November 4th

3:04 P.M.

Rising up from the depths of the earth, an assault of confusing and sharp images hit Imilia's bat form all at once. As soon as she transformed back into her human body, she crouched down amongst the pyramid rubble, scanning her surroundings. What was going on?

A crowd of hysterical, screaming people were running around the base of the pyramid, climbing haphazardly over the pyramid remains as they tried desperately to get to safety. Imilia ducked down even farther as a young couple scrambled past her. They were pulling each other along, one limping heavily and crying.

It seemed like everyone was making their way towards a huge, Muggle parking lot filled with cars and buses, which was sitting right at the edge of the pyramid.

"What the…?" A parking lot? Muggles everywhere? What was going on?

A chill ran down her spine as sirens rose up in the distance; several bright yellow Muggle vans equipped with lights and sirens were racing towards the pyramid, leaving behind a menacing cloud of dust.

Bewildered and confused, Imilia took a deep breath. She needed to assess if the situation was safe and if her team could join her. She narrowed her eyes at the crowds of people standing by the pyramid entrance, searching for a sign of wizards anywhere, but everyone was wearing Muggle clothing. A queasy feeling pulled at her stomach. What were all these Muggles doing here? Had there been Muggles inside the pyramid all along? Were any still trapped?

Pulling herself away from the horrifying and confusing sight beyond the rubble, Imilia turned back around to face the nearest pit. "Stephanie! Maddie! Code...um…" She panicked, "MUGGLES!"

Stephanie's voice rose up from the depths. "Fucking shitty broom!" The girl seemed to be close, but Imilia could see nothing but darkness from the lip of the pit.

"Stephanie?" she tried again.

"Imilia?"

"I'm up here!" she shouted back, trying to sound reassuring.

"You alone?" she heard.

Imilia squashed down a nervous laugh. "No! There are Muggles everywhere! This may have been a tourist site."

Suddenly, one of the walls near her collapsed, stones falling into the depths below. "Shit!" Imilia threw herself backwards and immediately tripped over some rubble, crashing to the ground. When the earth had stopped shaking, Imilia sat up tentatively.

"Imilia, where are you?" she suddenly heard Stephanie's voice again, loud and clear. Imilia's eyes shot up, immediately spotting Stephanie hovering over the ruins on a broom, carrying both Maddie and an unconscious Tam.

Without further delay, Stephanie shot down towards Imilia and the trio promptly collapsed beside her. "Tam's broom only barely still works," Stephanie wheezed, as the group disentangled and helped lay Tam out in a more comfortable position.

Moments later, Leo scuttled out from the pit of darkness looking haggard, but alive. He wiped gooey spider string from his hands and crawled the rest of the way over to the group. "Hi." He mumbled softly, seeming exhausted.

Imilia ran a hand through her disgusting, stringy hair, trying to pushing it away from her face. "Okay, everyone's here… here being, well, we have a non-magical situation. There are Muggles everywhere and I assume Bellatrix or whoever concocted this is not far behind-"

"Do you still have the amulet?" Maddie cut her off, looking pale and shaky, but determined.

Imilia's hand reached into her pocket instinctively, feeling the warm, metal object resting in the folds of her pocket: the amulet. She pulled it out briefly for Maddie to see. There was a large, white stone set into the center of an intricate metal, lace pattern.

The amulet almost felt like it was… alive. It throbbed warmly beneath her fingers. It felt inviting. The group tore their eyes away from the amulet and back to the issue at hand. "Okay," Maddie said finally. "Then let's get as far away from here as possible."

Imilia tucked the amulet back into her khaki pockets and zipped them closed before anyone could object. Another shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the desperate need that she'd felt to grab the amulet just as the pyramid began crumbling around and above them.

Imilia glanced around at her remaining teammates. "Do you think the others got away?"

Another sudden tremble began near their feet. "Let's take care of us first and figure out the rest later," Stephanie yelled.

"Okay." Feeling a sudden rush of energy, Imilia pulled her wand out and turned it on Tam. "Gravitate Carentibus."

Without a second glance at Maddie or Stephanie, she swung the unconscious Tam over her shoulder and began leaping her way across the pyramid rubble and towards solid ground. Soon, she was joining the masses of panicked Muggles, running away from the pyramid remains. The amulet throbbed warmly in her pocket, giving her unparalleled amounts of energy and courage.

"Imilia!" Stephanie shouted from behind. But Imilia ignored her, she was feeling so powerful, so alive- unstoppable! As soon as she'd saved her teammates, she'd return to save some Muggles. Soon, she'd be hailed all around the country as a hero!

Imilia began elbowing and pushing her way through the crowd. The closest Muggle to her was shouting at her in a language she didn't recognize, her arms outstretched as if waiting to take Tam from her. The woman's face was half covered by a white helmet, her arms robed in a black suit.

Imilia glanced past her, noticing for the first time that the crowd was being controlled and organized by these people in uniform. Perhaps they were here to handle the emergency? They didn't seem to be causing any harm, in any case. Just as she was about to circle past her, the uniformed woman grabbed onto Tam's arm, pulling him towards her. Imilia frowned and darted away from her, Tam's head lolling against her back. "Oy, get off!"

The woman began using more force, trying to pull at Tam. "You're okay. Come here. Come here. Over to the parking. We can look at your friend." She said in a heavy accent.

Imilia's eyes blazed with self-righteousness and she waved her hand at the woman, as if to shoo her away. "We are doing just fine, thank you. Go help some Mu- go help some other people."

