It seems that I have returned to write another one for you! This is darker than my previous fic but I thought it was time to tone down the mushiness. I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think!

Invitus Adamo

"I'll meet you back in the common room in a few hours, alright, Tristan?"

My little brother gave me a hug, "Alright, Katie. I love you."

I smiled at him. This little kid means the world to me. "I love you, too."

He turned and met up with one of his friends, both of them talking animatedly as they walked towards the Gryffindor common room.

I turned in the opposite direction, headed for the seventh floor. I've been with my boyfriend for two months to the day so in honor of the occasion, we're supposed to meet in one of the deserted classrooms in a little while. Apparently he has a surprise in store for me.

It's amazing to think back and see how far we really have come. My brother and I got accepted a few weeks before the new year at Hogwarts began. I have yet to figure out how the owls with our acceptance letters found us when we were out literally in the middle of nowhere or how Professor Dumbledore even knew about us still baffles me to this day. But the point is that after such a long and harsh past, we were finally invited to a place that could give us a real future.

Tristan got through the transition better than I had expected. He's a First year so he was easily able to make a few friends with other scared and nervous classmates. I admire that about him. Tristan was able to move on and be social. I mean, yeah- he's a little dorky but I think it's adorable. The point is that the past didn't scar him. He studies hard and fits right in with everyone else. He doesn't let the things we saw keep him down.

I suppose I don't stay in the past either. We're lucky in that aspect. What we went through would have driven many people mad but we managed to move on and still retain a bit of sanity. My downside, though, is that I don't push things away as easily as Tristan does. I've learned to keep an eye out for suspicious activity and it's second nature for me to be apprehensive now. I've learned to trust very few people. I'm forever cautious, always watching my back, always uneasy.

I can't just get out there and make new friends like my brother does. It's simply not in me. I've never been good at making friends in the first place but when you double that drawback with being thrown into an alien school, the results are rather predictable. I just kept to myself because it takes a lot for me to trust someone. If you'd have been through the same things we endured, you wouldn't be too trusting yourself.

I was doing fairly well on my own. I knew my mind was going to be occupied by loads of school work and I was continually looking out for my brother. Sure, I didn't really talk to anyone, but that honestly didn't bother me. All the less people to distract you from what's important, right?

But then he came along. He was the only one to really talk to us in the beginning. He introduced himself properly, offered me an official tour along with some useful advice about professors and such, and even gave me a chance at friendship.

I'm still a bit confused as to why I agreed to go out with him when I'd only known him for a week. Maybe it was his stupid accent that made me gush like some preteen or maybe it was that heart-winning smile that just swept me off my feet. It could have been the way his eyes sparkled whenever he spoke to me or the kindness he showed when giving me, the new girl, the grand tour of Hogwarts.

Come to think of it, I've always had this thing for the whole 'knight in shining armor' kind of guy. Yeah, yeah- it's silly for a Fifth year to still have such outlandish desires but the point is that I fell for him hard. Could you blame me? He was the only friend I had. And besides, it really is difficult to have a male friend and not have feelings for him. He had showed me everything about this castle. It's only thanks to him that I know some incredibly useful shortcuts and unused classrooms I can hang out in when I want a quiet nap or study session.

He was sweeter than a Chocolate Frog in the beginning. I had thought, 'Hey! He's cute. He's charming AND he just happens to have a gloriously thick Scottish accent.' All the perfect qualities in a guy, right?

Right. That's what I had thought. Too bad that the chivalrous façade turned out to be a lie. Well, it may have been authentic in the beginning but now the only side of him I end up seeing is the one that resembles a troll.

Lately he's been easily angered and lashes out at the stupidest things. I have to bite my tongue half the time I'm with him because he only gets upset over those things as well.

I often wonder what made him change but I can't find a reason for the life of me. I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything to upset him; and if I did, he would have told me. His family life is the same as usual, he's on excellent terms with all of his friends, he earns great grades, and the professors love him. So why has he been treating me so differently?

I walked up a hallway and turned left, climbed a flight of stairs, and turned down a few more corridors. With my destination in sight, I subconsciously ran a hand through my long blonde hair, making sure there are no tangles, and straightened my school robes.

I had just come from Divination and he wasn't supposed to get out of Charms for another few minutes so I was surprised when I opened Classroom 742's door and found him lounging on a sofa he had conjured up.

"Hey, Kyle. How are you doing? You're here pretty early." I shut the door behind me and sat on the couch next to my boyfriend.

"Yup," was all he responded.

"How was Charms?"

"I skipped it." He seemed as if he were deep in thought.

