"I still can't believe it," Eren said, turning to Armin and Reiner. "Hufflepuff really messed up this time. Who knew they had it in them?"

A couple days had passed since the disastrous Quidditch match and the news of Hufflepuff's sabotage had spread faster than fiendfyre. Eren, Armin, and Reiner stood near the back of the Entrance Hall and watched as shamefaced Hufflepuffs trudged past their House's hourglass. Once filled with shimmering yellow diamonds, the hourglass was now filled over halfway with pitch-black coals to serve as a grim reminder of Hufflepuff's misdeeds.

"This might be a new record in getting negative House points," Armin mused.

"Who cares?" Reiner scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "They got what they deserved. Slytherin would have won that match if it wasn't for them. What's worse is that the professors aren't even going to revoke Ravenclaw's win. There's no amount of points that can fix that injustice."

"I heard that Gelgar was behind all this himself. He's been stripped of his captaincy of Hufflepuff's team and don't even get me started on how many detentions they gave him," Eren pointed out.

"I don't believe that for a second," Reiner said firmly.

"Huh?" Eren and Armin said in unison.

Reiner inclined his head over to the Hufflepuff hourglass. "Check it out."

Eren and Armin zoned in their attention on a small group of Hufflepuffs standing in front of the hourglasses talking in hushed voices. Among those people were Connie and Sasha who were standing off to the side looking jumpy and ragged as if they hadn't slept in days. Connie repeatedly checked over his shoulder, wringing his hands together as Sasha whispered in his ear.

"Yeah, so?" Eren said, raising an eyebrow at Reiner.

"Don't you get it? They're guilty, you can see it on their faces!" Reiner exclaimed, pounding a fist into his open palm. "Gelgar can't be the only one to have sabotaged an entire Quidditch match."

"Aren't you jumping to conclusions?" Eren reasoned. "I'd be nervous too. I bet Levi is out for any Hufflepuff's blood these days." He absentmindedly rubbed his jaw where Levi had once kicked him. There was no forgetting that kind of pain.

"Hold on, Eren, I think Reiner's onto something," Armin said, holding up a hand and observing Connie and Sasha's every move. "Haven't you heard about Dazz being sent to the Hospital Wing?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Eren didn't know much about Dazz except for the fact he seemed to be in a constant state of panic. One time during Herbology the Venomous Tentacula had grabbed his foot harmlessly and he fainted right on the spot. He didn't wake up until the next day and had forgotten what happened to him.

"He hasn't shown up in class since before the day of the match. I'll trade you all my rare Chocolate Frog cards if that doesn't mean something."

Eren still felt a bit skeptical. Dazz tended to be over-dramatic after all. "So you don't think that's just a coincidence?" Eren narrowed his eyes in thought. "Come to think of it, all the Hufflepuffs have been avoiding talking about Dazz recently."

"I'm telling you, they're all shady these days. Something else happened that they aren't telling us," Reiner said gruffly. There was a brief moment of pensive silence between the three before Reiner said, "But in other news... I've been dubbed the Armored Beater, can you imagine that? I'm like a celebrity around here now!" Reiner's cocky grin couldn't get any wider as he flexed his arms in admiration of himself. He slapped his biceps then winced in pain. He chuckled and said, "Though the Armored part is a bit of an exaggeration. I probably shouldn't have been tackling all those Bludgers..."

"Armored Beater, Wings of Freedom, Humanity's Strongest Seeker?" Armin started counting the names off on his hand. "Don't you think these nicknames are a bit uncreative?" Eren and Reiner fell silent, staring at Armin blankly. "You know what don't mind me, what do I know about Quidditch, right?" Armin chuckled nervously and turned his head away to avoid their stares.

Turning back to Reiner, Eren's eyes lit up as if Armin's interruption never happened. "You were amazing out there! I was on the edge of my seat when you threw Bertholdt through the goal hoops!"

"Yeah, literally, he was on the edge of his seat. I had to hold him back so he wouldn't fall out of the stands," Armin sighed.

Reiner laughed heartily. "I aim to please my fans!" he said before grabbing Armin in a headlock, pinning him between his beefy arm and chest. Armin struggled in vain to free himself as Eren and Reiner continued their chat.

"Even though the odds were against you guys, Annie, Ymir, and Levi did amazing too! You guys were so robbed of that win," Eren said, shaking his head in frustration.

That's what I've been saying! Hey, but if you play your cards right, Eren, you could make your House's team in a couple of years and be playing with the big boys. Don't think Slytherin will go easy on you though," Reiner gloated.

