Katy raced up the stairs from the dungeons and by the time she got to the Entrance Hall, she was short of breath.  There were people in the Entrance Hall, leaving the dance and heading off to their respective dorms.  Katy shrank back quickly into the deep shadows of one of the alcoves and took a moment to catch her breath.  She eyed the students going their separate ways.  Some of them were sleepy and bed ready and some of them were hyped with the excitement of the celebration still.  But no on looked her way.  No one noticed her.  That was good.  Sasha would kill her if she gave up the game now when they were almost done with it.

She stuck to the wall as she edged towards the doors and was forced to wait for a moment or two before she could slip out.  She and Sasha had agreed to meet in front of the castle because the ritual would take place in the forest.  They would have to walk out together so Katy wouldn't get lost. 

Outside in the cool October air, Katy paused and clutched at her locket.  She stared at the night sky and tried to control the squirmy, clenchy feeling in her chest and stomach.  She had been so certain that this was what she wanted to do but now she wasn't so sure.  She'd read what she could on this as they prepared over the past week.  Sasha was very careful with those books and she was never allowed to take them with her to her room.  The ritual they had set out to accomplish was complicated, difficult, and dangerous.  Most people who tried it accomplished very little but a few, who had just enough power to get themselves in trouble, had supposedly gone mad with longing to join the dead they were contacting. Even under close supervision at places like St Mungo's, they hadn't lasted long.  There were precautions that you could take, an anchor or observer being the most common, but it did not eliminate the danger.

Katy didn't want to end up like that.  She knew also beyond a shadow of a doubt that her mother would not want her to end up like that.  The whole thing just felt wrong in a way she'd known all along but been too consumed by grief to really acknowledge.  She saw Sasha waiting for her off to the side and out of the way.  She walked up to him, her face drawn and ashen from the stress of reconsidering her options over and over again for the past week.  She hadn't slept much but she was hyper-aware and awake with nerves and tension.

"Are we ready?" she asked in a quiet voice, trembling and off.

Sasha sat on a large stone near the edge of the forest, the hem of his simple, black school robes pooling on the ground around him.  He'd only had a twenty minute lead on the Hufflepuff but time seemed to have slowed to an imperceptible crawl as he stared at the ground.  The long, thin, purple-hued wand was held at the ready in his hands, a simple, wordless acknowledgement that he was well aware the moon was almost full.  He felt exposed and vulnerable without Baldur nearby - he rarely went anywhere but classes without the dog near the full moon.  But, he hadn't been willing to risk taking the dog along.  The dog had been left up in the Astronomy tower with Kepler. 

He was well aware of the difficulty and risk of the task at hand.  He'd already accepted they were part of the process; it didn't seem like this gesture would be as genuine, or effective, without the danger.  The books he'd spent the last week pouring over never skirted around the warnings and what ifs.  But, unlike the Hufflepuff, Sasha felt quiet and calm.  Peaceful, even.  Or, at least, so firmly focused on the task at hand that it gave him the illusion of peace. 

The girl, on the other hand, was obviously nervous.  Her voice and body trembled and the firey determination she'd had back in the Astronomy tower was gone.  When Sasha looked up at the girl, he was keenly aware that he had the upper hand in every way.  He knew all the details of the ritual; she only knew what he'd felt comfortable sharing with her.  He'd had months to consider and plan for this endeavor - months, even, between the initial pain of mourning and the decision to act; hers had been a snap decision of immediate desperation.  He knew both of their individual motives; she, even still, knew only her own.  She claimed to know who he was, knew of his reputation.  To him, she was still nameless.  He had the power and the control.  In same ways, it was terrifying.  In others, it was exciting. 

He got to his feet and pulled his bag up over his shoulder.  "Ja.  I am."  He turned towards the trees and started leading the way.  It had been nine months, exactly, since he'd even looked towards this path but, despite having only traveled it twice -once with his mind dulled from pain and once with his mind dulled from hypothermia and shock - he doubted he'd ever be able to forget[1].  There were some things you subconscious simply knew and wouldn't let you forget. 

