Armilla II

Chapter 32

I watched Merle scream with bittersweet satisfaction. It wouldn't have been normal to enjoy this too much; it was an impression of my former guardian I was watching - and her face was currently contorted with pain. Who could witness such a thing with only pleasure?

Big picture, though, I reminded myself every time unwanted feelings came. This wasn't Merle. It was a very clever piece of dark magic that had been designed to rob me of my magic.

At this thought, my rage strengthened and the magic pouring into the emerald on my bracelet came at me with a much stronger force.

I was starting to feel a little lightheaded, but I didn't want to stop. Severus had warned me that my magic might come at me with a magnetic force once I had burst the sheen on Merle. Even so, the force seemed to get stronger and stronger, and Merle's wails grew fainter.

The green on my emerald was getting closer to its original colour and I smiled, relieved that I had back what was mine.

I inwardly cursed when I heard footsteps approaching. Merle would vanish before I had collected all my magical strength.

"Armilla!" Merle was gone. I turned to see Harry Potter jogging towards me, his wand in his hand. "I heard a strange wailing noise."

To be honest, I was surprised that no one had come sooner because of the noise. I supposed most students had returned to their common rooms for the night.

I took a step towards Harry and had to clutch the wall as my head spun.

"Are you okay?" Harry looked alarmed. He looked up and down the corridor. "Who was screaming?"

"Milly!" Terry, Lisa and Ruby had rounded the corner and were walking towards me.

"What was that noise?" Terry called.

"Er...Moaning Myrtle," I said hastily. "Peeves was giving her a hard time."

Lisa fixed me with a look, telling me she didn't believe me at all.

"Are you heading back to the Tower?" I asked her, wanting to change the subject.

She nodded. "Don't think I'll sleep, but I may as well go to bed."

"I think it's only a matter of time before your mum wants you to go home," said Terry quietly.

"Maybe not," Lisa replied. She looked back at me. "Mum wrote again, saying that she didn't think it was a good idea to leave school to attend the funeral."

"I'm sorry," said Harry, wearing a pinched expression as he looked at Lisa. "I heard your uncle died..."

"Thanks," she said. "Well, we had better go if we want to get back before curfew."

I nodded, and they turned and continued down the corridor. I let go of the wall and followed slowly behind, wincing as a wave of nausea rushed through me.

Harry fixed me with an expectant look and I shook my head at him. I didn't want to share what had just happened with Merle. As I turned back, I caught Ruby's eye. She would find it strange enough that I had been alone in a corridor with Harry. She loved to gossip; I didn't want to give her any more ammunition.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Didn't know you and Harry Potter were such good friends," said Ruby in a light voice as we entered our dorm.

"He heard Peeves too, Ruby," I said curtly. "Don't start over imagining something that was a non-event in the first place."

"I thought I saw Peeves outside the library only a few minutes before I saw you," Ruby pressed, folding her arms.

"Are you implying that ghosts move so slowly that we couldn't have both seen Peeves?" I shook my head at her. "Honestly, Ruby, everyone knows how quickly they move, especially a poltergeist."

Ruby glared at me before flouncing off to the bathroom.

"What's her problem?" I said grumpily, sitting on my bed. I still felt dizzy and nauseous.

"Well?" Lisa hissed, sitting down opposite me, on her bed. She took out my wand and cast a spell to ensure our privacy from eavesdroppers.

"I got a lot of my magic back," I said, showing her the much greener emerald on my bracelet. "It was Merle you heard screaming."

Lisa looked impressed. "How did you manage it?"

"I instructed it to protect me. It broke open the sheen and my magic started coming at me like a magnetic force."

Lisa frowned. "You're lucky it didn't hurt you, coming at you with a force like that. It could have sent you into shock."

I smiled. "You sound like Severus."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm serious. Didn't he warn you about it?"

I nodded. "Of course he did. I was willing to take the risk to get my magic back."

"But your magic hasn't been too bad lately," Lisa reasoned. "I know you lost a fair bit of power when it first started happening and you were getting forgetful and stuff, but you seem to have built it up again."

"Through a lot of hard work and focus," I replied, suddenly feeling edgy. "But I knew it wasn't what it was originally. Severus wasn't sure if I'd be able to build it up or not, once it had been weakened. I thought I had best try."

Lisa nodded. "Of course. But...won't this affect how you channel your magic, now that you have it back?"

"I was thinking about that all the way up here," I admitted. "If it took a lot of focus to work with what magic I had before, I do wonder what it's going to be like now."

"Try something," Lisa suggested.

