Uncharacteristically Dark Corridor

Do you dare to venture down here at night? ...... Be wary: faceless dangers may be tempted to lure the unprepared into their depths!



_ _ _ _

Sevastyan patrolled the school corridors as per regulation to make sure there weren’t any students sneaking off into forbidden areas when they shouldn’t even be out of bed to begin with. Tonight happened to be his turn to cover approximately three and one-quarter floors: the Dungeons, the Ground Floor, and the entire First Floor. The remaining one-quarter floor was the amount of distance it took to get from the landing of the second floor to his quarters. Needless to say, he was about two-thirds of the way from completing his rounds.

It seemed foolish to him that someone would dare venture down an unlit corridor in the middle of the night. However, that was clearly the adult talking. The teenager that time had left behind reminded him of the thrills such an unwelcoming atmosphere invited. That teenager looked remarkably similar to Boris in Sevastyan’s mind’s eye. “Lumos,” he muttered, squinting against the sudden burst of wandlight as he maneuvered through the corridor.

*CLANK!* ... *BANG!*

Brows furrowed in response to hearing the metallic complaints, curious as to what could possibly have made the noise. With a slight smile twitching at the corners of his mouth, Sevastyan hoped to Merlin that Drakon was not stuck in the plumbing again. Surely the serpent would be most cross with Amaranth should the trip through the water pipes go awry whilst his mistress was off doing... well, whatever it was she did at this hour. It was a toss up of assumptions between patrol, brewing a potion, or having gotten a fairly early night.

All thoughts of early comic relief regarding the above evaporated, however, when Sevastyan heard a scream that sounded as though it belonged to a student of indeterminable gender or age. Briefly he froze to the spot before breaking into a dead run down the hall; wand light bouncing here and there as he went. Reaching the end of the corridor and clearly expecting to have found something, Sevastyan panted as he paused in the chase. It was times like this that he wished he’d undergone training to become an animagus: he could’ve likely run down here faster as a creature rather than as a human. Sevastyan waved his wand this way and that, trying to find the source of the scream. The only thing he did find was......

“Peeves, vhere did that scream come from?” he asked the poltergeist

“Shan’t say nothing if you don’t say please...” Peeves cackled.

“This is not the time for play. Now vhere did the scream come from? Must I summon the Headmistress?” Sevastyan threatened, having little patience for word games when a child was potentially in danger.

Everything happened within the blink of an eye: Peeves popped out of existence just as Sevastyan felt a spell of some sort hit him full-force in the back. The first parts of his body to hit the floor were his knees; wand knocked from his hand and tossed askew as the rest of him collapsed to the floor. Wincing at the pain between his shoulder blades, Sevastyan pushed himself up and turned to see who or what had attacked him.

“Not so tough anymore vithout your Headmistress to save your skin, are you?” Kazimir growled, stepping into the shreds of wandlight still emitting from Sevastyan’s wand.

Sevastyan rolled onto his back and prepared to get to his knees when he noticed the Headmaster’s wand trained onto him. “I should have known the snake couldn't hide in the grass forever!” he spat, metaphorically and literally - a dark fire burning in his smoke-colored eyes. If only he had seen this coming! Had Peeves known? The damn poltergeist loved chaos, after all...

"And Headmistress Kiara - in addition to the rest of the staff - have done much more to help me in these past few months than you have! At least they vould not judge my motives or loyalty depending on vot school I teach at!" Sevastyan knew Kazimir wasn't going to like that one, but at this moment in time he didn't care in the least. Diplomacy was not an option right now. What mattered is that the statement rang true in Sevastyan's voice. And, to him, it was true: Sevastyan was clearly much more comfortable and happy here. Durmstrang would always have a special place in his heart, of course, but nothing Kazimir ever did helped with that feeling. And the school he was teaching at had been amidst a steady decline. Kazimir, on the other hand, had a very twisted sense of loyalty.

“You refused my help! You could have chosen a different position! But no, you decided to leave your school – your very country! – for this...” Kazimir snarled, glancing around the hall they currently occupied. “Crucio!”

“Protego!” Sevastyan shouted, holding his hands up and fingers spread wide in an attempt at wandless magic. Luckily it seemed to have worked: only the skin of his palms stung the moment the curse touched him and bounced right off. Sevastyan made a gesture as if he bodily threw Kazimir with one arm, but in reality it had been wandless magic that propelled the seventy year old Headmaster several yards back the way Sevastyan had came. Without wasting any time, Sevastyan scrambled to his feet and made a mad dash for his wand.

