Fandom The Gathering of Death Eater Children

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Oh...fly? Is it so close?" She was visibly surprised.

Alastair laughed softly.

She immediately almost jumped into his arms, placed her arms around his neck and resting her head against his shoulder.

It was a charming trip. The view from the height at which they traveled was marvelous; they flew above various forests, green fields, lakes, and past many mountains. The air was so clean and fresh, and there was a clear blue sky with few clouds. They flew by a few houses, during which Alastair remained higher so as not to be spotted. When they finally landed in a vacant grassy field by a large lake, Alastair asked "Did you enjoy the trip, my lady?"

He gestured to the grass. "Would you prefer a picnic cloth, a chair, or do you not mind sitting on the grass as it is?"

"Would you like me to read to you?" he asked, retrieving the book from his pocket and making it larger. He held a plain white hardcover with no writing on it. "It's a collection of short stories that aren't connected. I found most of them to be interesting." he explained.

Alastair read to her with a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was picturing the stories. He used a different tone and pitch for different characters, which made it both dramatic and humorous depending on the part. The most humorous part was where a female character was lamenting something foolish, and he sniffled dramatically, putting the back of his hand to his eyes in over-dramatized grief.

"...Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It is more enjoying to play with such intensity and aggression." He placed his empty cup in the tray.

Luna smiled. "That is why I still play with Alastair, even though I know I am going to lose. The aura that he emits is impressive, even though it is just a game. And while we are on the subject of games, do you have any ideas for what we should play next?"

If it was Poker, he would probably lose. I don't think he would be very good at hiding his expressions and emotions. "Hmm..." Luna thought for a moment.

"If you do grow bored, which is a common thing when couples take long journeys together, suggest that you tell each other stories of the past. Perhaps it would be interesting. Or, if you do not like that idea, you could play the Story Game." Alastair had suggested.

"Why don't we play the Story Game?" Luna asked. It took her only a split second to realise that she had only ever played it with Alastair, and that it was very likely that Elias didn't know it. "We each have to make up a short story, and the person with the better story wins. The rules are that you cannot write it down, you have to make it up as you say it. It's a difficult game." she laughed. "We can play another if you find this one to be too difficult."

"There is also the Scenario Game, which is easier." Alastair had added.

"There is another game, called the Scenario Game. We have to name a strange scenario, and then we imagine our answers. I'll go first, suggesting the scenario. If a genie appeared and told you that you were allowed three rule-free wishes, what would they be?" she asked.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"It was alright, I guess..." Aislinn laughed.

Alastair gestured to the grass. "Would you prefer a picnic cloth, a chair, or do you not mind sitting on the grass as it is?"

"I don't mind sitting on the grass," She shrugged and sat down with her legs crossed.

"Would you like me to read to you?" he asked, retrieving the book from his pocket and making it larger. He held a plain white hardcover with no writing on it. "It's a collection of short stories that aren't connected. I found most of them to be interesting." he explained.

"Sure..." She giggled, finding it him being so cute to read stories for her.

In the beginning she remained sitting, but then she felt she had to lay down, because the way Alastair told the stories was so intriguing that she laid down on her back, with her arms folded under her neck and her legs stretched out, to look up at the sky while listening to him. Every story was unique in its own way and Aislinn nearly wished to know more about every character, more than what each story told her. And even when one story ended and another begun, she nearly wished that each story had continued even more.

"I don't have suggestion for a game, do you?" Elias asked.

"Why don't we play the Story Game?" Luna asked. "We each have to make up a short story, and the person with the better story wins. The rules are that you cannot write it down, you have to make it up as you say it. It's a difficult game." she laughed. "We can play another if you find this one to be too difficult."

"Well..." He laughed, finding the game a bit confusing, because he could not help but wonder how they would determine the winner easily as in a game of chess. "Do you have other suggestions?"

"There is another game, called the Scenario Game. We have to name a strange scenario, and then we imagine our answers. I'll go first, suggesting the scenario. If a genie appeared and told you that you were allowed three rule-free wishes, what would they be?" she asked.

"Eh…three wishes...hmm...My first wish would be the wizarding to expand and dominate the muggle world. My second wish would be that vampires could be treated as equals with us wizards and witches. My third wish is to be able to explore the entire forbidden forest without encountering anything dangerous..." He said and paused for a second before continuing: "…And now I have to suggest you a scenario...hmm..." He paused again and tried to figure out a very strange scenario. After a couple of minutes when he finally thought of something, he asked: "What three things would you take with you to a deserted island?

Adela noticed that someone was nearing her. She frowned as she noticed the faint reflection of the person in the window. She turned her head and looked directly into a face of a young muggle nearing her with a flirty smile. She quickly finished her drink and left the table with a rush, grabbing her purse with her and nearly running out from the cafe.

She walked quickly and tried to vanish in a crowd of people.

...It is the middle of the day, about afternoon and a stranger tries to approach me? I have made sure to dress like a muggle... She looked down at her long and flare floral dress with long sleeves and then looked at her reflection when she happened to walk past a shop displaying some old-fashioned mirrors in the window. ...I just look like an ordinary girl, don't I...?.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"My lady?" Alastair asked when he had finished reading. It had been two hours since they had eaten, so it was the perfect time for dessert. "I desire some desserts from Antique. Would you like me to go quickly and return with desserts for us, or would you like to come with me and dine there?"

"Eh...three wishes...hmm...My first wish would be the Wizarding to expand and dominate the Muggle world."

That is a very good wish. If I were asked the same question, this would probably be my second wish.

Luna nodded.

"...My second wish would be that vampires could be treated as equals with us wizards and witches."

Luna nodded again.

Except that I wouldn't wish for just vampires to be treated equally. Fallen angels, ghosts, centaurs, and werewolves as well.

"My third wish is to being able to explore the entire forbidden forest without encountering anything dangerous..." He said and paused for a second before continuing: "...And now I have to suggest you a scenario...hmm..."

The Forbidden Forest? He is that curious about it? Enough to make it one of his wishes? I find that the most surprising wish. Hmm...Let me take advantage of his silence and ponder my next question for him...What was one of the more interesting questions that Alastair asked me? Oh, I know!

"What three things would you take with you to a deserted island?"

"Like...camping on a deserted island?" she wondered out loud. She kept talking before Elias could correct her. "Well...First, it would be a magical tent, with a proper bathroom and bed, kitchen, and air conditioning or heating, depending on the weather of the island at the time. It would be weatherproof from the outside, so no damage could come to it. Second would be this book that Alastair gave me...It would keep me occupied. And third would be...my wand, so that I could send Alastair a patronus in case something happened. Also it would be wonderful to simply summon fish from the ocean, instead of having to wait for them." she finished. "As well as bananas or coconuts from the trees, or berries from the bushes." The coconuts would be easy to open with a severing charm. "If you could have any magical power, what would it be? Magical powers that your wand cannot give you. For instance, inhuman speed, or the ability to fly unassisted, which you already have."

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Really?" Aislinn laughed. "I feel I could eat desserts here."

..Antique is nice place where anyone could have a cup of tea and desserts, but I was already there this morning and I don't feel I would like to go back and leave such a breathtaking and relaxing place...

"May you bring me chocolate cake roll with a cup of Earl Grey, please?" She smiled. "I will be waiting here."