Taking out my wand, I looked around until my eyes settled on an empty glass on my bedside table. I focused on the spell in my mind, recalling the wand movement. I pointed my wand at the glass.

"Aguamenti."

Smash!

Glass flew everywhere as the glass shattered. We both yelped as the glass pierced our skin with far more force than seemed logical. The force of the water that came flying at us at the same time didn't help.

"Well," said Lisa slowly, pulling a piece of glass out of her hand, "I think we were right, don't you."

I didn't answer. I reached up and touched where a small piece of glass had lodged itself just under my eye. Lucky.

Lisa pointed her wand at the mess and cleared up the water and shattered glass. I felt terrible that she had blood trickling down her face, neck and hands.

"I'm sorry," I said uneasily. "I've injured you!"

She laughed. "Well, that fact that I'm very forgiving is a true measure of the strength of our friendship."

"This is no time to be sentimental, you Hufflepuff," I said crossly.

She laughed again. "Armilla, you have blood on your face."

I reached up and felt it. "I probably look no worse than you." I sighed. "Thank goodness you used a silencing charm."

"The others are going to come in and see," said Lisa, looking worried. "And Ruby's in the bathroom. "I don't know how to heal these properly by myself. Do you think we should go to Madam Pomfrey?"

"No," I said quickly, biting my lip. "Dittany would help..."

Lisa looked cross. "Well, I don't have any lying around, do you?"

"No...and besides, it might not help if there's glass still in there."

"Tell Snape, then," said Lisa. "You have to tell him about Merle anyway. You may as well do it now. Use your card thing."

I pulled out my chocolate frog card, with which both Lisa and Terry were now familiar.

May Lisa and I come down? We've had an incident with shattered glass.

I waited for a minute or two, praying that Ruby would take a very long shower. Finally I received a reply.

Sounds like a thrilling tale. Yes, come down. Hold onto Miss Turpin and don't let go. I don't want her being splinched. You have twenty seconds before I activate it.

Ew. I shuddered. "Here," I whispered, holding out my hand.

Lisa grasped it, looking a little confused.

I pressed my index finger to the card. "He's going to transport us down to the dungeons."

"Oh good," she replied, sarcasm evident in her voice. "As long as I don't get in trouble for this..."

"You won't."

I suddenly felt the familiar tug, a little weaker than a portkey, and a moment later, we were standing in the sitting room, facing Severus.

"What in Merlin's name have the two of you been doing?" Severus asked in a hard voice, taking in our injuries. "Armilla, I said goodnight to you less than half an hour ago. How could you have so quickly engaged in some sort of Gryffindor antic?"

I stared back at him, unable to stop my crossness spreading across my face.

Severus sighed. "How did you manage to procure such an...interesting injury?"

"Aguamenti," I answered simply.

"And a little too much force, I suppose," Lisa added. "We've been doing it in Charms."

Severus looked sharply at her. "Too much force?" He looked back at me. "It's a simple spell, one you know how to do properly."

"I know, but I was experimenting," I said. "I saw Merle tonight on my way back up and I used my bracelet to break the sheen."

Severus' stern look was suddenly combined with curiosity. "Go on," he said quietly.

"My magic came back at me, like I hoped it would," I said excitedly.

"And we stopped her getting it all back because we heard the screaming," said Lisa, suddenly more confident.

"We?" Severus repeated.

"Terry, Ruby and I," she replied, flushing. "Well, technically Merle disappears for whoever's there first, so really Harry Potter stopped it-"

I closed my eyes, wanting to kill her. When I opened them, Severus' lips were pressed together in a tight line.

"Potter?" he said quietly to me, his black eyes glittering.

"He didn't see anything, of course," I said. "He heard the noise too, so he came to see what it was."

"Simple as that," said Lisa, nodding. "Armilla just said it was Peeves and Moaning Myrtle."

Severus looked doubtful as he looked back to me. "And they believed you?"

"I hope so," I said dismissively. "What's done is done."

"Indeed." Severus folded his arms. "Tell me about the force, Armilla. I'd like to know how well you received the lost magic."

I felt Lisa's eyes on me too. "It was like a magnetic force," I said simply. "It felt a little strong at times, but nothing unbearable."

Severus gave me a calculating look. "And you had no reaction afterwards? You acted as normal."

"I felt a little dizzy and nauseous," I admitted. "But nothing more."

"Mm," he said, watching me closely. "And so you decided to test your magic?"

I nodded. "We wanted to see if there was much change?"

Severus sighed, gesturing for us to sit down on the sofa. "I fear there's some work ahead of us, Armilla, if you are to get used to this new strength of magic." He walked down the corridor and into his lab.

