Looking at the sketch of the acting troupe's castle, it wasn't hard to guess where they conducted rehearsals.

Mezrielda knew they were still in the castle because, since the ball, the acting troupe's tent hadn't returned to school grounds. She'd also seen Primrose hop on a broom and fly off on multiple occasions without any explanation. Rebekah and Logan had murmured worriedly to each other about it, mentioning the name Lewis and the acting troupe multiple times, so it wasn't hard to guess where she'd gone and, as a result, in what direction the castle was located.

Mezrielda knew the second the acting troupe saw her they'd try to kill her, so her main priority was finding ways to dodge or block the killing curse. A counter-spell didn't exist, and the protego charm would do nothing, so she'd have to be creative about how to keep herself alive.

The only difficulty was, as much as she planned, she couldn't see a way to defeat the acting troupe alone. She was slowly re-learning all the spells she'd known before, now that she was actually trying and not giving in after a few attempts, but they weren't as strong as they'd once been. She knew it couldn't be her magic. Her talent for casting spells was as strong as ever, even if it needed to be re-forged. Her issue was that her replacement wand was a grain of sand to a mountain when compared to the wand of white-elder wood she'd had before.

Mezrielda had accepted that she couldn't do this alone, and settled on a small list of people who she'd try and bring onto the team.

'What's this about?' Teresa asked, looking around the Eagle Club room sceptically. 'How come you never told us about this place before?'

Nevis, sitting next to her, looked sheepish. 'Maybe she didn't want to?'

'I have my NEWT exams coming up,' Greenda said. 'And I am still head girl. I mean this in the politest way possible, but I don't really have time for this. You said it was important but—'

'I'm talking,' Mezrielda said, fixing them all, bar Nevis, with a cold gaze. Gathered before her was Killian, Fiona, Teresa, Nevis, Itsuki, Jon, and Greenda. Mezrielda paced in front of the blank chalkboard. 'At the vampire ball Bagsy was kidnapped.'

'This again,' Teresa muttered, moving to stand, but Nevis placed his hand on her shoulder, keeping her in her seat.

Greenda's eyes were wide. 'Kidnapped?'

Mezrielda nodded.

With an awkward shift in her seat, Fiona shared a disbelieving look with Killian. 'I heard about this,' she said. 'You created a lot of drama at the ball. But Witchment Enrichment said she's staying with the acting troupe willingly—that's why she's missing from school. She's rehearsing for the third episode.'

Tod, who was leaning against the wall in a shadowed corner of the room, took a step forward. 'I lied. It's a cover story from the Ministry. Not even the school knows the truth.'

Only just noticing he was there, the assembled students blinked in confusion.

'And it needs to stay that way,' Mezrielda emphasised. 'What we discuss in this room has to stay in this room. If a professor or Ministry official hears about what we're planning, we're all done for.'

It was Nevis, now, who looked like he wanted to leave. 'Is what we're doing… illegal?'

'Of course, it's not,' said Teresa. 'Don't be ridiculous.'

Mezrielda was quiet.

Teresa faltered. 'Tell me you're not planning something illegal?'

'The acting troupe are holding Bagsy in their castle. We're going to break in and rescue her.'

Fiona let out a sharp breath. 'Wow. Okay. You're beyond help. Come on, Killian, we're leaving. This is a bunch of nonsense.'

Teresa seemed impressed with Fiona. 'Finally, someone else who's reasonable.'

'Wait.' Greenda's voice carried more authority than Mezrielda was expecting.

Fiona and Teresa, half-way out of their chairs, stilled.

Greenda looked at Mezrielda. 'I've heard some strange things about Primrose from Emmeline. If you'll let me, I'll go and get her and she can testify herself. Something's not right with that acting troupe.'

Fiona rolled her eyes. 'That doesn't mean Bagsy's been kidnapped.'

Killian leant closer to Fiona. 'I think we should hear them out.'

'Not you too,' sighed Fiona, but she did sit back down.

Greenda, on the other hand, was on her way out. 'I'll be right back,' she said.

The room was awkwardly silent while they awaited her return.

'So…' Itsuki breathed out. 'Anyone… read anything interesting lately?'

Fiona looked suspiciously at Mezrielda. 'I've been reading about vampires.'

Itsuki raised his eyebrows. 'Forget I asked…'

Emmeline burst into the room, Greenda close behind.

'What's all this about?' asked Emmeline.

Teresa gestured at Mezrielda. 'Slytherin over here wants us to break into the acting troupe's cloud castle to rescue Bagsy, even though she's there willingly.'

Emmeline said, 'They took her by force?'

Mezrielda nodded.

Slowly sinking into a chair, Emmeline placed her fingers to her temples. 'I thought they might have, but I didn't want to believe it.'

That statement startled the listeners.

