Medea had just put on the Founder's Locket and it already buzzed and heated up and had surely burned through her pyjama shirt soon. She was scared but didn't want to take it off, she just wanted the Book's and Quill's power to go back to their owners.

She felt the Locket draining her energy, she had to sit down and breathed sharply, as a wave of heat went through the metal (was it even metal?) and the room started to smell after burned cloth. Medea started doubting the intelligence of this idea and if this was even how you used that Locket. She already put her hands up her neck to get rid of the spluttering necklace, when a new pain went through all of her body. Though it wasn't strong, she couldn't help but think the shots of pain wouldn't restrict to her head anymore.

As she came to realize this, she clenched her teeth and decided to stand through what the Locket was doing. However, as it lighted up and a sound like a timer started, Medea went a little crazy. She felt like wearing a time bomb around her neck but her fingers couldn't hold the hot metal when she tried to get it off to try and cool the metal down, she went across the room and dipped it into some kind of basin that was at the other corner of the room. It was beautiful, the liquid inside was like wind and water mixed, with slight silver colour and glowing with some charm. She didn't take the time to admire the beauty though and put the Locket inside.

Suddenly, pictures turned up in front of her eyes, of places she had never seen, people she had never met and knowledge she had never even dreamt of. She shook her head, alarmed and took a step back from the basin. Unfortunately, that seemed to heat the Locket more and Medea felt forced to put it in the liquid again. She cautiously heeded her skin not to touch whatever was inside that weird thing, when the thought struck her that Dumbledore had a lot of power. And probably a lot of dangerous things inside his office. Things a girl like her was not supposed to discover without him. Probably things she wasn't supposed to discover at all. And that basin was most likely one of those things. The Locket too, probably.

But the Locket was heating uncomfortably now, even though there was still some cloth underneath it. Upon that, the young girl silently sneaked through the corridors, dodging a bullet when Filch turned around a corner just meters away from her and she could hide beside a suit of armour just in time. On the second floor, she was starting to run and right away crashed into a door she had wanted to go through. The door turned out to be a wall in disguise. A little relieved that no one saw it, she went on through the quiet castle, not running anymore.

As soon as Medea had opened the giant front doors of the castle (cursing that there was no back exit), she could feel the cool night air ease her irritated skin and stop the Locket's heating. The temperature of the metal didn't reduce totally but it was just getting more and more bearable. The girl slowly walked through the grounds, trying to ignore the intensifying smell of her carbonized shirt. With the time she could only do so by gritting her teeth and distracting herself, walking deeper and deeper in the woods. The Forbidden Forest were just words for her, she had heard of Fred and George going in there so many times and never getting hurt, she just assumed the school wanted to eliminate every little risk.

When the silver, by the moon, reflected light slowly faded and Medea could barely make the difference between all the trees in front of her, as well as guessed that even Voldemort wouldn't be able to take her mind from the burning metal on her chest, she decided to go back. Making her way over the by roots dug through ground, she heard a noise. A slight whooshing that did not sound natural, nor very promising. Her steps speeded up a little and she whistled a little song to herself. Somewhere a wolf joined in and howled to the moon. Another wolf did the same. Medea hunched up her shoulders and stopped whistling.

When there was a little gap in between all the trees, she could already see the highest towers of the castle and she hurried a little more once again. A positive smile formed on her lips when a hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" A cold voice resounded. It was a voice Medea had already heard too much and had hoped to never hear again. Her eyes glanced upon her shoulder and she could see the long, slender fingers of Lord Voldemort.

It took her breath for a second and she could feel her heart speeding up in her chest and felt the panic rise in her. It took all the self-control she had to breathe calmly and keep her wit. Turned out she had been wrong and Lord Voldemort himself was able to take her mind off the burning jewellery on her chest. Instead of answering, she clenched her wand and held it up in the air, yelling 'Vermillious!'

The red sparks rose high up in the air and emitted into a tiny firework right in front of McGonagall's office and Medea could just pray that somebody had noticed because she knew there was no chance of her standing up to Voldemort without help.

The dark wizard, however, didn't seem to care about the adorable rescue attempt by his target. He saw her as a little girl, and that's how he touched and treated and spoke to her. Once again, his fingernails bore into Medea's cheeks and left tiny red lines. Even though Medea would have sworn to remember every detail of his face from their last encounter, she was so wrong. She had forgotten the actual cruciality of standing right in front of that mass murderer. Because that was what he was, not a powerful wizard that should be admired.

"So you are the little girl Nott tried to hide from me..." - It didn't take him more than half of a sentence to completely confuse Medea. The only Nott she had ever been in contact with was the boy in her year. But why would he hide her from Voldemort? - " Well, that didn't work very well, did it? Poor woman. She did so much to keep you alive. Gave you away, leaving you to grow up alone. And it'll all be senseless when I take that power from you. It's a hard process, you know. Painful. Not many get through it."