The woman shot her one more confused look then turned away, trying to find others to help. Imilia glanced back towards the crowd of onlookers. They were all covered in dirt, some were bleeding, others crying. The only thing they had in common was that they were all holding out little black, glowing bricks towards the pyramid. It was like they'd all joined some scary brick-worshipping cult. What were they doing?

Before Imilia could start imagining the potential hazing rituals of this brick-worshipping cult, Stephanie shouted, "Imilia, stop!"

Imilia turned around abruptly, surprised to see Stephanie standing behind her. Maddie and Leo followed not far behind; they were fending off the well-intentioned gestures of the uniformed woman.

"Oh yes, hello!" She murmured dreamily, feeling somewhat strange now. "I forgot you were there. I could use a cup of tea right about now. Couldn't you?"

"Imilia, listen to me." Stephanie reached her arms out towards Imilia, who instinctively took a few steps back, bumping into the nearest Muggle and his brick-worshipping ritual. Stephanie winced in pain as she shifted her weight off of her damaged leg. "The amulet-"

Imilia curled a protective arm over Tam's unconscious body, eyeing Stephanie suspiciously. The amulet was throbbing delightfully in her pocket. Was the girl trying to steal it?

"Madame! Madame, are you alright?" A brick-holding, Muggle's pasty face had entered her vision.

Imilia made a face and, squeezing Tam's unconscious body towards her, she darted through the crowd of panicked Muggles. She had to get away. They were coming to steal her amulet. All of her senses seemed heightened, the smell of blood hovered thickly in the air, overlapped by a thick sense of powerful magic.

As Imilia pushed through the hysteric, screaming crowd of brick-holders, she raked her eyes across each and every person, searching for any recognizable face. Any wizard that might be after her amulet. Professor Lestrange? Bone? Katrice? Lucky?

She glanced back a few times, Stephanie, Maddie, and Leo were hurrying to after her. Finally, Imilia pushed her way out of the thickest parts of the crowd and onto the parking lot. There were blaring, twinkling vans everywhere, with Muggle healers treating unconscious or bloody bodies.

Her mind racing a hundred miles a minute, Imilia scanned the parking lot, looking for an escape route. "IMILIA!" Leo's voice this time.

"I've got a plan!" Imilia announced, turning around triumphantly and almost knocking Tam off her shoulder in the process. "Woops."

"Plan? What? Imilia, what's going on?" Leo wheezed out in between harsh breathes. Farther away, Stephanie was helping Maddie push through the crowd of brick-worshipping people.

Imilia turned back towards the parking lot. "We're going to steal a bus!"

Imilia patted her pocketed amulet fondly as she felt it send over a rush of warmth and energy. "Yes, dear, we're almost there." The faster they had the bus, the faster she could get the amulet out of there.

Having found an appropriately sized bus parked in the lot, Imilia doubled her efforts to reach it, pushing past frantic Muggles without a second glance. A quick glance through the bus told her it was empty and Imilia pulled out her wand and pointed it at the door. "Alohomora."

Imilia almost giggled with joy when the spell caused the doors to bounce open enthusiastically, the bus jolting with the impact. She'd never felt so powerful in her life!

"Hey, what's goin' on?" A man suddenly rounded the corner of the bus and strode towards her, a cigarette perched between his lips. Imilia swung her wand around at him and, the next thing she knew, a jet of red hit the driver's chest. The bus driver went flying backwards, slammed against the opened door, flipped in midair, and then went crashing to the ground face first. He now appeared to be unconscious. Good, one less amulet-stealer in the world.

"What the hell was that?!" Leo shouted behind her.

Imilia glanced back at him and shrugged, "A Stupefy." Then, taking the stairs two at a time, she stepped over the unconscious bus driver and up the steps of the bus.

Having reached her destination and accomplished her plan, Imilia's brain hiccuped for a second and she froze. What now? She took a moment to scan her surroundings: Leo was scrambling up the stairs of the bus, his eyes flashing angrily. Maddie and a limping Stephanie were halfway across the lot. Muggles were either milling around with their glowing bricks or crying into the arms of loved ones. The uniformed humans appeared to be starting to gain control of the situation and were pushing the crowd away from the still-collapsing pyramid.

A peculiar feeling of guilt suddenly popped into Imilia's heart. She set the unconscious Tam down on the seat beside her and turned to Leo. "I… hope I didn't kill that driver." She frowned, her mind strangely fuzzy.

"Me too." Leo shot her a dark look. It stood out sharply on his bruised and bloody features.

A new wave of energy hit Imilia and without a second thought, she began a light jog down the aisle, looking for any abandoned items or suitcases.

"Imilia, what's going on?" Leo asked quietly. Imilia glanced down the bus aisle at him. He was spinning his wand around his fingers.

"Hm?" Imilia's brain was rapidly analyzing the situation ahead of them. Could there be any Death Eaters in the crowd? Anyone lurking around awaiting the return of her amulet? And the Muggles, had anyone noticed their unusual presence?

A sudden bubbling desire to laugh and smile at the same time squeezed up her throat, so she did, laughing long and loud and hard. Leo's hands tightened around his wand and he opened his mouth.

"JACKPOT!" she interrupted whatever useless thing Leo had probably been about to say, having found a suitcase compartment in the back of the bus filled with expensive looking travel bags. Thank God for over-trusting tourists! "My plan for escape is complete!" She announced to no one in particular. Imilia jogged back to the front of the bus where Leo was still staring at her quizzically.

"Okay," she gestured triumphantly at the empty driver's seat, "Let's drive out of here."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "You planning on driving that thing yourself, right? Because I don't know how to."

