One

Kara awoke while the halls of Hogwarts were still steeped in predawn shadow. With a lazy swish of her wand, soft golden lights blossomed around her circular room high in Ravenclaw Tower, chasing away the last lingering darkness. Kara treasured these quiet moments alone with her magic, the simple enchantments grounding her.

As a muggleborn, everything at Hogwarts had felt new and wondrous when she first arrived years ago. Spells had come easily to her, ancient intuitions seeming to guide her wand even before she grasped the theory. But it had taken time to fully trust her abilities, to release the small nagging fear that her magic could somehow still be taken away.

Now at the start of her fifth year, Kara drew comfort from the familiar rhythm of her daily rituals. With flicks of her wand, the curtains swept open to welcome the slowly brightening sunrise. Her sheets folded themselves into crisp hospital corners. The kettle on her desk stirred itself to brew a perfect cup of peppermint tea.

When the sun finally crested the top of the Forbidden Forest, its rays spearing through the lingering gloom, Kara made her way through the drafty corridors and moving stairwells, joining the steady stream of students also stirring for breakfast and lessons. The other students chatted amiably as they walked, but Kara moved quietly among them. Making friends did not come as naturally to her as magic eventually had.

But she did not mind the solitude, as it gave her time to observe details others overlooked. She noticed the way the early morning light filtering through arched windows made the house crests embroidered on students' robes gleam. She saw how the portraits covering the walls engaged in their own conversations, oblivious to the bustle of students beneath them. And she watched the owls returning from their nighttime hunts to roost in the distant Owlery tower, tiny dark specks against the brightening sky.

Her first class that morning was Defence Against the Dark Arts, which Kara normally quite enjoyed. But today, she felt unsettled and adrift for reasons she could not fully explain, even to herself. As she slid into the seat beside Felix in the crowded classroom, Kara tried to focus on her friend's reassuring presence rather than the strange anxiety churning within her.

Felix Nocturne, while a Slytherin, had become her one close friend over the past five years at Hogwarts. On the surface, they made an odd pair - Felix with his refined manners and tailored robes, sharp features and honeyed-tongue. And Kara, a shy muggleborn most comfortable reading in the library. But where others saw only differences, Kara and Felix shared an innate curiosity about magic and delighted in discovering its hidden secrets. To Kara, Felix simply felt like safety. He had been her constant support since that very first time she'd boarded the Hogwarts Express.

As the students settled noisily into their seats, Felix leaned over with a sly grin. "So I hear Professor Grindy has something rather exciting planned for today's lesson," he murmured.

Kara eyed him sidelong, intrigued. "Oh? And what exactly does our esteemed professor have in store?"

"Apparently Grindy intends to take us out outside of Hogwarts," Felix revealed, voice hushed beneath the din.

Kara arched an eyebrow. "A field trip? But that seems highly irregular for fifth years."

Felix gave an exaggerated wink. "Precisely what makes it so exciting. We're to investigate some newly discovered ritual circle or something of the like." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I know scarce more than rumours, but Grindy will surely explain momentarily."

Kara's eyes had gone wide. The opportunity to observe an actual ritual circle up close was an exciting prospect, given their rarity in the modern magical world. Ritual magic had largely fallen out of favour over the past centuries, considered archaic and uncontrollable compared to more modern, refined spellwork. What remnants still existed were usually locked away in the Department of Mysteries, not freely accessible for students to study. Yet a tendril of apprehension curled in her stomach - rituals were powerful unpredictable magic. She shook off the unease, letting anticipation take root as Professor Grindy swept into the room.

Grindy soon confirmed the excursion, pronouncing it a valuable educational experience. Kara exchanged a subtle yet eager glance with Felix. Clearly his information had been accurate.

Before long, they were shepherded out of the castle and onto the winding paths that led through the sprawling grounds towards the main gates. Faint mist still clung to the sloping lawns, burning away slowly under the warming sun. Kara fell into step beside Felix as they brought up the rear, keeping their voices low beneath the lively chatter surrounding them. The regular crunch of their footsteps on the gravelled path echoed off the stone walls flanking them on either side, a rhythmic march towards their destination.

The elaborate wrought iron gates of Hogwarts loomed imposingly before them, both boundary and bridge between the castle and the outside world. Passing beyond those gates, even just for an educational purpose, felt momentous to Kara. It was a privilege usually reserved for weekend visits to Hogsmeade, but this was different - a true venture into the unknown.

The path continued winding down the hill beyond the gates, opening up onto a rugged landscape of sweeping valleys and craggy foothills.

"Alright, confess. How did you really know we'd be taking a field trip today?" Kara asked Felix, tearing her gaze away from the scenery to glance at him.

Felix held a finger to his lips, grey eyes glinting with mischief. "Now what kind of slippery Slytherin would I be if I revealed all my secrets?"

Kara gave a very un-ladylike snort, shaking her head in amusement. "I think you overheard Grindy gossiping again."

"You insult me," Felix protested, mouth twitching as he tried, unsuccessfully, to look offended. "I'll have you know I'm highly mysterious."

Their playful banter gradually faded away as the ancient ritual circle came into view up ahead along a relatively flat section of their rugged path. The class slowed, a ripple of anticipation passing through the students at this first glimpse of the obscure relic they had journeyed out to see. Both Felix and Kara stared, unconsciously drifting closer together.

Rings of cryptic symbols were etched directly into the stony earth, curves and lines intersecting and converging in complex patterns that seemed to subtly shift when studied. Scorch marks radiated out from the circle in places, evidence of powerful magic used in its creation. Yet at the precise centre, within the largest ring of runes, was a patch of the brightest green grass any of them had ever seen, vivid and untouched.

