Severus and Hermione didn't dare to even breathe; their gaze locked down the dark seemingly endless hallway. The eyes at the end seemed capable of staring directly into their souls. Neither one knew how long they held the creatures gaze, only that it was the first to blink. When it did, it seemed to vanish silently in the darkness.

They stood still, waiting for its return. Nearly ten minutes passed before Hermione dared to take one step closer. A cold wind wrapped around her ankles when she came to the threshold, her fear turning to curiosity.

"It didn't seem aggressive..." She kept her voice just above a whisper, hoping her observation wouldn't be her last. She didn't dare turn her eyes away from where she'd last seen the creature but she did tilt her head when she felt Severus come beside her.

"I don't think that's the creature they've locked away...I think that's what's guarding it..."

"What do you think it is?"

"My guess...a Golden Phoenix." Severus took a slow step into the hallway, the darkness inside seemed unnatural.

"What? Impossible." Hermione took a step with him raising her wand and keeping her eyes sharp, "No one has seen a Golden Phoenix in centuries..."

"What year was this castle built?"

Hermione's eyes widened just a little, "Centuries ago... around 1020 AD...200 years before the last documented sighting of a Golden Phoenix..."

"An awfully large coincidence, wouldn't you say?"

"But why on earth would it be here?" Hermione stepped carefully over a large tree root, mindful not to remove her eyes from where she'd last seen the creature.

"A phoenix never dies. What better to guard your castle than a creature that cannot be killed by old age." Severus winced when his foot crunched down loudly on some vines. He turned his eyes down briefly to ensure they weren't dangerous before turning his head back up again.

"What would need guarding for an eternity?"

"I don't know but I don't think those wards fell on their own. I think they had help." Severus paused again when his next step fell on something hard, he turned the light of his wand down, narrowing his eyes at the dim shimmer that called back at him. Whatever it was, was trapped beneath a heavy vine that had grown its way through it. He ran his wand over the vine trusting Hermione to have his back while he inspected what he'd found. As the vine receded he narrowed his eyes more, reaching down in the decay to pull it free.

"Is that...?"

"It is, but it's not for a King..." Severus stood carefully holding the crown in his hand. The metal was tarnished, nearly black. He ran his thumb over one of the jewels wiping away dirt and grime. It was so small, he didn't even think it was meant for a Queen. His heart sunk lower when he handed it over to Hermione. Even in her hands, it was no bigger than that for a child, a young child.

Hermione turned the crown in the light of her wand, looking inside the rim. The fabric inlay had completely decayed but she could feel something engraved on the inside. She glanced once more down the hall before casting a small scourgify spell over the metal. As the band began to shine like new she was able to just barely make out the worn inscription.

"Prince...Princess?" She turned her light closer trying to cast shadows over what remained, "Sev, Sew? Sewan?" She shook her head slowly. The name didn't immediately register in her mind but she wasn't sure she'd even read what was written properly. The script was in ancient Theban, something she'd never taken the time to fully understand. Severus shook his head, turning back towards the end of the hall.

They'd just about reached the halfway point but they had yet seen any doors. He recalled the blueprints Hermione had pulled from the archives and tried to assess whether or not they should have come upon a door. He turned his head up, trying to see through the trees and vines but all he could discern was that the second floor either collapsed or this side of the castle had extremely tall ceilings. Given the lack of stone that they were climbing through he decided on the latter.

"What did you say was in this hall?"

"The ballroom, the keep, I think an armory, a vault, and the King's Chambers. But I don't think the blueprints had been updated in quite some time." Hermione gingerly laid the crown down on a nearby branch before picking her way closer. "We also don't know how long this has been blocked off..."

"Let's focus on what we do know. Or rather, who doesn't know what's inside here." Severus looked back down at the floor, the further they had gone, the less dense the vines became, but something else had taken their place. A thick, dry ash coated the floor, making the floor soft, like black snow.

