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Professor Druscilla Danuliete Professor Danuliete swept into the Hospital Wing in a purposeful and determined manner. She had no doubt but that Prince would be behind her. He knew the nature of the protective spells surrounding Hogwarts as well as she did. In addition to which, she doubted he would lose an opportunity to gloat over a victim. True the spell was initially not meant to result in this, it had been the refraction of the light which had caused it. But nevertheless the results had been alarming.

Upon his arrival in the school, he had already scared several students before being shown to her office.

The poor girl would need even more monitoring if the curse was taken off. She would have lost everything around which her false life was based. Yet they had seemed real enough to her. It was going to be difficult.

Yet Druscilla just hoped that it would work. That it hadn't got too far into her mind. That they could save her. If not she was afraid that the confines of Hogwarts could no longer shelter her. She would have to be sent to a permanent home at a specialist medical institution in London.

~~~

Medic Eugene Connor Medic Connor saw the darkly forbidding man enter the Hospital Wing, and bristled. She straightened her shoulders and was about to inquire, none too politly, why he was interrupting an area meant for rest and rehabilatation, when she noticed Professor Danulitete. Then she understood who the dark man was.

Walking over, she had to look up in order to speak with him. Her petite 5' 2" frame was fine and good when talking to students, but this man was another matter.

"Prince, I presume. This way sir, and Professor." She lifted the enchanted key from around her neck, and went to open the door leading to Dominique Snelly. Once they were in, she locked it back firmly to prevent any student intrusion, knowing that Druscilla could easily get out.

"Oh Glory," she whispered, hoping that they had done the right thing, and that the man really could help Dom. "Oh Glory."

~~~

Prince Prince studied the medic for a moment before follwoing Professor Danuliete in into the room where the Dom was being kept. Druscilla Danuliete, in his opinion, was still an adversary whom he could not get around. It looked like he'd have to do the spell.

His dark eyes swept the room, lighting on the girl's body. "A very clever use of the Near-Death curse, Dru," he murmured apprieciatevly. He knew good work when he saw it, but said his compliment in no more than a whisper. He knew Druscilla would hear him. She had ears more sensitive than any dog.

The girl's brown skin was still covered in the remnants of silvery scars which had not yet healed. No doubt the school's medic was a work here. Her features were vaguely recognisable as the young girl whom had walked in on a meeting between and several of his... associates.

"To what extent is the damage?" he inquired, wishing to know exactly what the spell had done. It could be usful for future reference.

~~~

Professor Druscilla Danuliete "An interesting use of light refraction on a memory charm," Professor Danuliete murmured, curtly nodding her acknowledgment of the praise.

"It has had a devastating effect in the form of increasingly delusional behaviour I am afraid. The facts are there, to be sure, but they are hidden within a network, a web of delusions. There are files on this, carefully detailed by various Professors, if you would care for a more detailed perusal later, but to mention just a few: She has transformed her knowledge of your name into a fictional Prince who wishes to marry her, her home town of Atlanta to the ancient and long gone land of Atlantis, she appears to believe she has grown wings and is an angel, on the same topic she is under the impression that she has an angel guardian who is in love with her, she thinks she is a hunter who has been in battle, appears to think she is incredibly beautiful," Druscilla snorted here, it was really preposterous, the girl was such a mess. But the list was not yet complete.

She continued, after pausing a moment to draw breath, "She believes that she has unicorn friends whom she talks to, thinks she can read thoughts, really it is an almost endless list of horrific delusions. The most serious one to date however has only come to light over the last few weeks. The delusions have grown so realistic that they have actually taken real life forms. She has put them from her mind into human forms whom others can see and with whom they can interact. These beings must be regarded as highly unstable and potentially dangerous. The sooner they can be dispelled the better."

Druscilla had never before stated so clearly to another the precise nature of the disease. It was truly the worst case of a wizarding disease that Hogwarts had ever dealt with in its entire history.

She looked at Prince.

~~~

Prince Prince had to work hard to surpress a evil cackle when he saw the girl. This pathetic creature was what Druscilla wanted him to save? It wasn't worth her time and effort, he couldn't begin to fathom why she cared. Yet it worked out fine, perfect really.

He watched as Dominique Snelly's chest rose and fell, her breathing shallow and irregular. Half healed scars covered her body. The memory of that fateful day, fateful for Dom anyway, stirred in his brain. She'd been only a child, but smart. He hadn't wanted to kill her, the day had been busy, and unlike most children, she hadn't whined, or cried, or even shown any unwarrented displays of affection or hatred. She'd merely sat there quietly, so that not one of the dark wizards at the meeting even knew she was there.

So he hadn't wanted to hurt her, it had been her fault that this had happened. The memory charm, the light, and bang! Dom's grip on reality had disappeared. Funny how that could happen, one normally didn't forget bad things like living on the streets, and fighting in a gang. The charm had been powerful though, everything he did was powerful. This charm, perhaps it could be used again; he could already think of several likely candidates to act as experiments for it.

His thick black wand appeared in his hand, for it was time to get down to business. The curse must be reversed, no easy task. Many years had past, causing it to become deeply rooted in her brain, in her very being. He could feel Professor Danuliete's eyes boring holes into him as he began to work.

