"Damn it, when I find him I'm going to give him a black eye!" Snarled Hydrus under his breath as the prefects began lining their House's students up. "Why isn't he back yet?"

"He should be okay, right?" Viola asked, fidgeting next to her twin. "He probably just lost track of time reading..."

"Do you think we're that lucky? Do you think he's that lucky?" Hydrus barked, jerking his head sharply to look his sister in the eyes. She flinched, which made him pause for a moment. Closing his eyes, he drew in a slow breath. "I'm sorry."

"I'm scared, too. We'll find him..." Viola said, her voice quiet.

"That's what I'm afraid of. Finding him." Hydrus said, opening his eyes and staring at the doors. When they opened and the prefects began leading students back to their House's common rooms, Hydrus slipped his wand out of the sleeve of his robes, twirling it around so no one could see it. Viola noticed and followed suit, grabbing at her brother's robe sleeve afterwards.

When the four groups had split apart, and the Slytherins were heading downstairs, Hydrus glanced aside at Viola, who nodded in return. She had been planning on using them after everyone was back in the common room, to help break any tension in the air from the night's talk of the monster. Now, she was going to have to use them as a distraction so she and Hydrus could get away from the rest of their Housemates. When they rounded a corner and started passing by some empty classrooms, Viola pulled a handful of Wildfire Whiz-Bangs from her robes, triggered them, and dropped them on the ground.

For a few seconds, they lay motionless, nobody noticing the dark-colored fireworks in the poorly-lit hallway. The silence was broken when they went off, scaring the prefect at the back of the line half to death in the process and diverting enough attention for the Malfoy twins to duck into one of the classrooms. Door quickly shutting behind them, Viola whispered, "Now we have to hope they don't try to get rid of the stupid things."

An explosion from the corridor outside made the two wince. Hydrus muttered, "You had to open your big mouth, didn't you?"

"Sorry! Force of habit!" Whispered Viola, brow creased.

After a few minutes of trying and failing to get the product of another set of twins' minds to go away, the Slytherin prefects gave up and ordered the students to double-time it to the common room. They said that they would just have to go and get one of the professors to come and deal with the problem. By the time the hall was clear, Hydrus looked ready to punch a wall. Viola followed him out of the room quietly, trailing behind him as the two hurried towards the Pit. She didn't like seeing Hydrus like this, in a state where he was unable to maintain his normally level head. He did his best to keep a calm demeanor, but the moment someone he cared about was in trouble, that collected exterior gave way to a short-fused anger.

It didn't help that, once they had reached the Entrance Hall again, they had to pause for a few more minutes. The central stairway was being uncooperative, and was keeping the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws from getting up to their respective towers. After bickering amongst themselves for awhile, one of the Gryffindor prefects apparently saw something out of the corner of his eye, as a bolt of gold sparks flew toward the wall. When it connected, Peeves jumped out, cursing like a sailor. Almost instantly, as the poltergeist soared upwards, the stairs returned to their normal behavior and the two groups could be on their ways.

"Hurry the hell up!" Hissed Hydrus, glaring up at the seemingly-incompetent older students.

"Hydrus..." Viola began, stopping and looking up as the scene unfolded. Even before all of the students had cleared the stairs, Hydrus had bolted from the spot he and Viola were waiting at. She reached out to try and stop him, but came up short. With no other options, she took off after him, quickly falling back in step next to him. The rest of the trip went in silence, with only the sounds of their shoes hitting the stone floors filling the otherwise silent night.

They were a few halls away from the Pit's hidden entrance when Viola heard a strange noise. She reached out and got a tight grip on her brother's robes, forcing him to stop as well. He whirled around to ask her what she was doing, but she slapped a hand over his mouth. Raising a finger to her lips to try and keep him quiet, she looked around the seemingly empty hall, listening for the sound she had heard. Hydrus reached up and pulled her hand from over his mouth and pointed to his ear. She nodded at him and the two split apart, wands raised, each taking a different side of the hall. There were several small alcoves down this hall, some with suits of armor filling them, some empty.

