Okay. I can do this!

So, I was hoping for an earlier update on this story, but a few things happened that prevented that.

One, we (as in my wife and me) bought a house, and so that means paperwork, boxing the old home in, moving, emptying the bloody boxes (sorry for my language), but also paint a few ceilings, sand the living room floor then varnish it again.

Two, I (as in just me) moved position at my job. That means completing the workload I had left, clearing my office, and then change office, get acquainted with my new coworkers, get familar with the new responsibilities (still a work in progress).

Three, I (as in pathetic old me) cam to realise that TWO daughters is a bit more time consuming than just one. No need to explain, there.

Four, I (as in annoying stupid me) have kept being distracted by plot bunnies that I needed to get out of my system before I could do any proper writing on the Hogwarts series.

And finally, I (as in not my fault, there) sent this chapter to someone who offered to be a beta, but I never heard from him again, so it delayed the publication even more. I honestly don't know what happened, there.

Now, this new chapter is less of a filler and more of a backstory development. We finally learn why the Brotherhood is so impressed with Kenneth's legacy. In other news, Ian returns to the school, Kieran deals with the aftermath of the Ball, the twins shine quite seriously in a new field, Julie and Kalindra talk it out, and some EPIC FORESHADOWING!

A Pledge to start the next term

At the invitation of the old master, Kenneth took a seat facing Amanio. Without a word, Thierry settled on his left. He and the Old master exchanged a meaningful look. There was something disturbing in the way they were acting. Kenneth wondered how much they knew that he didn't about his own family.

"Thierry told me that before we came here, you knew nothing of our Order, is that right?" said Amanio.

"It is," said Kenneth. "I didn't know such a group existed."

"But you should have known," said Thierry. "The fact you didn't was a surprise to me, if you remember."

"I noticed some odd things," said Kenneth. "First, you knew that my family was a line of Wandmasters. While it's not a secret, it's hardly common knowledge for foreigners. Also, I felt you knew more about me than I did, somehow."

"We were wondering if there was a mistake somewhere, but then, you and Thierry faced Ivoire in the Forest," said Amanio. "There wasn't any doubt left."

"Any doubt about what?"

"You have no idea of you who are?" asked Amanio.

"I know my name, my family, our tradition, stuff like that," said Kenneth. "I don't see what more there could be."

"You still have so much to learn," said Thierry, sighing.

"I wasn't under the impression that you were that old," said Kenneth, wryly.

"Aren't you aware of your legacy?" asked the novice.

"I thought it was clear that I know about the Wand Gift," said Kenneth.

"We know very well that you know about it," said Walter. "I speak of the origin of your blood line. Your blood carries a very old history that has been tied to our tradition from the very beginnings of our Order. You, Kenneth, are the Knight."

"The Knight?" repeated Kenneth.

"Merlin's Knight," said Thierry.

"When Merlin helped Arthur to create the Round Table and the Kingdom of Camelot," explained Amanio, "they received help from many Muggle knights. But Merlin also gathered the support of many wizards, including the Alliance of the Wand. The disciples he gathered around him were the basis of the Brotherhood, as you know."

Kenneth nodded at that, remembering the lesson Thierry had given in Binns' class.

"One day, out of the stables of Camelot, a young lad learned that he was a wizard," the Master went on. "He also was a Wandmaster. One that you would call a Root, I guess. His name was Johan."

Kenneth narrowed his eyes. He knew about this, of course. Johan the Lionheart, the Root of his Clan, the first of his family to wield the Wand Gift. Where was Amanio going with this?

"Johan was taught by Merlin in the arts of Magic," said Amanio. "He also was taught by the greatest knights of the court in the arts of warfare. Some say he was once the student of Percival the Welsh. But his closest mentor was Merlin. When he was knighted, he swore an oath to both Arthur and Merlin. He was soon called Merlin's Knight. Only one carries this title. Only one name is associated to this legacy. Your family is the line of the Knight. It is no coincidence that your entire family favours Arthurian names. Your father's name is Lancelot, his father was named Percival, and his own father was Gawain Lionheart. It's not just some fancy fashion. It has a meaning. Your line has served the Protection of Merlin's knowledge, and of the Kingdom of Camelot. You're the youngest of this line, now."

"How come you know all of this and I don't?" asked Kenneth.

"We followed your line for centuries, to make sure that the Gift was still in your blood, in case we would need your help. It's an old covenant, but it appears your family has somehow lost that knowledge. I think that with Gawain's death facing Grindelwald, the knowledge may not have been passed to Percival, and later, Lancelot. Only the direct line has ever known about this legacy. But you are the direct descendant of Johan, Kenneth."

"So does that mean I'm bound to serve you?" asked Kenneth, a little uneasy with the thought.

"Not to serve," said Amanio, "never to serve. This was a poor choice of words. Johan pledged to protect Merlin's knowledge, and later to look after the Brotherhood. You're by your very nature, our protector. And I know it won't be really difficult to face this destiny, for you. You're naturally generous and brave. You have proved it by saving Miss Carteret's life, last year. You have proved it by trying to stop the fight, in the middle of the pitch. So it will flow naturally from you. As long as you will follow your heart, you will remain true to the pledge."

"That's easy to say," said Kenneth, a little sharply. "But I don't see myself protecting the Brotherhood, if they're led by madmen. You're someone I can trust, Master Amanio," he added quickly. "But I can't say this of everyone in your order."

He was thinking that even in the few he already knew, he trusted neither Anselme, nor Colville. Wilhelm, Amanio's second assistant, was more trustworthy, but he wasn't even that sure about him.