Lisa and I said nothing as we waited. Severus returned a moment, later carrying a small bottle of dittany, a bowl and some cloths.

"You will have to learn how to control it," he said to me, putting the bottle down on the coffee table.

"I know." I would have to change my focus all over again.

"And next time you feel like experimenting," he said, taking out his wand, "don't risk a spell that's likely to cause injury to yourself and others."

"Sorry," I said quietly.

"It was my fault too," Lisa said earnestly. "I encouraged her to try something out. Don't just blame Armilla."

Severus frowned at her. "Miss Turpin, you sound like a Hufflepuff."

"I do not," Lisa huffed, glaring at him. "Armilla already told me that tonight."

"Great minds think alike," he muttered, pouring a few drops of dittany onto a cloth. He handed it to Lisa before picking his wand up again. "I'm going to do a charm," he told her, "not unlike an Accio charm. It will dislodge any hidden glass from your skin, so you may feel several stings."

Lisa nodded, trying not to squirm.

"Armilla, I will direct the glass to this bowl," my brother told me, handing me the bowl.

I watched as Severus raised his wand and started chanting under his breath. Lisa let out a gasp and several tiny pieces of glass dislodged themselves and flew into the bowl I was holding.

"Now use the dittany to close the cuts, they're not deep," Severus told Lisa.

She complied, and it wasn't long before she looked as normal again.

Now giving the bowl to Lisa, Severus handed me a new cloth with dittany and repeated the same process.

"I don't know about the Apparition lessons on Saturday, Armilla," Severus said, putting taking the cloth away when I had finished.

"I can't miss it!" I said indignantly. "That's not fair."

"You cannot take the test with most of the Sixth Years anyway," Severus said, placing the lid on the bottle of dittany, "as you won't be seventeen by the day of the test. There's plenty of time."

"You might splinch yourself," said Lisa, screwing up her nose.

"Very helpful, thanks," I muttered.

"Miss Turpin is correct, Armilla," said Severus, a warning tone in his voice. "Do you want to embarrass yourself on Saturday? If your magic is not in control, who know what might happen?"

I knew he was right. That didn't mean I had to be happy about it. "What if I show you that I can control it before Saturday?" I asked.

Severus looked sceptical. "You think you'll master it within a few days?"

"Why not? It is my own magic after all."

Severus didn't look convinced. After a moment's pause, he answered. "Alright, but if I don't agree on Saturday morning, there's to be no argument, understand?"

"Yes," I said, nodding. I paused, watching him. "You're humouring me, aren't you?"

"Never," he drawled, giving me a look that said otherwise.

"Thank you, Professor," said Lisa as we came down the corridor towards the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.

"You are welcome, Miss Turpin," Severus answered. "Let us hope that it does not happen again."

"It won't," I promised him. I stared up ahead as I saw the entrance open.

"It's Ruby, I think," said Lisa.

As we got closer, we saw that it was indeed Ruby. She had halted just outside the entrance once she had caught sight of us.

"And what brings you out after curfew, Miss Parkes?" Severus asked, fixing her with his best scary teacher stern gaze.

"I...er...noticed that Armilla and Lisa were missing, sir," Ruby answered, looking more annoyed than intimidated. "I went into the dorm with them, and then they disappeared!"

"Disappeared, or just left the room," Lisa said, looking irritated. "Honestly, Ruby, you're just snooping about for more gossip."

Ruby put her hands on her hips. "I did not-"

She paused when Severus held up a hand to stop her. "I have no time to listen to this. Twenty points from Ravenclaw for being out after curfew, Miss Parkes. I shall be informing your Head of House."

Ruby looked horrified. "But what about them?" she said, pointing at us. "They were out after curfew."

"They were called out after curfew," Severus informed her, raising an eyebrow. "There is a difference, and do not speak back, Miss Parkes, or you will land yourself in more trouble."

Ruby huffed. "Yes, sir," she muttered.

Severus looked distastefully at her. "The three of you are to go to bed."

"Yes, sir," Lisa and Ruby said.

Severus turned and walked back down the corridor.

"Out looking for Harry Potter?" Ruby said in a loud whisper, clearly intended for Severus' hearing. If he had heard, he hadn't turned around. A moment later, he disappeared around the corridor.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, Ruby," I said, pushing past her so I could enter the Tower. "What have I done to you lately that warrants this?"

"Yeah, you've always liked to gossip," Lisa piped up, following us in, "but never this badly." She widened her eyes at Ruby. "Are you after Harry Potter then?"

Ruby scowled. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I hope the three of you are going to bed," called Marc Jefferson, the Head Boy. He was standing at the foot of the stairs that led to the boys' dorm. "Flitwick will have my head if he comes in here and catches you."