Sweeping the wand slowly over her, he felt for how far out the curse vibrations were. He jerked his hand back almost immediantly, for the power of his curse and Dom's own magic could be clearly felt. They were hooked to something else too, obviously the solid yet imaginary images that were merely a extension of Dom's mind. He approached her again, and touched his wand to her forehead, allowing some of the power to flow from her to himself. Once the excess had been drained off, he said two words.

"Expell Deanmemori." They were whispered, but loudly enough so that the air around still crackled with tension. It was not enough. Once again he repeated it, this time loudly. "Expell Deanmemori." His wand began to heat up, the wood tip smoking. Finally, he shouted, "Expell Deanmori!" He almost dropped his wand, before realizing that he couldn't. His fingers were latched around the firey wood, unable to let go. Slowly it cooled, and he saw Dom shiver.

It was done, the girl would come back to herself now. Well almost, the removal of the curse hadn't been easy. He'd been forced to use more power than he'd wanted to, and in the process erased all of her memory. Any whisps of memory she had left would only be faded, and mixed up. But they would be real. Images of Hogwarts, and maybe even of Atlanta, Georiga. In time she might regain some of her memory, and until then the Professors would just have to nurse her along. He almost pitied them, but not really. Taking care of Dom would be like eating cake compared to, well... He stopped thinking, aware that Druscilla might be able to tell his thoughts from his face. Cold stone once again, he faced Professor Danuliete.

"Two hours, and she shall awake. Now for my payment, Dru. You remember what we dicussed?"

~~~

Professor Druscilla Danuliete Professor Danuliete had stood well back, knowing the power needed to generate such a spell could often have unpleasant repercussions for those nearby. Not in this case, for he was indeed a master at his craft. Not that she would ever tell him so, naturally not.

Her face a mask, as was his, she answered blandly, "Payment of a favour to an old friend. I do thank you JP for this favour and am aware of the debt to be paid."

Druscilla grimaced. This was the part of the exercise to which she had not been looking forward. She understood and would play by the rules of course. Debts must be paid. Not that she relished the thought however.

She glanced over at the Snelly girl, still lifeless. Soon she would wake with no memory and only a vague sense of self and that self would not be the self she was used to. It would be a very difficult time for her. And that's if it worked. JP could not have done more, but sometimes spells are too deep rooted. Druscilla hoped that would not be the case, but the rest must wait until Dom awoke. She would need someone with her at all times. She called the Medic.

"Medic!" Druscilla summoned, "This child must have someone at her bedside until she awakes and for as long as possible afterwards. No students are to be let in here under any circumstances. If you are needed elsewhere I would be grateful if you could call another Professor to stay with her."

Druscilla nodded and strode out of the room. "Perhaps you would care to partake of a meal in the Great Hall?" she offered Prince, aware he must be weak after such exersion.

~~~

Prince "A meal," he said slowly, careful not to show any sign of weakness, though the strength he was accustomed to had been sapped from him. "Yes, that will be good." He knew that Druscilla, bound by the same unwritten wizarding code as himself would pay up. That much was obvious.

"I'm afraid that the child will be difficult. I would prefer not to be around when she awakes. It could make me regret reviving her at all." He flashed his twisted grin, which by now was becoming routine. He hadn't smiled so much is ages upon ages, but something about Druscilla was amusing. He'd pondered what it was before, and come to the conclusion that he liked the competition. Once he had mastered so much power, everything came too easily. There was barely anyone to oppose him anymore. That was good, but also frightenly boring.

Leaving the patient in the capable, and hopefully easy-going hands of the Medic, he exited the room. He remembered to hold the door open for Druscilla, a part of mannerism not often practiced where he lived now. Once back years ago he'd excelled in thattype of thing. Times had changed, now most of the disgusting concepts considered important had disappeared, much to his delight. Druscilla would remember though, and anything he could do to make her wonder was well and good. Even if it meant sacrificing some of his royal pride of being Prince, and stooping to even pretend to have consideration for others. Any that he'd once had left after Daiva.

~~~

Lys Scoresby There came the pattering of small feet as the Professor and the Dark Wizard began to leave, and that third year voice beginning to speak. "'Scuse me, I's just wondering if'n you've s..." The feet stopped, and Lys halted before the two adults and stared. She didn't mean to of course, if she could she would have turned around and ran the other way, she wasn't exactly a fan of the new Headmistress. But her companion... there was an aura of evil around him that made Lys reach automatically for her wand.

And at the touch of the wood, her fears susided, replaced by a calmness a sort of joy. She saw Prince not as a potential enemy now, but as a kindred spirit. That feeling of evil which should have repulsed her now had quite the opposite effect. She seemed to hear a voice in the back of her mind, speaking not in words, but in feelings, telling her here is a man to be feared, but not by you.

But he is evil, she answered silently.

Not evil. Powerful. Ambitious. He can help you.

How?

You are the Whycherley Heir are you not? You want to be worthy of that title? This man can help you. He can guide you to the sort of power needed to fufill such a role. Despite your... unfortunate upbringing.

The third year listened as this Voice continued to speak, whispering, prominsing. For the first time in her life she felt ashamed that she had been Muggle born, and worse yet, raised by a Muggle, who had as far as the voice was concerned, kidnapped her and more recently, abandoned her.

Lys had been good at displaying or at least pretneding many emotions. Shyness had never been one of them. But now red tinged her cheeks at the sight of Prince. She seemed torn, not willing to look such a grand figure in the face and yet unable to tear her eyes away. Unable to think of anything else she gave a slight nod of the head and greeted him. "'M sorry sir, I am interupting?" her voice was quiet, unsure.