After a few steps, though, Sasha stopped and turned back to the girl.  Was the unease simply nerves (which were entirely justifiable) or was she starting to have second thoughts?  "You don't have to do this," Sasha said.  "I ... you should be doing this for yourself.  Not for anyone else.  If you're not sure..."  Given the risks and, even if they were successful, the ultimate outcome, there was too much room for regret.  Sasha wasn't sure he could be responsible for more. 

1.	Time Is Running Out

Katy was conflicted in a way she'd never anticipated.  The difficulty and the danger were really beside the point by now.  She knew the risks and she'd accepted them fully.  She was prepared for anything the book had listed as a possible outcome of this ritual.  She was ready for those things and yet she wasn't ready to move forward with this.  Something felt horribly, horribly wrong; wrong enough to overshadow the wrenching pain of her mother's death.  She didn't like it one bit because she didn't understand where it was coming from, not really.  She could narrow it down though to Sasha.

The older boy was off.  None of his actions or reactions made any sense.  Who tried so hard to contact the dead but felt nothing for the death of his parents?  Deep, unbearable pain in the face of so much loss was understandable.  In Katy's mind, it was proof positive that he was hiding something big.  She just didn't understand what it could be though.  She knew who he was, she'd found out pretty quickly and done her research.  Her guess in the library had been correct.  Sasha Schlagenweit, a sixth year Ravenclaw Prefect who'd been the subject of many, many rumors in the past year.  In return, he hadn't even asked her name.  He might not know anything more than her house, as shown by the color of her tie.

He was strangely calm but had an air about him that was sharp and raw.  Her father was like that although he'd raged loudly rather than remaining calm.  But the feeling she got was similar, like he was a hair's breadth from completely losing control.  She didn't know what to do about it.  He gave her an out, obviously aware on some level that he was heading down a path that she shouldn't follow on.  She wanted to take it.  She wanted to turn around and run back to her dorm room and bury her head beneath her pillow.  But she also wanted to stay because no one should have to take these next steps alone.  Someone ought to witness it.  Someone needed to be there for Sasha, whether he wanted it or not. 

She lifted her chin up with her lips pressed together stubbornly.  Her eyes still showed her pain but she'd made up her mind again to go through with this.  Her stomach still roiled in discomfort but she felt as though as she had a greater purpose now, to see Sasha through this.  "I am going to do this," she said firmly.  She strode past him and walked out into the darkness towards the forbidden forest.  She knew Sasha was just behind her.  This was going to happen and she'd be there to see him through it.

The girl said little more than a simple affirmation of her intentions and started along the path.  If there were hints of her true intentions in the girl's demeanor or body language, the subtleties were lost on the Ravenclaw.  If he'd known the girl was no longer doing this for herself, but rather for him, he would have never let her continue.  He'd have stopped her, forcibly if necessary. 

But, as the girl moved forward in the darkness, there was no time to consider ulterior motives.  If he hesitated for much longer, he'd lose sight of the girl.  Wand still held at the ready, Sasha shouldered his bag and caught up, wordlessly taking the lead. 

Healthy and unencumbered with pain or grief, it took much less time to reach the small, jagged-edged clearing than he remembered.  But, even without the blanket of snow and ice, he recognized it immediately.  They'd walked for, at least, twenty minutes - far enough for the lights of the castle to have been long shrouded by the forest.  Sasha could only hope that, for once, luck would be with him and the trees would, likewise, shelter the light from a fire from any passing eyes - school-based or otherwise. 

Time would only tell.  And, it wasn't until a small fire was blazing in the middle of the clearing that Sasha fully acknowledged the girl, again.  "You remembered the locket?" he asked, pulling two pouches of herbs and a small flask of prepared potion from his bag.  "And, timing has to be just right.  If we're off, something ... unpredictable might happen.  So, there won't be any time for questions once it starts.  So, if you have any questions - about anything - now's the time to ask." 