"You can't count on throwing Bertholdt through the goal anymore, Master Shadis looked ready to curse your legs off," Eren joked. "Uh, but do you think you could put in a good word to Levi for me? I could really benefit from getting a couple of pointers from a Seeker like him..." Eren said, scratching his nose meekly.

"Wish I could help you, Eren, but I don't think Levi's forgotten the, um, history between you two?" Eren subconsciously put a hand over his mouth again, suddenly fearing for his teeth. "And now that I think about it, he hasn't exactly been happy with me either lately..." Reiner finally let go of Armin who immediately took in a huge gasp for air. "Anyways, I need to get out of here, I promised Bertl I'd study for our next Potions exam with him today."

"See you later then," Eren sighed, half-heartedly waving Reiner goodbye. Once Armin caught his breath again he started tapping Eren on the shoulder repeatedly. His eyes were trained on a spot just out of Eren's field of vision. "What is it?" Eren slapped his hand away, mildly annoyed. "What are we looking at?" Armin pointed wordlessly at the scene unfolding before them. The group of Hufflepuffs standing by the hourglasses turned as white as ghosts at the sight of Levi and his crew making their way down the Grand Staircase. One steely glare from Levi's eyes was all it took to send Connie, Sasha, and their comrades scattering in all directions.

"Do you still think Reiner was making up all that stuff about the Hufflepuffs? Innocent people don't run away like that."

"I guess you can keep your Chocolate Frog cards, Armin," Eren said, his interest piqued. "Let's get to the bottom of this."

"Look at them scatter, the filthy brats..." Levi said, narrowing his eyes at the backs of the fleeing Hufflepuffs, walking through the Entrance Hall and down another hallway with Eld, Gunther, and Oluo following closely behind him. "If they had any dignity left in them they would at least look me in the eyes."

"Some people just don't have any respect these days," Oluo said, shaking his head in disapproval. "You should teach those brats some manners. Don't let them off the hook so easily, Levi."

"Shut up, you're in Hufflepuff too," Eld snapped. "And quit acting like you weren't in on the whole thing. You were the commentator for the match and you knew all along!"

"Yeah, quit trying to save your own neck, you bastard," Gunther cut in sharply. "At least Gelgar's stepping up and taking all the heat for you guys."

"Listen guys, Gelgar is a smooth talker, he had us all under his thumb- I bet he bewitched us to follow his every single order!" Oluo quickly retorted, his ears visibly growing redder by the second. He glanced ahead at Levi to gauge his reaction but Levi had maintained his stride without taking one look back at all. He had kept quiet on purpose, knowing that his silence alone was enough to keep Oluo sufficiently scared out of his mind.

"Oh wow, Gelgar must be one great wizard to bewitch his entire bloody House," Eld said sarcastically, barely able to keep the contempt out of his voice. "Can you ask him to give me some tips?"

"H-He made a potion and slipped it into all of our-

"Can you believe this guy?" Gunther said, exasperated.

"This is getting real pathetic."

"He took a nose hair from me while I was sleeping and made a Polyjuice potion to impersonate me and-" Stopping short abruptly, Levi turned on his heels to face the three of them. He had had enough of Oluo's feeble excuses. Oluo was caught off guard and tripped backwards. "AHH- I bit my tongue!" He whined, blood gushing from his mouth.

"It's bad enough that you went through with Gelgar's plan but to stand there denying your involvement entirely is something I can't stand for," Levi said, his voice rising ominously. Eld and Gunther stepped out of the way, allowing Levi to lurch forward and roughly haul Oluo up off the ground by the front of his robes. Lifting him up to his eye level, Levi's cold gaze quickly sapped whatever bluster Oluo had left in him. "Where did you learn to turn your back on your friends because you certainly didn't learn that from me," Levi said through his teeth, his eyes boring holes into Oluo's. Dropping his hand away from his mouth Oluo turned his head to the side, unable to look Levi in the eyes. The corridor fell silent.

Gulping, Oluo finally managed to find his voice and said, "Y-You're right... I put my House before my friends. I've been such a fool." Somewhat satisfied with Oluo's answer, Levi let go of Oluo's robes. However, before Levi could stop him, Oluo dropped down to his knees and clutched the bottom of Levi's robes, tears, snot, and blood streaming down his face. "Please forgive me, Levi! It won't ever happen again, I promise! I swear!"

"Oh, I know it won't happen again," Levi said, nose wrinkling and pulling his robes away before Oluo's fluids could reach them. "That's the point of Erwin's little meeting today, right?" he said as he turned away and started walking, his mind elsewhere now. "Forgiveness. Making peace between the houses. Working together for the 'greater good'. Hmph..." With the tension lifted, Eld and Gunther followed after Levi, leaving Oluo behind. As they reached the end of the corridor, Levi stopped, lazily looked over his shoulder, and said "And if it makes you feel any better, yes, I forgive you," before rounding the corner.

