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I was too excited to let this chapter wait a week, plus with exams and life, I didn't want to delay it any further.

Enjoy everyone, best wishes to you all!


'I'm not weak. I don't know why some things are so difficult, I know they shouldn't be. I'm strong, I'm powerful. I'm not weak, I'm not weak. I'm NOT WEAK.'


February concluded without any problems. That was the unspoken surprise.

The paranoia had grown to such a degree, everyone spoke with whispers and bated breaths. Restrictions increased almost daily, and soon every child felt as if they were shackled every second outside the dorms. Eyes were fixed on the Weasley Twins, who much to the surprise of everyone, hung back and were model students. The calm before the storm, and never had anyone wished more than now that the storm would just arrive. The pranks were gone, the playful charms in the corridors were absent, the hallways were silent with the sound of stomping feet. No fires were lit, and the snow melted away.

Headmistress Umbridge was happier, content with her rule as she paraded around with a few select Slytherin students, gifted with authority to freely assign detentions. Daphne Greengrass, Draco Malfoy, a few other arrogant pricks that nobody bothered to recognize. Filch had never been happier.

Adrian hadn't let Lutain out of his sight, constantly checking that he was there by tracing the smooth black scales with the pad of his thumb. Even Lutain was forced to hide, normally hidden under a quick glamour, or tucked close to Adrian's heart during the day.

Adrian was forced to do his assignments, completing them ahead of schedule to avoid Snape's wrath or Umbridge's attention. With deadlines drawing close, and the lack of freedom for any sort of enjoyable activity, Adrian had nothing better to do. Adrian didn't attend the Great Hall meals, finding them far too militaristic for his taste.

(And everyone always just looked at him, like the unspoken begging would cause him to snap, to cause Umbridge's robes to burn.)

The piping that he and Lutain utilized to move around the castle also connected to the school kitchens; the house elves were horrified and alarmed the first time the two had wandered through. After interrogating one helpful elf on the student confidentiality protection rules set in place decades ago, Adrian haunted the counter tops often. The elves always fed him stacks of food when he appeared naturally, otherwise they ignored Lutain or Adrian's snake form whenever they appeared.

The elves were incredibly curious as to Adrian's face, obviously never having seen him before around the castle. Although initially incredibly startled, they warmed up rather quickly. That was a relief, the huge owl eyes and wrinkly skin had startled him a fair bit the first time an elf jumped him.

"So strange," Lutain mused, sitting on one of the wooden tables that the house elves had summoned the instance they saw the two emerge from a pipe near the sinks.

Adrian shrugged, tapping his fingers on the table as he reached for the chalice of grape juice.

"They're nice." Adrian replied simply, ignoring the way the nearest elf nearly squealed when it heard that.

"So small, and willing to serve." Lutain peered at the bustling small bodies, "To live a life serving others, dependent on others. How sad."

"They enjoy it." Adrian responded simply, shrugging as he took a swig of juice and set the glass down, "They have for centuries."

"To not hunt, but provide for others." Lutain flickered his tongue in the air, "Are they the rats?"

"Not everything weaker is considered that, Lutain."

"They provide for others and die if not." Lutain hissed out curiously, "They are weak, they are rats. Rats live to sustain those better."

Adrian almost smiled at how philosophical Lutain unknowingly got.

"I don't know," Adrian replied simply, "I don't know if they would be considered rats."

Something popped into existence nearby, startling Adrian enough he accidentally sent a plate with pastries on it flying. The trey rattled across the floor, flaking crust sprinkling the ground like glitter. Adrian mourned the loss, and the house elf that appeared gawked in horror.

"I…" It squeaked, scrambling and snapping multiple times to summon three platters stacked with pastries, "Is sorry!"

Lutain cackled in good humor, watching as the elf struggled to apologize before looking victorious. It snapped its fingers, and suddenly a large fat rat appeared, dangling by its tail.

The rat looked similar to Wormtail, except it was clearly feral.

"Oh," Lutain perked up, tongue flickering wildly as he noticed the desperately struggling rodent.

The house elf gently tossed it and Lutain struck with glee, curling around the rodent until it stopped twitching.

"And yousies?" The house elf asked politely, looking at Adrian this time.

"I- you mean a rat?"

"Yes sirs!" The house elf nodded, it's oversized ears flapping, "Yousies sometimes a snake so rat-"

"No thank you," Adrian waved his hand, pointing towards the stack of empty plates and newly procured food on the table, "I'll stick to human food."

"Okay!" The house elf chirped, looking incredibly happy, "Say if yousies wants more! Many plates, you've had six!"

Adrian numbly looked at the stack of plates that he had stacked, sure enough there were six. That was...a lot of food.

Admittedly he had noticed that his hunger had increased exponentially a while back- right after Moody had helped him with whatever potion had increased his magic. Amazingly enough, he hadn't increased in weight, if anything calories seemed to slide off his bones, leaving him thinner than he had ever recalled being.

But his magic had increased, exploding outwards with a viciousness and strength unparalleled.

If eating more was all that was needed, well, it was well worth it.


"What would you do? Once you graduated?"

"Would? Are you implying I'm not going to graduate, Luna?"

"You do sleep quite a bit. I think Professor Flitwick thinks you're hibernating."

"I don't sleep that much,"

"Oh, you do, it's quite charming sometimes. Would you sleep after you graduate?"

"Why are you talking like I'm not going to?"

"What would you do, Adrian? What have you always wanted to?"


Easter break was upon them, and very quickly the castle emptied itself of students.A shocking proportion of students actually, eager to flee from under Umbridge's eye. A few people remained- a shocking amount of Slytherins. (The going rumor was something about extra credit, or leniency on assignments.)

Adrian didn't care. He was nervous, anxious and highly strung as the predetermined date became closer and closer. He didn't take more than a glance at the list of staying students- only long enough to spot Skylar Potter's name, as well as Luna.

(He hadn't the foggiest notion why they would stay- perhaps leaving the train put students under Ministry supervision? A new law Adrian didn't know about? Perhaps it was too dangerous with Dumbledore on the 'run'?)

Adalonda had kept Adrian in the dark, assuring him time and time again that everything was fine. She was purposefully leaving out details although she had answered his questions if he bothered to ask. Adrian chalked it up to just another serpent quirk, Lutain sometimes did something similar.

She assisted with finding the strange cauldron stashed away in one small room. Her body was too big to fit through the door, although it took a bit of strength to get it out from the decade old door jam. Dust fluttered through the air, ancient equipment interspersed with modern tools that looked far too out of place. It smelled faintly like mildew.

Likely his father had stashed all of the bottles and scales down there decades back. He would have to come back and look through the objects stashed away, he was certain he could find illegal books in the back corners.

The black and red cauldron that Adalonda instructed him to take, looked bizarre. Adrian had never seen anything like it, it looked incredibly impractical. It must have cost a fortune, or taken months to track down. It was dark stone, heavy and cold interspersed with veins of red, running on a single grain through the bowl. Adrian would have loved to shove some of his miscellaneous teeth and claws into it, it would look beautiful on a shelf.

"What is this?" He had asked when he first found it- the cauldron looked more like a ritualistic bowl. Carved out of one piece of rock, like an elaborate mortar.

"Bloodstone." Adalonda responded, watching him through the doorway with one eye, "take the knife and jars."

Adrian followed her direction, snatching the jars and vials that had been carefully placed next to the bowl. There was a large silver knife next to it, the blade perhaps the length of his forearm although the hilt was weirdly blunt. Like the bowl, it looked more decorative than functional. It was heavier than he expected, he nearly dropped it when gravity grabbed it suddenly. It must have been solid silver.

Adalonda had been vague, although incredibly useful with instructions. She watched lazily, instructing which ingredient to add to the bowl, and teaching him the pronunciations of the few things he didn't recognize.

The potion didn't need any heat, which was unusual. Normally cold potions required much more precision with ingredients, or were laborious in procedure. This was...simple. Adalonda didn't explain what he was sprinkling into the bloodstone bowl towards the end. A few vials and jars were still labeled. The tags yellowed with age, some with a sharp spidery script and other with a store brand watermark on the seals.

Adrian didn't even want to know where the Selkie blood container came from, or why so much of it had been used.

"Take the knife and place it in." Adalonda instructed him calmly, watching everything with a careful eye. "Submerge it under."

Adrian followed suit, expecting a reaction. The blade shimmered in the light, glossy and polished as it was swallowed by the thick viscous potion. Nothing happened, the blade's hilt dipped under the thick black liquid and rested silently on the bottom.

"That's it?" Adrian asked, looking at the mixture with a degree of apprehension.

Adalonda's eyes glowed, "That's it. Return tomorrow, and we will begin."

"Saturday then, and I'll be unconscious until Sunday night? Classes start Monday morning, It'll be done by then, right?"

Adalonda flickered her tongue "It will be done."


"I don't know, Luna. What do you mean by 'what have I always wanted to do?'"

"Would you be an auror? Or would you live somewhere by the ocean?"

"I- no. I don't know."

"I could see you with creatures, you know. Like Newt Scamander and his farm."

"That's ridiculous."

"Why?"

"It's impractical, Luna."

"Why is it?"

"I-..."


'You don't need the cold to feel numb. You don't need water to feel like you're drowning. I'm useful now.'


"Ready?" Adrian asked Lutain, smiling at the curious snake who was all but thrilled.

"Very!" Lutain hissed back, only illuminated by the many candles Adrian had placed around the room. The candlelight flickered off Lutain's scales, making him look as if coated in gold.

"Call Wormtail." Adalonda instructed, coiling herself into one giant mass in an almost statue worthy pose before them, "I shall teach you the incantation."

So it was a spell along with a ritual. Maybe it was a blood ritual? He had certainly poured enough selkie blood to think something along the lines.

"Wormtail!" Adrian shouted, a bit surprised over needing his presence but obliging nonetheless. Adalonda knew the steps, he wasn't right to ask why he had to be around. Adrian didn't even realize Wormtail was still around. Adalonda likely had been watching after the man, keeping him fed in the dark.

A rat scurried from the dark corner, watching them the entire time with beady eyes.

"The spell is useless right now." Adalonda warned him, staring with intensity.

"Once it is in place, you will see your breath. You will take that knife, and divide it." Adalonda shifted her head slightly to where the knife had been soaking in the thick black mixture for a day. Adrian couldn't even see the metal through the congealed top surface.