“SECTUMSEMPRA!” Kazimir cried, his aim wild from his place on the ground.

Sevastyan had just grabbed the handle of his wand when the spell grazed the side of his knee and the entire top portion of his forearm. The Defense Professor shouted in pain, the injured limbs buckling and recoiling from the wand. Taking up the wooden instrument in his right hand, Sevastyan jabbed his wand in Kazimir’s direction. “Petrificus Totalus!”

Kazimir rolled to the side to avoid the spell and did a kind of half flip to right himself. “Child’s play, Sevastyan! Is that all you remember from your lessons? I vant to see you fight like a man! Fight me, just as you fought vone of my favored students: Daniel Lestrange!” the Durmstrang Headmaster demanded, half-mocking, half-angry.

Gray eyes widened as Sevastyan slowly got to his feet. Kazimir laughed at the expression on his former student’s face. “Vot do you know about that?! Tell me!” Sevastyan ordered in kind.

“His obituary vos in the Prophet the other day: uncertain causes, an amputated arm, and apparently died vith a tortured look on his face, from vot the piece – and a few other confidential sources – told me. That sounds very much like a curse I know members of your family in particular vield vith licensure, so don’t play stupid vith me!” Kazimir retorted, not realizing that in the time it took him to vocalize this blather that Sevastyan had begun the proper wand movement for a counter-attack.

“REDUCTO!” Sevastyan bellowed, relieved when the spell hit Kazimir full force. “If you vant me, come and get me. Ve vill finish this somevhere else!” Sevastyan growled, having had enough of playing this game. They needed to go someplace with better lighting. Setting his pace to a light jog as the curse aimed to the side of his knee still hurt and bled, Sevastyan silently gave the correct prompt to the portrait of Paracelsus and disappeared into a secret passage just as Kazimir got to his feet.

“POLTERGEIST!” Kazimir practically screamed, not entirely sure how to summon Peeves. As if on cue, though, the mischievous entity reappeared with a pop.

“You called, Durmstrang Professorhead?” snickered Peeves.

“Vhere vill this portrait lead?” Kazimir demanded.

“The Astronomy Tower, your Headship,” replied the poltergeist. While he hadn’t been visible, he’d heard everything that happened up to now. As Kazimir took his leave without so much as a word of thanks, Peeves blew the Russian Headmaster a rather large raspberry and cackled the news as he took the long way to the tower in an attempt to wake up everyone and everything that his voice could reach:




((Obviously, both Russians are heading to the Astronomy Tower, and Peeves is doing what he does best! ^_^))

Eglantine DeLanquar stood, levitated in the dark corridor. It was pitch black due to the night and the lack of both window and light. A chilly breeze froze her against the wall and she swallowed. Why she had decided to begin patrolling the hallways was beyond her ability to understand... and yet the purger threat weighed heavily on her mind and heart. As the Head of Gryffindor and the Deputy Headmistress, she had a duty to protect the students of Hogwarts... and her son.

Continuing to the end of the corridor, she smelt something strangely sweet and Excessum slipped from her pocket. There was a hissing sound and she gasped softly when her eyes picked out a small round object taped to the wall. Gas was fuming from the device and she knew from her experience as a chemistry professor that it was some sort of bomb...

Viper's chambers being closest, she sent her Patronus, a cat, to alert Professor Viper and hopefully Professor Kaminski.

Sevastyan hadn't wasted his time on footwear, ignoring precisely how cold his feet were out of consequence for neglecting that particular item of clothing. Instead he focused on the tabby patronus as it led him to the one corridor he would rather not see again: the corridor where Headmaster Kazimir Orlov had attacked him without the slightest amount of provoking.

The wizard pulled his robe tighter about his frame at the chill breeze wending its way through the corridor. "Lumos" he muttered, far more alert than he'd been upon leaving Viper's Chambers, and rather a bit more paranoid, too. How had a bomb gotten here? Especially something other than a dungbomb? Sevastyan ignored his own question as Professor DeLanquar came into view, and also when he smelled something peculiar in the air. Something sweet... dare he say rather too sweet? That alone was enough to put his senses into defensive overdrive...