~~~

Prince Calculating black eyes surveyed the girl standing before them. Seemingly, she passed the test, for Prince didn't insult her, or worse, pull out his wand and turn her into a worm. Instead he seemed surprised, a strange emotion for him, and a softer expression flitted across his face, one that had not been there before.

He made a decision suddenly, his face reflecting it. He dipped his head in a nod to acknowledge the girl.

"No, you are not interrupting. We were just heading to the Great Hall to dine." Prince's manner was civil, his voice showing traces of the old honey and sugar tone. He could be quite convicing when he had the need for it, and this girl was someone of interest.

It wasn't her appearence. Hogwarts housed many types, and a girl with tri-colored hair as well as different colored eyes certainly didn't rank as strange here. Rather, it was her aura that spoke of depth. This girl here was not shallow like so many other students. Her concerns consisited of more than the opposite sex, Quidditch, passing classes, and friends. No, Prince could sense that she'd faced trials. This one was different, and perhaps moldable because of it.

She would work. His intuition whispered quietly. Can't you see it? She wants this, it lies in herself, and in her wand. That's not a mere stick she's holding, filled with unicorn hair or some other pitifully weak core. Oh no, certainly not.

Wands influenced their owners, and this girl's wand could only be made of one thing. He had watched the tension ease from her when she touched the thing in her pocket, the thing that could only be her wand. The evidence was before his eyes. He smiled.

"Pleased to meet you Miss..." He waited, his demeanor as disarming as he could make it, for her to tell her name.

~~~

Lys Scoresby Seemingly unbalanced by the fact that this powerful man was actually treating her civilly, Lys was barely aware that she had forgotten her name. "I... er... um... Lys, sir, Lys Scoresby, third year Gryffindor." She had never been able to curtsy but found herself nearly bowing to Prince. "Sir."

~~~

Prince He pondered the name for a second, making sure that it stuck in his brain. Here was someone who he wouldn't forget. Lys. Lys Scoresby. The fact that she was a Gryffindor meant next to nothing to Prince for he'd never attended Hogwarts. The information of what house Lys was in could be useful information at one point. He was pleased with her for sure. Right off this girl was correct. She nearly bowed, and used a proper term of respect.

Hogwarts was playing right into his hand.

"Pleased to meet you Lys Scoresby. I am Prince John Paul."

~~~

Lys Scoresby "Oh, then I guess Maj'sty's th' right title i'n't it?" Lys managed to stutter out. The power radiating from this man was nearly overwhelming. She forced herself to look away from Prince "Then it's... ummm, 's a pleasure ta meet you Majesty." She wiped at the front of her school robes with a free hand, suddenly all too aware of her not quite poor status and Muggle upbringing. How to impress a man like this. She couldn't think of anything. She could barely think.

"I'm sorry sir, I mean Majesty I... I should be going to the Hall, too. Sir," she said again with another half bow. She quickly remembered Danuliete's presence and, assuming she was friends with this man she gave the new headmistress a similar bow "Headmistress."

~~~

Professor Infinity Gates Professor Gates entered the Hospital Wing at this point, planning on finding some sort of ointment to heal her hand. She had been in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library researching spells. Whether these spells were for her classes or private use was another matter altogether. Anyway, a particulary nasty book had bitten her, leaving her with a nasty gash on her hand. It was starting to turn green, as well, not a good sign.

She forgot about her injured hand, however, when she spotted Lys Scoresby talking to Prince. A sudden feeling of panic swept through her. She felt a certain maternal instinct for the girl, and this wasn't just because she was in Gryffindor. So far there whad been no news of Scoresby, Lys's... father? Legal guardian? The situation had never been fully clarified in her eyes, but Infinity had decided not to pursue the matter further.

As Lys passed her on her way out of the Hospial Wing, Infinity managed to pull her to one side. "Lys," she said in an undertone, "if I were you I'd have as little to do with that man as possible. He's not the sort of person you should be associating with." Lys didn't have a chance to reply before Professor Gates strode over to where Druscilla Danulite and Prince were conversing.

Even though she was staring at Druscilla, she had the feeling that Prince was staring at her, smirking. Somewhere inside of her, she felt a distant memory awaken. Kidnapping. She shuddered inwardly, but ignored the feeling of dread.

Quietly to Druscilla, hoping that Prince would not hear, she said, "Headmistress," she used the term with distain, "Is it really wise to allow our... guest, to have close proximity to the students?"

It was clear from the off that Professor Gates did not trust Prince, and that was final.