Author's Notes: Don't worry, we'll get back to the canon main story shenanigans in the next chapter. I just figured now was the best time to introduce this idea.

"This is…," Devon trailed off, words escaping her as she took in the building Crowley was expecting her to stay in. An iron fence with double doors (which she noticed didn't have a latch, leaving one of the doors permanently open and swinging in the wind) led to a concrete staircase that, in turn, led up a hill to the mansion itself. The outside was…nothing to write home about. From where she was standing, Devon could see that most of the windows were boarded up and there were a number grey patches on what was supposed to be a green roof. It seemed at least some of the outdoor lights still worked, so at least she wouldn't have to worry about making her way up the concrete steps in the dark.

"So?" Crowley asked, looking over at her expectantly. "Didn't I tell you it possessed a certain charm?"

"Well it certainly is…a building," Devon replied.

"Mmhmm mmhmm," Crowley hummed. If he noticed Devon's uncertain tone, he didn't show it. He pushed the gate open and began climbing the steps, gesturing for Devon to follow him. "Please come inside."

Devon sighed but obeyed. 'Beggars can't be choosers, Dev. It's not like you have anywhere else to go.' She shook her head, trying to stay optimistic. 'Besides, this is just temporary. With any luck, I'll be home soon anyway. And maybe the inside will be better.'

The inside was not better. Devon was immediately hit with a musty smell and a wave of dust as she followed Crowley into the mansion. The wallpaper was peeling in a number of places, furniture was overturned and the couches had multiple watermarks (indicating the roof was leaking, likely in multiple places), there were books and bits of junk scattered all around the room, cobwebs were everywhere, and what paintings hadn't fallen to the ground were askew on the walls. This was just the lounge area; Devon shuddered to think of the state of the rest of the place.

"Staying here will at least shield you from the elements," Crowley assured her.

'For how long? This place looks like it's gonna collapse any second,' Devon thought. It was better than being out on the street though, so she offered the masked man a smile. "Thank you. I appreciate your hospitality."

Crowley nodded. "Of course, hatching. I am so very gracious, after all!" He turned back toward the doorway. "Now then, I will be heading back to the library to do some more research on your predicament. Please make yourself at home." He looked back at her, his voice now stern. "But do not take that as an invitation to wander around the campus." He brightened again. "Ta-ta, my dear."

Devon blew out a breath as she heard the front door close. Nothing about this situation was ideal but she wasn't raised to give up the second things got difficult. Before she did anything else, she needed to see how many of the lights actually worked. She had to feel along the walls until she found the light switches but thankfully most of them worked. Once the lounge was properly lit, she set about righting what furniture she was able to left. She had just hefted a rocking chair back upright when she noticed an orb floating near the bottom of the stairs. It was small, easily able to fit in the palm of Devon's hand, and it glowed with a blue-ish green light. She cautiously made her way over to it but she didn't feel afraid; whatever it was, it didn't appear hostile.

"Where'd you come from, bud?" Devon asked, though she wasn't sure if the orb could even answer her. "I'm pretty sure you weren't here a second ago."

Once the orb realized it had Devon's attention, its aura began to pulsate as if it were trying to communicate. Devon could only stare blankly, unsure of what to do. Once the orb picked up on the fact that Devon couldn't understand its pulses, it began floating up the stairs. It paused about halfway up and pulsated again, but this time more urgently.

"I'm guessing you want me to follow you?" Devon asked. The orb kept moving once Devon started climbing the stairs toward it. 'Okay, looks like that was the right call.' She followed the orb to the second floor of the abandoned dorm, the heels of her boots clacking against the wood floors. She kept one arm out to feel along the wall but the soft green light the orb was emitting lit her way well enough. The orb was moving at a fairly brisk pace and Devon had to wonder what it was in such a hurry to show her. For that matter, why had it sought her out in the first place?

The orb led her to one of the rooms at the very back of the building, pulsing at her one more time. Devon could only stare as she stepped up to the doorway. Inside were a number of orbs, at least eight, similar in size to the one that led her here but they were all different colors. The smaller orbs were surrounding a much larger one, a brilliant golden orb that was about as big as Devon's head. She could only assume that the large orb was the leader as the others seemed to be guarding it.

