Note: I absolutely DO NOT own any of these characters. I'm simply borrowing them for a bit, like a child playing dress-up with her mother's clothes. When all the fun and games are over, the characters will be returned to their creator, hopefully no worse for wear.

This story starts almost immediately after Conrad's fate. When they arrive at Chrestomanci Castle. I don't want anybody to get it into their head that this is about how Conrad reacts to the castle though.

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It was chilly in the castle, when Christopher and I arrived. I kept a tight hold on his arm with my magic, to make sure he didn't bolt before I had a chance to speak with him. The child was shaking with fear, and I was reminded of a pet rabbit I once had as a boy. The rabbit had looked so small and afraid, being stalked by my sister's cat.

I loosened my grip on Christopher's arm.

The boy made a half-hearted break for the stairs, but I stopped him with a stern glance. He sighed, and mumbled something about meeting me in my office. I nodded, he had a lot of explaining to do.

Millie and Flavian were the next ones to come through the pentagram. The girl was wrapped in Flavian's coat, her teeth were still chattering.

"Are you quite sure that you're ok? You look a little pale..." said Flavian. I allowed myself a small smile, it was just like Flavian to worry about something so small. He liked children, this was why I allowed him to be Christopher's tutor.

I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering when Flavian had come to me nearly in tears, bearing news of Christopher's dissapearance.

"I don't understand it!" He'd sighed, looking someplace over my left shoulder, probably out the window. Flavian's face had been tight and closed with worry.

Christopher had left his room in complete order. His papers were stacked in tidy piles, and most of his clothes were still folded neatly in their proper places. He hadn't even taken his comb.

"I'm f-fine," said Millie, but Flavian was right. Her round face had a pale, waxy look, like a full moon. There were deep circles under her eyes. I was glad to know that she would be taken straight to bed.

I turned my back to Conrad and Mordacai as they came through the pentagram. Leaving Christopher alone in my office might have been a bad idea. There was no telling the amount of trouble he could have gotten into, even in that short amount of time.

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Gabriel's office seemed even darker than usual. I paced across the floor, and tried to stay calm. What was the worst he could do to me, really?

Write a few lines? I could handle that, it's wasn't like I'd never written lines before.

But then, I'd never done anything this bad before. I briefly entertained the idea that the past couple of months were all just a nightmare, and I would wake up soon. The only question was, where would I be when I woke up?

As I rounded Gabriel's dest for the umpteenth time, something slipped off of the wooden surface and fell to the ground. I bent down and scooped up a thin, yellowed notebook.

On the cover was a name written in a child's uneven scrawl, "Gabriel". I gently flipped it open.