Sitting on the Hogwarts Grounds by a large tree, Zelie Shacklevolt scribbled furiously in her simple parchment notebook, quill flying across the pages. After last night, Zelie felt lighter then she had in weeks. However, the mounting evil of the Mørke burdened her shoulders once again. 

Zelie was so concentrated on her notes that when Jace, who had snuck up behind her, grasped her shoulders in an attempt to frighten her, she shrieked and tumbled down the grassy hill. Laughing, Jace walked over to help Zelie up, who simply whacked his arm and gathered her supplies up again. “That was not funny,” she crossed her arms, but a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Jace laughed. “Oh yes it was. If only you could have seen your face!” Jace let out another howl of laughter, followed by Zelie’s giggles. “I scared you so badly.” 

Zelie simply tossed her enormous amount of hair, smacking Jace square in the face. “You’re welcome!” she called, running toward the lake. Jace simply chuckled and followed her. Zelie smiled up at the blue-bird sky, where the July sun shone down upon them. 

Hogwarts was a year-round school with longer holidays, rather than how it had been when the famous Harry Potter had attended the school. Zelie slipped off her shirt, revealing a tight crop top that was cut a good few inches above her bellybutton. Jace raised his eyebrows, smirking slightly, but Zelie just shrugged. “I don’t have any good swim suits.” With a joyous cry, she kept into the lake, spraying water all over Jace. He sputtered, coughing and spitting. Zelie laughed, splashing him some more. 

Jace just frowned at her. “Was that really necessary?” Jace asked, shaking his head to get the water out of his hair.

Zelie laughed again. “Of course it was.” She then dove under the surface of the lake, still visible through the clear water. Jace simply watched her, a faint smile on his lips. She glided through the water with such ease, as if she was a creature of it’s own making. 

Zelie smiled, slicing through the water like a blade. That’s what she was. A blade, beautiful and deadly. Zelie clenched her fists at the thought. She was deadly, wasn’t she? Zelie didn’t know how, but she felt as thought a dark power coursed through her veins. A dangerous power.

“Zel?” Jace’s brow was furrowed as he watched Zelie. She was simply floating there, not moving one inch. Jace’s concern turned into panic, but soon faded when Zelie swam up for air. Jace ran over to her, panting slightly. “Oh my God, Zel, you scared me to death. I thought you were drowning! I thought you had died, I thought—” Zelie put her finger up to Jace’s lips, quieting him. 

“I’m okay. I was just thinking about something. I’m okay.” 

Jace frowned. “Did something happen?”

Zelie lowered her golden gaze, a lingering sadness returning to her face. “It doesn’t matter. C’mon, let’s go get lunch.” Zelie sprung out of the lake and dried herself off with a towel she had brought. The pair walked into the Great Hall, only to find it buzzing with voices, more so than usual. As Zelie passed the tables, she caught snippets of conversations.

“Did you hear? Lilly Bunns was—”

“They found her in the—”

“I wonder what happened—”

“Do you think-” 

Zelie raised her eyebrows at Jace, but he just shook his head. Zelie walked over to her usual spot and sat down, tapping Taylor’s shoulder. “Hey, what’s going on?” 

Taylor’s face was grave. “They found this girl, Lilly Bunns, plastered to the wall of the Charms classroom. She was dead. There was this black stuff all over her, and they say it was moving. Her body looked all decayed, I guess, like it had rotted there for a million years.” Zelie’s eyes widened. The Mørke had struck. She rushed over to Jace and grabbed his arm, dragging him over to the Hufflepuff table.

Calira Shacklevolt was pale as snow, eyes bleak and tired. Zelie grabbed her and dragged both her and Jace into the foyer. “The Mørke struck again.” Cali nodded weakly. 

Jace shook her arm. “Whats up with you?” Cali simply shook her head. 

Zelie shrugged, dismissing the peculiar behavior. “Something isn’t right here. The Mørke is not doing this on its own. Someone commissioned it.” Zelie’s gaze was clear as she stated the facts. Jace looked incredulous, obviously shocked that Zelie had figured that out so quickly. Cali simply shrugged, unfazed. Zelie frowned. “But who?”

