispers dramatically and a surprised laugh is startled out of Pandora. Sera chuckles to before nodding to the granola bar in her hands, now unwrapped. “Eat. I promise it doesn’t taste too bad. A bit like…a chocolate espresso. If that makes sense.”
Pandora frowns and hesitantly takes a bite, eyebrows shooting up in surprise when she realises it doesn’t actually taste bad at all. Quite the opposite, if she is to be honest.
“Good, hm?”
She nods, taking another bite and swallowing. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
“Are you sure that there’s nothing else I need to do? I feel like I should be doing more, rather than just continuing on the competition whilst keeping an eye out on the second floor.”
“I’m afraid not. If Barty sees anything about Regulus on the map, he’ll tell me and I will send you a message telepathically or come find you.” Seraphine sighs. “It’s all we have for now.”
Pandora nods, taking another bite to keep the tears of frustration at bay. “It’s like…the entire weight of the war is suddenly on my shoulders and I don’t even know how to start with removing it. I just feel so- so stuck.”
“I know.” Sera whispers, softly. “I know, but we are all at hand to support you, Pandora. All we can do is hope for the best.”
“And if Regulus doesn’t make it?” She looks up, tearful at the prospect of the worst.
“Then we search for another way to find and hold onto your happiness.”
“Regulus is my happiness.” She whispers. “He’s everything to me, he’s my best friend. He was the one who would- who would indulge in my weird obsession with morbidity, and he was the one who listened to and memorised every fact I told him about people, and he was the first to come up with some sadistic plan to get back at the people who made fun of me. He can’t die.”
“And you have the power to save him.” Seraphine looks into her eyes encouragingly.
“But what’s the use in having that power if I don’t know how to wield it?” She throws her hands out helplessly, resisting the urge to stomp her foot like a child. “It’s not fair.”
“No.” Sera shakes her head. “It’s not fair. But it’s not your fault. I believe in you Pandora. And I’m right here. And we’ve been training as hard as possible the past few weeks and your powers are more advanced than mine were when I was your age. You can do this.”
Pandora nods, wiping away at her tears as another question builds in her mind. One that hadn’t gone away since the initial suspicion in Diagon Alley. “I need to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.” Sera frowns.
“Are you-”
“Could all champions please take your starting points and spectators to their seats. The task is about to start. Thank you and good luck.” Dumbledore’s voice booms across the grounds, cutting Pandora off. Seraphine pulls her in for a quick hug.
“Go.” She whispers when Pandora opens her mouth to continue speaking. “Good luck, Pandora.” Sera nudges her in the direction of the starting point and Pandora looks back with a hard set of determination to her jaw. She nods, jogging over to stand beside Rositsa and Claude.
Claude was staring at the stone in his hand, reminding Pandora to take her own out of her pocket. She finishes the bar quickly, shoving the wrapper into her pocket. Rositsa is bouncing on the balls of her feet next to her, a ball of nervous yet excited energy.
“Well, this is it, isn’t it?” Her eyes twinkle as she catches Pandora’s. “Good luck, Blondie.”
“Thank you.” Pandora smiles.
“Oi! Frenchie!”
“There’s no need to shout. I’m literally right next to you.” Claude rolls his eyes. Rositsa hums, stepping up next to him. He jumps as she lays a hand on his arm, cheeks bright red as he looks helplessly over to Pandora. She just shoots him a smile with a fond shake of her head.
Rositsa stands up on her tiptoes, brushing a kiss to his cheek. “For good luck.” She whispers, pulling back and returning to her post. Claude brings a hand up to touch his cheek tenderly, lips parted in shock as the countdown starts. Rositsa tosses her hair, fixing her ponytail and gripping her wand tightly.
Pandora focuses on the entrance as the numbers change form five to four to three to two and finally one. The buzzer sounds through the grounds, echoing down to the pitch and cutting off the distant chatter there as she bolts into the castle, sprinting to the nearest stairs down. Of course, they just so happen to change as she reaches them, so she swings a leg over the banister, sliding down before the gap gets too big and jumping the rest of the way onto the second floor.
