Chapter Eight: The Plot Darkens

Vexter Donnigen walked down the dark alleys of Ringgold, his wand out. He had been called here by a nameless dark witch, and was wary of anything said witch might be trying to pull off.

Vexter had been thrown out of Southeast Salem in his sixth year after he was caught practicing dark magic. His wand had been snapped, and most of his memory erased. After an encounter with a dementor, though, he remembered it all. And he was ready for revenge.

He had found a new wand and a new identity in the wizarding world. He had obtained a job at a nearby library, and was there able to teach himself what he would have learned in his seventh year, and more besides. Including some dark magic from the old Salem incident.

The Donnigens were involved in the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Vexter had done a good bit of research on his family tree, and most of his family had been some of the Dark Convene back then. What he couldn't find was how they had survived.

He turned into another dark alley, and came to where he had been told to come. He was a bit surprised that there were more than one mages here. He had suspected something of the sort, but had dismissed the possibility. Apparently he had been wrong to do so.

"Now that the last of our number is here, I can begin," Said the witch, the one who had invited them all to join her.

"Our number?" One of the younger witches gathered there asked. "I haven't signed on with anyone yet, and I won't until I'm sure there's something to be gained in doing so." Most of the people there murmured their agreeance with this statement. Vexter kept silent.

"Suit yourself," The nameless witch shrugged, her black cloak rippling about her.

Another of the younger members, a male this time, said, "I won't follow you until you have given us something to call you by." The witch shrugged again. "I am Sarah Wildes. I prefer to be called Wildes."

Someone in the crowd yelled in protest. "Sarah Wildes was hanged during the Witch Trials." Someone else, a female this time, stated, "Then you'd be my great great, add some more greats, grandmother!"

Vexter looked on in shock at Wildes. She didn't look to be old enough to be anyone's grandmother, much less this mid-age person.

Wildes shrugged. "I'll not deny that I was hanged. It was July nineteenth, sixteen ninety-two. By the way, what year is it now?" Someone was able to stammer out a, "Two thousand four,"

Wildes looked a bit more energized. "So," She said, "It's been over three hundred years since I last walked this earth." She said with wonder. Several of the people present backed up, and one turned and ran.

Wildes' wand, a spindly black thing, came to her hand and she waved it in the direction of the fleeing person, and muttered, "Avada Kedavra," There was a bright flash of green light, and the fleeing person was keeled over dead.

"Any others of you want to leave?" Wildes asked. No one did, and a few shook their heads. "Explain to us how you're here," One of them said.

"Gladly," Began the witch. "Before they hanged me, I prepared a potion that would keep me from needing to breath. Apparently it worked, though it had some unseen side effects. From what I can gather, it kept me in a stasis over the years. They must have brought my body down here to bury."

Vexter stepped forward from his place in the back of the crowd, and kneeled. "I promise my service to you." Wildes looked particularly pleased. "The rest of you will kneel and promise the same," She commanded. Everyone present did so.

"Now, we must go to Salem and resurrect the Raven."

"Who is this person?" Vexter asked. Wildes looked at him appraisingly. "Since you promised your service first, you will be my second in command." She turned and pressed a brick in the wall of the building she had had her back to. Part of the wall slid aside to reveal stairs going down.

She went down, and the rest of them followed. It seemed they were in a very spacey tomb. "This is where I was buried," She told them.

Wildes jumped up on top of her coffin and sat cross-legged. She didn't seem to appear very evil. She must have been, though, to know of such an evil potion as the one she had brewed. Things that preserved life over its normal span were outlawed, though that didn't stop some people.

And she must have been powerful as well. That potion had kept her alive over three hundred years. And she had muttered a killing curse. Most people had to yell to get it to work.

"Raven was our leader during the Great Trials." She said. "We must resurrect her so that we can get our revenge on the descendants of those who murdered us!"

"Hannah, are you alright?" Anna asked, hovering over Hannah. They were both working on some particularly hard potions homework, and Hannah hadn't moved for a while.

Hannah shook her head to clear it of her daydream. "I've got to go see the headmaster," She said. Anna shrugged as Hannah dazedly left the common room of house Gente. One of the boys in her year came to sit by her.

"You want to go to the dance with me?" He asked. "I don't even know you," Anna told him. The boy shrugged. "I'm Wallace Hodes, aka Wall. Now you do know me." Anna smirked.

"I'll go to the dance with you, then." Wall smiled.

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Hannah passed the Transfiguration teacher in the hall, a Chinese wizard named Chang Ling, and asked, "Where is the headmaster's office?" He turned to her, smiling. "Up those stairs. He's the last room on your right." He told her.

Hannah muttered, "Thank you," And followed his instructions.

When she got to the headmaster's office she found him talking to himself. "We have a visitor," He said. His voice changed slightly. "I know we do." The other voice said, "I'll handle the talking."

"What do you want?" Coko asked with a smile. Hannah normally would have stuttered, but given the seriousness of her vision, was not amused by the crazy headmaster.

"I've had a vision," She told him. "Let's here it then," He said.

Hannah told him of the vision.

"Could you please check into it?" She asked. "Ringgold is where my parents live. Don't let anything happen to them." Coko smiled and nodded.

"Even though they're there right now, they likely won't stay there for long. They talked about going to Salem, did they not?" He asked. Hannah nodded.

"Where is she buried?" Vexter asked. They were standing in the middle of an evil-looking forest. Most of the trees had slash marks across them, and there were no leaves on them, letting Vexter see the clouded sky.

"Somewhere in this forest," Wildes responded. "Do you want to split up?" Vexter asked. "No," Wildes said, "You probably wouldn't recognize her burial site if we found it." Vexter was a bit insulted, but held back his comments.

"What is it?" The headmaster asked. Hannah shook her head. "Another vision." Coko nodded. "What happened?" He asked. "Vexter and Wildes were in a forest, looking for Raven's burial site." She responded. Coko nodded. "I see."

He stood. "Well," He said, "I'll check on it. Meanwhile, don't worry about it. Get yerself a partner for the dance." Hannah blushed and left the headmaster's office.

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A few days later was the first visit to the goblin village in the mushroom forest. All years were aloud to come, regardless of whether or not they had permission or not. Coko was a bit lax when it came to the safety of the students.

Seth and Chanteau were sitting in the local bar, sipping on their drinks. While Seth was drinking a perfectly legal drink for his age, Chanteau had a cup of wine. The goblins in the village didn't care whether or not the students were of age or not. Seth and Chanteau were sitting alone, though the bar around them was full of people.

Madison walked into the bar, without Angelique, thankfully, and ordered a drink. He looked around, and spotted Seth and Chanteau.

"Off snogging, were you?" Chanteau asked, a bemused grin on her face. "I was not off snogging," Madison said, a perfectly bland look on his face. Chanteau smirked, thinking of the question she was going to ask Madison. She wasn't serious about it, but wanted to see the reaction. She had told Seth what she was going to ask, and he leaned forward to hear better.

"Do you want to dance with me at the dance?" Chanteau asked. "WHAT?!" Madison asked, jumping up, and causing people all around him to stare.

He paused and looked around at all the faces staring at him, then sat down, not embarrassed in the slightest. "That wasn't nice," He told Chanteau, eliciting big bunches of laughter from his two friends.

"Angelique would kill me if she knew you asked," Madison said. Chanteau, still recovering from her fit of laughter, shook her head. "She wouldn't kill you." "Just beat you up." Seth put in. "And she wouldn't aim low," Chanteau added, causing Seth to go into another fit of laughter, and Madison to smile dryly.

"Most certainly not," He said.