A Mystery Voice

[Kerridon Paradox]

Having returned Dylan to Hogwarts earlier, Kerridon knew he needed to see D’rorah soon enough and warn her that the younger Ravenclaw might not be as she expected. But right now, he was lying on his bed and facing the ceiling, trying to identify who it had been screaming in the Shadow Realm last night. Ever since he had heard the voice it had been nagging him as important, but previously he had put those thoughts aside to concentrate on getting back into the castle. Now, though, he should be reading or doing homework, or something other than staring upwards and focussing on that voice.

Considering he’d been in the same place for at least an hour thinking on the same topic, it took him quite a while to work out. But once it occurred to him, it could not have been more obvious and he was darting from the room only a second later. How could he not have recognised her voice straight away? Even if it was screaming rather than talking, that was no excuse! He’d just been going through the names of those whom he hadn’t seen in a while, and finally stopped at her. What was she even doing there? He was sure she wasn’t a lightfighter!

He was halfway through the castle before realising that he couldn’t just go rushing off like this, without a plan. That was sure to just get him killed. Mid-stride he turned and was heading to the one place he was hoping that D’rorah would be – the library. And, he almost missed her. Just as he turned the corner he saw her coming out of what seemed to be her permanent residence. A few long strides and he was next to her, murmuring urgently into her ear. [blue]”I need to talk with you. Now, in private.”[/blue]

He tugged at her arm lightly in the direction of a narrow corridor where none of the other few students milling about this area seemed interested in going. If he wasn’t so used to shocks his head would probably be spinning, but as it was idea after idea were spinning through his mind. Of all people, why was Mami Tien being tortured in the Shadow Realm?

[D'rorah Philosophy]

Sleepless. It was an adjective D'rorah was well accustomed to associating with her life. Even so, her nights of late had been more sleepless than usual. Every moment in her mind was a moment she could spend searching for Dylan; only willpower and hope guided her on this relentless quest, knowing she had to find him. Who knew where he could be or what he might be going through while she was safe here at Hogwarts? No one from the Order had sent back any useful information to guide her search, and so she had begun poring through newspapers and maps, speculating endlessly about places to search. She had used her research for anything detailing past accounts of Dark Phoenix having captured others for clues or hints as to where they might have been taken. She had even begun trying to discern a way to get into the Shadow Realm herself without the Mage knowing about it so she could search for Dylan. She had tested and pushed the limits of her telepathic abilities, directing out her awareness to search for him, pushing herself further and further with every sweep she made. It was wearying, her head pounded relentlessly. The dark circles under her eyes had deepened and even the plates the house elves left on her study table went untouched as she worked furiously.

She had just packed up her things, bound for her dormitory in order to switch out one set of journals for another so that she could continue her quest. It was late, and she worried the librarian might have begun to catch on that D'rorah had been staying behind after the library was closed, researching through the night. The last thing she needed was for her activities to come to the attention of the headmistress or to land herself in detention. That would take time away, precious time wherein every passing moment could potentially mean the difference between finding Dylan alive and finding only the memory of him.

As she stepped from the library entrance, she was just about to head in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room when suddenly Kerridon was in step with her, speaking to her urgently. She allowed him to lead her down a deserted corridor before turning her eyes to look at him, searching for some hint of what might be so urgent. The tone of his voice sounded grave, it felt like bad news... and so her bloodshot eyes were opened wide as she waited to hear what he had to say. "[blue]You have news?[/blue]" she asked hopefully, the words a prayer to whatever greater force might be out there in the world that the news wouldn't convey the loss of the last person she considered to be family on this earth. She had no thought for how she looked, standing there, but she looked rather like a refugee from a work camp, darkened hollows around her eyes and sagging robes attesting to a lack of proper sleep and nutrition. She braced herself for the worst, determined that she would absolutely not lose control of herself no matter what Kerridon said. Her whole body was tense with holding herself together, hoping she wasn't about to find out that she was too late and that her efforts had been in vain.

