Luna was far from amused as she perched herself atop the flames inside the Ravenclaw common room fireplace. Her Housemates looked like she'd gone insane, not that they didn't already think it anyway, but the way that the flames licked at her skin and clothes without setting anything aflame had their eyes on her more than usual. The content of her thoughts revolved around the rather mysterious way that Milenko had been avoiding her. Perhaps avoiding was not the right word but he had spent far less time than normal, not that there was so much time spent between them regardless.

"Ms. Lovegood!"

Silvery-blue eyes shot over to where she saw her Head of House looking at her with concern showing in his eyes. "What?! It's rude to interrupt people when they're thinking!" she snapped with a narrowed gaze.

To call Filius Flitwick beyond concerned and shocked with Luna's behavior was an understatement. Of all the students in his House, Luna was his favorite from the moment he saw her intelligence spike up in her first year. He was aware of the sheer brilliance she possessed, both booksmarts and people intelligence, yet it seemed that since the beginning of the year she was starting to come apart at the seams. Her temper was becoming notoriously short and the last person to try bullying her, something he tried numerous times to intervene in but was blocked from by Albus citing childish troublemaking was something bound to happen no matter what academic setting you were in, nearly had a knife the girl conjured shoved into their neck. "Ms. Lovegood, I must insist that you come out from there right now. It simply isn't safe."

"This school isn't safe, sir." There was a hint of snideness to Luna's words as she added the 'respectful' term with an audible reluctance. "A literal death trap that was on the Third Floor three years ago guarded by a cerberus, a Class XXXXX dangerous and 'Dark' creature. A death trap that the Headmaster announced to the school at large at the Opening Feast."

There was an unease that spread across the common room.

"Students being petrified left and right by a mysterious monster in my first year. A horde of Dementors posted on the school that nearly sucked out the soul of Rosalind Potter last year. Now this, a tournament that was killed off two centuries ago because two thirds of the champions were either killed during the perilous trials they faced or killed themselves afterwards because they were maimed beyond the spectrum of Healing Magics capabilities." There was a scoff as Luna glared at Cho Chang across the common room. "I have nothing to say and you have no control of me other than being an academic overseeing my education. You do nothing to protect your students when they terrorize others under your so-called 'care' and don't give a dragons dung about us so spare me your diatribe." Silvery-blue orbs dared the quarter-goblin to defy her by saying anything against the truths she spoke.

Flitwick couldn't rebut Luna in any way since it was the truth. Well, most of it was true save for the bullying situation; his hands were tied by Dumbledore on that front without an avenue of recourse that wouldn't risk his job. He went to open his mouth to speak but Luna was gone in a flash of fire before everyone's eyes.

Milenko twirled the golden egg in front of him with a furrowed brow. While the unwashed masses had cowered and ran from the screaming of his clue egg, he himself was far more invested into what the poemed clue meant. It was obvious that there would be a hostage situation in a body of water, most likely their big lake, but who would be his hostage? Most of the people he interacted with were the Dark Carnival and seldomly the blonde Hogwarts witch Luna. Off hand he could think of three instances of being in her company so that made her the most unlikely candidate for his hostage. Of course, it also made her the most likely candidate since there was no way in the nine circles of Hell's Pit the members of the Dark Carnival would be his hostage since he hated them all with an unholy fury.

"Milen-"

"Riddle, if you don't tell me exactly what you want in the next five seconds I swear to the Fallen One I am going to tear you apart muscle by muscle. Once I finish tearing you apart I will categorically take your organs and preserve them into spirit jars. Of course, I'll leave your head intact to let you watch your pathetic magic struggle to reunite the parts of your body."

"Ringmaster-"

Milenko waved a hand at Riddle carelessly dropping the woman to the floor as he flooded her veins with agony unlike she ever felt before. "I don't care what that faggoty ass dipshit wants. I have far more important things to attend to if you can't see" he scoffed with a motion to the floating egg. "My act is not for an hour so drag you pain addicted slut ass out of my tent before I decide to tear out your ovaries and make you eat them!"

Riddle dragged herself out of the tent while clutching her chest.

"Even immortals do not have the common sense to listen huh?"