"Levi, you are too kind to this poor wretch! I will gladly follow you to the ends of the Earth!" Oluo exclaimed as he jogged to catch up to them. Eld and Gunther exchanged looks and couldn't help themselves from bursting out into fits of laughter.

"Classic Oluo," Eld said with a smirk.

"I'm shocked he didn't try to kiss his boots," Gunther said mockingly with a hint of warmth in his voice.

"Oh shut up, you two! Even I wouldn't stoop that low," Oluo shot back.

Levi relaxed his shoulders, allowing himself to get lost in thought as his long-time friends horsed around and teased each other behind him. His thoughts turned toward the meeting ahead of them. He was annoyed that Erwin had them all jumping through these hoops just to learn the truth. He knew that Erwin usually had good reasons for being secretive; he hated it but he knew that Erwin could be trusted. What Levi wanted to know was why did this secret have to cost him the Quidditch match and his team's reputation. And why was this secret so important that Erwin needed to call him down to some pretentious meeting instead of telling him one-on-one?

He led the group down the hall and down onto a long, spiral, stone staircase. The meeting was going to be held in a section of the castle that was even further underground than the dungeons. Erwin had emphasized that he didn't want the meeting to be overheard by anyone else and chose a place that even the professors didn't patrol regularly. Levi could already tell why even the professors would avoid this place; he hadn't been here for more than a minute and he already hated being here. The whole staircase was cold, dark, damp, and frankly smelled like shit. The whole area felt less like a part of the castle and more like a vast sewer system.

With every step they made, the stagnant air felt colder and heavier, quickly draining the collective good mood out of the group. The few candles that lit the way became more infrequent the further they went until Levi could barely see the next step ahead of him. He pulled out his wand and cast the Lumos spell but, for some reason, the spell did very little to push back the darkness. Annoyed, he dismissed the spell and cast it again, to no effect.

"What the hell's going on?" he muttered under his breath. Behind him, Eld, Gunther, and Oluo put the tips of their wands together and cast Lumos simultaneously. There was a brilliant flash of light between them for half a second before it too was smothered by the oppressive darkness. The tiny lights glowed dimly on their wand tips like dying fireflies.

"Something's not right about this place..." Eld said, putting his wand away.

"Forget it, we're almost there anyway," Levi said, turning away quickly and stepping forward. He appeared calm and had kept his voice even but even he had felt unnerved. He quickened his pace considerably despite the darkness, going down two or three steps at a time with quick, headlong strides. "Damn it!" he cursed as he was suddenly blinded just before he reached the landing. The light had suddenly come back all at once, like someone had pulled a sheet from over his head, and the sudden shift had nearly made him trip over. Eyes watering, he squinted to get adjusted to his new surroundings. The stairwell had emptied out into a large, stone dungeon corridor with heavy, oak doors lined on either side. The light that had blinded Levi hung over the door closest to the stairs: a lick of brilliant flame, that changed from Gryffindor red, Raveclaw blue, Hufflepuff yellow, and Slytherin green every few seconds.

"Ah!" Eld said as he and the others caught up to Levi and got blinded as well. "What the hell's with this place?" Levi squinted over their shoulders and frowned. Any trace of the impenetrable darkness they had came through was gone.

"Must've been some stupid trap that Erwin set up to ward off intruders," he concluded, turning towards the flame door.

"Who would ever want to come down to a creepy place like this anyway?" Gunther asked.

"I've certainly never been down here," Eld replied, gazing around the empty hallway curiously in spite of his watering eyes. "Do they even have classes out here?"

"You fools! Anybody who has explored this castle as much as I have would know this place by heart," Oluo boasted.

"You guys talk too much," Levi said, rubbing his temple. "Stay out here and guard the door." He grabbed the door handle and paused to cast one last scathing glare at the four colored flame before quickly opening the door and slamming it behind him.

"Great, now we're stuck outside with you for God knows how long," came Eld's muffled voice through the door.

"Nonsense, I'm great company," Oluo shouted.

Passing over the renewed arguments behind him, Levi gazed around the dimly lit classroom. The desks and chairs had been rearranged to form a circle in the middle of the room. There were over a dozen people already sitting at the desks and every head had turned to him as he entered. Levi quickly recognized a few familiar faces: Mike, Nanaba, Petra, Hanji, Moblit, Gelgar, Nile, and finally Erwin sitting at the desk directly opposite from the door. Ignoring the stares, he took to the empty seat next to Petra and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So... What did you drag us out all this way for? I can't imagine we're having a tea party down here?" he said, casting a sidelong glare in Gelgar's direction.