After casting a smaller version of the Bubble Head Charm to cover just his mouth and nose, Sevastyan wasted no time on pleasantries as he reached reasonable hearing distance. He needn't ask where the bomb was as the smoke could clearly be seen. "Smell's from bomb?" he queried in as few words as possible, looking for some way to be rid of it.

With a flick of his wand, Sevastyan attempted to vanish the bomb and its smoky emissions.

Eglantine turned, relieved when the DADA professor came into view. Excessum slid partially into her pocket.

"Yes... It has a potion in it..." she murmured, having taken the time to examine it more thoroughly while waiting for someone to come.

The bomb was apparently magic-tamper proof as it remained taped to the wall despite the spell Sevastyan had cast.

Eglantine aimed Excessum at it soon after and motioned for Sevastyan to stand back. Nonverbally she erected a shield around the bomb and then blasted it with enough heat to vanish it. Unfortunately nothing happened to it...

At Eglantine's information, Sevastyan was doubly grateful for instinct to conjure a magical mask. After all, they had no idea what kind of potion they were dealing with. The Russian swore fluently in his mother tongue when the bomb remained fastened to the wall. He had no idea what the bomb was emitting, but he had a feeling that if it was indeed a potion then it was meant to do more than create a smokescreen. The sweet odor was surely a mechanism designed to make one want to inhale more of the scent... an unwise move for the person inhaling, but a good tactic on the potion's creator's part. Sevastyan couldn't help but find it vaguely familiar, yet at the same time completely foreign.

After backing up so the Transfiguration Professor could take a crack at it, Sevastyan advised neutrally, "Vould it not be best to vear magical protection ven dealing vith this? Especially not knowing vot it is?"

Whatever it was, they needed to do something about the smoke's attempt to overwhelm the corridor and quickly. They would need fresh air. Glancing to the tall window nearby, Sevastyan could only think of one way to accomplish that. Like most dangerous potion fumes, if enough fresh air got to the area, the harmful emissions would dissipate in time...

"Do you think the Heamistress vould be terribly upset if ve broke the vindow?" he asked with a slightly sarcastic edge to it. Hopefully his theory on this potion and potion fumes was a correct one when applied to this situation.

Nodding at Sevastyan's concern, she mirrored his spell work to protect her lungs. In an almost cat like manner, she examined the bomb more closely, pointing out to Sevastyan the small timer hidden in the bottom of the bomb.

12:21 in minutes and seconds was counting down.

"Twelve minutes..." she muttered. "If she becomes to upset, Horatio can talk to her." Not wanting the fumes to continue on down the corridor and to overwhelm any unsuspecting student or staff member, she pointed her wand at the window and blasted it out. The heavy fumes dissipated slightly but still hung in the air, a thick cloud of white.

Raven brows furrowed to read the time left on the tiny clock-like device. Twelve twenty-one... twenty... nineteen.... Well, Sevastyan mused, twelve minutes gave them a little bit of time. But what would happen when it reached zero? Would it explode, like regular bombs? Or would this one behave differently?

Had this been the time and place for humor, Sevastyan would have chuckled slightly at the recommendation that Horatio could speak with the Headmistress. As Professor DeLanquar blew out the glass of the window, Sevastyan cast a shield spell to prevent any backward-propelled glass shards from causing undue harm. Though their work was far from done, Sevastyan felt marginally better at the slightly-dissipated fumes.

Returning his attention to the bomb, Sevastyan attempted to carefully maneuver a cutting charm around the tape. He wasn't sure if smoke bombs could really be diffused, but if they could get the bomb into a magically fortified container or out of the corridor altogether then perhaps...

Suddenly feeling light headed from the smoky potion she had inhaled before casting a bubble mask on herself, Eglantine leaned against the wall. Her vision swam momentarily before she forced herself to straighten and ignore the tightness in her chest.

The tape cut loose from the wall as Sevastyan cut it and the bomb would have slid to the floor had it not been held in place by a permanent sticking charm.

Eglantine's patience was quickly coming to an end as she watched the timer count down.
10:12...

"Excessum might work on it..." she mused aloud, her soft voice slightly wheezy.

From the corner of his eyes, Sevastyan noticed Professor DeLanquar's leaning but put it at the back of his mind for now as she didn't seem to be in immediate danger. Though, the concern did not diminish. He could only assume it was due to the fumes.

