Ravenna couldn't remember how she'd gotten back to school. The one thing that filled her mind was the face of that man, lying lifeless and broken in the grass. Broken by her.

She'd never forget that face, blood covering the old scars that decorated his skin. Or the way his arms and legs bent unnaturally. Or those eyes, staring into the distance.

It brought her worst nightmares back to life. Her worst memories. Those eyes... She'd seen them before. She'd seen that same dull lifelessness in her mother's eyes, all those years ago.

Ravenna had been angry. She couldn't remember why. It couldn't have been anything big; she was only six. But it was the first time she'd felt the rage tear through her veins like that. Tears streamed down her face, and her throat hurt from screaming. Her mum had kneeled down in front of her and whispered something. She couldn't remember the words, but she could still see her mum sitting in front of her, looking into her eyes.

That's when it happened. The magic had lashed out, sending her mother flying out of the room. She'd smashed into the banister, only to tumble down the stairs, bashing her head on the steps. Her dad had rushed over to help, tried to stop the bleeding, to save her, but it was too late. She'd been dead instantly.

And now she'd done it again.

Ravenna hated herself for it. She loathed her power. And she despised her own lack of control.

"Well, isn't this a great start to our holidays," someone grumbled nearby.

Ravenna lifted her head. She sat on the floor of an empty classroom with her back against the wall. Dan and Ezra sat on desks, with their feet on the chairs. Willem had found a spot in the windowsill, while Ella paced around in front of them.

"Do you think he's been found yet?"

Ravenna had never seen the girl so pale. She wrung her hands, watching the boys wide-eyed as she waited for an answer.

"I don't think he's there anymore," Willem squeaked.

"What?" said Ezra. "What makes you say that?"

Willem pointed out the window. "Those boys, they're in level four. They were in the pub as well and they're coming back now. They had to have come across that... man, but do they look like they just saw a dead body?"

"Huh," said Ezra, looking over his classmate's shoulder. "You're right. He was in the middle of the path. They can't have missed him."

"What, you think someone t...t..." Dan sighed in annoyance. "You think someone got rid of the body?"

"Or something," Ezra muttered.

"Maybe he wasn't really dead?"

"No one could have survived that, Ella."

"That man." Ravenna's voice came out raspy, but four pairs of eyes shot towards her. "That man on top of the hill. He was watching. Smiling. He was..." She pulled both her hands through her hair.

"Did you say... smiling?" Ella gasped. "That's awful!"

"More like grinning, I guess... You didn't see it?"

"We saw him, but he was too far away to see his face clearly," said Dan. "Do you know who he was?"

"No idea. I've never seen him before." Ravenna shook her head, staring down at the tiled floor beneath her boots. Her voice trembled when she added, "I'm going to Azkaban, aren't I?"

The silence that followed told her plenty.

Azkaban. The most terrible place in all of Great-Britain – perhaps even the world. It was the magical prison guarded by dementors, creatures that sucked the joy out of people. It fed on every bit of happiness you had inside you, leaving nothing but depression and despair, until only an empty shell, a shadow of your former self, remained.

She'd heard once that dementors caused you to relive the greatest regrets and most terrible things you've done in your life. If even half of that was true, she would never survive Azkaban.

"It was self-defence, Ravenna," said Dan eventually. "He attacked us. You protected all of us. We'll tell them that."

We'll tell them that when they come for you, a taunting voice in her head finished Dan's sentence. And come for you they will. They can't let a monster like you roam free.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Her friends continued their conversation, but she couldn't focus on the words. The dead eyes of the werewolf drowned her mind, overtaking all her senses.

How could this have happened? she kept asking herself. How could I let the magic murder someone... again? Why did nobody stop me? Why was that guy just standing there, watching?

The questions rolled on and on through her mind like waves of the ocean, fusing with the memories she tried so hard to suppress to create an overwhelming tsunami.

They'll throw me in Azkaban.

Time ticked by as she sat on the cold classroom floor, the voices of her friends going in one ear and out the other. At some point they talked about telling Slughorn, but seemed to decide against it. After all, what was the point if there was no body? One by one they all left to go to bed, until only she and Dan were left.

"Ravenna." Her best friend kneeled down in front of her and lay his hands on her knees.

As she looked into his beautiful, sea-blue eyes, the voice in her head said, He'd be so much better off if you'd never come to Morgan le Fay.

"It'll be alright. I promise."

She did her best to smile back at him, but the movement felt wrong on her lips. "Thanks, Dan."

"Come on, you need to get some sleep. I'll walk with you."

Ravenna shook her head. She didn't think she had the energy to walk all the way down to the dorms right now. "I'm fine here. Wouldn't be able to sleep anyway." Noticing the bags under his eyes, she added, "You should go to bed, though. You look like hell."

