The fire demon had found its way, naturally, to the Great Hall. With a roar of something between delight and rage, it hurled itself into the room and immediately began setting fire to every decoration in sight, not to mention a few tables.

It was a free demon, and that freedom felt good. It wanted to celebrate, and a fire demon's way of celebrating, was to be as unpleasant as it could manage. It began to look for a suitable victim in order to accomplish this. It's burning red eyes looked around the assembled group, and there was a hunger in them.

Arcadia, who has remained surprisingly quiet was curtly trying to 'hint' to Nathan that kissing her would not be objected saw the Fire Demon approach. " EEEEK! Look! " She points and hides behind Nathan, Pantalaimon behind her.

Katia, who had been enjoying a 'private moment' with Unnamed, spun around. She screamed, pulling out her wand. "Aqueatus!" she shrieked, backing into the wall. The water spell settled on the fire demon, it started in surprise at the cloud of steam that rose from it.

But this was no cute little neo-demon such as the ones they'd practiced on in class. This was the full-sized, full-fledged Head Honcho. It was going to take more than one water spell to stop it in its tracks. It turned its malevolent stare on Katia and began heading towards her, a look of pure, unadulterated hatred on its face.

Randal was stood by Elia and Nimue. "What ever you do, don't get his attention! It will need several strong wizards to stop him!" He whispered to them. He watched and thought about how to trap the demon again... Hoping that the teachers would return quickly.

Katia's face is a mask of terror, but she keeps repeating the spell like a mantra, and others join her, including Unnamed, who looked distinctly nonplussed to have their little interlude interrupted by a elemental demon.

Randal moves to stand between the Nimue, Elia and the demon. Then he starts to send fire drenching and freezing spells. The demon is starting to look confused as spells start to come from different directions.

*****

Andy walked in a narrow corridor towards the Great Hall, where he would hope to find Marvo. Now that Andy could speak he could tell him exactly what was on his mind. He had to remember to thank Madame Pomfrey for curing him of his speechlessness, but he found it unusual that she stormed off like she did with Snape. She said it didn't concern a student and that he shouldn't worry. He hoped everything was all right, whatever it was.

After doing some instructed vocal lessons in the corridors, he entered the Hall and to his surprise was in the midst of a fire demon. A FIRE DEMON? Maybe this was why Madame Pomfrey stormed out like that? He looked around but couldn't find her. He couldn't find Marvo either or Kat or Snape or Dumbledore. Where the hell was everyone? Confused again, he tried to look for someone who would tell him what the heck was going on.

He looked straight up at the demon. He hoped, prayed to God, that it wouldn't spot him.

Marvo comes running top speed into the room almost knocking into Andy. " Aquirus multiplus! Use that, or Pyro Subnullus, the fire freeze spell, it must be subdued till the teachers get here!" Marvo shouts loudly, waving his Wand about trying to get the Fire Demon's attention away from the others.

As the fire demon moves closer, Katia begins to scream, unable to keep repeating the words of the spells. She seems rooted to the spot, unable to move even when Unnamed pulls at her arm.

This was not right. The demon scowled as it was bombarded on all sides by spells that caused it little more than grazes and nips. They did not hurt, as such, but they were certainly very annoying. Like mosquitoes buzzing around your head. It roared loudly and hurled itself at Katia, its original intended target, sending a burst of flame towards her.

Katia manages to move out of the way, but her skirt catches on fire. She puts it out with her wand, and seems to be mobile again. She moves slowly away, not able to take her eyes from the demon.

" Oi! Sparky Over here" Marvo picks up the punch bowl and throws it at the Demon

Yvette, who had stopped to watch this fight, marveled at the duplicates of Marvo and the Fire Demon. "So many!" She murmured, and mournfully watched the punch bowl fly through the air. "Stop, drop, and roll..."

Elia pulls out her wand, ready to attack the demon. She starts to cast any and all water-based spells she knows. The demon hardly looks affected and she hopes Dumbledore comes to help soon.

The alcohol-tainted punch caused the demon to flare brightly and seem to gather in strength. However, the constant pelt of water spells was keeping it at bay...just. It roared and flared, screamed and singed, and caused another table or two to burn into a pile of sad ash.

