Septimus concentrated hard, for this was an extremely difficult Charm. His hands shook, and his face was furrowed in effort. He muttered constantly. Finally, he relaxed.

"Did it work?" he asked.

"What?" replied Marcia gloomily. "Sorry, I'm just so unhappy all of a sudden."

Septimus grinned. "Yup, it worked."

An Advanced MindSend made the person it was directed to feel a certain emotion (in this case, sadness). Since he had made it Temporary, it would wear off quickly. Septimus skipped to the stairs, whizzed down the hall, burst through the door into the sunlight and went to find Beetle.

He was striding down the front walkway when he sensed a slight trace of- Darke? No, something else. Something cold and steely. He ventured forward, curious.

He walked past the gatehouse, where Gringe was busy yelling at the bridge boy, over the One-Way Bridge, and into the Farmlands, all the while the steeliness growing slightly stronger. It led him from the road into a nondescript meadow. Then the sensation disappeared.

He turned around many times, wondering where it had gone. Suddenly, he rose. Up. Up. Up. Up till it seemed like he would touch the sky. Then he shot -no, streaked- diagonally downward faster then the Wizard Tower stairs on emergency. His stomach was still at the top and his heart beat like it had never beat before. Then, all at once, the descent stopped.

Septimus was in a large, simple room, furnished only by a desk and a strange crimson object that resembled a telescope. The wall in front of the unfamiliar contraption was transparent as well. Then he noticed the dark shape by the desk. From its cloak pocket eminated the steeliness. The dark silhouette turned and saw Septimus standing by the entrance tube. It instantly started muttering a spell that Septimus only recognized as a Forget and Return spell at the last second. He started a Block, but it was only half- formed by the time the mysterious figure's charm was complete, and would only block part of the charm. He hoped it was the first part.