Viola wasn't even sure what the noise was, as she hadn't heard it again. It almost sounded like a strangled gasp being choked back, but without hearing it again, she couldn't be certain. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her legs felt weak. What if Hydrus had been right, and Vega had been attacked by the monster? What if it was still around? And what if her brother's fear of 'finding' Vega came true? She swallowed hard, trying to push the prospect from her mind. Focusing on her breathing to try and slow it down, she followed Hydrus' pace and began checking each alcove, aiming her wand in and preparing to start firing the first spell that came to mind if she saw anything she didn't recognize.

A panicked cry split the silence and caused Viola to spin around, wand high again, only to have something run past her. Hydrus was giving chase and shouted back at her, "Hurry!"

She stared at him as he rounded a corner, then pushed off after him, certainly not wanting to let him face whatever he had found on his own. As she struggled to catch up, more awful thoughts pushed their way into her head. She didn't like the look Hydrus had just given her. Her brother didn't get scared. She knew the way they were heading, as it dead-ended with an old, long-unused classroom filled with chamberpots for some reason. She wasn't sure if Hydrus was trying to corral whatever they were chasing or if whatever they were chasing was trying to do the same to them.

"Stop!" Came Hydrus' voice, sounding like he was struggling with something. "Dammit, stop fighting with me!"

"Get away from me!" Came a terrified, high-pitched voice that instantly made Viola's stomach churn. She finally caught up with her brother moments later, only to see him fighting to keep an absolutely terror-stricken Vega from wrestling his way out of his grasp. He had caught him around the waist and was trying to keep him from breaking loose, despite the smaller boy's wild flails and attempts to hit his friend.

"Vega!" Cried Viola, running over and causing Vega to freeze momentarily. The minute he heard her, he turned his wild-eyed face to look up at her. It was almost as though whatever panic had taken hold of him had washed over him anew, as he let out another scream and doubled his efforts to break free of Hydrus' hold.

"Help me keep him still!" Yelled Hydrus, fighting to avoid getting hit by the random kicks and punches that Vega was weakly trying to hit him with. Viola rushed over and put her arms around the both of them, pulling them into something of a hug and forcing Vega to stop moving so much. But, despite their best efforts, Vega let his legs go limp under him. Not expecting him to dead leg them, Vega flung himself away from the Malfoys, but quickly saw that he had launched himself in the wrong direction. All that was in front of him was the classroom filled with chamberpots. He whirled around and pressed his body back against the door, grabbing for his wand shakily.

Hydrus and Viola looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Viola put a hand on Hydrus' arm and slowly started toward Vega, who instantly had his wand trained on her. Viola quickly put her wand away and raised her hands. "Vega? It's me... you know who I am, right? I'm not going to hurt you. Hydrus isn't going to hurt you, either... come on, put your wand away..."

"No!" Cried Vega, his voice a few octaves higher than normal. "Stay away from me! I'm not falling for that twice in a row!"

"Twice in a row?" Viola repeated, looking confused. "Vega, what are you talking about?"

"I'm not stupid! That won't work on me!" Vega exclaimed, his wand arm getting shakier. "I'll... I'll use that spell again if I have to!"

"Vega, it's us! We're your friends! We've known each other our entire lives!" Viola said, sounding more than a little panicked herself. "What's wrong? What happened? We got away from the prefects as soon as we could!"

"He was attacked, obviously." Hydrus said. "The question is, by what? And why does he think we're going to do the same?"

"We're not going to do anything to you, Vega." Viola said, controlling her voice to make herself sound calmer than she was feeling. "Come on... let's go back to the Pit and you can tell us what happened... alright?"

"NO!" Vega screamed, red sparks flying wildly from the end of his wand. Viola threw herself to one side to avoid them, and they crashed into the wall, dissipating harmlessly.

"Vega, please! Don't make me stun you!"

"Get away from me!" Vega cried, wand moving between Viola and Hydrus now, tears spilling down his face. "Just get... get away from me... please..."

Narrowing his eyes, Hydrus began walking for Vega this time, and his wand immediately went to solely targeting him. "Snap out of it, Potter! We didn't come here to hurt you, but you're making it very hard to keep to that resolve!"

When Vega fired again, Hydrus dodged to one side, breaking into a sprint and slamming into Vega before the smaller boy could react. He grabbed Vega's arms, pinned them to his sides, and yelled, "Look at me, Potter!"