"Some tea would be nice, I'm thirsty," Hanji said, leaning back in her chair thoughtfully. Moblit readily moved to get up from his chair but Nanaba pulled him back down into his seat.

"Not now!" she said in a hushed tone.

Gelgar lowered his head into his hands, not daring to look Levi in the eye. "It's all my fault..." he mumbled.

"Yeah, everybody and their mothers know that by now, genius," Levi said irritably. Levi had been meaning to have a "run-in" with Gelgar that would make the one he had with Eren look like child's play. He had never liked Gelgar even before the sabotage,: he was always loud, cocky, and strutting around like he owned the place. Once he found out he was the one that pulled the little stunt, Levi had grown to despise him. The only reason Gelgar wasn't in the Hospital Wing with a crater in his face was because Erwin had urged him to keep his hands to himself until he explained everything. "What's the real reason why we're all sitting in this filthy dungeon right now?"

"Calm down, Levi, let's hear him out first," Petra said calmly, putting a hand on Levi's shoulder.

"What else could we possibly learn from questioning this idiot?" Nile spoke up angrily. "Slytherin would have won that match if it wasn't for him!" Nile banged his fist on his desk making it rock back and forth violently.

"Oh please, Ravenclaw obviously has the better players. You were never going to win," Hanji interjected with a laugh.

"What makes you so sure of that, four-eyes?" Levi shot back, his anger towards Gelgar temporarily forgotten.

"Should I start with the 300 pound sack you have playing Chaser or your lunatic Beater?" Hanji leaned forward, putting her elbows on the desk in front of her and lacing her fingers together under her chin. "Or maybe that little blonde thug with the nose. Annie, was it? Not too long ago I heard she made Oluo's face uglier than it was before," she finished off with a pointed grin.

"Leave Oluo's face out of this, thank you," Petra said. "We don't need to be throwing around insults right now. This meeting's supposed to be about-"

"You have no right to judge my players until you've beaten them in a fair match," Levi said, clenching his fists. "And since we're on the subject, let's talk about your players, shall we?" he said, jabbing an accusatory finger at Moblit. "Let's not forget the fact that the only reason you added this brown-noser to the team is because you were afraid of what my 300 pound, lunatic, thug recruits could do."

"That's right!" Nile said, pounding his desk with his fist again. "You talk big, Hanji, but everybody knows that you lot were afraid of getting destroyed like last year. But recruiting a new player wasn't enough for you, was it? That's why you had that idiot Hufflepuff over there cheat for you!"

"For the last time, Ravenclaw had nothing to do with this!" Nanaba retorted, her face flushed with anger.

"Rubbish, I'm not believing that until each and every one of you takes a Veritaserum test."

"Nile, you're being ridiculous-"

"Oi, Mike!" Nile called, ignoring her. "I heard that you've picked up some new recruits too. Are you planning to hire Gelgar to do some dirty work for you as well?" Mike crossed his arms and turned his head towards Gelgar instead of Nile.

"Never. Gryffindor would never stoop that low."

"Glad to hear it. At least somebody around here is living up to their House's honor. Honestly, to think that a Hufflepuff had it in them to do something like this is such a shock to me," Nile scoffed. Gelgar pounded his fists on his desk and stood up abruptly.

"This is exactly why we did this!" he shouted. "All the other Houses discredit Hufflepuff like we're not even a threat. Like we're a joke! All we wanted to do was to be taken seriously and be recognized for once!"

"Well congratulations, my foot will now recognize your ass as a kickable target," Levi growled, getting up from his seat as well. "I don't want to hear your excuses. You couldn't let Hufflepuff succeed on their own merits and look what that got you. You made Hufflepuff look pathetic. What kind of example do you think you're setting for your first years?"

At this Gelgar lost all the fire he had in his eyes. Slumping back down in his seat, Gelgar looked as if he had suddenly aged a couple years. "Please... I didn't want things to end up this way," he said miserably, putting his head back in his hands. "I didn't want anybody to get hurt..."

"Get hurt?" Levi blinked in confusion. Nobody had been seriously injured during the match, just a couple of bruises here and there. His thoughts drifted to Reiner; any injuries he had were his own fault. "What do you mean?"

Erwin, who hadn't spoken a word since Levi entered the room suddenly cleared his throat loudly to gain everyone's attention. "That is a part of the reason I called you all here today," he stated, gazing at each of them with a serious expression.