"That was a very difficult one," Elias laughed. "I have never thought about other possible magical abilities that cannot be given by my wand...though now I thought about something, the ability to stay underwater without any aid of gillyweed or magic. I think that would be interesting since I could spend equal time underwater as I spend on land. Now my turn, if you could change one thing in the Muggle world, what would it be?"

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Did he take good care of you?" the lady asked, cradling Penelope in her arms.

Nova sighed audibly. "I did."

"And did he steal anything from mommy's jewelry box?"

Nova sighed again, and turned to the door. "Do not forget that tomorrow, you owe me a favor. I will return to claim it, and as promised, you will deliver."

"Whatever, I'll see you tomorrow, just leave! Oh, you're so cute, my darling!"



"Fireworks?" Dante asked. "I don't remember."

"Yes, for that last wish, you agreed to do whatever I was doing on the Fourth of July. And I will be taking Reign to see the fireworks in Los Angeles. So, you have to come as well." Nova smirked.

"That sounds fun." Celeste said.

"May I ask if Reign is coming because he wanted to or because he owes you another favor?" Dante asked with a smile.

"I invited him, and he is going of his own free will."

Celeste and Dante looked to Reign for confirmation, and he nodded.

"You didn't believe me?" Nova asked, jokingly pretending to be offended. "Reign has never, and would never agree to do anything that he didn't want to on my account, right?" he looked to Reign, who showed no signs of agreeing. "Well said, Reign." Nova laughed.



"May you bring me chocolate cake roll with a cup of earl gray, please?" She smiled. "I will be waiting here."

"Of course." Alastair bowed, jumping immediately afterward.

He returned later with their orders floating beside him, landing elegantly three feet away from her.

He handed her a neatly plated chocolate cake roll, and then a cup of Early Grey on a saucer. His desserts waited in mid-air for him; a slice of pumpkin pie, a slice of pecan pie, a strawberry tea, and a glass of water.

"Oh, this is for you." he handed her a panda cookie. It looked the same as the ones that Nova had offered Rosaleya. "I thought that they looked cute." he explained with a smile as he sat down beside her. His desserts lowered themselves so that they were floating directly in front of him, as if they were resting on a low table.

An envelope floated toward them, and gently nudged Alastair on the shoulder. The nudge was so light that he neither felt it, nor took notice of it. It nudged him twice more, a bit firmer this time.

"Hmm?" Alastair had thought that perhaps it was Aislynn trying to get his attention, so he looked at her before noticing the envelope. "Oh..." he opened it and read it through.

"Today is a Muggle holiday, named Fourth of July, on which the Americans celebrate some historical event and light fireworks. Nova is inviting you and I to go and see a fireworks show with him today. Apparently, he did a favor for a lady with a lovely villa on a secluded hill, and in return he gets to use her backyard to view the fireworks on this night. She gave him permission to invite six guests, and he has invited Dante, Celeste, and Reign. You and I would make six, if you are interested, of course." he smiled.



From a window on the second floor, the husband and wife looked out at their eccentric visitors with equal interest and curiosity. Celeste was dressed in an elegant, long white summer dress under her cloak. Nova was dressed in a loose black casual kimono that showed a lot of his chest. Reign and Dante donned their usual attire.

"If only we knew what they were talking about..." the wife wondered.

"Strange, generous beings from another realm...Their conversation must be so profound...They must surely be conversing on such a high intellectual level that we wouldn't even understand..." the husband said, beholding them as if they were gods. "To give us so much in exchange for so little..."

"This is a very luxurious home, for this world." Dante observed. "Admittedly, I expected the lady and the man of the house to be a bit more..."

"...Pretentious." Celeste finished his sentence for him.

"How do you think they got this lovely villa?" Nova smirked. "Kind, humble people deserve this sort of dwelling. This infinity pool is lovely. I would like to watch the fireworks while swimming, and it is a warm night."

"That's not a bad idea, but won't it be strange to have the King and his lady here while we are swimming half-naked?" Celeste asked reasonably. "Perhaps we should do that another time. We can always go swimming another time."

"Yes, yes..." Nova agreed. "If the King declines the invitation, then we will swim. If not, we will do it another time."

"Agreed."

"Now what shall we do until the King either declines the invitation, or arrives here?" Nova asked. He turned to Reign, who rose from his seat and jumped away in an instant.

"The effeminate one jumped!" the husband nearly exclaimed. "It's like he flew away! Do you think one of the others insulted him?!"

The wife laughed. "I think that's rude, even if he can't hear you. You like that older music where the men have long hair and tattoos, right?"

"That was the 80's!" the husband retorted. "And I like the music, not the videos. I don't watch them because they are silly."

Celeste laughed. She had a beautiful laugh. Dante smiled; he loved to see her laughing.

"I didn't even say anything, yet." Nova said in confusion.

One second later, Reign landed at the place he had jumped from, holding his Erhu.

"Oh, you're going to play for us?" Nova relaxed. "I love the sound of your playing."

"What is that that he's holding?" the husband wondered out loud.

"It's a Chinese instrument. I can't remember what it's called..." the wife tried to remember.

"Play the one you played at my birthday party?" Celeste asked.



"...I think that would be interesting since I could spend equal time underwater as I spend on land."

"I agree; that is an interesting choice." Not what I would have chosen, but still so interesting. I didn't know that he liked water that much. He doesn't know that Raven could lend him that power for up to an hour, but that would be just like Gillyweed, so there's no point in telling him.

"Now my turn, if you could change one thing in the Muggle world, what would it be?"

"I never thought about changing anything in the Muggle world." Luna said thoughtfully. "I've always just wanted it to mind its own business and coexist with the Wizarding World. However, that has always been a wish, and I know that it will never happen. So, if I had to change one thing, it would probably be...parenting. They have terrible parents." Luna shrugged. "Parents that don't feed their children or give them proper attention and emotional support. Parents who sell their children to the highest bidder in an arranged marriage. Or parents who- Oh, I'm so sorry." she interrupted herself and shook her head harshly. "I....Just the parenting. That is what I want to change the most. Now, for your question..." she tried to clear her mind. "Just a moment, please. Ah, what if you had to change one thing about the Muggle world?" she returned his question because she wasn't able to clear her mind.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Oh..." Aislinn took the panda cookie by surprise and stared at it for a couple of minutes before she bit of its head and chewed on it. ..Cute enough to satisfy my hunger hehe... She thought amused.

She noticed that Alastair looked at her when she had almost finished her panda cookie and wondered if she did a mistake by eating it. ...but it is food, if I don't eat it, it will just go bad when it expires...it is better that it goes to my tummy... She thought reasonable and then she noticed the envelope nudging him.

"Hmm?" Alastair had thought that perhaps it was Aislinn trying to get his attention, so he looked at her before noticing the envelope. "Oh..." he opened it and read it through.

"Today is a Muggle holiday, named Fourth of July, on which the Americans celebrate some historical event and light fireworks. Nova is inviting you and I to go and see a firework show with him today. Apparently, he did a favor for a lady with a lovely villa on a secluded hill, and in return he gets to use her backyard to view the fireworks on this night. She gave him permission to invite six guests, and he has invited Dante, Celeste, and Reign. You and I would make six, if you are interested, of course." he smiled.

"Oh...I have never heard of that...but fireworks sound fun, I am coming with you," She grinned.

...I hope my attire will be fine for that event...I am just going to watch fireworks... She thought. She was still wearing the same black dress, from the dinner time, with wide and flare skirt that reached to her knees and had long poet sleeves and high neckline with ruffles. Her hair was down as usual because she was too lazy to do something with it.

