The distant footsteps and muffled voices faded into silence. The men who had spoken earlier were gone—for now. Only the faint, eerie clinking of chains echoed through the suffocating darkness.
As Eira looked around, trying to make sense of where she was, she searched for any opportunity for freedom, determined to familiarize herself with the surrounding darkness.
After a long moment of careful observation and planning, her gaze settled on the figure beside her—the girl quietly sitting in the room.
"Tell me," Eira whispered, "what's your situation? Do you have your wand?"
"If I did," the girl replied bitterly, "I'd have used it by now."
Eira rolled her eyes but smiled faintly. "Well, I only asked."
Her mind raced. Suddenly, a memory surfaced—a beacon in the dark. She reached inward to her system space, searching for the legendary White family wand. The ancestral wand, crowned with a silver fox's head, symbol of their lineage, her family's wand—a wand inherited by every head of the White family when they take the position. She had inherited it from her grandfather.
With a faint shimmer, the wand appeared and fell to the ground with a soft clatter.
Curious, the girl asked, "What was that sound?"
Eira smiled. "Our only hope for freedom."
Her smile dimmed as she looked down. "Too bad. With my hands and feet chained, I can't use it."
She looked at the girl. "Can you stand? Or are you chained like me?"
"My hands are chained, but I can walk," came the whispered reply.
The girl replied, "Yes, I can. My feet aren't chained to the wall like yours, so I can walk."
Eira breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, come here. A wand is right in front of me. Since I'm bound to the wall, I can't move toward it."
The girl's eyes widened. "You have a wand? How? I saw they took your wand and pouch when they brought you here."
Eira's face twisted in disgust. "Those bastards… put their hands all over me."
She reached out toward the wand again. "Anyway, come on. It's our only chance to get out of here."
The girl got up, the sound of chains clicking as she moved. She walked toward Eira,
Carefully, the girl stepped forward, Eira couldn't see her face—only the faint outline against the shadow—but she sensed the growing courage in the other's presence.
The girl crouched beside her.
The faint scent hit her first—a subtle but unmistakable fragrance mingling with sweat and something floral, something sweetly perfumed. It was oddly comforting in the grim confines of their prison.
"You have good taste in perfumes," Eira murmured, breaking the silence.
The girl before her made a faint, exasperated sound. "For God's sake, don't say things like that. I'm trying to find the wand and you are smelling me and commenting on my taste in perfumes." Her voice trembled slightly but held a trace of stubbornness and dissatisfaction.
"Okay, okay," Eira chuckled softly. "I was just complimenting you."
"It's too dark to see, so you'll need to use your hands. Put both down on the ground and search carefully—touch the ground is the only way you'll find it."
The girl hesitated, then did as asked, her fingers brushing the rough stone. Moments passed, until suddenly her voice lifted triumphantly. "Ha! Got it, got it, got it!"
The girl knelt beside Eira's bound wrists, holding the wand carefully. "Let me try," she said quietly.
With a whispered incantation, she cast the Alohomora charm on the iron shackles. The magical glow flickered over the links—but to no avail. The chains did not budge.
Eira sighed. "The Alohomora charm doesn't work on these. It's meant for doors and locks, not magically reinforced shackles."
The girl's voice came in frustration. "Well, I have to try something, right?"
Eira tilted her head and asked, "Do you know the Cutting Charm?"
"I'm still in my second year at Hogwarts," the girl said, her voice tinged with regret. "I was supposed to learn the cutting charm this year, but an accident kept me in the hospital wing for the last one or two months of the school year. I didn't have much chance to study, so unfortunately, I still don't know the charm."
"Okay, it's alright if you don't know it yet," Eira said gently. "It doesn't matter now. I'll teach you—I'll explain it carefully, and you just focus on learning it step by step. It's a fairly simple spell, not too hard, and I'll guide you through it."
The girl interrupted, "Let me try the Lumos charm, so I can see you."
Eira shook her head firmly. "No. Don't. If you light up the room, whoever is outside will know. We have to be quiet."
She took a breath and began explaining. "The Cutting Charm is a simple but precise spell. You wave your wand in a slicing motion and say 'Diffindo.' It can cut through wood, rope, and sometimes metal. But you have to focus on the object—your intention matters."
The girl nodded, her breathing steadying. "I think I understand."
Eira continued, "Start slow. Aim for the weakest part of the chain. Be careful—you don't want to hurt yourself or me."
"I will learn," the girl said, a note of determination rising in her voice.
"Good," Eira smiled faintly. "Confidence is important."
Gently, Eira lifted her bound hands a little higher, careful to keep them safe.
"Now, focus on the chains around my wrists. Use the Diffindo charm."
Suddenly, the girl spoke up, her voice trembling. "I can't… What if I hurt you? What if the spell hurts your hand? I just can't do it."
Eira smiled gently. "It's okay. It's not a big deal. You just have to be precise and focus your intention on the chains. What matters most is your intent."
The girl nodded, still shaky. "Okay. I'll try. I promise I'll try not to hurt you."
The girl's hand trembled as she held the invisible wand, her voice barely audible: "Diffindo…"
There was a brief shimmer of magical energy, then a faint snap—the chains fell open.
Eira gasped sharply, a sharp pain flaring in her wrist.
"Ow!" she cried softly.
"Did I hurt you? Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" The girl's voice cracked with panic.
Eira forced a tired smile. "It's okay. It's just a small cut. Nothing more."
"But what if I cut you more? Or your hand?" the girl whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks.
Eira shook her head. "Don't worry. I'm fine."
The girl's sobs began to rise. Eira hushed her quickly. "Quiet. If you make noise, they'll know."
The girl nodded quickly, wiping her tears away.
"Give me the wand," Eira said firmly, and the girl passed it over.
Eira carefully waved the wand, muttering spells to unlock the other chains binding her ankles and arms.
Then, using a complex transfiguration charm, she cloaked the room in magical darkness that would appear to anyone outside as empty and untouched.
Finally, she whispered the Lumos charm, bathing the small cell in soft, white light.
Eira glanced down at her bleeding hand—blood trickled freely, but she quickly withdrew a vial of emergency healing potion from her system space.
The girl who had witnessed Eira's injury gasped as she saw the white bones of Eira's hand, blood still smeared around it. Tears streamed down her face as she whispered "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry for hurting you. I didn't see it—I truly am sorry."
Eira smiled gently. "It's okay. What matters is that we're free now. No more fear, no more chains. This is just a small price to pay for freedom, so don't worry about it. Though I will say, your spell was quite powerful for a second grader."
The warm liquid glowed faintly as she poured it over the wound, the skin knitting itself back together beneath her careful watch.
She looked around the small, dimly lit room—and finally saw the girl's face.
The sight struck her with surprise.