Katie.

Cassian and Maddie came back from the library first—faster than expected, both talking low and fast.

"Snape pulled her aside," Maddie muttered. "Didn't say why. Just called her by name and walked her into the stacks. She told us to go ahead—said she'd be right behind us."

Cassian's brow was furrowed, but his voice was calm. "She didn't look hurt. Just... off."

"What is it?" I asked, immediately catching movement behind Maddie.

Adrien.

Her figure was rounding the corner, steps slow, like her boots were filled with lead. When her eyes met mine, something twisted in my chest.

She looked wrecked.

Paler than usual. Eyes wide. No sarcasm, no attitude. Just... something raw.

All she did was hold up a piece of parchment.

"What—?" I stepped forward instinctively.

Rowan and Sage were still bickering about Quidditch bludgers somewhere behind me, but I barely registered it. Maddie and Cassian hovered awkwardly between Adrien and the couch, half-watching, half-worried.

Adrien didn't speak at first.

She just handed me the parchment.

"Snape gave this to me," she said quietly. Her voice didn't sound like hers. "Didn't say anything else. Just... gave it to me."

I hesitated for half a second, taking in the way her hands were trembling before carefully flattening the paper.

"The Labyrinth of Bones is where Alice lies."

I stared at the words.

And then my breath caught.

"What the hell is this?" I asked, voice sharper than intended.

Rowan, somehow always tuned to my edges, appeared beside me in an instant. His hand brushed mine lightly as he looked down at the parchment too.

"I don't know," Adrien murmured. "He didn't explain anything. Just said—" Her voice caught. "He said I'm not being allowed to Apparate. That something inside me is blocking it—maybe blocking my focused magic?"

I stared at her.

Snape wasn't one for metaphors.

He was one for warnings. And if he thought something inside Adrien was powerful enough to stop her from Apparating...That wasn't just about magic.

That was about control. Ownership.

Ancient binding.

Runes.

And then I blinked again.

The parchment still in my hands.

The name.

Alice.

My heart stopped, finally registering.

"Oh my god," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.

Adrien looked up. "Yeah..."

Cassian, Maddie, Sage and Rowan—everyone stilled.

I swallowed, throat dry.

"That's—" I started, then forced myself to say it. "That's my mum. Alice. That's her name."

Adrien nodded, crossing her arms tight across her chest as the rest of her blood drained from her face.

Rowan's hand dropped from mine.

The room was silent.

Until Sage finally looked up from her broomstick debate and frowned at the mood shift.

"Did we miss something?" she asked.

I didn't answer.

Because I was still staring at the words.

The Labyrinth of Bones is where Alice lies.

I blinked down at the piece of parchment, a million thoughts racing through my mind as a grounding hand pressed on my lower back.

Rowan.

"I thought you said your Mum was—"

"It's—complicated." I sighed, blinking back tears.

"I just need some air," I said tightly, already folding the parchment and tucking it into my jacket. "I'll owl Mr. Weasley. I'll be back before curfew."

Adrien started to speak, but I didn't give her the chance.

"I'm fine," I added, firmer this time. "I just need a minute to think without five people staring at me like I'm about to snap in half."

That seemed to work.

I slipped out before anyone could follow, ignoring Rowan's concerned glance and Adrien's still-pale face. My boots echoed through the corridor, then fell silent as I crossed into open ground—out past the courtyard, toward the tree line just before the Forbidden forest. The wind had teeth, and the sky above Hogwarts was streaked with darkening gray, like the whole castle was holding its breath.

I didn't get far.

Just past the edge of the forest, by the crumbling stone fence when I saw him.

Slumped against the wall, one hand pressed to his side.

Draco.

Blood streaked down one side of his face. His school robes were torn, and a jagged line cut across his cheekbone—angry and fresh, already clotting into something that would scar if he didn't clean it properly.

For a second, I just stood there. He hadn't seen me yet.

I could leave.

But I didn't.

"Merlin, Malfoy," I muttered, stepping toward him, "you have got to stop bleeding in public."

His head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "Fancy seeing you."

"You look like hell."

"Feeling's mutual."

I crouched beside him, ignoring the sting in his words and the way his mouth twitched like he wanted to say something worse. I reached into my pocket, pulling out a half-used healing salve I always kept on me because—well. Life.

"This is going to sting."

He scoffed. "You always say that before you hex me."

"Don't tempt me."

