It was like Esme was starting all over again.

She felt as though she was back in her first year at Hogwarts - completely alone. She felt isolated and abandoned, which made it all the more difficult to focus on her studies.

Even Dirk and Levi, no matter how hard they tried, couldn't seem to bring much happiness to the girl.

As was becoming common in her life at this point, Esme never settled in one feeling too long as something was coming to uproot everything yet again.

And it was coming fast.

Walking down the empty corridor beside the courtyard after her last lesson of the day, a sharp snap sounded. Something clearly unnatural and most likely magical.

Instinctively, Esme ducked down and dashed for cover behind one of the stone pillars. She stayed still and silent for a moment, thinking perhaps she had just imagined the sound.

Life was getting so dull and repetitive, perhaps her subconscious had just willed something more interesting to happen.

Though, it wouldn't be long until she wished she'd never had that thought.

"Miss Avery?" A croaky voice called out.

A croaky voice Esme recognised to be very really after all, and not a threat. She poked her head out of cover and peered down the corridor to see none other than Kreacher stood a few metres away, looking up at her through hooded eyes.

Though, he looked very much different. Frail, almost. He looked bruised and battered and worse than she had ever seen him before. And there was something in his eyes... A dull, darkness.

"Kreacher... Are you alright? What are you doing here?" Esme asked somewhat hesitantly, her eyes scanning over the battered figure of the house elf.

He only managed to stammer a short reply, "M-master Regulus, the master called out for you."

She frowned, "What? Why? What happened?"

Kreacher's bottom lip trembled as he suddenly cried out, "The master is in danger!"

Esme wasted no time in reaching for Kreacher's hand and commanding, "Take me to him."

A second, short snap sounded out, and Esme's Charms textbook clattered to the floor as she and the house elf vanished out of sight.

Stumbling backwards upon landing on uneven ground, Esme gasped as she reached forward and was pulled upright by Kreacher. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to their dark surroundings, but she could instantly tell something was wrong - a chill coursed through her blood.

What Esme saw, she couldn't possibly comprehend. It was unbelievable.

"Well this sure as hell isn't a party." She muttered to herself, "What's going on?"

The island she found herself on was no larger a few metres in diameter. The uneven ground was made of flat, dark stone and in the centre stood a tall basin.

What was more curious was that the basin, clearly made to hold some sort of food or drink, was completely empty.

"Kreacher..." Esme reached into her pocket to draw out her wand, "What's-where's Re-"

"Esme?" A hoarse voice croaked out from the darkness. A chill ran down her spine as the tip of her wand illuminated with Lumos and she tentatively clambered around the basin to see Regulus lay at the very edge of the stone island, clinging to the rocks as if he was going to fall of the ground.

She had absolutely no clue what was going on. One thing was for certain though, she had a very terrible feeling about remaining in the cave for much longer.

"Regulus!" Esme exclaimed, falling to her knees beside him and scraping his hair back out of his eyes to see his shockingly dilated pupils and worryingly pale skin, "What-what's going on? Are you alright? Kreacher said-"

He groaned, "Thirsty... So... Kreacher had to... I'm so thirsty..."

"Kreacher had to what?" She frowned and turned to look back over at the Kreacher, who's head was bowed.

"To leave... Had to get it out." Regulus coughed, "Water, please..."

"We should get out-"

"Water, please... So thirsty."

"Alright, I'll get some." Esme begrudgingly gave in. It was clear to see that the boy was under some sort of incantation... Possibly the effect of a charm or potion. She couldn't quite work it out and nobody was giving her any answers.

"Master Regulus commanded Kreacher to leave alone. Before Kreacher could leave, the Master asked for Miss Avery so Kreacher complied. Kreacher would not abandon Master Regulus." The house elf explained.

Esme rose to her feet and turned back to the basin, "What is this place? What are you doing here?"

"Miss Avery, it is not safe. Kreacher was never meant to escape, but Kreacher did and went to tell Master Regulus." He continued.

"Aguamenti." Esme cast, pointing her wand into the basin. Though, no water emerged. This was yet another sign that they had to leave immediately. The whole place reeked of dark magic and it was only a matter of time before something really terrible happened.

"It's not working." She muttered to herself, feeling beads of tense sweat start to run down the side of her face, "It's... It won't work. Why won't it-oh, what's the point?"

Then. Out of the corner of her eye, Esme saw the black water surrounding the island move.

Water didn't just move by itself. The island hadn't moved to cause a ripple effect. That meant that either something had just entered the water... Or something already in the water was starting to move.

"Kreacher?" Esme tentatively turned to see the house elf directly behind her. He was nowhere near the water.

"R-Regulus?" She asked. No reply.

"Regulus!" She cried out suddenly, leaping over the rocks to see Regulus had slipped further down the stones and closer towards the water. Though, that was when she noticed one of his arms had fallen into the water.

There was no way that action by itself would have caused the water on the other side of the island to move, which meant only one thing.