She shakes out her arms, noticing the slight warmth to her palm. Surely…nah, it was probably only adjusting to her body heat. She sprints down the corridor, checking each corner for Regulus. Or the basilisk for that matter. Each one was equally as possible at this point. Peeves darted behind a suit of armour as she passes, slowing down to catch her breath.
She could do this. Just keep going.
***
”Did she just fucking jump off the stairs?” Barty huffed in disbelief.
“Apparently so.”
“Your sister’s a fucking madwoman.”
***
“A soul to slay a beast, a star to stay until life has ceased. To preserve the heart in crystal jar, to encourage the prince to go far. Man redeemed of moral crimes, to side and fight with one’s life. And secrets revealed, claims are to be believed. By rose, and by star, the strength will join with the presence of the preserved heart.” Pandora mumbles to herself. The fourth prophecy. A few days before the collective meeting in Sera’s office. She tried not to think of the possibility that Seraphine could be her mother.
She had her mother’s name as her middle name, Pandora Mystique Rosier, but there are too many similarities that the name could be overlooked. Things like that can be changed with little difficulty.
And since the meeting, the suspicion had only grown stronger with the admittance that Sera went into labour with a child the exact day her and Evan were born. And Evan’s snide remarks to her, the grudge paralleling that of the one he held for their mother on a daily basis. It was all too coincedental for it to truly be a coincidence.
But no. She had to focus. Regulus was in danger and she was the only one who could save him. THER was no use wondering over a question that could be asked later when the question of Regulus’ survival still couldn’t be confirmed nor denied. She turns the corner in a jog, the girls’ toilets at the end of the corridor. The stone was practically burning her hand now and she stuffed it away in annoyance. It was only distracting her when she was in a situation where the world was at stake. Not that Pandora really gave a shit about that, she cared more that her world was at stake.
She skidded on the floor, feet struggling to find purchase as she reached the door to the bathroom, casting furtive glances around to see if the pensives would have shown that. Now that was embarrassing. She pushed open the door, with her back, stepping into it quickly and slamming it behind her, chest heaving for breath.
“And who, might you be?” Comes a whiny voice behind her. Right. Myrtle.
“Pandora.” She replied, turning to face the pouting ghost. “You’re Myrtle.”
“Yes.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you want from me?”
“Nothing. I’m just..,playing a game.”
“Oh, I love games!” Myrtle squealed. “What kind of game?”
“It’s called,” Pandora falters, looking around the bathroom. On the floor is a silver blade with intricate, dark carvings on the handle. “Exorcising my best fried from his psychotic diary.” She finishes, walking across the room to poke at the leather strip with her wand. “And figuring out where the fuck he is.”
***
“Where is she?” Dorcas frowns. “None of the penisves are showing her since she ran down that hall and turned the corner.”
“Just…wait. The suits of armour aren’t down every corridor, especially the lower floors.” Barty nods to himself, scanning over the swirling pools on the pitch. He had never seen such huge pensives before and honestly all the swirly silvery bits were making him feel dizzy.
***
One touch. One touch was all it took. She barely grasped the base of the dagger when her eyes rolled back into a vision. Regulus was looking around the bathroom, knife crutched in his hands. He crouches down, placing the knife on the floor of the bathroom, before shrugging off his robes and tossing them by the sink. He glances back at the dagger. “Please work.” He whispers before kneeling down by the grate under the sink. He hisses, a low rumbling sound in the back of his throat, gripping onto the metal bars of the grate and lifting it aside. He slips inside of the hole, closing the grate after him.
Pandora gasped, falling back to reality and her eyes catch on Regulus’ robes. She rushes over, falling to her knees and attempts to tug on the grate but to no avail. Thinking back to the vision, she repeats the hissing. It doesn’t work the first time but when she does it again, the clicking of metal can be heard and she hurriedly throws aside the grate before darting back to grab the dagger as an afterthought.
***
“She’s not answering. I don’t even know if she’s getting the messages.” Professor Nightingale comes over behind them, taking the seat there. Evan scowls.
“Skill issue.”
Nightingale just sighs. “You need therapy.”
“I wonder why.”
“Can you at least be somewhat civil?” Barty mutters. “Reg is in danger and at this point Professor Nightingale and Pandora are our only hope.”
Evan just scoffs at that, rolling his eyes.