Sitting back in his seat Levi fixed his eyes on Erwin, his lips were pursed in a tight line. "Go on, explain yourself then," he said, gesturing for him to continue.

Erwin straightened his back and stood with his arms folded behind himself. "Before I begin, as captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, I want to apologize to the Slytherin team for the events at last week's Quidditch match. Hufflepuff house, led by Gelgar, sabotaged you on our behalf and ruined what should have been a fair match between equals... but they are not the only ones to blame. I had known about the sabotage for almost twenty-four hours before the Quidditch match. I failed to warn you or tell Master Shadis and for that I am truly sorry."

The room immediately burst into angry complaints and confusion. Levi slumped further back in his chair, trying to take in what Erwin had just said but the others' squabbling drowned out all other thoughts.

"What's the meaning of this?" Nile shouted, balling his hands into fists. "If you knew all along why did you keep your mouth shut?

"Erwin... you're a Prefect, you should know better," Petra said, staring at him in disappointment.

"Hold on, this is the first time I'm hearing about this too!" Nanaba spoke up, looking hurt.

"I don't believe that for a second! All of you are-"

Gelgar who had been sitting with his head buried in his hands suddenly snapped his head up. "Shut up! He has his reasons! One of- One of my..." he struggled with his words before Erwin placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a look that Levi was having trouble discerning.

Holding up a hand to quiet everyone down, Erwin said, "Like Gelgar was trying to say, there is a Hufflepuff first year boy in the Hospital Wing." Erwin took a short pause to look around at them all with a serious gaze. "This boy was injured out in the Quidditch sheds the day before the match and I personally admitted him to the Hospital Wing. He had lost consciousness that day and to my knowledge hasn't woken up since." He stopped to turn to Hanji and looked at her expectantly.

Hanji straightened her glasses before stating, "That's correct. I was the only one Erwin trusted with this news and he tasked me with keeping an eye on the Hospital Wing. Sorry for not telling you guys earlier," she said, turning to the other Ravenclaws.

Levi's eyes widened a fraction. "You knew all along? You were the one talking the most shit this whole time!"

"Had to make it look convincing," she said with a wink.

Levi rolled his eyes and drummed his fingers on his desk, annoyed both at her for being such a convincing liar and himself for falling for it.

"Anyway, I haven't been able to keep an eye on him lately. Madam Langnar chased me out when I started asking too many questions." She added with a laugh. "It doesn't seem like any of the professors want to talk about it really."

"What does a kid going to the Hospital Wing have to do with us?" Levi asked, an eyebrow raised. "If he was injured doing Gelgar's dirty work then he got what was coming to him." The room fell into a hushed silence either nodding their heads in agreement or waiting for Erwin to speak.

"I had a feeling you'd say that and I don't blame you, Levi, or any of you, for feeling that way." Erwin turned to face Levi, watching him carefully. "But this is an issue that concerns all of us... I have reason to believe that dark forces are at work in the castle and if we don't act soon, Dazz will not be the only victim."

Levi had expected another round of outbursts but the room fell completely silent. Levi saw a couple heads turning to look at each other with uncertainty, waiting for someone else to be the one to speak up first. Finally, after several pained seconds, Nile broke the silence.

"Okaaaaay," he said, starting slowly. "I know it's our job as Prefects to care about the safety of the other students but... dark forces, Erwin? Aren't you jumping to conclusions over just one incident? This is Hogwarts, people get injured on a daily basis around here!" Nile threw his hands out and turned to the others for assurance. "That doesn't mean there are any dark forces lurking around."

A low murmur of agreement stirred around the room. Levi stayed silent; what Nile said made sense but in the back of his mind he knew that Erwin wouldn't have called them all here over a simple delusion.

"I think Nile has a point, Erwin," Petra said, wringing her hands together. "But even if your right and there is something going on, why not just let the professors handle it?" Everyone's heads turned back to Erwin.

Seemingly undeterred, Erwin pressed on. "Because I suspect that the professors are doing their best to cover all of this up," he said firmly.

"What are you-" Nile started but Erwin held up his hand to stop him.

"I'm sure you've all noticed how strange the professors have been acting lately, yes? How they've all been avoiding talking about the last Quidditch match?" Erwin started pacing back and forth in front of them as he spoke. "Randomly interrogating students in the hallways, increased patrols around the Forbidden Forest, carting books from the Restricted Section out of the library... Master Shadis told me that there wasn't anything to worry about but I've seen him skulking around the Quidditch shed every single day since the match, as if he's still searching for something."

Levi took a moment to think back on what's been going on around the castle the past week. Come to think of it, he had seen students getting pulled out of class more than usual lately. And there was also the fact the library now closed much earlier than before. Gustav, who is well known for being a good-natured and relaxed librarian now seemed stressed and snapped at any students that overstayed their time in the library these days.

