Chapter 11- Kevin Tries to Keep his Big Mouth Shut: Away from Death by Lena

Disclaimer: All characters from Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and the songs are I Swear by All-4-One and The Sign by Ace of Base.

Kevin was much more comfortable walking around the Beauxbatons Palace by mid-November. On the twentieth, he and Dennis were heading for the Dining Hall, when they heard a soft voice singing from down a hall to their right. In no hurry to get to dinner, the two boys decided to explore.

"Did I ever tell you about Dawn's dream last week?" Dennis asked Kevin for what had to be the fiftieth time that week.

"Yes, you had the same dream, only from different views," Kevin rolled his eyes. He then remembered he had told his sister about the coincidence earlier that morning after she interrogated him about why Dennis knew one of Dawn's dreams. "Uh… Dennis… I kind of… is that Lena?"

The two boys had stopped outside of what they assumed was a classroom because it was the source of the music. They peered in through the window to see a beautiful figure with flowing red hair dancing. Indeed, it was Lena, only without her three inch heels and not being soaked thoroughly in a thin white shirt, she didn't look quite as intimidating as she had every other time Kevin had seen her so far that year. Her shoes and cloak were sitting on a desk near the door and she danced barefoot on the tile floor.

She sang a song that was familiar to Kevin and he realized he had heard it on the radio while on his way to Kings Cross Station while his sister sang along. He knew very few Muggle songs, but this one he had heard many times. Theresa had worshipped it the past few summers, excluding the last.

"I swear, by the moon and the stars in the sky, I'll be there.

And I swear, like the shadow that's by your side, I'll be there.

For better or worse, till death do us part,

I'll love you with every beat of my heart.

And I swear."

Kevin and Dennis watched, entranced. Lena danced with perfect grace, and sang like a Muse. After she finished singing, she slowly stopped dancing. Kevin grew worried, not that she would find them, but that she would stop and not pick it up again. Almost as if he willed her to, she began humming again and danced, slightly faster than a moment ago.

"Shock!

I got a new life
You would hardly recognize me
I'm so glad
How can a person like me care for you
Why do I bother
When you're not the one for me
Is enough enough
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign."

As she continued, she glanced at the door and immediately stopped. Her eyes widened; no one was supposed to see her performance. Kevin looked at Dennis, who had backed away from the window at the end of the last song and was waiting for Kevin to finish.

"Run!" Kevin shrieked in an oddly high voice for him even.

Dennis jumped up and the two boys sprinted down the hall in the opposite direction than they had come from. After three minutes straight of running, Dennis stopped and looked behind them. No one was following.

"Where are we?" Kevin asked between deep breaths.

"Away from 'Death by Lena,'" Dennis replied already breathing normally.

"Do you know our way back?" Kevin asked.

"Not a clue," Dennis said. He looked out a window and saw the lake. "We're on the East Side of the castle, so we need to head west. Let's start heading back and if we get lost…"

"Which we will."

"We'll use a pointing spell to send us west," Dennis finished. "Or, as long as we can find our way back to the first level, we could jump out a window and walk around the outside of the palace to the front door again."

"Then let's find a staircase."

The boys set out to navigate the palace, which turned out to be no easy task. They tried to ask many portraits, but none spoke English, and the two boys didn't speak French. After twenty minutes of wandering the halls, the boys finally found a staircase and found themselves on the first level of the palace.

"Let's just jump out this window," Dennis said. "I can see the lake from here, so we're only on the side of the castle." Dennis pried the window open and climbed out. Dennis looked around as Kevin made his way out the window. It slammed shut as soon as Kevin's feet were on the ground. Dennis jumped at the sound.

"Why are you so nervous?" Kevin asked as he began to walk toward the front of the castle.

"What are you doing?" Dennis whispered.

"Going toward where there will be food," Kevin said.

"You will be food if you keep moving," Dennis said. He was looking out at the field as if there was a herd of hungry beasts grazing the grass.

"What are you talking about?" Kevin asked.

"The Thestrals," Dennis whispered. "Don't you… no, you wouldn't."

"Thestrals as in the invisible horse things?" Kevin asked. Dennis nodded. "Are they ugly?" Dennis nodded. "Are they coming toward us?" Dennis nodded once again.

"Don't move Kevin," Dennis said. Slowly, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at an angle in the air. A large steak appeared in the air and fell fifty meters away from them. After a moment Dennis sighed and began running. "They're distracted, let's move."

"What are those doing here?" Kevin asked once they were walking through the granite doors of the palace, a second time.

"They could be for the first task," Dennis said. "I'm sure they don't randomly keep those on the grounds. Also, the first task measures daring, and it would be fairly daring to mess with a Thestral, especially a whole herd of them."

"What about Maximus and Gage?" Kevin asked. He stopped walking and continued, "can they see Thestrals?"

"I don't know," Dennis replied. He walked past Kevin. "I never thought to ask."