"Then gift your breath to Lutain."

Adrian blinked in confusion, his jaw clenching slightly. It burned, but he had to ask for clarification. "I thought this was mostly a spell?"

"Without the spell you would not have your breath appear." Adalonda explained carefully, sounding reluctant to share information. The spell or ritual must be very secret. "Without the knife you would not split it."

Adrian nodded, sharply. It was a two part thing then, reliant on the other to work. Adrian knew that old magic generally relied on that concept, although now the codependency wasn't common.

From what he had gathered, the spell would make his...breath, whatever that meant, appear. Breath was likely a word lost in translation, something from eras back that Adalonda had never learned the translation to. Most likely symbolic, Adrian couldn't imagine breathing on Lutain. Once his breath appeared (he hadn't the faintest idea what it would appear as- would it be a tangible manifestation?), he would use the knife to...well, cut it in half.

Maybe breaking this mysterious breath would release something in the air? Somehow gift Lutain with some sort of otherworldly ability?

Adrian still didn't know, yet considering how old this was, would anyone else know?

How thrilling, to be one of the few people in the world to have this knowledge.

(His father would be surprised, his father wouldn't have thought him capable of this. He knew that, and he knew he could.)

Adrian reached into the bowl, digging his fingers through the thick jelly-like mixture for the metal hilt. His fingers closed around it then he was gently lifting the knife from the potion. It stretched like honey, clinging to the metal which shimmered like a polished stone. The liquid refused to adhere to the blade, sliding off with a small shhhnk! It sounded like a sword coming from a sheath.

The silver was cool to the touch, unmarred from its marinade. Adrian's fingertips were stained dark, like he crushed blackberries in his palm.

"Alright, what's the incantation?" Adrian asked, feeling excitement buzz through his chest.

Adalonda told him, Adrian repeated it back until the great basilisk approved.

"Okay, I'm ready." Adrian breathed slowly through his nose to calm his nerves, "What do I do?"

Adalonda's mouth opened, the thick smell of her breath puffed into Adrian's face, caressing his cheeks. "Turn the rat to a man."

Adrian looked over his shoulder towards the outer edge of the candle light. He spotted the rat, huddled and shivering like a molding potato. "Turn back."

The rat paused, obviously thinking things through. After a few seconds, Wormtail shifted back. Adrian was surprised at the differences. The man was thin, obviously he had dropped an immense amount of weight. There were shadows under his eyes, deep bruises on his gaunt skull.

He also had a seething glare on his face, wishing Adrian a long painful death.

It didn't matter to him. Wormtail was beneath him, Wormtail was a rat.

"Good, Cerestes." Adalonda crooned, soothing as she exhaled into the air- hot and heavy.

"You would do anything, for Lutain, right?" Adalonda asked, sounding rhetoric until she looked at him expectantly.

"Of course I would." Adrian frowned, looking at her in growing frustration. He knew that she doubted his ability. He had reassured her enough, why was she so distrusting? Why did she think so little of him?

"Cerestes," Adalonda crooned, lowering her head until it was touching the floor, eye level to Adrian's face, "Kill the man."

Adrian flinched and stumbled one step back, "I- What?"

Adalonda's tongue flicked the air- feathery kisses along Adrian's neck, "Kill the man, or the spell will not work."

Adrian shook his head, "No, no Adalonda. There, there has to be another way. I can't just…"

"It's the only way." Adalonda responded bluntly, pausing before huffing a disappointed noise.

She slowly lifted her head, turning to look away and begin to leave.

"I knew better than to expect so much." She sighed, sounding disappointment, "The other and Nagini had such promise. Nothing you have."

"That's not true!" Adrian shouted, staring at her in disbelief and quickly rising panic, "I- Adalonda no!"

"There's no point to stay here. You're weak." She paused, before very carefully pronouncing, "You're useless."

"I am not useless!" Adrian screamed, tears stinging as his hands shook and clenched. No- no. He was not going to think like that- he was not going to let those thought drag him down to the mud. He wouldn't let some sort of- of insecurities ruin what he had worked so hard to come to terms with. "I- Adalonda I'm not useless!"

His voice didn't waver this time, it only reached a shrieking level of his frustration. Wormtail flinched at the noise, staring silently with a beady hateful expression.

"You can't even kill someone! You can't even strike like a noble kind! You're a rat," She egged, swinging back to peer over her length through the dark at him, "If you were hatchling, I'd leave you to die."

Adrian stumbled back with a wet sounding noise leaving his throat.

No. No he would not think like that.

"I would not be surprised if you are left." Adalonda continued, looking at him with a blank expression, "I would."

No no, he couldn't let- he couldn't think like that-

"No- no…" Adrian was shaking, and oh, how pitiful that looked. Guilt and shame bubbled in his throat like tar. The knife almost slipped from between his fingers, cold to the touch. "...Adalonda no…"

Adalonda barely considered him, perhaps she was just ashamed of him as he was. "So stubborn. So useless, and because of you, Lutain will die."

Adrian's heart stopped.

She wasn't ashamed of him, she was...she was angry. She was disappointed because he had- he had inspired a false hope that perhaps another one she held dear would not die. He had made her hopeful, and his own...his own weakness was ruining that.

Adalonda considered him with disgust, "Your inability to me, is to kill Lutain. You're useless."

He couldn't save his friend.

(He could feel it wiggling through his brain like maggots, feeding on his lobes with munching maws. 'Maybe I am? If I can't help the ones I care about- perhaps I am useless.')

"No I'm not." Adrian whispered, voice inaudible in the chamber, "I...please don't leave me."

Adalonda's scales shifted as she slithered, moving away from where he stood with a knife in his hands. She wasn't coming back.

"Adalonda!" He screamed, waiting, and still she moved further. Lutain was silent nearby, watching and not interrupting. Was he disappointed too? Had Adrian broken his hope also?

'I'm useful. I'm useful. I'm useful.'

The fine tether, constructed of desperation and hysteria snapped.

Adrian's breathing was by no means steady, but at this point it didn't matter.

He didn't matter.

Lutain needed to- Lutain needed to be okay.

Adrian didn't need to be, he didn't need to be. Lutain had to be. Lutain had to be okay.

(What point is all of this, if in the end, Lutain is dead and it's all because of your own weakness?)

'Is it right to do terrible things for someone you care about?'

What did it matter, if in the end the only one left to judge you is yourself?

Adrian was sobbing something messy, hitched and gross as he clutched his wand tightly, palms sweating. His face likely looked disgusting, but his head was clear and his heart throbbed with sorrow.

Wormtail was still pissed, although looking more and more perturbed by second.

"I- A…" Adrian gulped air, his vision blurring.

"I-"

"Master?" Lutain asked quietly, trying to possibly comfort him, "He's just a rat."

A rat.

Just a rat.

'A rat for a snake. A weakling, for the strong.'

Remus would be so sad with him- but didn't Remus have similar problems? Didn't he too struggle with bloodlust, the ability to grab someone by the throat and claw their throat out?

If Remus blamed Adrian for this- and judged it as something irredeemable, then he was a hypocrite.

(Luna would be so sad with him.)

"I- I'm sorry." Adrian choked, words almost entirely unrecognizable around the lump in his throat. He didn't know who he was apologizing to, if it was for the rat before him, or someone unknowing.

"Wha-" Wormtail started, eyes widening as self preservation kicked in.

Adrian knew the spell, he knew it.

He could do it.

He was useful.

(He would prove it.)

"A-Avada Kedavra."

There was a flash, and a twist in Adrian's stomach. Wormtail fell to the ground with a hollow thud. His body bounced, bones rolling with the impact, elastic tendons snapping. He settled after hitting his skull twice on the ground, a strange impulsive gurgle from his diaphragm. Wormtail's eyes were glassy.

Adrian keeled over and hurled.

It was disgustingly thick, chunky; a mixture of everything he had recently eaten. It tasted disgusting, burning his nose and mouth as he sobbed and gagged.

"The spell." Adalonda prompted him, sounding forced calm. She hadn't left then, she had waited.

Right. Adrian stuttered it out, repeating it twice just to make sure it worked. Then his skin prickled, like the summer sun had caused his flesh to sizzle. He felt like he was shedding, some part of him breaking away that he hadn't ever thought of as him.

When he tore out his hair and let it flutter to the ground- was it still him? When blood from his nose splattered on cobblestone, when did he end, and blood begin?

Adrian looked at his chest, watched as something blue dripped out. Blue and hazy, thick like smoke that congealed in a small spinning orb of light, the size of a grapefruit. It seeped from his pores, thick and waxy- evaporating and shaping itself into something new.

His breath, or whatever it was.

It was beautiful, but at the same time there was something wrong with it; parts were tainted and darker in colour, twisted chunks where it looked almost necrotic. Mud that had dried too quickly under the sun, sandstone eroded from a storm.

"The knife."

Right. Right the knife.

Adrian's hand was shaking so hard he had to drop his wand to hold the silver blade with two hands, gripping the hilt to try and steady the shaking.

Split it in half. Give it to Lutain.

"The knife, Cerestes."

Adrian reeled back and stabbed.

It hurt.

It hurt bad enough it felt like Bellatrix had cursed him again.

It felt like his father's stare, his red eyes and disappointed frown as he whispered the curse lovingly.

Crucio through his bones, vibrating and arcing through his bones like Adalonda's venom.

The blue orb had cracked, leaking something clear that dripped over his hands like blood. It sizzled on his skin, tingling like magic.

He stuck the knife in harder, feeling and seeing the crack strain further.

His knees gave out and he dropped; the orb followed his elevation even as he slammed onto the ground. Adrian curled up, seizing as the crack spread, splitting further and further even without his knife's edge.

Adrian had never felt such agony in his life- eternal and overwhelming and he just wanted it to end.

Kill me Kill me Kill me killmekillmekillme

"Give it to Lutain." Adalonda rumbled, somewhere unseen and only felt.

Lutain. Right, Lutain needed- he needed-

Lutain had to live.

Live Lutain Lutain Lutain.

"Lutain." He croaked out, reaching out but not feeling the black coils.

Killmekillmekillmekillme

It reached a crescendo, and there was a sound of something snapping, the clean crack of glass or bone.

(It echoed, the melodic noise of wind chimes, of silver bells.)

Adrian's back arched as something wet spread through his mouth; he vomited blood and whimpered like a dying dog.

