I woke up slightly groggy and terrified. It took me a minute to realize that I was lying in a bed in someplace other than my home. The second thing that I realized was that there was an arm wrapped around me and what appeared to be a scarlet, pointed tail was lying curled on top of my waist. From where I was, all I could see the canopy over the bed, a wall made of stone bricks, and a gray sky through a window.

Careful not to make any sudden movements, I turned my head ever so slightly to see that the demon was lying right beside me. From his relaxed position and steady breathing, I gathered that he was asleep. Trying not to scream or cry as I had the urge to do, I looked for a way out. I was shaking out of nervousness, an action that I was afraid would wake the demon. I tried to slow my breathing and calm myself so I could think clearly.

This man, monster- I didn't know which yet- struck me as a light sleeper, so to be safe I would have to move very slowly to prevent him from waking. It would be a risky move, however. Even if I managed to slip out of his grasp without waking him (which was very unlikely to happen), I had no idea where I was or how I could escape this place he was keeping me. He could have traps set all over for all I knew. I could try to use my powers, but that would wake him for sure.

I decided my best option for now was to just try to get out of his grip. I was sure my heart was beating faster than ever before as I gently tried to lift his arm off me. Even though I did so with great caution, the demon sensed it.

Even in sleep, he could feel me moving. For a second I thought I had woken him as he curled his arm a little tighter around me. His tail gave a little flick and he fell back into uninterrupted somnolence.

This obviously wasn't working. The only other option was to put up a fight. I would have to be quick. I would have to release my power.

I figured that I should aim the ice for his face, so at the very least, he would be temporarily unable to see. I carefully put my hands in position to shoot the ice at his face.

It took a fraction of a second. I gave it everything I had. I felt the cold blow from my finger tips, and seized the opportunity to escape.

The demon rose instantly, his head nearly a block of ice. He disappeared for a moment, and then returned beside me in a small orb of flames, which melted all the ice. He whipped his tail at my legs, which caused me to fall to the ground. I blasted more ice at him, but he was gone before it even touched him. I stood up and prepared for him to turn up anywhere.

This time, he reappeared directly in front of me. he grabbed my wrists and pressed my hands together, locked in his iron grip. I had nowhere to aim the ice with my palms stuck together. I tried to pull away as hard as I could, but I was no match for those overpowering arms of his. He pulled me close to him, and I felt my senses becoming dimmer and dimmer like the last time he had put me to sleep. My head sunk down into his chest as my body surrendered to the spell he put over me. I lost the ability to support my own weight.

I remained semiconscious as the demon carried me and laid me on the bed. I didn't know, and to this day do not know how he was able to put me in such a hypnotic state. Maybe it's one of his powers. With my eyes barely open, and my mind begging for sleep, it became apparent that I was not going to walk free any time soon. I'm not sure exactly how much time passed before I was back to normal again, and I'm not sure if I was awake the whole time, but it couldn't have been too long since it appeared to be around the same time of day when I came back to my senses.

I needed time to think. I was trapped in the middle of who-knows-where with a devilish-looking man who could somehow teleport and was a master with his sword. I didn't move a muscle. I just stayed lying on the bed where he had put me, acting if I was still asleep. I opened my eyes just a bit so I could more thoroughly observe my surroundings. I appeared to be in some sort of a castle-like structure. The brown stones that made up the walls looked old.

This place looks like Hogwarts, I thought.

I dared to take a peek at my captor, who was sitting with his back facing me. He was looking down at something on a table, but I couldn't see what. I noticed a couple of small paintings and tapestries on the walls. I felt the smooth sheets on the ornate bed. At least I was being held prisoner in style.

I couldn't even begin to think of what this man could possibly want with me yet. His actions thus far suggested that he was not planning to kill me, so I considered my options for an escape attempt. This demon couldn't stay in this room forever, so I could try to escape when he was gone... that is, if he didn't have any chains to put around me. My mind recoiled at the thought.

Of course, even if I did make it past this demon, I could be miles from someone who could help me. My priority must be to figure out where in the world I was and to find out everything I can about this very Hogwarts castle. In that case, I would have to play nice prisoner for a while.