They both had their wands out as they moved across school grounds in the dark.  Katy was tense and hyper-aware of her surroundings.  She had never had much cause to go into the Forbidden Forest but she'd read book about the kind of dangers that lurked within its boundaries.  Aggressive and territorial centaurs, Acromantulas, and those were just some of the creatures.  Herbology had given her a fairly decent foundation of just how many plants could kill or injure you in some way.  But Sasha seemed confident.  He moved quickly and confidently through the trees without much undue concern.

In the end they didn't go very far into the forest.  The clearing they came to was only just far enough in that the castle became fully obscured beyond the trees.  She found that she missed the orange twinkling lights in the distance.  But she had work to do. She had to focus on the here and now so that they could both walk away on the other side relatively unscathed.

"Of course I have my locket," she snapped when he asked.  Her hand twitched to clutch it reflexively but she kept it down by her side.  She never took it off and, aside from that brief hiccup with Lux, it had never left her sight.  "I remember what to do," she added quietly.  They had been over it again and again. 

"Although..." she trailed off as she looked around at the shadows of the forest around them,  "Do you think we'll be safe here?  We shouldn't be interrupted, right?"

The girl's temper flared and ebbed in a manner that Sasha had since become familiar with.  It seemed to be her usual approach to most of his questions; he didn't know the girl well enough to know if that was her standard course or if he was an exception.  Which wouldn't be too surprising, given the circumstances of their acquaintance. 

"Good," Sasha confirmed.  He gave little acknowledgment that he'd even recognized the defensive flare as he watched the dancing flames.  The locket could stay with the girl for the time being, only parting ways with her if and when they determined this whole ritual was even going to work.  There was no point in risking losing it for no reason.   

The Ravenclaw had always been a much better concealer than a liar so when the girl asked if he thought they were safe from discovery, he didn't bother to try and offer a placating I'm sure we'll be fine.  "I don't know," was the closest to a truth he could offer.  She would likely see through any attempt to say anything else.  "Depends on how long it takes them to come looking, I suppose.  Given it's Halloween, I assume they're expecting students to be out later than usual.  And, only a few who know about this place."  He'd been counting on those facts, among others. 

Sasha pulled several short lengths of yew wood and a pint-sized cauldron.  The wood was placed carefully in the fire and, with a quick engorgement charm, the cauldron returned to its original size.  Water, a collection of herbs and two large, oval pieces of obsidian were placed in the cauldron and brought quickly to a boil.  The Ravenclaw continued with the work with unrelenting determination until he pulled out a small, wooden trinket box and hesitated.  When he glanced towards the girl, there was a new, measurable degree of uncertainty in his expression. 

Katy circled the clearing warily, eyeing the shadows in the trees.  She had strong misgivings about this.  The ritual was dangerous in an unbelievable way but there was a good deal of danger in the Forbidden Forest.  It was forbidden for a reason.  Her became pinched with concentration.  "I wasn't talking about the professors," she said absently over her shoulder.   "There are a lot of other things to worry about out here."

She turned back to Sasha where he crouched on the ground, pulling out the supplies.  The wood, the cauldron, and other things.  It wasn't until he brought out a small box that something changed.  He was different, he seemed uncertain.  She came over.  "What's wrong," she asked.  She knelt quietly on the grass with the fire between them.  Katy normally had a hard time relating to people, communicating what she thought and felt, but tonight was different.  Her eyes softened noticeably as she gazed across at him.

 She took a deep breath, uncertain about what she was bringing up.  "I was thinking, are you sure about this?  What... what..."  She trailed off, unable to ask.  She wanted to know why he was doing this.  She desperately wanted to ask him.  What happened that would drive you to this?  But she couldn't.  They were both broken, weren't they?  She could feel the resonance of pain and recognized it.  She didn't want to, it would be so much easier if she didn't.  then she might be able to walk away right now before they started messing with powers that were far and away beyond them.  It was because she recognized the pain in him and felt it alongside her own that she couldn't leave.  No doubt their situations were vastly different but... she...  She didn't know.  It all felt so much bigger than her.  She was scared but her eyes were steady and serious as she looked at Sasha.  "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked again.

