The day had started poorly for Carlos, and by the time afternoon rolled around, it was a struggle just to keep himself upright. His head throbbed, and his arms felt heavy, like lead weights pulling him down. The dark magic from the lake seemed to cling to him like an invisible shroud, and no amount of Glamour charms could fully conceal the toll it was taking.

Lando noticed, of course. He always did. In all honesty Carlos was shocked he hadn't noticed the visible effects the magic at the lake had on him, somehow Lando hadn't seen the tendrils of black begin to form.

"You're pale again," Lando said as they walked toward the library after their afternoon classes. "Why are you pale again?"

"Estoy bien," Carlos said shortly, tugging his sleeves down further over his wrists. He hated how his voice sounded- strained, on edge- but he couldn't help it. Every step felt like a battle to keep his legs from buckling.

"You don't look fine." Lando frowned, falling into step beside him. "Is this about the Chamber? Or... something else?"

Carlos' jaw clenched. "No hay nada malo conmigo. I said I'm fine."

Later that evening, in the Library, Carlos sat at their usual corner table, hunched over his notes about the Chamber of Shadows. His head pounded relentlessly, and his hands trembled as he tried to hold his quill steady. The dark magic clung to him like a second skin, its weight almost unbearable. It wasn't just the pain- it was the fear of what others might see if they looked too closely.

The Glamour charm he cast every morning wasn't just for convenience; it was a shield, a barrier against the prying eyes of the world. Without it, the truth of his condition would be plain to see: the dark, twisted veins that crawled up his arms like ink spilled beneath his skin; the jagged scars criss-crossing his body, relics of nights spent transforming under the full moon; the faint silver marks on his chest where claws and teeth had once dug too deeply.

The Glamour was meticulous, seamless, covering every imperfection, every mark of his curse, and now whatever dark magic had taken root in him. It was his protection against whispers and judgment, a way to blend in and pretend, even for a moment, that he wasn't different. That he wasn't dangerous.

Lando approached quietly, carrying a plate of sandwiches he'd snagged from the Great Hall. "Figured you'd need these," he said, setting the plate down.

"Gracias," he muttered without looking up.

Lando hesitated, watching him closely. The dim light of the library flickered across Carlos' face, and for a brief moment, something seemed... off. The edges of the Glamour shimmered faintly, like a mirage, and Lando leaned in slightly, narrowing his eyes.

"Carlos, your-"

"Qué?" Carlos snapped, glancing up. But it was too late.

For the briefest moment, the Glamour faltered completely. The faint shimmer collapsed, revealing what lay beneath: the veins, dark and angry, snaking up Carlos' neck and disappearing beneath his collar. The scars were unmistakable- long, pale slashes cutting across his forearms, his throat, A particularly jagged line across the bridge of his nose. They weren't the neat, faded scars of someone injured in a duel or a Quidditch accident; they were raw, chaotic, and hauntingly deliberate.

Lando froze, his eyes widening. "What the fuck -" Looking back, he knew he should have known something was horribly wrong. Apart from the odd occasional phrase, Carlos only spoke Spanish when he was trapped in his head, when he was hiding something; he processed the English Lando spoke to him, but he didn't realise that his replies were not of the same language. He had never realised.

Carlos' expression twisted into panic as he immediately turned away, his hands flying to his collar to tug it higher. The Glamour snapped back into place, covering the veins, the scars, everything- but not quickly enough to erase what Lando had seen.

"Nothing," he said, his voice sharp, his shoulders hunched like a cornered animal. "No es nada."

"Nothing?" Lando exclaimed, his voice rising. "Carlos, I just saw- what's happening to you? Are you- are you sick? Hurt? What was-"

"No!" He cut him off, his voice cracking as he shoved his notes into his bag. "It's not- just forget you saw anything, please !"

Lando stepped forward, blocking his path. " Forget it? How am I supposed to forget that ? You're covered in scars, and those veins- that's dark magic. What's going on?"

"¡Cierra la puta boca! There's nothing wrong with me." Carlos shot back, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear. He tried to push past Lando, but his friend grabbed his wrist, making Carlos flinch violently.

"Don't lie to me!" Lando said, his grip firm but not cruel. "I'm your best friend. You think I'm just going to stand by while- "

"While what , Lando?" Carlos yanked his hand away, his voice rising to a shout. "While I deal with something you can't possibly understand? While I try to keep this entire school from knowing how-" He stopped himself, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling with barely contained panic.

Carlos' fists clenched at his sides, his entire body shaking. "You don't get it. You don't understand what it's like to carry something like this- to know that the closer we get to the Chamber, the more it's going to... to destroy me."

Lando stepped back, stunned by the rare, raw emotion in Carlos' voice. "... What do you mean? What does the Chamber have to do with this?"

"No sé," Carlos admitted, his voice breaking. "I don't know what's happening to me, and it's terrifying, okay? The black veins, the whispers, the way my magic feels like it's twisting inside me- none of it makes sense, and I can't stop it."

Lando was silent for a moment, trying to process everything. "But... the Chamber. You think it's connected?"

Carlos let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Of course it's connected. Everything's connected. The Chamber, the lake, the-" He cut himself off, breathing heavily.

"The what?" Lando pressed gently.

Carlos shook his head. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that we figure this out before it's too late."

"For you," Lando said quietly.

"For both of us," Carlos corrected, though he didn't meet Lando's gaze.

Lando had forced Carlos to go back to Professor Alonso. By the time they had reached his office, the tension between them was thick enough to cut. Carlos hesitated outside the door, his hand hovering over the doorknob.

Fernando looked up from his desk, his expression softening when he saw them. "Carlos. Lando. What brings you here at this hour?"

Carlos hesitated, glancing at Lando before speaking. "It's getting worse," he said quietly. "The... the effects. From the dark magic."

Fernando's face darkened with concern. "What kind of effects?"

Carlos tugged his sleeve up just enough to reveal the blackened veins on his forearm. A sharp intake of breath escaped Fernando's lips, as he immediately stood, crossing the room to examine his arm again.

"This isn't good," Fernando muttered, his tone grave. "The magic around the Chamber- it's... parasitic. It's feeding on you."

"Feeding on me?" Carlos repeated, his voice trembling.

He nodded. "The Chamber also tests your resilience. Whatever it's doing to you, it's amplifying your fears, your doubts... and your magic. If we don't find a way to stop it, it could consume you."

Lando stepped forward, his voice firm. "Then we need to find the next clue. We're close, I know we are."

Fernando looked between them, his expression conflicted. "You're both playing with fire. The Chamber- it's deadly. And if this magic is already affecting you..."

"I don't care," Carlos said sharply. "I'm not stopping now. We've come too far."

Fernando sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "Then we need to be smart about this. No more impulsive decisions. No more risks. If you feel the effects worsening, you come to me immediately . Understood?"

Carlos nodded reluctantly. "Understood."

Later that night, as Carlos laid in his bed staring at the ceiling, he couldn't shake Alonso's words. Parasitic. Amplifying your fears.

He looked down at his hands, the faint outline of the blackened veins barely visible in the moonlight. The Chamber was testing him, pushing him to his limits. But why? What was it trying to reveal?

And would he survive long enough to find out?