But Vega's eyes were squeezed tightly shut and he seemed to be bracing himself for some sort of impact. Viola got up and was quickly at their side, reaching out to put her hand on Vega's cheek. At this, he did open his eyes, staring at Viola as though she had grown a second head.

"No matter what happened to you, you're safe now. We're here and we won't let anything else happen, alright? You've gotta calm down, okay? Tell us what happened..." She said, her voice breaking as she spoke to him.

"Vivi? It... your hand is warm..." Vega said, looking almost exhausted suddenly. Confusion evident on his face, he slowly turned to look up at Hydrus. After trying to speak for awhile, he finally closed his eyes again and, very quietly, whispered, "A...are you still mad at me...?"

"Still mad at you?" Hydrus replied, looking confused as well. "Potter, you aren't making any sense. I'm frustrated, I'm worried, but I'm certainly not angry at you."

"B-but..."

"Vega, we've been in the Great Hall all this time, just like we said... this is the first time we've seen you since you left. What happened? Did you get to your dad's book before you got attacked? Did you get back to the Pit? Talk to us..." Viola said, putting her hand on Hydrus' chest and pushing him back a little.

Hydrus backed off, keeping an eye on Vega's arm wand, just in case. He looked back to Vega's face in time to see something clear up in his eyes. Whatever was going on in his mind, he was reaching a realization about something. Whatever it was, it seemed to be knocking some sort of fear back into him, as a terrified expression quickly returned to his face. His legs buckled, this time for real, and he dropped hard to the ground, his body shaking rather violently.

Viola was at his side in an instant, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. Almost immediately, he had spun around to clutch at her robes, breaking down into tears again. She held onto him as he cried, rubbing his back slowly and trying not to do the same. She certainly didn't feel as strong as she was acting. She was confused, scared, and tired, in that order. Hydrus knelt down next to the two and asked quietly, "What happened?"

Slowly managing to regain his composure, Vega eventually pulled away from Viola, wiping at his eyes and blushing faintly. "I... I was attacked by the monster." He said, looking down at the floor. "It got to me on my way to the Pit."

"Did it hurt you?" Asked Viola.

"Maybe not physically, but it certainly did something to him." Hydrus murmured.

Vega nodded at this, pushing himself up to his feet. "It's so stupid... now that you two are here, I just..." He paused, closing his eyes and blowing out a long, shaky sigh. "I think I know what it is now. Come on... I dropped the book when Hyde found me hiding..."

"Is that what you were doing?" Viola asked as Vega began to lead the three back to where their chase had begun. "So you managed to escape from the monster?"

"Yeah, but... not before it messed me up..." Vega said, hugging himself and looking rather embarrassed. "When Hyde said he hadn't been mad, something clicked..."

"What do you mean?" Asked Hydrus.

"I'll show you..." Vega said. He didn't expound until the three had returned to the alcove that Vega had been hiding in. There, propped against the wall, was Harry's grimoire. Picking the book up and speaking the password, Vega opened it and rapidly began flipping through the pages. "It's the reason the monster's been described two ways... three if my experience counted... and why the damage to the victims was always different. ...Here, look."

Vega turned the book around so the twins could see the page it was open to. Licking his lips, Vega murmured, "There's an aggressive boggart loose in the castle. That has to be what it is."

"No one knows what they look like, since they turn into whatever you fear most." Hydrus said, frowning. "The first victim was obviously scared of manticores. Who knows what the second's turned into. But you got away from it without any physical harm done to you. So that means it came at you differently than it did the first two, didn't it?"

"Right in one." Vega said, slamming the book shut and ducking his head, blushing. "Can... can we go to the Pit? I really need something to drink. And to sit down. I really don't feel very good."

"You don't look very good, either." Viola said, walking over and putting her hand on Vega's back as they started walking again. "God, you scared me... I've never seen you look like that. I never want to see you look like that again, either."

"Sorry, Vivi..." Vega apologized, his head still ducked. "It's... hard to explain. This isn't going to be very fun. I really don't want to think about that thing."

"How did it get close to you, anyway?" Hydrus asked. "Weren't you minding your surroundings?"

