The Good Old Black Lake...8 years later

Natalie stayed where she was, rooted to the spot....frozen....petrified.

Holly walked, blind and oblivious to everything around her, for almost an hour.

Natalie still stayed on the spot...not moving...never wanting to move again...

What was the point anyway?

Shadow neared the part of the forest which had been blackened by everal violent explosions. She caressed the burnt bark on one tree, reliving memories she would forget. The leaves had been stripped away from all the branches, all but one... A single leaf bud adorned a single branch. She looked at it, and allowed herself to cry silently.

Natalie sat on the place where she was....not caring if her dress got dirty...and her hands over her face as she wept ceaslessly.

Holly reached the edge of the forest. Hogwarts was visible in the distance.
In one movement she was sitting on the ground, head on her knees.

Natalie continued to cry, not caring that snow had begun to fall.

"LET IT COVER ME...KILL ME....I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" she yelled at the sky.

Holly heard a distant yell and clamped her eyes shut, feeling the cold of the snow on her face. It was nice actually.

Shadow let out a roar of frustration, knowing that the others were probably too far to hear her. She hit out at a tree, the bark giving way to her fist.

Natalie heard the crack and gasped, but did not get up.

Holly heard a second yell and moved her head slightly. After a moment she leaned back against the tree.

Shadow's shoulders sagged as she sobbed silently, trying to think of a way out.

Natalie stood up.

She looked at the braclet on her wrist.

Shadow's bead was burning....SHADOW!

Natalie ran into the forest...yelling out for Shadow.

Hearing this yell, Holly looked back again, a little in 'what-the-hell' ness.
Eventually, she decided it mustnt be a big deal.

Shadow was kneeling in the centre of the unnatural clearing, tears streaming from her eyes and her magic starting to erupt around her.

Natalie ran and ran...and didn't stop....never letting the thought about helping her friend in need leave her mind.

Holly felt a slight rumbling. What was that?
Holly's initial thought was that the transformation must be taking place. She hadnt even said goodbye!
Cursing herself, Holly ran again into the forest.

Shadow was kneeling in the centre of the unnatural clearing. The demon in her mind was slowly and painfully clawing its way free.

Natalie reached Shadow.

"Oh crap...SHADOW! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Natalie yelled.

((I'm going off now...don't let anything good happen till I get back))

Shadow was sobbing, screaming, trying to keep the demon within the confines of her mind, but it was ripping her to shreds.

"Nat what- Shad what- what the...."
It was happening obviously, but Holly didnt want to face this.
"She would want us to get out," she said softly, but made no attempt to move. Insted she forced herself to watch, running through all the spells she had ever learned.

Shadow kept screaming and fighting her own mind as the tears flowed from her tightly shut eyes.

"Do something," Holly said to Natalie, "Please....do something ... anything...."
Her own eyes pricked too.

The screaming and sobbing stopped, and Shadow lay on her side in the middle of the clearing, not moving.

Holly waited for a minute (or was it several) and then stepped forward cautiously.
She knelt down next to Shadow and reached out a hand in an attempt to roll her over.