~~ Chapter Twenty-Four: Surprise! ~~

            Lydia Vierra, headmistress of Skyliner Wizarding Academy, was sitting at her desk going over some documents from the Swiss wizarding government.  The magical government in Switzerland wasn't particularly strong, and they frequently asked for her input.  In her opinion, magic and politics didn't mix, and she was never in a good mood when asked to do this.  She was a teacher, not a politician, and she wished they would realize that.

            All of a sudden, she sensed the presence of another person in the immediate vicinity, and mentally kicked herself for leaving her office door open.  She lifted her head, and was surprised to see not one, but four people standing in the doorway: two boys in their early teens and two men in their thirties.  One of the boys was short, with black hair and bright green eyes behind his glasses.  The other boy was a few inches taller, and had blonde hair and grey eyes.  One of the men bore a striking resemblance to the second boy, with blonde hair that reached just past his shoulders and the same eyes.  The second man had dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. "Can I help you?" Skyliner's puzzled headmistress asked.

            The blonde man stepped forward.  "I'm looking for someone," he said.  "A dear friend."

            "Really, now?"  Vierra pulled off her reading glasses and set them down on her desk.  "And just who might this 'dear friend' of yours be?"

            "Alina Terringer."

            Vierra felt her stomach jump into her throat as she realized who this man had to be.  She stood up and walked over to them.  "Lydia Vierra, headmistress of Skyliner," she said, extending her right hand.

            "Lucius Malfoy, man in love," he replied, shaking her hand.  "This is my friend Severus Snape, my son Draco, and his friend, Harry Potter.  Where is Alina?  Is she still here?"

            Vierra nodded.  "Oh yes, she's here, Mr. Malfoy.  This way."

"Any questions?"

            A girl in the third row raised her hand.  Alina Terringer made eye contact with the student and nodded.  "How many Masters of Musical Enchantment have there been?" she inquired.

            "Twenty-three, in recorded history," Alina answered.  "All but four have been female, and only twice did more than one walk the earth at once."

            "When was that?" asked a boy near the back of the room.

            "The first was in the time of the ancient Greeks," Alina said.  "There were three then: the Sirens.  Then, about a thousand years ago, the four greatest wizards that ever lived became Masters of Musical Enchantment.  Their names were Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin.  Yes, Mr. Lasselle?"

            A boy in the second row lowered his hand.  "Why were only four of them men?"

            "It comes easier to women for some reason.  No one knows why.  Ms. Benner?"

            "Who was the most powerful?" asked a girl in the front row.

            "Supposedly, Rowena Ravenclaw," Alina said.  "Historians believe that I may surpass her in ability someday, and I think that's all the time we have for today.  Enjoy the rest of your classes."

            Once all the students had left the room, Alina walked over to the door, watched them go down the hall, then closed the door and walked back to the front of the room.  She let out a long sigh and rubbed her temples with her fingertips.  She was pressing so hard that it was beginning to hurt, so one hand went down to her hip and the other to her forehead.  Upon reaching the front row, she stopped walking and laid down on the tables, looking up at the ceiling.  She could only imagine how silly she looked, but at that moment, she didn't really care.

            Alina hated talking about her own competence in her field, and that was why she had dismissed class almost five minutes early.  Musical Enchantment wasn't just an area of study; it was a life.  No, she told herself.  It's not a life.  It's a curse.  A curse that consumes every inch of your soul until there's nothing left, and when that happens, it feeds off those around you.  That was why her life was like this, why she was alone.

            She closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks.  Almost involuntarily, she began singing a soft lament that conveyed the heartache and frustration she felt with her life.  Happiness had been so close… how could it have vanished in just seconds?

            "That's odd," Vierra commented as she saw some thirty-five students walk past the five of them on their way to the Musical Enchantment classroom.  "Class isn't out for another five minutes, and Alina has the fourth-years right now."

            "Do you think something's wrong?" asked Harry.

            Considering Alina's behavior and attitude toward life as of late, she wasn't too sure.  Vierra took a deep breath and said, "I hope not."

            They reached their destination, and stopped walking just outside the door.  Lucius reached for the door handle, then stopped.  "I don't know if I can do this," he said.

            Snape let out a groan.  "Bloody hell, Lucius!  You didn't drag us all the way to Switzerland just so you could wimp out right when you're about to see her again!  Open the damned door!"

            Harry and Draco looked at each other and tried not to laugh.

            Lucius almost smiled at his friend's outburst.  He opened the door, but as soon as he did, the sound of Alina's lament hit his eardrums, and he collapsed to the floor as it felt as though his heart was being ripped out of his body.  It was a sadness unlike any he had ever felt before, and he was overcome with so much anguish that he wanted to die.  When death did not come, he just felt even worse, and he started clawing at his wrists.  Soon, his fingernails broke skin and drew blood.

            When Draco saw his father collapse and then begin to mutilate himself, he grabbed Harry's arm and clenched it tightly.  "What's happening?" he asked.  He, Harry, Snape, and Vierra were feeling some of the effects of the lament, but not like Lucius.

            "The lament," Vierra realized.  "He's the source of her pain.  Get him out of there before he kills himself!"

            Snape grabbed onto Lucius and lifted him to his feet.  "Come on, Lucius," he said.  "Snap out of it!"

            All the commotion had caught Alina's attention, and her song stopped.  "What's happening?" she asked, sitting up.  Then, she saw Snape, Lucius, Harry, and Draco, and she ran to the front of the room.  "No!" she cried when she saw what Lucius had done to himself.  "Lucius, no!"