Ruby immediately gave him a sweet smile. "You know it wouldn't be your fault, Marc. We're just off to bed."

Rolling my eyes at her, I led the way up to our dorm.

"Try your magic out on her," Lisa murmured in my ear. "I'm sure it's safe."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Alright," Slughorn called, "take your usual partner and begin practising the jinxes I have just demonstrated. Do your best to shield yourself. Off you go then!"

"Recovered from last night?" Harry asked me quietly, as we moved to the side of the classroom.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah, before you two start," Slughorn called, almost jogging to us. "A word, Miss Snape. I have a few suggestions for defeating young Mr Potter, here."

"I really don't need them, sir," I said, smiling back. "Harry Potter is no challenge."

"Oh ha ha," Harry sneered, folding his arms.

The students, who had paused when Slughorn had called out, resumed finding their positions, making noise once more.

"Severus told me you might have a few bouts of...erratic magic," Slughorn said quietly. "I would prefer you to try duelling me first, before you try to defeat Potter. Your brother has given you advice?"

I nodded. Severus had called me down to the dungeons early that morning to speak about starting slowly and carefully with the amount of magic I was channelling. I had tried it out the sitting room. It was true that I had destroyed a cushion whilst trying to levitate it, but other than that, it had come down to having s lot more practice. I had successfully levitated three others, even if they had ended up whizzing around the room before landing on the sofa again.

Slughorn raised his wand. "Try me."

I raised my wand and cast a jinx directly at him, trying to control the magic I felt. My magic seemed to have far more emotion, or was making me feel it a lot more. It seemed to be racing through my veins, which wasn't the most comfortable of feelings.

Slughorn shielded the curse easily. "Very good," he said, nodding. "Try another, a different one this time."

Complying, I cast another, feeling magic pulsate through me.

Slughorn staggered that time, but still looked nonplussed. Maybe it wasn't as bad as we had initially thought after all.

"Very well, then," Slughorn said, looking satisfied. "Carry on."

And so Harry and I happily duelled for the next ten minutes. We each staggered with the strength of the other's various jinxes, but that was normal for us.

What wasn't normal for me was how quickly I became tired. I had to focus so much on the release of my magic that I was finding it hard to keep up with the strength of Harry's magic.

"Come on," Harry called. "You're slipping. You're not going to let me win, are you?"

"No!" I called back, giving him a mock glare. I gathered up the strength I had and gave my next jinx a little more force.

Or what I had thought was a little more force...

Harry was thrown over the desk behind him. Luckily Slughorn had been watching, no doubt due to Severus' warning, and cast a cushioning charm before Harry hit the floor.

"Well done," Harry said, looking dazed as he got up. He raised his wand again. "Watch out, I'm paying you back for that."

"I don't think so," I said, my wand ready. I didn't feel as confident as I sounded.

Harry cast another jinx with a great deal of force. This time, I used my favourite shield, designed to reverse the jinx and attack the caster. I had once caused Pansy Parkinson to grow a flipper with that shield.

As exhausted as I felt, I drew on my remaining strength to bring the shield up with necessary force.

"OW!" Harry yelled, as scorch marks appeared all over him. "What did you do? I only cast a simple stinging hex."

I barely heard him. I ended up on the floor after my shield gave way. My energy was depleted. When I saw that several students around the room had stopped to watch us, I tried to look as nonchalant as possible, which was hard when you were on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Slughorn was suddenly at my side.

"Yes, sir," I said quietly, standing up. "I'm fine."

I concentrated on Harry, who was doing his best to heal the scorch marks. Slughorn reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tub of salve, which he tossed to Harry. "You never know when you're going to need it," he said by way of explanation.

Harry grinned. "Thanks, sir."

"Ready?" I asked Harry, when he had finished.

He looked a little doubtful. "Are you sure?"

I smiled. "Scared, Potter?"

He rolled his eyes.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

"And you still wish to participate in the Apparition classes on Saturday," Severus drawled, as we entered our quarters at lunchtime.

DADA had just ended and Slughorn had sent me down to Severus for Pepper Up, fearing that I'd not make it through the rest of the day. I thought it was exaggerating, to be honest. I was rather exhausted, too exhausted seeing as it was only halfway through the day.

"Yes," I said sullenly, following him into the lab. "Maybe...I should just watch then."

Severus gave me a small smile as he turned around from the cupboard. "Ah, some sense."

"I don't want to miss out."

He shook his head. "You won't be. As I said, you have plenty of time, seeing as you cannot take the test until June, when you're seventeen. Several other students are in the same position."