His eyes rolled back in his head and at some point between one wave of agony and the next; he passed out.


"Well...I don't know how to explain it, Luna."

"You could try?"

"Creatures don't seem to like me anymore. Like they're scared of me, like I'm...Like I smell like some sort of predator ready to eat them."

"Things that are scared of you can learn to love you. You just need to show them that you're not going to hurt them."

"You don't understand, Luna."


"Hey Hermione, can I ask you a question?" Skylar asked, looking across from his armchair to where Hermione was buried behind stacks of books. Break was almost over, yet she hadn't stopped studying once during the holiday.

She poked her head up, hair secured out of her face by a messy ponytail, "Yes Sky?"

Skylar sighed and thought through the phrasing, "Hypothetical, I mean."

Hermione sensed that something was amiss and slowly set her quil down. She placed a bookmark in her book, closing it gently.

She turned, giving him her full attention.

"Now, I'm not trying to sound…" Skylar's voice was pinched, "I..Okay, I need you to…"

"Skylar?" Hermione asked, her brows pinched with worry, "What is it?"

Skylar lent forward and placed his head in his hands, "Hermione I don't want to think about this but I know I have to."

Hermione reached out to place her hand on his knee, reassuring him, "I'll help however I can. I know that with that… that woman watching our mail we can't reach out, but I'll listen. What's bothering you?"

Skylar looked at her and chewed his lower lip, he looked torn. Hermione noticed how ill his face twisted, as if he had been thinking of something for a long time. "I...It's only because I need someone else's thoughts. And I can't reach my bloody dad or-" Skylar flinched and stared furiously at the wall, stopping his rant then and there. "Dumbledore thinks...he thinks that maybe maybe Adrian was...He thinks that he may try to hurt us."

Hermione straightened and she frowned sharply, that was a serious accusation. She had thought better of Skylar. It was a ridiculous assumption to make on another student. "Skylar, Adrian wouldn't-"

"I know," Skylar agreed, voice a little higher, "but I want to think about this hypothetically. I don't think...I like Adrian, but I want to consider everything."

Hermione obviously wasn't happy with the discussion, it was complete nonsense to her but Skylar looked quite distressed. If anything, she could at least run with his silly theory until he was able to talk to the Order members. Maybe he'd finally get some sleep that way.

She sighed and gave a small nod, already feeling guilty for Adrian."Alright, I'll try to think about what he'd do if that was the case."

She made it very clear she didn't think it was, but Skylar nodded finally at peace. He leaned back on his chair, but his expression shifted again almost instantly. How on Earth had he gotten so worked up over this?

"If...If for some reason, Adrian was working with Voldemort-"

"Sky…" Hermione trailed off warningly, fighting the urge to get up and storm out right then.

"I know, trust me I hate this too," Skylar grumbled, and in truth he did look upset. "But...has there ever been a time where...where he told you something you thought was wrong?"

Hermione bit her lip worriedly, something about this didn't feel right. "Skylar, I don't think-"

"Trust me, 'Mione," Skylar grimaced, "I'm trying to consider every possibility."

Hermione stared at him before she looked down at her hands, fiddling with them.

There was such an instant, she remembered it clearly. It had bothered her quite a bit, but since the topic was a sensitive one now she hadn't dared ever bringing her concerns to light. It was likely nothing, there were trained aurors and adults on the case, it was silly to think that she had anything important to say.

Skylar looked upset, like he was clinging for anything. It wasn't as if what she suspected could possibly be true anyways.

"There was...do you remember our second year? When we used Polyjuice to sneak into the Slytherin Dorms?"

Skylar smiled faintly, "Adrian was furious afterwards."

Hermione nodded, looking off and unsure, "He...You remember Slytherin's monster? How it was never...never found?"

"Yeah," Skylar nodded quietly, pausing and letting the silence fill the gap.

Hermione shifted, chewing on her lip. She hated to be wrong.

"I thought I knew what the monster was, no, I know what the monster is. But...Adrian told me I was wrong- and...I don't know." She trailed off, voice almost warbling, "He...I mean he knows creatures better than I do so I thought that…"

"He convinced you that you were wrong." Skylar felt like he was chewing soap, a bitter taste in his mouth, "and you dropped it."

Hermione nodded slowly, "I...I shouldn't have, but...I don't know. Too many things didn't line up with it."

Skylar entertained the thought; he could see why Hermione had doubted herself if Adrian shut her down. Adrian was a force, an unstoppable object. Talking to him about a few topics- well...If Adrian wanted, Skylar was sure that boy could have persuaded Skylar into thinking a broom was a chair.

"Do you remember the snake? When you were dueling Draco?"

Skylar gave a bark of laughter, "I'd never forget that."

Hermione looked even more unsure, as if she was reaching new levels of conspiracy theories. "Well, we never saw that summoned snake be banished and it just sort of vanished in the crowd-"

Hermione cut herself off quickly, reaching up to undo her hair tie and run her fingers through the messy locks.

"Hermione." Skylar urged, "Please, I just...what's your theory?"

Hermione shook her head, her hair bouncing around chaotically. "It's stupid, Sky."

Skylar waited, and let Hermione gather her thoughts. A second passed, and Hermione blurted words like they would burn her. "Well...I- I don't know for sure but...didn't the snake you fought look a lot like Adrian's familiar."

Skylar gaped, "No, no way."

Hermione looked guilty, "I mean, I don't remember him well and I wasn't that good friends with him, and honestly to me all snakes look the same but...I never wanted to think that...that he'd spread such a rumor but…"

"He'd...he framed me?" Skylar's voice rose a notch, "As the heir?"

Why would he do that?

"I thought about it for a long time too," Hermione muttered sourly, "and...and I couldn't think as to why...except…"

Skylar thought quickly, and back to the list hidden carefully under his textbooks and old Chocolate Frog wrappers. Adrian Selwyn's snake understood English, which was something impressive considering that familiars shouldn't know English. They just...they were assumed to have an inclination for understanding one person. A familiar understanding or even obeying someone else suggested a high level of intelligence impossible for nonverbal communication, far higher than just a normal animal. Astoria Greengrass had panicked the moment they closed the door, screaming about a snake.

"Lutain is an animagus." Skylar spoke out loud, almost chastising himself the second after he said it.

Hermione thankfully didn't scowl but blushed slightly, "I had thought the same, but...but I think that Adrian could...understand it."

Skylar tried to understand what Hermione was suggesting, "Familiar's are connected-"

"No no, I mean…." Hermione looked on the verge of crying. What kind of horrible person was she to say such terrible things? To imply that another student could... "He- don't you think it was a bit strange that you were framed for being a parselmouth?"

'There were hundreds of things you could have been framed for, easier things. Why parseltongue?'

"No- no way." Skylar blinked in alarm, his mouth falling open in surprise, "You think that...that Adrian may be a...a parsel-"

Hermione leaned forward with wide eyes, her face pale and a bit shaken. "I- I want to say that I feel terrible over this, and I'm likely just...just plucking straws out of nowhere, but...I mean, I know that I'm leaping to conclusions but sometimes he knows things that he shouldn't, but that his snake did."

Skylar wanted to instantly argue about Legilimency, that information could have easily have been obtained that way. Hermione didn't know about that, and with how upset she was now, Skylar had no intentions of showing her.

Familiar's didn't communicate with words, more through emotions and sensations. There wouldn't be a way to accurately report back information or anything overheard. Spying through a Familiar would have been impossible, he would have only gotten impressions on people, emotional responses.

'If Adrian was a parselmouth, what would he be able to do that nobody else could?'

He could talk to snakes...was there more?

"Hermione, what do you think the monster is?'

Hermione looked at Skylar in the eyes, "I...I thought that it was this...this legendary beast called a Basilisk."

Skylar frowned as he tried to remember where he had heard the name, "A...the medusa snake?"

Hermione shook her head, straightening unconsciously in preparation to teach. "No, that's a different one, well, there are similarities. Basilisks...they kill everything that they look at. They're the king of serpents, and have a crown on their head and bright red plumes…Sky, Basilisks are said to be horrible monsters."

Skylar's eyebrows furrowed, "Okay this Basilisk- I mean, let's run with it being a Basilisk. If it's a snake monster, running with the parselmouth idea...then… the monster would have killed people by looking at them, but nobody died."

Besides Ginny Weasley.

"I thought of that," Hermione added helpfully, her lower lip beading with blood as her teeth finally broke through. "Every time someone was petrified, they didn't look at it directly. Then, it just…. vanished."

"You think that Adrian opened the chamber," Skylar gasped, his voice going hoarse in horror, "You think that he controlled the monster."

Hermione's eyes widened and she shook her head back and forth, "No! No, Adrian would never- Skylar we're talking about theories, Adrian did not-"

'I left her to starve to death!'

He was so distraught, Skylar could never forget the hysterical shrieking. What if it wasn't just...what if it was guilt?

"What did the wall say." Skylar couldn't breathe, "When Ginny vanished. Hermione, what did the wall say."

"I- Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever. I'd never forget it" Hermione recited with a flinch, "Sky, Sky what's going on. You- you cannot seriously be presuming that-"

Things clicked into place, the final fact that had been biting Skylar's brain ever since he made that list.

The snake- the familiar. He had it since a young age, but having a familiar from such a young age was unheard of. What if Adrian could talk to it? What if he could speak to it and understood each other? That wasn't by any means a stretch then- for all purposes it would have looked like a familiar bond.

The Blood adoption was after being adopted, but the parseltongue was before. Did Adrian...was Adrian related to someone, someone that was supposed to be a secret? Someone that would be obvious?

Why did Bellatrix Lestrange pick him? Why did Bellatrix Lestrange pick him?

(Why would Adrian need to know Occlumency? What if he had something to hide?)

If what Astoria said was true...if what she said was right, then Suzie Forestar went to the same orphanage as Adrian (before he was Adrian?). Astoria wanted to know about him, about Adrian before he was adopted, and Bellatrix killed her only lead. What could Suzie Forestar have known?

(What would a child have displayed in public? What sort of skill would Adrian have done that, in retrospect, would have ruined him? Adrian Selwyn skipped classes, he set trains on fire, he broke Draco's skull, what small tiny thing could he, and Bellatrix Lestrange, want to keep hidden?)