"Librous claims he didn't know what was inside. If this is true then this part of the castle has been blocked off for a minimum of 100 years, the average life for a house elf. Algurth was your great, great, great grandfather on your mother's side so... possibly 200 hundred years...The metal on the crown is worn and the fabric is gone...maybe 250? Given the growth of these trees, I would guess somewhere around there." Hermione made it over the last of the large trunks furrowing her brow when her feet seemed to sink into the ash.

"So what could live for a minimum of 250 years?"

"Not many things...a dragon perhaps?"

"But why use a Pheonix to guard a dragon?" Severus leaned down scooping up a handful of the ash, he sifted it through his fingers finding it oddly devoid of any debris. It was as if whatever had made it had completely disintegrated everything in its path.

"What else are we missing?" Hermione watched the ash fall from his hand before feeling another slow cold wind, it seemed to move on its own, consciously. Moving and wrapping between her legs and around her arms.

"Who would want us here, and why?" Severus pushed himself back to his feet. The rest of the hall was barren; as though they had stepped out of a jungle into an inky black clearing. Even the walls were coated and stained blocking out every attempt from the sun. "Where are the doors?"

"Maybe they stoned them up too?"

"But why?" Severus felt as though he was so close to figuring it out. He had all the pieces, he just couldn't seem to get them to fit together. He growled low in his throat looking back from where they'd come, "What are we missing?"

"Just relax, we'll figure it out." Hermione smiled softly running her hand down his arm, giving it a small squeeze, "For now, let's just try to focus on the wards. I think its safe to assume they're the only thing keeping the massive amount of stone over our heads right now."

"We need to find the castle's source of power..." He nodded his head in agreement turning his eyes out into the inky blackness before them.

"It's probably a similar set up to what's in the entrance way right? You mentioned an orb before, we didn't find anything like that on the West side, so it must be over here... somewhere..."

"We're completely blind without your map...and this darkness...it could take hours. Hours we don't have." He was starting to growl out his words, his back teeth grinding with frustration.

"All we can do is try." Hermione came around his shoulder carefully, "We know that the castle is symmetrical, so that means there should be a staircase somewhere around here. One leading up and one leading down. If you were going to put a powerful magical orb somewhere; where would you put it?"

"Down? The keep? The armory? The King's Chambers? I honestly don't know." Severus took another cautious step and a slow breath to calm his nerves before following after her. "This ash... there's something familiar about it..."

Hermione continued forward until the tip of her wand bumped into something solid. She reached out slowly running her hand through the aforementioned ash. She furrowed her brows curling her hand and nails pulling off at least a centimeter's worth into her hand, revealing something wooden beneath. Ever curious she brought the small handful up to her nose trying to see if it had a smell to it. Before she could inhale, however, a low bone-chilling hiss ran up her spine.

"Severus?" Hermione froze in place—he fear encasing her spine keeping her still—her voice barely making it past her lips. Her eyes turned just enough to see a large green something slowly coming open from just behind Severus. It was presently attached to the last tree they'd passed, hidden in the shadow cast by what little light was still coming off the wand at Severus' side.

The man in question followed her gaze and the sound directly behind him. The cocoon-like structure—that was just barely visible—let out another low hiss as its wings started to uncurl from around its frame. Severus turned, taking a few careful steps back, increasing the light from his wand only to feel his heart jump into his throat. He knew what that was—a swooping evil.

"Run."

"Where?"

"Anywhere! Go!" Severus turned before the creature had a chance to fully wake and grabbed Hermione by the shoulder of her shirt, pushing her deeper into the inky blackness. He kept hold of her shirt canceling his light to modify his eyes praying that the creature couldn't see in the dark. He'd never met one in person but he knew that its venom was used in memory potions. He'd attempted to brew something like it during his mastery but even he had struggled to contain the volatile venom.

Hermione ran blind, having followed Severus' lead with her light but hadn't had the mind to cast a spell on her eyes. Her inner spacial reasoning told her they should have come across some stairs. She kept bracing herself but they never came. She was just about to question where they'd gone before she felt Severus thump into something hard and hollow.

