Someone suspected the real intentions behind her covert activities in the castle. Would he be able to figure out she was brewing a potion that was the only thing keeping her alive? What would his actions be if he indeed found out?

She tried not to think of the answers. She tried not to think, all in all.

Instead, she tried to focus on the elements, on nature. The shadows of night that had always been one with her heart and spirit. Kanjou's surname for her meant "light" but he knew as well as she did that Shinrei thrived in the shadows.

"Yau." Night rain. She looked at the purplish black evening sky and said one of her very favourite words, one of her very favourite things.

Night rain.

A sudden sizzling of magical energy coursed all around her, causing Shinrei to gasp and look around warily. Not *another* surprise visit from Kanjou's ninjas. She could sense ki, life-energy, nearby, though still garbled from the much stronger wave that had just occurred.

She took out her wand, pointed it at the source of the energy--a clump of trees, bushes and wild growth a good distance away-- and said very clearly: "Kasen-mi."

Bright light in the form of intangible golden arrows shot out from the end of her wand and encircled the target, hovering and illuminating.

It was then that she spotted two people on the other side of the clump of trees, one of them very likely the cause of the magical energy wave: Mahou Amberstone and Professor Snape.

Professor Snape looked up sharply at the intrusion of the light.

"Enough!" he snarled. With his wand he dispersed the illumination.

Glaring in Shinrei's direction he said acidly, "Miss Hikari now where do you imagine you are heading at this time of night?"

*******

Luis nearly died from trying not to laugh out loud at the sight they presented: an unsmiling darker-than-thou Potions Master and an impressionable, emotional, sweet teenaged girl. Taking a moonlit stroll.

Of course, he was pretty sure that wasn't exactly /it/, but the mere thought was so amusing he couldn't resist entertaining the sheer (im)possibility: Snape and Mahou.

He had opted for the walk at the Quidditch field. He missed the place, more so when he saw it again for the first time after three years, dappled with pale moonlight and sparkling with puddles from the rain that happened earlier that evening.

On his way back, he glimpsed Snape and Mahou walking back to the castle, half-hidden from his sight by the shadows cast by the trees. They were taking a clear path--he wasn't. He was also sure Snape was in a very testy mood; Luis could see the furrowing forehead of his favourite teacher that indicated he was very nearly at the edge of his patience especially when Mahou took a detour into the ring of mushrooms for a dance.

Things got even better when someone "crashed" the odd couple's moonlit stroll. That someone being Shinrei Hikari, who appeared with a very dazzling blast of light--her illumination spell almost looked like an /attack/.

He heard Snape's snarling voice: "Miss Hikari now where do you imagine you are heading at this time of night?" She was going to be in BIG, FAT TROUBLE.

It took Luis three long strides to step into Snape's line of vision. "Sir, that would be the Quidditch field. I had thought she was going to back down from my challenge to a wizard's duel. Apparently not."

"Challenged her to a wizard's duel?" Snape looked as though Christmas had come early. "Your little vacation from study appears to have effected your memory Mr. Verga. Have you forgotten that duelling is strictly forbidden outside of the Duelling class? This will cost both Gryffindor and Slytherin...." he swung around on Shinrei, "if it is true. What say you to this Miss Hikari?"

The look in his eye promised that this was likely to cost the participants as well.

Mahou couldn't believe what was happening.. there were two more people now: Shinrei, whom she didn't know, and Luis, whom she knew the secret of. She stepped out of the Faery Ring and promptly kissed the ground again with her knees. She was too weak to walk. ~*Ye shouldna done tha', ye foolish girl,*~ she chided herself in elfin. Her whole body was shaking as she thought of the points she might lose for Gryffindor.. and it was barely her first night at Hogwarts.

Mahou had seen the flash of light, oh yes she had, and it had hurt her eyes immensely. Out in the dark like this, when her eyes glowed a little, she was very sensitive to the sudden lights that might come up. Shinrei's little light show had caused temporary blindness in the half-elf girl. Not to mention her own lights that someone with the Sight could have caught.