"Umm okay," Devon began as she began to step into the room. "Not exactly sure what all this is about but-" A loud hiss coming from above her stopped her in her tracks and she noticed that the sound seemed to freeze the orbs as well. She looked up at the ceiling, following the sound, only to shriek at what she saw. A large black and purple spider, easily larger than the golden orb, descended from the ceiling and landed in front of her. It made a threatening clicking sound at her before turning back toward the orbs.

"Yeah, that's ten pounds of nope in a five pound bag," Devon remarked dryly. She turned around, ready to slam the door shut and put as much space between her and the spider as she could, but the orb that led her here darted in front of her before she could get anywhere. She sighed. "Look, I'm not sure what's going on here but it has been a very long and exhausting few hours and I am just not equipped to handle giant spiders right now." She tried to step around the orb but it blew a gust of wind at her before she could. It wasn't enough to do any real damage but it did push her back a few steps. "Dude, what gives?!" The orb only pulsed angrily in response.

"What do you even need me to do here?" Devon asked, turning back toward the other orbs. "I mean, if you guys can use magic can't you-" It was at this time that Devon noticed the webbing that was surrounding the large orb. The smaller orbs fired off various types of magic at it but the spider opened its maw and swallowed the attacks, now slowing down at all as it advanced toward the large orb. 'They can't fight that thing off since it can eat magic,' Devon realized, her eyes widening in horror as she glanced at the large orb. 'Is it…Is it planning to eat that big one?!' The green orb appeared in front of her again and she noticed that its pulses looked almost…pleading. "So you need me to kill that thing because you all can't, huh?" She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before picking up a broken piece of wood that tapered into a point. "Ay, basura. Fine. Just keep it distracted so it doesn't haul ass around and bite me or something."

The green orb sprang into action, dashing this way and that in front of the spider. The stopped and hissed angrily at the orb, snapping its jaws whenever the orb got close enough. The orb was able to dart out of the way every time and soon enough the other small orbs had joined in too. Once she was sure the orbs had the spider distracted, she inched closer and drove the pointed end of the piece of wood between the spiders abdomen and head/thorax, effectively severing it in half. It hissed and twitched before finally going limp. Devon poked it with the piece of wood before shuddering. "Alright now how am I supposed to get rid of it because I am not touching it with my bare-" She cut herself off as several wispy tendrils rose out of the spider's body. They were drawn to the orbs almost like magnets and she noticed the orb's auras briefly glow brighter once they made contact with the tendrils before going back to normal. 'Huh. Guess that was magic the spider had eaten.' She glanced back at the spiders body just in time to see if disintegrate into what looked like gold dust. 'Well, I guess I don't need to worry about cleaning it up now.'

She carefully approached the large golden orb and kneeled down to start untangling it from the spider's web. Once she'd freed it, the orb began to pulsate in much the same manner as the green one. She gave an awkward smile and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, sorry but I can't really… I know that you're trying to talk to me, but I can't comprehend."

The orb's aura dimmed, almost as if it were sighing. It floated closer to Devon before gently touching her forehead. At least, she assumed that's what it was doing since she couldn't actually feel anything. She shivered as an odd tingling sensation coursed through her brain, spreading slowly until she finally grabbed her head and held onto it until the sensation stopped. She looked back at the orb when the sensation started to fade away. "Umm, what was that?"

The golden orb pulsed again and Devon was shocked to find that this time she could understand it. It wasn't speaking to her with words and she wasn't able to make out any discernible voice but somehow she could now understand it perfectly. "Yeah, no problem. I'm guessing that spider was some kind of magic eater?" A series of pulses in response told her that the spider was known as a Spellsapper, a type of spider only found in area with high concentrations of magic. As it was able to consume almost all but the most powerful spells, most magical attacks against it were ineffectual. "And you guys weren't able to attack it physically?" A pulse in the affirmative. "Come to think of it, I wasn't able to feel anything when you tapped my forehead. Not to sound rude, but what exactly are you all? Are you like those ghost orbs I've heard about?"

By this time, several of the smaller orbs were joining in on the conversation. The green one that first approached her explained that the orbs were known as Wisps and that they were essentially sentient magic. The more magic stored in them, the larger they tended to get; that's why the Spellsapper went after the large gold orb and mostly ignored the rest of them.

