"Come on then." said Sarah.

Raphael was very warm to the touch but she wasn't going to try to force him to see the School Nurse. Once he was upstairs, Nathaniel could help her see if he was hurt.

She was deeply anxious to see Nathaniel to make sure he was all right as well. She looked at the stairs - well this was going to be fun.

The trip up the stairs was long, admittedly, climbing up to the tower, slipping in, and Raphael wasn't really aware of much. He was in that place where when you walk, it's not about where you are going or what you pass, its about the floor under your feet, and the endless motion, one two three, step step step. On and on, up and up.

And the close presence of Sarah was just enough to keep him going.

But then, as soon as they made it into the common room, and he turned to Sarah, absently kissing a thank you on to her cheek, he staggered towards the fire and sat on the rug in front of it, shivering and shaking like a beast in pain. He could see Nathaniel, right there.

Nathaniel was in a chair, looking. Just looking. Raphael, in the split second he had by the fire before Nathaniel responded, knew that the other was as freaked as he was... but... as the friendly presence of the common room revived him... he realised...

He needed water. He was so thirsty. "Could - I have a - gl - glass of wa -ter?" he asked, through the shudders, and his fever burning eyes reflected his need. But - he needed - he needed - he - couldn't feel - later – later he'd have to -

Nathaniel was aware of nothing but the fire - the red gold fire in the hearth and the blue green fire in the heart - until he felt Sarah and Raph arrive in the common room; deserted by everyone curious to find out what was happening.

He blinked a long slow blink that drove the shadows from his eyes, and looked down at Raphael sitting on the rug. Nathaniel's gaze went straight to Raphael's left hand - never knowing quite why.

Raph's hand looked, for lack of a better word, mangled.

Nathaniel didn't know why, but he was relieved to see that he still had a hand at the end of his wrist to look mangled.

"I see you've gotten into a scrape or two since we last met." The words came easily to his lips, too easily; as though they had been said before and had been destined to be said again. He scooted down off the chair to sit companionably close to Raphael, concern in his green eyes. "Ah, Raphael.... you shouldn't have gone there. If you go there again, I fear it'll be the death of you."

He closed his eyes for a long moment. He didn't know what to do. The fear of helplessness washed over him.

Failure to help friends again.

Loss.

Heartache.

The labyrinth.

The beast that was his fear stalking him.

"Help me." he whispered so softly he didn't know if anyone heard him. "Help me, dammit..."

A rustle of white cloth, white feathers, blonde hair blowing in the breeze.

Nathaniel turned his head. Saw Sarah.

Jagged pieces in his mind started to click together. "The horse that was bone now is black." he murmured. "I give you health, without any fee. Say ouch, Raphael."

And for a little while, that which was Nathaniel Greenleigh went away.

When he came back, he was kneeling on the hearthrug with one arm around Raphael to steady him, and his other hand was wrapped loosely around Raphael's left wrist. Their robe sleeves were pushed back to the elbow. Raphael's hand was still bruised but there was a definite lack of 'mangled'.

Nathaniel felt weak. Dizzy. He knew what he had done.

He had plunged both their hands deep into the fire, into the flames that should have scorched and instead had soothed; their gentle caress healing and not hurting.

There wasn't so much as a speck of soot on either of their hands, far less the crisped effect that overcooked flesh usually acquired.

Healing fire.

"I'm afraid that I never got round to learning to heal properly." he found himself saying. "You ought to get this looked at properly, but that will have taken the edge off."

Who had put these words in his mouth?

Nathaniel did the only thing his mental state could cope with. He fainted.

*********

Zidane Summers made his way down from the Ravenclaw boys' dormitory, still in a daze. The broom-burning incident during Seeker trials had taken a lot out of him, as if he had ran a full marathon without
stopping.

He was extremely grateful that he wasn't injured, just badly shaken, resulting to him being released from the Hospital Wing after a dose of potion that would make him feel better.

The potion, as it turned out, made him sleep all through dinner.

Having just awakened, with red hair standing in all possible directions, he tried to find his way down to
the Common Room to ask around for sweets to calm his growling stomach.

He saw Sarah and Raphael. "'Evening, guys," he greeted them, yawning, "has anyone got some Chocolate-"

He forgot what he was going to say when he saw the person sprawled on the floor. "Nat?!? What's going on?"