Imilia shrugged. "Me neither, but it can't be hard."

She made to slip around Leo to gain access to the driver's seat, but was suddenly distracted when Stephanie yelled "STOP HER!" as her and Maddie hobbled up the stairs.

"Oh, hello, friends!" Imilia announced jovially.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Leo's determined face swung into focus and a jet of red light shot towards her. It hit her chest squarely and she felt the wind leave her lungs. Imilia's knee buckled underneath her and, glaring daggers at Leo, she collapsed and darkness engulfed her.

"Imilia?" What felt like only second later, Imilia's eyes flickered open.

Stephanie and Maddie's concerned faces were peering down at her. A deep, painful emptiness washed over her as Imilia felt her muscles spasm uncontrollably. As soon as the muscles spasms lessened, Imilia reached in her pocket. It was empty. She could do nothing but stare up into the angry and worried faces of her friends as the haze in her mind slowly lessened. "The… amulet?" She croaked finally.

Leo's voice floated from beyond. "I've got it. Are you okay?"

Imilia pulled herself up slowly, feeling weak and exhausted. Stephanie glanced back warily at Leo who was holding the amulet gingerly between two fingers.

"It gave me… so much power." Imilia whispered between parched lips. "I was practically oozing magic. God, I felt unstoppable."

"It did more than just loan you power," Stephanie responded dryly. "You were out of control."

"Yeah, you assaulted a Muggle with magic!" Maddie announced.

Imilia took a shaky breath, tears welling up to her eyes. "I… don't know what happened..."

"I think it's trying to get at me." Leo squeaked uncomfortably, still holding the amulet between two fingers. He looked around, panicked. "Anyone know what we can do with this thing?"

A long moment passed before Stephanie spoke up. "I think you should keep it. It's not eating at your magic the same way it was with Imilia. Even the fact you don't want it around you could mean something."

Leo grew visibly paler. "Great, just great. I'll um… just tuck it into my pocket then, shall I?" When no one objected he sighed and did just that. "Fine, but Stupefy me if I go nuts, okay?"

Maddie nodded solemnly.

Imilia took a deep breath, her mind hazy with leftover magic, as she tried to remember what she'd been thinking before the amulet took control of her brain. "Great. Now let's get out of here. Maybe we can drive to the nearest town and go from there?... Can anyone drive?"

A flurry of movement in the parking lot caught her attention, there were new vehicles being unloading now, these ones were filled with crews of Muggles holding gigantic black-bricks and tall lights on poles. They were pointing them at the crowds. A sense of unease took a hold of Imilia and again she wondered, were there any wizards hidden in the crowd?

Maddie cleared her throat and all eyes turned to her. "I have an idea. I think we should convince the bus driver to take us to town."

All eyes turned to the unconscious form of the bus driver, slumped across the doorway.

"Whatever we do, let's do it fast so we can get out of here. Can someone Enervate him?" Imilia stood up shakily.

Stephanie turned to Maddie with a frown as Leo began levitating the unconscious man up the steps. "When you say convince, what you really mean is...?"

"Imperio?" Maddie squeaked.

Leo dropped the unconscious bus driver at their feet with a thunk. He turned to Maddie. "Imperio? On a human? Shit, Maddie. That's a tall order."

Maddie bit her lip. "It could work. I had some success in our Basic Animal Enchantment class, but I think it could help to use the amulet…" she trailed off, glancing at Leo.

Imilia felt a twinge of jealousy. Leo frowned. "I don't know-"

"Well," Stephanie hesitated, "I could probably help contain it, so it doesn't take control of you."

"It's better than nothing," Maddie murmured as Leo handed her the amulet hesitantly.

Imilia watched with a hint of jealousy as a woozy smile crossed Maddie's face upon touching the amulet. Stephanie, seeming to sense the power shift, quickly pulled off a glove and set it on Maddie's wrist. Her face narrowed in concentration.

"Okay," Maddie giggled, pointing her wand at the unconscious bus driver, "Enervate."

The man sat up unexpectedly quickly with a groan. "Nrunggh?" He mumbled, rubbing his head.

With a loud laugh, Maddie flicked her wand. "Imperio."

Imilia's eyes frowned. For a moment, an expression of confusion crossed the bus driver's face. Then, he picked himself up and snatched the wand Maddie was pointing in his face. "What's going on? Who are you? What are you doing pointing this at me for"

"Oopsies," Maddie grinned, "I guess I didn't try hard enough. Lemme try again."

But Stephanie was pulling at her hand now, trying to pry the amulet from the girl's hand. Imilia stood by powerlessly to their magical struggle, unsure of what to do. Was Stephanie struggling to maintain control? What was Maddie doing?

Then, in the corner of her eyes, she spotted Leo flick his wand in front of him. Immediately, an enormous double-handed sword emerged from his hands and he brandished it menacingly at the bus driver.

"GET BACK! YOU ARE- THIS IS A HOLD UP." Leo yelled at the bus driver, his voice cracking. The bus driver took a few steps back, his hands up in surrender, a bewildered look upon his face.

"Good. Now, go sit down and drive away." Leo's panicked words came out clumsily. Intimidation had never been his strong suit.

Feeling more in her element, Imilia stepped forward to match Leo's body language. The bus driver took a few steps back. "Look here, I don't want no trouble-"

Leo raised the enormous sword up to point it directly at the bus driver, his arms almost buckling in the pressure. "I said sit down and get us out of here."

With a panicked look, the bus driver did just that. "Okay, okay…. But, uh, where do I go?" He glanced back at Leo, who abruptly pulled the sword back up and put a menacing scowl on his face. "A motel. Any motel."