Raising her hand, Hanji interjected. "I would like to add they won't let me near the Hospital Wing anymore so I couldn't get a lot of information. Although from what I overheard, Professor Woerman and Madam Langnar saying before I got kicked out is that Dazz's condition doesn't seem to be getting any better," she said, kicking her feet up onto her desk. "It's pretty serious if you ask me."

"...So you think the professors are hiding something from us?" Mike said, putting a hand under his chin in thought.

"Precisely," Erwin nodded earnestly, pointing a finger at Mike.

"Why won't they let her near the Hospital Wing anymore?" Petra leaned over and whispered curiously in Moblit's direction.

"She keeps trying to conduct her own experiments on the poor patients," Moblit replied flatly, shaking his head.

Shushing them, Nanaba spoke up again, "Erwin, if you are right and they are keeping secrets from us," she paused briefly. "What does that have to do with us?" Nanaba waved her hand around to gesture at the assortment of people in the room.

Erwin reached inside his robes and took out his wand. "I called you all down here because the younger students look up to us. Prefects, house leaders, quidditch captains; they rely on us for reassurance and protection when the professors cannot. Furthermore, they are more likely to listen to a fellow peer if the professors are withholding information from us. Even if you don't believe what I'm saying or think that I'm being too paranoid, that's fine. But please don't leave here without learning this spell for your own protection and for the sake of others." With that said, Erwin promptly swished his wand in a circular motion before ending it with a poke in one fluid motion. "Igni Tetra," he said loud and clearly.

Levi watched as the tip of Erwin's wand ignited revealing a blue flame that after a second started switching from, yellow, red, to green, and back to blue just like the same four colored flame that was outside the meeting room's door earlier. Even though it was a small flame, a few people yelped in surprise and lifted their hands to shield their eyes from it's brilliant glow. Levi's whole body immediately felt warmer but the heat felt like it came from inside himself rather than the flame itself.

Erwin held out his hand under the flame and it rested in his palm. "This spell is similar to Bluebell Flames in that you can safely touch it with your hands and move it around. I've done some research and found that this particular spell is used for protection and is said to have originated from the four founders of the school and is said to have been passed down through generations of Hogwarts students as a symbol of unity in times of crisis." Erwin waved his hand and the flame drifted lazily until it rested in the center of the room. "Its light casts a limited ring of protection from dark magic and its effects grow much stronger the more casters there are. When I was first called to investigate the shed I was met with darkness that even Lumos Maxima couldn't penetrate which made me suspect that dark magic was involved."

Levi straightened up in his chair and narrowed his eyes, suddenly thinking back to the stairs he, Eld, Gunther, and Oluo took to get to this meeting. Darkness that even Lumos couldn't get through? Levi watched the flame that Erwin had cast floating before him for a moment and then all at once it clicked into place. The darkness outside had only lifted once they had reached the flame. "Erwin," he said, starting to get up from his seat, suddenly worried. "Do you mean like the darkness on the stairs outside?"

Erwin stopped in his tracks completely and stared at Levi with a startled look, "Pardon?"

In the next second there came a sharp knocking sound on the door to their classroom. A couple of people froze in place or jumped slightly in their seats. All eyes in the room snapped onto the door, none of them daring to say a single word. Had one of the professors found them? Erwin quickly snatched the flame out of the air with his hand, smothering the flame within his fist until it was extinguished completely. Levi listened intently as the sounds of a number of people scuffling could be heard just outside the door.

"What are you doing here? Move on!" Oluo's voice quite clearly shouted.

"Out of my way, you buffoons!" A girl's voice commanded. For a moment the door handle jiggled a bit before more scuffling ensued. A few of the classroom's occupants started to raise from their seats, staring at the door in surprise.

"Don't go in there!"

"Take it easy, why are you in such a hurry?"

"I don't have time for you three right now, step aside or else!"

"PUT THAT DOWN!"

"Stupefy!" A loud bang resounded from outside, shaking the door on its hinges. A man's voice screamed and then came the thud of someone hitting the ground hard. Levi whipped around and swiftly took out his wand as the door swung open.

Illuminated by the flame, none other than Hitch stood in the doorway taking deep breaths with her wand raised. "What's the big idea? Why is it so dark down here, I nearly fell down the stairs on my way over!" Hitch stamped her foot on the ground and huffed. "The next time you guys have a little get-together try picking a more well lit spot. Oh, and don't forget to invite me," Hitch laid her free hand on her hip and smirked as her eyes roamed around the many faces around her.

