The Secret of the Tower

The holidays had grown quiet at the Manor, Thomas had steered clear of his father, and he still couldn't work out what to say to Lissette. His mother had stayed silent, until he had found courage from somewhere to go and talk to her. The screaming fit she'd had in Lord Clement's solar had been troubling Thomas incessantly.

He'd found his mother in her room, going through all her jewellery in preparation for the many upcoming parties she would be attending. The announcement of Thomas' presence hadn't gone down well, her eyes turned to the icy stare she normally used on Lissette. Thomas had spoken to her softly, hesitantly moving to her dressing table. He was grovelling, he didn't want her to be mad at him. She needed to understand his decision, but even with the reasons they had given his father she would not be swayed.

"She is a commoner, Thomas!" Lady Clement wailed. "Her blood isn't pure like ours. How could you possibly want to ruin something that has taken so many years of work?"

"She is going to strengthen our family, Mother. She is much more useful than any other woman you-"

Her hand collided with his cheek then. Her Noir studded ring broke the skin whilst her hand made sure to leave the mark of her hand. She looked proud of herself for a brief moment before she realised who she'd struck. Thomas' hand didn't so much as flinch towards the area she struck.

"Mother." He said, no emotion coming through, he could be as icy as his Lady Mother if he wished. He turned on his heel and fled the room, his mother calling him back through tears. He'd gone to his father and told him he planned to leave in the afternoon, heading back to school early. Lord Clement had merely nodded at his decision, handing him a letter and turning back to his work.

That was how he'd ended up at school early with Lissette in tow. He'd handed her the letter, even though it was addressed only to him. Thomas sat with his back to the West Tower, waiting for Lissette to tell him what his father's decision was, his mind was reliving the scene with his mother again and again. His cheek showed the cut and the beginnings of a bruise, he didn't care to cover it up, the news would be out soon enough and the opinion of his parents on the subject would be quite clear.

Though whatever transpired between Lady Claudia and her son was supposed to be a secret, there were no secrets from the servants. And the downriver witch knew servants better than the masters of the house. Anna had recounted the tale as best she could as she had hurriedly helped Lissette pack, tossing things the brunette threw her way into trunks that could later be sorted by the Downton staff. She could only assume that they had been instructed to go back to school at the summon and for once she had no complains. The quicker they were out of House Clement, the better. A small bitter smile half formed on her lips at the thought. Oh, the irony.

Naturally, the place to talk was the tower no one frequented so both teenagers had made their way there, wordless as they walked. The marks on Thomas' skin still glowed and the witch wondered why he didn't cover it up. It would not do to let people think he was hit. It would reflect badly on his House and parents, and she would be to blame if Her Ladyship had anything to say about it.

The girl turned to Thomas, slipping a wand out of her sleeve as she reached for him, touching his face softly and motioning him to be still. Murmuring under her breath, the touched the tip of the wand briefly to his skin. "My healing is not as good as a professional's but this looks a lot better," she admitted, stowing the wand away.

Thomas flinched slightly as Lissette brought her hand up to his face, assuming she was going to treat him much like his mother had earlier that day, and how his father did on more than one occasion.

. "My healing is not as good as a professional's but this looks a lot better,"

The young lord merely nodded, wondering why she had to interfere with things all the time. He was perfectly capable of sorting himself out. Thomas said nothing though, glad that for once the hand on his cheek was in a more affectionate manner. He wouldn't get used to that though, it would not bode well to create his own weaknesses, not now.

"What does it say, Lis?" He asked, tapping the letter in her free hand. His father's words would be better understood by her, Lord Clement used every trick in the book to make his son work harder in understanding what he read, today wasn't a time for misinterpretation and Lissette would make sense of it much quicker.

The girl opened the sealed letter slowly, trying not to damage the parchment. Inside lay their fates, possibly the outcome of the rest of their lives. It was appropriate really that a piece of parchment would make the decision.

Lissette

The girl blinked, why was it addressed to her if it was given to Thomas? She looked at the envelope again, Thomas' name in dark ink staring back at her. Lord Clement must have known he would give the letter to her to read. This was his way of letting them know they were always being watched. It worked, the girl shuddered.

