When Your Parents Tell You Bedtime Stories

Rigel strained his eyes, taking deep shallow breaths, though it hurt terribly. Dawn was creaking through the windows, casting a ray across his bare stomach. He sat up, moaning at the pain, and tried to patch together the scattered fragments of last night. Someone had seen him, and had attacked. Who knows what the guy had thrown at Rigel, but it bloody well hurt. The thing Rigel couldn't figure out was why a full grown man, well out of Hogwarts by the look of it, had been in the Slytherin common room. And what had he been after?

Rigel stood stealthily to his feet, brushing himself off and regaining his composure. Making a split decision he sprinted up the girl's staircase, intent on telling his two best friends everything he knew. Unfortunately, when he got there, he found out he didn't know enough.

**********

Persephone sat up dully, eyes still closed, and head pounding with pain. She could feel the scratch marks along her bare arm from where she had tried to fight off the intruder. She snapped open her eyes, memories of the night rushing back to her senses. She brought a hand up to block some of the light shining in from the window from her eyes, trying to slowly adjust. Suddenly, from across the room, a low moan sounded and she turned quickly, her eyes meeting a most unusual sight.

**********

The corridors were deserted, even by Filch. Oddly enough, Mirach didn't feel alone; there was so much history to Hogwarts. The past never faded. He didn't know where he was going, but soon his feet had led him, butterbeer in hand, down to the dungeons. Squinting into the fading light of the lone torch he saw a shadow move across it and froze. Somebody was struggling.

Setting his butterbeer on the floor, Mirach headed towards the commotion, moving towards him, away from the Slytherin common room. There was a man, his face slightly uncovered as the person he held struggle. Mirach was about ready to jump in and help (he was a Gryffindor) but then he saw just who the guy was fighting. Persephone Granger.

Mirach stepped back in surprise and smashed his butterbeer, distracting the strugglers. Persephone let her guard down just long enough that the man whispered a quick spell, something Mirach couldn't hear, making her unconscious, and turned towards him. The glimpse of the man he saw was surprising, and it was the last thing he saw.

********

"What do you mean, Aludra? Where is she?"

"I don't know, Rigel! Think I keep tabs on that girl everywhere she goes?"

"Well, she wouldn't just disappear!" Rigel Flint was sitting at the end of Aludra's bed, glancing over at the empty bed next to hers. Aludra captured his attention again by jumping out from under the covers, startling him.

"Look," Aludra practically whispered, heading towards the bed hangings. Rigel rolled his eyes and got up to peer over her shoulder at what she was looking at. His heart stopped mid-beat. In the dim light of Aludra's bed candle Rigel could see Aludra's scrawny finger pointing to a very large cut made by a knife.

*******

Blaise Zabini paced his study, brandy held tight in his fist. It was seven o'clock in the morning already. The sunlight, despite the tightly drawn curtains, was brightening up the room, fueling Blaise's rage. He reached up to touch his face and then angrily stumbled over to a mirror. Pissed at what he found, he stumbled back onto the couch. One more hour of sleep, then it'll be time. He turned his head, looking into the mirror again, the large scratch making its imprint on his cheek.

*******

Mirach could feel consciousness coming back to him. He tried to sit up but his head pounded and when he opened his eyes, everything waved out of focus. Lying back down on the cold stone, he tried to ease the pain. Suddenly, though, he sat up, and, ignoring the pain, regained his memories of last nights events. The pain caught up to him, though, and he moaned loudly.

******

Persephone, as she spun around, noticed the room she was in was very small and made completely of stone, like a prison. But, this prison had one other occupant.

"Achernar?" her voice rasped, making out the hunched figure in the corner. "Mirach?" she asked more clearly, hoping her eyes were playing tricks on her. The boy turned to look right at her, his eyes meeting hers and startling her. She hadn't been wrong.