"Well...that issue is not only existing in the muggle world, is it?" Elias was not really asking but stating something. "I believe same issue can be found in the wizarding world....no matter which world, there can be issues.... some parents can be good, some other can be terrible..." He said thoughtfully. "Anyway, if I could change one thing, I would make the muggle world more interesting....as a wizard or witch, one should be able to have all the possible convenience in muggle areas. Well, I am not getting any more ideas about other scenarios and I believe you do not have any more ideas, do you? since you returned with the same question as mine?" He flashed off his charming smile. "I'd like to take a walk outside and have some fresh air...I love the scent of the sea...do you mind taking a walk with me, or would you like to do something quite else?"

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"A walk does sound lovely." she stood from her seat.

When they left their room, she started talking. "I know that terrible parents exist in both worlds, but you did not ask me if I wanted to change anything about the Wizarding world." Luna said simply. "However, yours is a good idea as well. That would most likely be the second thing I wished to change....Sometimes, I feel bad for all of the good Muggles who know nothing of another world like ours. They must be so bored with what they have. If only they didn't react so terribly to a world like ours, then we would be able to coexist. Tell me something, Elias..." she looked at him suddenly, deciding to say what had been on her mind for a while now. "...Would you mind telling me a story? The brother-sister interactions you had when you and Lily were younger? I admit that I am so curious as to how you two would get along when you were much younger. You already know that I was a useless girl, and my brother had to teach me everything. But for you, I cannot imagine you being any less charming and well-mannered than you are now. My imagination simply won't go there, but I know that there must have been a time when you made a mistake, because you didn't know any better. Perhaps you and Lily got into mischief, or perhaps you were angels from the start...I do not know." she laughed softly, imaging him and Lily as adorable children. In her imagination, Elias's hair was only two inches shorter when he was younger, and he still had the same handsomeness and politeness about him. "Though at this point nothing can ruin my perfect image of you." she smiled before he spoke, kissing him on the cheek. "Your skin is so smooth. I've always found facial hair to be so unattractive, although I think I've told you that before...?" she wondered out loud, more to herself than him.

"Oh...I have never heard of that...but fireworks sound fun, I am coming with you." She grinned.

Alastair smiled. I hoped that you would agree. Fireworks are fun, every time. Our attire is fine. And we will go as soon as we finish our desserts...I should tell them that we are coming so that they aren't waiting too long. Alastair pulled a spare piece of paper from his pocket, and a collapsible quill. He wrote quickly, explaining that they would be arriving within fifteen minutes, and then put it into the same envelop that he had received. He closed it, then threw it sideways, away from himself, and it flew away, presumably back to the sender. "The lady that Nova did a favor for was a Muggle, but they have already seen, and are comfortable with magic, so you needn't hide anything." Alastair explained. "She and her husband will remain indoors most of the time, and our group will remain outside. The weather there is pleasantly warm, so if anything, you may want a lighter gown." He half suggested, half stated. "The couple is kind, and they mind their own business, so they are pleasant. At least, that is what Nova has told me. He doesn't usually exaggerate." Not usually, but sometimes...Never mind.


"The King will be joining us in fifteen minutes." Nova announced once he had read the reply. "We shall swim another time. What about tomorrow night?"

Celeste and Dante agreed.

"If it's demons only, then I can wear a one piece swimsuit. It's very nice that you're not a pervert." Celeste patted Nova on the shoulder. "No one in our group is, so I appreciate being able to do as I please."

"Reign, will you come tomorrow?" Dante asked.

Reign nodded. He had played two songs, and was now on his third, without taking a break.

"He pointed to the pool. I wonder what he is planning. Do they have pools in their realm?" The husband wondered out loud.

The wife laughed. "I have a question. If they asked to use our backyard again, would you stop me from giving them my permission?"

"Why not? They're given us a house, and perfect careers in finance...Finance! It's not like Hollywood! Finance will never become useless because it doesn't rely on the public's love for it like Hollywood actors do. We will never run out of money because his magic gave us skills, and a home, and we love each other. Oh, I don't know how I was so lucky as to have such a virtuous woman by my side, but I do know how I got all of these other things. Darling, if they want to visit here and use our home every day, I would not mind. They're not monsters, and they're actually very well mannered. And one of them has a British accent, like the gentlemen in the films."

"He was actually just messing with you. He doesn't have a British accent. Oh, he looks like he's beckoning to me. I'll be right back." She said through her laughter. Clearly, she was very excited to have another interaction with Nova.

"There will be six of us tonight." He informed her politely.

"Oh, thank you for telling me. Again, if there is anything I can get you at all." She said helpfully.

"Yes...There is a fifty-percent chance that they will arrive by magical carriage, in which case they will need to enter through the front gates. Please unlock them for the guests?" He asked, turning away.

"Of course. Oh, and could you please tell that man that his playing sounds so majestic? I would tell him myself, but..." She shrugged, hoping that he would understand without her having to explain.

"I understand. I will tell him." Nova nodded with a smile, giving her a sideways glance before moving on.

"The lady said that you're playing sounded majestic." Nova informed Reign.

"Why do you keep calling her 'that lady' or 'her'?" Celeste asked.

"Oh, these human names aren't like ours. There are so many people with the same names that I really don't care anymore. I just remember them by their personalities and wishes. She is 'the kind-heated blonde with the villa and career wish who lives in Los Angeles'."

"We have a few people with the same names, but not like in this world." Dante agreed.

"Here we are." Alastair said as he helped Aislynn out of the carriage. It had landed right in front of the home, just before the gates that lead inside. "It reminds me a lot of Diana's home, with its modern style and glass walls." he said as they passed through the open gates.

"Good evening." The wife greeted them. She was blonde, with a kind face, a long baby-blue summer dress, and a nervous yet kind demeanor. "I am the lady that received the favor, and I hope you have a pleasant night." She said kindly. "Please, this way..." She turned and led them to the others, then excused herself and went back inside.

Everyone rose to greet them, including Reign, who stopped playing at that moment. Everyone took turns greeting them.

"Good evening. Lovely to see you again." Nova smiled, extending his hand to shake Aislynn's, then Alastair's hand.

"A pleasure to see you again." Reign said warmly to both of them, bowing elegantly instead of shaking their hands.

"Good evening." Dante said, extending his hand first to Alastair, then to Aislynn. "This is my beloved sister, Celeste." He introduced them. "And this is the King's Lady Aislynn Monroe."

Reign resumed his playing as the others started talking.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Celeste shook hands with Aislynn. "Lovely gown." She commented. "I've always had a fondness for poet sleeves."

 

[Hikari Chan]

"...Eh...I..." Elias was surprised when Luna kissed him on his cheek that he nearly got speechless. "No, you have not told me..." He laughed. "I will tell you a story, I will hold your hand while you lay in your bed and I will tell you a story tonight, just like I did for Lily..." He promised.

"I am fine with my attire..." Aislinn nodded with a smile.

"Yeah it does remind of her place," Aislinn agreed. "Ehm…hello..." She greeted a lady whom she assumed to be the owner of the villa. She was blonde, with a kind face, a long baby-blue summer dress, and a nervous yet kind demeanor. "I am the lady that received the favor, and I hope you have a pleasant night." she said kindly. "Please, this way..." she turned and lead them to the others, then excused herself and went back inside. Aislinn followed with Alastair and walked out where the other demons were gathered.