I dabbed the edge of the wound, and he hissed through his teeth. I didn't apologize.

"Where the hell were you this time?" I asked. "Forest? Dueling club? Wandering into cursed mirrors?"

"None of your business."

I shot him a look.

He sighed, letting his head thud lightly against the stone behind him. "Let's call it extracurricular family affairs."

"Sounds healthy."

"About as healthy as you being out here alone."

I didn't respond.

When I pulled back, the bleeding had mostly stopped. His lip curled, like he hated the help but didn't have the energy to argue.

That's when I noticed it—peeking out from the brush just beside him.

Two snapped pieces of a broomstick.

"Tell me that's not your Firebolt," I muttered, already reaching for them.

"Don't—" he started.

Too late. I was holding both halves.

"This is the worst repair job I've ever seen. Did you use spellotape?"

He didn't answer.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll fix it."

Draco blinked at me. "What?"

I stood. "I said I'll fix it."

He didn't argue.

Didn't smirk.

Just nodded. Quiet.

I turned to go—but paused.

"By the way," I said, not bothering to look over my shoulder. "Adrien didn't say anything."

Draco stiffened. "What?"

"She didn't say you talked to her. Or that you were in the bathroom with her." I finally glanced back. "But you walking out of the same loo she came out of, kind of gave it away."

His jaw tightened. "It wasn't like that."

"It never is," I said. "Until it is."

He opened his mouth. Closed it.

I stared at him for another second, then bent and tucked the broken broom halves under my arm.

"I'll fix it," I said again, quieter this time.

Then I turned and left him there—barley bleeding now, but still unraveling—without another word.

The wind at the top of the Owlery bit colder than it should've, the stone slick from early frost and feathers floating like lazy ghosts in the corners. My fingers were stiff from gripping the parchment and the snapped halves of Draco's broom, tucked awkwardly under my arm.

I didn't let myself overthink it.

Just moved toward the far perch, where the older barn owls liked to sit, and started digging through my pocket for the envelope I'd already addressed to Mr. Weasley. Simple. Straightforward.

"Urgent. Concerning Alice."

I hadn't written much else. Just enough to make sure he'd know this wasn't about school drama.

I reached out to tie it to the leg of a patient-looking owl, wings tucked, eyes too knowing. My hand was just brushing the parchment against its claw when a familiar voice called from behind me:

"Thought I might find you up here."

I froze.

Turned slowly.

Adrien.

Wind tousled her curls, her robe half-buttoned like she'd thrown it on just to come find me. Her cheeks were pink from the climb, but her expression was clear—tight with worry, maybe something else underneath.

"I came up earlier," she said, stepping in. "You weren't here."

"I needed space."

"I figured. That's why I didn't push." Her gaze dropped slightly. "You okay?"

I nodded, too fast. "Yeah. Just... processing."

She didn't press—at least not right away. Her eyes scanned me instead.

Then they landed on the broom halves under my arm.

Her brow creased.

"What's that?"

I hesitated. Just long enough for the pause to be obvious.

Then I straightened my spine and said, "I found it. In the brush near the edge of the forest."

Half-true. Mostly.

Adrien's eyes narrowed. "It looks like it used to be expensive."

I shrugged. "Maybe someone ditched it. It was cracked clean through."

She stared at me a beat too long.

I didn't flinch.

"Right," she said slowly, but something behind her voice had shifted. "And you're... what? Keeping it as a souvenir?"

"Planning to fix it," I said, too quickly. "Might still be usable."

Adrien's expression didn't change, but I could feel her suspicion coiling behind her silence.

"Okay," she said after a moment. "That's new."

"What is?"

"You lying to me."

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Looked away.

"I didn't lie."

"You didn't tell the whole truth," she countered softly.

I tied the parchment to the owl's leg and gave it a gentle nudge. It took off into the open sky, wings slicing clean through the gray.

Lucky Bastard.

"I'll explain," I said finally. "Just... not yet."

Adrien nodded once. But it was tight. Careful.

"You always say that," she murmured. "Eventually you're gonna have to mean it."

Adrien and I barely spoke on the way back to our dorm, where Sage, Maddie and Hermione were already snoring the night away by the way we managed to slip inside.

We slipped into our Gryffindor pajamas and slid into our respective beds after I tucked Draco's broom under my bed for the night.

I laid there, staring at the ceiling, trying to catch my breath from the note, Draco, Adrien's suspicion.