Marvo shouting at it caught its attention and it turned to glower at him. The thing threw its hands into the air and sent a shower of sparks raining down on the room. Anyone bring an emberella?

Katia screams and ducks under a table. When the sparks have fallen to the ground she comes out from under it and begins casting spells at the demon again.

With surprising agility Marvo leaps from the shower of sparks. " What was in the punch!" He shouts. " Anyone good at Binding Spells? Try The Crimson Cords of Chittorak!" The spell means nothing to anyone as it is not taught until the last year. He Leaps over to Nimue's, shielding her from the Demon. " Push it into the corner, it can do less damage there!"

Katia raises her wand, muttering words too softly to be heard by any others. A silvery thing shoots from the point of it, speeding out the door. It was a message spell to one of the professors, whichever it encounters first. It will tell them the fire demon is there, and that the students need help.

The demon was not at all happy by the turn of events. It screamed words from the outer pits of hell that no mortal should ever hear, and flailed wildly as the water spells struck it from all angles. It began making a strange sound, almost like a hiss as it began to draw on every ounce of energy that it had and tendrils of fire began whipping from its body, reaching out to touch anyone who came anywhere near it.

Oh, yes. This fire demon was *nasty*. Very, very, nasty.

Zephie was startled by the sudden commotion in the ballroom. Turning around swiftly, she saw that there was some soft of strange being convulsing on the floor...FIRE?

"HELP!!!! FIRE!!!!" The fire caught her eye. She saw that it was a living, breathing, being...a Fire Elemental, probably one gone bad. She has worked with Fire before...heck, she has worked with all the elements before, Air being her special one...

"What the heck is going on?" She wonders if she should call on her Fire Spirit. "Fight Fire with Fire..." she's thinking. "Should I?" After a while she decides she should, for protection.

"Fire fire come to me, breathe your warmth unto me, your mistress Zephyrina calls to thee, Fire fire come to me..." she chants over and over. An old chant she learnt many years ago. She then hears a tiny voice in her head. "What's the matter for my summon?" "Protection wanted. Fire Demon on the loose."

"Ye shall be protected." She could feel the Fire Spirit flying past her and towards the demon. It put up a great fight...but what exactly was happening?

*********

It was at this point that Dumbledore and Snape reappeared, fresh from the chill of outside. Dumbledore glanced around for McGonagall who had been elsewhere but alerted to the problem had just stepped up to be with them.

"Severus, Minerva, three way split," said Dumbledore, pushing up the sleeves of his robe. "You two cast Aquanoleum spells to bind it, and I'll do the rest." It wasn't very often that he had an opportunity to do such spells, thank goodness, but he was always glad that he knew them.

Whilst Snape and McGonagall moved in on the demon, threads of Aquanoleum shooting out and binding the demon fast in the corner, Dumbledore raised his wand and roared, "CUMULO NIMBUS!"

Almost immediately, dark clouds began gathering above the demon's head, and it let out a scream of rage as a torrential rain began to pour down on it. Within seconds it had dwindled to barely an ember and then that, too, winked out.

Dumbledore's face as he lowered his wand was sterner than usual, and he said something to Snape and McGonagall and began to make his way out of the Hall. "Please continue the feast," he said at the door. "I do not believe it will be disturbed again." He pointed his wand again at the path of destruction the demon had burned through the Hall, and it immediately began setting itself to rights, including a big bowl of non-spiked punch.

Marvo looks extremely relived, and a little sweaty. " Everyone Okay?"

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

Outside in the grounds Niki had jumped at the sound of Snape's voice, and turned a look full of loathing on her head-of-house. She took Dylan's hand, tugging on his arm. "Come on, you heard him, we need to go inside..."

Dylan didn't even turn, nor did he stand. "Wha', an' loose m' chance fer a full hundred?" He sighed, rather oblivious to the rest of the world, save her. "He'd love t' do tha' t' me, th' prat." Finally, he stood, looking at her, his voice expressionless, his eyes grey mirrors of his voice. "You'll freeze, though. G'on, I'm fine."

Niki's eyes flash. "I'll freeze, but you won't? I know he's a... a prat?" She stumbles a bit on the unfamiliar word. "You are most certainly not fine. You weren't fine last time you said that, either. Come inside, it's snowing out..." She looks half-irritated, half-concerned.

