Before Ron could even utter a spell, Krum was behind Harry, blocking his shot. He held Harry with one cold hand. With his other hand, he waggled one unnaturally-long finger at Ron.

"Dammit!" Ron shouted. Then, over his shoulder, "Guards! Khaled, we need every guard! Now!"

Krum leaned closer to Harry. His mouth was next to his ear, cold breath tickling Harry's neck.

"At St. Mungo's they told you the curse was finished, yes?" Krum said. "You were cured?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"No."

Still holding Harry by his neck, Krum plunged his hand into Harry's chest.

Harry screamed. Ron fired off a curse, but it missed. It shattered against the wall behind them, spraying Krum and Harry with rocks.

Krum's fingers were ice, reaching in through his ribs, his lungs, wrapping around his heart. There was no blood, but Harry could feel those fingers twisting and ripping through his lifeforce. There was a jolt of pain as Krum grabbed something, some organ, and pulled. Harry screamed as Krum tore something from Harry, something long and bright.

Harry was thrust back across the light barrier and found himself panting and sobbing, his hands against the far wall.

"Harry!" Ron shouted, spinning him around. "Are you okay? What did he do?"

Harry said nothing. All he could do was stare over his shoulder at Viktor Krum.

Viktor was holding a massive snake made of fireworks. It looked like someone waving a sparkler back and forth in the dark. It was a twisting, spinning white light that hissed and spat sparks in all directions. Krum wrestled with it, fought it with all his might. He grunted with pain and his hands smoked.

"Very powerful curse!" Krum shouted over the noise.

He held the light with one hand and reached into it with the other like he'd done to Harry's chest. The curse changed shape, seemed to recoil from the vampire's touch. Krum pulled, and the white curse turned into an orange spiral. His hand pulled free, now holding a jagged yellow line of fire.

"First layer, strike!" Krum said. "Not meant to hurt but still strike deep. This is why curse wasn't dispelled. It didn't just injure. It burrowed inside. Hid itself."

He threw the curse at the floor, and it exploded into sparks. They screamed as they skittered across the floor and went out.

Krum was still wrestling with the curse. He pulled and twisted until it had formed two spinning, linked circles, one purple and one green. He turned the purple one back and forth. It deformed but wouldn't let go of the other circle.

"Second layer is memory charm! Very wrong. It broke when entering you. Met some kind of strong resistance and broke. Twisted. Upside-down, but linked more closely to third layer. When it is triggered, when you fight it and regain a memory, it sets off the third layer."

He pulled with all his might and the circles separated with a snap. He threw the purple spell against the ground, but it didn't go out completely. He stomped on it until it exploded like the first had.

The green curse span faster, hissed louder than the others had, as if it knew what was happening to it, as if it was alive. It grew and shrank. It tried to coil around Krum's body, but he had it with two hands now, holding it steady.

"Final layer is meant to strike deep again! Not to original person. It breaks free from the host and goes to someone else. Made too strong! Kills someone instead of burrowing into them."

Krum slammed the spell against the wall. He bashed it over and over again like he was wielding a hammer. Finally, the green light exploded. The sparks were larger, louder. They scurried across the floor like rats. Krum stomped on them, but one rushed across the floor towards Harry. It sought him out, its original host.

Ron stomped on it then placed Harry's wand back in his hand. He barely noticed; he was staring at the smoldering floor, gasping with shock.

"Do you remember now?" Krum said.

Harry closed his eyes, willing himself back to the day when he'd met the dark wizard who'd cursed him. A report came in. A muggle had called the police about strange chanting and light coming from a nearby house. The Ministry had intercepted the call and wanted quick action. Harry had gone by himself, didn't even bother to tell anyone what he was doing. It was on his way home, and strange chanting and lights was usually just muggles having a party.

The door squealed open. Three guards stood in the doorway, wands ready. Ron gestured for them to wait, and the door closed again.

"I went to the house," Harry said. "The door was locked, so I used magic. Inside was blue light. A blue phosphorescence covered the walls. Splatters of it. Someone was chanting… They were chanting…"

The squeezed his fists against his eyes.

"I can't remember the words of the spell. They were strange. Not syllables like you said. Smaller. Phonemes. They made no sense.

"I turned the corner and there he was. Black robes splattered with that blue. The spell used strange wandwork. Long loops that made him spin in circles. He sees me and stops. Our eyes meet. He looks like… Like…"

He pounded his fists against his forehead.

"No. It's like a mirror. His face is my face. I don't understand. Did I cast the spell?"

Ron was there, his face close to Harry's.

"No, we don't remember things from outside our bodies. Not usually, anyway."

"Then what's happening? Why do I see myself casting the spell?"

"I'm not sure," Ron said, "but my Auntie Muriel went blind. Partially blind. And her brain didn't know what to make of the missing parts of what she saw. It tried to fill in the blanks with whatever else was there. She said it made the world look like a kaleidoscope. Maybe your brain is doing that with memories."

"Is sensible," Krum said.

Ron and Harry flinched a little. They'd almost forgotten he was there. Harry looked up at him. His prison uniform was scorched and burned. His exposed skin was red and blistered.

"The wizard who killed Ginny. He hadn't meant to. I just blundered into what he was doing."

"Yes," Krum said. "Hadn't meant to hurt you. Hadn't meant to hurt your Ginny. When memory returned, third layer struck out. Randomly. Like crazy dog."

"I brought it home with me," he said. "When I remembered something, it jumped to Ginny and killed her."

"Very sorry, friend," Krum said.

"But my memory returned in St. Mungo's, too. Most of it returned there. Nobody died."

"St. Mungo's is healing place. Many spells cast to help people. It infuses the walls. The very air you breathe."

Harry remembered the lamp. Luna's lamp had shattered suddenly.

"And I remembered something in Luna's house. It didn't hurt anyone."

"You saw Luna?" Ron said, scowling. "You have time for her but not your own family?"

"Spell might have been weaker by then," Krum said. "Might not have been anyone near enough to kill."

"It didn't kill anyone on the plane," Harry said. "I remembered Ginny yelling at Luna and then…"

And then Malfoy had a nosebleed. It was a nosebleed that wouldn't stop. Malfoy had apparated away. Cursed. Not even knowing he was dying.

Harry pounded on the door. "Guard! Let me out. NOW!"

An endless minute passed before the door creaked open. Harry charged out without coordinating with Ron. It slammed shut before he could step out. The room fell silent, except for the sound of Ron's breathing. He looked over his shoulder.

The sunlight beam from the ceiling was fading, flickering, gone. It was dark, completely dark. The only light came from Krum's two, lamp-like eyes.

"You know, Ronald," Krum said. "I was promised blood."

Ron banged desperately on the door, which swung open. Viktor's hysterical laughter echoed after him even after the door slammed shut.