The Irish girl didn't look up, she didn't move, for she couldn't. If she tried to move, she'd fall down again. This had happened before, and it wasn't pretty. She knew that she must look terrible to the others, falling down to her hands and knees after standing in a mushroom ring. So she tried to climb to her feet, gritting her teeth and willing herself up. She didn't know what to say.. losing points for Gryffindor.. forgetting about meeting Nimue earlier.. not mentioning Luis by name.. She didn't know where to start. What was she going to do? Blackfoot knew exactly what *she* was going to do.

She leapt away from Mahou, right at Luis. Blackfoot knew Luis and liked him, thought of him as a friend. She began circling his feet, barking noisily, her puffy tail standing straight horizontal. Mahou needed help, and Blackfoot didn't think Snapey-poo was the one to get it from.

Knowing what her pet was doing, Mahou yelled to her in elfin, not really keeping her head in her momentary state of panic. Blackfoot ignored the girl and grabbed at Luis's robe hem with her teeth.

"A wizard's duel.." Mahou whispered, switching back to English, "why in all the worlds..." She was standing now, but barely, her body shaking with the obvious effort of the simple task to keeping upright.

She looked from Snape, to Shinrei, to Luis, to Blackfoot, and back to Snape, her own brow furrowing in a lousy impression of the Potions Master. She was confused on why Snape was outside, why Shinrei and Luis were going to have a duel.. and why did she have to wander to the forest? She could feel each spirit of each blade of grass beneath her shoes; and she knew that that wasn't a good sign. She was incredibly weak and tired. But she couldn't fall over again.. she just.. couldn't..

That was easier said than done. No sooner had Mahou taken a step towards the castle, did she fall again, slamming to the ground hard on her knees, crying out at the impact. She continued to topple, but caught herself with her hands. ~You're supposed to stay in the ring to regain some strength, dufus,~ she thought to herself. She decided to just stay where she was, and see what happened.

Meanwhile, the spirit of the tree grew lonely, and Blackfoot continued to implore Luis's help, or just succeed in annoying the poor lad.

Mahou's fall caused him to exhale a sigh - the sort of sigh that said - 'yes, yes I should have seen that one coming'.

"Miss Amberstone, I assure you that an attack of the vapours will not defer my punishment for your friend, Mr. Verga. Are you able to stand or do you need medical assistance?"

At the same time he flicked his wand in the direction of the castle sending a summons to Mahou's prefect to attend him.

Mahou dreaded what she was going to say next, but it was the truth.. "I cannae stand, m'Lord Snape," she told him, not looking up, her voice choked with emotion. She didn't want to tell him an explanation just yet.. she didn't want Shinrei overhearing.

"I'm sorry, m'Lord Snape," she said, her voice sailing into the ground beneath her, "I'll nae go near th' Forbidden Forest without Hagrid wi' me, Sir." Her elbows were beginning to shake, but she refused to fall the rest of the way to the ground. ~*At least.. not where ye can see me,*~ she muttered softly in elfin.

*******

In the interim Nimue had assisted Jon Sinclair in shepherding new students to Gryffindor Tower. There was no sign that Mahou had gone up independently and Nimue was starting to get a little concerned about the half-elf's whereabouts.

Had she gone off to the Forbidden Forest as had tried to do during her previous visit?

Nimue had started to head back out the portrait hole when Yvette looked up from her comfortable spot on a couch in front of the fire. "Wait for me, Nimue, I need fresh air!" She called out cheerfully, and came back in a whirlwind of pink mittens, coat, and hat.

She grinned irresistibly and clapped her mitten-clad hands together. "To the aide of a fellow Gryffindor!" She declared, and vaulted out of the portrait.

*******

Shinrei looked sharply at Luis. What was he trying to do--take the blame for her? Receive all the punishment that was meant for her carelessness and seeming lack of respect for school rules?

"Sir," she said to Professor Snape, her stance very certain and her eyes steady, "I am afraid to say I am at fault here. I had every intention to take a walk tonight and suspected that a certain magical energy wave was caused by the same people who attacked me aboard the train. I did not think before retaliating."

She cast another short glance at Luis and, just as quickly, looked away. His gray eyes, as always, had the same disconcerting effect on her.

"I do not know what Mister Verga speaks about, Professor."

