Hi guys, sorry it's been a while but there's a lot of really serious stuff going on right now that I can't really talk about - not my thing to tell, if you get my meaning. But I'll try and get a few more updates out. Please review and tell me what you think, and I'll try and update again soon.


Valkyrie caught up with Ghastly and Tanith later that day. They walked down the corridor, arms linked, a wide smile across Ghastly's face, and a cheeky grin across Tanith's.

"Hi Val," Tanith said in greeting when she saw her.

"Hi," Valkyrie smiled "How is everything?"

"Brilliant." Ghastly replied, a cheerful note in his voice for the first time in years.

"Skulduggery says you can have his room until you leave – he's never in it anyway. As long as you don't get up to weird, stuff." Valkyrie said with a raised eyebrow "Remember, I'm in the next room. I will know everything." Tanith laughed.

"Oh, I've missed you, Val."

"You'd better have. Anyway, Ghastly, there was something I really wanted to talk to you about." Valkyrie said seriously. Ghastly was instantly focused.

"Go on."

"I was wondering if you'd heard anything about my parents. Are they alright? Are they recovering? Have you heard anything, anything at all?" She pleaded with him. Tanith's arm unwrapped from Ghastly's.

"Why? Val, what happened?" She asked concernedly. Valkyrie took a sharp breath in as memories flashed-back in her mind.

"There was a fire," Ghastly stepped in quickly "at the household. Thanks to a neighbour everyone managed to get out, but Valkyrie's father has suffered some burns to his legs and arms, and her mother and sister were treated for smoke inhalation." A haunted look passed over Valkyrie's face. Ghastly turned back to her.

"They're recovering. You're dad's still in hospital, but your mum and sister are staying at Gordon's. As far as I know, he's staying out of the way so they don't find out about him." Ghastly paused "It's ok, you know, if you want to go and see them. We'll take you back with us in a few days if you like, you could spend some time with them." Valkyrie thought about the tremendous guilt that would swamp her as soon as she set foot through the mansion's ridiculously oversized doors to see her mother's face filled with worry, and little Alice none the wiser, so innocent and vulnerable to a further attack from Darquesse, her father still sprawled out in a white hospital gown, machines beeping, doctors fussing...

"I'll think about it." She muttered. Ghastly nodded sympathetically, before an excited cry from around the corner in the corridor cut them off. They all turned to look in that direction.

"What was that?" Tanith asked. She got her answer a second later as Fred and George name skidding into view, slipping on the stone paving as they ran with their long legs. They tried to duck behind Valkyrie.

"Help us Val!"

"She's crazy!"

"Who?"

"Dumbridge of course!"

"What did you do?" Fred and George smirked.

"You'll see." Fred said.

"Hide us?" George asked. Valkyrie rolled her eyes.

"C'mon. Oh, Ghastly, Tanith; Fred and George. Fred and George; Ghastly and Tanith."

"Cool." The twins remarked simultaneously, and a grin spread across Tanith's face.

"Man I'm gonna love these guys." She grinned, and they grinned back as another shriek came form the corridor.

"Uh oh."

"Run!"

"Bye!" Valkyrie said before running off with Fred and George. They rounded a corner and Valkyrie grabbed both of their arms.

"Hold onto me." She instructed, and they did so. The shadows sprang to life on the walls and Valkyrie stepped through them, dragging the Weasley twins with her into the shadows and out of sight.

Dolores Jane Umbridge rounded the corner a second later. Everything from the tip of her toes to the edge of her fat neck was as pristine as Umbridge tended to be. Above that neck line, her face was flushed red with fury, nose swollen so it resembled a sac on her face (much like an elephant seal), and on top of her head, her once muddy brown hair was now a vibrant, vivid, sickly neon green, that appeared as if it would glow in the dark. Tanith grinned.

"This place is brilliant." Ghastly smiled, relocked arms with her, and they strolled off down the corridor, leaving a screaming and hissing Umbridge to try and find the two pranksters of Hogwarts school.


They reappeared just outside of the Gryffindor common room (about a 10 second shadow walk), and as soon as they stepped back into the light, Fred and George instantly took a deep breath.

"What the hell was that?" George asked, grinning, but panting slightly.

"Necromancy. Shadow-walking." Valkyrie said with a dismissive tone of voice. "So, what did you do?"

"Ah, now that would be telling." George smirked. Valkyrie pretended to look offended.

"Well if that's how it's going to be I may as well just drop you back then."

"No thanks." Fred grinned, hurrying into the common room.

"Those two are more trouble than their parents were." The Fat Lady portrait declared. Despite the time she'd been at Hogwarts, and all the weird things she'd seen before that, the moving and talking portraits still unnerved her. It was like you were never really alone. She was glad there weren't any in the teachers' rooms. Valkyrie followed them into the common room with a roll of her eyes at the Fat Lady.

Harry approached her as soon as her feet touched the carpet.

"Valkyrie, I need to talk to you." He said immediately. She nodded, and walked alongside him further into the common room, to the corner by the fire place, out of the way of everyone else.

"What is it?" Valkyrie asked.

"We were wondering – the D.A., I mean – if you would teach us some sorcery in our next meeting." Several things passed through Valkyrie's mind. The first, was that she wasn't a real teacher – she was only in the stages of being mentored herself, good as she was – the second was, 'what the hell is the D.A?'

"Um…" Was the noise that escaped her.

"You don't have to, if you don't want to." He said quickly.

"Um…"

"It's just that you and Skulduggery can protect yourselves – without wands I mean – and someone at the last meeting suggested we should be able to do the same."

"Harry, you know as well as anyone that sorcery takes time to learn. It's difficult. Sometimes it can take years. Besides, not everyone can do it."

"But if we practise-"

"Harry, it's not that simple. Some people can do it, and some people can't. That's just the way it is. I'm sorry." Harry was quiet for a minute, the flames from the fireplace sending little streaks of light across his glasses. Valkyrie again noticed the scar in the midst of his fringe, and remembered that she wasn't the only one in the conversation who knew what it was like to be in pain people around you could not comprehend. Of course, Harry was more isolated than she was – most other sorcerers had been through at least one period of pain in their lives. More if your name was 'Ghastly', 'Tanith', 'Skulduggery' or 'Valkyrie'. That got Valkyrie thinking. What if they encountered a sorcerer? Wand magic wasn't always able to stand in the way of mages. After all, cleavers had protective clothing. If a rogue cleaver – like the White Cleaver – got anywhere near one of the young wizards, that would be it. Game over. Not even Tanith was a match for the White Cleaver. Valkyrie sighed.

"What if I teach you how to defend yourselves against sorcery? That way if you come across someone not-so-nice that isn't a wizard or mortal you'll have a better chance of surviving." Harry brightened slightly.

"Ok. It's tomorrow. 7th floor. Room of Requirement. 6 o'clock. Fred and George will show you the way if you can't get there by yourself."

"I'm sure I'll find it." Harry moved away towards the staircases as if the conversation had never happened. Valkyrie joined Fred and George at a table. They had their 'Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes' merchandise out, but Valkyrie knew better than to take anything from them. After all this time, she thought the first years would have known better too. They didn't.