[Kerridon Paradox]

Kerridon vaguely noticed just how terrible D’rorah was looking – really, it was very difficult not to notice the deeply shadowed eyes and her thin stature. Apparently she wasn’t eating or sleeping as much as she should be. Previously he would have tried to persuade her to do both more, not seeing a huge amount of use in wearing herself to exhaustion when Dylan was most likely not alive anyway. But he had been proved wrong only last night, so he could hardly berate her for it now.

Indeed, she obviously thought that his news was about Dylan... and he did have news, in fact. Apparently she hadn’t seen him yet. That subject was just not at the top of his agenda right now. [blue]”Dylan... well, that is not what I was going to say, but yes, he is back. But... be careful. I escorted him back from the Shadow Realm last night,”[/blue] here his voice went much quieter and he glanced again down the corridor to check no one was paying attention. [blue]”He seems unharmed. But do not tell the other lightfighters where he has been. If it gets back to Dark Phoenix that this is known, she will know it was me who gave away that information. No one else must know.”[/blue]

He paused shortly here but then carried on quickly, not wanting to give D’rorah too much time to go running off to find him before he had passed on the real dilemma. [blue]”But what I came to tell you was that when I was in the Shadow Realm, I heard someone screaming and recognised the voice. I only just identified it though – Mami Tien, a fifth year Ravenclaw?”[/blue] He didn’t know whether D’rorah knew the younger girl, but that didn’t really matter. [blue]”I need to get her out of there,”[/blue] he said shortly, not explaining the why or anything of the sort. He wasn’t really sure on the why himself. Just that he was very certain she could not be left there for any longer than was avoidable. The thought of her small frame being subject to Dark Phoenix’s methods of pain caused a rare grimace to cross his face before he straightened it out again and waited impatiently for a reply. If she didn’t want to come, if she wanted to go and find Dylan then that would be fine, but he just had to leave as soon as possible.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

”Dylan... well, that is not what I was going to say

She sagged slightly, really only a shift in weight, but the effect was a subtle version of air being let from a balloon.

but yes, he is back.

A look of shocked disbelief washed across her face at these next words. But then there was a "but". Realizing she must have looked like a gawking fool, she composed herself and waited to hear out what Kerridon had to say about Dylan. His answers hardly sated her curiosity. She wanted to ask a thousand questions, but Kerridon had already moved on to the business of Mami before she could even gather breath to speak. She nodded at the girl's name. While she didn't know her personally, she recalled having seen the younger student around school and the common room. D'rorah could agree that no student should be left in the Shadow Realm for any amount of time, but it seemed like there was something more behind his urgency.

All she wanted was to run off to find Dylan, to ask what had happened, where he had been. But then, if he had returned from the Shadow Realm he was likely exhausted and sleeping. At the very least, he was back and he was safe; and Kerridon had been the one to bring him back. D'rorah felt like she owed him an enormous debt of gratitude for that. And now, he was clearly looking for her help just as she had sought his help in finding Dylan. And, considering that Dylan was apparently now safely back at Hogwarts, how could she possibly refuse?

She scanned the corridor quickly, double checking to make sure no one was around to hear their conversation before answering. [blue]"How do we get to the Shadow Realm without being detected by Dark Phoenix?[/blue]" she asked. Already, she was moving in the direction of the astronomy tower, knowing the easiest way for her to leave the school without being detected would be to use the small window in the roof of the astronomy tower. "[blue]I have theories, but a tested and true method would be far preferred for obvious reasons.[/blue]" There was no point stopping to gather the others. This would have to be a quiet, stealthy expedition. They had little hope of besting the Mage and her creatures within the Shadow Realm itself, so numbers wouldn't do anything to help them. Their best hope would be to get in and get out without being noticed. It would be incredibly difficult, but D'rorah's ability to meld to Shadow Form would help with that. She felt confident that she could do so and still fully retrieve her emotions given her years of experience and training.

[Kerridon Paradox]

Kerridon had a feeling from her reaction that perhaps he should have found her and informed her the news about Dylan’s return sooner. But he had been quite distracted today so far; first by checking the secrecy promise on that knight Dylan had been talking to last night, but also later by just focussing entirely on the voice. Of course he had been right that it was important, just as his instincts had been screaming at him that it was, but maybe D’rorah would have appreciated being told before he was rushing off on some other topic immediately after.