Snape looked between Shinrei and Luis, then back to Shinrei.

"Miss Hikari - it may amaze you to discover that the world does not revolve around you or that every expression of magical energy is directed at you, needs to be attended to by you or is in fact any of your business. I have heard about your 'exploits' on the train.

Your 'attackers' were nothing of the sort but some sort of ritualistic display, which exhibited a flagrant disregard for the circumstances and of the sovereign magical rights of this country. Now I suggest you begin to practice a little more self-restraint!"

He then turned to Luis. "Mr. Verga, Miss Hikari obviously does not appreciate your attempt at gallantry so I will assume on this occasion that no duel was planned."

Of course, by this time Shinrei had decided to attend to Mahou. …

Shinrei then rushed over to Mahou and knelt down on the ground beside the very unsteady-looking girl. She instinctively placed a supporting arm at the girl's back and bade her straighten.

"Mahou. The energy wave was from you, was it not? Something with kami--powerful nature beings, spirits in trees and all life..."

She smiled reassuringly at the girl, forgetting Snape and Luis in her concern. "If you will allow me, I could attend to you right now. I have experience in these sorts of conditions."

Mahou looked at Shinrei with her strange, glowing eyes. She straightened a little, her legs shaking almost violently with the effort. "I cannae stand.." she said, and looked to the Forest, longing to go back there and lean against the tree, soaking in its ancient energy. "The magick wasna from.. me.. per se."

She quirked her mouth and looked up at Snape, quickly looking away before he saw the emotion in her eyes. She hated when people saw her so weak. She just wanted to run away.. into the woods.. but she could barely move, let alone run.

~*How could I ha'e been so stupid,*~ Mahou once again chided herself. She didn't like this at all and fought to climb to her feet without the aid of Shinrei. She gritted her teeth and kept her weird eyes forward, clenching her pale fists and taking a very shaky step. She wavered on her feet, but caught herself somehow, staying upright.

Taking another step, Mahou pitched forward, landing face-first in the dirt, not catching herself, not crying out.. just falling. She had given all she had in those last few steps.. and now she was motionless, but still conscious. She groaned and turned her head to breathe, closing her eyes tight against the embarrassment.

"Kami-sama," Shinrei breathed, running forward. She had not expected the other girl to be so weakened by just one "communion" with spirit-energy.

As she moved closer to the Irish girl, she could still hear laboured breathing. Mahou was still conscious. That was a reassuring enough sign--not good, but still reassuring.

She quickly turned the girl over, one arm cradling her by the shoulders. "You need help, Mahou-chan." She absently placed her wand on the ground and held her right hand, palm open, over the girl's dirt-stained face. The wand would only get in the way. Wandless was better. "I can give you healing to sustain your life-force."

Shinrei's hand traced the air above Mahou's face and magically cleaned the mud off the girl's face. Mahou would be able to breathe better.

"I will begin the transfer of ki." She took a deep breath and readied herself for the transfer of life-energy. "Just relax. This will make you stronger."

"Miss Hikari - desist immediately!"

Snape bridged the gap between himself and the two girls. "This child is suffering from nothing more than magical drunkenness after her little 'dance' within the fairy ring. YOU are not to perform any sort of unauthorised transfer of energy with her - do you understand?!"

With that Snape stepped between them, scooped Mahou up and thrust her in the direction of Luis Verga.

"All of you inside - NOW..... Verga ...the Infirmary!" He glared balefully at Shinrei Hikari almost defying her to do or say something, which would give him grounds to discipline her.

Mahou couldn't say no to the transfer of energy, for physical reasons that she was unable to talk at the moment. But the sudden interjection of Snape surprised her to no end.

Her world seemed to lift higher than the tallest tower of Hogwarts as Snape lifted her. She could have flown away on invisible wings had she that ability. The feel of his arms supporting her made Mahou feel like she had everything in the world, everything that anyone could ever dare to want: she had it all. For a brief second the half-elf felt that everything would go as it should: that she would get good marks in potions like she had at Cerrydwin's, that she would help Luis with this problem, and that she would be accepted as a half-elf. She nearly smiled in spite of herself, but stopped.