"You what?" I asked, appalled that he would risk falling behind and getting detention. He never skipped class- he was one of the most studious people I knew. I finally looked him in the eyes and in that moment I knew something was wrong. His eyes are normally warm and happy, always shining brightly. These cold, pale eyes were not his own. I tried to keep the surprise from my expression in foolish hopes to avoid some kind of inevitable argument.

"I said I skipped it, Katherine."

Excellent. I had barely said anything and he already turned like a werewolf underneath a full moon. Was it bad that I was somewhat expecting this kind of reaction from him?

"Alright," I muttered.

I didn't know what to do. He'd helped me so much throughout the past two months. He has always been there for me. Breaking up with him would have been like giving him the middle finger.Even if he was being a pompous jerk, I thought it would be a bit ungrateful.

Sure, there was also the fact that if I broke it off with Kyle, I'd be back to having no friends. I mean, it wouldn't be that bad- I had been relatively alone with the exception of Tristan for the last few years so it really doesn't bother me much anymore. But still- just the thought of having such a supportive and kind friend by your side and having to just suddenly losing that relationship would have been a bit devastating.

"Happy Two Months," I smiled authentically. Maybe I was just overreacting. He'd only been like this for the past three weeks. It's probably just a phase. I could even try to help him through it. He'd be fine again. There's no way someone so perfect can turn for the worse in such a short time span.

"Remember Hogsmeade?" Kyle said casually, completely ignoring me.

I threw him a questioning look. We had only gone this past weekend. How could I have forgotten something that happened only a few days ago? "Um… yeah, why?"

Kyle stared at me for a long minute, his eyes boring into mine. He looked like he was having a mental battle.

"What is it?" I asked a bit too quietly, really getting creeped out by his piercing look. I cursed myself for sounding so hesitant and showing that his mind tricks were working on me.

"Does the name 'Shadow' ring a bell?"

I was off the couch and half way across the room before either of us knew it.

"I take that as a yes…"

My body chilled as the name sank in, all of my blood just turning into ice. My heart raced painfully, making it hard to breathe.

"Where the hell did you hear that name, Kyle?"

"He pulled me behind the shops at Hogsmeade when you went off with your brother for a half hour."

I was a fool to think that we could get off that easily and I was even more of an idiot to allow myself to get so close to someone. How could I have thought Shadow wouldn't be watching us? How could I have thought Shadow wouldn't manipulate someone close to me just to torture us more? Of course if he saw me holding hands with Kyle, Shadow would have devised some kind of sadistic plan that involved turning him against me.

"What did he say?"

Kyle spoke slowly, clearly choosing his words wisely. "He said he was supposed to keep an eye on you but obviously can't since Hogwarts is impossible for him to infiltrate. He wants me to watch you instead. I have two potions here, Katie. You can choose which ever you would like; I don't care. One is a potion that will allow him to tap into your mind whenever he feels the need. The other is some love potion that makes you infatuated with me so it would be easy to keep track of you."

"You're a sick pig, Kyle," I said with venom dripping through my voice. "What's in it for you? A little money?"

He chuckled, "Well, yeah. If by 'a little' you mean two hundred galleons, then yes, he gave me a little money."

"Are you kidding me?" I wanted to scream. Were we worth that much? Who in their right mind would pay two-freaking-hundred galleons just to keep an eye on me? Who other than Shadow? "Excellent. I'm glad you've been given an allowance that will keep you nice and jolly for the next two years, but I really must be going. I forgot to mention in the beginning of our relationship- I don't take well to traitors." I turned on my heel and headed for the door.

"Katie, don't make me do it," he called after me.

I spun back around. The fire in my eyes acted as a mirror to my emotions that felt like they had been thrown out of a five story building. "I'm not making you do a damn thing! Please, kindly SOD OFF!"

"Two hundred galleons is a nice little fortune, Katie." Kyle started to circle around me like Snape did when he suspected a Gryffindor of something tricky. "We both know I'm a smart kid; I'm not stupid enough to step away from that kind of money when the task I have to do to get it is so bleeding easy. And I'm clever enough to realize that you must have one hell of a past if that's what someone would pay just to know what you're up to. And if someone is willing to shell out that kind of money, I would think it's also safe to assume they mean business. If I crossed them it would be my head on the line right beside yours." He stopped in front of me with his hands in his pockets.

I clenched my fists hard, ready to strike. "Perfect- you just go right up to the guillotine and have a blast because there's no way I'm going to have anything to do with you the second I step out of this room."

"Katie," he threatened. "Pick one."

