Minutes to Midnight.

Mia's POV.

I paced back and forth in front of the Hospital Wing's doors, probably annoying Madam Pomfrey to no end. But who cares! Izzy almost got eaten by some animal and Draco attacked the thing from what I heard briefly!

Those two are such idiots!

But they're idiots made for each other.

"Mia, calm down." James told me reassuringly. "You're ruining your hair."

"I don't care! What if those two morons don't make it?!"

"They will. You know Isabelle better than I do. From what I've heard, she's dealt with worse."

That was true. I remembered back to last year, the fight with Voldemort, how she survived the...

My jaw dropped.

"What's the matter?" James asked me.

"She...she survived the Killing Curse last year..." I said breathlessly.

James was even taken back. "But that's not possible."

"I know it's not. But..."

"Draco, what happened back there?" I asked him as Renee got checked out in the Hospital Wing.

"She fought bloody brilliantly." Draco replied with a smile. Then he frowned. "But in the end..."

"What happened?" My eyes got wide.

"As we were running back, Voldemort...he hit her with the Killing Curse."

"But...but she's okay."

"I have no idea how, though."

"...but somehow she survived it."

"I thought Harry was the only one known to live through it."

"So do I! Ugh, I need to do some investigating. There's so much that happened last year that's been unexplained and--"

"You may see your friends now." Madam Pomfrey said.

I looked at her, and ran right past her to Izzy and Draco.

"OH THANK GOOD GOLLY GOSH!" I said with a dramatic exhale.

"Great to see you too, MiMi." Izzy said sarcastically with a smile.

"I thought you two were dead when I was hearing all of this nonsense and UGH! I'm just so glad you're okay!" I tackled Izzy in a hug.

"Not healed! Not healed!" She said and I let go.

"SORRY!"

"Chill, I'm fine." She said with a laugh. "It's mostly just my ankle that's screwed up. And Apparently I sprained my wrist but that's taken care of. It's Draco that decided to box with some beast."

I gaped at Draco. "YOU DID WHAT?!"

He chuckled and sighed. "I tackled some five tailed animal thing in the Forbidden Forest because it was about to eat Isabelle for dinner."

I paused. "Did you say 'five tailed animal'?"

"Yeah, why?" Draco responded.

"What exactly - and I mean exactly - did it look like?"

"A wolf with five tails I suppose." Izzy said with a shrug. "Why?"

I thought for a second, then it hit me. "Because the 'thing' that almost ate you two, is a very lethal creature. It's a Five-Tailed Wolf Demon."

"Oh yeah that's a totally original name." Izzy said with an eye roll.

"Izzy, I'm serious. Please don't tell me it bit either of you."

Izzy and Draco looked at each other, then shook their heads.

"Oh thank god." I exhaled heavilly. "Because if it did, god only knows what would have happened to you."

Isabelle's POV.

"Oh thank god." Mia said, exhaling heavilly. "Because if it did, god only knows what could have happened to you."

"Well thank you for that encouragement!" I said, uber sarcastically.

Mia shrugged. "I'm just saying. And there's others like it."

"How many?" Draco asked.

"If I remember right, it ranges from twin tails to nine tails and the Six Tails and Seven Tails can fuse together to form the ever powerful Thirteen Tails. But not all of them are wolves."

"So what the hell are they?" I asked.

"The Twin, Three Tails, and Seven Tails are all cat demons. The Four, Eight, and Nine tails are crow demons. And the Five and Six tails are wolf demons."

"What about the Thirteen Tails...?" I asked cautiously, almost afraid to know.

"No one knows. It's only been seen like twice before and that was so long ago. But they're sister demons and can fuse together."

"Fantastic," Draco spat sarcastically, "now anything with multiple tails that comes out of that forest can either eat us or turn us into something utterly horrid. Yes, who wouldn't want to build a school by that?"

"Oh hush." I told him.

We talked casually for about another half an hour before Madam Pom-bitch told them to leave and made us go to sleep. Draco was so hopped up on pain meds that he passed out instantly. I rolled over to my right side and my thoughts kept me awake for a while. I finally fell into sleep about an hour later.

Vera's POV.

It felt good to be back home in Venice. I loved the scent of Italy and smiled when I saw my canvases and painting items all in tact and just where I had left them all.

"Vera, I was wondering when you'd get home." No, not that synyster voice. Please, no...

I swallowed hard. "Claudé...?"

"Of course, my dear. And I'm ashamed, you let Richards's magic take my darkness out of you. Tsk, tsk, my love."

I faced him, my expression fierce. "I'm done with you, Claudé. Leave my cousin and her friends alone. Take your family squabbles somewhere else. You have Anna under your wings, leave Isabelle alone!"