"So what made you all want to gather here?" Devon asked.

A warm orange Wisp piped up this time. It explained that Wisps were formed in places with a high concentration of magic, assuming the excess magic isn't consumed by a magic-eating creature or absorbed by a stone to become a magic crystal. It also informed her that, while the whole of Night Raven College has one of the highest magical concentrations in Twisted Wonderland, the concentration around this building was especially high.

A cool blue Wisp elaborated that most of the Wisps gathered here were formed around the time with College was founded a century ago. In general, Wisps tend to go out of their way to avoid being seen (barring a few exceptions) so, given the state of the building, most of the student body and staff didn't know they were present.

"Dang. Sounds like you guys have been here for a while, huh?" Devon mused. "I'm sorry to intrude on your space but the headmaster wants me to stay here until he finds a way to send me back home. Ya know, magicless girl at an all-boys magic school." She shook her head, still trying to process the absurdity that was the events of her day. "I promise I'll respect your space as best I can."

The golden Wisp pulsed in response, assuring her it wouldn't be a problem; she had saved their lives, after all. All of them were in her debt.

Devon shook her head. "I appreciate the thought but you all really don't owe me anything." She gestured to the green Wisp beside her. "I wouldn't have even known anything was wrong if it hadn't been for…," She paused before leaning closer. "I don't think I ever caught your name."

The Wisps auras brightened with amusement before the golden one explained that Wisps didn't have names, not in the conventional sense.

"Gotcha," Devon replied. "Umm…would it be okay if I gave you all names? I don't know how long I'll be staying here so it'll probably make communication easier." The Wisps huddled together and had what Devon could only assume was some kind of quick, whispered discussion before the golden Wisp gave a pulse in the affirmative. She smiled. "Awesome! Then I'm gonna call you…Regina." Her smiled widened when the golden Wisp's aura brightened with delight. Devon turned the green Wisp next. "I'm thinking Zephyr for you." Then to the orange one. "You look like a Fuego to me." Then the blue one. "How does Marina sound to you?"

Once all the remaining Wisps had been named, each one glowing happily when they received their name, Regina addressed Devon again. They had an idea that could benefit everyone. With Devon around, the Wisps would be safe from Spellsappers and other magic-eating creatures and, in exchange, they would ensure that Devon had a safe place to stay as well. They knew perfectly well how rowdy the students of Night Raven could be and the last thing they wanted was harm coming to their new friend. Unfortunately, Regina explained, this dormitory was less secure than the others since it was located directly on the main campus of the school and not protected by a mirror portal. This meant that anybody, including people from off-campus when the school opened up for public events, could potentially gain access to it. However, Regina had an idea to help ensure the building's security.

Devon was about to ask for clarification when Regina slowly sank into the floor. She turned to Zephyr in confusion, hoping they could explain what was happening, when a bright golden light erupted from the place Regina had disappeared. Devon could only watch in awe as the light spread to cover the entirety of the dorm before fading. She looked around the room. "Regina? You still here?" A squeaking sound answered her. He turned toward the sound to see the door squeaking as it gently moved back and forth on its own, almost as if it was waving at her.

Devon could only laugh in disbelief as she waved back. "You brought the dorm to life?!" she exclaimed. The windows in the room began to open and shut on their own, confirming it. "Oh, this'll definitely help with security. Thank you, Regina!"

Zephyr floated closer to Devon and pulsed, explaining that Regina had bonded to the ramshackle building itself, more or less giving it sentience. Regina would still be able to hear Devon or anyone else in the building from anywhere in the vicinity. They would also be able to keep a figurative eye on the perimeter as well, ensuring nothing was skulking around where it shouldn't be. The remaining Wisps weren't strong enough to perform something on that scale but they would still help Devon however they could.

"Well dang, this'll make cleaning this place a lot easier," she said. "I just wish I could get out of these robes first; I really don't want to get them dirty."

A yellow Wisp that Devon had named Raio informed her that a colorful messenger bag had suddenly appeared in one of the bedrooms shortly before the headmaster had brought her here. At this point, Devon was done being surprised. "Looks like the rest of my stuff made the trip with me too. Hopefully, the clothes I was wearing before I came here will be there as well but I should have a change of clothes in the bag either way." She chuckled to herself. "Guess it's a good thing I kept putting off cleaning it out, huh?" She turned her gaze back to the Wisp. "Would you care to take me to the room the bag appeared in?"