"I see what you mean, Kenneth," said Amanio. "And I understand it, believe me. You're true to your heart. As long as the Brotherhood will remain true to its own, our interests will remain the same. The Pledge wasn't a blind vow. It was a deal between Merlin and his Knight. You're the protector, but if our Order was to be judged unworthy of your protection, you have the right to refuse us your help. I fear the day we would have lost our way so badly that the Knight would choose to abandon us."

"I see," said Kenneth. "At least, we know where we're going. As long as you will rule the Order, here, you can count on me."

"Thank you, Kenneth," said Amanio. "It wasn't the goal of this discussion, but I thank you nonetheless."

"So what was the goal?"

"To bring you your lost family history back," said Thierry. "It appears the line of the Knight is broken. You could recover a part of yourself by learning who you are."

Kenneth nodded.

"Thierry will show you what we know about it," said Amanio.

Kenneth remained a little shocked by what he had heard just right now. Now he could fully understand the meaning of what Aria had told him.

The words echoed in his head.

Your fate is bound from all eternity with the one of the Brotherhood

Now he knew the truth of these words. Still he was unsure of how much his own steps could be so meaningful, but, since at least part of Aria's revelation had been true, perhaps the rest of it was, as well.

The beginning of the new term was nearly there. The Hogwarts Express had brought everyone back to the castle. Ian had joined Terry and Joel again on the train, leaving his brother and Chris to reunite with their Gryffindors friends.

And now, he was walking through the Entrance Hall, with his fellow Ravenclaws. The young boys and girls walked to the northern stairs and headed to the Nest, pulling their trunks behind them. There was animated chatter all over the corridors of the castle. The main topics were Christmas, presents, the events of the holiday. Mark Jevons was quite proud that he had seen the awesome match between the Falmouth Falcons and the London Falcons, each year called the "Big Feud". He was in the stands to see Caroline Swanheart, Harry Potter's successor at the Seeker position in London, pulverize the speed record of a Seeker on her new Nimbus X, the very latest prototype of the firm.

She had even beaten the Snitch in a straight line, defeating the Falmouth's Seeker, though he had been flying a Firebolt. Soon, the tale of the game, in the words of Mark, became more of a heroic saga. By the time he was done, his group of friends had let most of the House pass them by, into the common room.

As a result, they were the last group of students to enter the Nest, passing through the passageway guarded by the eagle statue.

When Ian got inside the common room, it was to be suddenly pulled into frantic hug by Kieran. He was really surprised by this welcome, and actually fighting a bit of awkwardness, as everyone was looking at them, right now.

"Wow," he said. "What's the occasion?"

"Thank you so much!" said Kieran. "This was such a wonderful gift!"

"Oh, this?" said Ian. "No, really it was nothing."

"Nothing? You can't be serious, honestly!"

She had let go of him, but all the eyes were still fixed on them, with a few smiles among the older faces, and quite an amount of whispering among the younger ones. Ian was starting to realise that her outburst had been seen by everyone in the Nest. And so did Kieran. But as she didn't seem to care, Ian decided he didn't as well. After all, he was really glad that she had liked her gift.

"Wow," said Joel to Ian. "That had to be some gift. I could use some idea like this for Gina, mate."

Ian shot him a dark look.

"I'll show you," said Kieran, and she disappeared upstairs, while all the trunks were suddenly disappearing, transferred in the dormitories by the magic of the house elves.

Everyone was setting in armchairs near the fireplace when Kieran reappeared holding a parcel carefully enveloped in velvet. Ian recognized the package that Miss Daffodil had done for his present.

Kieran put it carefully on the table, and everyone turned to it. She opened the parcel, revealing a rose. A blood red rose.

"A Rose? Is that it?" asked Joel, surprised.

"Of course not," said Kieran. "Just look."

She stroked one of the petals of the flower. And she began to float in the air. The petals suddenly changed colour, looking more like ruby than red. And the flower began to radiate light, sending out little sparks that looked a little like snowflakes. Everyone was now looking at the flower in awe.

"This is beautiful," said Diana, her jaw wide open.

"Wow," said Edwin, which was quite an exclamation for him.

"Hey," said Orlando. "This is a very delicate spell. Did you do it?"

Ian shook his head, smiling.

"It comes from Floras' shop. You know… the magic flower boutique in Hogsmeade."

"Well, good pick, pal," said Joel. "But you have to be careful with this, Kieran."

"Why?" asked the young girl, surprised.

"Because Gina will steal it from you, if you don't look after it," said Joel, with a side look to his girlfriend, who was watching the floating flower in silent marvel.

Gina gave a start.

"I wouldn't!" she protested.

Joel only laughed at that. Ian was laughing with the others. But inside of him he was rejoicing because Kieran had been so pleased with her Christmas present. He was quite proud of his trick, this time.

For the rest of the day, Ian would be found smiling.

This was a very nice feeling to have everyone back in the Nest. Kieran didn't picture herself as overly sentimental about her friends, but she did enjoy good company. And this holiday, while there had been pretty interesting moments, she had felt a certain longing for her friends. To be honest, she had felt curious about Ian not being around for Christmas. She didn't give much weight on the holiday, per her family's tradition. But, somehow, this year had been different.

To be completely fair, he hadn't been completely absent, at least not in spirit. She was still reeling from his wonderful gift. Again, Kieran wasn't the kind of girl to make a fuss, but she had wanted to make sure Ian knew how much she had loved the rose. This was, truly, a gesture on his part. He had found something that she liked, not just something that they both would have enjoyed. Ian had always been practical, when it came to exchange presents. There was nothing practical in that present, just the goal to please her.

As much as she relished the start of term for bringing everyone back, it did present her with a quandary of sorts.

Terry.