"Why would we invite you when you're just going to come barging in and attacking our friends!" Petra raised her voice and pointed behind Hitch where Eld and Gunther could be seen turning over Oluo's rigid body from the doorway.

Stepping to the side and sparing a single glance out into the hallway, Hitch rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, please, I just stunned him. He'll be fine."

"What are you doing here?" Erwin demanded, walking up to Hitch with a hardened expression on his face. His mouth was set in a firm line as he glared down at her. With a smirk she stared straight back at him with no hint of backing down.

Without missing a beat she haughtily tossed her hair to the side, "For your information, I came here out of the goodness of my heart. I know how interested you are in that first year, Dazz, lately, Erwin," her eyes flashed up to meet Erwin's, gauging his reaction.

"How did you-" Erwin started to say.

"I know everything that goes on around this castle!" she said with a cackle. "Anyway, I just wanted my upperclassmen to know, as a friendly gesture and as a concerned model student that poor Dazz is being taken away to St. Mungo's as we speak."

A couple gasps could be heard as Hitch finished her sentence, she however rocked back and forth innocently on her heels trying to look as somber as possible. Levi glanced at Gelgar who now looked as if he was going to collapse at any moment. Shaking his head and walking brusquely to Erwin's side, Levi eyed Hitch warily. "Is this true?"

"Absolutely true, why would I need to lie?" Hitch replied with a playful lilt to her voice. "I saw it happening with my own eyes."

"Everybody outside. Now." Erwin commanded, turning away from Hitch to leave the classroom. "We can't stay down here."

Levi narrowed his eyes at Hitch before following Erwin outside. She didn't seem to be lying but he knew from experience that Hitch always had an ulterior motive. She would never bother sticking her neck out for someone unless she could get a favor in return. The last thing he wanted to do was be in her debt. Looking around Levi noted that Eld and Gunther had successfully unstunned Oluo and he was back on his feet. Once everybody had left the classroom Mike shut the door with a snap.

Levi scowled; something felt off to him. As soon as the door had closed the air in the hallway immediately felt different - cold, heavy, and stagnant just like on the staircase. Levi's eyes snapped towards Erwin's original flame. It was much smaller and dimmer than before and he could barely feel any of the internal warmth it gave off anymore. Erwin had also noticed the flame going out and quickly pulled a silver pocket watch from the inside of his robes.
"We need to hurry and get out of here, it's been more than an hour," Erwin said. Everyone-"

One of the others shrieked. Levi spun on his heel to see a wall of darkness looming towards them from the end of the hall, devouring what little light they had left at an alarming rate. Levi looked over his shoulder to find a second wave of darkness coming at them from the entrance. The hairs on the back of Levi's neck stood on end with the futile realization that whoever- or whatever- was doing this had waited until they were all out in the open. The darkness was the predator and they were all going to be in its jaws in a matter of seconds.

Levi's body reacted before his mind did. Before he could realize what he was doing, his wand was already in his hand making the circular motion that Erwin had done.

"Igni Tetra!" Levi and Erwin shouted in unison, blasting the corridor with miraculous blue and green lights. Two horrible screeching noises filled the air before quickly fading away. Levi wanted to get a look at their attackers but couldn't. The sudden change in lighting had blinded him for the second time that day, forcing him to shut his eyes. When he was finally able to open them again, both ends of the corridor were empty as if nothing had happened. The whole group was stunned speechless, none of them daring to speak or move.

Erwin was the first to take action. "Everyone. Upstairs. Now!" he barked, pointing his glowing wand tip towards the stairs. "It's not safe down here, stay close to me and Levi!"

He didn't have to tell any of them twice, half of them nearly tripped over themselves in their rush to follow Erwin. They huddled close together to stay in the range of Erwin's light, some shaking and others nervously looking over their shoulders.

"What was that?!" Levi heard someone whisper shakily.

"Who knows? Let's just get out of here!"

Levi was the last one to leave. With one foot on the steps Levi peered back into the corridor, which was now slowly turning dark again as Levi and Erwin's lights moved away from it. Levi squinted, trying to find any sign of their attackers but to no avail.

Who knows what could have happened just now? He thought, frowning to himself. He shook the thought out of his mind as he transferred his flame to the palm of his hand. He turned his back on the corridor and ran up the stairs two at a time, back towards the light of day.

"Out of the way!" Eren said as he elbowed his way through the crowd of people gathered in the courtyard. Armin followed closely behind him, throwing out apologies to the people Eren had shoved aside. As they approached the front of the crowd, Eren caught glimpses of the characteristic lime-green robes of the St. Mungo's mediwizards. "C'mon Armin!" he said before managing to squeeze through a pair of sixth year students and finally making it to the front of the crowd.