Before I even realized what I was doing, my fist was flying but I never made contact with his nose. I never made contact with anything, for that matter. In fact, I was frozen in place. My eyes trailed down his arm only to find his wand pointed at me. Always the master of spells, he was. I should have known he could perform unspoken hexes so quickly and effortlessly.

"I just want you to know that I'm not the bad guy here." I swear if I wasn't paralyzed, I would have screamed in rage loud enough for the whole castle to hear. "That's why I'll give you the love potion. This way Shadow will only know what I tell him. You'd be relatively safe, Katie."

He pulled out a phial of orange liquid and popped the cork top off. Kyle lifted my head so I was staring at the ceiling, pried my mouth open, and emptied the contents down my throat.

The sensation felt like a million balloons popping all around me, the force of thousands of small explosions lashing at my body. All of my nerves were ablaze for ten long seconds and my chest constricted agonizingly. Then, as soon as it happened, all of the pain disappeared. I'd say that I had just gone back to normal, but I wasn't that naïve. I somehow knew exactly how this was going to work. The second I lay eyes on the monster in front of me, I'd turn into some lovesick fool and nothing would stop it for the world.

Kyle muttered a spell and I was rendered mobile. I squeezed my eyes shut and fumbled my way to the door. Luckily it wasn't that far and I found the door handle with relative ease.

"I might as well tell you now. Play nice with me, Katie. You really are lucky he found me instead of another Slytherin. I'll give you room to breathe and do your own thing but this Shadow bloke will kill us both if I don't give him information. He's serious about this. Don't tell anyone or let anyone find out. If you start looking suspicious, I won't hesitate to follow more drastic measures. I'd hate for your dear little brother to get involved…"

I stepped out of the room without another word to him, absolutely seething in anger. He had hit the nail on the head; if my brother were to get involved, I'd never forgive myself.

Surprisingly, I was relatively calm about all of this. Well- at least I didn't cry or run away. I'd gone through too muchin the past; it had made my will strong and I refused to be weak now. I was going to be rational and find out everything about this damned potion before I started panicking. Then I'd come up with some kind of plan to get out of this mess.

I guess my housemates were right- Slytherins are ridiculously manipulative and wicked. Only a Slytherin would actually go through with something so wrong. And for what? Money? Really- who is that bleeding shallow? Who throws someone's entire life in the noose just for a few galleons?

Before long I found myself in the library, flipping through some odd volume of the most well known potions encyclopedia collection ever created. It took me nearly thirty minutes but I finally found the right one.

Invitus Adamo- This potion is a tricky substance that is terribly misfortunate to consume. The victim will be perfectly aware of all of his surroundings and his actions will be his own. The mind will not be muddled, as the potion will remain dormant until the administrant (or more commonly known as the 'Master') is close. The victim will be completely normal except for when looking at the Master. Once triggered, Invitus Adamo will cause the victim to suffer a complete infatuation with the Master. Though still mentally alert, the victim will be unable to control his physical actions. Only with the departure of the administrant will the victim regain normalcy. Invitus Adamo contains three neck hairs of male ogre, one tail scale of Russian Devil Dragon, single thread pulled from a Dementor cloak, ashes from active volcano, and graveyard soil. Because this potion is so complex, there is but one cure. The only way to rid oneself of Invitus Adamo is to truly fall in love.

My eyes glazed over at the last word. This had to be some sick joke. According to the most credible text anyone could find, there was only one way out of this. To be honest, there's simply no way I could fall in love. This kind of situation calls for me to be ever vigilant. I wasn't going to go gallivanting off trying to find something so incredibly useless that is not only impossible for me to obtain, but is also an excellent way to lower my defenses.

I reread the passage several times and finally heaved the several-hundred-page book shut. All I could do was sit there, staring off into space, trying to come up with something- anything that could get me out of this. My stomach churned violently.

It was nearly impossible. Even if I did find a way to make a cure, I would never have been able to get a hold of the supplies without either Kyle or Shadow finding out. All Kyle would have had to do was ask me if I told anyone and I would go blurting out the answer. He could have simply asked if I was thinking about crossing him and I'd spill everything. And it's not like I could even be so reckless as to risk my life because my little brother was a major factor in this, as well. I supposed we were lucky that only I was the one being monitored but if I did something questionable, Tristan could get hurt again. That's a risk I was not willing to take.

It seemed as if I'd have to play along for the time being. If it were just me I'd have fought my way out even if it took my life, but I was not that selfish. I was all my brother had and if only for him, I would stay quiet. For the time being…