"A door! Find the handle!" Severus could hear the large wings behind them, kicking up the dark ash. He pushed himself to face the creature that had taken to full flight towards them. He knew their outer skin was resistant to most spells but he still had to try.

Hermione shook her head calling her wand back in hand, "What is that thing?!" Hermione clawed her way over the door trying to clear away enough ash, her brain trying to cycle through every defensive spell she knew simultaneously.

"A swooping evil. Focus on the door!"

"A what?!" She'd never heard of such a creature. She shook her head moving further to the right following what felt like a support beam for the door. She could hear the creature growing closer, the beat of its wings rivaling her racing heart and suddenly knew; it wasn't alone. Her heart beat quicker, she'd wanted adventure and life surely hadn't disappointed. She was just about to give up, thinking she'd been searching the wrong way when a large metal bar came under her hand.

"I found it!" She grunted trying to push it down with all her weight but the lock must have rusted in place. "Rustario!" Hermione gasped as the handle suddenly gave way, a dim blue light bursting forth as she fell through the door knocking it wide open. She lost her footing in the ash tumbling forward across the threshold in her haste.

Severus turned back to her terrified scream growing quickly far away. He sent one last blast in the direction they'd come partially collapsing a wall to the right. The winged serpents let out a loud screech as their pursuit was blocked, their large wings kicking up a tornado of blinding ash.

Severus hissed as he tried to shield his eyes. Nearly blinded, he found himself also stumbling past the threshold only to find the floor was gone. He let out his own scream of surprise before he found himself falling back first into a deep pool of frigid water. The impact knocked the air out of his chest but he still had a mind to try and kick himself towards the surface.

As soon as his head broke the surface, he let out a deep gasp for air; turning his eyes around the dimly lit space. The sun from outside tried its best to pierce through the windows high above that were completely encased with decades worth of decay and wild foliage. He could barely make out the broken and ominously hanging chandeliers well above the collapsed floor before his observation turned to a search. He hadn't heard water after Hermione had screamed and that didn't sit well in his stomach.

"Hermione!" He turned on the spot trying to orient himself from where he'd come as well as keep his head above the water. The water was deep but he could just barely feel stone being rocked in place under his feet. His heart skipped when a pale hand, dipping just into the water came into view and hastily moved forward. His night vision took seconds too long to adjust but when it did he felt a stone growing in his stomach.

Hermione hadn't landed in the water, rather she'd landed on something large and covered in dead branches. Her arm was over the edge but she wasn't moving. He searched for purchase, his weighted feet finally finding a bit of broken stone to push himself up onto. As he pulled his chest up the slope his eyes widened.

"Hermione?" Severus let out a grunt pulling himself up over the edge of the wooden limbs encasing her. His chest heaved as his mind whirled. Nest, it was a nest. Large and wide, it easily could have swallowed up anything inside. His eyes caught on the shimmering silver shells lying crushed and broken under her still form before he reached out putting his hand on her sloped back. She was breathing—panting actually.

"Hermione?" He gave her a small shake trying to still his own fears. Losing his foothold, he slipped back over the edge trying to find another stone to stand on.

"Ow...Agh...Sev...Severus?" Hermione felt a nice throb along the front of her skull and a warm tingling sensation, the sort one had when moving too quickly in one direction, running down her left side. Her arms stung as she rolled herself onto her side blinking Severus' bobbing head into focus, "Of course you'd land in the water, you're not even dressed for it..." Hermione grumbled low, rubbing her temple with the back of her hand.

Severus snorted slightly both to clear his nose and as a retort to her clipped words. Relieved that she seemed to be alright, dazed and perhaps a bit snarky, but alright. He pulled himself along the edge of the nest until he was able to gain enough of a foothold to pull himself up. He felt like a wet dog with his hair and clothes hanging off of him. He paid it little mind as he rolled himself into a seated position with a heavy grunt. Taking a deep breath and with the next raised his wand, "Lumos Solem."