She knew she needed to have a serious talk with him. As much as his flirting had been fun, she needed to ensure that he wasn't building up some hopes that she couldn't meet. The truth was that she didn't see herself dating Terry Longwand. She believed that his flirting with her was only half-serious, or at least she hoped it was. But if the Ball had changed anything for him, she had to know it soon. She couldn't answer his potential feelings for her. He had told Ian once that it was only a game; but what if it wasn't?

So now, she was looking for an occasion to talk with Terry. It so happened that the opportunity presented itself when the first Arithmancy lesson of the term took place with both Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. Kieran took a seat next to Terry, in the back of the class. That surprised both Ian and Professor Weasley, as Kieran was used to seat in the front row. But neither the teacher nor Ian did insist on it. Ian exchanged one look with Kieran, who mouthed that she needed to talk to Terry about something.

The lesson began and luckily, Professor Weasley gave them an exercise where they were supposed to team up. So Kieran was bound to speak with Terry, anyway.

They started to work, and a light whispering sound began to rise in the classroom.

Kieran was about to seize the moment, but Terry beat her to it.

"So, how was the break?" he asked, smiling.

"Pretty good," said Kieran. "A bit dull, and I missed having you guys around, bit it helped me to think about some things."

"Such as?" asked Terry, with a smirk that told Kieran he knew where this was going.

"Erm... you, for example," said Kieran, feeling uncomfortable.

Terry chuckled softly, hushing the sound by a hand over his mouth.

"What's so funny about it?" asked Kieran.

"Nothing," said Terry. "But you know, I may not have the tenth of Ian's ability to spy on people, I still have eyes. So I was expecting something like that."

"And what is this supposed to mean?" asked Kieran.

"Well, that you have acted pretty weird around me since the Ball, as if you quite didn't know what to do with me."

Kieran was shocked that she had been so transparent to him.

"Don't worry," said Terry. "I'm sure I'm the only one who noticed. Now, as for your attitude, it's nice to know you're so considerate of how I feel, as unnecessary as it is."

"Unnecessary? How so?"

Kieran was taken aback, surprise that he would be so forthcoming about it.

"Honestly, Kieran, there's no need to be so cautious with me," said Terry. "You have something to say, you hit me on the head with it. 'twas always your way of doing it, I don't want you to change now."

"Alright," she said, with a sigh. "You know, after the Ball…" she began. "I admit I wasn't sure if you were…"

"…still playing?" offered Terry.

Kieran nodded, relieved that he understood her point.

"Of course I am," said Terry, with a wide smile. "Look, Kieran, you're a fantastic girl, I mean it. But it is not because I'm flirting with you for the fun of it that a Ball will change anything. You're still a friend. And you will remain a friend."

"Then, why did you ask me for the Ball?" asked Kieran, still whispering.

"One reason is evident," said Terry. "I had no one else to go. I mean, I didn't want to invite anyone in particular. So I figured I could take my best female friend to that Ball. A pretty girl with brains and able to enjoy the fun of the evening…"

"And that's it?" asked Kieran.

"Well, pretty much," said Terry. "But there was something else."

"Which was?"

"I had a question," said Terry. "Now, I have my answer."

"And what question was that?" asked Kieran.

Terry raised his eyebrows mysteriously, and then he smiled widely.

"You know what? I'll tell you when you're ready for it," he said.

"What is that even supposed to mean?" asked Kieran.

"If you have to ask, then you're not ready," said Terry with a toothy grin.

"You can be quite the pain in the arse, Longwand, you know that?" said Kieran, with feint exasperation.

"I know," said Terry on a msug tone. "It's part of my unique charm."

Kieran's frown turned to a sadistic smile.

"Excuse me? What charm?" she asked, doing her best to look baffled.

"Ouch! Touché!" said Terry, smiling wider.

And that was that. Kieran felt a little more serene, now. At least things between them were still clear. But now she suspected him of knowing something that she didn't. Kieran didn't like when someone knew stuff that she didn't. Usually it was Ian, which never ceased to annoy and impress her at the same time. But from time to time, some other friend could still sneak something under her nose.

She would have to work on that.

The lesson of Arithmancy was going smoothly, at the beginning, and there was no warning sign. Ian was focused on his equation, and Joel was clearly trying to see over his shoulder, to see where his friend was going, as he was teaming with Diana. Ian had been paired with Morag, who was quite efficient, but Diana wasn't the sharpest Arithmancer in the school to say the least. So Joel was maybe hoping to get some help for their team.

Ian noticed that Kieran was chatting discreetly with Terry and it was clearly not about the equations, which was unusual for them, especially Kieran. She wasn't getting chatty in any lesson, really, especially not when it wasn't about the subject of said lesson.

But before Ian could question this any further, his train of thoughts was derailed by a shrilling sound, coming from outside.

"Oh, Merlin!" exclaimed suddenly Professor Weasley, standing up.

And the window swung violently open, leaving passage to two blurry forms that flew across the classroom. And through the open door… Then they came back inside, spinning in every direction. All the students dropped to the ground as one of the forms hit one floating globe and sent it bouncing across the classroom. The two flying forms shot through the window again, and zoomed in again, without stopping for a beat. All of this was covered by little happy shrieks and something that sounded curiously like enthusiastic barks.

Ian was trying to follow the two forms with the eyes. One was sending outs reflects, as if it was made of metal, and the other was leaving behind itself a trail of sparks. Ian was beginning to have an idea of what was "attacking" them, when Professor Weasley stood up, frowning.

"ENOUGH!" she shouted.

And the two forms froze on the spot. Ian then saw them for what they were.

There was Waldo, Alexander's Dragonet. He was looking at Professor Weasley with large round eyes, as if wondering what he had done wrong.

And the other one was a bird. Ian recognized it immediately, since Kieran had told him about it. It was a small, yet fully feathered Phoenix.