"Of course I was. But that's the problem. The damn thing didn't care about my surroundings. I heard a voice call out to me and I turned around, because I didn't think anyone else would be out." Vega explained. "We talked for awhile, but something seemed off. I asked, and..."

"And?" Hydrus prodded.

"You saw how I was." Vega whispered. "It didn't hit me, but it definitely attacked me. I was scared. I didn't know why it was happening. I turned and ran, but it chased after me. Eventually, I found that spot in the wall to hide in. Guess being small and hard to spot worked in my favor for once, huh? I saw it run by, still looking like that person... it was probably long gone by the time you guys got to me..."

Reaching the Pit, Vega offloaded the grimoire onto one of the chairs at the back of the room, shambling over to the couch and throwing himself down on it. "I guess I'm lucky, if you could call it that, that my fear is something stupid..."

Hydrus leaned against the back of the couch, and Viola sat next to Vega, still rubbing at his back as he stared at the flames burning in the fireplace. "It isn't stupid if you're scared of it. There has to be a reason for something like that, yeah?" She said. "I'm scared by a lot of stuff people would probably find dumb. Doesn't mean that fear's any less real."

"I guess." Vega said, sighing and leaning forward against his knees. "Damn it, this is gonna be a long night. DOBBY!"

If the sudden shout Vega had let out hadn't made the twins jump, the loud CRACK from the house elf's appearance would have. Bowing to Vega, Dobby smiled at him and asked, "Vega Potter is calling for Dobby, sir?"

"Yeah... can you get me some Floo Powder, Dobby? I need to fire-call McGonagall. You know how there's some kind of monster running loose in the castle?" Vega asked.

"Oh, yes, sir. We house elves is constantly talking about what it might be, sir. We is scared to go out at night to do our duties, but we is good elves, so we is doing what is asked!" Dobby proclaimed, smiling proudly.

Returning Dobby's smile weakly, Vega nodded. "I know what it is. Because I got attacked by it - no, calm down, I'm fine!" He added, seeing Dobby's huge eyes somehow getting even larger. "Vivi and Hyde got to me and helped me. But I need to talk to McGonagall and let her know. A boggart's what's doing all of this, Dobby. At least, I'm pretty sure it is."

"The house elves are right to be scared. You're fighting fear itself." Hydrus said, his voice quiet. "How do you even know what you're seeing isn't what it claims to be? Until it's close enough to attack, I mean."

"A boggart, sir..." Dobby repeated, sucking in a sharp breath. "Dobby is not liking boggarts, sir. At Dobby's former place of employment..." Here, the house elf cast a quick, nervous look to the Malfoy twins. "...Er...Dobby was having to find and dispose of many boggarts, sir."

"You were? Can house elf magic kill a boggart, then?" Asked Vega.

Dobby shook his head quickly, his floppy ears bouncing. "No, sir, we cannot kill them. House elf magic is very powerful, but boggarts is different. Boggarts is unnatural, sir..."

"Great... well, there goes that idea. Anyway, could you bring me some Floo Powder? I hate to get ahold of her, because I know she's going to yell at us, but it wasn't our fault this time. Stupid thing found me!" Vega said.

"While you were out against her wishes to claim your book." Stated Hydrus. "Which I warned you about, did I not?"

"Not now, Hydrus!" Snapped Viola, glaring at her twin.

"No, Hyde's right, Vivi. I shouldn't have been so impatient. Look what it did to me..." Vega said.

"One moment, Vega Potter, sir. Dobby will be right back!" Said he house elf, who vanished and reappeared a moment later with a small bowl of Floo Powder in hand. "Here you are, sir! Is Vega Potter knowing how to fire call people?"

Vega nodded, taking a handful of the dust and walking over to the fireplace. "This is gonna suck, though..."

With that, he tossed the Powder into the flames and called out for the headmistress' office. There was a pause where nothing happened, then McGonagall's confused-looking head appeared in the fire. "Mr. Potter? How did...?"

"I'm in...uh... oh, dad must've stayed here. He called it the Pit." Vega said, fumbling over his words.