Behind them, Stephanie had managed to pull the amulet away from Maddie and was staring at it, mesmerized. Maddie was sitting on a nearby seat, looking dazed. As the driver started the engine and began backing out of the parking space, Imilia nudged Leo. "Go get the amulet, Leo. I'll take over."

Gratefully, he passed the sword over to her and scuttled away. Imilia almost collapsed under the weight. "Jeez."

She directed it back towards the bus driver, having to use all of her muscles to keep it upright. "Drive, driver."

The bus driver was actively sweating as he maneuvered around the crowded parking lot. "My name's Alberto. I have a wife and two kids. I live in a small city called Georgetown. I have a dog. Please-"

"Stop talking. Just drive." Imilia set the tip of the sword back on the ground with an exhausted sigh. Why couldn't they have picked a less talkative Muggle?

"P-please don't hurt me."

Imilia rolled her eyes, exasperated. Stupid Muggle. "No one is going to hurt you, we just need you to drive us to a motel."

"Yes, yes we will hurt you!" Leo burst in suddenly, returning to Imilia's side. "Keep driving." Then, furiously, he turned to Imilia and began whispering, "Stop encouraging him. We are supposed to be very menacing."

The drive was a long and tense one. Leaving the parking lot ended up being harder than expected, with uniformed guards trying to control the flow of traffic. The bus driver sweated profusely throughout the journey and particularly so when Leo was near him, dragging the useless sword around. Leo had assured them that he had been aiming for a more conservative sword, but had panicked in the moment.

Maddie seemed to have almost recovered from her bout with the amulet and was now staying as far away from Leo as possible, who was in possession of the amulet again. She hadn't enjoyed her experience trying an unforgivable spell on a human and felt troubled having come into contact with the amulet despite Stephanie's help. And Stephanie? Stephanie brooded silently, her eyes occasionally flicking over to Tam's body, who remained stubbornly unconscious despite several Enervate spells.

After a while, the group began taking turns standing menacingly behind the bus driver, with their conjured sword, and hopelessly ignorant to where he was taking them. When the group felt far enough away from the pyramid, they took turns cleaning up and searching through the bus's abandoned suitcases for clothes to change into. One hour later, five clean and somewhat haphazardly dressed teens stepped out into the streets of Egypt. The bus driver cast them a frightened glance and then drove away rapidly. Hopefully, Imilia thought, he would seek counseling.

The street they were in seemed delightfully touristy, everyone wearing ill-fitting and inappropriate clothes for the Egyptian weather, a fancy black camera around at least half the people's necks, and suitcases trailing behind many of them. They'd cast a set of weightless spells on Tam and Stephanie and Maddie were now pretending to carry him as inconspicuously as possible towards the desired motel.

"Long night of drinkin', eh, lass?" A large, bearded man with hiking shoes, long white socks, and a map tucked underneath his arm chuckled as he walked by the limping group.

"Hic." Stephanie threw back sarcastically in his general direction. Imilia sighed. The man's laugh grew louder and he kept walking without another comment.

Just before the group entered the motel, Imilia turned around to face the street. There didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. No one around them appeared to be affiliated with magicks in any way. There were no wands, no broomsticks, no robes. Everything was completely Muggle. Reassured, she spun back around and stepped through the doors of the motel, finding herself in small, flower-themed lobby. The group had almost reached the front desk when Imilia caught up. "Okay, Leo. Let's do this."

Leo nodded firmly, pulling a black lady's purse higher onto his shoulders. "Yeah."

"You know," Imilia murmured, as the walked towards the dark-haired lady at the receptionist desk. "I think what you're carrying is supposed to be a woman's purse?"

Leo looked over at her, surprised. "Really? A woman's purse? How bizarre..."

Imilia shrugged. "I suppose you can tell because it's bigger… and… floppy?"

Leo considered the purse for a moment. "Hm. Well, it was the best bag for the job; it fits the leftover sandwich I found perfectly."

"Okay." Imilia shrugged tiredly. The time to explain how gender norms differed between cultures was nigh. All she could think about was finding a bed. "Let's get this over with."

"Good morning and welcome to Happy Days Pyramid Inn. How may I help you?" The lady's accent was thick and unrecognizable, but she seemed to be used to English-speaking tourists

"We'd like one room, two beds, please."

"Of course, I'll need an ID and the card you'll be using to pay for the room."

Imilia reached down into her newly acquired satchel and took out a stolen U.S. American passport and a handful of cash. Before she could hand them to the receptionist, she saw Leo's hand sneak down to his purse and he discretely murmured a spell.

The receptionist's eyes glazed over momentarily, then she began typing. She continued typing with that same wide smile directed at them, never glancing at the keyboard. The smile was unnerving.

"That will be 54 pounds for each night you hope to stay." The receptionist turned back to her computer and typed a few more words, never touching the money offered up by Imilia. Imilia frowned over at Leo, but he was busy smiling right back at the receptionist. Eventually, she handed them two key cards, her dazed smile never changing.

"Third floor, room 312. The elevator is through the hall and to the right."

"Thank you," Imilia responded politely as the two turned away. Leo didn't appear to be completely unaffected by the amulet. His mood had been changing slowly over the last hour, a wide grin now planted on his face.

She glanced around quickly, making sure there was no one else in the lobby apart from the rest of their group, then angrily poked Leo in the ribs. "What did you do to her?! And what happened to doing things as normally as possible?" Imilia whispered furiously. "We didn't even pay!"

"The room is booked under her name." Leo answered just as quickly. "And she's paying for it. Did you think checking in under a stolen or soon-to-be stolen passport was really a good idea?"