'Can you elaborate?' said Mezrielda.

Emmeline drew in a breath. 'Primrose has been spending more time with me. She told me she was concerned because… Well, because Bagsy's been spending all her time at the castle and she's not acting like herself. Primrose is in denial but, from what she's saying, it does sound shady.'

Teresa huffed, pointing at Fiona, 'Like Gryffindor girl said that doesn't mean she was kidnapped.'

Mezrielda was growing impatient. 'If you're right then we break in, realise she's fine, and leave without getting caught.'

Nevis whispered, 'Or we'll be caught and expelled…'

Teresa, though, mulled it over. 'Actually, Mezrielda has a point. I don't think the acting troupe will get us expelled if they catch us, and it'll put this silly kidnapping theory to rest. Plus, it'll be kind of fun to break into the castle.'

Nevis shook his head. 'No. No, I'm not taking part in this. It's far too dangerous.'

'I thought that might be the case for some of you,' Mezrielda said, pulling her wand out. 'This brings me onto my next topic. Any and all of you are welcome to back out now, and leave this room, never to speak of this again.' She pointed her wand at Nevis. Teresa instinctively moved her hand in front of him. 'But I'll have to remove your memories of this conversation. If anyone finds out about what I'm planning, it could be the end of me.' Nevis looked like he was about to faint, and Teresa wasn't happy, either.

'I won't harm you,' Mezrielda added, gently. 'And I won't do it without your permission. But I implore you, if you refuse to help, allow me this; give me safety in knowing you can't, even if forced, tell anyone what I'm planning.'

Fiona crossed her arms. 'I'll take a mind wipe, then. I want no part in this.'

Killian nodded regretfully. 'Yeah. This all sounds rather… mischievous. Mischief is always the precursor to disaster, so it is said.'

Fiona roller her eyes. 'You're as mischievous as they come, Killian.'

Killian said, 'Still. This is different from pranks or competition. This is recklessness manifest, something you've always told me to be careful of.'

'Alright, then.' Mezrielda pointed her wand at them. 'Ready?'

Killian and Fiona nodded.

Mezrielda obliviated them first, leaving them in the corridor outside the Eagle Club room wondering how they'd ended up there. Nevis was next. He tried to convince Teresa to do the same, but she didn't listen to him. Soon, Nevis was gone, too.

Greenda and Emmeline exchanged a glance, but agreed they'd stay and help. Jon and Itsuki looked ecstatic.

'Don't you dare wipe our memories,' said Jon. 'We've been wanting in on one of your adventures for ages. We're not backing out now we finally have a chance.'

Teresa had been silent ever since Fiona, Killian and Nevis had been memory wiped and was regarding Mezrielda with a worried expression.

After everything had been sorted Mezrielda handed out paper for the students to fill in. It asked them about their perceived skills and abilities. Of course, Mezrielda had already made a book's worth of notes on who she thought was good at what. Loosing Killian and Fiona was a big blow—she'd heard from many sources, Bagsy included, that they could run and dodge and jump like the wind.

Teresa was the first to finish, placing the paper down firmly on the table in front of Mezrielda. 'You're not looking for attention. You're serious,' she said. 'You wouldn't be wiping memories otherwise.' Mezrielda inclined her head. 'How much danger is Bagsy in?'

'Quite a lot. We have six days to save her.'

Teresa asked, more seriously this time, 'If we go to rescue her will we be in danger?'

There was a pause.

'Bagsy would do the same for you.'

'I don't doubt it. Coward she may be but, from what I've heard and seen, when the chips are down, Bagsy's there, fighting for the ones she cares about.' Teresa sucked in a breath. 'I'm sorry I didn't believe you at first. With everything the paper's been saying, and with what everyone else has been thinking, I—'

'You're helping me now,' Mezrielda reminded her, the soft fall of a black feather in the corner of the room catching her eye.

When did that get there?

Her eyes slid to the right, seeing a shadow she wasn't sure should be there.

'That castle,' said Teresa, picking up a piece of chalk. 'It's no castle at all.'

'What?' Mezrielda startled, her attention on the feather gone.

Teresa sketched a rectangular shaped creature, and then another, and then another. 'The brick walls aren't made of bricks—they're made of brick-ticks. I noticed the subtle tell-tale signs of movement in the stone when we were there. They combine and lock together to form structures. If we want to get Bagsy out, the quickest way to her isn't through a maze of corridors, it's a direct line through the walls.'

Feeling grateful that she'd managed to get Teresa on side—she'd hoped her knowledge of magical creatures would come in handy—Mezrielda crossed her arms and moved closer. 'Now we're getting somewhere. And how do we do that?'

'Brick-ticks are like slugs. They hate salt.'

