The Next Generation

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Arthur had a few things running through his mind.

First, he wasn't sure why, but he felt it was a little too convenient that there was a shack available in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere.

Second, his previous doubts about Geneve had risen again. He knew that the Slytherins wouldn't have been taught such a powerful spell. So how did she know it? Did she already know how to use magic? Arthur, desperate to learn as many spells as he could, had gone through the Standard Book of Spells many times over, practising. That wasn't in there, he was sure.

She was starting to scare him, and he was not happy at being shut in a shack with her.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Geneve wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her shoulders. It was very cold - but it was a good thing they were all dressed for travel. Arthur had sat down at a table, and Liam had been placed in the only bed in the room. The shack was one big room, with a kitchen, bed and couch. Geneve scanned the room. Then she spotted a lantern, with some matches next to it. She struck the match and lit the lantern. She brought the lantern over to the table and sat down opposite to Arthur.
"So." she said. Arthur looked away.
"What's the matter?" she asked. She sensed that he was annoyed with her. "I'm... I'm sorry about earlier. I was just, sometimes things like that happen to me, where i just know what to do, and I do them without thinking." Arthur didn't respond. "You're not mad at me are you? I was only trying to save us!" Arthur still didn't speak.
"Fine." she said. "But in case you're wondering, I"m scared too. We are all in this together. I'm going to see if Liam's alright." she got up and dragged her chair over to the bed.

[*Riley*]

Liam awoke to someone poking him with what felt like a wand.

He jumped to his feet and started shooting all the spells he knew.

He felt dizzy from the light but he soon saw that the person who had awoken him was Geneve and all he could do was blush and sway silently on the spot.
The spinning sensation had only just left him when people rushed over and swarmed him with questions, but he heard the same noise, the same ear splitting noise, he noticed that a fellow first year was on the ground writhing in pain and in minutes he had joined in, it was unbearable.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

This was all crazy. He shouldn't be here. And now Liam was having another fit.

[*Riley*]

Liam stood up and looked over and saw Galena looking annoyed and anxious but he knew she ment well...

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Geneve felt very odd; as if she was outside herself. She picked herself up off the floor, but she still felt grounded. She could see herself standing up! It was like a dream. She watched herself straighten her robes, and then she noticed her face; it was an expression she did not recognise. She looked, distant, unkind, and thinking deeply. She was glancing around the room. Galena had come in, hearing the noise of Liam's spells. She was watching Galena closely. Arthur was between her and Liam, and he looked exhausted. Suddenly, while Galena was helping Liam, Geneve saw herself grab Arthur by the arm and pointed her wand into his back. "Shhhh... " she hissed in his ear. Geneve's heart dropped into her stomach. "No." she thought. What was going on? Arthur looked terrified, but then Geneve whispered something in his ear, and the next moment, he relaxed, turned his head toward her and nodded. They stood beside each other now, as if waiting for somehthing. Geneve nearly died from fright when someone touched her hand. She turned to look - Arthur was on the floor next to her! He looked confused and afraid, and she expected her look was the same, and then... she was standing up again, beside Arthur, watching Galena and Liam. She looked at Arthur. He noticed her staring at him, and decided to return the gaze. THere was something different; the colour? The way he looked at her? And then he smiled, and for some reason, Geneve felt compeled to smile back.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

"Who are you?" Geneve asked. She felt a bit surprised, but it seemed the right question. Arthur smiled wider.
"We're all here now, aren't we? Everything is going exactly to plan." Arthur's voice was strange. "He'll be looking for us, I think we should make a fire." Arthur wandered over to the fireplace and started setting up the kindling. Geneve starred after him.
"Who's looking for us? Arthur what's the matter with you?" Geneve pulled at Arthur's shoulder, accidently knocking him to the floor.
"Get off!" he yelled. "I've had enough of you! You stay away from me!" He edged back on the floor, stood up, and stalked over to Galena. LIam and Galena stopped talking and looked at Geneve suspiciously.

[DucksRMagical]

Galena was sick of the first years squabbling. She was trying to concentrate forming a plan of how to figure out where exactly they were, and how they were going to find Valencia. What Galena really wanted to do was go back outside, in her beagle form, and sniff around for clues. But she was worried about what the first years would do to each other if she left them alone. Leaving three students alone, with wands, for even a few minutes was a disaster in the making. Throw in the fact that they were already fighting with each other, something bad was sure to happen.

"Could you three please quiet down a bit?" Galena said sternly as Arthur ran to her side. Arthur and Geneve seemed to be riding each other's nerves the most. Galena had no idea what started it this time. She glanced at Geneve, but couldn't figure out what it had been. "I really need to think about what's going on. If you three want to help, it would be best for you to just settle down."

Galena walked over to the only window in the shack and gazed out it. In the far distance, she could just make out a house across the field. It looked to be a rather big house. If only she could go investigate it. She pushed on the window to see if it would open. It did. She stuck her wand out and murmured a spell. Galena was trying to find out if the wolves were anywhere in the vicinity, but the spell informed her that they were indeed gone. She walked around the rest of the shed, performing a variety of spells to see if she could find out where they were exactly.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Arthur didn't seem to be himself. He was hearing his thoughts, but they weren't in his voice as they normally were.

When Galena was leaning out of the window, for some strange reason he felt a twinge of annoyance. For the same strange reason he saw himself taking his wand out of his pocket, pointing it at the professor, and screaming a few short words in a violent outburst. Somehow, his wand was generating a powerful blast of light. As the wand holder, he was thrown two metres backward by the force of the outburst. Galena turned, but she was too late. She was hit square in the chest and collapsed to the floor.