Dylan was half-tempted to turn to look at her, to stand, but he did neither, merely kept his head bent, the wind whipping at his shoddy robes and raven hair, the white snow standing against them both. He wanted to look at her, to understand why she came after him after the display in the Great Hall. He wanted to do a million things and none of them came to his mind. "Wha' d' you want o' me, Niki?" he asked, suddenly weary. "Why did y' run after me?"

"I came after you because... because you came after me. Why did you run after me that morning in the library?" Niki shivered, wrapping her arms around herself against the wind. Snow stung her face, but she had a stubborn streak, and she was not going inside, not when Dylan was sitting in the snow by the lake.

"You're goin' t' freeze. Unlike most people, I'm fairly hardy. Cold, wind...doesn't bother me. Made o' sterner stuff...or sommat like tha'." He sighed, his head dipping lower. "I ran after you because I...I though you might try t' do sommat stupid...because I didn't think you needed t' be alone, an' I didn't fancy anyone else would come after you. An' if'n you hit me, I knew how t' take it." His voice was quiet, oddly earnest, at contrast with his defeated posture.

"Hit you?" Now Niki sounded baffled. "Why would I want to hit you? I'm not angry at you, Dylan. If you want me too, I will go back inside, but..." Her voice trailed off and she looked helplessly down at him. Niki had no idea what to do to help him. As the youngest in her family, the protected little sister of a boy who got angry, not sad, she'd had almost no experience comforting people, and now she felt the lack.

"I don't know wha' I want anymore," he confessed quietly, looking up and across the lake. "Did y' ever realise one day tha' you had been doin' thin's because people wanted you t'? An' tha' no matter how hard y' tried, y' couldn't stop doin' wha' y' had been doin', because y' didn't know how t' do anythin' else?"

Niki shook her head, her hair whipping her face in the wind. But I do, Niki told herself. I've always done what Hadrian wanted because he knew how to make me, and even now I'm doing what he wants, even though he's dead. The difference is, I don't mind doing it. I like doing it, not having to think for myself. "No!" she whispered fiercely, but the sound was lost in the wind. I'm not doing what Hadrian wants, I'm doing what I want, because he's dead. "I... I know what you mean, but I've never tried to stop," Niki said softly.

"Then there's th' difference b'tween you an' me. I've been tryin' t' stop m' whole life...there are days when I can see it all laid out fer me back home...can see the pit m'self, goin' back down int' it. An' I lash out. I think I'm gonna fail out o' here, no matter what I do. Either fail or be asked t' leave. 'Cause tha's wha' e'eryone wants."

Niki felt confused. It seemed that they were talking about different things. "*I* don't want you to leave or fail... and I don't think we're talking about the same thing." Her voice was shaking slightly, as if she was trying to suppress some strong emotion. But, she told herself, don't you see the path to what is easy stretching out before you every day? The path to what your mother was? It's in the blood...

"No, we aren't," he replied tersely. Even Dylan himself wasn't sure what he was talking about anymore. Nothing made sense. Maybe it was the cold, finally getting to him. He looked down at his hands. They were an odd shade of blue, but at least they had stopped shaking.

Perhaps that was a bad thing. Ah, he asked himself, but does that matter at all? No, it seemed it didn't. "Niki...I'm...I'm sorry. You don't need t' know this much 'bout me, don't need t' be standin' here wi' me."

Niki's teeth had begun to chatter. "Dylan, come inside. You're going to freeze to death out here. And don't be sorry, just come inside. You're not making sense." She took one of his hands, her eyes widening with concern as she felt how cold it was.

Dylan looked at her finally, a little amazed that she had taken his hand for whatever reason. It was cold, too cold for her, he realized, watching her shiver. Whatever self-destructive tendencies he may have had, they were tempered by the fact that he couldn't bear to watch anyone suffer undeservedly. Especially her. "All right," Dylan finally connected, and falteringly got to his feet. He was soaked, thanks to kneeling in the snow, and was too cold to shiver anymore. He looked to her, a little lost.

Niki, still shivering, smiled. "Good," she murmured, her teeth chattering a little. Niki was relieved that Dylan hadn't told her to go. She would have, but she was worried about him. He was soaked to the skin, his lips turning blue, and she put her other hand on the other side of his, trying to warm it a little.