"I know."

"I don't think you should be looking for Merle any time soon," he said, uncorking the bottle. "You have enough to be getting on with at the moment. Learn to manage your magic as it is."

"But I want all of it back," I protested. "It's mine."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," he said impatiently, pouring some of the potion into a vial. "You need to think about what's right for you though. It won't be good for your body to have to adjust to varying levels of magic so often. It's not healthy, Armilla."

"But once I get it all back and I learn to cope with it, everything will be fine," I pointed out.

"Will it?" he asked, giving me a hard look. "You only got more of it back last night and look at the effect it's had on you today."

"It's not that bad," I said dismissively. "It's just a matter or getting used to it."

"We have spoken before of the risk involved," he said, shaking his head. "Do you not think that whoever is behind this will be angry enough that you have found a way to retrieve your magic?"

"I-" Actually, I hadn't thought of that at all.

Severus gave me a frustrated look. "Don't let your excitement at being reunited with your magic make you blind to the dangers of the whole exercise."

I didn't answer. I felt a little shaken now. What if it was a whole lot worse the next time I saw Merle? Of course whoever it was would have noticed.

"I don't know what to do," I said quietly.

"Focus on controlling your magic and avoid being alone in the castle," my brother replied.

"That gets annoying very quickly, you know," I told him.

"Then, if you must be alone, and you do see Merle, don't make contact and move as quickly as you can to a place where you know you'll find company."

I frowned. "No more experimenting? My emerald's good, you know."

Severus sighed. "I know, Armilla, but it's a dangerous risk."

We were silent for a moment.

"She needs to be defeated," I said finally, stifling a yawn.

"But not whilst risking your magic and health," Severus said firmly. "End of topic, Armilla. He handed me the vial of Pepper Up. "Cheers."

Merle still on my mind, I downed the potion, wincing at the taste. A moment later, I felt the effect of steam slowing seeping from my ears.

"Why don't we eat lunch down here?" my brother suggested, smirking at the sight. "It won't be so noticeable after lunch."

I nodded, and headed to my bedroom as Severus went to Floo Call for some food.

I laid down on my bed, thinking about how exciting it had been to get most of my magic back.

I want to find who caused all of this, I thought grimly, closing my eyes. I wanted to make the person pay.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

I opened my eyes, distracted by the smell of food wafting into the room. Lunch must have arrived.

I rolled over, rubbing my eyes. Merle came into my thoughts almost at once. I had to finish her off. If I got all my magic back, wouldn't that mean my bracelet could put an end to her existence? Anything was possible.

But, an unwanted, nagging thought made its way to the forefront of my mind...What if whoever was behind it was working on something else? What was the motive for all of this anyway?

"Good evening," said Severus, standing in the doorway with folded parchment in his hand.

"Evening?" I repeated. Alarmed, I look at the clock.

6:03pm.

"Oh no," I groaned. I gave my brother an accusing look. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"You were looking a bit peaky," he said simply, "so I thought you had best sleep off the exhaustion from your morning classes, rather than repeat the process in Transfiguration and Charms. You may have broken Flitwick's windows."

I wanted to argue, but, most annoyingly, he made sense.

"After dinner I will go through with you what you missed in those classes," he went on, moving to sit on my bed. "That way you won't be behind and you need only worry about ruining our quarters."

"You're so encouraging," I grumbled. Thinking better of it, I smiled. "Thank you."

"I received an amusing letter after classes today," Severus said, unfolding the parchment he held. "I thought I'd share the contents with you, seeing as they concern you."

I frowned. "Who's it from?"

"Alonso Hewitt," he replied. "Arian Bletchley's cousin."

I scowled. "What can he have to say?"

Severus smirked, looking at the parchment. "He starts by thanking me for visiting his shop recently, but I shan't bore you with the contents of that paragraph. He goes on to comment on the credentials of his cousin, Arian Bletchley, noting the success he is having in his Transfiguration apprenticeship in Lyon. He asks me to consider offering Arian an apprenticeship myself, once he completes his current course."

"What a hide," I said scornfully.

Severus looked at me, amused. "I thought you'd like that."

"Wouldn't he know by now that I refused him?" I asked. "I know we responded only yesterday, but it seems a strange letter to write."

"Indeed it is," he replied. "He may not know of the outcome of Arian's recent correspondence."

I shook my head. "It's like they're negotiating a business deal."

"Arranging pureblood marriages is often like a business deal, Armilla," Severus said, turning back to the letter. "Now, I also received words of caution from Alonso in regards to you. What follows may divert you immensely."

I looked at him warily.