To Raphael is was like some surrealists painting, a movement of stretching and gripping, then an area of twisted features, and then back into the understanding.

He'd struggled, for just a second, when Nathaniel had gripped and guided his broken left hand towards the flame, especially touching the torn muscles on his shoulder, but then -

Authority. Nathaniel radiated authority. And for a moment, Raphael knew that Nathaniel was the mage, and he the apprentice, and he yielded to the flame. However much the grounded rational part of him ranted.

After, it was like a fever had passed, and the events were blurred: a look from Sarah, twisted hands and memory departed beauty, touching flame to flame, fire to fire. Even as his hand plunged into the fire, the memory slipping as his eyes refocused on to the moment once again, all Raphael could remember was looking at Sarah, and seeing in her the incandescence of the pyre.

But then, he was back in the normal world, and Nathaniel was hitting the ground, and what little memory slipped again into the darkness, and Zidane was coming down the steps, and Raphael was very confused and very sore. His hand was a little better, his shoulder worse, but -

his mind sprung into action, trying to ignore the illogic of it all. "Zidane - he's fainted - I think just a bit of a reaction - we've had a bad night - he's a bit shook up - could you get us some water?" Then Raphael did a double take, and his mind caught up a little.

"You alright?" he asked Zidane, who he had only previously seen falling in a ball of fire to the ground. He seemed okay. It was remarkable. "Er... there is... sandwich... by a jug of water... up in our common room, on Nathaniel's bedside table thing... if you want to...?" he asked Zidane, before turning his attention back to Nathaniel.

"Should we put his feet over his head?" he asked Sarah, not really an expert at coping with this kind of thing.

It was as if Raphael had seen a ghost, Zidane thought as the other boy did a double take. He grinned sheepishly, hoping to lighten the atmosphere, making feeble gestures at trying to flatten his upright red hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I took a potion at the hospital wing, went back up here and went straight to sleep. Guess I missed dinner, huh?" Zidane turned and gave Sarah a wink. "I heard about the team results the moment I woke up. Congratulations, you two. And thanks for the rescue." He blushed slightly, thinking he looked goofy.

After one last attempt to flatten his hair, Zidane looked at Nathaniel more closely. "Sure I could fetch you the water, but may I suggest you bring him downstairs to the infirmary or something?" He shrugged and then half-grinned again. "It sure was an exciting day, huh? Well, okay, be back in a sec."

Sarah had watched Nathaniel handle the situation fascinated by the way in which he just took charge. She seemed herself to have passed for a few moments into almost a trance and something started to stir in the back of her mind at his strange words - and then slept again.

She had almost cried out when he had taken Raphael's hand and plunged their hands into the heart of the fire - but she did not. Rather she watched fascinated by the flames and by the magic which Nathaniel had wrought. Fire that did not destroy. Fire that healed. How?

Then it was over and Nathaniel had said something about getting Raphael's hand looked at properly and then had fainted away.

"Put his feet over his head? No, I don't think so Raphael. If he was sitting down and feeling faint we could get him to put his head between his knees but in this sort of situation...."

She went and sat close to Nathaniel and gently stroked his head while Raphael spoke to Zidane, "I think the water is a good idea but not to throw at him or anything. He'll come around in a minute... I hope."

Zidane nodded to his classmates and made his way back upstairs to fetch the water and the other stuff.

Raphael did his best to make Nathaniel comfortable, praying that he'd wake up, hoping, thinking, and waiting for Zidane to come back. For something to show on Nathaniel's face. Anything. Why had he fainted?

But then - Where was he?

Slowly, suddenly unaware of the fact that he was in the common room, Raphael let his stare glance around as if the place was new to him. And his shoulder was painful, both like rough cloth on a graze as well as if it had been wrenched apart. His hand hurt too, a dull ache like he'd had in his leg. All after breaking it when he was eleven, healing but still so aching painful.

And Sarah and he were with Nathaniel in the common room. And Nathaniel had fainted.

Raphael turned to Sarah. "Sarah - what's going on - what happened - we got on the team - but - then the lake - and then - what?" he asked her. He was about to go, trying to remember more, when his hands started snaking around his belt, trying to find something that wasn't there.

His pouch. "Where's my pouch? I had it a second - a minute - I had it just - "

My lonely love......
My lonely love......
What will happen to me...
What will happen to me...
When you are gone..