An irritated noise erupted from the back of the Russian wizard's throat. "Diversion... I should have known," he muttered, glancing at the timer on the bomb.

Upon hearing the other professor's wheezily-voiced suggestion, Sevastyan focused his gaze on her. Though the wheezing was surely not a good sign, he nodded. "The only thing ve can do is try..." he said, backing away from the area to a sufficient distance but not so far that it would take minutes to get to.

Ignoring how tight her chest was getting, Eglantine pointed Excessum at the smoke bomb.
"Excessum Neci!" she stated. A shock of powerful magic shot from her wand; a combination of ash and living energy...

The bomb disintegrated into ash and remained in its ash form on the corridor floor. More than a little surprised, as she had never used the spell on anything other than organic specimens, Eglantine slid down the hall, breathing heavily. She closed and opened her eyes several times as spots appeared... whatever the potion was, she was glad they had stopped it from spreading beyond the corridor.

The rest of the potion would have to be exposed of... but she was fairly certain that the immediate danger had passed. That was until a note flitted down from where it was pinned to the wall.

1 of 3... it read clearly in wet green ink.

Sevastyan observed the spell he'd only heard of, but never seen in action. It was upon noticing the little pile of ash that was the bomb on the floor that he decided that it would be in his best interest to stay on the witch's good side. He didn't want to imagine what affect the spell would have while working on a human being...

After observing to make certain the bomb simply did not become buried in the ash, Sevastyan heard a strange noise that sounded like something sliding down one of the walls. Turning to Professor DeLanquar, he realized it was her that had slid. A few brisk strides later he was crouched beside her, a hint of crimson pajama bottom pants leg peeking out from under the black bathrobe-type garment. "Are you all right, professor?" he asked, having a suspicion that a spell of that magnitude must require a bit more than just magic from the caster.

He looked to where Professor DeLanquar was looking. "Vone... of three?" Sevastyan read, concerned. A feeling as though it was going to be a very long evening flooded his tired mind. "Vhere do you suppose the other two are?" The castle was a rather big place, and it would be quite a lot of ground to cover in one night if all of them only had 12 minutes... now probably around 9... on their timers.

Eglantine nodded her head slowly. "I will be soon." she muttered in response to Sevastyan's question. Levitating herself back to her feet, as she had left her wheelchair in her chambers and still required levitation to "walk", she sighed softly.

"They could be anywhere..." she began, a rather stark bit of weariness showing in her voice. From both the potion she had inhaled and the spell she had just cast, Eglantine felt drained.
"A point me spell might work though." And time was so precious. What if those other bombs were "programmed" to explode when on of them was deactivated? Or if the bomb was in a dormitory or even a common room? She tried not to think of how many students might be harmed by an exploding bomb with a potent choking potion.

Sevastyan appeared slightly skeptical, but said nothing and decided to take her words at face value.

A look that clearly said 'Great Merlin, please tell me you didn't just say that,' crossed his tired face even though he knew that that was a certainty: they could be anywhere. If there were indeed three bombs, they would have to work quickly to counteract them. Sevastyan knew there were too many variables when dealing with a bomber and his or her explosives: they could be rigged to blow up at the same time, when one was deactivated, or... the possibilities of the mechanics were virtually endless, just like where they were placed.

Professor DeLanquar's suggestion was the most logical one, and Sevastyan nodded in agreement. He muttered a few incantations to conjure a 3D map of Hogwarts in midair, and added a modified 'point me' spell to locate the bomb. An orange light blinked ominously as the map unfolded itself so that both Sevastyan and Eglantine could see where the light beckoned them................

A familiar portrait of the wizard Merlin was practically next to the flashing light.

"Kiara..." Sevastyan all but gasped. "So obvious... Her lungs..." he stated, a need for haste clear in his gray eyes. "The spell, Professor... can it be cast vith any other vand? Could I reasonably cast it as vell?" Sevastyan asked, offering to perform the spell in the other professor's stead. He would not ask her to surrender the wand of the same name, for she had acted rather strangely the last time he suggested anything regarding the wand being separated from the witch.

Eglantine immediately rose from the floor as the map flashed the portrait of Merlin. No, not Kiara, she thought, fear and uncertainty raising in her mind.