Severus quoted the paragraph in question. "I have reason for believing that your younger sister, Armilla, whom I believe is under your sole guardianship, has move admirers than she would lead you to believe."

I laughed outright at this. "Do I? Well, there's some news. You're right; I am diverted."

"Oh, it goes on," Severus said, smirking. "My reason for cautioning you is that certain members of my family do not look on one admirer in particular with a friendly eye."

I was confused. "I don't know what he's talking about."

Severus continued. "I understand that you may have strong objections to the match, as the family in question have common connections. The fact that they are pureblood should not deter you from the disgrace such a match may bring to your family."

Now I was really puzzled. "It all sounds a bit serious, Severus."

Severus shook his head. "He's trying to sound the typical, pompous pureblood wizard. It's the last line of the paragraph that drops the biggest hint, if you haven't already worked out the family in question."

I was feeling a little queasy. "Go on."

"Though, if you do have a preference for red-haired nieces and nephews, you may have a reason for rejoicing."

Oh...Merlin, was I uncomfortable now...

"Know any red-haired families?" Severus asked casually, folding the parchment.

"Yes, I do," I said quietly.

Severus actually laughed!

I stared at him, completely confused by his reaction.

"And to think," he said, standing up, "that Arian and Alonso think that the Weasleys are a threat. This is admirable."

"Why is it so amusing?" I asked, trying to sound as indifferent as I could, though I was feeling the opposite on the inside.

"Weasleys wouldn't align themselves with a family with such deep Slytherin roots. They have their own honour to uphold."

"Oh."

Severus walked to the door. "And besides that," he said, turning around. "I cannot imagine you being one of that family."

Trying to hide my inward horror, I gave him a bit of a crooked smile.

"Come," he called, walking down the corridor. "Dinner is on the table."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

A couple of weeks passed and I didn't see Merle at all. This led Severus to believe that whoever was behind it was now contemplating another means of attack.

It wasn't often that I was alone in the castle, so Merle at little chance to see me anyway.

Lisa's mother hadn't asked her to come home yet, but it was getting more and likely that Terry's parents were. They were worried, naturally, as the majority of families were. There wasn't a day that went by that held a good story on the front page of The Daily Prophet.

My magic was sorting itself out. It was difficult, but I was getting a new feel for it. I occasionally had moments where it seemed to burst from my wand, though they were minimal now.

I had attended the Apparition lessons, but hadn't joined in the practising. I hadn't looked too out of place, as I'd feared, as several students had come to watch only, on Madam Pomfrey's orders. I did have a small fear inside me that I might splinch myself. Seeing Susan Bones lose her leg and positively terrified me.

Harry had been acting strangely towards me. He seemed to understand that something had been going on with my magic and kept dropping hints that he wanted to know what it was. Also, he hadn't stopped pressing me to tell him what had happened the night he found me in the corridor. He kept watching me during classes, waiting to see what my magic was like. It was unnerving.

As for the letter from Alonso Hewitt, Severus had composed a very short reply, informing him that at the moment, he had no plans for apprenticeships. He had made no comment about the Weasley reference.

Severus hadn't brought the issue up with me since that evening, and I certainly wasn't about to mention it myself. Every time I thought about it, I got such a terrible, unsettled feeling inside me.

Life seemed to carry on as normally as possible until one Saturday morning, the first day of March. I had had an early violin lesson with Flitwick, who was leaving for the weekend to visit his family. I had returned to our empty quarters in the dungeons to put away my violin before heading up to Ravenclaw Tower. Severus and Professor Sprout were doing some work in the greenhouses.

Terry, Lisa and I and most of the other Ravenclaw Sixth years had planned on having breakfast together before practising our Charms work out in the grounds. I was going to meet them in the common room.

It happened when I was about to ascend the last staircase that led to the floor the entrance was on.

One moment I was about to put my foot on the first step, and the next, I had crashed to the floor, unable to move.

Oh Merlin...what the hell had just happened? I felt blood trickle down the side f my face.

My immediate thought was Pansy Parkinson, as this sly sort of magic was the type she so enjoyed.

This thought vanished when I heard another, far more familiar voice. I immediately felt a strange feeling wash over me, one I hadn't felt before.

It's been a few weeks, Armilla.

In my line of vision, I suddenly saw the ghostly Merle to my left, hovering a few feet above me.

You've caused me some problems recently, I must say. I've come to collect what you stole.

The strange feeling hadn't stopped. It must have been a new method for draining my magic.

I panicked. I couldn't move! How could I use my bracelet to protect myself? I couldn't aim it at Merle and instruct it to protect me.