Imilia paused. Leo was probably right, but she wasn't going to give him the pleasure of knowing she agreed. "Fine, whatever. Don't make me Stupify you."

Minutes later, the group was scattered around their new motel room. Imilia had half-collapsed on a bed and was doing her best to follow the conversation happening between the others, but the world was spinning in front of her eyes.

She hadn't realized how tired she was until she'd sat down. Her eyelids were fighting her with everything they had, desperately trying to shut, but every time she did, a swirl of images attacked her: Pepper's blood, the hollow dragon, Katrice standing statuesque, the unknown school boy's shattered body.

She could hear Stephanie and Maddie arguing in the distance. Something about Tam, his fever, his magic core. Then, she remembered her peaceful dream island, the bright blue water, the cloud fish, the beautiful blue sky. She smiled and let herself sink into the depths of sleep, half slumped against the bed's pillows. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was Leo pacing around the room murmuring what she hoped were protection spells. She'd add some runes later, she told herself.


November 5th

3:56 A.M.

You startled us. We didn't notice you come in.

Tam, be careful- it's not safe to do that here-

STOP FUCKING WITH MY FIRE!

Stephanie jolted awake, choking on the overwhelming smell of smoke. Her whole body was soaked in sweat and coated with grime, and when she coughed she spat dirt and blood. Ugh. Possibly she had been grosser at some point in her life, but at the moment she was hard-pressed to remember when.

She glanced around the room. The walls were a clean, calming cream color, and the windows covered by thick red curtains that matched the bedspreads of the two queen beds. Despite the darkness, Stephanie still felt impossibly hot. She glanced beside her; Tam's unconscious body radiated heat. She instinctively struggled away from him and half slid, half fell to the carpet. In the other bed, Maddie twitched briefly, but Imilia slept on peacefully, and Leo didn't notice from where he'd collapsed on the small, dark sofa. The amulet simmered from the inside pocket of the motel bathrobe wrapped around his body, always lingering in the back of Stephanie's mind.

Although Maddie had done her best with the healing spells she knew, the muscles in Stephanie's legs still ached with fatigue. She struggled her way into the bathroom. The one-person toilet was all yellow and white tile, lit by flickering halogen lamps that cast odd shadows on the wall. A window above the toilet revealed a black night sky outside, and Stephanie paused to check the time before shutting the bathroom door and turning the shower on full blast.

Hot water had never felt so good. Stephanie felt her muscles relax one by one, wincing as her injuries were slowly cleansed by the intensity of the water jet. She stepped out feeling, if not quite human yet, at least semi-functional, until she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Removing the dirt had revealed her skin was burnt and badly bruised, and a thin trickle of blood crept from her nose. The heat of the room suddenly felt oppressive and a wave of nausea swept over her. She clambered over the toilet, desperate to get even the small bit of fresh air that opening the window allowed.

It was dry outside but at least it was cool. Stephanie breathed slowly, deeply, and felt her magical core expand and contract with her lungs. The steam from the shower rapidly dissipated into the night; she pressed her forehead against the moist glass and closed her eyes, letting her focus drift out into the street below. A few drunk Muggles staggered past the motel; their cores were teeny amorphous bugs. She could squish them out with one finger if she wanted-

Stephanie jerked upright, shoving her hand back into her pocket and feeling her core drop inside her. Why would she even think that? Muggles weren't bugs, they were people- and some of them even had a touch of magic too small to materialize but too big to deny. What kind of scum invaded another person and took a little taste test for their own purposes? Vomit burned in the back of Stephanie's throat. She was that kind of scum, she supposed. She pressed her forehead harder against the glass, pressed her magical focus further, as though she could push the bad feelings away as well...

Wait. Stephanie froze, her fists clenched in her pockets. She'd just gotten a flash of- there. That wasn't a Muggle. That was a full fledged, mature magical core, coming straight to them. And then- there was another. And another.

"Get up," Stephanie whispered, and then she exploded into the bedroom, yanking off blankets, turning on lights, banging on the furniture. "Get up! Get up right now. GET UP."

"Merlin..." Maddie blinked at her groggily.

"They're coming, we have to move." Stephanie looked at Tam. Though she still felt only a sickening empty void where his core used to be, his body burned with magically augmented fever, too hot to touch. Did they dare bring him? Did she dare leave him behind again? "What part of GET UP are you not understanding?"

"How do you even know they're coming?" Leo asked skeptically. "How would they have found us? I put up wards-"

"Are you joking right now?" Stephanie gave the sofa a hard shove, unceremoniously dumping him to the floor. He yelped in outrage. "I can feel their power, okay? And it's strong, stronger than any of us, and you want to sit here and debate the theoretical odds of our discovery?" She found her gloves on the bedside table and shoved them into the pockets of her shorts. The need for ready power was far stronger right now than her fear of losing control.

Maddie pulled herself out of bed, crawling towards Tam's unconscious body. She pressed a hand to his forehead. "He needs help," she said in a small voice. "I can't- he needs a Healer."

Imilia doubled over on the bed, her forehead braced against both hands. "I need water..."

Leo struggled to his feet. "Where would we even go, Stephanie?"

Stephanie glared. "Away? Listen, you can try to hide, or to fight, or whatever, but the Death Eaters are coming and they're probably planning to take that amulet off our dead bodies."

Leo flinched but Imilia only stared at her, stony faced. "She's right," Imilia said, slowly getting to her feet. "We need to split up; go with her, Leo."

"Are you both insane?" Leo clutched the bathrobe more tightly across his chest.