Milenko turned his head to look at the new voice and saw the blonde witch Luna leaning in the entryway to his tent. "No, too many centuries alive and you begin to believe yourself a higher power. The last immortal before Riddle believed himself to be a god and that he was untouchable." He turned his gaze back to the egg before floating it into his lap. "I tore him into one hundred equal pieces and put them in a blender. Saved his heart for last after engraving certain runes into the still beating organ. He died screaming bloody murder and cursing my name before his spirit was no more."

"Have you fallen to that hubris yet, Milenko?" Luna asked taking a few steps into the tent but remained a respectful distance away. Cordial he might have been the last few times but he was still a malefic entity that took over the body of Harry Potter. A malefic entity that was at least a millennia old at that.

"Once upon a time. Two centuries old and the object of worship by a cult of devoted worshippers. Then the Crusades happened and my host body was torn apart by 'Holy Knights of God'" Milenko spat. "Two centuries of schemes and machination undone by stupid Christian Zealots being commanded by corrupted so called Popes and Bishops who were guilty of the sins they were trying to stamp out!" The temperature briefly plummeted below zero before balancing out. "But you didn't come here to listen to me rant about the past now did you?" he asked rhetorically.

"No, not quite though I'm certain that they'd be quite interesting to listen to. What I came to inquire about is your lack of presence despite the appointments made."

Milenko's eyebrow furrowed further for a moment before his head turned to fully meet Luna's gaze. "I sent those little gremlins your kind uses as slaves with regards I could not make the appointments. Not for lack of trying but rather dealing with this" he made a motion toward the egg "and this" he said making a wider sweeping hand motion like he was gesturing to the carnival grounds.

"Those gremlins are called House Elves."

"They are grotesque little abominations so they are therefore gremlins. Little fuckers don't know what it means to go away if it was branded into their flesh with Hellfire."

Luna fought the urge to argue semantics, because their was most certainly a difference between gremlins and House Elves, but there was a reason she had come to see the mad mage. "This isn't entirely a social call Milenko. There was an announcement made about the tournament that you need to be made aware of."

Milenko arched an eyebrow. "An announcement you say? Wonder if they forgot to tell me deliberately... Most likely" he answered himself with a contemplative expression. "So what is this announcement that I must be made aware of?"

"There is apparently a tradition of a Yuletide Ball that all the Champions must attend with a date. They must open the Yuletide Ball with their date."

Milenko looked disgusted at the very mention of a ball on Yule. "They're trying to kill me aren't they? All that foul White Magic will try to burn me alive" he said with a sneer curling his lip fiercely.

"Will it work?

"Of course it won't!" Milenko nearly snarled at Luna but refrained from doing so. Scaring off the blonde witch would mean less entertainment for himself. "It'll equal the death of the White Fairies powering the spells. My foul aura will overpower them to the point they either turn or drop dead. If things go as I suspect they will, I'll have a dead student of your school at my feet bleeding to death for a stunt they pulled shortly after I arrived here."

Luna's brow furrowed at that. Someone tried to ensnare Milenko with White Magic after his arrival? Who would be so stupid to do that?

"And no, you are not going as my date" Milenko said seeing the look cross Luna's face.

"What made you think I was going to ask that question?"

"I've killed enough Alpha's and Supreme's to have mastered the Seven Wonders Rites before I extinguished those fucking covens who dared stand against me. Daughters and Sons of Salem, they were jokes of the highest order! Concilium is far more powerful than that watered down piece of shit Legilimency, mind control and mind reading in the same spell" Milenko said turning to look back at his egg. "Plus I have my suspicions about what the next task is and the implications about the Yuletide Balls true intention is. Here's a hint: it's not just a party for the world to see."

Luna looked intrigued at that and decided to let the subject lie. Milenko was far, far older than her and had seen more than her to know when things were not as they seem. "Anything I can do to assist your preparations for the Second Task then?" she asked taking a seat on a cushion.

"Tell me what you know about the beings that reside in that lake on this property."

Within Dumbledore's office he frowned thoughtfully at the tournament officials. They were speculating on hostages despite the strategy to choosing said hostages was to see whom the Champions brought to the ball planned for Christmas day.

"The demon possessed boy isn't going to bring anyone. He probably won't even show!"

This declaration made the ancient wizard sigh in annoyance. "He must show Barty, he is bound by the tournament contract that went into effect the moment his name came out of the goblet" Dumbledore said kneading his temples. "His name is Harry Potte-"

"That thing is not my son!"

All eyes turned to look at James Potter hatred filled face. While the rooms occupants could understand the fury at what had happened, it only happened because they failed to listen when warned.