Would it listen whilst I was under this curse?

You know this is causing me damage, I mentally told it. Do something!

At first, nothing happened. But before long I saw Merle turn green. The sheen pierced, as before, and the substance came pouring out and she began to scream. It was a strange colour green though, more of a dark green.

This time though, the magic seemed to be confused. The substance did not connect with me like a magnet, as before. It seemed caught in mid-air. An emerald green beam from my bracelet suddenly shot out towards it. A split second later, a black beam shot from where the sheen had been pierced.

Merle's screams only got louder. It seemed too early in the morning for people to be about. I didn't know what else to do. My bracelet seemed caught up in a fight with the ghostly Merle.

It was a blessing that about a minute later I did hear footsteps approach. Merle suddenly vanished and I could move again.

Wincing I sat up. I immediately checked the emerald on my bracelet. Sure enough, the green had faded once more. The strength of my magic had changed once again. I felt the strongest wave of anger I had ever felt pass over me.

Getting up, I spotted Harry and Ron down the other end of the long corridor. I immediately felt dizzy and leaned against the wall. My body ached from where I had hit the floor.

"Armilla!" Harry called.

I groaned. Why did it have to be Harry, of all people, who had to find me once again?

I watched the two of then approach. Ron seemed to be leaping about, and Harry was doing his best to hold onto him.

"Did it happen again?" Harry asked, as they reached me.

"Did what happen?" I said crossly.

"Come on, don't try that one," Harry retorted. "You've got blood on your face."

Damn. I reached up and felt a small wound near my temple.

"Come on, Harry!" exclaimed Ron. "Romilda's waiting!"

"Romilda?" I asked, looking from Ron to Harry. "Romilda Vane?"

"Do you know her too?" Ron asked, seeming to only notice then that I was there.

Before I could answer, Harry spoke. "Armilla, what happened?"

"Drop it, Harry," I said, more forcibly. "It's nothing. You look like to have a place to be, so I'll leave you to it."

"No!" Harry said quickly. "Fine, I won't ask then. It's a good thing you're here, actually. Listen, can you go and nick us an antidote for a love potion?"

"A love potion?" I repeated, realisation dawning on me, as I looked from Harry to Ron.

"Yeah," said Harry breathlessly, as he pulled Ron's arm to stop him wandering off again. "We'd really appreciate it."

"And where am I to find such an antidote?"

"Snape's private stores, of course!" Harry said impatiently, looking annoyed.

"As far as I know, he doesn't have one!" I retorted, rubbing my head. "And why would he?"

"For the students stupid enough to ingest a love potion!"

"Well...see Madam Pomfrey then," I said.

"That's where we were going," Harry said gruffly, "but I'd rather avoid it. Too many questions you know."

I stared at him, my frown deepening.

"Chocolate Cauldrons," he said hastily.

"A Weasleys Wizards Wheezes product," I said, nodding. I suddenly felt uncomfortable. I wanted to help them, but I couldn't be sure where Severus was in the school at that moment. If he caught me searching for a love potion antidote for Ron Weasley...I shook my head. I didn't even know how to get into his private stores. I expressed this thought to Harry.

"Come on, Armilla," Harry said, imploringly, struggling to hold on to Ron. "We would really owe you."

"I just told you that I don't even know how to get into his private stores."

"Armilla," said Ron suddenly, grinning inanely at me. "Do you know Romilda Vane? Could you introduce us?"

"What's this then?" said a voice behind me. I turned to see Professor Slughorn walking towards us. We must have looked a strange sight. I was still wiping the trickling blood away from my head, and Ron was virtually jumping out of Harry's grasp, who was doing all he could to hold onto him.

Slughorn came to a halt a few feet from us. "What's happened here?"

"Professor!" Harry said eagerly. "You wouldn't happen to have the antidote to a love potion, would you?"

Slughorn looked bewildered. "A love potion? Who-"

"I'm going to meet Romilda Vane!" Ron said, beaming at him.

"Please, Professor," Harry said earnestly, pulling Ron back once again. "You're an old potions master, surely you have an antidote lying about."

Slughorn looked sceptical as he eye Ron with what could only be described as professional interest. "Was this potion within date?" he asked. "They can strengthen, you know, the longer they're kept."

"That would explain a lot," panted Harry, now positively wrestling with Ron to keep him from escaping down the corridor. "Please Professor," Harry said beseechingly. "It's his birthday and we don't want to go to Madam Pomfrey. Awkward questions, you know. "

Slughorn sighed. "Oh, all right then, follow me, I'll see what I can do."

Harry immediately began to pull Ron towards Slughorn, who had already turned around.