A wave of icy cold air rushed through her body, filling her with dread that things could not possibly be going worse.

"Regulus!" Esme shouted desperately, lurching down to grasp onto his upper arm as she attempted to drag him up away from the edge of the island, "Don't touch the water!"

It was too late.

Esme felt all of the blood drain from her face as she fearfully watched dozens of pale, almost skeletal-like arms reaching out of the water and grasping onto the ground, almost as if they were pulling themselves out of the depths.

"Oh, that doesn't look good." She let out a shaky breath and raised her wand to point at one of the creatures. Esme had absolutely no attack plan, there were simply too many for her to take on all of them.

One of the creatures pulled its head out of the water, immediately causing Esme to aim her wand and shriek "Diffindo!" slicing the skeletal zombie-like figure down the middle, causing it to fall back into the water.

"What the hell are they?" She shouted, blasting another of the monsters backwards and out of sight. "Regulus!" She shouted, trying to lift him to his feet but she didn't have enough time before having to let go and continue shooting the creatures back into the water.

Of course Regulus was in no state to answer her questions, and Kreacher was on the other side of the island battling the monsters one at a time in a feeble attempt to keep them from getting on land.

Then, Esme had an idea.

An idea that could very well get them all killed but, either way, they might all die.

Truthfully, she had never actually cast the spell before then and had only read about it in a book from the restricted section a few weeks ago, but there really was no better time to try it. Esme wasn't sure they would make it out alive so why not risk it all?

"PROTEGO DIABOLICA!"

A stream of black and blue flames erupted from Esme's wand, shooting out into a ring around the edge of the stone island. As she turned on the spot, the flames continued to shoot out, piling higher and higher until the wall of fire almost reached the ceiling of the cave.

Not only was the wall successful at preventing the passing of anyone, or anything, who wished her harm, but the fire and light also seemed to repel the creatures.

They howled and screamed in such shrill tones, causing Kreacher to clap his bony hands over his ears to shield from the noise.

Through the flickering fire, Esme could just make out the figures retreating back into the water and away from the reach of the flames. Though they were still lurking just beneath the surface, their eyes glowing beneath the water, waiting for the cold darkness to take ahold again so they could mount their second attack.

"Kreacher! We need to get out now!" Esme called, raising her wand above her head and swinging it in a circle above her head. She had not mastered that particular spell yet and the flames only burnt for a few moments before extinguishing. As she kept casting the fire, it would reignite over and over again.

The jets of fire swirled in ferocious circles, blowing Esme's hair wildly so she could barely see as she kept, tirelessly casting the curse and muttering the incantation under her shaky breath.

If she couldn't cast Aguamenti, and Regulus hadn't been able to apparate himself out of the cave, then that meant it was futile for Esme to even try. Their only hope was Kreacher.

"M-Master Regulus!" Kreacher cried out, grasping onto Esme's one free hand as he prepared to apparate out of the cave.

Esme looked over at Regulus, who was almost unconscious as he lay on the rock just out of her reach and not too far from the wall of fire. It was in that moment that she knew she'd have to stop casting the fire if she were to reach him - which would yet again open them to the swift attacks of the Inferi.

"You need to apparate us out of here when I say so, okay? On my word!" Esme tightened her grip on Kreacher's hand, "Ready?"

"Miss." He nodded once.

Esme took a deep breath, and lowered her wand. The flames quickly died out as she swiftly pocketed her wand and reached down towards Regulus.

"Reg! Your hand!"

He lifted his heavy head to look up at her, taking a moment to process what was happening. For some reason the potion, whatever it was, he'd drank rendered him completely helpless. He could barely move or think - it was proving almost impossible just to keep his thoughts in order.

What he could just about do, though, was reach out for Esme's hand.

Esme knew that Kreacher was their only hope of escaping the cave - he had the ability to disapparate out and take them with him. Although, that meant she couldn't let go of his hand, which restricted her movements as the house elf was trying to fight off the creatures who were now crawling out of the water again.

"Reg! Come on!" Esme urged, knowing they only had a few seconds left.

She watched as a milky white arm surged out of the dark water and grasped onto the edge of the stone island. If that thing grabbed ahold of Regulus, it could pull him further from Esme's reach and into the abyss. They also couldn't risk it side-apparating alongside them for Esme had no clue what the creatures were, nor what would happen if one escaped into the outer world.

Then the creature lifted its head, almost taking a moment to look up at Esme with its deep-set black eyes, as if it knew what she was trying to do.

"Now or never." She hissed, making one last grasp desperately for the boy she wouldn't live without.

Their fingers were so close now, almost touching as the creature pulled its whole upper body out of the water, preparing to lurch.

Esme could already feel the tears running down her cheeks, but she had no time to sob as she closed her eyes, still reaching for the boy.

But, she couldn't delay it any longer as they needed to get out now, so she had to scream, "Kreacher! Now!"

And snap.