A/N: Quite a long chappie, this one. Well, for me, at any rate ;)

I could've very easily ended this chapter then gone to Barty straight away, but thanks to Emela and her reviews, she convinced me to like, stretch the story a bit. Anyways, perhaps using more chappies can tie more loose knots and stuff (shrugs).

Nathaniel

Chapter 19: Success? Or Defeat?

Nathaniel was shocked. He saw the strange substance hide Kitty from view, but he could hear her gasps and little shrieks of pain. He winced, but continued to speak the appropriate incantations. They were nearly over now. Suddenly, he heard her squeal, louder than before, like a small piglet about to be…well, killed. Out of pure instinct, he lifted a foot to exit the pentacle.

As if sensing his actions, Kitty's voice came over to him. "Don't step out of the pentacle!"

He froze, in mid step, his mouth wide open. "And don't stop speaking the incantations either!" Nathaniel was petrified to notice that he had indeed stopped chanting. As he resumed speaking, he could hear Kitty's cries piercing through the frosty air like a silver knife, cutting through the silent dawn. Then the incantations finished.

"Kitty!" he screamed out at her. He could still hear her wailing out, but she seemed to not be able to hear his cries at her. She squawked once, and then seemed to go silent. Spluttering sounds came out, as if she was gagging on her own fear. Somehow, her voice seemed to have been turned on full volume, whilst she couldn't hear him at all. The young magician heard her breath come out in ragged gasps, and he itched to step out of his pentacle and run over to her. Then he heard small, tinkling sounds, as if tiny crystals were falling inside the hidden pentacle. Followed by that was a sizzling sound, and drip-drops of what sounded like water. Even these quiet sounds were magnified to decibels louder than he could've imagined, and her screams…that were normally loud already, came blasting out at him. Small sobs were issuing from inside the smoky substance, until snapping sounds started. He heard a gasp of surprise, before the final big crack!

Then all went quiet and still, and the fiery flames started to die down, revealing the body that lay inside.

………………………………………………………………………………………

"Kitty…Kitty. Oh, Kitty, please wake up…" he shook her shoulders gently.

Nathaniel was kneeled down in the large pentacle, with Kitty's head lolling around in his lap. Her form was wet from perspiration and water, her hair matted strangely. Her clothes clung to her body, revealing her figure underneath. Despite the current situation, Nathaniel could not help but admire how beautiful she was. More so, now that Kitty looked different. And Nathaniel could tell. Before, her skin was aged and wrinkled, her hair with strands of grey. Now, her skin shone with an aura of vitality, glowing healthily. Her hair, longer than her shoulders now, reached her elbows, and was again, a midnight black. But if she never recovered, what was the use? Being young, but dead?

Nathaniel hugged her body close to his, sobbing gently. He felt the warmth, radiating from her, a beat, within her soul.

A beat? What the— Nathaniel searched for a pulse. Ga-dub. Ga-dub. Ga-dub. He sighed as relief washed over him. She was alive. Well and healthy. He didn't notice as her eyelids fluttered, and eventually snapped opened.

"Did you just touch me?" she demanded, her dark eyes ablaze. Nathaniel gaped in shock. Not just because she had just awoken like nothing had been happening, but also because he had just noticed that instead of feeling her wrist or jugular for a pulse, he had felt her chest.

"Oh my God…I er…" he stammered, releasing her from his grip as she got up with a bounce. To his surprise, and eternal shame, Kitty Jones started laughing.

"Haha!" she exclaimed, pointing at him. "Nathaniel, you should've seen your face!"

He was dumbfounded. "But…I—"

Kitty, gratefully, stopped howling with laughter, as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Nathaniel," she spoke softly, her eyes shining. "You now, are being too much of a gentleman."

"Me? A gentleman? No!"

"I was just joking with you. Don't get your knickers in a twist," she placed one hand on his shoulder, standing on tip toe to give him a peck on the cheek. That was when Kitty seemed to notice her appearance.

"Oh my gosh. My body! I've…" she looked up at Nathaniel. "My skin, my hair," Kitty looked at her long hair, "have I changed?"

Nathaniel sighed, shaking his head softly. Kitty looked crestfallen. "But the spell! I thought it had worked! Are you meaning to say that I went through all that pain for nothing?" she demanded.

It was Nathaniel's turn to crack a smile. "I didn't say anything about it not working." Nathaniel reached into his coat pocket, drawing out an old scrying glass. "Look."

Kitty peered down dubiously at her own reflection. Her eyes widened in shock, and she collapsed down onto the floor, still staring at herself.

"I'm…I'm…" she said breathlessly.

"Beautiful," Nathaniel completed. Kitty stared up at him, grinning. He blushed. "Anyways," Nathaniel was inclined to change the subject. "I reckon I know why we needed two people for the spell." Kitty's gaze was boring into him. Nathaniel felt like as if she could read his soul.

He cleared his throat. "Well, you were in so much pain, you wouldn't have been in a state able to continue speaking the incantations, right? And if you hadn't told me to continue talking, I would probably have stopped too…"

She nodded. "You haven't noticed the other thing?"

He frowned. "What other thing?"

Kitty smiled solemnly. "We still needed pentacles, because, well, the energy I used to restore my health and youth, was probably taken from the Other Place, from a spirit."

Nathaniel's jaw dropped open. Energy? Not—

"No, Nathaniel. I know what you're thinking. No entity resides in me. We just stole some of its energy, that's all. And I'm hazarding a guess that when I went to the Other Place, my body had started deteriorating and was dying. When I came back, it was in a different condition, so my soul didn't line up to it. Like a jigsaw not lining up."

"Transcription errors," he said. Kitty nodded.

"Yep. And when that happened, when my veins and sinews and muscles et cetera didn't line up, my body stopped functioning properly, I guess."

"And so your blood didn't flow like normal, and—"

"Uh-huh," Kitty cut him off.

Nathaniel grinned. "They never taught you all this other stuff at school?" he asked.

Kitty shook her head. "Unlike you, privileged magicians, we commoners did not get proper schooling," she sniffed.

Nathaniel's grin widened. "Well, in that case, I know what to do."

Kitty narrowed her eyes. They both knew that smug smile of his never brought about any good.

Well, she's wrong this time, Nathaniel thought.

"What are you going to do?" Kitty asked suspiciously.

"Well, I'll take up the offers into being Prime Minister of course," said Nathaniel simply.

Her eyes widened. "You're…" she seemed loss for words. "Are you still that power hungry magician, John Mandrake?" she screeched at him. "I thought you've changed!"

Nathaniel smiled serenely. "I haven't finished yet, Kitty."

Kitty stood, panting. She looked crestfallen. Angry tears began to well up in her eyes. "Do you think I care what y—" she seemed to think better of it. "Well?" she hissed.

"After changing some severe matters on the ruling of this country, for the good of the people, I'll give up the job as magician, earn a living by doing something else, and be known, after that, as the boy Nathaniel."

A/N: Teehee…now you'll have a small view as what's gonna happen. But only subtle hints now. You still don't know how Natty's gonna change everything!

I was gonna name this chapter 'Success', but that would've been a spoiler. But now, you know!

After are Kitty, Nat, and Barty. And I'm pretty sure that's going to be the final and ending of this fan fic!!!