The letter was worded carefully no doubt. "Your Lord Father's advisers say the marriage has the potential to greatly benefit the house, though the potential for ruin is just as great," she relayed, her eyes roving over the neat script. That wasn't anything new, Lord Clement would have known that already. "They suggest a neutral stance should His Lordship go ahead with the wedding. Inserting a Loisel branch somewhere in a pure blood family tree should suffice and my account from the Manderly/Frey farms should provide adequate dowry for show. The political alliances with House Peverell is also looked favorably upon..."

Something was wrong, this was all welcome news. And with Lord Clement, there was no such thing as welcome news without a catch. Reading further, she found it.

Thomas nodded slowly at each point, finding nothing new to what had been said in his father's solar. They were going to make Lissette part of a Pureblood family, that would help .massively though he was fooling himself if he thought his mother would ever believe that. His hand subconsciously reached to his cheek, the thought of her understanding was that of a child's imagination.

The political alliances with House Peverell is also looked favorably upon..."

The pause brought Thomas back to what she was saying, leaning over to pretend he was reading the words to try and find what the problem was.

"What is it?" Thomas asked, looking from the parchment to Lissette.

The girl read the words, anger tinging her pale cheeks slightly. His Lordship had always struck her as a man one would not want to anger but he was never unnecessarily cruel to his people. He saw his advantages where he did and silenced those who wouldn't quickly and efficiently. He never spoke of his great power because it was always understood to anyone standing in his presence. In fact, this was the first time she had been subjected to hearing (reading) him declare his higher status.

"Your father feels that if all I can provide him with are exactly the same things a girl of noble worth would - and without all the fuss on his part - why should I be bestowed upon the honor of being his good daughter. A dowry, political connections and heirs can come with any bride and my alliances with the commonfolk that have the potential" she emphasized that word just as Lord Clement meant it to in the letter "to benefit the house are not good enough. He demands a certain security, something tangible to tip the scales in my favor seeing as the union would be at great cost to..." she didn't have to finish. Lord Clement was using his wife's abstinence to his advantage when Lissette knew for a fact he couldn't care less what Lady Claudia thought. The image of a doting husband did not suit him well, even when his words expressed concerns for his Lady Wife's health.

"Security..." she let the word out slowly, tasting it as she exhaled. What could he mean?

Thomas frowned as she continued to explain his father's words. He could see the anger building inside her as her cheeks started to go a subtle red. The letter spoke the obvious, this wasn't going to be given to them easily. They had known that though. Thomas put his arm round her waist, silently consoling her in the situation.

"Security..." Thomas echoed, looking out across the grounds for inspiration. "What could my father possibly need that he doesn't already have? His incomes have already greatly increased after the Manderly farm incident. That built him a relationship with the people living there. He's got a knight in Lyon now that he can use to his advantage. The Peverell's are now to become allies with the Clement house. You're 'potentially' the key to the commonfolk. The Noirs are linked with my mother."

He paused, looking back to Lissette to make sure he had the right end of it. "So that leaves us lacking security with the Malfoys and the school. Possibly?"

He smiled to himself as he went through everything in his head again, he didn't think he'd missed anything.

She nodded. He had a point. Though the Malfoys were not necessarily on bad terms with the Clements, the Noirs were beginning too. Where so much intermarriage had sealed loyalty among both houses, she couldn't remember the last time a Malfoy had married a Noir. In fact, she knew Alexis was at one point being considered as Thomas' future bride for that very reason.

"But how can I help with that?" the witch wondered out loud. Brutus Malfoy was on amicable terms with Lord Clement so what more could she offer. The thought of striking a friendship with the Malfoy clan made her stomach clench. "I'm not sucking up to Alexis!" she declared hotly.

"I'm not asking that much of you, Lis." Thomas said softly, thinking about the situation a little more. "Well surely there is something, we wouldn't be asked for more if there wasn't anything to find."

Thomas shrugged and lent back against the wall again. The answer was no as far as Thomas could see. His father couldn't see past the game of power that he played with the council. Thomas sighed, defeated once more by his fathers words. You will lose everything. His father's voice was triumphant already, but they weren't finished fighting to save what they were entitled to.

"Lis... The school." He said with a smile. "Tell me something that stands out as different about the school.'