Nevertheless, he was relieved for her agreement to help without that much hesitation and walked in step with her in the direction of the Astronomy Tower. The thought came to him that at some point he would have to inform Dark Phoenix that he was getting closer to D’rorah, or she would start hearing reports from her other spies of how he was being seen talking closely with her in public places. But he put that aside for now – he would certainly not be paying the Mage a social visit to explain this while D’rorah rescued Mami.

[blue]”When I was younger, a while before I came to Hogwarts, there was a different portal I went to, near to the woods by Paradox Manor. Now it is very rarely used, and since I was always accompanied by my father and he was trusted – as much as anyone could be trusted by Dark Phoenix – it was not usually watched. Now should be no different,”[/blue] he explained quietly. [blue]”I can apparate us straight there from the outside the school grounds, and animagus form would be best for avoiding notice,”[/blue] he added.

They reached the top of the tower and he glanced at D’rorah one last time to see if she had anything more to say, before transforming and flying out of the window. He waited for a moment for a sparrow to join him, then headed off in the direction of the forest.

((Feel free to g-mod him apparating them to the portal))

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah listened to Kerridon's reponse, thinking for a moment of the task that lay ahead, planning it all out in her head. She watched Kerridon transfigure and fly through the window before following suit, bound for the edges of the school grounds so that they could apparate. Taking the sleeve of Kerridon's robe, she apparated along with him after they had landed, having her first ever glance of Paradox Manor. Having grown up in the cities most of her life, she still found these sprawling country estates to be interesting. But then, tonight wasn't a night to indulge curiosity. There were far too many things to be done and far too many things on her mind.

She followed Kerridon as he headed for the rift he and his father had used to come and go from the Shadow Realm. Thinking of Kerridon's father brought back memories of the night in the Astronomy Tower, the night she had learned that he had come to possess his father's memory of that night--a long look at a gruesome story she shared with as few people as possible. Her mind, however, quickly moved away from that topic and to the task at hand.

She signaled for Kerridon to wait, pulling him aside before they reached the rift. "[blue]Are you coming as well? If she is being kept in the castle, I will need you to guide me in the correct general direction. I would prefer to keep my mind to myself as much as possible once we are through, so I cannot make a general telepathic search. Dark Phoenix might notice. Give her a status report, think of anything you might be able to tell her so that you will have a viable reason to be there. In the event I am captured, leave me behind but alert the others as quickly as possible.[/blue]" (ooc:obviously, Dee's not going to be captured, as I've already opened threads that take place after this night, so nobody better get any bright ideas )

Getting in would be the easy part. Melded to Shadow Form, she could easily blend with the myriad other anonymous Shadows drifting about in the Shadow Realm. Leaving with Mami, however, would be more difficult. D'rorah would have to transfigure the girl into some form other than human... something small that would be difficult to notice, and then possess her while in Shadow Form. And that part was theory in her mind. Her research indicated that it could be done... actual Shadows possessed humans all the time for various reasons, but she had never actually done it herself. It would, however, be the easiest way to return with Mami to this world. It was fortunate Mami was a witch, and not a Shadow Warrior or Elemental Master. Had she been, the whole prospect of possession would have been impossible... and the danger of this operation would have increased exponentially.

"[blue]I do not know if it would be better for you to be present when she is discovered missing or not. You know the Mage better than I. Would she be more likely to suspect your involvement if you are still there when the discovery is made or not?[/blue]" She paused, thinking for a moment. "[blue]Perhaps it would be better if you simply remained here and awaited my return... then you would not be involved at all and there would be no reason to suspect you.[/blue]" She thought for several moments... the trade off for having Kerridon remain behind would be spending longer in the Shadow Realm herself, which would mean she would be more likely to be discovered. But, she also did not want to jeopardize Kerridon's safety or the secrecy of his new alliance with the Lightfighters. He was much more useful to all of them with his cover intact. The decision, however, would be his. She had a feeling that Mami was perhaps something more than a friend to Kerridon, and that he might thus decide to be involved.