***
Pandora shrieks as she slips down the wet stone. Almost like a slide. She curses as she lands, rolling on her ankle and falling to a heap on the floor. Regulus’ dagger is cool against the palm of her hand and she slips it into her pocket, taking out her mirror instead. She slips off the leather cover on the handle, instead holding the stem between the glass and the dagger, hand poised to bring it down at any minute.
She limps across the floor, tugging her hair out of her face with her other hand before reaching a circular entrance. It looked a bit like a vault door. Pandora hesitates, before trying out the hissing sequence again. There was the grinding of stone against stone as the door rolls away and she lets out a sigh of relief.
She steps into the chamber, footsteps jumping back at her from the damp walls with dull thuds. There was a giant statue at the end of the room, one of Salazar Slytherin. Regulus stands in front of it, wand in hand. The diary lies discarded on the floor, a mirage of what she presumes to be Tom flickering in and out of existence. Regulus’ ragged breathing echoes throughout the room, a hand clasped to his side as he stares into the stone eyes of Salazar Slytherin.
***
He never thought he would find himself in this position. Tom was behind him. The spell had worked. Of course it had. Sirona had told him it would and it did. He could feel himself growing gradually weaker as the seconds flickered past. He looked at the statue in front of him, debating what would be the best option. Sirona said that she could kill Tom but only once he was solid enough, meaning Regulus had to be on the verge of death to ensure it happened.
“Reggie.” Tom sang behind him. “What are you planning, doll?”
“Nothing.” Regulus bites.
“No, you are planning something. Otherwise you wouldn’t have summoned me on your lifeline.” He steps closer. “Are you planning on hurting me, Reggie? Killing me, perhaps?”
Not yet. He told himself. Not yet, it can’t be yet. It won’t work otherwise.
“You’ve been awfully distant since you’ve locked me out of your mind, yet you continuously bring me around in that stuffy book. You come down here to talk to it too. You know you can never really get me out of your mind, once the book is intact. You’re tainted now. Tainted by my soul. It’s the only way you can speak to the beast.” Tom steps closer yet, one hand coming up to grip his shoulder. “You will never be rid of me.” He whispers, voice brushing off Regulus’ ear and sending a dripping shiver of ice through his spine, freezing his bones in place.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Regulus says lowly back. He needs the process to speed up. He needs Tom to become stronger already. He needs himself to become weaker. His wand hand comes up to Tom’s wispy jaw, the tip pressing into flesh and then nothing as his image is distorted in and out of existence. “Stupefy.”
Nothing happens but he feels the magic drip out of him like water at the bottom of a jug. Pain blooms in his ribs again, from where he landed awkwardly from the slide, as his energy is slowly taken from him.
Tom laughs. “As if that was going to work, Doll. All you are doing is tiring yourself out. And really? A stupefy? Waste of magic.”
That’s the whole point. Regulus mentally rolls his eyes. He gasps in agony, hand flying to his side as Tom shoves him forward, his wand clattering to the floor and rolling away from him.
“You want to play games, Reggie? Let’s see how you play this one.” Tom cackles, bending down to pick up his wand as Regulus’ head swims. Tom hisses the command and the mouth of Salazar Slytherin drops, the heavy weight of Sirona dragging across the stone floor inside.
***
Pandora drops her gaze to the floor, focusing her eyes on Regulus’ shoes, refusing to raise it any higher as the slow sound of the basilisk slithers closer. She grips the mirror harder, fingers growing stiff and painful.
***
“Fuck.” Evan curses, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his hands against his skull. “Something’s happening. I don’t know.”
“Shit.” Barty curses, patting down his pockets. “Do you have your potion?”
“No.” Evan grits.
“That’s stupid.”
“I didn’t think I would get a migraine in the middle of the task.”
“Here.” Professor Nightingale hands out a vial to them. Evan scowls but Barty takes it gratefully, shoving it into his hands.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Evan I swear to ever loving Merlin-”
“I’m not taking anything from her.”
“Take the bloody potion. It’s the same as Madame Pomfrey’s.”
“It could be poisoned.”
“Why would I poison you?” Professor Nightingale asks, eyebrow raised.
“Why would you leave me with an abusive father?” He grunts back.