Oddly, he heard Geneve laughing at him.

"Good work," she said.

Arthur nodded, and felt his face pulled into a smile.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Liam was in shock, but he quickly went for his wand.
"Not this time." Geneve heard herself say, and in one action she stepped forward and disarmed him. She slapped him hard across the face and he fell to the ground. Then she crouched to the floor beside him. Liam looked up into her face with loathing. He wiped his lip, it had started to bleed.
"Oh come now, don't look at me like that." Geneve said sadly. She felt a knot build in her guts. She felt her own feelings pushing through. Standing so close to him, she felt dizzy and dreamy. But whoever was there with her in her mind was angry with this emotion. She felt tears start to form in her eyes.
"That's enough!" she felt her hands wipe viciously at her eyes. "Pathetic!" She couldn't help but cry now; Liam's power and the reality of what was happening pushed through whatever curse was on her. She felt herself stand up, pocket Liam's wand and retreat across the room.

[*Riley*]

Liam was stil laying on the ground with a sore jaw and bleeding lip, no one helped him and when he lookd to his right he saw the teacher in a heap..

He stood up in a pathetic attempt to fight , raised his fists and ran towards
Geneve and tackled her to the ground, wrestling with a girl was harder than he thought, the curse that he had put on her wasn't ment to last this long.. he wrestled his wand out of her pocket and shouted a defensive spell.

"PROTEGO!"

It was a if Geneve and arthur were being pushed back by wind they flew towards the back wall and Liam noticed a small cut above Arthurs eye.

He revived Galena with a spell that they had learned in DADA and they fought side by side.

The shock on Arthur & Geneve's face was furious they knew they were no match for a teacher.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Geneve stood up, pulled out her wand and prepared to attack. Her heart was racing; didn't they see she was mad? What person in their right mind wouldn't surrender by now. She fired a curse from her wand, and dodged another that returned. She weaved around the furniture in the room. Finally, she was face to face with Liam, and their curses collided, sending the cabin into a blinding light. Geneve held on; it was like trying to control a live power cable. Then she heard Galena behind her.
"Stop!" she screamed. Liam and Geneve held their ground. Geneve suddenly felt her legs go from under her, and the curses released with a loud bang. She was lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. Galena kicked Geneve's wand away, and knelt down beside her. She checked her eyes. "I think there's a curse on her. I have to check a few things. Liam, go and make sure Arthur doesn't try to attack us again."

[DucksRMagical]

Galena quickly picked up Geneve's wand and stowed it in her pocket. She wasn't exactly sure what was happening to the students, but she knew they were not themselves. She hadn't been able to figure out what it was, but it was looking like Imperius. Hmm, she thought, best to take away Arthur's wand before he hurt someone. "Expelliarmus!" she shouted at Arthur. His wand quickly flew out of his hand and landed in hers.

She bent down next to Geneve and performed a few spells. She was definitely out cold, which could actually be a good thing considering how she had been attacking them earlier. Galena was never very good at healing spells, but she performed a few simple ones to fix the cuts on Geneve's face. As she was doing this, she heard a loud bang behind her and she turned around quickly, brandishing her wand.

The headmaster was standing in the doorway, looking a bit shocked at the scene before him. "I'm sorry I couldn't go with you right away, but I had to inform the other teachers what was going on."

"That's all right," Galena replied, her heart beating fast, "You just gave me a nasty shock, that's all."

"Quite understandable," he responded, "But what's going on here?"

Galena told the headmaster about what happened, and he strode over to Geneve. "Hmm," he performed a few spells, "I'll need a bit of time to find out what's wrong. Why don't you go, explore, if you know what I mean?" he winked.

Perfect! Galena thought. She was going to get to sniff around the field and find out where they were. Galena was finally going to be able to do something to help find Valencia. "That sounds like a brilliant idea," Galena grinned. She left the little shack and immediately turned into a beagle after she shut the door behind her.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

"You're more impulsive than you realise Geneve. " The headmaster leaned over her. He picked up her hand and went straight for her ring. He tried to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge. Geneve groaned, and then sat up slowly.
"Easy..." said the headmaster. Geneve looked around. Everything was terribly blurry.
"What's happened?" she said.
"Watch it Headmaster..." Liam warned. "She might try to attack us again."
"Without her wand, I think we'll be ok." the Headmaster returned his gaze to Geneve. "Now, I think it would be best if you removed that ring."
Geneve looked at the ring on her finger. The snakes coiled around her slender index finger, and the eyes on the snake were rubies. Geneve pulled at the ring; it slipped off easily. As soon as it did, Arthur seemed to have found his tongue.
"She's mad! She did something, and i couldn't control myself! What the bloody hell is going on! Owww... my head hurts. What is happening?" Arthur was rambling.
"Calm down boy, ' the Headmaster said sternly. "There are forces at work here that you do not understand. What I will tell you is this; there is a plot to bring the dark Lord Voldemort back. And it would seem that the ingredients he need are somewhere inside each of you. And this, " he said, holding up the serpent ring, "Was Voldemort's way of reaching out to his grand-daughter. He believed that if you have his blood, you would have the same drive for evil that he does."

[*Riley*]

Liam stodd there rooted to the spot, the headmaster had just burst in the door and nowGelena was gone he didn;t trust anyone..

"Wha-what do you mean , what does Voldemort want with me ? I have no relation to him"

He was horrified that this was happening...