A chuckle escaped him. "Are you sure you're okay here?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. Promise. Go."

He stood up. "You'd better be in bed when I wake up."

"Alright, dad," she teased. It felt good, normal, to have him fuss over her. With all that had happened, it had been a while since they'd had a normal conversation.

Dan finally left and the classroom suddenly felt very cold and dark, with only the light of a few lanterns illuminating it. Through the window, the full moon looked down on her as if to taunt her. A grim reminder of what she had done.

Ravenna closed her eyes and lay her head back against the wall. She tried to clear her mind, but the jabbing voice in her head wouldn't let up. Still, it got easier to listen to after a while, as she grew numb from exhaustion.

She must've fallen asleep at some point, because when she opened her eyes again, the moon had made way for a weak, red sun peeking up over the horizon. For a moment she wondered what had woken her, but then the tapping on the closest window resumed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Ravenna yawned and wiped the sleep from her eyes as she got to her feet.

When she opened the window, the great horned owl stuck its foot out to her. She untied the letter attached to its leg and it immediately flew off again. Ravenna grumbled a grumpy, "Thanks," and sat back down on the floor.

Congratulations, the letter read. You have passed my Master's test.

Her jaw dropped. My Master's test? She didn't know about any test. How could she have passed a test without knowing she was taking one? Perhaps this letter was meant for someone else.

Curious, she read on. Our Lord has seen how powerful you are.

Our Lord. That's when it hit her. This was Alois' letter. His Lord, the Dark Lord, was the one who had seen her last night. The man who had watched as she killed that werewolf. She gasped. If this was a test... Could he have been the one who sent the werewolf after her? Just to see what she would do?

Had the whole thing been orchestrated? Horrified, Ravenna read on.

He has honoured you with a personal invitation to join us. He will call on you soon. Be ready.

As soon as she'd finished reading, she crumpled the parchment in her hands. Oh Merlin, what did I get myself into? Lord Voldemort himself was after her. She pressed her back against the wall to stop from shivering. She didn't even want to think about what he might make her do.

An invitation, Alois had called it. But she didn't expect to have any choice in the matter. If Lord Voldemort wanted her to do something, he'd make her do it.

How was she supposed to stop this? If she asked someone for help, Slughorn or even Dumbledore, she'd have to tell them she killed a man. They'd ship her off to Azkaban faster than she could say accident.

But doing nothing wasn't an option either. She didn't know when the Dark Lord would come for her, but it wouldn't be long. Time was running out.

In a wave of frustration, Ravenna threw the crumpled parchment to the floor, flicked out her wand and screamed, "Incendio!" The parchment burst into flames, burning down within seconds, until there was nothing left of it.

Yet it didn't make her feel any better. She could make the letter disappear, but Voldemort would be coming either way. If only she could make herself disappear. Whatever the Dark Lord had in mind for her, the world would be safer without her.

Ravenna jumped when the door swung open. Dan stood in the opening with a tray full of food in his arms.

"Morning!" he said. "You hungry?"

She swallowed, hiding her trembling hands behind her back and sticking her wand back in her pocket. For a short moment she considered telling Dan. Telling him everything. There wasn't anything he could do, but he might make her feel better. He always did.

Dan set the tray down next to her. He'd brought tea, along with a plate full of eggs, bacon, baked beans, and sausages. He stepped back hesitantly.

That was when she remembered their latest fight. The one they still hadn't talked through. He'd slipped her a potion to try and keep her safe. What would he do if he knew the darkest wizard of the century was after her? Besides, it would probably just end in another fight...

There was nothing he could do. What was the point in worrying him?

"Okay," said Dan. "I get it. You want to b-be alone. I'll, er... I'll be in the common room. Come and find me when you need anything, okay?"

Did she want to be alone? She wasn't sure. But as she stared down at the plate her best friend had so kindly brought her, she didn't get much of a chance to think it through. The door already fell shut behind him.

Hours and hours she spent watching the sun move across the horizon. By noon it disappeared from her window, but she still couldn't bring herself to get up. With every second that passed she became more and more convinced her powers were evil. They'd killed two people now, and it would have been more if she hadn't stopped it. And if her powers were evil, they could only be used for evil deeds.

Did that mean she herself was evil?

The sky outside her window was darkening, when the door swung open yet again. This time, it slammed against the wall, letting Ella tumble inside.

"Ravenna!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with worry. "Have you seen Willem?"

Ravenna's jaw dropped. "Willem? No, he hasn't been here. Why?"

Ella cupped her hands over her face. "He's gone, Ravenna," she cried. "We can't find him anywhere. Willem has disappeared."