"We have to go." Skylar spoke, leaping to his feet and yanking Hermione to hers, "We- Ron!" He screamed towards the stairwell. They were lucky almost all of Gryffindor bailed for Easter, leaving just the three in the tower.

Seconds later there was a hollow thud, then Ron stuck his head out to look down the stairs in alarm, "Sky?"

"Get the cloak!" Skylar shouted, eyes wide and nostrils flaring, "We've got to go, right now."

'If that's true, if all of that is true, then we need to go right now. It's too dangerous here, nowhere is safe.'

Hermione shook her head frantically, "Skylar we don't know!"

Something pulsed in frustration, and Skylar wanted to punch a wall. Hermione was his friend, but she was so naive. What was the worst that would happen- they'd get expelled? That didn't matter, with what Skylar had figured out, nobody here was safe.

Merlin's beard, a girl- Suzie Forestar, was dead.

"Hermione I love you to death but I need you to trust me." Skylar rushed out, "You have an owl in your room?"

Hermione looked baffled, "Ah- yes. Sky you can't sent an owl outside of-"

"Send one now. Luna Lovegood, please, tell her it's urgent."

"I've got it." Ron hurried down the stairs clutching the invisibility cloak over his head. Hermione bolted up the stairs, looking far too startled to not follow Skylar's request.

Ron blinked in confusion, wrinkling his eyebrows in a weird face, "What's this about?"

"Selwyn," Skylar clipped out, eyes flashing, "Ron, don't. We...we need to get Selwyn out of here- the Shrieking Shack is past the apparition line, we need to get him to headquarters."

Ron looked baffled, "I- mate we can't apparate! Are you barmy?"

"Selwyn can!" Skylar shouted, staring at the steps until Hermione hurried down the staircase, nearly tripping in her haste.

"I- I told her to meet us in the front entrance." Hermione hurried in a hush, "Skylar you don't even know where he is."

"Luna will!" Skylar retorted, flinging the cloak over their shoulders and ushering them towards the stairs and out of the castle.

The cloak was too short for all of them to wear, so Hermione cast the best disillusionment spell she could over their feet and Skylar cast the best muffling charm he knew. Ron was surprisingly helpful, pointing and shoving them to the side whenever one of the Slytherin monitors slipped into sight.

("I live with Fred and George," Ron grinned breathless and proud as he expertly maneuvered them past Filch, "You think I wouldn't know how to sneak around after curfew?")

They hurried to the grand entrance, moonlight from the nearly full moon slid through the windows. Luna was standing near one window, looking incredibly lackluster but almost ethereal when the white light caught her hair. Skylar was momentarily impressed with how swiftly she had gotten their response. Maybe she had snuck out to the owlery?

Luna didn't see or hear them approach/Her face was haunted looking, especially anxious and somber as if she was expecting something truly horrid. Skylar felt guilty, that he had nothing positive to say.

He would apologize later, for now this was more important then just her.

Skylar pulled the cloak off, revealing himself and his friends suddenly. Luna nearly jumped, a small inhale the only noise in the silence of the night.

"Luna," Skylar greeted, and something in his face must have shown because her expression fell slightly.

"Oh no," She stated quietly, like funeral bells, "What has he done now?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look, looking incredibly uncomfortable with being out so late in such an exposed area.

"Hopefully nothing. We need to get him out of here, now." Skylar reported with a foreboding expression, "We need to get him out of here, he can apparate but I don't know how many…"

"The thestrals." Luna responded quickly. She had apparently thought about this before then, which had chilling ramifications. "They can fly you wherever you need to go."

"Skylar! We can't just leave!" Hermione hissed quietly, mindful that they were in fact, breaking curfew.

"Then I'll go." Skylar hissed back, "Luna, do you know where he is?"

Luna blinked and looked worried, "I- He was gone all day. I don't know, I'm worried for him."

"Does your dad still have the map?" Ron blurted, looking at Skylar with a slightly unsure expression, "Or, do you have any tracking spells? For the second task?"

Hermione shook her head quickly, "Tracking spells don't work on people! Our magical cores make it imposs-"

"Track Lutain," Luna spoke like a shadow, "Adrian hasn't been letting him leave his side for weeks."

Skylar nodded, looking at Hermione who sighed but held her wand flat on her palm, "Point Me Lutain!"

Skylar wasn't sure if it would actually work until he saw her wand twist, spinning until it pointed in a direction that clearly wasn't the dungeons.

Skylar didn't even pause, he took off at a sprint. The muffling charm was still in effect and thankfully Luna bolted after casting a similar spell at her feet.

Hermione gasped as her wand spun, pointing in another direction. They scrambled to keep up with the random shifts in movement.

Skylar felt a small warmth, that even without knowing the entire situation, his friends were willing to chase him into danger.

"Where is this snake!" Ron grunted, out of breath as he tried to keep up, "It's like its in the bloody walls!"

"Pipes!" Hermione blurted, looking at Skylar horrified, "That's- the basilisk!"

"Basilisk?" Luna echoed, eyes wide in silent horror although still a bit puzzled. She hadn't clued in then. "Oh dear."

"There!" Ron shouted, squinting through the dark. Skylar's eyes focused on something in the shadows, a flash of movement that was too impossible to discern in the shadows. Skylar skidded to a stop, pointed his wand and hoped to Merlin this would work.

Skylar belted out in a strangled yelp. "Accio Lutain!"

There was a second before something long and black flew through the air, it smacked into his outstretched hand. Snake coils were surprisingly warm, dry and writhing.

It was hissing, spitting and flailing like an incredibly agitated animal.

(Well, Lutain was an agitated animal.)

"Mobiliarbus!" Hermione cast, levitating the writhing creature away from Skylar's fleshy fingers.

"Lutain!" Someone yelped, stumbling out of the dark shadows with a swaying walk, looking dazed and very sick. Skylar took one glance before he did a second take in dumbfounded puzzlement. Skylar hadn't ever thought about sounds being used for a description, yet looking at Adrian, all he could think of was untuned piano strings. Off key, a morbid joke of what should be soft and gentle.

Luna made a noise like she was choking, Skylar felt like he had swallowed a bug. Luna took a stumbling step backwards, a violent shiver nearly tripped her and took her to the floor.

"What have you done?" Luna asked, holding her wand out in front of her defensively.

Her arm was shaking as she pointed it directly at Adrian.

Adrian looked feverish, almost baffled where he was standing as if drunken. He swayed slightly, torso shifting back and forth as if undulating.

"Skylar Potter? You!" Adrian asked with a small slur, his mood changing to something furious- his words so similar to a hiss Skylar felt sick.

The whiplash between confused and vindictive was a whirlwind. Luna choked again, reaching out to steady herself on Ron's shoulder. Hermione looked far too unstable, clutching the invisibility cloak to her chest as if a security blanket.

"Adrian." Skylar spoke, his voice deadpan although he was almost trembling. Was it custom to lower oneself to the ground when speaking to a wild animal? Should he hold his arms out to show he was unarmed?

There was something wrong with him. It was too dark to tell, but Skylar felt fairly certain that if he were to cast lumos, Adrian's pupils would be dilated past the normal level. He was inebriated of some sort, not operating at his normal facilities.

Lutain was spitting, hissing a fury as he writhed in the air above them.

"You I…" Adrian suddenly flinched, a whole body movement that almost looked like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on him. He blinked dumbly, completely dismissing Skylar's presence entirely. "I- Luna?"

Suddenly calm, still dazed but simply confused.

Hermione leant over to Skylar's ear, "Something isn't right!"

Skylar knew that, and based on Luna's retching noises she knew also. If it was stolen firewhiskey, Luna wouldn't be so...so ill. It was almost as if she had tasted something rotten, like some bad smelling potion ingredien-

Bubotuber pus.

"Luna, you okay?" Skylar asked her, careful to keep the black snake away from hurting anyone.

Luna was sniffling, shaking on the ground from her kneeling position as she stared at Adrian with wide traumatized eyes, "You...you smell like carrion."

"Well well, look who we have here." Someone said with a slightly amused but high cold voice.

Pristine and polite, a Slytherin girl with long blonde hair walked out with her wand raised high and an expression of amusement at the sight of Adrian, "Headmistress Umbridge is going to be very disappointed, Selwyn."

Adrian blinked once before his facial expression shifted into something savage, "Oh piss off Daphne!"

Daphne Greengrass, Astoria's sister.

Daphne Greengrass was on Umbridge's squad of student officers, she had remained over the holidays. She was essentially Umbridge's right hand helper, obviously assigned a night shift.

Shite shite shite

"I think not, Selwyn." Daphne's face was cold although she held her wand securely, "I was hoping to catch you on your own, surely you'd be expelled then. A group though...a shame."

Luna struggled to get off the floor, still looking pained, "Daphne we need to leave Hogwarts-"

'No! Luna!'

Daphne pointed her wand at Luna without looking at her, her expression no nonsense, "Shut it, Lovegood."

She obviously knew that Adrian was a threat, which was chilling to think of.

(Wasn't he? In this hallway, Adrian Selwyn, even while impaired, was the biggest threat around.)

"Daphne please," Skylar tried, knowing that his voice was strained, "We...we need to get to the forest-"

"Skylar Potter if you say one more word, I'm going to stun all of you and drag you to Filch's office myself." Daphne snapped.

"Astoria's letter!" Skylar blurted, almost panting from how high stress the situation was.

Daphne froze, turning to look at Skylar.

'I'm so sorry Astoria, but if this works you'll be safe.'

"What?" Daphne asked calmly. She wasn't though, her eyes had widened, the whites bright in the dark. Her skin was paling to porcelain in the torchlight.

Just in time, loud recognizable clicking shoes broke the silence. Umbridge emerged from the dark, looking proud and cocky- Daphne must had triggered an alarm the moment she found the group. Daphne must have been trying to find Adrian for a while now- to expel him.

No, no this was very bad. Something was wrong with Adrian, and knowing the boy he would only lash out if they revealed they knew anything. Yet considering how much Adrian was swaying...would calling in an auror team be overkill?

(No. No it wouldn't.)

"Well done Ms. Greengrass!" Umbridge chirped, clapping her hands together in glee, "What was the famous Golden Boy and friends doing out at this time of night," her eyes narrowed although her lips kept a happy smile, "Hmm?"

Skylar hated that noise.

Adrian twitched, spasming uncontrollably down his legs before he glared, unadulterated rage twisting his eyes. He bared his teeth, like something wild.