"What do you think you're doing, here?" said Professor Weasley, sternly.

The dragonet threw a look at the phoenix, and lowered his eyes in a repentant look. Ian tried to get a hold on his laughter at this sight. Professor Weasley walked on to the spot where the Phoenix was fluttering on the spot, his little wings beating really fast. The Phoenix was trying to look surprised.

"So?" said Professor Weasley. "Ash? I'm waiting for an explanation, here."

The phoenix let out a little note of apology, and another pleading one.

"You can play with Waldo, yes," said Professor Weasley, more kindly. "But you can't just zoom in a room like that, Ash. And Waldo should be looking over Christine, right now. Maybe you should also be learning how to look after Lily. Am I wrong?"

Another pleading note of the Phoenix.

"Aww" said the teacher sarcastically. "You'll make me cry, really. Now get back to our tower with Waldo and please, stop zooming about in the classrooms. It's disturbing the lessons. I'll see you after that."

Ash nodded and flew out of the class room. Waldo fluttered to Professor Weasley, and stuck his nose in her neck, making her squeal in protest.

"Waldo!" she said. "Come on, be nice."

The Dragonet let out a laughing groan and flew out of the door. Professor Weasley reached for her wand and waved at the window and the door, which closed immediately. She heaved a sigh and then turned to the students, who were chuckling lightly.

"Pets," she said. "Sometimes, honestly, they're worse than kids…"

The class laughed at that. And soon they all were back to their equations. And Joel was again trying to see over Ian's shoulder.

When the class was dismissed, the students all stepped out to head for to their next lesson. But as Ian and his friends were crossing the Hall, the familiar musical sound and the groans of laughter were suddenly heard again. Ian had quick reflexes, and he pushed Kieran and Gina on the floor, just before the two pets came zooming near the slabs.

Again, the phoenix and the dragonet were playing cat and mouse in the castle, and they were clearly having a lot of fun. Ian noticed that, this time, it was Ash who was pursuing Waldo.

"What's happening, now?" said Joel, getting to the floor, near them, as he dodged another plunge of the flaming bird and the miniature dragon, which missed his head by an inch.

"I guess Waldo has won the last chase," said Ian, casually, getting back to his feet.

Joel was rubbing his cheek, since he had caught a taste of Waldo's tail in the face.

Ian made a sudden head move, to avoid the collision with Ash. The Phoenix only let out a little note of apology, but sped up to Waldo's trail.

"I can't believe this," said Kenneth, who joined them in the Hall. "What the…?"

"Teachers' pets," said Ian. "And those ones are for real."

Kenneth chuckled lightly.

"They're cute," said Mandy, next to Kenneth.

"You'll tell me how cute they are when one will have hit you right in the face," said Joel, groaning, finally getting up, looking a bit disgruntled.

There were suddenly two whistling sounds, and Ash and Waldo broke off the chase. At the end of one corridor, the small phoenix flew up to Mr Weasley's hand. The teacher's husband was torn between laughter and sternness directed at the bird. He stroked the head of the phoenix.

"What did Hermione tell you, Ash?" he said kindly.

Ash let out a note that sounded like "yeah, yeah, I know…"

Waldo flew up the stairs up to Alexander's fist. The Entropist was shaking his head.

"You were such a nice boy, before, Waldo," he said. "You should be teaching Ash how to behave, instead of causing mayhem all over the place."

Waldo groaned, showing clearly that it would be much less fun.

"Sure, it won't be that fun, but look at the mess," said Alexander. "You even hurt one student."

Waldo threw a panicked look downstairs and saw that Joel was still rubbing his cheek. He flew down and swooped on him. Joel refrained a step back when the dragonet landed on his shoulder. The little creature threw him an imploring look, and began to lick the hurt cheek. Joel started to laugh.

"And how am I supposed to stay angry with him, now?" he asked no one in particular.

He began to stroke the head of the dragonet with one finger. The little beast closed his eyes in delight and began to purr happily. The students all laughed. And again, some girls in the area cooed at the cuteness of the pets.

"So where is my class?" asked a voice.

Professor Weasley made her appearance in the hall. Ash immediately flew off Mr Weasley's shoulder to come perch on hers. It was clear that in the family, his loyalty was to her rather than to him. Ian wondered how much of that loyalty was devoted to baby Lily. Hermione looked at him a long moment, then sighed again. She turned to her husband.

"They were at it again, weren't they?" she said, not really asking a question.

Mr Weasley nodded, grinning widely.

"They're kids," he said magnanimously. "They need to play around."

"Possibly," said Alexander, getting Waldo back from Joel's shoulder. "But they have to be careful."

The two creatures exchanged meaningful looks and suddenly nodded. That was such a human attitude that everyone laughed.

"You know what's worse?" said Professor Weasley.

"What?" asked Alexander.

"It's that they make me laugh," she said in exasperation.

"You always did like the trouble makers, honey," said her husband. "Married into a family of those."

"Ron!" protested the teacher. "We're not alone!"

Incidents with pets notwithstanding, the start of term appeared to be pretty calm. Almost to the point of being boring, if one were to ask Ewan Malcolm. Ewan was still a little preoccupied with what had happened to Ichabod Lightbrown, even if very few actually seemed to care, in fact. To be fair, even Lightbrown himself wasn't making much about it, passing it off a as quirky event in a school year.

Ewan, though, was still preoccupied. It wasn't any kind of superior moral sense on his part. But as the brother of a student who had launched into a dangerous rescue mission in a maze half-way across the country, he knew more than most how truly dangerous a year in Hogwarts could turn out to be. Speaking of his brother, Ian was sad to report that the teachers had no further lead to find out who had done this to the student. True, there had been no harm, but Ichabod was still missing one hour of his life or two, which meant someone, who could possibly well still be in the school, had taken them from him.