[Kerridon Paradox]

They continued out of the grounds quickly and as soon as they were over the gate Kerridon flew lower to the ground and transformed back, landing on the ground in a slight crouch before straightening. The moment he felt her hand on his arm he apparated to a place he hadn’t been in a long time; the estate that belonged to him now. Just one sweeping glance of the extensive grounds was enough to bring back unwanted memories and he turned quickly to head in the direction of the portal. Not that that helped much; he was still surrounded by familiar places. He was relieved that he couldn’t still hear any alarms going off that might have been redirected from getting a certain person back into Hogwarts last night; they had stopped just as he had expected once the door had been relocked.

D’rorah apparently could recognise where the rift was just before they reached it, and he paused as directed to hear what she had to say. [blue]”Yes, it was in the castle. The torture chambers, I can show you,”[/blue] he added. Although D’rorah had been there before, she probably didn’t know the direction to that particular place. [blue]”She does not know of my animagus form; if I travel as that, she should not recognise me or notice me if we do come across her.”[/blue] If somehow that was foiled and Dark Phoenix did succeed in recognising him, he could always say that he wanted to inform her that he was getting closer to D’rorah... although if he was caught with her, he would need to do a lot of fast thinking to get himself out of it and preferably keep D’rorah and Mami alive at the same time.

Kerridon was hesitant to allow D’rorah to enter the Shadow Realm and carry out this mission alone, but he could see the reasoning behind it. [blue]”I will come... but remain in animagus form the entire time. I should be very unnoticeable, and Phoenix will not know I was there at all. If I am forced to transform back for whatever reason I can then go on to give a report to her and will remain there until the alarm is raised and then leave via the Forest portal.”[/blue]

[D'rorah Philosophy]

"[blue]Very well,[/blue]" she replied, nodding slightly in response to Kerridon's intended plan of action. This was to be a swift, surgical operation. She hoped it went well. It seemed a bit foolish to go barging into the Shadow Realm, but she was confident that she would be able to pull this particular rescue mention off without a hitch... if only finding and rescuing Dylan could have been as easy. She couldn't wait to return to Hogwarts to seem him again. He had been gone for far too long. Even knowing he was back lightened her heart and made her feel hope again.

D'rorah took a slow, deep breath. The hardest part of melding to Shadow Form was changing back to her human form. While in Shadow Form, a Shadow Warrior was deluged by a feeling of ecstasy. Everything would suddenly feel happy and safe. The danger was that, if one remained too long, one would lose the desire and ability to change back... once that happened, corruption followed quickly. It was a dangerous enticement, and thus something Master xiu had never allowed her to try until she had trained long and hard for several years under his strict observation. In fact, it was such a dangerous enticement that she never would have considered it if Dylan were still missing--the danger of not wanting to return to human form would have been far too great.

As it was, she felt confident that knowing he was waiting for her back at Hogwarts would be more than enough for her to maintain her human grounding. She melded to Shadow Form, concentrating on the shift, allowing her physical body to become as shifting and insubstantial as the wind. Nothing more than a spectre of darkness, she traveled through the rift, following along behind Kerridon, bound for Dark Phoenix's castle. Unpleasant memories abounded connected to that place, but she pushed them aside, focusing instead of finding Mami and remembering that she was human. Had she had a face at that point, she would have been smiling... the rush of freedom and lightness she felt were the most pleasant sensations she'd had in a long time. For the moment, she wasn't cold, she wasn't hungry or tired or anything of the sort. It was easy enough to see how this could tempt an untrained Shadow Warrior.

They managed to reach the chamber where Mami was kept, no notice being given to D'rorah, who looked like any of the other numerous Shadows wandering around in the darkness. It was easier to see in this form as well, as even the darkness crisply defined the things around her. She moved through most of the walls easily, finally reaching the chamber where Mami was being held. It was a prime opportunity to fetch her. There were no Wraiths or Shadows in the chamber with her, having apparently been ordered by Phoenix to leave the girl for the time being. Concentrating on her willpower, D'rorah forced herself back to human form, bracing herself for all of the bodily sensations that came back so suddenly and painfully with it. This was the point at which some would waver and then be lost forever. Looking down at Mami, D'rorah pressed a finger to her lips as she began working to free her. It would have to be done quickly. Any delay would mean time for them to be found. And the last thing D'rorah needed to do was have to fight Shadows. Melding was exhausting enough, and she had no Elemental Master with her to pull her emotions back.