Daphne didn't blink, and her face didn't change.

'Please Daphne,' Skylar begged in his head. 'Please.'

"I heard them discussing a weapon in the Forbidden Forest, Ma'am."

Umbridge looked pleased, "Ah yes, Dumbledore's weapon."

Daphne locked eyes with Skylar, blank and unreadable. She knew about Astoria's letter, Astoria must have told her what she suspected. That Adrian somehow had something to do with Suzie Forestar's death.

Daphne understood that Skylar was trying to remove Adrian Selwyn, or trying to get him away. If Skylar ever had the opportunity, he would thank that girl with every fiber of his being.

"I'll take things from here, Ms. Greengrass." Umbridge smiled, sacchrine and irritating, "Off you tot."

Daphne walked away with a stiff back, not looking back once. She faded into the dark, away from the danger into security.

"Well then." Umbridge supplied with a vicious grin, "Shall we?"


"If I don't understand, can you try and explain it to me again?"

"It's….Luna it's...magical things, they used to like me. They used to...I don't know, it sounds stupid."

"I don't think it sounds stupid."

"Magical things, they used to like me. They don't anymore."


'I'm so sor- No. I just- I didn't mean to. I didn't know what else to do. I just- I'm so confused. I was confused. I didn't know that would happen- I mean, I knew it would but I just- It didn't seem real. It didn't seem possible. I left you down there in the cold, and the dark. Was that the wrong thing? Was that really the wrong thing to do?'


They exited the hallways, through the corridors of the sleeping castle until the nighttime air chilled their skin and their breaths puffed gently in the air.

Umbridge walked at the head of their chain, keeping her wand poised and pointed at Hermione who grudgingly lead the group; Umbridge finding her the biggest threat at the moment. Of course, Umbridge had stolen their wands, stashing them in her oversized pink pockets.

(Skylar found that the greatest irony, that Umbridge couldn't recognize that Adrian, poor poor Adrian, was likely the biggest threat in the entire castle.)

Umbridge showed only slight uncertainty in her steps as Hermione lead them past Hagrid's hut, sleeping silently in the night. The dew from the grass stuck to Skylar's shoes.

"In there," Hermione pointed coldly into the dark forest. Her face was ticked, barely any fear in her eyes.

Umbridge frowned, "In the forbidden forest? Not near it?"

Of course not you overgrown louse, if it was sitting in the sunlight a secret weapon wouldn't be that secret.

Luna peeked out, keeping her body behind Adrian with her thin arms wrapped around his torso. Skylar hadn't a clue what had gotten into him, but periodically on the path down he had heard the boy whisper to himself almost manic- the large black snake coiling and hissing in rage above their heads in a protective bubble. Had he been sneaking potions? Skylar had heard the rumors, but- but drugs were something impossible to think about.

"Dumbledore didn't want any students stumbling on it." Luna spoke up, her voice wobbly and shaking as if she had been struck.

Oh Hermione was brilliant. Knowing Luna, she likely had swarms of magical creatures ready to pounce on Umbridge, Hermione was smart to take the lead, not that she had much choice. Given how much Umbridge actually knew about her students, she likely thought that Hermione was the mastermind behind everything. Skylar doubted she even knew Luna's name.

"Of course," Umbridge stated, although she sounded a little apprehensive now. "Of course...very well, then...you stay ahead of me."

Skylar and Ron tried to catch Hermione's eye as they neared the first trees. Adrian and Luna stayed in the back, the girl soothing or quieting the occasional incoherent murmurs and (chillingly unnerving) moans and whimpers.. Skylar was beginning to feel uneasy- walking into the Forest without wands seemed to him like one of the worse ideas he'd followed through with. At least there weren't any dragons in the forest anymore.

'Oh but don't forget the probably lethal snake hovering above your head.'

Hermione started a brisk walk, one that had the entire chain struggling to keep up. Although Luna was moving with more ease than all of them combined, she was stuck dragging the unusually clumsy Adrian over roots and branches.

Ron leaned in towards Skylar quietly, "Think he's drugged?"

So Ron had noticed too. It was unlikely to be drugs, Adrian wasn't so stupid to do that in public where he could be found. It had to be something else, but Skylar didn't know what.

Skylar shook his head subtly, watching carefully along the sides of the path for anything to leap out at them. Hermione nearly stamped down the undergrowth. Ron and Skylar exchanged worried looks- they were making quite the racket.

Umbridge tripped over a fallen nearby sapling. The snake, contained by the magical bubble, lunged at her as if it could break through. Nobody paused on the march to help her upright, even as her coat tore on a stray branch.

They walked on for what seemed like a long time, until they were so deep in the Forest that the dense arching tree branches above blocked out the starlight.

Ron gulped and looked around nervously; Skylar felt as if hundreds of eyes were watching him.

"How much further?" demanded Umbridge angrily, and suddenly, Adrian inhaled loudly and harshly, then succumbed to low giggles.

"And what are you-" Umbridge turned, pointing the wand threateningly at the other boy.

No no, don't threaten him-

An arrow flew through the air and landed with a menacing thud in the tree over Umbridge's head. The air was suddenly full of the sound of hooves; Skylar could feel the forest trembling.

Umbridge spun with a scream, grabbing Ron to use him as some sort of shield. Ron kicked out, stumbling away as the group slowly looked at the circle of hooved creatures watching them; at least twenty centaurs were emerging on every side equipped with wooden bows raised and loaded at the group.

Hermione looked alarmed, but distinctly relieved at something. Luna searched for a single centaur in particular, brow furrowed until she relaxed suddenly. Thank Merlin for that, if Skylar had to be lost in the Forbidden Forest with anyone, he'd always pick Luna.

"Who are you?" One centaur demanded, a chestnut-bodied one with his bow cocked. He emerged from the ranks, circling around to point the arrow tip towards Umbridge, "Who are you, human?"

"I am Dolores Umbridge!" said woman spoke in a high-pitched, terrified voice. "Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic and Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts!"

Many of the centaurs shifted restlessly, casting looks off into the forest in an opposite direction.

"You are from the Ministry of Magic?" said the centaur, eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring.

"That's right!" she nearly screeched, "So you should-"

One of the centaurs gave a ragged gasp, a stumbling sound as its legs appeared to tremble slightly, "You brought it!"

Skylar wasn't sure what had scared it until a low murmur spread through the centaurs and they shifted their aim towards Luna.

"What?" Umbridge gasped in surprise, "I- are you ignoring me?"

The centaur who was in charge didn't even glance her way, "Your status is insignificant and hence we care naught for you."

Umbridge gaped wordlessly for a few moments, "I...Excuse me?"

"What are you doing in our Forest! Why are you here?" bellowed a hard-faced grey centaur.

"Your Forest?" said Umbridge, shaking from indignation, "I would remind you that you live here only because the Ministry of Magic permits you certain areas of land-"

An arrow flew so close to her head that it nearly sliced her hair; she let out a scream and threw her hands over her head. The centaurs hadn't even spared her a look, still staring at Luna in fright. What had Luna done?

"You are unimportant here, human." One centaur spat, shifting as if Umbridge was little but dirt.

Umbridge flushed in rage but it was too late: Umbridge pointed her wand at the chestnut centaur and screamed, "Incarcerous!"

Ropes flew out of midair like thick snakes, wrapping themselves tightly around the centaur's torso and trapping his arms to his sides. The centaur gave a cry of rage and reared onto his hind legs, attempting to free himself.

Arrows flew and Umbridge cast a hasty shielding charm; Skylar felt smug as he knew that his spell was better.

The centaurs did not seem happy, instead they looked torn between fury and panic.

"Get the parasite away from here!" One hissed, stomping its foot angrily.

"Leave this forest," another one growled, tail swishing in fright, "before the creature…"

There was a wordless cry from something in the woods, and suddenly the centaurs were jostling back and forth skittishly.

The snake of Adrian's was hissing incessantly, loud like rustling wind through branches.

"How dare you!" Umbridge screamed, and sent off a stunner which missed.

Then Adrian started giggling, a strange crackling noise that sounded wet but almost crazed. Skylar had heard Bellatrix Lestrange laugh, surrounded in a field of blood; it was similar.

"Adrian?" Luna asked quietly but urgently, "Adrian- Adrian."

Adrian was giggling, eyes unseeing as he was murmuring something repeatedly.

"Kill it!" One centaur demanded, pointing not at Luna, but at Adrian.

What had Adrian done.

"We do not attack foals!" One centaur defended, "We do not harm the girl!"

They hadn't said anything about Adrian; Skylar felt very bad about the situation.

The snake hadn't stopped hissing, loud and unbroken in its protective bubble.

The centaurs had said a creature- a creature roaming the woods and they were terrified of it and Adrian.

"Oh no." Skylar breathed, locking eyes with Luna. They had to have the same idea, especially with how her arms were trembling where they were wrapped around Adrian's shoulders.

Of course.

The snake was hissing.

"Silence the snake!" Skylar shouted, looking at the baffled Umbridge who was still looking indignant, "silence it!"

"Why you-" Umbridge floundered, and one of the centaurs bolted.

"No," Skylar breathed, looking at Hermione quickly, "The monster…"

She clued in, and paled dramatically. Ron gaped, snapping his head around to look at Skylar in horror. Oh shite, Skylar never really clued in that the monster was real.

"What? What." Umbridge nearly screamed, "What monster?"

Adrian twisted, cocking his head like a bird. He turned his upper body quickly, head pointed towards a very specific direction in the woods. A breathless crooked grin split his face, looking deranged on his features.

"Hello," Adrian almost crooned, swaying where Luna was supporting him, "You took a while."

Skylar had never been so scared in his life.

(More than the dragon. More than Cedric. More than him.)

Umbridge floundered, and the centaurs bolted. Skylar hadn't seen something so fast, in a blur of movement they had vanished.

"Sky?" Ron whispered, voice high pitched as terror leaked into his voice, "You know how you said that this wasn't going to be hard?"

Hermione slunk back, reaching out to grasp both Skylar and Ron's hands in her clammy ones; she was trembling. Skylar squeeze her hand reassuringly, making sure they were there together.

Skylar felt like crying. 'I'm so sorry I dragged you into this, guys.'

Umbridge clued in that something very scary was approaching- she pointed her wand into the dark.

Luna was shaking Adrian slightly, although the boy was still frowning- no, he was pouting into the dark woods.