His eyes went down her collarbone and he noticed the Locket hanging around her neck. He canted his head in interest and touched the Locket greedily, no matter the temperature. He snatched it and ripped it off her throat. Medea could now feel the relief of the cold night air on her chest and see the big black circle it left on her clothes, and the tinier red one it left on her body.

For a moment, the 'Dark Lord' was distracted with the piece of jewellery, and Medea kept sneaking glances over her shoulder, eyeing the dark path behind her and the great castle for help. She wasn't stupid enough to run, there was no chance she'd get away but probably anger Voldemort. He was still examining the Locket but when he noticed her staring, he quickly put it in one of is robes' pockets.

Then he directed his wand at her, pointing it right at her forehead. Medea tried to relax, he wasn't planning on killing her. Still, it was driving her crazy, all the options what he could do to her. She breathed as calmly as she could for a moment and then started talking. Just about anything, trying to stall his actions.

"What did you mean with Nott trying to hide me? I don't know the Notts." Her voice was high and quivering, she nearly flinched when she heard it. Still, she pushed her back through and held her chin high, in a pathetic attempt to hide her fear from the dark wizard.

"Oh, you don't know about that all? - Guess that's your foolish headmaster playing games..." He sounded slightly surprised and his voice wasn't just as pejorative as his words about Dumbledore were.

"You're a Nott, sweetie." Bellatrix came wandering out of the depths, her hair and dress as crazy as last time. "Unfortunate, very unfortunate. The young woman was so promising. She could have turned out to be a great Death Eater. But no - she had to marry that idiot, get pregnant and have you and your brother. And as if that wasn't enough, she hid you. Thought the almighty Dark Lord wouldn't notice. Wouldn't notice that a half-monster was born into one of his precious pure-blood families."

By now, all the colour had faded from Medea's face and her blood felt ice-cold, she could feel it in every one of her veins. "What do you mean, I'm a Nott? The orphanage tried finding my parents if it would be that easy it had happened ages ago. You're trying to trick me. Make me vulnerable. - Why would she give me away? I am no monster. - Not even a half one. Your story is insane."

"Oh, tell that to yourself! When the soon-to-be mother-" she had now talked herself in rage and nearly spit out every one of those words, "- was told to watch over one of the vampire tribes, she cried and begged and considered ignoring her master's will. But she didn't, eventually. - Left for the tribe and showed once again she had some wit. Figured she'd have to make some bonds to be safe. And what better bond is there than a romantic one with the chief? I guess she thought it was impossible to get pregnant another time. Well, she was wrong and got twins. One pureblood. One-half vampire. You're just as filthy as the centaurs are!"

"Enough, Bellatrix." Dumbledore entered the scene, quietly out of the shadows, just as Bellatrix had done it. He stepped in front of Medea and hid her troubled face from the two dark sorcerers. A tear dropped down her cheek and she winked multiple times to stop herself from crying like a waterfall. She calmly breathed in and out while Voldemort and Bellatrix took a few steps back from the sudden and powerful arrival.

"I insist you leave, Tom. This is school grounds, it was foolish of you to come."

"That you think. But I've got the Locket. That precious girl of yours brought it right in my arms." He, once again, directed her wand at the girl's forehead who had peaked from behind Dumbledore.

He performed some kind of spell and she went to her knees. She shut her eyes tight and gritted her teeth, desperately trying to hide her pain. It took no longer than Harry's expulsion from Quidditch but it felt like a whole hour of History of Magic. When she could finally feel the heat leave her body, there was a loud whoosh and a scream of anger by Voldemort. A hand gripped her back and she could feel the familiar apparating. Dumbledore had brought her back in the castle, right in the Gryffindor common room. Ron, Hermione, Harry and Dean came running to her immediately, having obviously waited. Her headmaster disappeared as quickly as he had appeared in the forest and Medea was left to tell her friends what had happened.

They were shaken and asked many, many times if everything was alright. To the end of the night, they were finally relaxing, most likely due to the sleep deprivation. Medea noticed how the ache was fading and her worry was overpowered by fun and enjoyment. Happiness, that she had finally found people to be with. Relief, that the strange power had left her body and was right now brought back into the book by Dumbledore. She cuddled onto Ron and Dean and listened to one of Hermione's great stories, forgetting everything she could worry about later on.

***

Aargh, please tell me what you thought about this, I'm very anxious with this one.

Yeah, likes and comments are very appreciated, so if you enjoyed it, please consider making my day. ;)

-Tonks