Then she was passed to Luis. She couldn't really complain. He was a nice boy, and the only one who truly knew what she was, and what she had endured at Cerrydwin's. So she settled in, in her mind anyway, and recalled the feeling of Snape holding her. She was almost totally limp, and didn't weigh all that much. She just watched the world around her, her eyes straying to Snape from time to time, just to relive that moment of happiness.

~*Inside me there is a flower,*~ Mahou muttered in elfin, her lips barely moving, the language like a song to Luis, who would be the only one able to hear it, ~*bloom, flower, and help me regain some energy. Tree that I has spoken to.. help me. Please.*~ She sighed softly as she felt the ancient energy of the tree soak into her, but only a little since it was so far away. She silently thanked the tree and waited to see what happened next.

Luis deftly caught Mahou with one arm as she was thrown his way by Snape. Using his free arm, he tugged the hem of his robes away from the teeth of Blackfoot the Fox.

"I gotcha," he said to the girl, "don't worry." He lowered his voice. "Bet you anything being as patient as he is now took a heckuva lot of work." He gave her a quick smile and adjusted her small frame in his arms.

Following Snape's lead back toward the castle, he said to the teacher, "There really was no duel, sir. Though I'm looking forward to having one with someone like her." He winked at Mahou and glanced meaningfully over his shoulder at Shinrei.

What was the deal with Shinrei? She could have let him take all the blame for the bogus duel challenge. He was pretty sure /his/ punishment would not be so severe--he just challenged a snotty, more-superior-than-thou Gryffindor. It was kind of an honour in itself. He would bet Snape would find the idea amusing, at the very least.

*****

Yvette's enthusiasm was contagious even if Nimue was more soberly attired in her school cloak and gloves.

"I must say Yvette little chance of us not being seen in the grounds with those colours. Still this is an 'official' mission to find a classmate so it won't matter if we are seen."

The two girls headed downstairs and outside. At this point Snape's summons reached Nimue. She slightly paled as the magical bubble popped by her ear.

"Oh dear that was from Professor Snape gain. I hope Mahou hasn't gotten into any trouble. She's a very sweet thing but I can't imagine Snape being receptive to her way of looking at the world."

Naturally Nimue would not break the confidence that Mahou was mixed race - elf and human. It was something the other girl had to broach with her dorm-mates in her own time. Nimue was confident though that no one would reject the Irish girl for this heritage. It was Mahou though who needed to come to that appreciation.

They could see in the distance a small party approaching the castle. .... the tall figure of Severus Snape clearly in the lead.

Nimue left the shelter of the castle with Yvette presumably following though once they spotted it was Snape in the lead of the party she wouldn't have been surprised if Yvette had discovered she had business 'elsewhere'.

Meeting them halfway, and seeing that a pale Mahou was being carried by Luis Verga, she cast a quick questioning look in their direction. She also noted Shinrei was with the party before turning her attention fully to Professor Snape.

Nimue addressed the Potions Master. "Professor, is Mahou all right? I had noted she was absent from Gryffindor Tower after the Feast and Yvette and I were on our way to see if we could locate her when your summons arrived."

******

Jian Hupi had already gone up to his new room at Gryffindor Tower when the black owl swooped straight into the window and hooted loudly at him.

"Makura." It was Shinrei's owl. He looked at the doorway. None of the others had been there yet. He had opted to go upstairs early and unpack so he could start reading the schoolbooks.

He spoke rapidly in Chinese. "Is she in trouble again? Can you take me to her?"

Makura hooted twice in what was unmistakably the affirmative. Jian was amazed that Shinrei's owl could understand. But then, nothing about the girl or her possessions were ordinary.

Jian reached into his robes and pulled out the contracted bo staff. He released the contraption that made the long wooden staff appear. "Let us go then."

He took out his wand, drew a complicated character before Makura's large eyes and tapped the tip of the wand against the bo staff. His uncle had forbidden him to use the staff's powers but Xian was nowhere near within a thousand-mile radius.

He and Makura were consumed by the swirling of time and space. When Jian blinked and drew a breath, he was standing beside Shinrei, Makura nervously digging his talons into Jian's shoulder.