"No." Adrian protested suddenly, causing everyone to jump, "I could have dealt with this."

Umbridge opened her mouth before Adrian scoffed, "I could have!"

He was talking to himself, but it sounded far too cohesive for it to me another of the strange delusional ramblings. He was talking, in English.

Skylar- Skylar hadn't told his dad and mum that he loved them. The last time he saw them he had shouted at them, over something unimportant. He didn't say goodbye to them.

Luna swallowed and breathed something like a sob. A second, then she composed her expression and looked into the dark, addressing it with a quiet shaking voice, "H-hello. I'm Luna, you must be very beautiful."

The forest was silent, not a single insect scurrying over dead leaves.

Adrian tilted his head back laughed, as if he had heard something very funny. His skull thumped against Luna's shoulder, the arms around his waist tightened.

"Mate," Ron whispered, sounding like he was about to cry, "Mate are we going to die?"

Skylar shook his head, unable to comfort his friend.

'I am so sorry.'

Hermione was shaking although she cleared her throat loudly, "A-Adrian, could you introduce us?"

Hermione, Hermione no.

Adrian looked at them, looking dazed as if concussed. He squinted, forgetting they were there at all. "I…"

"I wouldn't want to be rude." Hermione hurried, "I-I've never met something so great."

There was a low rumble, a snap of something cracking perhaps a hundred feet into the woods. Umbridge paled, her skin looking glassy in the lighting charm. She had just realized that something existed, something unseen watching them in the dark.

Adrian lazily rolled his head back to the dark, then back at Umbridge in a feverish intrigue. "Yeah. You should."

Umbridge had never looked so cowardly before, turning on Adrian in childish fury. "I- stop your insane ramblings."

There was a low hiss, eerily similar to the Vipertooth dragon Skylar had faced before. Low, a deep rumble that permeated the air and through trees and through Skylar's entire body.

Adrian giggled, sagging in Luna's arms.

No. Not a dragon- the basilisk. The basilisk.

"It's a bit dark," Luna admitted, still draped over Adrian's back, "Could you maybe make it a bit brighter so I could introduce myself properly."

Only Umbridge had a wand, nobody else had any wands.

Adrian looked up Luna with a grin, likely his expression more garish up close. "She-"

There was a low noise, and Adrian cocked his head before nodding. Adrian's eyes clouded, a thin trail of blood exited his nose down until it touched his lip. If not for his frantic breathing and twitching cheek, Skylar would have assumed the other just fell comatose.

The ground around them burst aflame, long tongues of lapping flame as long as Skylar's leg. It was stunning, and exuded nearly uncontained power. Far too much, like fiendfyre.

This wasn't the train, this was- this was much worse. This was an arena, a growing fence to keep the cattle in.

Hell, this sort of boundary would have kept a bloody Swedish Shortsnout in.

And Adrian was doing it wandlessly.

Umbridge squealed and stumbled back, lifting her face as if to protect her from the flames. Instead, they stood tall, lapping around them in a bright circle; trapping them in place.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to go.

Adrian swayed and the thin trail of blood thickened slightly, "No you're the stupid one."

"Merlin is he arguing with it?" Ron whispered, voice a high pitched wine. Sweat beaded down the redhead's face, anxiety or from the heat.

Skylar felt his jaw shake, his heart racing in his chest. He had to shift this, try and smooth things over. Adrian was the one in control of the situation, Adrian was the one that commanded the monster.

Adrian hated Skylar, he knew that. Skylar could...Skylar could redirect it, draw its attention.

Keep his friends alive.

"Hello," Skylar croaked, feeling like there was a rock in his throat, "I'm Skylar. I've heard a lot about you,"

Adrian scowled and looked put out, "Yeah, the one-"

There was a rumble, this one higher and lilting and resonating from all around them. Adrian looked shocked, confused even as his brows furrowed.

"What!" Adrian screamed into the woods, straining against Luna's arms, "Adalonda what are you-"

Adalonda? Was that the monster's name?

Another rumble and Adrian shook his head looking pissed, "The- no you-"

Then with a cold sense of dread, Skylar's fears were confirmed when instead of words Adrian's mouth moved and strange almost musical noises were exchanged.

Hermione looked- Skylar couldn't describe it.

Umbridge paled, stumbling backwards as she pointed her wand at him in fear, "Parselmouth! Parselmouth you dark…"

A larger answering hiss emerged from the dark, and through the illumination of the fire something giant emerged.

It was larger than the Vipertooth, and it's skull alone was half the size of a hippogriff. It's snout was scaly and long, a dark greenish sheen with a giant maw twice the size of what anything should be.

Umbridge gasped and cursed something incredibly undignified.

The creature, it's eyes were milky as if with cataracts, hissed something with a long flick of its tongue- as long as half of Skylar's body length. It was horrifying, it was beautiful.

Luna inhaled with a small noise, tucking herself even closer to Adrian.

Who...was arguing. His face flushed and furious.

"- what do you mean!" Adrian screamed, breaking out of the hisses with a broken high pitched screech, "You- you useless reptile."

The basilisk recoiled, snapping a tree as thick around as Skylar's neck with the bulk supporting its weight. It exhaled heavily in annoyance, he warm air smelled like mold and rot. The basilisk responded and Adrian's jaw tensed and clicked.

"Don't piss it off." Ron whispered, firmly keeping his eyes shut as he whimpered softly, "Don't piss off the giant man eating snake."

Skylar couldn't afford to think about the ramifications, he couldn't afford to think. He was going to die- or he..he had to find a way to- to get through this.

"I- I don't know." Adrian blinked, looking sheepish suddenly, "I didn't think I'd get this- hey."

The basilisk's tongue lolled out, nearly kissing the flames as it flickered like Lutain's rapid movements.

Umbridge seemed to gather her movements, pointing her wand and screaming a spell that shot out with bright yellow light.

The basilisk flinched but stared at her outright in surprise and almost...amusement? The spell impacted, and deflected off to uselessly burn out on the forest floor. Magic repellent scales.

The basilisk hissed something, and Adrian blinked, swaying disoriently.

Adrian giggled, hysterical as the flames suddenly twisted and sputtered like something ill. Adrian turned, looking at Umbridge with something amused. Had the basilisk said a joke? Did snakes even have humor?

"Okay, kill her."

(Skylar couldn't breathe.)

Umbridge gasped and stiffened; then she collapsed to the forest floor lifelessly.

Skylar very quickly closed his eyes, crumpling to the floor with his hands fumbling over his face just to be safe. He heard the others drop, Skylar could only bare to imagine that they too were talking cover. There was a silence, before the crunch of leaves as someone walked. Uneven breaking of leaves, of cracking twigs. A rustle of cloth, then Adrian was walking again.

"Here Luna," Adrian spoke, almost bouncing as if all logic or rationality had abandoned him, "Here."

Luna was shaking, taking her wand from Adrian's outstretched hand. Adrian was swaying noticeably, large shifting movements as he casually (so casually) reached into Umbridge's rapidly cooling pockets and pulled out the other wands. Lutain dropped to the floor, the spell finally canceling out.

Adrian giggled once more, nodding towards the basilisk, "I know. Luna- you'll...you'll love Nagini, she's so…"

Luna jaw twitched as tears spilled from the corner of her traumatized eyes, "Oh Adrian."

Adrian giggled, "she- she's okay," Adrian misinterpreted, brandishing one arm dramatically behind him towards the basilisk, "She- she won't do anything unless I tell her!"

Skylar opened his eyes, barely able to breathe through the panic. The dirt and dead leaves were an inch from his face, the air was musty.

Hermione was the first one to carefully crawl over and retrieve her wand, whimpering pitifully as she touched the pink coat.

She crawled back over, passing out both Ron and Skylar's wands.

"He'll be so happy!" Adrian was continuing, trapped as if narrating a fantasy, "You- you'll-"

The black snake was in front of them, Lutain. Skylar held his breath, stiffening entirely as the midnight black serpent stared at him.

It was strangely intelligent, they had already known that. But...something else. Something different- almost a strange level of comprehensive understanding was in its gaze.

Supernatural, smart but beyond a normal point.

Help him, it almost seemed to say with its look, Remus. Help him.

Skylar didn't understand, he- what was…

Sick. Dying. The snake's tongue flickered out, kissing Skylar's nose, immortal.

What- what.

Help him! It urged, and Skylar found himself exhaling in a mere whisper "Yes."

The snake moved instantly, shifting to stare at the basilisk and Adrian, opening its mouth to hiss incessantly.

Adrian paused, looking at the snake before hissing back. They were communicating, talking.

The basilisk moved, no, it was moving away.

Skylar could hardly breathe but he could almost feel the moment the oppressive weight of the basilisk's look was off of him. He carefully pushed himself upright, making sure that Luna, Ron, and Hermione were okay before he spared a look at Adrian.

The fire was still burning, throwing strange flickering patterns across Adrian's translucent sickly skin. The scars stood out, darkening like poison in his veins. His eyes were captivated, all attention on the long thin snake he had coiled around his forearm, held close to his face. There was a strange gleam on his face, an obsessive attention he gave the black snake. He reminded Skylar of Moody- the impostor Moody the night in the graveyard.

"Is everyone okay?" Skylar asked carefully, trying his best not to look to his right and see the fallen body.

"I'm okay," Luna answered back quietly, holding her wand tightly in one hand as she used the other to push off of the ground.

"Same here," Ron choked back, shaking but putting on a brave face as he helped Hermione up.

Luna struggled to her feet, staying a careful distance from Adrian who was entirely enraptured by whatever the black snake was saying.

Saying. Talking. The black snake had spoke to Skylar. Obviously not through words, but he couldn't deny that somehow it had communicated with him. It was enchanted, something more than he had thought it was.

"The thestrals," Luna breathed, inching backwards as she exchanged glances with Skylar, "I-I can get one and bring them back. To get away."

"Go." Skylar breathed back, "We'll... distract him."

Luna worried her lower lip, "Stun him, I...he isn't in his right mind."

The idea was chilling, but a hand gently clapped Skylar's shoulder. Ron was there, staring at Luna with a grim expression but full of honesty, "We'll take care of him."

Luna gave a small nod, her eyes lingered on the two. She opened her mouth, as if to say something. Her jaw slowly closed, and for the briefest of seconds Skylar could have sworn that she knew something.