"The spell, Professor... can it be cast vith any other vand? Could I reasonably cast it as vell?"
She turned swiftly to stare at Sevastyan, her green eyes flashing with a fury very few wizards had seen before...and had been fortunate to see again. But the fury only lasted a brief moment as she quickly quelled Excessum's scream in her mind.
"I wish it were possible..." she muttered, softly. "Only Excessum can cast the spell." and the wand all but screamed at her to do the unthinkable to the wizard before her.
It was true... Sevastyan did seem to desire to take Excessum from her...to either destroy or study..

Banishing Excessum from her mind, Eglantine shook violently and shook her head to clear it.
"I am sorry..." she whispered, afraid he might fear her or be disgusted by her apparent hostility.
"We must go to Kiara's chambers now...in case..."

'Back avay, you ******* idiot!' Sevastyan's mind screamed at him upon seeing such fury, gray eyes torn between widening in alarm or turning to slits out of protection. Widening won out, though. He hadn't expected that kind of reaction from expressing a desire to assist the professor. If she wanted to weaken herself beyond all reason casting that spell three times on her own then Sevastyan only had three words: so be it. He hated thinking it, he really did, but clearly an offer to help was very much the wrong thing to do. And if he couldn't help, what more did anyone expect from him? It was a no-win situation, the way Sevastyan was currently analyzing it:

Either he offer, and explain his reasons for doing so, and risk getting ashed to death... or remain silent and allow the casting of this draining incantation to possibly weaken the life of another. As cold as it seemed, at least the latter option would get something done. The latter would happen with or without him, at any rate, so why risk his skin for a probable second time?

'Vy vos I avakened in the middle of the night, again, if Excessum's magic could have been used?' he thought privately, pausing to give a dry mentally-heard laugh in his own guarded head: 'Of course.... to help. How silly of me to have forgotten.' The hour, coupled with his tiredness, did not exactly put him in the best of moods. Add the stress of three bombs... and what he perceived as unwarranted anger directed at him... and one had a recipe for a Sevastyan very much unlike his regular self. But he kept the out-of-sorts version of him as far inside of his head as he could manage to cram it.

Now was not the time for explanations or bickering. And it certainly wasn't a good night for his cremation, either! In fact, Sevastyan really didn't like the idea of cremation.

It didn't matter how softly she muttered the reply, Sevastyan had a feeling he was suddenly viewed as a threat and thus backed off. Of course, viewing the other professor as a bit of a threat to his own well-being didn't exactly make matters any less tense. After all... she could turn him into a little pile of ash with five syllables. His method of dispatch wouldn't leave something one could simply sweep under a rug, not that he wanted to use any of those spells against a colleague.

What a horrid fate that would be, being swept beneath a rug for all eternity... forgotten...

The wand incarnation of Excessum was intriguing and worthy of study... not to mention possible destruction once all those of concern were unbound to suffer the same fate as the wand. If it ever accidentally went to the wrong hands... Sevastyan decided not to think about that. But since turning away from his dark origins the Russian had not taken anything from anyone by force, and nor did he intend to now unless it became absolutely mandatory.

Despite the internal acidity, Sevastyan affixed a carefully-schooled look of neutrality onto his face. He lumped his response to both statements together with one curt nod. "I vill go a different route, and meet you there," he answered levelly and took off into the shadows. Sevastyan doubted it to be wise that they travel together: for all he knew, Professor DeLanquar could attempt to turn him to ash while following him... and waiting for her to lead the way instead could be viewed as cowardice.

No, they couldn't dilly-dally in that manner if they were to get the job done, and get it done quickly! Merlin only knew how much time they had left...

Eglantine covered her mouth with her hands and moved away from Sevastyan, Excessum already having been returned to her pocket. The look in his eyes haunted her, forcing her to both hate herself and Excessum. Sevastyan had never hurt her or anyone around her, and yet, here she was causing him to think that she might harm him.

Would she? It was a question she had thought over for the past few months. Would she harm anyone with Excessum by her own free will? The answer or lack thereof frightened her beyond words.

She remained in the hallway after Sevastyan left her, wisely deciding to go a different path than she might take.

But Eglantine didn't take any path toward Kiara's chambers. Instead she slumped against the wall, feeling overwhelmed by the smoke, the fingers of Excessum carving into her mind and finally the guilt that came from the fury she had shown Sevastyan.