Ewan wasn't in a position to do much about this, which was why he was bored to tears. He wished... something would just happen to make things a bit more exciting. This was Hogwarts. He wasn't supposed to spend his year just studying and looking at Quidditch. That would be... common, if not lame. He may have been aware of the potential danger, but he was still a Gryffindor. Danger meant… fun and excitement.

Ewan had never been as smart or dedicated as his older brother. Not to even mention said brother's best friend, who was smart to the point of being scary. So he couldn't even shake off his boredom by studying beyond the homework. Who did that? Masochists? If he was honest with himself, Ewan wasn't sure what a masochist was. Chris had mentioned the term, and Ewan had more or less pieced together that those people were asking for punishment.

Chris… Now, that was someone smart, a little too much, actually. Ewan liked him well enough. He was a good guy, with a sense of humour. But as much as he had enjoyed his company very much at the beginning of the year, after the Christmas Chris had spent with them at home, he was beginning to think that he was maybe a little too devoted to learning. He spent hours studying and not much else. Ewan was no slacker... well, not too much of one, at least. But school was also supposed to be about having fun.

For that, Ewan had started to look to his other friends: Eric Masterson, Michael Carthemius and Rachel Somersby, and of course, the Odinson twins. The two Swedish chaoticians were serious fellows, not the kind to laugh out loud all the time, but when they were around, one could be sure to see things not be boring one bit.

If Ewan had wanted a proof of that theory, he found one, mere hours after the start of the next term's lessons.

As fun as it turned out to be, it didn't start very well for him…

It was a cold morning of January, and the castle was caught in a deep fog. Ewan had been hurrying between the transfiguration class and the classroom of Professor Flitwick, with his group of friends. He was reaching the turn that would lead him from one wing to the next, when he was suddenly hit by something.

As he was pushed roughly against the wall, he realised that this something was, in fact, someone. Two burly guys, dressed in Slytherin robes, were holding on to him by his robes, pushing him against the wall. Ewan knew who they were: two bullies from Slytherin third year, Frazer and Mayhew.

"So, Malcolm, we've been waiting a while to have a chat with you," said Frazer, who was the closest.

"And say what?" spat Ewan.

Looking around, he saw his friends had drawn their wands, but were held at bay by three other older guys.

"You've been bad mouthing us since you arrived in the school," said Mayhew, in a growl.

Ewan knew that, right now, he was about to get it anyway, so he might as well not shy away from the conflict.

"Because I'm telling everyone that you're bullies? Well, you kind of prove my point, here," he said.

"We'll wipe this smile off your face, midget," said Frazer.

"Let him go," said a voice that surprised Ewan.

It wasn't either Eric or Carth, who were the first to jump to their friends' rescue. Instead, small, delicate Susan Odinson was standing there, her wand in her hand, but not pointed at anyone in particular.

When Ewan saw her eyes, he could not think anything else.

She's scary, right now.

But Frazer and his goons didn't catch the threat and snickered.

"Walk away, doll face," said Frazer. "You don't want to mess with us."

"I'm not afraid of you," said Susan, determination clear in her tone.

"Guys, shut her up," said Frazer, nodding for his acolytes to move for Susan.

She didn't wait for him. She didn't use any specific spell. She just waved her wand in the air, furiously, and suddenly, Inglewood and Sutter were thrown against the nearest wall. A girl named Welhan was about to jump at her, but she, too was thrown into the air. It hadn't been Susan's doing. Sven had joined the scuffle and was also casting spells around. After a second of shock, Ewan reacted, too, and threw a violent kick into Frazer, who was suddenly bent in two, letting go of his robes.

Another spell from Sven's wand caught Mayhew by the neck of his school black robes and dragged him back enough for Susan to cast a jinx that sent the Slytherin third year flying. Once he was free, Ewan searched his robes for his wand, but when he finally put his fingers on it, he realised that it was a little too late.

Frazer was still on the floor; Mayhew was scrambling to get back to his feet. In the meantime, Sutter, Inglewood and Whelan were all disarmed, trying to recover from the shock. When the five Slytherin gits finally regained a semblance of control, they found themselves at the tip of seven wands. Ewan was keeping Frazer in his sights, while the twins had Inglewood and Sutter under control. Whelan was facing Rachel, but she was without a wand. As for Mayhew, both Carth and Eric had their wands on him, because they knew he was the most vicious of the bunch. Sharon Tweeney, who had also joined the tussle, was shifting from one target to the next, to act as a back-up.

"So," said Sven, very seriously. "Should we continue this, or will you just back off?"

"You think you can..." began Frazer, furiously.

"Well, the way I see it, you're all disarmed, and we outnumber you," said Susan. "Get lost."

"Or what?" asked Mayhew.

"Or get hurt," said Susan, matter-of-factly.

"You think you can get away with it?" said Whelan, on a whiny tone. "What if we reported to Professor Snape?"

"And tell him what, exactly?" asked Ewan, "that five third years got their arse kicked by a bunch of firsties? You're sure you want to go there?"

Whelan seemed to lose her confidence at this. Frazer finally managed to get back to his feet.

"Let's go," he said.

"Hey, Whelan!" called Rachel. "Catch!"

She tossed her the wand she had caught from her. The disgruntled girl caught it. Cautiously, Eric and Carth returned theirs to Inglewood and Sutter, but they were kept under aim by Sven and Susan. The Slytherins retreated to the other end of the corridor and finally dropped out of sight.

Ewan then turned to Susan.

"Thanks for the rescue," he said. "You are amazing."

"Well, I couldn't well stay mad at you for that long, could I?" Susan said, with a cunning smile.

"Er... Were you mad at me?" said Ewan, taken aback.