He looked from their entwined hands to her, an unspoken question in his eyes. Perhaps she was just worried about him. He didn't know why she would worry. It wasn't so cold, at least not to him. He'd stopped feeling it by the time it had started to snow. "No sense in standin' about, then," Dylan murmured, equally as quietly, and with faltering steps, for he couldn't really feel his feet anymore, he led her towards the castle and warmth.

Niki followed Dylan towards the castle, trying to remember a warming spell, but found that she couldn't remember anything but what if felt like to be dancing with him... Think of something *else*, little girl, Niki told herself, but she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to.

As they came into the Entrance Hall, Niki overheard a first-year saying something about 'that fire demon!', and turned a confused look to Dylan. "What did we miss?"

Madison smiled, seeing them. "Oh, it was great fun!" she laughed, still tipsy. "The fire demon attacked..." A disappointed look came across her face. "Just a little further, and it would have hit Katia...Oh, well..." She shrugged. "But Dumbledore said that the feast is to continue. Oh...I feel...strange...Excuse me..." she trailed off and headed towards the empty chairs.

Nathan, who'd been in a safe corner shielding Arcadia from all the trouble, looks around and sees Morticia is up well and walking towards Marvo, and for a second an impression of relieve flickers over his face before he turns to Arcadia muttering something about "HAD to happen", "unsafe as usual" and more unpleasant stuff.

He avoids looking out of the window where the anonymous Valentine message is still hovering over the Forest.

Marvo walks up to Dumbledore before he leaves the Hall. " I hope you will be taking appropriate Action about this Professor? I think you understand what I mean?" He looks over to Nimue, looking concerned. Then he sees Morticia walking over and smiles at her

Dumbledore looked carefully at Marvo over the rim of his glasses. "I am going now to check on the condition of Professor Grimalkin, Mr. Ward, and to ask him about what has happened." In a slightly increased voice, obviously for the benefit of the other people in the room, he added, "But I do not believe that there will be a vacancy in the Dark Arts faculty in the foreseeable future. I am sure there is a very rational, sensible explanation for this."

"Rational, sensible AND Obvious" Mutters Marvo as Dumbledore walks away.

Nimue was deeply relived at the intervention by the teachers. As things started returning to some semblance of normality, she came up close to where Marvo was talking with Professor Dumbledore and caught Dumbledore's remarks. As the Headmaster moved off she addressed Marvo a note of alarm in her voice, "What did Professor Dumbledore mean about checking on Anders condition? What had happened to him?"

Marvo was concentrating when Nimue spoke to him, so didn't register that she called him 'Anders' " He's in the Hospital wing. He let the Demon out and was found outside. Kat's with him now. I hope she's okay "

Nimue chose to ignore Marvo's comments about Anders letting the fire demon out. She was convinced that he was looking to find fault with the professor and was leaping to conclusions again. What concerned her was that Anders was in the Hospital Wing and she was determined that Marvo wasn't going to stop her finding out how he was.

"Oh, gosh look at my hair! All the water in the atmosphere has ruined it. I'd better just go fix it. See you in a bit." Without waiting for his comment, she left the Great Hall and made at some speed for the Hospital Wing.

Marvo watches Nimue leave. "Girls!" he says to himself with a smile. Then he looks around the room.

Morticia finally reached him, "Marvo... please, you must tell me what happened! How come you're here suddenly? Did the WIB do something to you?"

Marvo smiles at Morticia. " Sorry I didn't get a chance to speak earlier " he says, slightly out of breath

" No, I'm fine, The WIBs didn't do anything, not that they could, their a bit dim really. I've been at the Ministry, training. I was able to get time to come here to do a errand for Mad Eye." He suddenly looks a little embarrassed, remembering the hug she gave him when he entered. "So how are things with you... and Egreen?"

"Who?" Morticia replies with an angry undertone, but then she forces a smile again. "I'm fine. And I'm glad nothing happened to you. Nathan was going on about you being in Azkaban all the time, it was awful, and with that Arcadia around things got so annoying and terrible here...Are you staying for real? Or did you just hop in for the feast to see Kat?"

Seeing that most trouble seems to have calmed down, Nathan smirks at Arcadia. "How about a quick step outside?" he whispers.

