The next morning, Emma woke up early again. Valkyrie was sleeping elegantly on her pillow, peaceful for once. Emma climbed out of bed silently, seeing the curtains of her three dormmates closed. She pulled on some clothes and her Ravenclaw scarf and pushed a book into her bag and tiptoed outside, down the stairs, and out into the grounds.

When she reached the lake, there was no one there. She wasn't sure of Rea would be coming for sure and so she sat down under a tree and opened her book. She checked over her shoulders and then began to read. It was a kind of ritual that she took whenever she read, mostly just because she almost always read illegal things. Stuff she found in her family library, things in the restricted section and books from Nocturne Ally that she had Perrin find for her since she was never allowed to go down that street.

For sometime now, the subject of her fascination had been animagi. She day-dreamed about perhaps becoming one and about what form she'd take. She'd read many books, but none about actually becoming an animagus, or the trials one would have to take.

She'd been reading for about fifteen minutes when a rustle in the tree's branches made her stop and shut the book. She stood up, trying to peer through the sparse leaves to see what it was. She didn't have to wait long. A sleek, black, falcon quickly spread its wings and took off into the distance. Emma watched it go as far as she could until it disappeared.

She slipped her book back into her bag and walked back along the grounds towards the castle. The clock on the Hogwarts tower told her it was fifteen minutes until breakfast. She went inside and sat down on the stairs. After a few moments of searching, she pulled a sheet of parchment from her bag and loading a quill with ink. Leaning on one of the steps, the peacock feather balanced in her hand, she checked around her again and began to write.

Dear Dad,

School is going well. Well, it's only been one day, but you know what I mean. Have made a new friend from Portugal who I met on the train. She wound up in hospital yesterday, so I took some of those Dawnbell flowers that Mum likes so much.

I write to you mostly to ask a question. I met a girl yesterday out by the lake called Aerienne Tooper and something about her seemed familiar. I thought it best to ask you, since you have the contacts.

Love to Perrin, Jordan, and everyone.

Love Emma

She waved the paper in the air to let the blue ink dry and then folded it up in her bag and went back up the stairs to change into her uniform and send her letter.

---

After dinner Emma stopped by the Hospital Wing. Gabriel was chatting happily with T, who's bed had been moved closer to hers so they could talk. Bri Eveane was not in her bed and Gabriel said she had not seen her all day.

Emma had homework for Snape so she apologised and told Gabriel she'd drop by just before curfew. Then she went back to the Ravenclaw and wrote out her ten-inch essay on the uses of fairy dust in the modern wizarding world. She didn't like the comercial focus of her essay but she didn't really care. She was already acing Potions. It was easy. She rolled up the parchment and left it in her bag. Valkyrie was washing herself by the common room fire. Emma patted her head and let the Prefect on duty know that she'd be back in ten minutes.

She tiptoed through the dark castle towards the dim light of the infirmary. When she entered Gabriel and T were both sleeping in the scarce light in the beds closest to door. Emma thought for a moment that she was late and it was already curfew, but then Madame Pomfrey appeared in the opposite door, the one going to her office and chambers and Emma dived behind Gabriel's bed incase she was seen.

"It's almost curfew, Mr. Cromwell, Miss Eveane. Lights out." she said.

"Five more minutes, Madame Pomfrey." Bri said. It was the calmest voice Emma had ever heard her use. "I swear that's all." The old nurse nodded and shut the door.

Emma looked up, over Gabriel and T's sleeping bodies and realized that the actual only light in the room was from a candle next to Bri's bed, the light of which was fractured around the room by a large, white screen which was used to block Bri off from the other two. Emma could understand the need for her privacy, she obviously inherited it from her father. From where she was she could see the sillohettes of both she and Liam without them seeing her. If she moved to the door they'd both see her. She could only sit and watch.

"You'd better go." Bri said. She was sitting up in her bed, Liam standing next to her. "I wouldn't want you to get more detention just because of me."

"I'm fine with getting detention." Liam said. It was also the calmest voice Emma'd heard him use. It was soft and poetic, quite difference than how she'd thought. They were both silent for a few moments.

"I'll be out tomorrow. I'll see you at breakfast." she said.

"I came by at lunch with Rea, you weren't here." Liam looked at her.

"I went for a walk." Bri said.

"You're under supervision, Bri." He snapped, not harshly. "T said you hadn't been there all day. He thought you were let out." They were both silent again.

"I can't talk about it, I'm sorry, Liam."

"It's fine, whatever."

"Don't get pissed at me." Bri said. Emma saw their shadows both look away from each other. "You should go now."