Everyone stood up to greet them, including Reign, who stopped playing at that moment. Everyone took turns greeting them.

"Good evening, good evening..." Aislinn greeted them, she shook hands with Nova and then made a small bow with her head when Reign bowed elegantly and then shook hands with Dante who introduced her to his sister.

"This is my beloved sister, Celeste. And this is the King's Lady Aislynn Monroe."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Celeste shook hands with Aislinn who was stunned by Celeste's beauty. "Lovely gown." she commented. "I've always had a fondness for poet sleeves."

"...eh...it's a pleasure...to meet you too..." Aislinn replied, feeling slightly nervous, especially when such a beautiful lady found her gown lovely.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"No you have not told me..." He laughed. "I will tell you a story, I will hold your hand while you lay in your bed and I will tell you a story tonight, just like I did for Lily..." He promised.

"That sounds lovely." Luna agreed. Just like Alastair. She remained silent during the rest of their walk, wandering happily in her own thoughts, and in various happy memories with Alastair and Elias. She was excited to hear the stories, and almost wished that she could fast-forward the rest of the day until that point.

"The fireworks will start in ten minutes. Until then, we were going to listen to more of Reign's spellbinding music." Celeste said to Aislynn.

Everyone took their seats.

Reign's music was spellbinding. It was like he was pouring warmth and positivity into every note, filling the air with a variety of rich and unforgettable melodies.

"There is a cute young lady and man...They both have the same colour hair like the purple-haired people did. Maybe they are also twins or siblings?" the husband wondered.

"Not necessarily. Maybe they're dating? I didn't see rings on either of their hands." the wife suggested.

"Ah, there's the first one!" Nova said, pointing to the first firework that was flying up into the sky, right before it exploded in a gorgeous shower of light.

Everyone who hadn't been facing in that direction turned that way, and Reign stopped playing to watch the show.

It was marvelous. It lasted perhaps thirty minutes, and there were so many kinds and so many combinations that no one felt bored.

"Everyone, why not name your least-favorite colour to wear?" Nova asked five minutes after the finale had ended.

"Orange." Dante and Celeste said at once. "Or yellow." Dante added.

"Yellow is mine." Nova said. "Reign?" he asked.

"Pink." he replied simply, still staring at the place where the fireworks had been going off.

"No straight male would wear pink." Nova said reasonably.

"Some heterosexual men wear salmon shirts." Dante commented.

"....True." Nova agreed. "And I suppose that counts as pink."

"But, have you ever seen a good-looking salmon shirt? Why do they wear them?" Dante said. It was a rhetorical question. "What about you, Alastair?"

"Red." He replied, slightly distracted. He looked to Aislynn, as did everyone else, with the exception of Reign.

He should have answered with 'gold'. Reign thought, although he knew the reason for Alastair's absent-minded reply.

After she gave her reply, Alastair asked. "Do you wish to stay here a bit longer, or do you wish to go somewhere else for the remainder of the night?" He used a voice that was only loud enough for her to hear.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"...eh yes…" Aislinn nodded, trying not to stare at Celeste, who she found more spell-binding than the music by Reign.

...She is so beautiful...like...like a full moon... Aislinn thought as she took her seat.

She watched the fireworks and lost the count of the time of how long they lasted. She was not wearing any watch and she felt like that the fireworks would go on forever when it suddenly ended.

She wondered if they literary had started to play a game when Nova asked about their least favorite color five minutes later.

...I hate both pink, orange, yellow and all the bright colors... She thought and wondered if it was the rule of the game to only mention one color.

"...Ora—pink..." She replied confused when it was her turn. She secretly hoped that no one noticed that she had stumbled on her words because she was literary about to mentioned all the colors she hated.

After she gave her reply, Alastair asked. "Do you wish to stay here a bit longer, or do you wish to go somewhere else for the remainder of the night?" He used a voice that was only loud enough for her to hear.

"...I...eh...I want to go back to that same place in Switzerland..." She whispered to him.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Very well, my lady." Alastair replied quietly. "We will depart in five minutes. Perhaps you should use the restroom beforehand?" he suggested. Logically, it was obvious why, since they would be near the lake and mountains, there would be no bathrooms.

"Lady Monroe agrees with Reign." Nova announced. "Least favorite drink, everyone?" he asked.

"Cola." Celeste replied. "The drink is so vile that it is beyond my logic why the cola industry is so large. How can Muggles' pallets be so muted?"

"I agree." Dante nodded, smiling at his sister. Much like Aislynn, it seemed that he was always watching her, enchanted above all else. "But what drove you to try the vile substance?"

"The Muggles were making such a fuss over it; I wanted to confirm its uselessness myself." Celeste replied.

"I would have to say Cola as well." Nova agreed. "Reign?"

"Vodka."

"I agree with Reign." Alastair said. "Vodka is dreadful."

When Aislynn returned, they were discussing their favorite flowers.

"...And so, that is why I despise sunflowers." Nova finished.

"I haven't heard that story before." Dante said with raised eyebrows. "I never knew that you disliked those so much, and for that reason."

"If you will excuse us, we will be taking our leave." Alastair said politely, standing from his seat.

"It was a lovely show. I was glad to have watched it with you two." Dante said, shaking both Aislynn and Alastair's hands.

Reign stood and bowed to them again. "It was an honor." he said genuinely, before taking his seat again.

"It was a pleasure." Celeste said, curtsying so elegantly. "To have met you-" she said genuinely to Aislynn as she shook her hand "-and to have enjoyed the fireworks show in your company." she said to both of them as she shook Alastair's hand. "I bid you a pleasant night."

"Thank you for coming." Nova smiled, tipping an imaginary top hat to them. "A pleasant night to you both." he laughed.

"Shall we?" Alastair offered her his arm.

"Have...Have a nice night." The hostess called shyly from the doorway, waving as they walked away.

"And to you as well." Alastair called, waving once with his other hand.

Once they were outside the gates, he spread his arms wide, prepared to carry her.

"We could have Ravenna land the carriage here, if you wish. It would be a lovely sight to wake up to, would it not?" he smiled.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Right..." Aislinn replied dryly. …I thought there were bathrooms in Raven's carriage... She thought sarcastically.

"Least favorite drink, everyone?" Nova asked.

...Plain milk... She thought as she vanished indoors.

She returned after ten minutes. She had not used the restroom but spending time there, looking at her own reflection and trying out new hairstyles until her arms felt sore and she let her hair down as usual.

"...And so, that is why I despise sunflowers." Nova finished.

...And I hate roses... Aislinn thought.

She bid farewell to everyone, shaking hands with them again and making a small bow with her head towards Reign. When Aislinn took farewell of Celeste, she suddenly become speechless of her beauty and almost stuttered her goodbye.

Once Aislinn and Alastair were outside the gates, he spread his arms wide, prepared to carry her.

"We could have Ravenna land the carriage here, if you wish. It would be a lovely sight to wake up to, would it not?" he smiled.

"Eh..." She smiled, wondered if he meant that she would fall asleep in his arms. ...I have already lost the count of the time... She thought. "Alright..." She smiled and put her arms around his neck.

Elias sat down on the bedside after Luna had made herself comfortable for the night. He smiled and hold her hand for a couple of seconds, thinking about which story to tell her. ...Ah....I know...she will hopefully like this one...it was Lily's favorite and she asked me to treat her like my sister tonight, so I shall tell her my sister's favorite story... He thought reasonably.