The St. Mungo's wizards stood in a circle with their backs to a stretcher that floated in the center of them. They were shouting orders for the crowd to disperse but the crowd had grown too large for them to control. Eren craned his neck to get a better look at who was on the stretcher. The upper half of the student's body was covered by a dark purple cloth that obscured their face. The only part of their body that wasn't covered was a ghostly pale hand that hung limply over the side of the stretcher. The veins of the hand were bulging and blue, so much so that Eren nearly thought that the skin was translucent.

"So they're really taking that Hufflepuff kid away?" Eren heard another student say from behind him.

"This is awful..."

"He's not... dead, is he?"

"No way, they would have shut down the whole school if he was dead."

An uncomfortable shiver ran down Eren's spine at their words. Could that pale figure on the stretcher really be Dazz? A tap on his shoulder made Eren nearly jump but he quickly regained his composure. He turned around to face Armin, he saw that he was pointing towards the castle entrance. Eren let out a short gasp. His father, clad in the same lime-green robes as the other mediwizards, was climing down the steps and talking to Headmaster Pixis. Others in the crowd started to notice their arrival and before long the whole crowd was silenced by their presence.

What's dad doing here? Eren thought. His father was in charge of the floor of St. Mungo's dedicated to magical diseases. It was rare for him to be called out into the field unless it was an emergency. The fact that he was here meant that whatever Dazz had was serious and possibly even contagious. Was Hogwarts at risk of an outbreak? And what on Earth could have happened to Dazz to make him like this in the first place? Grisha and Pixis stopped at the foot of the stairs. The men shook hands and Grisha gave a short, courteous bow before turning to the other mediwizards. He waved forward, signaling for them to leave.

Unable to contain himself, Eren cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Dad!", cutting through the reverent silence. Several people turned their heads in his direction but he ignored them, furrowing his eyebrows as he stared at his father. Grisha stopped in his tracks and turned to scan the crowd. Eren waved his arm in the air to draw his attention, earning a quick nod from his father once he spotted him. Eren beckoned his father to come over but all he got in response was a shake of his head and him tapping the watch that adorned his wrist with a pained smile on his face.

"He's busy," Armin muttered, next to him.

"I had to at least try," Eren sighed, dropping his arm back to his side.

The crowd parted for the mediwizards to leave with the stretcher but just as they were about to leave the courtyard, Connie and Sasha emerged from the sea of students. They ran towards the mediwizards, wide-eyed and even more disheveled than when Eren had seen them in the Entrance Hall. Sasha reached them first and clutched onto Grisha's arm. What the heck is she doing? Eren thought, eyebrows raised.

He couldn't tell what Sasha was saying but he could tell that she was talking a mile a minute, clearly distraught and shaking his father's arm frantically. Grisha was taken aback at first but then gave her a pitying look. He put his free hand on her shoulder and said something to her that Eren couldn't hear. One of the other mediwizards grew impatient and forcibly wrenched Sasha away from Grisha. The mediwizard shook his head disapprovingly at her and looked as if he was going to admonish her but Grisha held up a hand to stop him. He gave her one last apologetic look, one that Eren was all too familiar with before wordlessly turing to leave. Sasha was left standing almost rooted to the spot with a look that Eren could only think of as utter devastation and only moved when Connie came up and tugged her away.

"What was all that about? You saw all of that too, Armin?" Eren said, trying to track Connie and Sasha's movements in the crowd before he lost them.

"I told you there was something suspicious about those two."

"They definitely know more about this Dazz situation than they're letting on... Looks like we've got our first targets."

A.N. It's been years! If any of my former readers see this I'm truly sorry this took sooo long. But it's better than nothing, right? Back then life in general just caught up to me and I didn't have the time or energy to write this story, but now I'm back. Anyway this chapter has been a long time coming since I kept it unfinished but safe all these years until now. Just a heads up, I'm picking up right where I left off because I still remember (and conveniently wrote down) all the plot points and ideas I had for this story. A lot has changed about Attack on Titan these past few years but I think I can still incorporate a lot of the newer stuff reasonably into the direction of this story and I'm excited for that!

*Igni Tetra is not a real spell, it's made up for the purpose of this story.

I mentioned this in an update I made to the first chapter but I'll say it again here. For any of the old readers who might see this, I didn't change the existing plot of the story at all. All I did was go back through the previous chapters and add more stuff and fix tiny mistakes. I think it's worth it to re-read the nine chapters already out both for the changes and to refresh yourself on the story. Enjoy!