Skylar opened his mouth to protest- suddenly the idea of Luna running off didn't seem good. It was too late; she sprinted instantly and leapt over the flames.

Her body was illuminated for a brief second, glowing in the dark as the flames licked her skin but never burned her.

Then far too soon she vanished into the dark with an unheard whispering echo of something lost. Luna departed in the dark.


"I think that magical things used to love you, Adrian. They always were so fond of you, your heart was wild, like they were."

"That's nonsense."

"That you have a wild heart?"

"No, the love thing. You know I don't believe in love, Luna."

"You don't need to believe it. I know that they loved you, Adrian."

"How?"


Luna sprinted through the woods, knowing that the thestrals were hiding in the alcove not that far away. Her mind raced around the single objective; the thestrals the thestrals.

Something heavy shifted, scraping against bark and crunching leaves without hesitation. She stumbled to a halt, pausing her heavy breathing to try and isolate the single sound.

Perhaps it was a centaur, if she was lucky it may have been one from the group before. She hadn't interacted with the herd often, although she and they had a mutual respect of one another. If she was even more fortunate, it may have been one of the thestrals, attracted to the area from the smell of dead me-

Luna choked and rapidly focused on listening instead of the corpse.

A log snapped, far too large for a misplaced hoof.

Oh.

"Hello," She whispered, drawing her wand close to her chest as the crackling grew nearer. She couldn't run, it was almost certainly faster.

She knew something that large in the woods, she also knew that it was very very dangerous.

Unheard to her, the great creature responded amused, "Hello."

The low hiss confirmed Luna's fears while also lifting the pale hairs on her arms. She stood, tense and alert as she squinted into the impenetrable darkness for the mighty king of serpents. No- queen of serpents; it lacked the large red plume amidst its pointed crest.

Luna licked her lower lip worriedly, "It's...It's a pleasure to meet you. You're very beautiful, I've never seen a creature as mighty."

Adalonda huffed lowly, slowly slithering over a branch and cracking it with her scales; Luna jumped and her head snapped around to peer in the direction of the noise.

"How sweet of you," Adalonda cooed, voice twisting as if made from honey, "How precious."

Luna breathed twice, calming her nerves. Very slowly she started walking, Adalonda in turn shifted her body, keeping pace beside her unseen but plenty heard.

"I've learned about basilisks." Luna blurted, "You must be very upset. They're written about very meanly."

Adalonda's eyes blinked leisurely, tasting the air and the surrounding area. "Oh?"

"The books say horrid untrue things. They say that basilisks are mean creatures, and out of spite to satisfy their nature,they kill flowers or harmless animals."

Adalonda watched her, an invisible eye that sent prickles down Luna's spine. Never had she felt so terrified in the forest. The basilisk didn't hiss back, so Luna took it as a sign to continue her monologue.

"They say that you're very curious, and very intelligent. I know that the books were right about that, but It's sad how they call you so cruel."

"You're wrong, little one." Adalonda spoke amused, almost laughing.

"I think you're very nice." Luna continued with a breathy voice, ignorant of the rising mirth in the serpent. Her panic thrummed under her skin, pulsing with the rapid beating of her heart.

"I am not; not to humans."

"I'd love to talk to you more, I'm sure you know many things about all sorts." Luna helplessly continued, mentally hoping that something anything would emerge from the dark. She knew that roosters were lethal to a basilisk, although conjuring one wouldn't have the same effect and the creature would kill her before she could say the spell. Not to mention that if somehow through sheer dumb luck, the basilisk did die, Adrian would never forgive her.

"I do, I know things lost to history." Adalonda confirmed wistfully, "Do you know why I was locked away by Salazar Slytherin?"

Luna didn't respond, she couldn't have. She carefully climbed over a half rotten log, mindful not to trip.

"I was locked away because you are wrong." Adalonda chided gently, "I am a cruel creature. Do you know, how long I have slept? Imagining what chaos I could wrought?"

"When I awoke, what opportunity I had. Do you know what happened after my movements? I brought a war to your pathetic species, I brought disorder spanning longer than your lifetime. But once I had seemingly been of use, I was set asleep once more. Only a month of your time yet It was enough for the one before." her tongue flickered in the air, tickling against the rough bark of the ancient trees "But I have been awoken once more and as you said, I am so curious."

"I wondered," Adalonda continued slithering closer to the terrified girl, Luna held her breath sharply, hand shaking around the hilt of her wand.

"I wondered, what seeds I could plant if I remained aware for longer, and so I cradled Cerestes like an undignified worm. The one before him was much smarter, he at least knew how dangerous I was. Cerestes, all but a hatchling, was desperate for affection."

"I wondered what havoc would happen when I diseased Cerestes. It was interesting, but I was so curious, so I tore him apart like I tore the one before him."

"I envenomed his mind and left him haunted, and how I wanted to break him further. I've given him hope, told him he is special. He is a basilisk, but not of his own design. I gave him lies, I let him take form of a king because I let my breath taint his magic. How proud he was- I wish to see his face when he learns it is all fake. That he was never something strong, or proud, or powerful. Is that so greedy? So gluttonous? I wanted to press him to the edge of madness and corrupt his heart until he was nothing more than a mere rat before my hunger. Do you know child, that he is so fond of you? Death would not break him again, but the unliving would."

Adalonda's body coiled in hidden delight, "How letting that hatchling starve to death has left him cursed. But you...I never cared for Cerestes. True he is amusing, but for all of the suffering I have struck upon him...I wanted to see what he would do next."

Adalonda's eyes gleamed and her venom pooled in bloodlust, "I am a basilisk. I am intelligent, I am cruel and as you said..."

Adalonda moved her bulk, stopping Luna in her tracks. Luna inhaled sharply as Adalonda brushed near her, the long keratinous crests behind her skull nearly scraped Luna's face as she passed.

"Hello there," Luna spoke, her voice having adopted an uneasy warble. Something cold had sunk into her chest, desperate and longing in a silent scream to get away!

Luna swallowed, hyper aware as adrenaline caused by. Adalonda circled slowly, until she had completed a small circle and Luna realized sharply, that she was trapped.

"I- I" Luna stuttered, squeezing her eyes tightly closed before she opened them, hoping it was just a dream.

Adalonda twisted her head, craning to look down at the feeble creature wrapped in her body, reeking of fear and panic.

"I'm worried about Adrian." Luna blurted, her voice higher in pitch as she desperately jumped on anything she could think of, "He- he seems sick. I'm worried that- that he's...He's dying." Luna stressed, feeling as if something had grabbed her tightly and squeezed her heart out.

"I know. As you yourself said, I am so, so, curious."


"You had an air around you, when you were younger. You were mean, and sour, but something about you drew them in."

"That's not-"

"You could have tamed wyverns, or calmed manticores. They loved you, and you loved them."

"No, I'm unlovable."

"That's not true."


Luna's scream pierced the air and caused Adrian to move before he realized what was happening.

Adrenaline raced through his veins and inexplicably cleared his mind, pushing past the disorderly blur that were his thoughts. They continued, a low whisper of half spoken words and broken sentences jumbled together in a nonsensical blur.

He moved, legs pumping and burning as the reaching limbs from trees and saplings tore on his cloak. It was eerily familiar in a overwrought way; racing through the forbidden forest with bloodlust and enemies nipping at his heels.

He could hear others behind him, crashing through undergrowth and along the same trodden path. Paranoia burned coldly, making his eyes blur as they chased and he ran and ran...

"Cerestes!" Adalonda called in the dark, like a siren leading him to shore. It pierced through, broken desperate thoughts that clung to the idea of her comforting presence. She sounded puzzled, obligingly polite as if he had asked her to do something she didn't understand.

Adalonda Adalonda Adalonda, something crooned, reaching with clawed fingers and broken knuckles.

"Cerestes?"

Adrian stumbled into the area, hearing her close proximity and the deep throbbing bass of her voice. He could hear the shlshhlshl of her scales on the earthen floor, interspersed with the crackling of dead foliage.

"Adalonda!" Adrian screamed, feeling as if his throat would tear from the abuse.

"Why did you strike her?" Adalonda spoke, simultaneously inquiring and lamenting.

Adalonda Adalonda Strike who what Adalonda what I strike what who who who

"What?" Adrian answered, swaying as his words felt underwater, amplified around him as if contained by glass. Adrian could scarcely feel Lutain, coiled roughly around his neck. "I- I strike- Who? Who did I…?"

"I don't know why you did, I thought she was your friend, Cerestes?"

Who who who

Adalonda had ceased moving, instead something else drew Adrian's attention. Shifting wobbly and black- Adrian had dismissed it at first as something nonexistent. Something imaginary with the nonsensical ramblings he didn't hear but heard.

"I suppose, that she was just a rat anyways."

There was something in the clearing, an actual thing. Wobbly legged and shaking where it stood. It was wet, grotesquely so with something clear and slimy clinging to its legs; reflecting off the lighting charm.

It blinked, nearly falling as it shakily took a step towards him.

It was a thestral. A weak, newborn thestral.

No.

Adalonda strike strike you strike Adalonda you strike Luna[2] Luna Luna

"Luna!" He screamed, voice breaking and horrified, "Luna!"

He couldn't think- disjointed words repeating over in a haze of confusion. Adalonda wouldn't lie to him, so evidently something had happened somehow he had struck and he- he didn't remember.

(He didn't understand what was happening.)

I struck struck struck

"You struck her. " Adalonda soothed from the edges of his vision, as if reminding him gently of some great tragedy. "You shifted and sunk your teeth in her until she screamed."

She was lying she had to be- it..it had to be fake it-

(Adalonda hadn't ever lied to him before. Adalonda had always helped him.)

There was someone laying behind the thestral, sprawled on their side with thick black boots sticking out from behind a tree trunk.

Struck struck I struck I struck Luna

Adrian ignored the thestral, walking with a growing sense of dread.

"No." Adrian whispered, winded and pained as something invisible stabbed his heart and twisted, "No...no no…"

"It was quite savage, truly. Your venom is strong."

I struck I struck Luna I struck I struck Luna

There were marks in pale skin, long black tendrils spreading from a single thick puncture in her wrist. Her delicate skin painted in red around the mark.

No. No.

Luna no no I struck Luna Luna

He didn't remember it- but everything was shrouded in an unassuming fog. Adalonda had never led him wrong before. Adalonda had never lied to him before.