"Once up a time, in the kingdom of Tabor..." Elias began with such a dramatic voice.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Once up a time, in the kingdom of Tabor..." Elias began with such a dramatic voice.

A few sentences further into the story, Luna interrupted. "Excuse me..." she said gently "...but I have already heard this story. Perhaps you misunderstood earlier, but what I really wanted was for you to tell me a story about something that you and Lily did together when you were younger. Interactions that you two had...I wanted to know if you two were mischievous or well-behaved, and if you always got along as well as you do now...If that isn't too personal, or something you would rather not share."

Alastair gestured to the grass on which they had rested earlier. He remained silent, enjoying the view of the lake and field, and the feeling of the warm wind. He reflected on their wonderful day. He was happy that he had watched the fireworks with Aislynn and the other demons, and that everyone had gotten along so well. He was happy that Dante and Celeste had gotten their wish. First impressions are important, they had said, and they wanted their taste in art to be the first thing that Aislynn knew about them. Malice had wished to share tea with Aislynn, and she had gotten her wish. Alastair had wanted to prepare his finest Indian food for Aislynn, and he had gotten his wish.

"No no, thank you for asking for only a simple request in return! I couldn't thank you enough for your generosity." the wife insisted. "Please, you can even come again tomorrow to use the pool, and again the day after that to use our karaoke room. We have a library and a gourmet kitchen and a rooftop garden and- well, you helped us draw the layout and design the place to our specifications, so you know what we have. Please, use it all, we insist."

The husband nodded convincingly.

Nova was surprised. "Well, if you insist." he smiled. "We will talk it over, and alert you one day in advance as a courtesy, whenever we decide to use the villa's facilities. Tomorrow, we will use the pool. Celeste, Dante, Reign-" he gestured to each of them as he spoke "-and myself will be coming. Perhaps a fifth guest will attend, but I'm not certain yet. Thank you very much for your hospitality."

"It's no problem at all." the husband smiled gratefully. "When you come over, you're so well-mannered. If you made a mess and disrespected my wife, things would be different. -But, you are more polite than most humans." he added after his wife gave him a look.

"Thank you. We will be going, now. Have a pleasant night." Nova laughed, finding them amusing.

"Have a pleasant night." Celeste said gracefully.

"Goodbye." Dante said.

Reign bowed shallowly and then followed the others.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Oh..." Elias nodded. "I understand..." He smiled. "I shall tell you.... I and Lily always got along, we still do, as long as I don't tease her..." He smirked. "As I child, I was always well behaved yet spoiled by my parents...Lily was also spoiled but she never got along with our governor...Lily hated her for unknown reasons and always tried to give her a hard time. Our governor found her as a misbehaving child, but I never shared her opinion. Lily was just a cute and persistent girl, who wanted to have her own way. She only listened to our father, and she still listens to him because he used to and still spoils her so much. The reason I and Lily got along and still does, is because I always was there for her, even if I had to leave for Hogwarts when I was eleven and she one year old. I would come back every summer to play games with her and tell her goodnight stories. I was introduced to her when she was one month old, and I still remember how excited I was about having a sibling. Hence, I spent a lot of time with her before I had to leave for Hogwarts. In the beginning she only preferred to sit in the swing while I would push her. When she was around five, she would like to have tea with her dolls, a game that I disliked, but I would sit there with her and a have a cup of tea just for her. Lily was too cute to decline. And every time when I would leave for Hogwarts she would cry. The hardest part was when I decided to leave for France and teach English at Beauxbatons. Though I was always back at home every summer. And we kept sending letters to each other to that extent that Miss Blanc got so jealous that she once snatched one of Lily's letter out of my hand and read it. You should have seen her face, how red of shame it turned when she discovered that the letter came from an eleven-year-old girl that was my little sister, excitingly writing to me about her first day at Hogwarts. Anyway, when Lily become older, I taught her to play cards and chess, and I always let her win. I also taught her to dance waltz. She enjoyed dancing with me, so I thought about teaching her to play piano, because our mother had not managed to teach her because of her being so persistent. That was one of the things I could never get along with Lily...hehe...she preferred to dance while I played...The same thing with Arithmancy and French. We could never get along with these two subjects. She found the both subjects difficult and complicated. And that day when I teased her for her yellow gown hehe...I teased her so much that she refused to dance with me on the summer feast...though she seemed to have forgot about it the next day and joined me for breakfast. We always eat breakfast and any other meal together whenever we get the chance..." Elias smiled. "When we get back home after this trip, I will show you some old photos of me and Lily when we were younger..." He promised.

..Merlin's beard...I should apparate away...to somewhere safe…why did I not do that earlier today...I could have done that in a restroom in a muggle restaurant in the town today or gone to Diagon Alley which was close.. Adela bit her lower lip in frustration as she tried to walk as fast as possible without giving the impression of running. The sun had already gone down the horizon and it was dark. She could hear the footsteps behind her, following her. The more she quickened her pace, the faster her stalker seemed to walk. She did not know when he started to follow her. She discovered it just when the sun started to set, and she had already left the town's most crowded place and ended up in a more deserted area. It was already too late to turn back.

...Should I draw out my wand? Would I break against the statue of secrecy if I....or should I confront him...? She sighted some trees ahead of her. ...If I start to run and vanish behind the trees...I could perhaps apparate away...yes...it is dark…so he...he won't see... She tried to quicken her pace despite the soreness she felt in her legs. She did not care if gave the impression of running anymore ran towards the trees. Suddenly she tripped on some overgrown tree roots and fell on the ground.

...I could stun him and clear away his memory of this part...oh why did I not thought of it from the start... She thought and rolled over on her back and drew out her wand.

She recognized her stalker at once. It was the same person who had tried to approach her at the cafe. Her widened in fear when she saw the kind of look, he had in his eyes, that she nearly froze. In that moment a dark shadow flew in between, and her stalker was suddenly gone with a muffled scream. She heard a dull thud a couple of feet away. She quickly got up and tried to size her chance to apparate away, even if she was curious about the dark shadow. However, she was too slow, and someone embraced her from behind. Her heart seemed to stop beating at that moment, though calmed down when she heard a familiar voice.

"Adela…? What are you doing here, in a such place during this hour of the night?"

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"That sounds so adorable. I would love to see the pictures." Luna said. "Have a pleasant night."

"...and so, that is how this theatre works." Luna finished her detailed explanation just as they reached their reserved stage. "Alastair has number forty-four permanently reserved. He frequents this theatre, and we have spent many entertaining nights here. He said that lots of adults frequent these private rooms, so it isn't childish at all." she smiled. "I had a dream last night that we improvised 'Snow White'. I refused to take the witch's apple because, why would I eat something that a stranger offered me? And then I made her eat it, and took my rightful place on the throne. You, as the prince, were so surprised at what I had done. You said that you were impressed that I showed such good judgment, and that you would love nothing more than to be my prince. The dream ended with us fixing the financial problems that resulted from the former queen's tyranny, and the entire kingdom was happy. Your father, who was the king in a neighboring kingdom in the dream, wanted to sign a paper that would allow both kingdoms to trade freely, without taxing items that went over the borders. It was the most amusing dream I have had in quite a while. And the most humorous part was, Ms. Blanc was the evil queen." she laughed. "And she was trying to get rid of me because you, the prince, had fallen for me and distracted you from giving her all of the attention. But, aside from that...I still haven't been able to think of an idea for our play. I've been thinking about it during the cruise, and even though I had plenty of time..." she shrugged, with a helpless look on her face. "..I tried. Can you think of anything?"