And as if she could read my mind...

"Kaite," Adrien's soft voice slithered through the dark from my right.

"Yeah?" I sighed, tilting my head.

"Just be careful." she huffed, before turning over and falling quiet.

I frowned at her words before closing my eyes and slipping off on my own for the night.

Sleep hit me hard.

Too hard.

I was back in the Ministry.

The broken lift screeched behind me as it slammed shut—just like it had that night. The air was thick with smoke and static, the fluorescent lights above flickering like they were holding their breath.

My wand was already out.

So was everyone else's.

Sage's voice rang in my ears—"Go left, I've got Maddie!"—but when I turned, she wasn't there. Just echoes. Just a corridor smeared with scorch marks and—

Blood.

Adrien was ahead, her back to me, hands glowing with that wildfire magic, her voice hoarse from yelling spells I didn't recognize.

Rowan shouted my name from somewhere deeper in the smoke, and I turned—

I had to turn—

But the ground was trembling now. The Ministry walls began to breathe, warping in and out like lungs collapsing.

Then came the screaming.

Too many voices.

Spells ricocheted through the air. Someone cried out—sharp and final—and I knew it was Cassian before I saw the blood splatter against the pillar.

I sprinted forward, wand raised, heart thundering.

I found Adrien again—but she wasn't moving.

She was kneeling, her hands on the ground, the runes on her arms pulsing brighter than I'd ever seen.

"Adrien!" I screamed.

She looked up.

But her eyes weren't hers anymore.

Just empty black.

"Katie, run."

The ground split open behind her.

A Deatheater's mask appeared through the smoke.

Then another. And another.

Their wands rose in sync.

I lifted mine—tried to scream, tried to run—

Too late.

Green light exploded from all sides.

Rowan was still shouting.

Adrien was still glowing.

I tried to grab her.

I tried to grab anyone.

But all I touched was air.

I bolted upright in bed, choking on a gasp, drenched in sweat. My sheets tangled around my legs like chains.

My breath came hard and shallow.

I blinked wildly into the dark, hand flying to my chest.

It wasn't real.

The dorm was still. Mostly.

Adrien's bed creaked quietly as she sat up next to me, already moving.

"Katie?" she called softly, voice rough with sleep but sharp with worry.

I couldn't answer. She was already at my side.

"Katie," she said again, kneeling next to my bed, one hand on my arm.

Sage appeared behind her, pulling her sweatshirt down over one bare shoulder. Maddie trailed behind, hair sticking up on one side like she'd fought her pillow and lost.

Hermione groaned from the other end of the room, rolling over with an irritated grumble. "If this is another prank—I swear..."

Sage snorted, Maddi waved her away, while Adrien ignored her completely.

I pressed my palm to my mouth, trying to will my pulse back under control.

"Hey, hey," Adrien whispered. "You're okay. You're here."

"I—I saw it," I said hoarsely. "The Ministry. All of it."

Sage crawled up onto the foot of my bed, legs crossed. "What happened?"

I swallowed hard, throat still raw. "Cassian. He was—he was hit. I think in the dream he—he died. I couldn't reach Adrien. I couldn't reach anyone. It was like... like everything was happening again but worse. Adrien was glowing like she was going to explode, and Rowan—he—" I cut myself off, voice breaking.

Maddie gently handed me the water from her nightstand.

"It felt real," I whispered. "Like I was back in it. Not just remembering—reliving it."

Adrien rubbed her hand in small circles on my shoulder, grounding. "That wasn't just a dream," she murmured. "That's your magic remembering. Holding on."

"I couldn't stop it," I said, quieter now. "I tried. I tried to grab you. To grab anyone."

"You survived it," Sage said, voice firm. "We all did."

"Barely," I muttered.

"Still counts," Maddie offered gently, eyes warm despite the hour.

I let out a shaky breath, head falling back against the pillow.

The dorm settled into silence again, the only sound the soft rustling of Hermione shifting in her sleep and the wind tapping against the glass.

Adrien didn't leave.

None of them did.

Adrien crawled in the bed next to me, while Sage and Maddie did the same in Adrien's bed next to me. They were grounding, they were mine.

I swallowed hard as I felt Adrien's breathing steady out and felt her relax, soft snores floating from Adrien's bed from Sage and Maddie.

Guilt began creeping up my spine as the Ministry nightmare flashed through my mind, then there was Draco...