"Well, you did tell Rachel that she was more beautiful than me," said Susan, casually.

Stunned, Ewan turned to Rachel, who had a shrug and a grin.

"You told her that?" he said.

"I don't keep secrets from my best friend," said the brown haired girl.

"But… but," Ewan stammered.

"Oh, Ewan, that was a very tactless thing to say," said Sharon, with a grin that was far from being sympathetic.

At this point, Ewan had had enough.

"Let me get this straight," he said, pointing at Rachel. "You extorted a remark on your looks from me, when you knew I was under a truth serum. Then you tell your friend, knowing full well, it will get me into trouble. And when you do, she gets mad at me and I'm getting scolded for this?"

"That's pretty much it," said Sven, shrugging.

"Shush, you," said Ewan. "How is that even fair?" he asked the three girls.

Susan had a small smile.

"But who ever said we have to be fair?" she said before to walk away with an elegant wave of her long dark grey hair.

Ewan was left on that, gaping like a fish. The other girls followed Susan as one, and the boys all looked at Ewan, either with a smirk, in Sven's case, or with puzzled looks for the others. Somehow, Ewan knew he had been had, there. He didn't understand why the girls would want to play a trick on him, but somehow they just did. He couldn't even understand…

That was it. All things considered, Ewan would pick boredom over anything else, right now.

The students quickly returned to the routine of classes, lesson and gossip, basically. The time after the Christmas break was often, the way Kalindra saw it, about picking up where you had left off before the build-up to the ball ever began. Then, upon returning from vacation, you could resume the daily life of the school.

There was, however, one difference that was fascinating to observe: the effect of the Yule Ball on personal dynamics. Who was closer to whom? Who hung out with whom more often? Who was now dating? Who would go together to Hogsmeade on Valentine's day's week end? Those were the new subjects of fascination, these days.

Oh, of course, there was the Silver Quill challenge, still going on. But it didn't have the huge impact on the school that the ball or the Quidditch Cup could have. For Kalindra, it was a bit more interesting, both on a personal level and intellectually. The solving of this year's mystery seemed to be taking quite a bit of time, as opposed to last year. So the teams were spending a lot of time in research, instead of lining attempts that would be more entertaining to the students. So, while still going on, the competition had fallen a bit out of the public eye.

So, sadly, Kalindra, when needing a distraction from studies, could only rely on school drama. Well, on that and making out with her boyfriend, but she didn't need any excuse for that, and snogging Rob Drakefang actually was an activity that kind of eclipsed everything ranging from studies to listening to common sense, like when she had initiated a kiss in the middle of the courtyard, only to get so into it that they had to be separated by a discrete cough by Professor McGonagall. The mortification she had felt at the moment had only been equal to the amount of points she had lost the house… Still worth it, though.

Anyhow, following the ball, there were a few things that had changed in the way some people acted around each other.

Case in point, Jennifer Windhill and William Tyler. Kalindra hadn't said anything to anyone, but she had to be one of the few people in the school to actually know how the Ball had gone for these two. More precisely, at one point of the evening, as she had been stepping off the ballroom to use the loo, she had walked on the two of them, locked in a conversation that was, by all definition, pretty intimate. Sure, she had made a quick escape, in order not to disturb them. Maybe it was the romantic in her, who wanted them to enjoy the moment without intrusion. Maybe she valued her life and didn't want to get on Jennifer's bad side. Whatever the reason, she hadn't stuck around to eavesdrop or to spy on the couple. But the pose, the hushed tone of the conversation had looked pretty promising.

Alas, it seemed that something had gone sour, at some point.

Not only were the two prefects back to their bickering ways, it now had taken a curious, more vicious edge to it. Kalindra was trying to figure out the difference in the way they were fighting, while lovingly caressing the idea of slapping the both of them silly. How could they have gone from nearly snogging to all-out war in such a short time?

The mystery was turning into an obsession for Kalindra. Last year, she had speculated and theorized about many new relationships, after the first ball. Now, her focus was solely on Will and Jennifer. It was driving her up the wall. Even Kenneth wasn't that frustrating, somehow. At least, he was lucid on his situation, romantically speaking. Kalindra was aware that something had happened between Thierry and Kenneth, and the two were actually keeping something from her.

It turned out that obsessing about Will Tyler and Jennifer Windhill's love life would have one positive effect.

Kalindra was lounging in the common room, a half-finished essay's parchment spread over her lap, her mind wandering basically anywhere but near the subject of said essay, when it happened. A sequence of events that owed a lot to chance, actually… As the two prefects made their way into the common room, apparently in the midst of yet another legendary bout, Julie made her appearance from the stairs coming from the dormitories.

So, indeed, the two of them were settled at the front row to witness the heated exchange between Will and Jen.

"Oh, could you please stop being so immature!" snapped Jennifer, apparently closing up a fight that had started a lot earlier. "There are a few things that actually need to be taken seriously."

"Oh, that's pretty rich, coming from you," countered Will, hotly. "I think I see exactly how you take things seriously and the way you own up to that mature side of yours. Now, if you're done being a stuck-up hypocrite, I have somewhere else to be."

And on that, Will stormed up the stairs leading to his dorm, leaving Jennifer in a state that was confusing to Kalindra. From the way she stood, her hands balled up into tight fists, Kalindra could tell Jennifer was still fuming, but there was something else in her eyes. It was curious kind of hurt, almost like… regret? That thought immediately led her to look at Julie for a second, before she decided to get up and go check on Jennifer.

"Hey, Girl, are you okay?" she asked.

"What?"

Jennifer had almost snapped at her. Kalindra flinched but chose to push forward.

"I mean, that was pretty rough, even by you guys' standards," she said. "What is going on between you two?"