 

[Hikari Chan]

"…That was an interesting dream indeed," Elias laughed. "Well, since it is only the two of us, we need to think about a play where we only need to use two character at once per stage..." He tried to think about a story where Luna could be the princess. He walked among the costumes and fingered on them as he was trying to get an idea.

"What do you think about Romeo and Juliet?" He asked when he suddenly stopped, his hand on an attire from the 16th century.

Since it was a lovely warm morning, Melody decided to eat breakfast outside. She took time in preparing her meal with perfection and put everything in a basket which she covered with a red and white checkered cloth. As she went outside, her eyes fell on her small plot of land where she had planted some vegetables and berries. Her eyes widened in surprise and she nearly dropped her basket when she suddenly saw how big and juicy the strawberries were.

...Didn't I plant those a couple of days ago…? She neared the strawberries carefully and slowly as if she did not want to disturb them. She crouched down and touched them with such carefulness as if they were made of glass. The strawberries were much bigger than usual ones. …These must be magical... She thought reasonably. ...I know that because I took their seeds from the strawberries Reign gave me and planted them....

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"What do you think about Romeo and Juliet?" He asked when he suddenly stopped, his hand on an attire from the 16th century.

"That was such a sad ending." Luna said seriously. "It is a wonderful idea to change it. " she nodded. "I didn't know that you liked Shakespeare." In addition, the costume he chose is from the sixteenth century, when codpieces had gone out of style. Thank goodness!

She neared the costume rack, searching for an outfit suitable for Juliet. Now...how would I change it? Ah, this one will do. She selected a gown. There was no problem at the party, where they fell in love. I think the real problem started when Romeo duelled, and then Benvolio reports what happened to the Prince, causing him to banish Romeo. Then, Romeo and Juliet have to visit each other in secret...How could that have been avoided? If Benvolio was killed, and hence kept from reporting to the Prince, there would still be a problem. It was because Romeo and Juliet's families couldn't get along that the problems arose, resulting in that horribly sad ending. What if the members of both families were killed? They were useless fools anyway, and better them than us, right? She thought, looking at Elias. If they were good families, they would have understood and put their useless quarrels aside, right?

"The scene where they fall in love at the party is useless; there's nothing to change there." Luna said, pushing the button on the hanger to change her costume. "After that, Romeo leaves the party with his friends only to return later to see Juliet. It is then that they confess their love, if I remember correctly. Why don't we start at that part?"

The lights went out, turning on again three seconds later. The stage was decorated to look like a typical room in the sixteenth century. It was complete with a few props that were designed to look like real antiques, some furniture in the same style, drapes and flooring, and bookshelves with elaborately decorated books on the walls.

"We have just confessed our love to each other, and we both know that nothing can change the way we feel." Luna said lovingly, embracing Elias. "But many obstacles remain in our path." She said, holding him at arm's length and giving him a very serious look. She had gotten into her role so easily, and she was just as good at acting as Alastair. There was a serious look in her eyes, and her tone was dramatic in a genuine way. She wasn't trying too hard; it was as if she actually believed that she was Juliet, and that Elias was Romeo. "Our families have been feuding for...well, no one knows just how long. But my point is; they will not let us marry and live our lives in peace. Before anything happens that could, perhaps, result in a tragedy-" she was clearly referencing the ending "-we should act. What do you propose we do? My father is a useless man who keeps trying to convince me to marry a fool." Actually, he is. I'm sure that Evelyn and Lucifer would have wanted an arranged marriage. Alastair told me that they kept trying to push ladies at him, insisting that they were perfect for each other, but he kept rejecting them. So, it's only logical that they would have done the same for me when I became old enough. "And mother is just as passive as ever. What are your parents like?" she asked, a dark look in her eyes. Clearly, she was planning on putting a very lethal plan into action.

"Good afternoon to you as well." Celeste replied to the manager of Silvery Serpents. "I would like a private word with you."

"Very well, please step this way." the manager led her to his office. "Take a seat." he gestured to a chair in front of his desk.

Contrary to his expectations, Celeste sat down in his seat behind the desk, and folded her hands on the desk as if everything was as it should be.

The manager raised his eyebrows, and was about to speak when Celeste said curtly, in a soft yet controlling voice. "Close the door."

Without another word, the manager closed the door.

"Take a seat." she gestured to the chair that had been meant for her.

He did so obediently.

"Take heed of my requests. I have five. First, I will visit this restaurant again in nine days, with a handsome young man by the name of August Dolohov. You will charge us half-price without making it seem so, and you will deny having given us a discount if asked. Second, I wish for you to keep your finest table reserved for that day, only allowing August Dolohov and Celeste to occupy it. When he arrives and you hear his name, inform him that lady has anonymously reserved the finest table in advance, and lead him to it personally. Third, I will be accompanied by a white tiger. You are to accept his presence as if it is normal, and inform the guests in advance that it is simply an Animagi, so that they are not frightened. Inform everyone except for August. Fourth, keep black mead stocked for the fourteenth, as it is my favorite drink. Fifth, follow my first three requests as if they are laws, and forget about this conversation when I leave this building. Forget my face the moment I leave this building. Remember the name August Dolohov, for it will trigger the memory of these instructions. Have a pleasant day, inform the employees that my visit meant nothing, and open the door for me." she rose from his seat, and he opened the door for her obediently, bowing his head to her as if she was royalty as she left.

The moment both of her feet touched the street outside, he stood up straight and shook his head. He scratched his head as if there was something he was supposed to remember, but shrugged after a moment and continued going about his day as usual.

"Is your errand complete to your satisfaction?" Dante asked with a smile, already knowing the answer.

"As usual." Celeste smiled.

"Let's go somewhere exciting. What mood are you in?"

"I'm in a childishly mischievous mood."

"An amusement park, then?"

"That sounds amusing."

A letter gently nudged Dante, and he opened it and read it through.

"Reign is informing us to avoid the Ferris Wheel of the amusement park I was just about to suggest. Apparently, they're going to have an accident that will injure lots of Muggles at three o' six. None killed, which is a shame. They'll just go one living terribly depressing lives with their injuries." he shook his head in mock sympathy.

Celeste shrugged. "Well, we'll avoid the Ferris Wheel, then. Thank you, Reign." she took the letter from Dante and wrote Thank you, Reign. on it before sending it back to him.

"Shall we?" he offered her his arm.

"We shall." she took it with a mischievous smile.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"We could change it…if it's what you wish," Elias smiled and changed his attire to the one he had found by pushing the button on the hanger.

"The scene where they fall in love at the party is useless; there's nothing to change there. After that, Romeo leaves the party with his friends only to return later to see Juliet. It is then that they confess their love, if I remember correctly. Why don't we start at that part?"

"I agree with you; we may start at where you suggest…"

Elias was fascinated by how the stage was decorated so smoothly and quickly. ...Did Luna take care of that…? He thought curiously or is it already enchanted to be decorated after the actors have chosen their play.

"We have just confessed our love to each other, and we both know that nothing can change the way we feel." Luna said lovingly, embracing Elias.

"Mhm..." He smiled, embracing her in return.