Cali raised her head, eyes clearer. “Do you remember that speech that the Headmaster made after the Sorting?” Jace snorted, shaking his head in disgust, but Zelie was nodding, catching on. 

“It was about the Karnas. Something about them being there because of…” Zelie trailed off, lost in thought. Cali looked over at Jace, who simply looked away, not bothering to hide his disgust. Zelie didn’t notice, still thinking. Suddenly, she grabbed Jace’s arm. “Jace. Who was the boy you ran into that night? When you carried me back to my dorm after I fell asleep in the Library?” Jace smiled at the memory. Cali ducked her head, trying to hide her jealousy. 

“He said his name was Kaden Brown. He’s a first-year Slytherin. His eyes were just like yours,” Jace added with no small amount of concern.

Zelie bit her lip. “And the picture of Damian Xaris that Taylor found; he had golden eyes too.” 

Jace frowned. “Do you think…” 

Zelie nodded. “Yes. I think that boy you met is Damian Xaris in disguise. He and I are the only people I know of with golden eyes, and I would never pretend to be a guy,” Zelie wrinkled her nose is mock disgust. Jace let out an offended gasp, and they both laughed. Zelie’s smile soon faded, however. “But how is he controlling the Mørke? And why is he kill-” Zelie stopped, not wanting to say the rest. Jace put his hand on her shoulder, a large comfort. 

Calira snorted, hatred written all over her face.“Oh, boo hoo, a few people died. ‘But don’t worry, my love! I’ll protect you with my life!’ It makes me sick. You” she pointed at Jace “are a lying, backstabbing cheat. And you,” she gestured to Zelie “are a rotting, whoring piece of shit.” Cali turned on her heel and swaggered away and up the nearest staircase. 

Jace’s face was twisted with rage and he stormed after her. Zelie didn’t try to stop him. She simply stood where she was, shocked and furious. There was no denying it now. 

Calira Shacklevolt was truly a monster now. 

· ┈┈┈┈ ꕥ ┈┈┈┈ ·

Calira strutted up to the Hufflepuff Common Room, humming softly to herself. She walked over to her bed, grabbed her wand, and walked back down to the Great Hall, being diligent of Jace, who she knew had followed her up the stairs. However, seeing no sign of either him or Zel, Cali strutted over to the Slytherin table, where the Slytherin Queen was laughing with her fellow snakes. Cali cleared her throat. Jinx Cross’s laughing faded as she took in Cali. “What do you want.” 

Cali smirked, cold and ruthless. “I was wondering if you still had those clothes.” 

Jinx nodded, standing up. “Follow me.” She led Cali into the Slytherin Common Room and into Jinx’s room, where a large box sat in the corner. She pulled it out and emptied its contents onto a large wooden table. After picking out an outfit, Jinx shoved Cali into a bathroom and ordered her to get changed. After doing so, Jinx snatched Cali’s arm and dragged her into a chair, in front of which was a table covered in cosmetics. Cali frowned, but Jinx simply got right to work. After what felt like hours, Jinx stepped away from Calira’s face to let her get a good look of herself in the mirror. Cali touched a hand to her face. 

The deep purple eyeshadow was done perfectly, with just enough to stand out. The black lipstick and soft blush were wonderfully applied, and the contouring was done just right. Jinx nodded. “Much better. You could pass for a Slytherin. Now get over here. We’re going to fix that hair.” Cali was once again dragged over to a chair, but this time, the table in front of it was littered with hair products, curling irons, and hair brushes for all occasions. 

“What are you going to do to my—”

“Oh, shut up.” Jinx grabbed a handful of tools and went to work. After what felt like another few hours, Jinx stepped away, expression still as vacant as it had been during their last encounter. 

Cali’s mouth fell open. Her chocolate brown tresses were styled in a fashionable messy bun; the classic bad-girl look. Combined with the goth-ish makeup, Calira looked like she could be another Slytherin Queen. The purple shirt under the black denim jacket looked really bad-ass, and put together with the ripped, tight black jeans with purple legging patchwork, Calira felt more confident then she had in years. Jinx cocked her head to the side. “Whatcha think?” 

Cali grinned, fierce and cruel. “I think he’ll be absolutely lovestruck.”