"You mean other than the fact that they let wretches like Alexis attend?" she replied bitterly, folding the letter neatly and inserting it back into the envelope. Compartmentalization of emotion came easier to her now. Despite her anger, she knew the paper could not be crumpled. Feelings and actions were separate now - at a great divide.

Just then, a streak of brown rushed towards them, chattering angrily at top speed. Instead of crawling up her body and nestling into her hair like the squirrel usually did, the small brown mammal made a beeline for Tomas, flying up his arm in a trice and muttering non stop in his ears.

"Lexi!" the girl exclaimed but the squirrel made a show of ignoring her mistress, continuing to chatter into the boy's ear. Lissette looked at the small rodent, puzzled.

"Lissette!" Thomas said in a weary manner, but his attention was taken by the small rodent that clambered up to his shoulder.

"Alright, alright!" The boy said softly pulling the mammal off his shoulder and stroking behind her ear. This didn't calm the squirrel who bit his finger to make him let go. The squirrel climbed his shoulder again, chattering endlessly in his ear. "What is it?"

Lexi jumped down from his shoulder and made her way round the tower a little way before looking back expectantly at them. Thomas looked to Lissette his eyebrow raised in question.

"Please tell me I am not going mad and the squirrel is acting as if we should follow her, mademoiselle."

"I've never seen her act this way," Lissette confirmed, taking a step in the direction of the squirrel. The furry thing moved a few paces away, prompting the brunette to follow. "I think she does." Lissette stated, still surprised. Lexi was smart, yes but this was bordering on ridiculous. Had Lexi hidden away nuts for the coming winter and wanted to show them?

The girl looked up at Thomas, surprised at how much she had to look up. Thomas had grown taller without her realizing. Idly, she wondered if she'd changed too? "Well, what do we have to lose?" she concluded, taking another step in her pet's direction. The squirrel chattered impatiently for them to follow.

"Nothing." Thomas stated before realising it was a rhetorical question. He took her hand and followed the squirrel round the tower, wondering what on earth the squirrel would wish to show them.

"The Malfoys must have something my father wants though, surely, otherwise he wouldn't have us try to work this out."

The thought was engrossing, wondering what Alexis might have. He shook his head as they reached the door to the West Tower and Lexi climbed to the handle looking to them to open it for her.

"Okay, now this is ridiculous. No way." Thomas refused, still under the watchful eye of the Headmaster, now was not the time to anger him further. "Enough of the silly games and the squirrel."

Turning away from the squirrel was a mistake. She jumped onto his shoulder and started chattering angrily in his ear, her clawsgently scratching his neck in an attempt to get him to turn back round.

The brunette was sure there were several things the Malfoys owned that Lord Clement wanted, just as it was the other way around. Being an old, powerful family usually meant one had access to things others envied, feared or admired and she had no doubt the Malfoys struck all three in the hearts of their competitors. She just wasn't sure if it was anywhere near the school - where thousands of other people frequented.

Lexi's persistence led them to the door guarded heavily by several padlocks the size of her head, all strung in a thick metal chain. The girl had never managed to work out why the tower was forbidden in all her years at the school but it seemed the squirrel somehow had. Lexi balanced easily on one o the padlocks, tapping a tiny paw against the rusted surface and encouraging the two humans to open it. Shrugging, the witch pulled out her wand and muttered Alohamora. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. If the tower was forbidden, surely there would be a better spell than a first year one to unlock the door.

She looked up at Thomas again, her eyes silently asking "what now?"

Thomas watched her try the door with a simple spell to no avail. He hadn't expected anything to happen and had already taken half a step back when Lissette looked at him for answers. His eyes searched the building for an alternative entrance landing on a window some twenty feet above them. He contemplated the idea, before looking back at the door.

"Two options." He stated. "You can try every spell you know, or I can try the window."

Shrugging off his travelling cloak, Thomas looked for some foot holes to start climbing.

"You know how to stop people from falling so hard, I trust?" He said with a cheeky smile.

Lissette smiled at the jape, nodding. "That i can do." Pointing her wand at Thomas, she cast the suspension charm in the event he fell. Gathering his traveling cloak, she wrapped it around herself as the boy started climbing. Her attention went back to the lock. Why would Lexi lead them here?