"But many obstacles remain in our path." She said, holding him at arm’s length and giving him a very serious look. "Our families have been feuding for...well, no one knows just how long. But my point is; they will not let us marry and live our lives in peace. Before anything happens that could, perhaps, result in a tragedy-" she was clearly referencing the ending "-we should act. What do you propose we do? My father is a useless man who keeps trying to convince me to marry a fool. And mother is just as passive as ever. What are your parents like?" she asked, a dark look in her eyes. Clearly, she was planning on putting a very lethal plan into action.

"Well, my parents are trying to arrange a marriage between me and another lady..." Elias sighed heavily, adding such a dramatic tone to his voice when he for a second was horrified by the thought about being forced into a marriage with a foolish lady like Ms. Blanc. "My mother is not passive, but she bluntly agrees with everything father says. They want to keep the family name and blood hence why they are planning to engage me to my cousin soon..." He paused for a minute and gave Luna the look that said that he would rather die than living with another lady than her. "...I was thinking about that we could run away. I own a horse and a sword, so it should not be difficult to cross the borders to France and run away to Paris," He suggested, looking seriously at her. "What do you think, my love? Do you have any other proposals?"

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"What if they come after us?" Luna asked, putting her hands on her hips. "And why should we have to run away? That's not fair. I've spent my entire miserable, controlled childhood here, always admiring its beauty and dreaming of the day that I would be free to make my own choices. We could just poison everyone and lay the blame on someone from the opposite family; your father tried to poison every member of my family, and so my mother poisoned every member of your family, then poisoned herself out of guilt, or fear of being imprisoned for her crime. Why not?" she shrugged. "It would be a wonderful story to tell our children. Yes, my dears..." she looked down with a warm smile, patting the head of an imaginary child. "...this is where your father and I fixed all of our problems. Learn from us, and never allow your children, when you find your prince or princess, to go through the same atrocities. You will be free to make your own choices. Doesn't that sound like it would be a fun story to tell?" Luna asked with a smile, looking back at Elias now. He's being so dramatic and convincing! I love it!

Ah...It hasn't even been a full day yet, and I have only been able to think about the Demon Realm... Rosaleya thought as she cleaned up after Crystal, who had just completed another custom-design gown. I can't go back yet; I have to show some self-control. Realistically, this can't be an everyday thing for me. I have to take it slow. she took a few slow, deep breaths. Now, to convince myself that I shouldn't go too often...Let's see...Maybe everyone will get tired of seeing a mere human around all the time? But that reason isn't strong enough...What about...Oh, I have to admit it, even if it's only to myself. I'm afraid of going too often because, what if I have to have a conversation with someone? Unless they do all of the talking, I'm basically useless! I'm afraid that they'll see how boring I really am, and they won't be so open to inviting me to their games anymore. I played so many games during that final week. The only person I really had an easy conversation, or rather, many easy conversations with, was Eric. Because he's just a boy, I don't feel nervous around him, like he won't judge me as harshly as the adults. That's why, for now, he's my favorite demon there. I'll have to stay away for a while, and work on my conversational skills. I have to get better at this, or else this problem will go on forever! I used the Item Box to bring back lots of the Shakespeare books, so maybe that will give me something to talk about? I'll read them quickly! That's it! I'll take a break from Anime, and work on these books. She thought, determined. I'll finish Hamlet by tomorrow, and then I'll start with Romeo and Juliet. And then...

 

[Hikari Chan]

"It would be a fun story indeed..." Elias smiled with a distant look into his eyes as if he could foresee a future where he told his children an interesting story about how he met their mother. That look lasted for nearly three seconds before it was replaced by a serious look. "Though, I am worried that the Prince or Benvolio might suspect us..." He held up his index finger. "...when only you and I survive after one family tried to poison the other ...Our both families are known in this city and I doubt that our meeting at the party is a secret. If we poison our family members, we might have to run away as well...It would be easy to put the blame on our parents, but how shall we prove it to the authorities?"

...I could...I could perhaps clean this place... Adela thought, looking around with tired eyes. She had locked herself in the hut by the lake since morning. She had refused to return back to Hogwarts last night before the sunrise.

...I promised Vincent to return to the castle...this hut counts, doesn't it? It is on the same grounds as the castle... She thought, trying to reason with herself yet she felt a bit guilty.

She opened the door, trying to open it quietly and slowly yet it creaked. Because she had not been sleeping the entire night, she was too tired to think about to cast an invisibility charm on herself before trying to sneak out and hurry to her office in the castle. She sneaked out from the hut without any further thought about what she was doing.

"Adela?"

She nearly jumped of surprise and then froze on her place.

Alexis gave his sister an odd look, seeing her dressed in a nearly soiled dress and suddenly walking out from Hagrid's hut. He stood there for a full minute, not believing his eyes or knowing what he would think, say or do. Then, he came to his full senses and neared her quickly before she could react.

He took hold of her hand firmly and dragged her inside the hut and shut the door.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"....The Prince...or Benvolio..." Luna said slowly, having completely forgotten. She put a hand to her forehead, worried. "You're right; that would appear suspicious. And we can't frame the Prince, because he doesn't really deserve it...And even if we did, we still cannot think of a decent alibi for why both of us were absent from our homes that day. And we can't threaten the Prince to order our families to be more flexible." What solved the problem originally? Oh, the families were so stupid! I remember now; Romeo and Juliet's death caused the families to stop feuding...I have an idea! "What if we fake our deaths so that they realize that their foolishness isn't worth it? We could take a drink that will make her appear dead from the Friar, and just when they make up and start to mourn us, we will wake up. They will be so happy, and they would have made up already. We'll say that we intended to poison ourselves so that we could finally be together', but we were given something else instead. Would that work?" she asked him. The same thing, but without using actual poison. It worked originally, but they actually died, so it didn't work out for the main characters.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"I think that would work, because we are not committing any crime in that sense..." Elias replied. "I shall get us sleep potions from the Friar. How many hours do you deem would be enough for faking our death?"

Thunders broke out followed by heavy rain just when Alexis closed the door.

"That was really close..." He commented as he looked out of the window. "And to our advantage," He turned around and winked with his left eye.

Adela remained quiet. She was feeling too tired to react and looked blankly at her brother.

"You did not go rampage in the Forbidden Forest, did you?" He tried to joke with her.

She remained silent and emotionless as ever. He became nervous because of her being so empty and cold and wondered if she was being well.

"Well...eh" He shrugged and drew out his wand to clean of the soil from her dress. She remained passive, even allowing him to brush her hair. He seemed to get hope for his sister and happily drew out a chair for her to sit down. However, he was taken by surprise when she, without any word, literary declined and instead went to the bed where she laid down and closed her eyes.

Since it was still raining, Alexis remained in the hut and sat down on the chair that had been meant for Adela. He was very curious about what she had been up to and wondered how he would get a word out of her. If it had been August, he would have forced Adela to speak, but Alexis was different. For a second he thought that she might had taken advantage of him by remaining silent, but when seeing her sleeping so deeply he understood that she had been too tired.

...Why does Nova think that rain is dreadful?.. Melody thought confused, as she looked out of the window. ...Both magical and non-magical plants need both sunshine and rain to survive and grow healthy...I wonder what opinion Reign has about this...

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"...How many hours do you deem would be enough for faking our death?"