[Kerridon Paradox]

((Um, I’m gonna ignore that part about moving through walls, cause how exactly is Kerridon supposed to lead her to where he heard Mami when he can’t go through walls but she is...? ))

[blue]”Will you be able to meld with her to get her out of the Shadow Realm?”[/blue] he asked before they continued, his mind following the same train of thoughts as hers. He had also come across research that suggested this was possible, but didn’t know if it had ever actually been tried. And if she thought it would be impossible, or too difficult, they should probably have another plan for getting her out once they found her.

The moment D’rorah confirmed the course of action, Kerridon transformed back to his moth form and followed her through the rift. His tiny new body shivered a little at the sudden chill but followed the prefect further in, towards the castle. He was well aware of how drastically bad these actions could prove to be if either of them were caught, all for a girl who wasn’t even a lightfighter or at all consequential in this war. He shouldn’t be this reckless. But unfortunately, he just couldn’t prevent himself this time, and actually wasn’t too upset about his sudden lack of self-control in this matter. So long as Mami ended up safe, it would be worth it. He had no idea when he’d grown so attached to her, but at some point it had happened... and then she had just disappeared.

As they got closer to the castle Kerridon moved forward, leading rather than following and hoping that the dark colour of his wings would be enough to make him blend in. They entered the castle and it became even darker, so he could hardly be visible even to D’rorah, who knew he was there. The colour really was most convenient, and keeping close to the walls made it easier to not be spotted. Finally he caught sight of the passageway outside the torture chamber and flew down it swiftly, uneasiness running all through his body at the last memory of being here.

He entered the room and was relieved to see no guards in place. His gaze focussed on Mami the moment he saw her, checking her over with his limited eyesight as a moth and not really paying attention to D’rorah as she transformed back to human form. The younger Ravenclaw girl really did not look in good shape, and although it didn’t come as a surprise he still had to work to contain any anger. When he saw D’rorah beginning to free her, he turned again and went out into the corridor, staying very close to the door so he could look for anyone or anything coming down the corridor who might interrupt them.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

Luckily, Mami wasn't completely unconscious... though she was nearly so. A total lack on consciousness, however, would have made her job far more difficult. Her mind needed to be pliable, but not completely inaccessible. D'rorah refrained from using her wand, thinking that regular magic might draw unwanted attention to their little rescue operation. It would be best to save that for the transfiguration effort, so they could draw as little attention as possible. Pulling several of her heavier hairpins from her tightly bound hair, D'rorah set to work at the lock, carefully maneuvering the tumblers so they would slide into place and open. Once she was done, she sat the other girl up, quickly checking for any injuries that might be life-threatening. It was no more than a cursory glance, and admittedly she was fairly bad off for her stay with Dark Phoenix, but there didn't appear to be any trauma that would cause her to die with major movement. Still, she would have a hard recovery.

Removing her wand from the pocket inside her sleeve, D'rorah silently hoped no one would be nearby as she began focusing very carefully on a transfiguration spell. It was one thing to transfigure teacups to rats or vice versa, but a human being was another matter entirely. It was the sort of thing a student at Hogwarts would never be allowed to do for obvious reasons. She thought of a small black butterfly, something that would blend in well in this darkened place and pictured it in meticulous detail. Carefully, she flourished her wand and muttered a quiet spell, watching as the younger Ravenclaw student changed from girl to insect.

"[blue]Time to go,[/blue]" she whispered to Kerridon. As the last word exited her mouth, she melded to shadow form and brought herself around the small black butterfly. Having never done this before, now D'rorah was hoping that the limited information available in her texts regarding Shadow possession would be enough for her to successfully manage the process. She aligned herself with the butterfly, lining up her amorphous shape as a Shadow with the small black wings. Concentrating, she pulled herself into Mami's mind and took over. The effect was immediate. Suddenly, she felt the the younger girl's pain as though it was her own... even through the typical rush of ecstasy of being melded to Shadow form, the girl's pain cut through. Phoenix must have wanted something desperately from the girl... or then, perhaps she had only promised her most loyal servants a plaything to torture. Working through the pain, D'rorah took control of the physical form of the butterfly and began winging her way aloft, stopping in front of Kerridon for a moment to catch his attention so they could begin winging their way toward the exit. They had been incredibly lucky so far, if only that luck held out, all three of them would soon be safely returned to earth.