"Why? Hunter'll just bore me to tears with new tales of Vickers-Tooper-love-fest." Liam said, sounding like he was dreading the event. Bri laughed. "That's the first time I've heard you laugh in like... a year."

"It wasn't that funny." Bri said. "Okay. You should really go now." she said. She put an arm on his shoulder, pushing him towards the door. Liam didn't move.

"Kiss me goodnight first." he asked. Bri laughed again.

"You're joking." she said. Liam leaned over and kissed her. Emma bit her lip. She really shouldn't be watching this at all. What else could she do? Cover her eyes... not likely... "Liam, don't." she heard Bri say. It was like Emma had walked into the wrong film at a cinema... not that'd she'd ever been to a cinema before. She turned silently, watching their sillohettes again now that they were no longer kissing.

"What? Am I that repulsive?"

"No." Bri said very slowly, as if she was thinking what to say next. "It's just that... "

"That what?" he seemed to almost be making fun of her now, and she wasn't taking it badly.

"We're... very different." Bri sighed.

"Hardly." Liam said. "I think we're both pretty fucked up."

"That's not what I meant."

"Well... I'll let you think about it. I think we'd be good, Bri. Plus, you owe me an apology for calling me a bastard."

"Because I'm obviously the only person to ever call you one." Bri teased. The light from the nurse's office flickered. "Okay, you have to go now!" she said, slapping his arm. Their sillohettes hesitantly kissed each other goodnight again, then Liam's disappeared and Emma watched him walk towards the door, opened it and close it behind him. Bri sat for a moment, then turned off the lamp on her bedside.

Emma's neck felt stiff. She scrambled as quietly as possible to her feet and tiptoed towards the door.

"Give it up Beech, I know you're there." Bri's voice said smoothly, making her jump. A moment later the girl was standing in front of her bed in a white hospital night gown, her arms folded and her black eyes staring intently at Emma. "How long were you spying?"

"I didn't mean to. I just interupted and then... I thought it best not to-"

"Whatever. I don't really care. You were making so much noise anyway. I heard you breathing. I think Liam might of too." Bri sniffed.

"I'm sorry." Emma frowned, not knowing what else to say.

"You want to be an animagi?" Bri asked suddenly. Emma was taken aback.

"What? No... wait, -"

"I saw you this morning, reading under your tree." Bri grinned slightly, raising an eyebrow. She was waiting for Emma to guess. The only one watching had been that strange, dark, falcon. Emma mirrored the smile. Bri was testing her, allowing her to know her secret if she was smart enough.

"You're the falcon." she said.

"You're clever." Bri said. "But you tell anyone and I'll personally see that your crucified. No one knows. Just- nevermind." She unfolded her arms and pushed her hair behind her ears. She glanced over at T and Gabriel and bit her lip. Then she came closer to Emma and slipped into the corridor, beckoning the other girl to follow her with one finger.

"But... how did you become one?" Emma asked in a hushed whisper once they were in the privacy of the passageway.

"I taught myself. It's not impossible. Illegal of course, but what's the fun without." she smiled, becoming a little more comfortable. Emma bit her lip. Bri noticed. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You want me to help you don't you?"

"No."

"Yes, you do."

Emma and Bri held eye contact for a moment. Shaded blue eyes stared black-grey ones in the shadowy corridor. "I can tell you're lying." Bri said. Emma drew her eyes away.

"I do. But I won't ask." she said, turning on one foot and starting back to Southern Tower.

"Wait." She heard Bri said. So she stopped and turned around.

"If I help you, you have to do something for me." she said. Emma thought about this for a moment and decided she'd hear the price first.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet." Bri said with a smile. Emma weighed the odds in her mind. She really did have more power over Bri in this situation. If she threatened her with anything horrible she could spill Bri's secret, or send her father to her home in the country to confiscate all evidence of her being an animagi.

"Alright." she said.

"Fine." Bri said. "I'll have something more useful than your library books tomorrow." she said. "And I'll think about what you can do in return."

"Thanks." Emma smiled. To her surprise, the girl smiled back. It was a different smile. Happy, not supersticious, and it made her look very pretty. It was over in a second and Bri brushed back into the Hospital Wing, leaving Emma in the moving shadows of the trees outside.

Emma turned quietly, listening for prefects, and then ran to the staircase.

When she returned to the Southern Tower, a prefect was there to scold her, since she was, in fact, fourty-five minutes late than when she had said she'd return.

The prefect gave her one night's detention, reporting to Filch, and sent her to bed.