"James, your son is still in there. No soul can be driven away without access to a very select few spells and those were lost eons ago. Even the earliest covens in this country of ours know the spells mentioned vaguely in legends, nothing more."

"Believe what you will but if that thing comes near my family I'll murder it myself, consequences be damned! It's already cursed and disfigured my daughter for the rest of her natural life. It's already nearly killed me, my wife and my daughter. It deserves to die!" James hissed before storming out of the office, the door slamming shut violently behind him. Why Dumbledore asked him to be there he didn't know but the fact that the topic of conversation was that monster enraged him royally.

The remaining persons in the room looked at Dumbledore with unreadable expressions. "Why did you think it was a good idea to have Lord Potter here after all that was done by the monster that calls itself Milenko? Lord Potter has every right to be beyond enraged and swear death upon the vessel body regardless of the fact that it is his flesh and blood sons body."

Dumbledore leaned forward a touch with his chin resting on his folded together hands. "Because, I think I know how to ensure all the Champions safety and exercise the demon that has taken a hold of young Mr. Potter's body. Unfortunately, I need James' help as Lord Potter. If he doesn't come around then the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts and the other schools will be held accountable for the atrocities that are bound to happen. The murder of the dragon and her children are only the beginning I fear. I have seen evil like this twice before and the whole world suffered because of it" he said grimly.

All the British born officials grimaced while the foreign school heads had a solid guess that Dumbledore meant the last British Dark Lord, Voldemort, and the atrocities committed by Gellert Grindelwald.

"And how do you plan to get that done? Anything you do, whether its done through you directly or someone else, constitutes interference on behalf of Hogwarts which would forfeit Mr. Diggory from the tournament as a cheater. The consequences of which would strip the boy of his magic and kill him" Barty Crouch Senior said with a scowl taking over his lips.

"There are loopholes in the laws of the tournament Barty just as there loopholes in the laws of magic" was Dumbledore's reply before he raised a privacy ward to make it so nothing they said would be heard outside the office.

**Christmas day; twelve hours before the ball opens**

Milenko scowled fixing his suit in a full length mirror. He didn't like having to go into this horse and pony show but if there was a way to cause more havoc, to draw people into the carnival so their souls could be taken, then so be it. Adjusting his tie, he gave himself a once over; blood red undershirt, black trousers, human flesh leather shoes and a tailed suit jacket split into nine tails dyed a a crimson red like he'd just dipped them in a freshly cut open victim. To top off the look he twirled his hand materializing a top hat.

"All dolled up for the huma-"

Milenko snapped his fingers decapitating Riddle as he passed her, nonplussed about the crimson life essence staining his suit. "Someone has to draw in the sheep. Not like a pain slut like you understands the meaning of the word subtlety." Adjusting the angle of the top hat on his head he conjured a cane to finish the look. "Someone's in the morgue with Mira, someone's in the morgue with Mira I knooooow.. Filling her with formaldehyde"

The spine chilling humming of the macabre ditty echoed in the air as Milenko left the carnival grounds.

The short walk to the castle was a solitary one as Milenko pondered how to deal with the headache he was about to face. The pussy witch, some scottish old crone who smelled like moth balls and regret, was bound to try something about him coming up stag. 'Of course I could force her transformation into a cat and snap her neck. I haven't done a proper Voodoo Rite for some time.. But then again, Papa Legba prefers drugs and innocent souls over animals sacrifices...'

In the hall leading up to the Great Hall, which was transformed for this historic occasion, Minerva McGonagall stood stoically clutching the list as she and the other Champions with their dates stood waiting for the last one to arrive. By rights of body and blood, the monster that murdered the dragon and her unhatched children may be the same kin as her favorite male student but by every other... Her thought was interrupted by a loud bang as the very devil himself entered with an unnerving smirk tugging ever so slightly at the edges of his lips. "Mr. Milenko, where is your-"

"One more word and your outer pussy will resemble your inner one" Milenko said twirling his cane ever so slightly. "As for your complaint bitch" his eyes gleamed with humor and malevolence "I did bring a date. Great guy, good looking, a humor to die for... Me. Let's go pussy bitch, some of us have lives to lead that don't involve smoking catnip and snorting cream." Without so much as a second look or answering the enraged half threats he threw open the doors to the hall and strode in killing all the noise as he entered.

Alone.