            Still under the effects of the spell, Lucius looked at her with tears in his eyes, and lifted a shaking hand toward her.  "I'm sorry," he said.  "Kill me… just kill me… I don't deserve to live."

            "You don't know what you're talking about," Alina said.  "You're incapable of coherent thought."

            He shook his head.  "No, Alina, for the first time in my life, I'm thinking more coherently than I ever have before."

            Alina was torn between being delighted to see them and devastation over driving Lucius to this.  Most of her pain was centered around him, and for him to hear the lament was downright dangerous.  There was no telling what he would do as long as he was under the influence of this spell.

            "What happened, Alina?" Snape asked through clenched teeth in his struggle to hold Lucius still.

            "The lament drove him mad," she said, "but there's no time to explain.  We've got to get him to medical and put him under constant surveillance before he kills himself."

            It took Snape and two other full-grown men to subdue Lucius and get him into a hospital bed.  Snape had to knock him out with Sleeping Draught before they were finally able to succeed in the task.  Now Lucius was asleep, and Snape, Alina, Harry, Draco, and Vierra were standing around the bed.  Snape was the first to ask the question they were all thinking about.  "How long is he going to be like this, Alina?"

            She shook her head sadly.  "I don't know.  It may be a few days.  I've never actually seen this happen before."

            "Isn't there a counter-lament you can do or something?" asked Harry.

            "Laments are complex spells, Harry," Alina said.  "All they do to most people is make them feel a little sad for a few moments, but if it is heard by the person who is the source of the caster's pain, then it drives that person mad.  It's not permanent, of course, but I don't know how long it will be in effect."  She glanced at Lucius for a moment, then lifted her eyes to Snape.  "What are you four doing here, anyway?"

            Snape couldn't help smiling a little bit as he answered the question.  "We came for you."

            "You what?"

            "We came for you," Snape said again.  "Lucius was going crazy from missing you, so we decided to come here so he could apologize and hopefully get you to come back with us."

            "So will you come?" Draco asked.

            Alina looked at Vierra, but the Skyliner headmistress spoke before Alina's question could be asked.  "You've done enough, Professor Terringer, and thank you," she said.  "You can leave whenever you're ready."

            "Then it's settled," Alina said.  "We'll leave as soon as Lucius comes to his senses."  She looked at Snape and smiled.  "Severus, you are a wonderful friend.  Thank you."

            "It was nothing," Snape mumbled, blushing slightly.  "Don't mention it."

            Eko Chang couldn't believe his ears.  Lucius Malfoy?  Lucius Malfoy was behind the attacks?  No, that didn't make any sense.  And yet, in his hand, he held documentation that proved Lucius was their man.  The evidence was overwhelming, and it all fit into place.

            "Should I give the order, sir?" Kilner asked.

            Chang's instincts told him this couldn't be true, but Lucius was not known for being an honest man.  It was entirely possible that he had been deceiving them all along.  The Minister of Magic closed his eyes and nodded once.  "Give the order," he said.  "I want him arrested and then brought to me."

            When Lucius Malfoy awoke, the first thing he thought of was Alina.  The second thing to cross his mind was why he was tied to a bed.  The last thing he could remember was hearing Alina's voice and then becoming so overcome by sadness that he tried to kill himself.  That would explain why he was in the bed, but what about Alina?  Where was she?  And why was he tied up?  He struggled to get up, but the ropes that held him in place were too strong.

            "You're awake."

            Lucius recognized the voice at once, and turned his head toward the direction it came from.  "Alina?"

            She smiled at him.  "Hi."  She was alone.  Vierra had gone back to her office, Snape was off talking to Skyliner's Potions instructor, and Harry and Draco were checking out the Quidditch team.  Lucius had been unconscious for almost four hours.

            He was so overjoyed that he didn't even know where to begin.  "Alina, I'm sorry," he said.  "Will you ever fo-"

            He was cut off when her left index finger pressed against his lips.  "It's all right," she said.  "Everything's all right.  It's time to put all of this behind us."

            She pulled her hand away, and then leaned down and kissed him.  "I've missed you," she said when the kiss ended.

            "I've missed you, too."  He glanced from side to side, and then looked at Alina with a hopeful expression on his face.  "Alina?"

            "Yes, Lucius?"

            "Do you think you could untie me?"

            The next day, after traveling by train, boat, and train again, Lucius, Alina, Draco, Harry, and Snape arrived in London.  Snape wanted to stop by the Ministry of Magic headquarters to see if the Loch Lomond operation had been successful, and the others, being curious about it as well, decided to go along with him.  However, within seconds after stepping off the train, something happened that none of them expected.

            Without any warning, three wizards wearing black cloaks with the hoods down appeared, and two of them grabbed Lucius.  "What's going on?" he asked, struggling to break free of their grip.

            "Aurors," Snape realized.  He'd had plenty of run-ins with Aurors during his days as a Death Eater, and still carried a certain dislike and fear of them.

            "That's right," the third Auror said.  "By the order of Nathaniel Kilner, under permission from Eko Chang, we are placing you, Lucius Malfoy, under arrest."

            "What for?" Alina demanded.

            An amused smirk crossed the face of the third Auror.  "Murder and treason."

A/N: Yeah, I had to throw in the Founders… what can I say, they interest me, but you probably already knew that.  Anyhoo, that's Chapta 24 for ya.  Do you want a happy or tragic ending?  I need to know soon.  Thanks for reading.  Stay tuned for our next installment, in which Hogwarts reopens and – what's this?  Does Professor Trelawney actually get a prediction right?  Whoa…