Because she's a squirrel, an irritated voice in her head replied. The brunette ignored it, concentrating on the rusted locks. She tried a few more spells but to no avail. Lexi stared back at her as if she was stupid. "Yeah well, you get us in then," Lissette muttered under her breath, looking up to see Thomas' progress. He was halfway up and didn't seem to be in danger of falling down. But just in case, she charmed the ground around them as well to cushion the fall in case there was one.

The squirrel made no move from the padlock, looking at Lissette as if wishing for the power of human speech. The animal was acting odd, that was certain. "Come here, girl," she reached for the animal but the squirrel only bared its tiny teeth, taking the girl by surprise.

"Lexi, what is the matter with you?" the brunette scolded. Her squirrel had never been so rude to her before. Had she neglected the pet in some way? Wen the rodent refused to budge, the witch threw her hands in the air. "Fine, be that way." Once again, she glanced skywards, checking on her fiance's progress.

Thomas muscles ached when he was halfway up. Sure, he climbed trees when his mother and the Maester weren't looking, but he could sit on the branches to rest. By the time he reached the window sill his arms were quivering under the strain. He pulled himself onto the ledge, leaning in to look for a floor. There didn't seem to be one from what he could see. He sighed and looked back down to Lissette.

"I'm going to have to climb down inside." He called sucking in a deep breath. He flicked his legs over, lowering himself until he found a hole for his foot. It was pitch black inside, but using his wand wasn't an option. The descent was a much slower job, hisgingers slipping once or twice as the wall flaked beneath his touch. He waited to hear the sound of them hit the ground but there wasn't a sound. Thomas frowned at that as he continued his descent.

The door found him ten minutes later, the ground underneath his foot only gave enough space for his feet. The room seemed to disappear past his feet. His hands pounded the door.

"Lis? Lissette, can you hear me?" Thomas shouted against the door. "Don't do anything to the door. Step back actually, out the way of the door."

He drew his wand and waited for a response.

She watched him disappear inside after relaying that he would have to climb down. The girl waited anxiously, gazing at the chain and multiple locks. Were they just there for show or did they actually open something? They seemed solid enough seeing as her squirrel was still perched on one. The locks didn't require a tap from a wand, she had tried that. Did they require blood? Biting on the inside of her thumb, the witch tried that too but nothing happened. Healing the small cut quickly she contemplated the problem in front of her eyes again.

The locks were rusted, the chain looked as if it was falling apart. But that was only for show because in truth, it was strong enough to sustain several assaults from enemies trying to barge in. The door itself was made of nothing special. Stone? No. Wood? No. The girl tried to study the corners, hoping to find some clues. Her dark brown gaze swept the old door from corner to corner, up to down and back up again. Lexi continued to stare at in that patronizing way.

"Wait a minute, the hinges," she exclaimed softly, trying and failing to find any. Just to be sure, the girl ran a hand along the door frame, trying to feel for the small rivets that made a hinge. Even magical doors usually had them but this one didn't seem too.

"Wait, Thomas!" She was interrupted by the voice of the very person who's name she'd uttered. It sounded like he too had discovered what she had. The door was made to open from the inside.

"Lis? Lissette, can you hear me?" Thomas shouted against the door. "Don't do anything to the door. Step back actually, out the way of the door."

Taking his advice, the brunette stepped away form the door, coaxing Lexo towards her. "Come here girl, we're going in but you have to leave the lock." The squirrel, obtainment as it was, refused. Lissette had no choice but to point her wand at the small mammal and summon her quickly before Thomas decided to try anything from inside.

Thomas waited a moment or two to allow Lissette time to get away from the door. He shuffled back as far as the ledge permitted and took a deep breath. He counted to five in his head to allow Lissette more time before casting a silent blasting spell from his wand.

The blast pushed him slightly backwards, Thomas only just remembering to lean forward in time not to fall into the abyss behind him. The door disappeared into a cloud of dust and rubble, filling Thomas' lungs and causing him to splitter helplessly. He doubled over from the coughing, his eyes stinging at the same time.

"I think I got it..." He managed after a while, covering his eyes from the light outside.

Though a safe distance away when the door exploded outward, the witch still jumped back at the commotion. Lexi emitted a terrified squeak and hid her little face in the girl's hair, acting for once like her usual self. It felt good to at least have some semblance of normalcy back.