'They're not the only thing that hates salt,' Mezrielda murmured ominously, thinking of the Nuckelavee that had impaled one of her legs and nearly killed her last year. It still sometimes hurt to walk on it, even if it was mainly healed.

Teresa said, 'We throw some salt on those bad boys and they'll fall apart. Boom—direct and stealthy access to wherever Bagsy is.'

'Is the ballroom made of brick-ticks?'

Teresa winced as Jon and Itsuki walked up with their filled in forms. 'No,' she said. 'You can't paint intricate pictures on brick-ticks—they move around so much that after a year your painting would be all out of whack. The painting on the ballroom's ceiling means it can be made from brick-ticks.'

'So we can't break down the walls of the ballroom, then,' Mezrielda noted, flipping the chalkboard over, taking the chalk from Teresa, and amending her sketched blueprint accordingly.

'Woah,' Teresa, Jon and Itsuki breathed at the detailed blueprint in front of them.

'Gimme that chalk,' Teresa said once Mezrielda was done, and began labelling where Mezrielda had drawn columns. 'These columns aren't columns either. They're sneaky caters.'

'What?'

'Sneaky caters—catercolumns—whatever you wanna call them. They're giant caterpillars with bodies that can disguise as columns. They're also fiercely aggressive to perceived intruders. We'll have to deal with them.'

Greenda and Emmeline had re-joined them, handing their filled in forms to Mezrielda who was scanning the new documents, soaking in the information. Everyone was a jigsaw piece, and if she could put them in the right place then maybe they'd have a chance.

Emmeline took the chalk from Teresa, making a note on the bottom corner of the board. 'You're forgetting one vital fact. We'll need invitations. Without them, we'll fall straight through the floor.'

They all stood in silence, looking at the board.

'That's not all you're forgetting,' Tod said from the corner of the room, holding a small notebook up and waving it from side to side. 'Brick-ticks, cater-columns, falling through floors… it's all nothing compared to Philip.'

Jon looked at Tod in confusion. 'Philip? Who? Also, who are you?'

Tod walked, flashing his signature crooked smile and flipping his dark hair out of his eyes. 'Tod Alden.'

'The Witchment Enrichment guy?' said Itsuki. 'I just loved that piece you put out on hair care. So useful!'

Tod nodded at him amicably. 'I'll be sure to ask for your input next time. Your hair is impressive to say the least.'

'Thank you!' Istuki beamed, face flushing. 'That'd be so cool! I'd love to help out!'

Tod spread his notes on a table and opened the book. 'Philip is the head of the acting troupe, and our biggest obstacle. He can telepathically communicate with everyone in the acting troupe, and they'll all do what he says without question.'

Tod had found information on what a pullyaouffestryng was. He indicated the first piece of critical information he'd found. 'Philip has healing powers he can share with anyone in his troupe. Pullyaouffestryngs are an ancient race, believed extinct. More contemporarily, they're known as marionettes. The name pullyaouffestryng is as ancient as the creatures themselves. For the sake of my sanity, I will be referring to Philip as a marionette from now on.' He scanned his eyes over them. 'Marionette. Got it? Marionette. I'm not saying that other word ever again. It's a bloody mouthful.'

The gathered students nodded in sage agreement.

Tod said, 'Marionettes stole, mentally controlled, and hoarded the bodies of their victims. After a short mental gestation period the victim would be, essentially, gone, and the marionette would have control of them forever. The individual still has the ability to function without Philip puppeting them, but it's like…' He struggled to find the word.

'Auto pilot?' Teresa suggested.

Mezrielda thought back to one of Professor Barnsley's lessons in Muggle Studies. 'Their mind is gone but they don't need constant control from Philip,' she clarified for those not familiar with the muggle concept.

'Correct,' Tod said. 'Philip can take full control any time he likes but he can't constantly dictate every precise movement of all his puppets at once. To keep the bodies fresh, the marionette, Philip, constantly heals and repairs what is, essentially, a rotting corpse.'

'Healing?' Greenda checked. 'What kind? I may be able to block it with the correct crystal auras.'

Mezrielda had hoped that would be the case. 'Tod will discuss it with you after the briefing.'

Greenda accepted that. Despite being head girl, she clearly understood that in this room Mezrielda was in charge.

'Wait, wait,' said Itsuki. 'Why would they need to heal? We're not attacking them, are we?'

'We may have to,' Mezrielda said honestly. 'Listen closely, all of you. We are going into something very dangerous to save someone who deserves to be saved. I must make this crystal clear: you could die.'

Teresa folded her arms. 'But if we don't do this, Bagsy will die.'

Mezrielda pursed her lips. 'Most certainly.'

Teresa said, 'Then I'm most certainly going to help get her back.'

Emmeline drew in a breath. 'Then we'll do it,' she said. 'I can't speak for anyone else here, but I'm not leaving Bagsy on her own if she truly is in trouble. I don't want to be the kind of person who abandons her friends when they need her.'