Eglantine dropped the levitation charm and groaned slightly as she slide down the wall, her hip sending waves of pain up her torso. With ease she could have cast another spell, lifting the weight, but she wanted the pain, it was the one thing that cleared her mind. Excessum lost its hold when she was close to losing consciousness.

Closing her eyes tightly, Eglantine allowed herself to fall forward even further, until her forehead touched the cold stone floor. There were two more bombs...one of them at or in Kiara's chambers...and so far Excessum Neci had been the only spell which had vanished the bomb successfully. Sighing, she lifted her head from the stone.

She no longer had the strength to cast Excessum Neci at least not at the moment. Pulling energy from her wand, she breathed deeply, tasting blood, but ignoring it. The bomb timers were ticking and by the time she dragged herself to where ever the other two were...not doubt they would have already run out.

Eglantine thought back to when she had once left her body, and entered the wolf in the forest. It would be so simple to do so again...she mused. She opened her eyes again and drew even more energy from Excessum. There was no animal or person nearby to place her spirit in and thus she would have to try something else.

Tightly clenching her fists, she transferred from her body into Hogwarts castle.

Viper made her way down the hall in a rather curious and irritated mood. She had rolled over in bed to curl beside Sevastyan, only to keep rolling until her right side made a would-be painful contact with the cold, marble floor.

She was vaguely aware of the smoke everywhere but it didn't really bother her, considering she couldn't feel any of the repercussions and she used to be a rather heavy smoker anyway, so she merely cast a few wards and moved on.

... only to find an unconscious transfiguration professor on the ground.

Viper sighed and rolled her eyes. "****. Well, this is a lovely image: an unconscious Professor on the ground with her rival towering over her..." she muttered, conjuring her goblet and taking a swig. She stared at the body for a moment, taking a sip every now and then, contemplating which course of action she would get the most benefits and least repercussions from. In the end, Viper opted to head to Kiara's office and alert her. Perhaps the Baron could be her witness in regards to her innocence.

Diana was making her prefect rounds. She hated going through the "UDC" alone but alas her fellow Gryffindor prefect decided that today would be a great time to be sick. Using her wand light as a guide, she silently made her rounds.

Darien's eyes gleamed in the slight bubble of light approaching. A quick sniff assured him it belonged to his target.

Diana.

His nemesis had not been the only one to work out where they'd ended up, or hear what his own self had to say. Despite how pathetically easy it was to dispose of him. Darien's fangs gleamed as he yawned slightly, resisting the urge to just kill her.

That would not be as destructive. Irreparable wounding was his aim.

"Evening." He smirked, approaching noiselessly to stand just in front of her, most seductive smile on his face.

Diana was startled. She didn't actually expect anyone to be there. Furthermore, it was someone she knew.

"Geeze, you startled me." Diana said her heart pounding. Was it her or was there something different about him?

"I'm sorry..." Darien's tone wavered slightly. "I just-"

He turned away, willing the sad look onto his face, as he trembled slightly. "I just- I don't know what to do."

He sank onto the floor, his knees hitting the tiles with barely a crunch.

She should just finish her rounds and leave him there. They were broken up really. She didn't need to get involved with whatever his problem was. And she was going to tell him so.

"I..."

Or not. She just couldn't. She still had feelings for him and the helpless way he looked just pulled on her heartstrings.

"What's wrong?" She said carefully kneeing by him.

Darien flinched, turning his face away from her.

"Please...it's horrible...I'm...horrible." He curled up into a ball, still crouching on the floor.

"...Someone stabbed me with something...I don't remember...and I woke up and I was burning!"

Injecting fear into his features he swung round to face her, deliberately keeping their faces close. "Diana...I'm a vampire!" Tears welled in his eyes, and he showed his fangs.

Diana gasped and recoiled in shock. He was a vampire? She couldn't believe it.

But it was true. He was paler than usual, his fangs and that would explain the difference she felt in him earlier.

But... oh it all seemed unreal. She saw him at dinner today and he was perfectally normal.

"You aren't horrible Darien." She put his hand on top of his. Cold as ice. In her surprise she pulled it back immediately.

Darien forced his lip to wobble. "See! I am horrible!"

He seemed to pull himself together.

"Anyway, I just had to see you to say...goodbye."