From the dust emerged the form of Thomas saying something she couldn't quite catch. The door had been reduced to rubble and what little lighyt entered the hole only served to emphasize the darkness beyond. Cautiously, Lissette took steps to close the distance between her and the boy.

"Are you alright?' she asked, offering him a hands her brown eyes tried to see through the darkness. There seemed to be little space between Thomas' feet and the edge of the ledge. In fact, how had he managed to balance on such a thin ledge when blasting the door. The ricochet alone would have knocked him backwards. Her gaze still on his feet, she watched them move a step towards her - and the ledge thinned even more.... as if it only existed to support his weight as long as he was there. It moved with him.

The brunette watched in wonder as she stepped through the threshold into the outside world, and just as he did, the small ledge like bit of floor disappeared completely, not having the need to be there as no one needed to walk. "Thomas... I think the floor inside follows your feet..."

Thomas took her hand, his eyes slowly adjusting to the new light.

"I'm fine." Thomas said after another small cough. He raised his wand again. "Limos."

The new patch of light sent his free hand to his eyes, wiping at them as he tried to get rid of the dust. Lissette was saying something about the floor, but he couldn't see clearly.

"Give me a moment." He mumbled, giving his eyed one more rub before blinking profusely. "What were you saying, mademoiselle?"
Thomas asked politely before looking at the scene infront of then, pointing his wand left and right to try and see something.

"I..." she tried to explain again but figured it would be easier just to show him. Making her way carefully to the edge of the doorway where nothing but a sharp drop to stars knew where seemed to await her, the girl took a deep breath.

"Do me a favour," she said, looking down at the deep darkness. "Hold on to me okay, just in case I fall." Guiding his hand to her waist, the witch ensured they were safely in place before taking a step, just a small one, into the darkness. One glance at her feet confirmed that she small ledge had came back, supporting her weight. Tentatively, she took another step which should by right mean she was standing over the endless looming void she had seen a few seconds ago. but again, the ledge was there, firmly in place. A little more confident, she took a normal sized step and was once again supported. A small smile appeared on her face.

"Look," she pointed, taking another step. "No matter where you step, the ledge will appear to support you. Meaning whoever enters is not going to be harmed - not at this stage anyway."

"So were in a room that wishes to play tricks on the mind but will keep you safe? And its forbidden to the students why?" Thomas asked with a raised eyebrow, still holding her tightly incase there was an end to the floor somewhere. His eyes finally adjusted to the light, allowing him to see what the darkness held.

"I don't understand." The boy whispered as Lexi jumped down from Lissette and disappeared into the shadows before them. "She's going to be our undoing, you know that, don't you?"

A smile graced Thomas' lips as he lowered his wand towatds the ground. He couldbn't see anymore floor other than that on which they stood.

"One step at a time?" The question was hesitant, the whole thing was such a folly, they were nearly grown adults playing at games not even ten year olds played, bit there was something more to the room surely?

"I don't think the floor is going to be a problem," Lissette nodded moving a few more steps into the darkness. The pattern remained, there was always enough ground to support her. "The problem will be trying to work out the point of it all." The girl tried to align all the facts in her head. This place was forbidden to students but no staff seemed to go in or out either that she knew of. The door opened form the inside so all the locks and chain were for show and so far, the only way in was through the window Thomas had climbed in.

Taking a few more steps into the darkness, the girl tried to asses by feel. Suddenly, everything went dark. The door that had just been blasted apart must have somehow formed back in place and something must have snuffed out the light from Thomas's wand too. Fear gripped the girl for a moment as she held on to Thomas and her wand. "Lumos!" she squeaked to no avail. Their wands were not going to cast any light.

The lights going out didn't spook Thomas, he'd climbed down the wall in the pitch black, it was the fact they were stood in the middle of an abyss not fully understanding the situation. His arm wrapped round Lissette tightly, trying to work out what to do. Follow the squirrel, he thought bitterly to himself.

"It's okay.' Thomas whispered his eyes frantic as he looked for some clue. Despite the situation he felt calm, whatever was in here couldn't be that dangerous, else the security would be much greater. "Just look for Lexi."

His feet forced hers forwards for the first steps, his eyes searching the ground for the small mammal. Less panic would ensue ifhe vcould keep Lissette's mind occupied.