He killed her

('Is it wrong, to do terrible things for someone you care about?')

The others crashed into the clearing. The horror clarified like a balm; Skylar, Hermione and Ron were chasing him. They were in the forest, they were in the forest and Luna oh Luna.

"Adrian?"

Someone was talking to him, distorted and deeper and close and Luna oh Luna.

Adrian sunk to his knees, muddied and caked with dead leaves. He reached with one hand, blistered and scarred, towards her pale angelic face. Framed by hair glowing silver in the spell's light. He shakily brushed a strand of hair away from her (cold cold) face.

I struck I struck Luna I struck Luna

"Luna." He moaned, gripping her shoulder firmly, "Lun-Luna wake up."

Something clear and wet was dribbling from her nose and mouth; like the fluid on the thestral's legs. It was clear like water, thick like honey.

"Luna wake up."

He had no memory of it. Merlin, everything in his head was a blurry fog. Shrouded in confusion with gaps larger than castles. Adalonda was firm, she was reassuring. She had helped. She had shattered him.

I struck Luna I struck Luna I struck Luna

(He didn't remember killing her.)

Something rattled in the woods, initially Adrian dismissed it as Adalonda's curious eyes. It took a second for him to distantly recognize that Adalonda had left, giving him privacy. Instead, something clicking and rattling like a box full of bones. Through the trees, many eyes emerged, milky and luminous. Reptilian faces slowly protruded, eyeing the clearing with something like hunger.

"Oh Merlin." Skylar breathed, one hand covering his mouth as Hermione gasped and hid her face in Ron's paling face. They huddled close, flinching at every hoarse agonized scream Adrian let loose. He didn't even seem aware of it.

I struck Luna I struck Luna

The newborn thestral, looking fresh from an absent womb, blinked. It inquisitively peered around and chirped towards the fully mature beasts. They slowly emerged from the woods, weaving between trees silently until exposed to the light.

Adrian glanced over his shoulder, hunkering protectively over Luna as the thestrals granted visit. The largest one he recognized as Mylla, stepped towards the foal. It lowered its ancient skull, brushing scarred muzzle against the wet flank of the baby.

"Basilisk venom." Mylla rattled, a hissing whisper that pierced Adrian's ears as much as he tried to ignore it, "How painful to go."

"Luna wake up!" Adrian screamed, as if he could wake the dead.

"Sky…" Ron spoke, shaking as the other thestrals, the entire herd appeared from between the trees in silent memorial to their newest addition. "Sky what are these things?"

Skylar flinched, realizing suddenly that neither Ron or Hermione had ever seen the monsters before. "Thestrals."

Ron gave a small whine in the back of his throat, swinging his head suddenly towards a equine shape on the side.

"They're hideous," Hermione stuttered, "They're hideous Sky."

The newborn chirped curiously, looking far too intrigued for standing so close to a corpse.

A corpse.

"Oh, oh Skylar." Hermione choked, sounding dearly close to wretching, "It- Luna."

Adrian lifted his head up and screamed.

"G-give him a moment." Skylar could barely speak, feeling dumb with how quickly everything had gone to shite.

The thestrals were clicking their teeth together, peering over at the newborn and slowly introducing themselves to the young one. Adrian sobbed, a loud broken noise before he tilted his head back and screamed.

"Sky…" Ron swallowed, shaking his head and rubbing his hands across his own crying face, "He…"

Skylar sniffled and nodded, pointing his wand carefully at Adrian before whispering, "Stupify."

Adrian stiffened and slumped, falling next to Luna onto the ground. If not for the black poisonous lines across her skin, she looked almost sleeping.

They looked like a pair, the basilisk venom was ironically similar in look to Adrian's scarring across his face. They lay there, matching in misery.

"I- I need to let my dad know." Skylar exhaled, feeling the tears start to fall as he looked away and sent a patronus, struggling more than he ever had in his life.

The thestrals chattered, the newborn stumbled around, its wings see through and as fragile as tissue paper.

"It's kinda fitting." Ron muttered, twitching as he stared at the thestral, "She loved these bloody things."

Hermione stared at him in denial, "She...she isn't- she can't-"

Ron numbly pointed to one thestral on the sides, smaller but larger than the newborn by a significant amount, "I think that's Ginny. I can hear it."

'I let her starve to death!'

Skylar leaned over and vomited all over the floor.


"What do you mean that's not true? Luna, I- I've done bad things. Nothing can love me."

"I know that's not true, Adrian."

"How?"

"Promise not to laugh?"


OWL's and NEWT's were canceled when students returned after Easter holidays.

More alarming was the notification that the entire school year would end prematurely, due to an alarming incident which brought Albus Dumbledore back to Headmaster position instantly.

The Slytherin's were in bewilderment, instantly assuming and throwing around preposterous ideas what happened. Daphne Greengrass was silent, refusing to speak even when Draco tried his best to coax it out of her. It took only a day until everyone realized the black sheep of Slytherin was gone: Adrian Selwyn had vanished.

At first, everyone assumed he had gotten expelled until Daphne's thin lipped smile was far too grim to explain that.

It took Hermione Granger snapping in the library when overhearing a few gossiping students for the truth to settle around the castle with a heavy fog.

Looney Lovegood, Luna Lovegood, was dead.

Skylar Potter was mysteriously gone, and suddenly in the wake of that, Adrian being gone wasn't so odd.

"Merlin," Theo had breathed, looking in Adrian's room with his spare key, "It's all gone."

The entire room had been stripped; everything was blank as if he hadn't existed at all.

Daphne refused to say anything, her younger and unassuming sister was the one to mention anything after a few days of hushed whispers.

"I'd be upset too," Astoria had murmured quietly one day, looking pale and haunted, "If everyone around me kept dying."

That was enough that even Draco was silenced out of sympathy.

Skylar Potter returned after a few days, looking exhausted and well worn. For the first time in Draco's memory, Skylar Potter looked like someone deserving of the 'Golden Boy' title.

He seemed grim, determined, and far far too quiet for how he used to be.

"Does any of this make you worried?" Theo asked with hushed voices, looking between Millicent, Daphne, Draco, and Blaise, "Do you- do you even remember what Adrian Selwyn used to be like? Bloody hell, he used to be our friend."

Daphne was silent, and Draco felt far too much guilt to ever justify speaking.

"All of you," Theo's nostrils flared in his anger, "You kept pushing him," Theo pointed at Blaise accusatory, "and you kept attacking him," he pointed at Millicent, "and you never let him breathe for one bloody moment." he pointed at Draco before he rounded on Daphne with wordless fury. "And..and you wouldn't let him be."

Theo looked somewhere past furious, and just looked tired, "I am so bloody pissed at all of you."

Theo stormed out, and once again, Slytherin was quiet.


"Have I ever laughed at you before, Luna?"

"Well, no. You haven't."

"I promise I won't laugh. Tell me?"


"Once more, we are here to celebrate the end of an eventful year. Although I have been absent for most of it, I was...called in, for sake of unity. It is tradition, to close our last feast with words of enthusiasm and encouragement for the next term, yet in wake of situations I'm certain you all know, I find that it would be disgraceful and unimaginable to simply ignore the events of recent times."

"It has appeared, in the most horrific fashion, somewhat of a new tradition at Hogwarts, to have someone dear to our hearts depart unexpectedly. Ginevra Weasley, passed away from our ranks a mere three years ago. Cedric Diggory passed away from our ranks last year. Days ago, in my unfortunate absence due to the Ministry of Magic's intervention in our humble school, the temporary Headmistress Dolores Umbridge was found murdered in our woods along with our dearly missed Luna Lovegood."

"In wake of these incidents and the growing powers that threaten our security, I have put forth the mandatory steps for an abrupt and indefinite closure of our wonderful school."

"However, the Ministry of Magic has determined that the most recent fatalities were due to poor administration, and have stated that they choose to deny all claims that dark forces have gathered once more."

"I believe that it would be a joke, to blindly follow such propaganda and not inform my students and my friends of such a danger."

"I believe that it would be an inexcusable error to ignore that students have died, and the threat still exists to threaten the safety of you, my students. I cannot excuse placing you all in peril, not as your Headmaster but as person who is concerned not in politics or publicity but as someone concerned in the right thing to do."

"Against my will, the Ministry of Magic has denied my request for the closure of this school based on insufficient information or concern. Despite my efforts, the Ministry will not permit this. They do not want you to know or equally feel my concern, and as such they decide to keep you in the dark and not inform you of the situation. Based on our lack of intervention, our lack of action by our governing body, four students are forever silent except for words carved into their tombstones."

"I am here to inform you all, that I am suggesting you do not return to our school if you fear for your lives. If you believe that your family situation will deny you this request, then I will personally aid you to inform your guardians of this danger. I have closed the registration for new students to join our ranks; either this threat has been dealt with accordingly or in six years our halls will be empty but mentionably, safe."

"Notwithstanding, I know that certain students will take this warning as a challenge, and return with bright eyes and determination next Fall. Those that decide to once more return, I welcome you all with open arms, but do not make a decision hastily."

"In this hall, I wish to give you all a somber goodbye, and to remind you the many names and faces, and voices that are quiet now, and forever will be."

Dumbledore reached down with a wrinkled hand, raising a single goblet in a smooth movement. He held it aloft, glittering like a lighthouse to guide the way.

"To Ginny Weasley," He announced quietly, resonating the word echoed around the hall.

Two students raised goblets- Fred and George Weasley holding goblets aloft to the sky with blank expressions more unsettling than Dumbledore's words. As if a cue, Ron Weasley grabbed his cup, holding it up in a silent toast.

Gryffindor house joined in, select students holding cups with bated breaths.

"To Cedric Diggory," Dumbledore spoke, and this time a black haired student from Ravenclaw thrust her cup upwards with an expression of anger.

Others followed, the house Hufflepuff with select older students from other houses."

"To Suzie Forestar." Dumbledore announced, this time his eyes shifting to the Slytherin table were sure enough, glasses were lifting quietly into the air.

"To Luna Lovegood."

Ravenclaws lifted their glasses, eyes downcast hiding shame. Skylar Potter lifted his goblet, quiet and burning with anger.

"To all of those who we will not let fade to the dark, and who we, along with their memories, will burn bright. Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy, and what is right."


"Well...you see…"

"What is it Luna?"

"You're not unlovable, silly. Because I love you."


End of Part Two