Snape looked at Nimue, a touch of irritability in his voice. "Thank you for answering my summons, Miss Hawkwood. Your concern is noted, but I believe Miss Amberstone is fine," he said. "Nothing that a good night's sleep instead of sneaking around the Forbidden Forest won't cure." He managed to insert a certain inflection on the word 'Forbidden' that made it seem just that. "Please escort her back to her dormitory."

When Jian popped into existence before his eyes, a slow smile spread across his face. He walked across to the boy and plucked the staff out of his hand before he could react.

"Well, now," he said, inspecting the item. "This doesn't look like your average..." A strange expression quirked the sides of his lips. "...stick. I believe I will have to confiscate this, Mr Hupi. We have rules here at Hogwarts, and it seems that all of you are too full of your own importance to pay heed to them. What a marvellous coincidence that you are all Gryffindor. You can share the burden of the sixty points that I am removing from your house for flagrant disregard of rules."

He began to walk away. "I will be speaking to the Headmaster about all of this, you may be assured," he said, coldly. "Mr Hupi, your...stick...will be ready for you to collect at the end of term and not before. Oh - and I will be checking in ten minutes that you have returned to the dormitories. If you have not done so, I will take another thirty points. Do I make myself crystal clear?"

With that, Severus Snape disappeared into the gloom of the night.

Nimue watched the retreating back of the Potions Master not feeling particularly happy about the loss of 60 points from Gryffindor on Day 1 of the school year.

Snape's 'full of your own importance' remark had stung even though she knew it wasn't directed at her specifically. Still she remained impassive. She turned to Luis and Mahou, "Thank you Mr. Verga for your assistance. Perhaps if Mahou isn't strong enough to walk upstairs Jian may assist her from here. It might be best for you to return to Slytherin - Professor Snape is quite capable of deducting points from Slytherin as well."

"Mahou.....?" Nimue said quietly.

"Kami-sama." Shinrei's disbelief, regret and pain were expressed in that single word.

Her mistaking Professor Snape and Mahou to be ninja attackers. Jian being brought to her side by Makura--she could very well read the expression in her owl's eyes. Sixty points deducted from Gryffindor on their first day.

It was all getting too much to take. Almost. But still she could hear herself speaking. "This is all my fault. Everything. I..." Her voice trailed off as she looked at everyone around her. Makura hooted sympathetically from his perch on Jian's shoulder.

"Gods. I should not have gone out. Should not have sought to intervene in anything." Her eyes met Jian's and the half-stunned look on the boy's face said more than a thousand words ever could.

"Makura would have never gone to you if I was not, no, if I *did not get myself* in trouble," she said to him, her voice almost pleading. "Jian." For the second time that day, she spoke his first name with sudden familiarity. "I am so sorry."

She glanced at the faces of each of her fellow Gryffindors, her roommates, unable to say anything further. But the pained look in her eyes conveyed more than enough. She was very, very sorry and she was ready to take any punishment they might want to throw her way.

Shinrei turned and walked towards the castle, not sparing at backward glance. She wanted to cry. But she would not cry. Not in front of them. Or anybody else, for that matter.

There wasn't really anything that Nimue could have said at that point to make Shinrei feel better. The girl did pretty much come and go as she pleased - that had been obvious in the few weeks she had already spent at Hogwarts and the number of times her dorm-mates had noted she hadn't been with them.

If this was the first time she'd been caught then she'd been very lucky. Plus, none of them were angels but the trick was not getting caught and especially not getting caught by Snape.

"Yvette, maybe you should try to catch up with her." she said to the pink clad girl then turned back to Mahou to see how she was faring.

If Jian was surprised by Professor Snape confiscating his bo staff, he was much more so when Shinrei apologised to him so...emotionally.

He had not expected someone like her to say something so unstructured, so straight from the heart. He had expected her to be as impassive as she had been on the train, but now she seemed much more vulnerable.

When Nimue addressed the other Gryffindor girl Yvette and bade her to follow Shinrei, he spoke up: "No. I will follow her, Miss," he said quickly.

He did not think about the girl Luis Verga was carrying, if she needed his help like Nimue had said. "We will return upstairs."

He ran after Shinrei and caught up with her halfway to the front doors.