There was music in his heart, in his head, in his darkest dreams of the black horse and the apple tree knoll.

I'm frightened..
what will God do to me..
what will God do to me..
When I'm all alone...
Child....
I Won't be.
gone...
see I am with you so..

He was standing alone under the tree. The horse was cropping the grass idly a few paces away from him.

And in your soul..
the calling of you heart..
has brought me home..
Shall I kiss you free..
Shall I give you a taste..
of what I'm dreaming for..

There was a soft wind, a gentle breeze that tugged at his robes, played in his hair, rippled the grass at his feet and caressed the cornfields in the distance. For the first time there was more in this dream than just the apple tree knoll and the horse.

You are my....
Only love...
You are my...
softest love...
my....
only...
only... love.

And then he stirred, and woke, and left that place of trees and horses and cornfields far behind; and he opened his green eyes and saw in the same glance both Sarah and Raphael. And Nathaniel knew he was safe.

Our Raphael was somewhere else. Now doing something else, just then. In that moment before awoke. Before Nathaniel's soul was stirred. Him searching for a rough pouch lost. Here looking crimson dried blood wood. Away a darkness past locked tight. Away a darkness dark burn bright.

His fire did heal, his flame did soothe. His flame did call, away the brink. Therefore abyss a void did call. Before abyss its call did fail. Entreat the other to come home. Entreat the elder, old man's song. Come back to here the old man will. Come back to here our old man did.

Sarah looked at the boys and said quietly, "You both are shot through with a wild magic."

She then smiled, "Come on Raphael. You need that hand seen to. Bound up and some goo put on it. Nathaniel, will you stay here or come for walk with us?"

Zidane had groggily found his way upstairs to the dormitory. He remembered Raph mentioning something about a sandwich. Good, he could use one if ever there was extra.

But after a rather thorough search of the room, he could not see a single crumb. Sighing, he filled a large goblet with water from a pitcher and went back downstairs.

He was surprised and relieved to see Nathaniel awake. Zidane smiled and handed the water to him. "Here you go, Nat," he said, "looks like you need it."

*************

Once the excitement of the first day of term and the Quidditch trials had passed, the school quickly settled. The students both old and new began to settle down as well into the familiar routines.

Of course, there was still concern about some of the events of that night - such things are not forgotten with the dawning of a new day.

Professor Dumbledore had announced the next morning that the Forbidden Forest was to be regarded as 'strictly and utterly out of bounds'. Students caught there would be subject to disciplinary action as well as loss of House Points.

Shinrei Hikari remained in the Hospital Wing under the care of Madame Pomfrey and Professor Snape. Snape's potion kept Shinrei alive. However, she stayed unconscious.

**********

A day after the incident in the Forest, a very enraged Hades Lagrand reached Hogsmeade by Apparition and then went to Hogwarts where he met his son Nathan and had a thorough talk with him. Although most of the rather loud and hostile conversation was held in French, most people could guess it was about Nathan's participation in Quidditch.

As it turned out later, it also was about the things that happened in the Forest. A Hufflepuff who accidentally overheard a conversation between Dumbledore and Hades Lagrand quoted Hades, "Once more you have proven that this school is not safe for its pupils, and I have no choice but draw the consequences. I'm sure Morticia will like it at Beauxbatons since her twin sister is there - they enjoyed seeing each other so much during the last holidays. Nimue has barely started school, so the transfer will be easy for her. As for Nathan, he is obviously in for trouble. I should never have sent him here, knowing how much freedom the children get here when he really needs strict rules for his own benefit. I have engaged a private tutor who will ensure Nathan will finish his education as well as he can."

As Hades walked away, Dumbledore looked rather sad. Later he called the two older Lagrands to say good bye to them.

The day after, Hades left the school with his three children. The Slytherins had spent most of the night saying good-byes to Morticia and Nathan. Morticia was sobbing intensely, Nimue also sniffled and wiped some tears off her face. Nathan walked with tight lips. He looked very pale and furious and never once looked at his father, nor did he answer when spoken to.

A Ministry car was waiting for them in Hogsmeade and they left the area of the school. Drake Brixton, assistant teacher for Muggle Studies, looked very distressed at seeing them leaving. He watched until they were no longer visible, then went into the library and spent the next few weeks reading books and writing letters to Nathan unless he had to hold classes.