Hermione followed the ball of light up towards the ceiling, her eyes widening as she recognized the chandeliers from the beautiful painting she'd found in the book McGonagall had given her. Her mind tried to cycle back to where the ballroom had supposedly been on the map before realizing how turned around they had gotten. Where were the stairs? They should have passed a grand staircase. She put it aside for now pushing herself up. Whatever she had fallen on was oddly soft and sharp at the same time. She turned her head down looking at the mess of broken silver shells and scales?

"What kind of snake produces silver shells?"

"I don't know, but I don't think we should wait around to find out." Severus cast a drying spell over his clothes and hair before looking out over the room they had fallen in. The bright light overhead provided plenty if light to survey the damage. The entire ballroom floor was completely gone. At least what they could see of it from the room they were in. The floor above much larger than the one below. The columns meant to support the floor were broken, peeking out just above the water in a few places. Severus was just thankful he'd landed in the water and not on one of the columns.

The walls around them were lined with suits of armor, or rather armor on stands. Standing in alcoves along the wall they had been protected by the falling floor. The water rose right to the center of the breastplate and given that Severus had to search for purchase in its frigid depths he would have to guess that they stood higher than the actual floor.

Hermione rolled her shoulders slowly, turning to look behind them for a way out. As much as she was amazed by what she saw, she had no desire to meet the creature whose home she had crash-landed on. There were two archways behind them, one with a door and one without.

"There are two doorways over there, should we try the one with the door or without?"

Severus turned his eyes from the far wall were a large assortment of what appeared to be staffs hung. Most of them were broken or hanging crookedly but they definitely looked curious. He pulled his mind back on task, looking at each option in turn, "Whichever leads us down. We need to find the ward stones."

"Right." Hermione carefully came to her feet. The nest beneath her grew loud, the dead limbs and broken shells ringing out like a warning call to Mummy. As if to answer the call, a large burst of wind seemed to come from all directions, rippling the water and striking fear into the pit of her stomach. The chittering calls from above that the both of them had drowned out suddenly went silent, the air growing uncomfortably thick.

Severus pursed his lips and called up as much stone from beneath the water as he could. The doorways were only about 20 cm deep in water so he had to assume the room had either sunk or was deeply inlaid. His bridge formed without effort, it wouldn't win any contests but it looked stable enough. They'd have to walk single file across it though.

"Maybe we should try the door...?" Hermione brushed some scales off her arms ignoring the little sting of the papercut like scratches they left behind, "You know, put something between us?"

Severus nodded slowly, carefully climbing over the brim of the nest onto his conjured bridge. Just as he was sure he had a solid footing the light he'd conjured overhead turned black, like an eclipse. The world around them losing all color. Both he and Hermione turned towards the light, their eyes widening at the sight before them.

A black, swirling mass of power, churned and curled like possessed smoke. The brilliant light inside growing smaller and until there was only darkness. The last of the magical sun blinked out, leaving their world completely black. Even the blue light that had shined down before seemed to be engulfed in the smoke. It was then—Severus knew—just what exactly had been locked away.

Severus reached blindly for Hermione, grabbing her shirt sleeve and curled his hand tight, nearly pulling her up one handedly over the brim of the nest and tight to his side. A quick whispered spell to his eyes turned him on the spot and he hulled the very startled woman up into his arms as he ran their way across the bridge. The roar of wind behind him threatened his footing but he wouldn't give up. He wasn't going to die—not today.

Hermione held on tight, watching the growing ball of smoke, though she couldn't see it, not clearly, she could feel it. It's anger, its torment, its pain. The air in her chest burned, like an anger that could never be resolved, a passion whose flame could never be extinguished. For the first time in a long time, she truly believed this to be the end. Her entire life tumbled through her mind, all the things she had done, all the things she would never do.

When Severus released her legs into the water, she tore her eyes away. The last thing in this world she wanted to see was the man standing before her. It was in the seconds where she searched for his face through the darkness that a blindly gold light burst forth. Washing the entire room in its heaven-like glow and for a second—a skip of her rapidly beating heart—she was sure they had died.