"Is there a reason you are in Dilys Derwent's former chambers, Mr. Potter?" Asked McGonagall, affixing a stern look his way.

"I... yeah, I came down here because I got attacked..." Vega said, his voice quiet.

"You were attacked?" Repeated McGonagall, her voice rising. "Are you alright? What attacked you?"

"It... I'd rather not say, professor, but yes, I'm alright. Listen, professor, I think it's a boggart that's been attacking people. This book dad gave me has a section on boggarts. I bet if you go to the first girl who was attacked, she'd say the thing that scares her the most is manticores. Same with the second victim. I got attacked by someone I knew... someone who was in the Great Hall at the time." Vega explained, the words spilling out of his mouth rapidly.

"A boggart..." McGonagall echoed again. "...Mr. Potter, if that's true, then it does explain why we can't find it. Boggarts have been known to squeeze themselves into very tiny spaces. But that also makes things more difficult. We've only looked in places large monsters could hide. If we're meant to try and look into every nook and cranny of the school, hunting down a creature that almost no one knows the true form of..." She paused, muttering under her breath, "If Alastor Moody hadn't betrayed us, it would have made this a lot easier..."

"So... so you think I might be right?" Asked Vega.

"I think it isn't the first time tonight that someone has brought the subject up." McGonagall stated. "You are lucky that I was still up. Your father just called by fire, as well. It seems as though he has been looking into the matter in his spare time, as well."

"Yeah, he said he was trying to do that." Vega said, nodding. "So he thinks it's a boggart, too?"

"He said that he would bet all of the gold in his vault on it. At this point, two separate Potters have told me the exact same thing. Given the history of your family in this school, Mr. Potter, I daresay that I should at least give you two the benefit of the doubt." She sighed, then shook her head. "I will make an announcement tomorrow morning. I don't want the three of you to leave the chambers you're in, do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Vega said, staring down at the floor again.

"We will discuss your punishment for being out on your own at a later time as well." McGonagall added. "Do you understand that?"

"Yes, ma'am." Vega repeated, his voice even quieter. "I... went to get that book of dad's that I mentioned. I didn't think it was safe to leave it in the dorm..."

"Be that as it may, Mr. Potter, you could have waited until daylight to move it. Seeing as how you've helped give us a potential lead on the creature, only one day's worth of detention will suffice. But I don't want to see any of you trying to find the boggart on your own, do you understand? That you managed to get off injury-free is nothing short of a miracle. I won't have you wasting that. The staff and anyone else we can bring in to assist will search for where the boggart has made its home. All I want you three to worry about is your studies."

Vega nodded, and the twins murmured a quiet 'Yes ma'am' of their own.

"Remember - do not leave the former headmistress' quarters until tomorrow morning. I will come by and pick you up myself. Yes, Mr. Potter, I'm fully aware of where in the castle you are. I assume you and your friends plan to utilize those rooms as your parents did?"

"Not sure. It's nice having somewhere quiet to go to, though. Are we not allowed to be here?" Asked Vega.

"So long as you don't press your luck by dabbling in things you shouldn't, it should be fine." Said McGonagall.

Vega smiled a little then. "You aren't just saying that because I'm your godson, are you?"

McGonagall sputtered for a moment before giving Vega a withering glare, a look that was very odd indeed coming from the middle of a roaring fire. "Mr. Potter, don't tempt fate twice in one night. Honestly, I'm starting to think your parents did that just to try and ensure this sort of thing. I do not play favorites, however. Now then, I have a few calls to make before I turn in. I do hope Gareth hasn't gone to bed. He's going to need to change his curriculum around for a few weeks, it seems..."

With that, the headmistress' head vanished from the flames, which died back down to normal size. Vega let out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. "That actually went better than I thought it would've... now I really need that drink, though..."

"Feeling any better?" Asked Viola.

"Not really." Vega said, getting up and heading for the dining room. "You guys want anything?"

"Bring me back something not pumpkin juice." Viola said.

"I'm fine." Hydrus said. "Though I do have a question."

"What is it?" Asked Vega.

"What will the sleeping arrangements be? You only have the one bed here." Hydrus said, nodding toward the bedroom door.