"Twenty-four hours, at least. There is no doubt in my mind that we would have been discovered by then, and all would be well. Of course, it could be that no one finds us, so perhaps the Friar could let it slip to someone that we intended to poison ourselves. They would then rush to the location that the Friar mentioned, only to find that we had already 'died'."

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Of course, I shall take care that the Friar let it slip somehow...about one hour after we have consumed the sleep potion…"

"Adela...Adela.." Alexis shook his sister awake. "The rain has ceased, and it is the perfect time to return to the castle while everyone is occupied in their offices. And it is dinner time soon..." He took hold of her hand and helped her to sit up.

They walked together to the castle. No one saw them leaving the hut or entering the Entrance Hall. Adela remained silent during the entire time until she reached her office. She turned around and surprised Alexis when she simply thanked him.

"Thank you..." However, her facial expression was stern as if she did not trust him yet appreciated his help.

He became speechless for a couple of seconds and then found his voice when she had entered her office and was about to close the door behind her.

"eh wait..."

"Yes?"

"May I have a word with you, please...it is urgent..."

"Of course..." She held up the door open for him to enter her office and then closed it. "What do you want?"

Alexis took a deep breath before he spoke. ...I hope this will work...

"You are aware that it is dinner time soon, aren't you? You missed both breakfast and lunch today. During the breakfast August wondered about your whereabouts-"

"August does not care-"

"I know he does not care. But still, he was curious about where you were this morning. You know how he is like. He does not care what happens to you, he only cares about his selfish desires and the family name-"

"I know that-"

"Good, because you cannot just enter the staff room just like as if nothing has happened today. You know he will find a way to interrogate you-"

Adela remained silent, wondering what Alexis was aiming at.

"I missed the lunch because I remained with you in the hut. I am going tell any story to August since he always believe me, however I need to know what happened that you ended up with a soiled dress and bloodshot eyes-"

"You are just curious about what I have been up to, aren't you?" She retorted, nearly spitting out the words.

"I may be curious, but I care more about you than August or Andrew do-"

"Sure…you are just the same as them…"

"Fine!" Alexis turned on his heels and walked out from Adela's office.

...I cannot come up with any back up story to help her if I don't know what has happened to her...

"Good evening, miss," August smirked, looking up as Adela entered the staff room where a few of the professors were sitting. She noticed that Faeryn and Endewyne as well as miss Gibbon and miss Wilkes were absent. The same with the Pyrites. And the headmaster was absent as well.

Adela tried her best not to quail even if she was the only female professor in the staff room and even if August had called her miss. He only did that when he had on his mind to interrogate her.

She greeted him and everyone else by a simple: "Good evening..." and took her seat by the table. She filled her plate with some food, feeling his eyes on her.

"Are you not going to take some more? You must be very hungry today being without breakfast and lunch-"

"I was out in town, so I enjoyed a meal at a muggle cafe..." Adela interrupted, looking directly into August's eyes. She was not lying. She had been out; however, it had been yesterday.

He did not reply her and gave her a long look before he resumed to eat his meal.

...I hope that moron learned a lesson now... She thought and glanced at Alexis as she took a sip of ice-cold pumpkin juice. …August won't try to interrogate me anymore about this subject. He despises muggles and their places, but he cannot do anything to stop me from going there, because deep inside he knows that we are superior to the muggles. I wish it was as simple as this with seeing Vincent...

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

To Ms. Wilkes,

I enjoyed an enchanting time with you on the second of July. I wish to see you again for dinner on the fourteenth of July. If you share this wish, please meet me by the Hogwarts gates at five-thirty on the aforementioned date. I have reservations at The Rose Garden.

Reign

The scroll was enchanted to appear empty unless Melody was the reader. It was the same sort of elaborate Chinese scroll and case that Reign had used for his last letter. It had appeared in Melody's office on the thirteenth of July.

Outside of the Hogwarts grounds, past the main gates, there were a few trees nearby. In the shade of one of the larger trees, Reign sat cross-legged on a cushion, casually reading a book. He had arrived at five o'clock to read a bit until Melody met him there. He was reading a book that Diana had gifted him recently; it contained many Chinese folktales, most of which he found to be quite amusing.

"Are you Mr. August Dolohov?" the manager at Silvery Serpents asked when August arrived.

"A lady reserved the finest table in our restaurant days ago for you. Please, walk this way." he led August to the best table in the entire place. Once he was seated, the manager walked away.

Celeste appeared three minutes late, at seven o' three. She looked exactly the same as at the Summer Feast, even wearing the same cloak. She was walking gracefully, having eyes for only August as if, at that moment, he was the only one who existed in the world. Beside her, walking with the same air of grace, was a white male tiger with black stripes and stunningly white-grey eyes. When she took her seat at the table, the tiger sat down beside her on the floor on its hind legs, alert and watchful. It seemed to only have eyes for August as well. "Good evening. I'm late, but I can assure you that it was his fault." she jested, pointing casually to the tiger, who looked at her with an innocent look in his eyes before returning his attention to August.

No one else in the restaurant even gave the tiger a second glance. They had been warned ahead of time, so they all assumed that the manager's words were true in that it was simply an Animagus.

"A few streets away from here, a strange man began following me with a perverted look in his eyes. We-" she gestured to the tiger and then to herself "-detoured, and he had him for dinner." she affectionately stroked the top of his head, and he leaned into her hand like an innocent kitten, enjoying her affection. "So, did anything interesting happen to you today?" she asked casually, as if all of this was normal.

"It's not uncommon for people to have magical pets." Celeste said. "This is my pet feline. His name is Dante. He usually comes everywhere with me, but he wasn't interested in the Summer Feast." Still, her tone was disturbingly casual for a lady that owned a tiger.

Dante had attended the Summer Feast. Celeste had even shared a dance with him. But no one had noticed, and he had greeted no one but his sister. Otherwise, he had been eavesdropping, with Celeste's permission, on her conversations with August.

"I cannot thank you enough for the trip." Luna smiled to Elias. "The cruise, the Theatre, Florence and Rome...They were all so wonderful. It was an absolutely perfect vacation. I had such an enjoyable time."

"...A love letter? No, I didn't write it." Crystal shrugged. "Why?"

"I found it on my computer. I thought that maybe you were writing it out as a fantasy or something. Like, what your ideal love-letter would be?" Rosaleya asked. "I read it, and it was beautiful. It was the most perfect, poetic, and romantic one I have ever read."

"You're joking with me, right?"

"No, it's really there. Go see. I'll take over here for a minute." Rosaleya took Crystal's place behind the counter, and Crystal went upstairs, slightly confused.

Is she messing with me, or not? Is there a surprise up here for me; something she bought as a gift and she wants me to see it? I feel like if that was the case, though, she would have come up with a better reason for me to come upstairs... Crystal thought as she climbed the stairs.

"There's nothing there." Crystal said, coming back downstairs a few minutes later.

"Excuse me. You must have missed it." Rosaleya said, switching places with Crystal again.

Back upstairs, there was no trace of the letter that she had found.

"Who left a letter here, let me read it, and then deleted it? I seriously thought that Crystal had been messing around..." Rosaleya mumbled to herself. Is one of the demons playing a prank on me? Yes, that's probably it...But the letter...It was so perfect that it didn't feel like a prank. What if one of them really meant it? But who would have written it? And who would have really meant it? Seriously, I've visited there only four times. Surely, no one could feel anything yet, if ever? I'll ignore it for now. she decided, putting her computer away.