The floorboards of the dorm suddenly sprang to life, moving Devon along the upper level before coming to a stop at one of the doors. "Okay, this is pretty freakin' amazing." Devon admitted as walked inside. "Maybe being stuck here won't be so bad." She sighed. "Just wish my brothers could see this."

DJ sighed as he flopped down onto the couch, putting his head in his hands. They'd been searching for Devon all day and there was still no trace of her anywhere. They had opted to avoid going to the police for the time being; if Dominic's hunch was correct, they wouldn't be of any help anyway. A number of their extended family had joined in the search and now everyone had gathered at their home. Their mother's brother, Tio Diego, was cooking dinner for everyone while their father and his brother, Tio Alejandro, were outside with the dogs. Meanwhile, Valentina, Monique, and Alejandro's wife, Tia Theresa, were gathered up with Elena, comforting her as best they could. DJ

DJ lifted his head as Dominic sat down beside him. "Just tried to call her again; still nothing."

Dominic sighed. "I mean, I'm not surprised but it's still pretty disheartening."

"And you're positive she's okay?" DJ asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.

In any other circumstance, Dominic would have been irritated. He wasn't confident in much, but he knew his 'sib-senses', as he called them, were always right on the money. However, this wasn't any other circumstance. "I'm positive she's okay, dude." He clapped his brother on the shoulder. "I wish could tell you all exactly where she is but…"

"Hey, if you're confident then so are we," came a voice from the entryway to the room. The boys looked up to see their cousins, Mateo and Lucas. Mateo was the same age as the triplets while Lucas was only six. The pair sat down next to the brothers. "We all know Dev's a fighter; whatever's going on, I'm sure she'll be okay."

DJ gave him a grateful smile but he couldn't help noticing that Lucas didn't look as convinced. "Everything okay, hombrecito?"

Lucas looked back and forth between his brother and cousins, playing with the hem of his shirt. "What if… What if she doesn't come back? What if she forgets about us?"

Dominic gave Lucas what he hoped was an encouraging smile. They had always been close and he knew Lucas loved all the triplets like siblings but he also knew that he was especially close with Devon. In fact, Alejandro and Theresa had debated whether or not to tell him Devon was missing, knowing how hard he would take it. He gently nudged the boy's shoulder. "Hey, c'mon now. Of course she's gonna come back."

"Yeah, bud," Mateo agreed. "You know Dom's never wrong about this kinda stuff. Besides, Dev loves us all waaaaaay too much to forget about us."

"That's why we have to make sure we're ready," DJ continued. "so that when Dev gets back, we all set to give her the biggest Lopez family hug we can." He effortlessly scooped up the younger boy into a hug, standing up and swinging him around, only setting him back down when he heard Lucas laughing. He smirked as he spotted Valentina heading into the room. "And I guess Val can be part of the hug too but I can take or leave it." He barely had time to brace himself before a throw pillow from the window seat hit him square in the face.

"I heard that, you limp noodle," Valentina called as Lucas burst into laughter again.

"Yeah. You were supposed to," DJ called back, narrowly dodging another pillow.

"Well, it's nice to see our current predicament hasn't dampened for sense of humor," Valentina replied before gesturing toward the kitchen. "Now come on, Tio Diego says dinner's ready."

The group followed her into the kitchen to join the rest of the family, their worries assuaged for the time being.

Ending Notes: …I really, really, like Encanto, you guys. Heck, Valentina was inspired by Isabela.

The Wisp idea was actually one that I'd had for a while and wanted to incorporate. Admittedly I hadn't planned on the whole 'Ramshackle Dorm becomes Casita' thing at first but then I got to thinking and I realized all the other dorms have their own thing that sets them apart (Heartslabyul has a rose maze, Savanaclaw has a pool, Octavinelle is freakin' underwater). I wanted my fic's Ramshackle to have its own thing too besides just 'rundown and ghosts'. There's also a practical reason for them in-story but it won't become obvious until the Heartslabyul arc. Let's be real here; somebody has to make Devon's life a little easier because Crowley sure won't.

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are always welcome! Geekinthepink, out!