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Aiko Wantanabe It had happened again.

Despite all her prayers and wishes, It had returned. He had returned. She had just put aside the past. Students were forgetting who she was and what she did, nasty glares were few and far between (except from the Jerk of course). She no longer woke in the middle of the night, screaming and crying, as she had done that summer. A sense of security had washed over her; she had even focused on trivial things like humiliating Berke.

And then It happened. Or rather, It was going to happen. And this time, there would be no Headmistress to stop it.

There was no need for secrecy, not any more. There were threats on her friends, her family, herself... but she was no fool. They would die anyway.

She almost wished, as she stepped into the common room, that someone else would be there. That they would see the tears and bruises that dotted her face and they would do something, anything to stop her. She didn't want to obey, but she truly had no choice.

But there was no one there, nothing to present itself as an obstacle. So she continued.

It wasn't near the fireplace, she had checked there the year before. It wasn't anywhere near the enterance to the dorms, either, it would be too easy for an innocent bystander to find.

This would take a while.

***

Hours later she emerged from the rubble that was left of the common room. Frustrated with seemingly leads, and the fear of Him looming ever closer, her initial urgancy had transformed into blind panic. In desperation she had taken to tearing up the floor boards and burning them to ashes when they obscured her view. The furniture had been levitated and placed as a secure block in front of all enterances and exits of the common room.

Her search proved fruitless and she had fallen to her knees, scraping them against the stony underlayings. Blood leaked from her knees and fingers, where she had ripped them near to shreds in the process of ripping the room apart.

How long she sat there, weeping, she didn't know. But slowly she came to the realization that there was a sizzling sound coming from the ground. She leapt to her feet and stared in disbelief as her spilled blood dissolved the stones beneath her.

"A Hufflepuff would never spill their blood willingly," she realized, and burst into another round of sobs. The search was over, she had to return.

A patch of the floor disappeared completely, leaving behind only a small ash colored trinket. Had it been placed against stone it would have been invisable, so intricate were the designs and coloring. Flipping it over she saw small lines revolving the center. Pocket watch in hand, she fled the room, throwing the furniture out of her way as she went.

Each small click made her wince in the irony. The keeper of time had been clicking on for countless years, but they were running out of time.

~~~
Vivienne Moor Vivi half tumbled half ran down the dorm stairs, infuriated with herself. She had retired late the night before, and therefore had slept much later than she meant to. Breakfast would be over by now, she reasoned, and she needed to talk to Aiko. Her friend had been scarce of late, odd as usually Aiko was easy to find. Yet since she spoke to Brian, she seemed to have disappeared.

Vivi stopped her wild dash short, skidding at the end of the stairs. Eyes wide she stared around at the room, and was reminded of something. She was reminded of her first year.

"Oh no." She whispered, not knowing what else to say. "Oh no no no no no."

Knuckles white from gripping her hands too tight, she fled the common room, racing for the Great Hall.

Aiko had to be found.