"Take the amulet," Imilia continued. "Take it far away from here, somewhere they'll never think to look. If they think we know where it is, they can't kill us until we tell them- and maybe if they're pulling punches, that will give us a leg up in the fight."

Stephanie blinked. It was the closest thing to a good plan she'd heard in awhile- and the others seemed far more hopeful about the odds of it working than they had with her gut reaction to run. Imilia wasn't half bad at this whole scheming business. Still, she hesitated. "It's not just a few thugs, you know. It's a team. It's Bellatrix Lestrange."

Imilia met her gaze grimly. "Maddie and I can hold them off for at least a little while. Give you a head start. They went through a lot to get this thing. They're not going to let us get away with dying before we give it over."

Finally, Stephanie nodded. "Okay. Leo, let's move."

"I put up Anti-apparition Wards all over the motel," Leo said. "But if we get to the roof, we should be able to leave from there." He met Imilia's eyes. "This room is the best protected place in the motel. Don't leave here if you don't have to."

Imilia locked the door behind them, more of a gesture than anything else since a Muggle bolt wouldn't do much to stop a magic spell. Stephanie favored her injured leg heavily as she followed Leo to the emergency fire exit, his white bathrobe flapping around him as he ran. He shoved the heavy metal door open and after a moment's pause, showers of water erupted from the sprinklers in the ceiling and an ear-piercing alarm blasted through the hall. Muggles yelped and squealed as they poured from their rooms, crowding Stephanie and Leo into the metal stairway.

"What is happening?" Leo yelped as they struggled up the stairs past a half-dressed couple clinging to each other in soaked-through T-shirts and not much else.

"You set off the fire alarm when you opened the emergency door."

"What's a fire alarm?" Leo seemed legitimately puzzled. "We're in an emergency, so I thought-"

"Stop thinking, keep running!"

They finally reached the top of the stairs, where a barricaded door labeled "ROOF ACCESS. AUTHORIZED ENTRY ONLY" blocked the end of the staircase. Leo blasted it open with a quick flick of his wand, and they both staggered out into the cool night air.

Stephanie realized too late that the roof left them stupidly, visibly exposed to everyone on the street below- including the pair of Death Eaters weaving rapidly through the crowd of evacuating Muggles. She stared. She had never seen a Death Eater in person before, but there was no doubting what it was- tall, dressed in long black robes, face covered by a shining metallic skull mask, something straight out of an old horror story.

As though he or she could sense Stephanie's gaze, the Death Eater suddenly looked straight up at her, pointing directly at her on the roof. Leo grabbed her arm. "What do we-"

Stephanie didn't let him finish. Her every nerve was on fire; her hand clamped down on her wand and she turned on her heel, and suddenly the world melted around them, squeezed down on them as she Apparated them both away.

Leo ripped his hand away from her, gasping for breath. "What the fuck- why didn't you tell me-"

"Panicked," Stephanie said shortly. She glanced around- without meaning to, she had Apparated them both to the cave where she'd only a few days ago taken shelter from a sandstorm. The ground was heavily cracked where she had burst from it, but the crystals still glowed gently with power. She hoped it was enough to conceal the amulet's magical signature.

Leo squinted into the distance; Stephanie followed his gaze to a cluster of twinkling lights, blinding in the complete blackness of the desert night. "Is that Perthe?" Leo asked.

Stephanie nodded. "We can go somewhere else if you have a better idea."

He hesitated. "It's good, but... I'm not sure how anyone will ever find their way back here to retrieve the amulet. This bit of nowhere looks exactly like every other nowhere I've ever seen."

"The crystals," Stephanie kicked at the ground. "They hold abstract power that should mask the amulet's power, and then if we also leave a small trace of our own magics here-"

"Then we alone will be able to trace it," Leo nodded. "Brilliant. But this only protects us. Imilia, and the others..."

"I have traces of their magic," Stephanie held up her ungloved hand as she crouched down in the sand.

Leo scowled, hard. "You have traces of my magic?"

Stephanie sighed. "What do you want me to say, Leo? I have traces of everyone. You're all overflowing, exhaling magic with every breath. We're all making more magic than we know what to do with. I'm just picking up the scraps." She plunged her hand into the crevice and closed her eyes, feeling the traces of water, earth, and fire slip off her fingers, followed by just a touch of her own white core. She glanced over her shoulder at Leo. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Leo waited for her to stand away from the cave, both gloves safely over her hands again, before he carefully removed the amulet from his bathrobe and placed it between the crystals. He tapped the crystals with his wand and Stephanie felt his power crawl spider-like over the amulet and settle beneath it.

"Leo..." Stephanie knew it was stupid even as the words were leaving her mouth, but she kept going anyway. "What if we just didn't go back? There's nothing we can do for them. We both know that."

Leo looked at her dumbfounded. "What- ? We can't just..."

Stephanie was so surprised by his shock that she actually laughed out loud. "Okay." She extended her arm to him. "Don't Apparate us back to the roof. They'll be waiting for that. Maybe pick a random side street."

Leo nodded, suddenly looking very serious. "If we're going into a battle situation..."

Stephanie met his gaze squarely. "I guess we'll improvise."

Leo looked sick to his stomach, but he tightened his hold on his wand, turned, and there was the familiar squeezing sensation as the distant lights of home melted away around them.

Leo managed to land them in a side alley, only just out of sight of the motel. When they peeked around the corner, Stephanie could see the building smoking slightly in the night, Muggles clustered outside the building in small, sleepy groups. "What the hell?" she muttered.