“Evan, take the fucking potion.” Barty orders.
“No.”
“I will shove it down your throat.”
“I would rather shove a knife down my throat.”
“Dorcas, tell Evan to stop being a fucking petty idiot.”
“What?” Dorcas looks up from where she was talking with Marlene. “Oh, yeah. Evan, come on, please.”
Evan scowls and snatches the potion from Barty, downing it in one gulp and shoving it back into his hands. “Happy?”
“Ecstatic.”
“It doesn’t do shit.”
***
Regulus pants, hunched over as Tom steps in front of him. He chin is lifted by the toe of Tom’s boot as Sirona circles around the chamber.
Who’s the girl? She hisses. Regulus frowns, spitting at the shoe under his chin before turning his head to the direction of Sirona’s hiss. Pandora stands at the entrance of the chamber, her face dirty with dust and her mirror in hand.
“Reg.” She greets. “What the fuck is going on?”
“What are you doing here?” He rasps as Tom waves his wand around, casting random spells, solely to drain Regulus of his powers.
“Your dagger told me.” She shrugs.
“It worked then?”
“Why? What was it meant to do?”
“Show whoever picked it up where the- argh, fuck- where the chamber is.”
“You betrayed me, Reggie.” Tom cackles above him. “Avada Kedavra!”
Regulus screams in pain as it tears through his chest, the curse flying to Pandora who sidesteps it easily.
Don’t hurt her. He orders Sirona. Protect her, even. Protect her like you would protect me.
“You really think that she’s on your side?” Tom snorts, stepping away from Regulus and advancing on Pandora. “She’s my pet. Not yours.”
Sirona thrashes, her tail smashing into the side of the wall and dust showers down on them.
Pandora draws her wand, deflecting the next curse and shooting back one of her own. Regulus staggers to his feet, his head swimming and he clutches his ribs, darting to the diary but then Tom shoots a Crucio at Pandora, causing him to stumble again. It’s so close, the diary, it’s so close.
Sirona lunges at Tom, shrieking when he casts a cutting curse against her scales. She falls, thrashing, fangs buried in the now cracked stone.
“Lacero!” He cackles, cutting across her gums. Sirona thrashes her tail, catching him by the foot and sweeping his legs out from under him, pulling her head back up. But her fangs remain stuck in the ground, blood dripping from her mouth with drops of venom falling down the severed tooth.
Regulus cries out in anger as Pandora barely dodges a curse from Tom, sprinting to the fang. Tom shoots a hex at his feet and he trips trying to dodge it, landing awkwardly on his wrist. The wet snap of a breaking bone sounds throughout the chamber and he whimpers in pain.
He reaches forward, grabbing at the bloodied fang, hand clasping around the slippery tooth. He pulls it towards him with a grunt. Thankfully it isn’t too deeply buried in the ground and came loose with a crack against the stone.
A foot kicks him in the ribs and he rolled out of the way before more damage can be done, something stabbing at his guts. Tom wrenches Sirona’s fang out of his hand, poising it above Regulus. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the final blow. For it to end. For all the pain to be over.
Sirona lunges at Tom and he turns the tooth up, driving through the roof of her mouth. Sirona shrieks, shaking her head to dislodge the tooth but Tom only drives it up harder. She falls to the floor, body falling slack and her head smacking against the stone.
“No!” Regulus cries out, voice hoarse and shredded from the lack of energy. He crawls over to her as Tom is distracted by Pandora once more in their duel. His wrist buckles under him and his ribs are grazed from the constant torture to them, the raw skin shifting against his binder. Sirona has her eyes closed, a singular tear tracing a path down the rough skin. She hisses weakly as the life drains from her.
I’m sorry, my little star.
She doesn’t speak again.
One of her smaller fangs had come loose, handing on by a thread. It was only about the size of Regulus’ hand, from the heel of his palm to the tip of his middle finger. He reaches into her mouth gently, detaching it from the mangled and bloodied skin, as careful as possible.
