623 The Third Harvest Moon Ⅲ

Deep inside in the Chamber of Secrets, the figure of Rowan can be seen seated in a comfy armchair still wearing the Plague Doctor costume. The minute she had teleported away, she had hastily abandoned Mulciber on a city park bench in London, before teleporting back to the Chamber of Secrets and immediately opening her mind mapscape. However, to her utter disturbance much like the time before Professor Zephyros' name appeared the same in her mindscape with not a single visible change to that of his name. Still, his actions had only served to confirm her suspicions, Professor Zephyros was one of them.

In somber silence, Rowan observed Professor Zephyrs until he returned to his quarters, before finally opening her eyes, and letting out a loud sigh. Removing her mask first, she quietly undresses and returns the Plague Doctor costume back to the Mokeskin pouch. Finished, she walks over to the bookshelf and reaches into the back to remove a small chest.

Tired after the night's events, Rowan walks back to an armchair and slumps down. She had successfully bound a living curse to Mulciber's lifeforce, which would be destroyed with his death, (and only partially should his death come before that of Riddle). But whoever killed him would find themselves cursed with a portion of the curse in his instead. Not that she had not considered it, but she could ill afford to be cursed at this point in time. And with her luck, as it was, well, it was better not to risk such ill-fortune.

Glancing down at the small chest, Rowan peers at it for a moment, before trying to open it. To her utter shock, the small chest plops right open to reveal a round vial filled with a milk-like swirling substance, it was memories. Wary, but carefully she takes the round vial from the small chest and walks over to one of the laboratory tables.

Carefully, Rowan sets the round vial onto the table, before reaching into her mokeskin pouch to remove the gorgeous silver, delicately crafted pensive that had been gifted to her by her grandfather. She had never had any use for the pensive until now, but she always carried it around for such an eventuality.

Delicately setting the exquisitely decorated pensive down onto the middle of the counter, Rowan meticulously uncorked the round vial and poured the fog, yet milk-like substance into the pensive. The contents within the pensive swirl around, a liquid-like cloud. Bending her head to peer into the pensive, she suddenly finds herself plunging inside and smack dab in the middle of the Hogwart's Headmaster's office.

The Headmaster's office was rather bare and simply furnished and lacked all the Hogwart's headmaster's portraits that was familiar with, but who yet had to be born. The only item that was still familiar with is the Sorting Hat, which looked much newer and younger. The Sorting hat gleamed as if newly made and sat neatly in a corner excitedly thinking about the next sorting hat song.

Rowan eyes the Sorting Hat with a glimmer of pity. To be stuck for the next thousands of years with nothing to do, but to look forward to creating the next sorting song. No wonder, the Sorting Hat was a bit mad in the head, who wouldn't be after a thousand years?!

The door suddenly opens to reveal an older short-bearded man that neither looked handsome or ugly, he was simply rather plain and homely. There was nothing distinguishing about him except for the fact that he was being sheepishly followed by an older man with a still bright red beard, but who's lion mane-like hair had begun turning white. Despite his age, the wizard was not yet hunched over, and still remained surprisingly muscular. His robes were scarlet with golden trimmings, and he carried at his side a beautiful, silver goblin forged sword with a ruby-encrusted hilt.

The door closes loudly behind them as the short-bearded man takes a seat at the Headmaster's desk. Marcellus, the first Headmaster of Hogwarts tiredly gazes up at his friend, Godric Gryffindor. His friend's usual peach-colored complexion is pale, and Godric's leaf-green eyes are full of sorrow and anger. "What do you wish for me to say, Godric?" Marcellus finally said.

"Did you know?" Godric bitterly asked. "Is that why Salazar left?!"

"Yes, I knew," Marcellus admitted. "But it would not have been for naught nor will it have changed Salazar's final decision. He left to grant us time, and now he is gone."

Godric painfully clenched the blade in his hand as he hisses, "Then we are to merely wait as we are all killed one by one?!"

"Yes," Marcellus tiredly said as he leaned back in his chair.

"I cannot, Marcellus!" Godric roared. "It is not in me to wait like a lamb to the slaughter!"

"I know, but Godric, Salazar is dead," Marcellus tiredly muttered as he opened his eyes. "I did all that I could my friend, but it was not enough to change the flow of destiny merely to swing the pendulum more in our favor."

Godric slumps down in a chair as his green eyes fill with pain, and his head drops down into his hands. "I should have listened," Godric whispered bitterly. "I thought Salazar jealous and cruel, he was, but he always acted with the best intentions in mind."

Godric raises his emotion-filled green eyes and says, "Then what can be done now, Marcellus?"

"We will bind Hogwarts and protect her as best as we can," Marcellus steadily replied. "And we shall aid those that will follow in hopes that the abomination will be destroyed."

Godric glances down at his blade, before rising to his feet without a word. Walking over to the sorting hat, he reaches down and says, "Little hat, I will entrust this blade of mine to you. Deliver the blade to one my blood or to one that is found to be worthy of my house. I can only hope that this will someday be enough to change the tides in our favor."

Without further word, Godric places the blade into the Sort Hat, before the sword is swallowed, and disappears into the depth of the Sorting Hat. Gently setting the Sorting Hat back onto the bench, Godric turns to face Marcellus. "And what of Rowena and Helga, do they know?"

"If Rowena suspects, she will not act now," Marcellus regretfully lamented. "Her daughter influences her far too much, and I fear that Rowena's daughter does not bear any good intentions. I have seen envy and dreadful greed in the depths of her daughter's eyes, and it is only a matter of time until a tragedy takes place."

Godric flinches at Marcellus's words as Marcellus continues, "And as for Helga, I truly cannot say, but the house elves have bound themselves in such a manner to Hogwarts that they will always seek to protect Hogwarts first."

Godric nods his head in understanding as he woefully mutters, "I-, I do not know where it all went wrong, Marcellus. We were all so happy once. Did we become so arrogant in our own power or were we simply blind all along?"

"Both," Marcellus solemnly answered as Godric cracked a sad smile.

Godric nods his head in understanding, before turning away and shutting the door behind him. The memory ends as everything goes black and Rowan finds herself plunging into another memory.