(I know, major gming going on on my part Mami. If any of it doesn't agree with you, tell me and I'll edit!

[Mami Tien]

After several weeks of being in the dark, draining, disheartening shadow realm, tortured for the gods only knew what, Mami was almost numb to the pain raging through her body. She'd resigned herself to her doom, she knew she would die here and had given up, hardly screaming any more. They'd left her alone for a while, people who she couldn't see, maybe they weren't even people at all. She couldn't tell anymore. Everything hurt and she had no idea what damage had been done to her at this point, the pain was so much, even in her numbed stage that she couldn't completely loose consciousness.

She'd been alone for a short time, she couldn't tell anymore how long the gaps between torture were, when the door opened and someone entered. Oh, please kill me this time. I don't know what you want, just make it end. The shape looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't trust herself to believe anything she saw at this point. The figure undid her bindings and drew a wand, which she would have thought odd if she'd been all there, but as it was she tried to brace herself for more pain. What are they doing? Just kill me... I want to die. That was the last thought she had with any substance, for seconds later she was a black butterfly and she was possessed. Fear and pain were all she could recognize.

[Kerridon Paradox]

It was difficult for Kerridon as he kept watch in the corridor to not look back and keep checking on Mami to examine her injuries and assess how badly she was hurt. But he knew that that was not an issue here – whether she was severely hurt or not, the focus had to be on getting her out. So he couldn’t allow himself to be distracted from checking that no one else was coming. He flew to either end of the corridor a couple of times to check that no one of authority was coming from around the corners, and then hovered by the doorway in anxiety.

So alert, he easily heard the whispered words to let him know they were departing, and turned to watch as a small black butterfly flew out of the chamber behind him. Now could come the most dangerous part – if someone came to check on Mami and found her missing while they were still in the shadow realm, let alone the castle, there would be a dangerously likely chance of being caught as the shadows and Phoenix’s other minions tried to locate her.

He flew alongside D’rorah/Mami, relieved to see that the possession seemed to have worked wholly. Again he wondered what the Mage could have wanted so desperately from her; why he would have chosen her specifically. Was there even a reason? Or had it simply been extremely bad luck for Mami – was she being used as a practice for up and coming agents of Dark Phoenix? He wasn’t sure which made him more angry.

As they flew through a fair few corridors in the direction of the exit, Kerridon became aware of more shadows passing by. Flying closer to the wall he watched closer, and after a while began to notice they seemed to be moving systematically; in one room, then out again a few minutes later. This wasn’t good. An opportunity came in the form of a window at about head height – had he been in human form. Not wanting to remain in the castle any longer than necessary with signs that Mami might have already been discovered missing, he turned to motion to D’rorah and flew upwards, through the window. Outside the chill increased again, but having waited for the butterfly to emerge behind him, he flew quickly in the direction of the portal, a sense of urgency running through him by this point.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah followed behind Kerridon, trusting him to know the fastest way out of the Shadow Realm. She paid little attention to her surroundings, having to focus all of her attention on keeping control of Mami's altered form and on continuing to move through the pain the girl was experiencing. The transfiguration would have done a little to help it, but not nearly enough. She could tell from the way Kerridon sped his travel that something was up, likely that meant they were being followed or he had some idea that Mami had already been discovered missing. Forcing herself to fly more quickly, she goaded the butterfly form to move as fast as it could. Every flap of her wings was becoming more and more of an effort.

It was with great relief that she saw the portal ahead, and that relief gave her the last boost she needed to make it through the portal. She followed through quickly, heaving herself through in one last desperate flutter of wings, landing in the grass on the other side of the portal somewhat ungracefully. For several moments, she simply lay there, the wings of the butterfly flat against the ground as she worked to regain her concentration and strength. Knowing that things would improve significantly if she released control over Mami's mind, she set to work doing so, finding that releasing control was somewhat harder than taking over had been. But finally her shadow form slipped free as she managed to give up her control of Mami's body.