He turns with it clenched tightly in his fist, looking for the diary. Tom shoots a spell at Pandora who dodges it, her back turned to Regulus. The spell hits Sirona’s body, her scales lighting on fire with ease as if they were doused in gasoline. Pandora shoots a curse at him, forcing him to step to the left as the wall on the other side is blasted to dust. The over and back continues as Regulus struggles to stay standing. He can feel his heartrate slowing down, dropping every few seconds. Tom’s back is eventually turned to him and his grip on Sirona’s tooth, tightens.
He grits his teeth, feeling the heat drift over his back. “Fuck you.” He growls.
***
Evan whimpers, rubbing his forehead. “Death. Something about death. And the prophecy, fuck, there was something to do with death.”
Barty grabs his hand instinctively, letting out a shuddering breath and squeezing his fingers in anguish. Evan only lets his head lay on his shoulder, breathing stuttered in pain.
***
Pandora narrowed her eyes, dodging yet another spell from Tom as Regulus’ face drains of blood with every passing minute. He’s standing unsteadily by the basilisk’s burning corpse, flames licking into the air yet he doesn’t seem bothered. Only angry as he fixes Tom with a steady glare. The famous Black family one.
She sidesteps a purple curse, shooting back on of her own. They continue this back and forth as Regulus grows weaker and weaker. At one point she skids beside the diary, picking it up.
“Reg!” She screams, throwing it over Tom’s head. He catches it but then Tom whips around, sending a spell causing him to slip and fall. He then refocuses on Pandora, shooting a blood boiling curse at her. She screams as it hits her square in the chest and Tom cackles.
“Stupid girl.” He sneers, twisting his wrist and the curse heightens. Blood bubbles up in her throat and burns the back of her eyes. When she blinks, a film of red coats her vision and she chokes on the iron in her throat.
***
“Something’s wrong.” Seraphine presses her lips together. “Pandora’s in danger. Regulus…I’m not getting anything from his fate.”
“Shit, shit, shit. Where the fuck is my sister?!” Evan hisses.
“I don’t know.” She whispers back, eyes focused on the penisves on the pitch, darting over and back. “She’s not answering. I don’t think she’s even getting it.”
“Try harder!” He orders, biting down on his nail. Seraphine just nods.
***
He saw Pandora being brought to her knees, skin turning red from the curse. She shudders, eyes tearing up with crimson and rolling down her face as more blood pools from her mouth and onto the floor. She spits it out, rubbing her cheeks with her hands as Tom grins, baring his teeth.
Regulus is dizzy. Too dizzy to stay alive much longer. The spell was almost completely gone through with. The room was spinning and his arms were shaking. He was on the floor because of course he as. Standing was too much energy.
Pandora wouldn’t live much longer and neither would he. He had to act now. Tom’s back was turned as he loomed over Pandora’s quivering body. Regulus pushed himself up onto his elbows, scooting forward. Almost there. The diary was only a few more feet in front of him. There was blood tracing along the floor after him but he didn’t know where it was coming from. It could have been Sirona’s for all he knows, but he wasn’t bleeding aside from the graze on his ribs.
He dragged himself further and further to the diary, tooth clasped in hand as Sirona’s body charred out to ash, the putrid sent of burning flesh filling the chamber, accompanying the smoke from the pile of ash. There was something in the pile, he could see it from the corner of his eye but he couldn’t get distracted. He was close. So close.
The diary was only an arm’s length away from him and he let out a low whine as he pulled himself up to it, black spots dancing throughout his vision. Pandora let out another whimper. Tom had stopped the blood boiling curse and now was more intent with watching her shiver from the aftershocks.
Lifting his hand, shakily, Regulus raises the fang above the diary. Tom doesn’t notice but Pandora catches his eye. She nods eagerly and Regulus brings it down with all his force, almost passing out as he forces it through the book. Tom shrieked, a ball of burning light encasing his chest and his hand flies toward it.
Regulus gasps, a spark of energy coming back to him as Tom looses his magic. He brings the fang down again and again, black ink spewing from the pages and spraying everywhere, even landing in his mouth. He swallows instinctively, gagging at the taste of nothing but decay, as the burning light encased Tom almost fully. He looked away, the magic burned into his eyes as his magical core was slowly returned to full health.
Pandora shakily got to her hands and knees to watch Tom disintegrate out of sight, staring intently at the ruined diary and the black splattered up onto Regulus’ clothes and face. Tom was gone. It was over.