"Thanks anyway," Harry said, as he passed me. "Ron Slughorn's taking us to see Romilda."

Ron immediately stopped struggling. "Really? Excellent! Thanks, Professor!"

"Good luck," I said, taking a step in the opposite direction. "Happy Birthday, Ron."

"No, no, you come too, Armilla," Slughorn called over his shoulder. "That way you can tell me how you came to acquire a knock on the head this early in the morning."

I mentally groaned, reluctantly turning to follow.

"Oh, that was our fault, Professor," said Harry casually. "Ron was in such a rush to get to Romilda that we knocked Armilla over as we came around the corner."

"Wrong place at the wrong time, eh?" said Slughorn, shaking his head. "Not to worry, I can probably give you something for that, Armilla." He looked back at me, smiling. "Unless you prefer the expertise of one of my former top students, Professor Snape?"

I smiled uncomfortably. "I'm sure your supply will be adequate, sir."

We followed Slughorn to his office. I was thankful that it was so early in the morning; there wasn't much chance of being seen at this time on a Saturday.

As Slughorn opened his office door, Ron pushed past him and burst inside, taking a stumbling Harry with him.

Slughorn and I entered the office in time to see Ron trip on a footstool, seizing Harry in the process to regain his balance. "She didn't see that, did she?" he muttered to Harry.

"She's not here yet," Harry responded, as Slughorn opened his potions kit. He added a few things to a crystal bottle.

"That's good," said Ron eagerly. "How do I look?"

"Very handsome," said Slughorn smoothly, handing Ron a glass of clear liquid. "Now drink that up, it's a tonic for the nerves, keep you calm when she arrives, you know."

"Brilliant," said Ron, enthusiastically. He took the glass and gulped the antidote down rather noisily.

We watched him closely. For a moment, Ron just beamed stupidly at us. Gradually though, the grin sagged before vanishing completely, to be replaced by an expression of utmost horror.

"Back to normal, then?" said Harry, grinning, relief washing over him. "Thanks a lot, Professor."

Slughorn chuckled. "Don't mention it, m'boy, don't mention it," he said, as Ron collapsed into a nearby armchair, looking devastated.

"Now then," Slughorn said, turning to me. "I think I have something for you." He poured a couple of drops of a familiar potion onto a cloth and held it out to me. "I'm sure you know what to do."

Gratefully I took it and held it to the cut, which healed within a few seconds. "Thanks, Professor," I said, as he took the cloth from me. "Not seriously injured then?" he said, smiling.

"No, sir."

"Good, good. Excellent." He looked over at Ron, who was gazing rather dejectedly at the floor. "Pick-me-up, that's what he needs. Slughorn moved over to a table loaded with drinks. "I've got Butterbeer, I've got wine, I've got one last bottle of this oak-matured mead...hmm...meant to give that to Dumbledore for Christmas...ah well..." he shrugged "...he can't miss what he's never had! Why don't we open it now and celebrate Mr Weasley's birthday? Nothing like a fine spirit to chase away the pangs of disappointed love..."

Slughorn laughed again, and Harry joined in, rather too enthusiastically in my opinion. Perhaps he was just relieved that they hadn't had to go to Madam Pomfrey for the antidote.

"There you are then," said Slughorn, handing each of us a glass of mead, before raising his own. "Well, a very happy birthday, Ralph-"

"-Ron-" whispered Harry.

I had to hide my smile. Ron had not been listening and had already gulped down the contents of the glass.

My smile suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by fear. Harry, it seemed, had also realised that something was very wrong. Slughorn, on the other hand, had no idea at all.

"-and may you have many more-"

"Ron!" Harry and I exclaimed together.

Ron had dropped his glass; he half-rose from his chair and then crumpled, his extremities jerking uncontrollably. Foam was dribbling from his mouth and his eyes were bulging from their sockets.

"Professor!" Harry bellowed, as I started rummaging through Slughorn's ingredients. "Do something!"

"You must have one," I murmured to myself, my heart pounding. "Where is it?"

Slughorn seemed paralysed in his shock. I glanced over at Ron, who was twitching and making choking noises: his skin was turning blue.

"What - but -" spluttered Slughorn.

"Bezoar!" Harry yelled suddenly, jumping over a low table to join me in my hunt.

"Obviously...Gryffindor..." I muttered, throwing things aside. "Ah ha!" I seized the shrivelled kidney-like stone and all but threw it into Harry's hand.

Harry hurtled back to Ron's side, wrenched open his jaw and thrust the bezoar into his mouth. Ron gave a great shudder, a rattling gasp and then his body became limp and still.

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