Jennifer's eyes showed a second of panic and the anger returned fully.

"I fail to see how that's your business," she said.

"Hey, don't mind me," said Kalindra. "I'm just trying to help, here."

"Yes, well, maybe not everyone needs you to stick your nose into their business," said Jennifer, harshly. "Don't you have anything better to do with your time?"

"Er… easy, Jen," said Kalindra. "No need to bite my head off, like that."

"You should mind your own business, for a change," said Jennifer, furiously. "Maybe if you left some people alone, things wouldn't go worse."

Kalindra felt as if she had been slapped in the face with that comment. What the hell did she mean by that? She was at a loss to what to say, but thankfully, someone wasn't.

"Hey, watch it," said Julie. "You're the one who just got into a very public fight. Kalindra is just looking out for you. Just because you're in trouble with Will doesn't mean you need to be odious about it."

"You should talk," said Jennifer, wheeling on the French girl in rage. "How many times have you blown up at her about minding her own business? And I seem to remember you being pretty awful, whenever your personal issues were brought up."

"And it was largely accepted that I've been a bitch, in that regard," said Julie, very seriously. "Honestly, coming from someone who screwed up, don't go down that road."

This last statement, while striking Kalindra mute in astonishment, had to merit of cooling down Jennifer. Instead of another angry retort, she basically had a furious sigh and stormed out of the room, leaving the audience speechless and Julie and Kalindra facing each other.

Kalindra was stunned that Julie would so openly admit of having been wrong. It was basically an apology to her, for the way she had acted. But, to be honest, now that Kalindra had understood the reasons behind Julie's behaviour toward Kenneth, she had found it increasingly difficult to stay angry at the French girl. Besides, she had grown very close to Julie, in the last year, and she missed that friendship.

It all came down to this. Was she able to let go and repair her relationship with Julie? Would it be siding against Kenneth? No, Kalindra knew it wasn't fair. First, Kenneth would never begrudge her for being friends with Julie. Donahue? Well… that would be different, but he wouldn't blame him for being friends with Julie. Second, if she reconnected with Julie, she could perhaps work to finally fix things a little between the two.

So she took Julie's statement for what it was, and she nodded to her, pointing at the stuffed chairs near the fireplace. Julie had a small smile and joined her there. They sat facing each other. The incident was dismissed by the rest of the common room, and their attention drifted from Julie and Kalindra, so they could talk.

"Alright," said Kalindra, deliberately, picking her topic. "What the hell was that about?"

"You mean Jennifer?" said Julie, catching the hint and seizing the chance to once more speak with her friend about something… harmless, for a change. "I'm not sure, but it's a bit of a surprise."

"What do you mean?" asked Kalindra.

"Well, I'm not sure I should say…" said Julie, hesitantly, looking in the direction of the stairs. "Maybe Will wouldn't like me to spread that one."

"Oh," said Kalindra, seeing where this was going. "You mean something happened at the Ball, right?"

Julie's eyebrows shot up.

"You know something?" she asked.

"Do you?" Kalindra sent back, with an ironic smile. "Okay, since I have less qualms about spilling the beans than you have, I'll go first. At some point in the evening, I walked on our two illustrious prefects in a very close conversation that had all the makings of a future snogging session," she then said, in hushed tones. "Was it something in the same vein you didn't want to spread?"

Julie had a smile of her own.

"I guess I walked on them a little later, then," she said.

"Oh, were they…?" asked Kalindra.

"The session was on, shall we say?" said Julie.

"Oh, bloody Merlin's…" gasped Kalindra, before to catch herself, which caused Julie to snort in amusement.

They shared another smile.

"Okay," said Kalindra. "So they finally got down to it… So what happened? I mean, right now, they're back at each other's throat."

"Hmm," said Julie. "I don't know. I didn't stay, when I walked into them. I made sure not to be seen. Maybe it didn't work out?"

"How? How the hell couldn't it work out? They're crazy about each other!" complained Kalindra. "And even then, why would they… Hold on. Don't you feel something different in the way they're fighting, now?"

Julie nodded, and she voiced the very thing that had been nagging at Kalindra's mind without her being about to nail it.

"Will's fighting back, now," said Julie. "Before, he was just winding her up, for the fun of it. He was taking her remarks in stride, coming up with witty come backs, to rile her up. Now, he's being mean, too."

"That's it!" said Kalindra. "I couldn't place it, but you're right. Oh, dear."

"What?" asked Julie.

"If Will is lashing out, it means, he was the one to get hurt," said Kalindra. "Whatever happened, somehow, Jennifer was the one who screwed up."

Julie had a wince.

"I guess you're right," she said. "You have a plan, yet?"

"Excuse me?" said Kalindra, blinking in puzzlement.

"That's what you do," said Julie, with a shrug. "You figure out what's wrong between people and you set off to fix it. Jennifer may be complaining about it now, but in fact, we're all grateful to have you looking out for us."

Kalindra could have laughed at this.

"What, like I'm your Mum, or something?" she scoffed.

Julie only smiled.

"I missed that," she said.

Kalindra didn't need to be told what she was talking about. She nodded.

"Yeah, me too," she admitted. "So, how did your folks like Hogwarts?"

"Oh, they adored the place," said Julie. "I thought Dad was going to try and move in."

"Would that be so bad?" asked Kalindra.

"My dad is a pilot," said Julie. "I have trouble picturing him taking a shuttle from the castle to reach the nearest international airport."

Kalindra chuckled, remembering Julie's dad was a muggle.

"How did they manage to get him in the castle?" she asked. "I mean... aren't there wards against muggles?"

"They only work if you try to reach the castle from the outside," said Julie. "They got here by Floo. "Plus, my father has a locket, given by the French Ministry. It allows him to see through a few illusions that usually fool the muggles."