Arcadia seems very relived that the Fire Demon has gone, and Pan comes out from Hiding under her gown."Ooh. That sounds Lovely" She says with a smile and a squeeze of Nathan's hand. As they step outside it may be noticed that Arcadia does not seem to be effected by the cold at all.

Marvo sees Morticia's reaction to mentioning Egreen, but diplomatically decides to let it pass. " I'll be staying a little while, not sure how long yet."

He looks over and sees Arcadia leaving with Nathan " I see. and just what has Ms Arcadia been saying? I see she's keeping a low profile. I saw the article in the Prophet. she has such a mouth!"

He smiles. " So, how have you been doing? And what did you do with your hair!" Then he actually starts to think" It's nice like that"

Morticia blushes deeply. "Thanks... I think I'll let it grow longer again, though. Uhm... well. I've not been doing much. Papa gave us trouble, took us off school because it wasn't safe enough here in his opinion, but Mum couldn't stand the thought of us being home all day and we didn't want to go to Durmstrang, and we couldn't go to Beauxbatons, of course, and so we were allowed back... As for Arcadia, I'm not really somebody who talks bad about other people, but whenever I think about her a certain b-word comes into my mind..." Morticia blushes even more.

Marvo smiles, surprising please Morticia is going to grow her hair long again. " She's a Bit@# and she knows it. I wouldn't be surprised if she had something thing to do with that Punch! And if I didn't already know who let that fire demon out I'd suspect her of that too... Only she doesn't know one end of a Wand from another!" He smiles, slightly embarrassed about mentioning Wands.

Morticia giggles and blushes violently before becoming serious again. "Well, I'd for sure like to know what she's up to with Nathan! I mean... I know Nathan. They make quite a deadly couple, I fear!"

" Well no offence, but I think he deserves her! and she him." he looks around as people are starting to get up dancing again, or falling over! " Look, shall we sit down? before someone falls over us?" He Smiles

*********

Dylan rubbed his hands together, wincing a little. He was so cold, even the warmth of the hall did little to take away the mind numbing chill. He glanced down and sighed at the puddle of water forming around his feet as the snow melted off his robes and hair. "S'ppose I ought t' get cleaned up...or sommat," he managed through blue lips.

Niki looked very concerned. "Eureka!" she said suddenly. "I remembered the warming spell." She pointed her wand at herself, muttered a few words. A second later, the dark splotches left by the snow shrink, and Niki stops shivering, feeling as if she had never left the hall and gone out into the snow. She repeated the process for Dylan.

Dylan glanced from his robe, to his hands and then to her. "You're amazin' sometimes, you know tha'?" he told her quietly, the colour coming back into his face. He did feel a million times better physically, though mentally, he was ready to drop. This was not how he wanted the night to go, not in the slightest. "I...I'm sorry...fer e'erythin'....this was not wha' I wanted t' happen t'night," Dylan awkwardly told her, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes trained on the floor.

Niki blushed a little at the compliment, but her face grew serious. "It isn't your fault, Dylan," she says sincerely. "It hasn't been exactly what I was expecting, but there's not accounting for bothersome people like Katia. It's all right, really..." She smiled a little, managing to look up at Dylan, even though he was looking at the floor. Being short did have its uses...

He realized that she could still meet his gaze, being the height she was, and chuckled a little, ruefully. "We could...we could go back, if'n you want. Up t' you, really." God, he wondered, when did this get so awkward. Granted, charm had never been his strong suit, but this was ludicrous. Dylan looked at Niki, hoping beyond hope she'd take some kind of lead here.

"I'd like to, if you don't mind," Niki said. "I liked dancing with you..." Damn! she thought, feeling her face flush. Why do I have to go red at a time like this?

Again, the same self-conscious smile as Dylan chuckled a little. "Than dance y' shall," he told her gently, holding out his hand to escort her back to the dance floor. He had to admit, he was quite fond of it himself.

********

Elia found it a little strange that Dumbledore would allow the feast to continue, but was happy as well. She turned to Randal. "Shall we continue dancing then?"

The demon had gone, and now Nimue and Elia, whom Randal had been protecting, were safe. Nimue had gone, but Elia was still next to him. "If you want to dance then we will." He took her arm and led her onto the dance floor.

"I am quite glad that all the drama is over for one night!" He grinned at her.