"Ah but why would I do that?" Claudé said, cocking his head to the side.

"Because Anna's a Bourdain too. You can make her your damn bride."

"I know that. Making Isabelle my bride isn't my plan. I'm just using that to frighten them and throw them off of my real plan."

"Which would be what?" I cut my eyes at him.

He came towards me and played with a lock of my hair. "Making my brother remember who he really is, find Nikita, destroy the Malfoy name and drown it in the mud, seperate Isabelle from her humanity completely, and well, I need you to do some of my dirty work."

"I'll never do anything you want me to."

"Ah, but you have no choice." He smirked, and I screamed at his piercing bite into my throat.

Isabelle, I am so sorry...

Anna's POV.

I sighed, looking out my window at the moonlight. Claudé wasn't letting me in on all of his plan, which wasn't a good sign. He promised me he could get me out of this hell hole, and I went along with him. But he's not doing anything to help.

"Maybe I should find my sister and help her..." I muttered in the darkness.

No, I can't. That would throw everything off balance.

But maybe...maybe for once in my life, I can disobey...maybe that will make me stronger. Just...maybe...

I looked at my fabrics and sewing kits. I had a lot of work to do. For I had to make a normal outfit, steal one of Ms. Nolan's wigs, and find a way out of here and to my sister. I had to warn her about the impending danger...but not let her know who I am.

That was going to be difficult.

Mia's POV.

I stared at my ceiling, not being able to sleep. So much swirled in my thoughts. I had to figure this stuff out and soon.

It was obvious that Claudé had other intentions. I just needed to figure out what they were before anything seriously bad happened.

Then there was Adrian. It was obvious that him and Iz are in love, but now Draco and Iz are back together. So just what's gonna happen with that?

How did Iz survive Voldemort's Killing Curse? Her mother's love? Draco's love? Or something else?

Just what exactly was going on here...?

Draco's POV.

I looked at Isabelle's sleeping form and smiled. She always looked so peaceful asleep. I sighed, knowing what was probably to come.

Umbridge was going to take over the school and naturally, Isabelled would rebel. But what was I going to do...? Father wouldn't be happy if I was a rebel with her. And I swore to father that I wouldn't tell Isabelle what he was doing...trying to hunt down Nikita.

Yeah, my bloody father knows her mum's still alive. Barely alive, but alive.

How?

Torturing my bloody ass.

I'm so sorry, love. I thought.

I've screwed up, big time. And I'm getting the feeling it's only going to go downhill from here...

Isabelle's POV.

I stood in a field of roses of every colour - red, black, purple, you name it. I looked down at myself; what was going on?

"Isabelle." I looked up and my lips parted slightly. Could it be...?

"Mom...?" I asked, seeing a woman dressed similar to and looking like myself.

She nodded and smiled at me as she gracefully walked towards me. "You look stunning, my dear."

I smiled and resisted tears. "You do too, mom."

My mom looked at the sky and black butterflies swarmed us. Nikita Sin Bourdain held out her hand and one landed on it.

"Hell Butterflies." She told me. "Lovely creatures, aren't they?"

One of the Hell Butterflies danced in front of me. I smiled. "Yeah, they're cute."

"I brought you here because I need to tell you something important. Something that can drastically change your life."

"What is it?"

"Tell me, my daughter, would you kill, to save a life?"

"Mom, I would kill anyone to protect those I love." I said. I didn't even need to think about it.

She looked at me with this look that concerned me with what she was thinking about, what she was going to say next. Then she smiled.

"Good. Because you must protect your friends, your loved ones, anyone you can from what's to come."

"Which is...?"

My mom chuckled. "You are definetly my daughter with that amount a spunk. You aren't just any Bourdain, you are my Bourdain."

That made me smile. "Well thank you. Now what the hell danger am I in now?!"

"Besides Voldemort, of course, you must beware of Lucius Malfoy."

"Draco's dad?" The hell?

"So you know him?"

"Cha, I mean, his dad's super freaky and all but still."

"Be careful around him, Isabelle. And I understand you know Adrian Cromwell...?"

I paused. "Yeah, and I remember most of the stuff from when I was a little kid."

I couldn't read her face. I hated not being able to do that.

"Most, so not everything?"

I shook my head.

"Than if you are to meet a girl name Annaleise, protect her with your life."

"But, why?"

"Together is light and beauty of the Power, but Opposing is war and destruction."

"What the hell does that mean?!"

"Protect them from Claudé's true intentions my daughter!" Her voice and image was fading. Everything was fading. "You must protect them with the Bourdain Power!"

"What are you talking about?!"

My eyes snapped open. What the hell did any of that mean...?