"Do you, uh, know where the others are?"

Stephanie closed her eyes, but there was too much chaos, too much going on. "There's a ton of magic going out in the room, but I don't know- I can't tell if it's them."

Leo opened his mouth to reply but they both froze back against the alley wall at the sound of a woman's voice. "Crucio!"

A man's dying scream suddenly tore open the night around them; the silhouette of a wizard standing over a Muggle writhing on the ground lit up against the wall behind them. Stephanie shrank against Leo, and felt his heartbeat racing through his thick bathrobe.

"Two kids disappear from your motel, and you're telling me you have no way to find them? The era of Muggle dominance truly is coming to an end. Avada Kedavra!"

The entire alley lit up with a flash of green. Stephanie strangled a scream in her throat. Leo grabbed her forearm, a little too harsh for comfort. "Let's go."

Stephanie shook her head. "They're waiting for us. It could be an ambush."

Leo stared at her. "Of course it's an ambush. But...we have to try."

Stephanie suppressed another scream, this time of frustration. Was it too late to make a break for it? But Leo would never believe she wasn't going back for the amulet. For a moment she almost wanted to just deal with him right there, but the thought made her feel so guilty that she jolted up and hurried after him as he crept out of the alley, away from the murdered Muggle's body.

"I didn't think Tam was actually going to burn the building down," Leo muttered.

Stephanie looked away. Leo had no way of knowing that Tam was, so far as she could tell, fully incapable of making a spark, forget about that much smoke. Instead she said, "The Anti-Apparition wards are down, probably so Death Eaters can get into any room they need."

"And so can we," Leo said. "Ready?" He checked the alley for anyone watching one last time before pulling out his wand. Stephanie kept hers inside her jacket, one hand on her wand and the other at the ready, Tam's lingering fire magic pooling in her fingertips. Her breath came so quickly it made her vision dance and her balance swayed. Leo met her eyes and mouthed, "Go."

They both turned sharply, Apparating directly back into their hotel room with a sharp crack, wands out and ready. The lights were off; the beds were empty. No Death Eaters lay in wait, but neither were their friends present. Stephanie closed her eyes and reached out for the ambient powers in the room, hoping since they were closer, she would be able to discern her surroundings more precisely, but it was all one big mass of residual spells and Leo's destroyed wards and a throbbing, panicked magical core-

"Bathroom," Stephanie's eyes flew open. "Trouble."

Leo raised his wand in one hand, held up three fingers in the other- two, one- and kicked the door open. The window was smashed inwards, broken glass sprayed across the tiles. Tam was half conscious on the ground, propped up against the bathroom counter, struggling to get up. He reached out a hand bloodied with glass shards, whether to pull Stephanie in or ward her off she couldn't tell. There was no trace of his fire or fever; his whole body had gone from boiling hot to icy cold, and the core she'd felt wasn't his.

She flipped back to face the shower- and there was Imilia, soaking wet, trembling, a shield of water surrounding her in an unsteady bubble. "It's just us," Stephanie whispered. "Where's Maddie?"

Imilia's eyes widened in recognition, and she dissolved the shield back into a puddle around her. "Maddie went to ground." She gestured for them to get down with her.

"The Death Eaters?" Stephanie crouched.

"I don't know. Leo, get down."

Leo took a step toward them but before either could react there was a blast of red light and Leo went flying across the bathroom headfirst into the opposite wall. He struggled to rise to his knees, dizzy and disoriented, as four Death Eaters materialized out of the dark motel room, wands raised.

"Now, Maddie!" Imilia screamed, and suddenly the motel floor crumbled beneath them, the walls cracking under the pressure. The bathroom window shattered, raining shards of glass across the tile floor.

"What's happening?" Stephanie shouted, and then the entire side of the motel gave way, opening the room to the dusty night. Stephanie flinched away from the blast of rubble as Imilia suddenly rose beside her, arms raised, expression fierce.

A tidal wave of water swept down the now slanting floor. The Death Eater in the back pivoted, Apparating away with a deafening CRACK as the remaining three scrambled for purchase, unable to quite make the turn but unwilling to give in to the impromptu water slide.

Imilia gripped Stephanie's forearm. "Grab the others!" But suddenly Tam's body came crashing into them both and Leo slipped just beyond her outstretched fingers as all four went tumbling head over heels after the Death Eaters.

"GRAB THEM!" Imilia repeated, desperate to manage the onslaught of her own elemental water, brow furrowed in intense concentration. Stephanie grappled blindly around her but couldn't see anything through the torrents of water. It was everywhere, soaking through her robes, in her eyes, her mouth, crashing over her in filthy, unpredictable waves. She gasped for breath and choked as her vision tunneled.

A wave of sand reached up to lower them gently to the ground. Maddie, breathing heavily, grabbed Leo's arm as they landed. "Did you hide it?" she whispered.

"It's gone," Stephanie confirmed.

"Great," Imilia said, and then she collapsed. Maddie reached to catch her too, but suddenly she and Leo were flying away in opposite directions. Maddie hit the motel wall and went deathly still as a blast of bright light held her suspended in midair. Leo was lit from all sides by spells, his whole body contorting oddly in the light as two Death Eaters converged on him at once. Stephanie whirled back towards the collapsed Imilia and Tam, but they were similarly pinned down by the Death Eater's magic. Imilia appeared to be unconscious but Tam's gaze sought out Stephanie frantically, his jaw working as though trying to say something but unable to get to words out.

"That was almost a clever trap." Bellatrix Lestrange emerged from the shadows. "But did you really think mere children would stand a chance against us?"