Kara could not tear her gaze away, throat gone dry. Now only paces from the markings, she felt the circle's remnants of power prickle against her skin like brambles, leaving an unexplainable sour taste in her mouth that made her subtly angle nearer to Felix for comfort. This ancient magic felt disturbingly close, as if violating invisible boundaries around the sheltered castle. Glancing up, Kara realized parts of Hogwarts were still visible in the distance - the Quidditch pitch's towering rings, the peaks of distant greenhouses, the shadowy edge of the Forbidden Forest. The placement made no sense. What purpose had this ritual served, and who had scorched these symbols onto the ground?

Professor Grindy beckoned the class nearer, his voice washing over them as he urged a tight circle around the markings. "Come, come, gather round students but remember - look but do not touch." He crouched near the outer rim, indicating a symbol with the tip of his wand. "Today we have the extraordinary chance to analyse an ancient magical practice few have seen outside the Department of Mysteries."

His words broke the spell of silence that had fallen. Hesitantly at first, then with growing excitement, the class began pointing out details and debating theories about the ritual's origins.

Kara held back, lingering near the edge of the circle with Felix. The shapes and unfamiliar runes were undeniably fascinating yet also deeply unsettling for reasons she could not articulate. The sober power thrumming just below the surface left her skin pebbled with unease. The more she stared at the intricate symbols, the more Kara wished to flee back to Hogwarts. She glanced sidelong at Felix, but if he also felt the malevolence simmering beneath the ritual site's placid facade, his expression did not show it. His gaze was fixed as raptly on the circle as the other students, keenly attentive.

Nearby, Corvinus Vitis had wedged himself close to the largest ring, scrutinizing its markings. "This looks to be necromantic in nature, wouldn't you say?" he posited to no one in particular.

Felix scoffed loudly in response. "Yes, because every magical anomaly clearly involves raising the dead. Honestly, your one-track mind is absurd." He rolled his eyes.

A few feet away, Alice Finnegan had conjured a floating orb of bluish light above her head so she could study the markings without getting too close. "Judging by the flawless execution and intricacy of these symbols, I believe we can safely deduce no ordinary witch or wizard created this," she remarked thoughtfully. "True skill was clearly required."

Kara remained silent, a creeping sense of unease slowly coiling tighter within the pit of her stomach as she continued scrutinizing the ritual circle. Felix caught her eye, brow furrowing slightly in concern at her obvious discomfort. She gave a subtle shake of her head in response. In truth, she was still unsure how to voice her ominous feelings over what, on the surface, should have been just an intriguing academic opportunity - a chance to glimpse obscure magic not normally taught at Hogwarts.

Professor Grundy eventually called the class back to order. "Well this is certainly a fascinating puzzle you can consider further in your upcoming essay," he declared. "Two feet of parchment with your proposed theories on the ritual's origins and purpose. Examine it from all angles through the lens of our curriculum."

With that, he set a brisk pace back towards the castle. Most of Kara's fellow students were already eagerly discussing essay angles and hypotheses in hushed voices as they went. Kara trailed behind; gaze drawn inexorably back to the circle growing smaller on the rocky slope. She could almost feel its power radiating out like unseen ripples on a pond, calling her back. A heavy sense of disquiet permeated her steps.

Once back within the sheltering walls of Hogwarts, Kara felt some of the oppressive weight lifting as she put greater distance between herself and the ritual site. But glancing out the hallway windows towards the grounds later, she glimpsed the small dark speck marring the green slope in the distance. The sight triggered a swell of unease anew, reminding her that it yet remained, waiting at the periphery of campus like a shadow she could not completely outrun. She shivered, hurrying on.

The heavy pall from the morning's lesson lingered over Kara's thoughts long into the evening. She picked at her dinner, appetite vanishing as her mind was continually drawn back to the ritual circle. Out there, beneath the velvet night sky, lay something inexplicable - and hungering. Like a half-remembered melody, it hummed just at the edge of perception, haunting her.

Seeking distraction, Kara retired to the library after the meal, selecting a text on ancient runes at random. But she could focus only on a paragraph or two before needing to reread again. The inscrutable symbols from the ritual circle seemed to swim behind her eyes. With a huff of frustration, she shoved the dusty tome away and rested her forehead against the cool stone wall, exhaling shakily. She just needed rest, surely.

But her steps turned not toward Ravenclaw Tower, but rather drew her inexorably down empty torch-lit corridors and out into the open night air. Curfew was drawing near, most students already tucked away in their dormitories by now. Yet Kara wandered on tired feet down the sloping lawns, the surface of the Black Lake gleaming through the trees ahead.

She settled onto the dew-damp grass, toes inches from the lazily lapping water, trying to let the gentle sounds soothe her rattled nerves. But her magic seemed to thrum erratically inside her, responding to some external summons only it could hear. Kara clenched her eyes shut, focusing on slowing her breaths. There was no reason for this dread - it was only an ancient relic, harmless now.

Gradually, her pounding heart calmed. But just as Kara let her guard drop fully, exhaustion taking its toll, she felt a great swell of uncontrolled power abruptly crack open within her. This outpouring was not violent, yet she gasped at its intensity. Her fingers dug furrows into the soft earth as the magical surge rushed outwards from her core, leaving her drained and dizzy. She blinked hard against the sudden swimming shadows.

And then, between one heartbeat and the next, her senses abruptly dimmed at the edges as though painted over with ink, the familiar silhouette of Hogwarts fading rapidly from view. With a dizzying lurch, reality peeled away, and then she was falling into infinite darkness, some inexorable force pulling her consciousness swiftly down into the void.