She lingered nearby on the ground for several moments, allowing herself time to recover from Mami's pain, a process that was greatly helped along by the exhilaration of being in Shadow Form. Refusing to allow herself to become too steeped in that feeling and risk losing herself to it, D'rorah set her mind to melding back to human form. She braced herself for the sudden rush of physical sensations that would return to her own body, knowing she had to retain a firm grasp on her human form as she shifted back. The effect, as always, was jarring. But soon enough, she had managed to change back to her human form and appeared, standing on the grass next to where she had left the black butterfly.

[Kerridon Paradox]

Glad to see the butterfly emerge from the same window he had recently exited, Kerridon continued on the way to the Shadow Realm, wanting to be back at Hogwarts as soon as possible and away from this place. Although it was had been quite awing on his first few visits, the appeal of it had soon worn off when he ended up staying there for longer periods and had to try and ignore the constant chill and the nasty feel of shadows everywhere. Although he had to say, his ability to see in near-darkness had greatly improved very quickly.

Eventually, after what seemed like far too long a time flying, he could see the portal again. He went straight through it, transforming back to his human form the moment he was through and turning quickly to check on Mami and D’rorah. D’rorah had moved away from holding the butterfly’s form and was now lying near the rift. She appeared to be having some trouble transforming back, but he turned his attention to Mami. She was much less able to help herself, and the butterfly was looking very still.

Not using his wand in fear of it being traced, Kerridon reached out a hand and murmured the spell to transfigure her back to her original human body. Now out of the Shadow Realm with more light available, even if it was night here, her injuries looked even worse than the quick glance they had been given before. But they couldn’t really stay here long, in case shadows were sent to check for anyone too near the portals. He aimed a simple pain-relieving spell at Mami and turned to D’rorah, who had just managed to get back to her body. [blue]”We need to get back,”[/blue] he said quietly, reaching out to rest his hand on her arm, doing the same for Mami, ready to apparate so long as no objections were made.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah nodded to Kerridon, bracing herself for the apparition that was to come. She looked past Kerridon as well, sparing a glance for the girl they had gone into the Shadow Realm to save. She hoped Mami would recover quickly, though she also knew it would be a difficult recovery if her past experiences with the Mage had taught her anything. Feeling the familiar pull of apparation, she was quite relieved to be away from the portal and close to Hogwarts again. As sson as she saw the familiar castle grounds again, she realized that she would soon be seeing Dylan. The thought made her weariness at that moment seem far more bearable. She decided that, for tonight, once Mami was safely away where she could be taken care of she would take some time out for sleep so that she would be at least slightly refreshed whenever Dylan woke up in the morning. Of course, she had no way to know that she would spend the better part of a week unable to catch up with him as he avoided her.

That was probably for the best anyway, as the knowledge wouldn't have done anything to help her at the moment. If she'd known how the next two weeks were going to turn out, she might have gone about the whole night differently. She made her way to her feet, having recovered quickly at the thought of seeing Dylan soon and knowing that he was safe. "[blue]Shall we bring her in through the Astronomy Tower as we left?[/blue]" she asked. She would need concentrated attention from a healer, though D'rorah didn't trust the infirmary to be the best place for that, remembering how her own recuperation had been hindered and nearly had her captured off to the Shadow Realm again. Whatever they did, her return couldn't be associated with Kerridon at all costs... and would likely be better off if association with D'rorah was avoided as well. No need to draw any undue attention to Mami from any of the Mage's minions who might take note of such a thing.

D'rorah placed a cool hand against Mami's forehead and checked for any obvious signs of mental damage with a quick sweep. Finding nothing that seemed far out of the ordinary except for pain, she pulled her hand back and brushed a strand of hair from the younger girl's face. "[blue]I should take her from here. We cannot afford for you to be seen with her. Go ahead to the castle and I will meet you there with her,[/blue]" she instructed. "[blue]That is, unless you have an alternate plan.[/blue]"