Sipping on a hot cup of tea in a small, murky hostel room in a nearby village, Stella ran the surreal events of that morning in her mind. She couldn't believe her luck. The fact that this quirky Englishman had been in the cave to save her – the fact that he knew exactly how to save her – was still rather incomprehensible. And yet, she failed the task she'd set out to achieve. Stella couldn't find her husband in that damned cave. Couldn't make sure he was safe and sound. He was probably dead by now. Dragged to the bottom of the dark cavern by those things. She couldn't bear the thought of it. Couldn't bear the thought of Omer not being there for her in her –

"I didn't see anybody else in there you know…" said the auburn-haired boy called Rasmi, as if reading Stella's mind.

Stella looked up at him and his 2 companions: another English boy about the same age as Rasmi and a beautiful dark haired Bulgarian woman that appeared to be slightly older than the other two. The three of them sat on a bed right across from her, politely waiting for the warm beverage to take effect on her bearing. The mysterious trio had managed to bring Stella up to their room at this hostel they stayed in. Though she had been half-conscious up until that point, Stella had still managed to observe that they were an odd bunch. Speaking casually – almost academically – about such things as what horrible curses lay within the cave and how he must have gotten his inspiration from this place. Who he was Stella couldn't figure out.

"You – er – didn't?" She replied hesitantly.

"Nope," clarified Rasmi. "Not a living soul but you and I, love."

"Wh – what does that mean?"

"Well, you must've noticed the inferi right? I mean they grabbed you pretty tight by the time I got to you!" He chuckled at her.

Stella wasn't in the mood for this boy's cheerfulness.

"Those were inferi? But I thought…"

"That they couldn't speak? Or conduct themselves properly? Yes, so did we," said the other English boy. He was rather skinny and quite taller than his companions.

"But it seems that these are not the conventional kind of inferi," said the girl. "Ve think it is a more ancient and complex form, capable of speech and some amount of free vill."

"Did you understand what they said to you?" Asked the tall boy.

"No… he… he spoke Turkish… I can't really understand it…" mumbled Stella.

"Not Turkish, love, Greek," said Rasmi with another one of his satisfied smiles. "The ancient kind, I'm afraid. This cave is an old one alright."

Stella looked at him puzzled.

"I taught myself a little, knowing I'd be visiting these parts," he explained. "I believe he said something of the 'she'll join us in the deep' sort when he grabbed you. At least from what I could tell."

Stella kept looking at him befuddled. Rasmi returned her stare with a mildly amused one of his own.

After a few moments of silence, Stella finally blurted out the question that had been burning inside her for the past hour or so: "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

The trio laughed and looked at each other.

"Right, right of course," chuckled Rasmi (who seemed to be the leader of the group despite being the youngest looking), "you're probably REALLY confused. My name is Erasmus van Helmont – though as you've probably guessed by now, I prefer to go by Rasmi – and I am a recent Hogwarts graduate on a traditional world-spanning post-studies tour. My two friends over here are Alexander Fawley – another fellow Hogwarts alum – and Nina Petrova – our recently acquainted Bulgarian witch of impressive talent that was kind enough to join us for this portion of our trip."

Stella wasn't sure if she liked this Rasmi character. Even though he'd saved her from what would surely have been a horrible fate, he seemed quite cocky and condescending. Though she did feel like most boys of his age group – at least ones that displayed superior talent – would act the same.

"But… why are you here specifically? And what were you doing in that cave?" Asked Stella, still wondering as to what brought this odd bunch to this remote location.

"Well, we could ask you the same question Ms.…?"

"Bergman," replied Stella. "Stella Bergman. I was looking for my husband Omer. We work for the Marine and Avian Creature Sanctuary nearby and he went exploring in that cave…"

"Despite you asking him not to, right?" Said Rasmi in that same slightly condescending tone.

"How…"

"I'm a very good people reader, Stella."

His lanky friend Alex snorted and explained "He's just an annoyingly skilled Legilimens. You get used to it. Or rather, you get used to blocking it."

Rasmi chuckled at that.

"But seriously now, you seemed to have encountered that inferius child in the cave before. How come?"

"I… he came to my house a couple of times I – Wait, you could see him too?"

"Well, it was pretty dark in there, but I'd say that yeah I could very much see both of the nasty pale figures you were having that little hugging match with."

"But… Omer couldn't see him when he attacked me…"

"I see. And forgive me for asking, but how much do you trust this bloke?"

"What – you mean my husband?"

"Yep."

"Of course I trust him!" Retorted Stella indignantly. "I've known him for years! He's always been kind, patient, and supportive with me. What the hell are you suggesting?"

"Well, Stella," continued Rasmi in that same annoyingly calm tone, "I'm suggesting that he may have gone into that cave on purpose just to lure you into it."

"Why in Merlin's pants would he do that?" Stella was now getting truly mad at this idiotic boy. Barely a thin fuzz of a mustache on his adolescent face, and he thinks he's got it all figured out. Thinks he knows her own husband – whom he's never met – better than her.

"I could hazard a guess."

"Oh, you could, could you?"

"All I'm saying is, if he's been nothing but supportive and patient with you, going into the cave despite you begging him not to would be quite out of character, wouldn't it? Is it possible that he'd been faking his interest in you just so he could get you here? How long have you been living here until things started to get weird?"

"I…"

Stella was speechless. It wasn't possible. Not Omer. You couldn't fake love like that. They were such a great match. He was the perfect man for her. Perhaps… almost too perfect?

"Let me ask you another question, whenever that creepy little inferius appeared at your house, was it right before Omer showed up? Were you alone with no other witnesses? Was he there just in time to fully deny he ever saw th – "

"Enough!" Yelled Stella as she got up from the bed she'd been sitting on, slamming her mug on the bedside table. "I won't sit here and let you make speculations like that about my husband!"

"Look, Stella just listen to what I'm trying to say here – "

"No! I don't want to listen to some smug teenager talk nonsense about Omer. Thank you for saving me. I would like to go home now. If, as you say, he wasn't in the cave today that means he listened to me and went to work, so he'll be home soon. Goodbye."

"But then why would he make you think that he went in the – "

Stella didn't catch the end of Rasmi's sentence as she'd already been mid-apparition back to her home.

Reappearing at the front of her home on the cool, tall, cliff observing the Aegean Sea, Stella raised her wand again to unlock the door to her living room. As she entered the house the worried face of Omer greeted her from atop the large sofa.