The others murmured their assent.

Tod continued his explanation of the marionette's abilities. 'He's resistant to a lot of spells and because of his massively extended lifespan he'll have a lot of experience to draw on. Not only that, but the mind of a marionette can transfer from one body to another. Even if we managed to restrain or deal with Philip, he could move to another body in the troupe. So long as everyone in the acting troupe is dealt with, he won't be able to move into their minds to continue his assault.'

Mezrielda narrowed her eyes at Tod. She had the unshakable sense he wasn't sharing everything he knew.

Jon let out a breath. 'That's a lot to go up against.'

Itsuki also looked unsure. 'The more you explain this the less I think we can rescue her.'

'Sleep on it,' said Mezrielda. 'If you think you can't do this I'll wipe your memories tomorrow. By then I'll have a plan, and once we've all learnt that plan, we'll strike. Like everything and everyone else, time is against us.'

With subdued nods and nervous farewells, the students dispersed back to their rooms.

Emmeline hung behind. She said in a hushed voice to Mezrielda, 'I reckon I can get us invitations from Primrose given how close she's grown with Lewis. If I ask her I know she'll help us.'

Mezrielda raised an eyebrow. 'Are you sure she won't betray us?'

'I have to have faith in her,' she said. 'I know she won't let me down.'

Against her better judgement, Mezrielda relented. Had there been another option, she never would have involved Primrose but, as far as she could tell, Primrose was the only way to get invitations.

'So be it,' said Mezrielda. 'Do what you must, but tell her as little about our plan as you can. In fact, if you can think up a lie, or any other reason to need those invitations, say that instead.'

'I'll try my best,' Emmeline said, joining Greenda who was waiting for her in the corridor and leaving. Greenda was animatedly talking about the serious discussion she'd just had with Tod about her crystals and their uses and how they could help them bring Bagsy back. Mezrielda watched Emmeline and Greenda walk away, heads bowed together as they discussed, and felt an ache in her heart.

She had to save Bagsy.

Tod came to a stop at her side as he, too, was on his way out. 'Good luck,' he said.

'That's it, then? You're done helping?'

'I'm not going to help you break in. I can't go against my family like that so I'm useless to you now.'

Mezrielda clenched her fists. 'Yes. You are.'

Hands in his pockets, a looking miserable (good, Mezrielda thought), Tod departed.

Alone in the Eagle Club room, Mezrielda sat and fished out a piece of paper. Imagining everything was normal, she wrote a letter to Bagsy, trying to pretend that her friend was able to receive, read and respond to it. It went some ways to helping, though her hands were still shaking when she wrote the last sentence.

Once she was done, she folded the letter up and tucked it gingerly away, looking around the room with a slow intake of breath. She should probably get back to practising her spells. She still had a couple more she needed to get right if she wanted this to work, and her wand was still giving her trouble. She felt furious with herself—if only she'd been practising all year she'd already have more than enough spells at her disposal to help with the task at hand. Instead, she'd spent her time sulking, convinced it was pointless to try.

Not everyone could be born like Bagsy, she supposed. Not everyone could simply try, try and try again. That's what had made her so adverse to Bagsy teaching her. It was painfully apparent how lacking how own motivation was when she stood next to Bagsy. Her friend was a titan when it came to hard work, and here Mezrielda was, struggling to help her friend because she'd been too lazy to do anything before now.

As her eyes traced around the room, her mind preparing itself to begin a long session of practise, she saw two feathers in the corner, next to a looming shadow. It shocked her, the sudden realisation that the shadow held the same ominous presence of a shadow she'd fallen through two years ago. The memory hit her like a face full of cold water.

Mezrielda's wand was in her hand and she was on her feet in a moment, her chair falling back with a clatter. In a heart stopping moment, a gust of wind came out of nowhere and threatened to snuff the torches, but their comforting orange glow persisted.

Mezrielda edged towards the shadow, seeing more feathers fall out of the darkness, and then a small deluge gushed around her feet like settling fog.

'What do you want?' Mezrielda called into the darkness, forcing bravery into her words. In the past this wouldn't have scared her, but in the past her spells had been more potent than most adult spellcaster's. Now, she was nothing more than a small child.

The darkness yawned before her, a toothy hug waiting to embrace her flesh.

Her mind snapped onto the information Bagsy had gained from Aot at the start of the year. 'Are you the corvid family?'

The darkness didn't respond. It waited, hungry.

Mezrielda racked her brain for what exactly Aot had told Bagsy. Then it hit her full force, and realisation washed in with the feathers.

'You're looking for a successor, aren't you?' Not sure if the sudden idea that hit her was remotely plausible, or a pipe dream, Mezrielda stepped into the darkness, and disappeared from the room.