Stephanie's whole body shook from the adrenaline, but she made herself plant both feet in the ground. Lestrange's core actively pulsed through her whole body; every part of her was alive with magic. Stephanie drew in a deep breath and though her voice sounded small even in her own head, she made herself say, "We retrieved the amulet, and you never even got close to it."

Bellatrix smiled slowly. "That you did." The Death Eaters around her shifted and grumbled, irritated by even that small mention of the fact; clearly they resented the students' unexpected success. "Speaking of which... where is the amulet?"

Stephanie swallowed hard. She knew what she was supposed to say, but when confronted by the brutal incapacitation of the entire team and surrounded by Death Eaters who looked like they wanted to throttle her the old-fashioned Muggle way, throwing the amulet at them and running the other way was starting to look more than a little inviting. "We won't tell you until you let us go," she mumbled.

"What's that? Sorry, didn't catch that."

"We won't tell you until you let us go!"

Bellatrix tilted her head to the side. "We? No, it's just you now."

Stephanie bit down on her lip and tasted blood. "I won't tell you," she managed to say. Her legs were shaking so hard, she could barely stay upright, and she was beginning to go lightheaded.

Bellatrix sighed heavily. "They always start that way." She held out a hand to Stephanie. "Come here, Stephanie. We have so much to talk about. I should think we'll become very good friends."

Stephanie didn't move, still wary. "Why do you know my name?"

"You've somehow managed to be very... impressive, even in this short time," Bellatrix's smile was so wide it nearly split her face. "You can feel it, can't you?"

Before Stephanie could react, Bellatrix took her hand and pressed it fiercely against her chest. Stephanie gasped and tried to yank away but Bellatrix just clamped down harder. "You feel the power, still growing even now inside me. You know what you're up against here."

The flare of Bellatrix's power burned Stephanie's flesh through the woman's robes. Stephanie closed her eyes quickly to keep tears of pain at bay; she didn't dare even think about touching it, her every muscle tensed as far away as she could get. "Come with me, darling," Bellatrix murmured, her voice snaking around Stephanie in the darkness. "Let me take you to our Healers. Let me take the pain away, yes? Let me take care of everything."

Stephanie knew it was a trap. She knew that once she gave in, there was no backing out. But mostly she knew they had tried their best to escape a losing situation, and she knew they had failed, and she knew that Bellatrix was right: there was no point in resisting.

She opened her eyes to reply, but before she could say a word, Bellatrix pulled her forward into an aggressive hug. Stephanie only had time for a startled gasp and the world squeezed around them into blackness.


6:24 A.M.

It was a good day for the cause and they hadn't even reached breakfast yet, Bellatrix reflected. She did a little three-step dance ending in a full spin. Things were finally moving again!

"Alberic!" she shouted. "ALBERIC!"

He came at a sprint, despite being far too old for that kind of physical exertion. Bellatrix giggled at the sight of his bright red face.

"Alberic," she said cheerily, "I have great news for us. I have chosen you to team up with Roth for a special mission."

Alberic couldn't quite suppress his revulsion of Roth. "What's the mission?"

"Roth's students have succeeded where your nephew has failed," Bellatrix said, ignoring Alberic's frown. "Now you'll clean up the mess they left behind."

"If they're Roth's students then they're also his responsibility- and since when do we cover for children?"

"Since your nephew failed to live up to all your empty promises." Bellatrix waved him away as though he were a misbehaving puppy. "Fetch! Bring me the amulet! Go on, get!"

Alberic swallowed his probably rude response and chugged away in search of Roth. Bellatrix checked him off her mental list, ducked into the cavernous tunnel before her, and snapped her fingers at the Death Eater guarding the entrance. "Where's Pansy and why isn't she here to meet me? My time is valuable and now it's a-wasting."

"I'm right here." Pansy Parkinson glided out of the darkness, a floral cloud of gelled blonde curls and thick pink makeup.

"Congratulations, my dear Pansy," Bellatrix pushed past the guards unceremoniously. "You've been promoted to Head Coordinator."

"Thank you very much!" the woman seemed genuinely delighted. Bellatrix wondered what her position had been before and whether she knew that Bellatrix had just made up the Head Coordinator position on the spot.

"Walk with me," Bellatrix gestured her down the gently sloping tunnel. "Our success with Stephanie Quigley has opened a new opportunity for us. I'm going to have the Doctor with me on the direct assault, but we must not abandon our original approach. I want you to take over the secondary front of attack."

"What an honor," Pansy simpered.

"Yes, it is. We're depending on you to break through to Draco Malfoy by any means necessary." Bellatrix stopped just shy of the levitating platform that would descend into her private quarters hidden in the caves below. "Despite his other failures, Keid did manage to bring in Malfoy's kid sister to the lower levels. Let's make her arrival count, shall we?"

"I understand completely." Pansy Parkinson, if nothing else, knew when she'd been dismissed. "Any means necessary. Absolutely." She disappeared into the maze of tunnels, back the way they'd come.

Bellatrix raised her wand but before she could summon the platform, thundering footsteps stopped her in her tracks. "I'm having a MOMENT here!" she hollered back at the intruder.

"Terribly sorry." It was the Death Eater from the entrance, gasping for breath. "Roth sends word- the amulet- it's on the move."

"What does that mean, it's on the move?" Bellatrix pointed her wand at the shapeless Death Eater. Avada Kedavra, she thought, picturing the delicious green light that would follow if she spoke the words allowed. Avada Kedavra.

"It means someone else got to their hiding place first," the Death Eater said, and then the green light flashed and Roth's message was cut abruptly short.