"I'll take the couch." Vega said, a little too quickly. Catching himself, he continued, "You guys can share the bed, right? It's big enough that even with Viola thrashing around, you should make it through the night without getting injured."

"Not so sure of that." Hydrus said, eyeballing his sister warily. "I'd rather not end up with a black eye. Or worse..."

"Well why don't I take the couch, then?" Viola suggested, glaring at the boys. "That way, neither of you princesses has to worry about my 'thrashing around.'"

"No!" Vega said, his voice slightly higher than it should have been. Turning back to face the dining room door, he muttered, "Already not going to get any sleep..."

"It'll be alright, Potter. It's just a boggart. If that is what the creature is, then the staff should be able to find it soon enough."

"It isn't alright." Vega said, sounding as tired as he looked now. "It's not going to be alright until the boggart is gone..."

Closing the door behind him as he entered the dining room, Vega walked to the far side of the table before sitting. Slumping forward in his seat, he drew in a shaky breath, slowly blowing it back out. He had almost calmed down, and that's when they decided to work on sleeping arrangements? The day, Vega considered, couldn't possibly get any worse. He was doing a rather poor job at controlling his mood, which was annoying him to no end. He really didn't feel like answering any questions. Not about the boggart, and not anything else Viola or Hydrus might pick up on.

"Something cold." He said, glancing at the table. "Really, really cold."

A goblet filled to the brim with ice cubes appeared before him. He stared at it for a moment before glaring off at the floor. The house elves, he considered, were being smart with him. Pushing the ice filled goblet aside, he leaned back in his seat and muttered, "I meant something cold to drink."

Another goblet appeared in front of him, this time filled with a dark liquid that Vega didn't immediately recognize. Reaching out and picking the goblet up, he took a sniff. "...Ah. Blueberry juice."

With a sigh, he took a sip. He didn't feel like having a match of wits against the house elves after the day he had been having. The blueberry juice would have to suffice, even if he hated the stuff. Sighing again, he closed his eyes and sunk down in the chair a little. He was about to take another drink when he heard a sudden, dull noise come from the main room of the Pit. He looked up in time to see Viola enter, shutting the door behind her. She was scowling as she crossed the room, sitting in the chair nearest Vega.

"...Something happen?" Asked Vega.

"Hydrus being Hydrus." Viola stated. "No worries, though. I convinced the big jerk I wouldn't break any of his bones while he was asleep. Even decided to give him a headstart on getting to sleep. It always takes him forever to settle in."

"Ahh." Vega said, focusing back on his goblet.

As he raised it to take that second sip, Viola suddenly asked, "It turned into Hydrus, didn't it?"

Vega choked on the blueberry juice, pushing his chair back and dissolving into a coughing fit. Viola was at his side in an instant, patting his back until he caught his breath. She gave him an apologetic smile as he turned to look up at her. "Sorry... guess that means I was right, huh?"

Groaning, Vega set the goblet down and let his head thump against the table. In a small voice, he murmured, "Don't tell him?"

"Of course." Viola agreed. "...You wanna talk about it?"

Vega shook his head a little. "It's complicated... don't really understand it very well, either..."

Nodding, Viola stepped back and offered Vega a hand. "Come on, then. Let's go out where it's warm. I won't pry, don't worry."

Vega looked at her hand for a moment, turned and got one last drink from his goblet, and accepted her help up. She immediately pulled him into a hug, whispering, "If you ever want to tell me, I'll be here, okay? Whatever it is, I promise I won't get mad or anything."

Vega, blushing at the sudden contact, simply nodded in response. When she released him, he gave her a tired smile. "Thanks, Vivi..."

"Don't gotta thank me." Viola said, walking around behind her friend and gently pushing him toward the door. "Try and cheer up though, alright? The boggart'll be caught and everything'll go normal for us for a change. All you need to focus on is Quidditch and school work."

Snorting, Vega pulled away from Viola's grasp to open the door again, stepping back into the main room and heading for the couch. "Yes, mother."

Viola followed him, sitting beside him and sticking out her tongue. "...So, hey, you want me to go grab you a pillow or blanket or anything?"

"Nah. I should be okay. I won't sleep much tonight. Not after the night I've had." Vega said, shrugging. "You go get some sleep, though, okay? I'll be fine by morning. Might have to float me around if I fall asleep standing up, but..."