"I didn't know those existed," said Kalindra.

"It's a recent innovation," said Julie. "The French Ministry is trying to integrate the muggle parents into our world."

Kalindra nodded at the nice sentiment.

"So, Valentine's day is coming up," said Julie. "You're ready for your first one with Rob?"

"Oh, the poor dear won't know what hit him," said Kalindra.

She tactfully wanted to avoid bringing up her own plans for the date, because that would bring up Donahue, and the subject wasn't something she was anxious to discuss with Julie, right now. But Julie still brought it up, somehow.

"Well, since the attach on Ichabod, I've been confined to the grounds, so my Valentine's day will not be in Hogsmeade," she said. "I'll pass on a list to you, so you can do some shopping for me, if you don't mind."

"No problem," said Kalindra. "You plan to do something, though?"

"Oh, that's a life precept in the Carteret family," said Julie, with a smile. "Never let rain, snow and fanatical sects ruin any of your plans."

"We need to make plans," said Lilia.

"What is our next move?" asked Einon.

"I have received word, from our source inside the school," said the High Priestess. "We could possibly get a chance soon."

"That source was nearly exposed," said Einon. "Can we rely on..."

"I think we can, yes," said Lilia, on a tone that suffered no discussion. "This slight mistep has blown over quite nicely. And it had no effect whatsoever."

"It put the staff on alert," said Einon, cautiously.

"They were put on alert the moment Amanio and his clique showed up at their doorstep," said Lilia, dismissively. "Right now, they're trying to grasp at straws to figure out what is going on. They are not even aware that we are behind the attack on the Sanctuary."

Einon only replied by kissing her bare shoulder. The conversation was taking place in Lilia's large bed, in her chambers. Einon had become used to spend most of his nights in here. As he had hoped, the invitation had led to him becoming Lilia's current love. Whispers in the temple said that not many men could take on that task. To Einon, said 'task' had been delightful, a glimpse of the great reward there was in serving a witch like Lilia.

"So how do we proceed?" asked Einon.

"I need you to assemble a few men," said Lilia. "The Traitor shall lead them, as soon as we get our chance."

"Won't that expose us?" asked Einon. "To know there is a threat over them is one thing. But if the Brotherhood becomes alerted to our continued existence..."

"I do not fear a bunch of bookish monks," said Lilia. "If they know we are coming for us, they will know fear and try to hide. But we'll still have a way in. If we do this right, we can open our enemy's defence and strike a deadly blow."

Her hand was absently stroking his chest. Einon took a moment to enjoy the attention, while his Mistress was lost in thought. Then he asked the question he figured she expected from him.

"What kind of men should I assemble, Mistress?" he asked. "Can we afford to lose them?"

"We can afford to lose each and every warlock in the sect, if it fulfils our goal," said Lilia. "Even you are not completely irreplaceable, my dear, even if your skill would be missed."

"Of course, Milady," he said. "I just meant that an assault like you plan could be dangerous. The potential losses... well, they could be an opportunity."

"Is that so?" asked Lilia. "Have you pinpointed a few people worthy of my special attention?"

Einon had a cold smile. That meant traitors, to be disposed of. Not traitors to the sect, of course, but possibly traitors to Lilia, which didn't have the same meaning, despite her open claims of sharing the goals of the Warlocks no matter what. Yes, an attack with such high risk targets could be a chance to clean the house a little. He would have to arrange that... discretely. Not all of them, of course, as so not to alert anyone... yes, he indeed had to make plans.

An owl flew through the window and landed on the bed. Lilia gestured for him to get the message from the bird, so he untied it and held it out to her. She quickly read through the letter, and her eyes narrow fiercely.

"Get dressed," she ordered. "Our Lord wants a meeting."

"Of course, Milady," said Einon, obediently.

He may be Lilia's lover, he still knew his place. Whenever Lilia's master summoned her, no one mattered, and interrupting his cuddling with her was the last of her worries. Einon knew he couldn't afford to be jealous or possessive. The Lord was too dangerous an enemy to have.

"How long will you be gone, Milady?" he asked.

"Would you miss me, Einon?" smirked Lilia.

"I would lie if I said I don't enjoy the honour of your arms' embrace," said Einon, silkily, kissing her shoulder again. "But I was more concerned about the potential tasks you would have for me in your absence."

"Oh, you are coming with me, this time," said Lilia.

"You mean..." said Einon.

"It is time for you to be introduced to our Lord," said Lilia. "He, like me, can recognize talent and dedication. This will bring you closer to power. As for running things, Arthan can do it. We have largely enough time before to make our move. Right now, we return to another game, with far higher stakes."

Einon nodded. His smile was actually genuine. His devotion was beginning to pay off. He was taking one more step to the top. Soon, if he played his cards right, he could be sitting very close to the throne... who knew, maybe he could even share it with Lilia... or claim it.

It was all a matter of patience.

And done! Now I need to get my head back in the game and complete the next bit. Hopefully it won't be that long. A lot of thanks to all of you wonderful readers that stayed patient with me, during this long absence. I swear I'll try to keep it shorter between chapters, from now on.

Also, I'd like to give special thanks to all of you who sent messages of support and condolences concerning the recent attacks in my home country (France, for those who didn't know that). It was deeply appreciated, even if I was fortunate enough not to be personally touched by these tragedies. In return, I'd like to send my thoughts to all the people who got hurt, or lost a close one in the waves of violence that echoed the one in my home in other places of the world (I'm thinking of Orlando, but also of Iraq and Syria, unfortunately among others). I can only hope that kindness and tolerance can and will prevail against the mindless actions of criminals.

On that somewhat gloomy note, I'm signing off.

See ya!