The young man looked up and peered around the small clearing, his gaze piercing through the  curtain of night that fell beyond the reach of the firelight.  Sasha had spent hours sitting in this clearing once before and had spent countless hours considering this whole endeavor.  So fixated was he on the events that had occurred and would, hopefully, take place now that he hadn't given much thought to their surroundings.  Or the other potential inhabitants of the forest.  The risks hadn't mattered and, only with the Hufflepuff's reminder, was Sasha even considering them. 

"They won't bother us," Sasha insisted despite having absolutely no basis for that assertion.  He didn't even know who he was referring to when he said they.  He'd never considered that particular risk and, in the end, it didn't matter. 

Sasha blinked and looked through the dancing flames when the Hufflepuff crouched.  Slowly, the Ravenclaw shook his head.  "I'm not sure," he stated, quietly.  Everything was wrong, but nothing specific he could identify.  Nothing fit anymore.  He wasn't entirely sure how he'd gotten to be sitting in this clearing, again, but this wasn't the first time that feeling of complete lack of control had swelled up. 

"No," Sasha admitted, his eyes refocusing on the fire between them.  "I ... this isn't about wanting.  I have to."  He felt like he'd run out of other options.  "I don't know what else I can do."  Hopefully, this would work.  And, if it did, then wouldn't it be worth it in the end?  Sasha took a deep breath and stealed himself, reminding himself of the end goal. 

The simmering cauldron bubbled slightly as he slipped the trinket box into the simmering brew and closed his eyes, counting out the requisite two minutes in his head as the potion churned around the offering.  The potion started to bubble and fizz, fat droplets erupting up and out and falling back down on the burning yew branches, sending fat puffs of grey-green smoke into the dark sky. 

It hadn't taken long, once the dance ended, for Tapendra to realize something was up. The dance had been chaotic and fun, but he hadn't seen Sasha there. Not entirely surprising, really, as Tapendra had spent most of his time by the buffet tables making short work of the supply of candy apples. But it had become apparent the boy hadn't returned to the dorms afterwards, or to the tower, which was unlike him. Tapendra had had time to change, but it had only been into his clothes for working at night, and so he was professionally dressed in jeans with a turtleneck. He'd thrown a proper blue and silver star-ed sleeved and hooded robe over it, but it was still jeans and a shirt.

Thus he wandered the grounds, on the lookout. His most recent trip into the forest, just a few days before, had been utterly miserable - the finding of injured Darian, presided over by the rude and odious Kesali, had not made the place the slightest bit more inviting. Still, he headed in, on a hunch. Sasha was...well, he wasn't predictable. But the boy tended to return to places that most would assume he'd avoid. And he's already tried the obvious spots.

He hadn't memorized the way to the clearing, but he found it easily enough - following his memory of when the ground had been covered in fresh snow, melting and warm with crimson blood. It was a path he never wished to walk again, but finding it now made it seem like that hadn't been that long ago. It hadn't been, in the grand scheme of things, but now it seemed as yesterday rather than almost a full year before.

Of course, the smell coming from the cauldron helped. He stared at the tableau in stunned silence, not at first comprehending the nature of the setup. Then his stomach dropped (the candy apples now not happy with him) and he stepped from the treeline, reaching up to pull his hood down.

"Sasha," he said, voice quiet and almost blank. "What are you doing?" There was a student with him, a young girl - she looked familiar, as well. "Miss Bevans?"

As she watched the cauldron begin to boil, she was struck with the muggle image of witches in the forest brewing up an evil spell.  It was a strange feeling.  Admittedly it wasn't the first time she'd had such a feeling since getting her letter but in general real wizarding culture differed enough from the muggle interpretations that such instances were relatively rare.  Still, here they were, leaning over a bubbling cauldron in the dead of night on Halloween, contacting the dead.  She was nervous and scared but still and calm with focus.