"You fall asleep, I'll just dump some ice cubes into your robes." Viola said, smirking.

"You do and I'll find someone to lob you into the lake." Vega declared, leaning away from Viola.

"Yes, yes, you're very threatening." Viola said, reaching out and ruffling Vega's hair. "I guess I'll go see if Mr. Delicate in there's gotten to sleep yet. You sure you'll be fine out here without pillows and stuff?"

"Yeah. I've fallen asleep on the couch before. It's comfortable enough as is." Vega said.

"Alright..." Viola replied, not quite sounding convinced. "...Well, good night then, Vega. Oh, and uh, I'll try to wake up first. Guess the last thing you need right now is Hydrus looming over you first thing in the morning."

"Yeah... thanks again, Vivi." Vega said.

"No problem, chief. G'night."

He watched her enter the bedroom, closing the door behind her, before turning and staring at the flames still roaring a few feet in front of him. He had dodged a bullet there, but only just. Despite what she had said, Vega knew she would be mad if he told her. Turning, he let himself stretch out on the couch, trying not to look at the hole the beholder had left behind. Viola wouldn't understand because he didn't understand. How could he explain something when he wasn't able to even work it out properly to himself?

"This sucks." He muttered to himself, eyes moving back to the fire. As his gaze turned, he thought he saw something that shouldn't have been there. Something on one edge of the mantle over the fireplace. Sitting back up, he leaned forward and looked again. But nothing was there now. Frowning, he watched the spot for awhile before laying back down. The day, he decided, was getting the better of him. He needed some sleep if he was starting to see random, flickering things that weren't really there.

Bringing an arm up to cover his eyes so the light from the fire wouldn't keep him awake, Vega tried to relax his body. It was an exercise in futility, he knew, but at the very least he could rest his eyes. He just had to think of something other than the boggart. This proved to be harder than he had imagined it would be, as every topic he tried settling on eventually led back to it. In the end, he decided to just wonder what surly house elf had been on drink duty that night.

The day, he had decided, had been long indeed. The night, he was now deciding, was going to be even longer.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's Notes: Hey, check it out. Didn't take three months to write this one.

That's because we finally got a little character development. The first of quite such things that we'll see along our new journey here. Vega's got more than a few issues he needs to try and work out. Ah, but these are very delicate, very private matters. What then happens when Defense classes turn to dealing with boggarts, with lessons covering what everyone fears? Where then will our confused little hero-to-be turn?

Before I started on R-2, I decided about a dozen things I wanted to occur throughout the books. Lapis became important when initially only the trio were. Bill Weasley will make an appearance in a prominent role in book 2. A familiar name on an unfamiliar character will show up in book 3. And the rather confused, strange, and sometimes questionable nature of the relationships that will turn up were all hammered out. Vega's got a long, strange journey ahead of him. He'll battle his split personality problem, deal with feelings he isn't sure he should have, deal with anger he isn't sure is placed correctly, be forced to take up the role of hero whether he wants to or not, and eventually finish a war that has spanned over one thousand years when all is told.

In book 2, Vega will be trying to work out a number of mysteries within the school walls, only one of which deals with the next monster to be set loose. In book 3, a series of strange events will see the main characters trying to figure out who's making students turn on themselves. In book 4, Iscariot returns to try and lock the school down for continuing to house what they deem dark and dangerous creatures. In books 5 and 6, old enemies and creatures long thought wiped out will return to plague the lands. And in book 7, Vega will have to do the one thing his father never could.

But right now, he's still just a scared little boy. Confused by feelings he doesn't understand and living in a world that he doesn't think he fits into. He's got a long way to go. I've already decided who will live and who will die by R-2's end. Don't worry - I haven't forgotten any loose threads from R-1. The glimmer on the mantle, the hole in the ceiling, and the characters that we've been unable to hunt down so far will all make appearances.

Things are ramping up now, and I finally have that itch to keep writing that's been lost for so long. I needed one good push, and this might be what did it. I'll see you next time, when Hogwarts finds out what has been attacking it and we start to see the measures the school and its students take to combat such a monster.