Katy shot up when she heard a noise from the edge of the clearing her wand was in her hand, pointing at the interloper immediately.  She gasped and stumbled backwards when Professor Trishna revealed himself.  Her wand dropped to her side, she couldn't believe she'd drawn it on a professor.  Were they going to be in trouble now?  She breathed heavily and looked from the professor to Sasha, waiting for him to say something first.

The puffs of smoke rose into the blackened skies.  They writhed and congealed, forming vaguely shaped clouds as they collected.  But, the clouds didn't dissipate into the tree boughs overhead.  They lingered and thickened and continuously writhed into new, unidentifiable shapes.  It had to be close to midnight - the one moment, tradition said, that the veils between the worlds of the living and dead were the thinnest.  Wand in hand, Sasha took a deep breath and straightened his back.  Either this endeavor would work and, in a moment, he'd be staring at the ethereal version of one who'd died months ago in this very spot.  If it didn't...well, no one really knew what would happen. 

The Ravenclaw braced  himself for whatever the outcome would be, his mind so focused on the task that the Hufflepuff, clearing and all their surroundings had faded into the periphery of his consciousness.  He didn't hear Professor Trishna's arrival nor his name.  It wasn't until he heard the man's question that he realized they weren't alone. 

Sasha half lowered his wand, glancing slowly between the girl and Professor Trishna.  The question played over in the young man's mind several times before it fully registered.  "I - we..."  Miss Bevans?  That was the Hufflepuff's name?  Sasha blinked and looked at the Hufflepuff.  "I - " 

What were they doing?  What was he doing?  Sasha blinked and turned back towards the bubbling cauldron and the still writhing cloud of grey-green smoke.  There was a part of Sasha's mind that could see the absurdity and all the levels on which this was wrong.  But, it was still being drowned out by that desperate voice that simply didn't care.  They were so close ... he was so close!  Just a few more steps and ... and if it worked, well,... whatever consequences followed would be worth it.  Right?

"I - please.  Just give me a few minutes.  I'll explain-"  Sasha readjusted his grip on the wand and lifted it, again. 

The girl wheeled around, wand raised, and Tapendra replied with a wizard's instinct and drew his own. Thankfully she seemed to recognize him and stopped, and his wand remained by his side, only slightly raised.

Sasha seemed far less lucid, however, and Tapendra watched the boy as he walked towards him in long strides. He was still not entirely sure what was going on - logically, anyway. He knew in his gut that this was wrong; every part of this glade made his skin crawl. The dark shapes in the shadows, the echo of sounds from beyond the dark treeline, the curling smoke - all of it screamed at him and seemed to bypass his logical centers to just say run.

Sasha lifted his wand and Tapendra strode forward the last few steps to close the gap, long robe sweeping over the ground. "Sasha!" He said, and grabbed the boy's shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Stop. Now." He pulled the boy around to face him, Tapendra's expression a mask of uncertainly and fear.

He didn't say the words his racing mind supplied, but they were etched on his features - stop, before you fall so far I can't help you. His eyes met Sasha's and he blinked, blue gaze darting sideways to Katy.

"Come here, Miss Bevans. Give me your wand," he instructed, holding out a hand.

Katy's thin chest heaved up and down with her deep and panicked breaths.  Her eyes were a little wild as she tried to process what was happening.  They'd been found out!  They were caught.  Sasha was desperate to finish the ritual but Professor Trishna moved quickly, taking the boy by the shoulders and shaking him.  He asked for her wand.

Katy jerked back and darted to the side so that the fire was between her and the professor.  Her jaw trembled, as did her hands.  She didn't know what to do.  Sasha seemed to need this.  Isn't that why she'd ignored her own doubts and misgivings?   But Professor Trishna's face was absolutely stricken.  She slowly raised her wand to the fire.  The tip trembled, revealing her unsteady emotions.  She stared into the belching smoke, dark and foul where it emanated from the cauldron.  She could finish it, if she wanted.  Sasha hadn't trusted her to do much more than watch for accidents but there were some things he couldn't expect to keep from her since she was involved. 

So many people overlooked her and discounted her.  They didn't think she could do the things they could but they were wrong.  She was quiet, she listened.  She knew more than anyone realized and she had the ability.  She did!  Her lips tightened in resolve.  She gripped the handle of her wand and stared even harder into the fire.  Her free hand unconsciously slipped up and clutched the gold locket.  Her gaze drifted upwards to Sasha and Professor Trishna, sadness replacing the anger and determination.

"Expungo," she said finally, quietly.  With a soft wave of her wand the flames grew smaller and smaller until the eventually flickered out.  She looked at her shoes and blinked back tears.  She came around and held out her wand to the professor, handle first.

The sound of his name cut through Sasha's determination and he hesitated for a moment, his wand lowering slightly.  His senses were starting to register his surroundings more and he could hear the man's footsteps as he drew nearer.  When Professor Trishna gripped Sasha's shoulder, they simply slumped under the man's hand and he made no attempt to resist when the man tugged him around. 

"Please - I-" Sasha started, in a last ditch effort to salvage what was left of the ritual, but the plea died in Sasha's throat at the sight of expression on Professor Trishna's face.  He took a slight, involuntary step back and, finally, followed the professor's gaze over towards Bevans.  He watched, with mixed uncertainty as the girl scrambled to the far side of the fire and pointed her wand at the cauldron. 

Sasha stared at the girl.  He was becoming progressively more aware of how wrong this all was and more ... unsettled by the desperation the girl was mirroring back.  At the same time, there was still that part of him that hoped...needed her to go through with it.  That hoped she'd cast the incantation.  But, she didn't.  Instead, with a wave of her wand, the flames underneath the cauldron vanished and the thick clouds quickly dissipated. 

It was gone.  The last few months, he'd been fortified by the determination that came from having a plan and working towards it and, now, it was gone.  Sasha's wand fell from his hand and landed, quietly, on the leaf litter in the clearing.  The moon was a few days shy of full so the clearing was still well-lit, lit enough to illuminate the very familiar outline of trees.  He moved a few steps away from the cauldron and slumped down, to sit against the base of a tree. 

His vision blurred as his gaze travelled from Professor Trishna to Bevans and, finally, moved slowly over the clearing.  "I'm sorry," he said, quietly, though as his gaze had come to rest on the far edge of the clearing, it was unclear if he was speaking to one or the other, both of them or neither of them. 

Tapendra watched Katy, warily, as she circled around the fire. He didn't like hexing students, but it was something that - in this case - was better than the alternative. Thankfully she magically doused the fire, and with the fire's ebbing the glade...relaxed. It seemed less ominous, anyway. He loosened his grip on his wand a bit, as the grip had been getting white-knuckled.

Sasha pulled away and slumped next to a tree, dropping his wand. Tapendra took Katy's wand with a quiet "Thank you," though his gaze was alternating between the two students as he tried to figure out what to do. Both of them seemed...defeated. Dazed. Their minds probably darting to the same thoughts that he was having, he supposed - what was going to happen to them for even trying this.

This was going to be very, very messy. He let his breath out, pocketing their wands as he looked about the glade at their set up. He walked to the cauldron, which still bubbled quietly in the darkness. The smell wasn't anything to write home about.

"This is Necromancy, isn't it?" He asked the two of them, hands on the cauldron's rim. His voice seemed oddly loud in the hushed glade. "It is! What in the world were you thinking?" His voice wasn't angry, but it was getting there, in that tone that betrayed his utter disbelief. Necromancy was...an art that was largely unthinkable to him. There were things you didn't do - lines you didn't cross.