Black Beauty

[Professor Ericus Black]

Ericus was deep in thought. There were so many things going wrong right now. His own concience had attacked him on why he attacked his own friends. Ericus was ripped from his thoughts when there was a wand pointed at his neck and ropes tying him to the chair. Ericus couldn't move himself. And he could see that Starr had wrapped him up. Thank God she lived. Ericus smiled weakly. The ropes were cutting him short on breath.

Ericus saw Syn rise, seeming shaken. He was trying to goad Starr to leave. Ericus struggled slightly. There weren't any wandless spells he knew at the moment to break this. Nor was he sure he could right now. Ericus had just emotionally shaken himself to the core. But Syn wasn't caring anymore. It was pitiful.

"You know Syn....Your attitude sickens me. If it were me in your position I would have killed myself already. I attacked you and your wife. My two friends. And yet you seem to act like this is nothing. You need to, as the muggles say, man-up." Ericus spat at the ground by his own feet. Ericus tried to struggle a little mroe but it hurt to breathe. The ropes were almost on the verge of strangling him.

[Professor Starr Kimaki]

Though Starr was distracted by Syn's hot breath on her ear and the persistent tugging on her arm, it didn't stop her from noticing Ericus' expression. That smile. That halfhearted little twitch of a smile. It froze her to the spot. All she could do was stare at him: expression blank, eyes wide, face pale. And she remained there for quite some time. She was barely listening to Syn's hushed, urging voice hot against her neck or Ericus' persistent, yet strained, snarls.

It was that smile. What had she seen there? Anything? Was it just a simple smile? Was she blowing things out of proportion? Why did he smile? The question ate away at her until something forced her back to reality. A small little glob of saliva splattered against the floor. Slowly, zombie-like, Starr's eyes shifted to it. "That was gross..." This was obviously no time for humor, but she couldn't help herself. It was just the reaction that came to her.

Struggling to mask the smile creeping across her face, Starr easily jerked her arm free of her husband's grasp and practically jammed the end of her wand down Ericus' throat. Her eyes weren't on him anymore, but fixated on Syn. "He's right, Syn. Why do you want to run away? You're the Headmaster! You should be strong," her hissed voice carried to only her husbands ears while she leaned closer to him. "He knows you're weakening."

As if in disgust, Starr turned from him to focus again on Ericus. Regretfully, she noticed the blueish tint crawling to his face and she slackened the ropes around his body. Her words to him were short and cold. Meaningful. Questioning. "Why did you do it?"

[Professor Syn Kimaki]

Starr and Ericus' voice echoed through his ears.

"You know Syn....Your attitude sickens me. If it were me in your position I would have killed myself already. I attacked you and your wife. My two friends. And yet you seem to act like this is nothing. You need to, as the muggles say, man-up."

"He's right, Syn. Why do you want to run away? You're the Headmaster! You should be strong"

He tried to think of a reply. He was silent for a few seconds, then replied to Ericus first, by yelling.

"Well I'm not you. I would never attack my friends. I'm better than that. And how should I man up? Attack You? Because that would make me just as bad as you. There's a better way around fights then fighting you idiot. As a hufflepuff, I know that. Gryffindors seem to think the Slytherins have something right these days. And to think, a couple generations ago, they would never be seen together.

Then he looked at Starr. His voice returned to a quite tone again.

Starr. You've known me for years. You know me better than anyone. I was never strong. He bit his lip and looked at her eyes. Then in a cold low tone, he said I'm not Jayak. Stop acting like I am. He's dead. You know why? Because he pissed people like him He pointed to Ericus. off. I'm sorry Starr, but I'm not an idiot like our little friend here. I won't make the same mistake Akaji did.

Then he looked at the floor, like he always did, away from them. He was breathing pretty hard and immediately regretted the last bit.

[Professor Ericus Black]

Ericus felt the ropes slacken a little. Starr's wand had jabbed him in the throat though. It was painful and he could feel tears of pain in his eyes. But he had to hold it in because now Syn was yelling at him and Starr had questioned him. Ericus had never felt such an odd combination of annoyance and pity. His eyes were back to there normal state, seeing as the tears had now slid down his face.

Ericus had no wand. No way to protect himself. No way to get on the offensive. All he could do was verbally abuse the two of them. "Well Starr...I attacked you because you attempted to attack me first. And I attacked Syn out of pure annoyance." Ericus spoke calmly. He rolled his neck and it cracked a few times. Turning his gaze up to Syn, Ericus stared at him for a moment or two.

"Syn, you may think that you are trying to seem above and beyond fighting. But nowadays, thats all you can do to stay alive. And you are right, you are not Jayak. Whoever he thought he was, I'm glad he is no more. And you, whom I thought was my friend, seem to have forgotten that people like me as you say, are the only reason people like you are still alive." Ericus spoke with that slow voice that seemed to creep into the mind of most people.

He reached into the drawer in front of him and found a wand. Not just any wand. It was the wand of one of the death eaters that fell in the collapsed Hospital Wing. Ericus didn't know how it had survived. But it did. and he pulled it out slowly and secretively. Ericus pointed the wand at himself and muttered a spell under his breath that caused the ropes to dismantled and break. Standing to his full height Ericus brushed himself off.

"Syn, you need to realize, like Starr said, that were not children anymore. We need to know how to protect ourselves. And how can I do that," He said softly, pointing his wand at Syn's head, "If I don't know what you're thinking." Ericus hand trembled slightly. He was sure of what he was going to do. Things like this were not to be thought of as pleasure. "Legilimens!"

[Professor Syn Kimaki]

Syn had no time to reply to Ericus' comment before he was zapped with a spell. One of the ones that he knew he could he couldn't fight off. He never learned occlumency.

Syn was a small boy, it was his first year at school and he sat on a rock that would later be one of the few places you could find him at. Anyway, he was watching the moon when he noticed someone else was near him. A girl, who looked about his age.

The scene changed a little. The two kids were now laying on the ground, holding hands. Syn was telling the girl about astronomy. Something his grandfather had taught him before he died. And that Harmony he said pointing is the little dipper.

The scene changed once more. Syn and the girl, who we now know was called Harmony, were sitting in the great hall. Harmony ran up to Syn. "I will!" Then she hugged Syn and smiled. Syn had given her a book the night before, about astronomy, with a note asking if Harmony would go out with him.

The scene changed again. Harmony and Syn were standing on the astronomy tower. Harmony was angry at Syn and slapped him.

Outside his mind, Syn was breathing extremely hard, sweating, and shaking. He'd never told anyone that much about Harmony except for that he'd gone out with her. The truth is, she was one of the few people who Syn had felt really close to. There was only two. Her and Starr. Harmony was killed a few weeks back when the death eaters found and interrogated her about "Kimaki." He hadn't told Starr. She didn't need to know, its not like she would've cared. She didn't about Chi, one her best childhood friends in her early years at Hogwarts, why would she care about Harmony, who was little more than a person she knew.

[Professor Starr Kimaki]

A bubble of rage finally busted deep within Starr's core. Her husband had just made probably one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Mentioning Akaji was a cruel thing to do. She knew he would attempt an apology later, but there was no plan to accept it. The poison from the exploded bubble tainted her blood and sent a violent shade of red to crawl across her cheeks. Her wand lowered from Ericus' neck and she even willingly stepped aside as Ericus thrust forward and attacked Syn with another curse.

There was too much pain and agony in Jayak's memory for Starr to forgive either of them lightly. She didn't bother protesting while a familiar curse was issued and her husband began to suffer even more familiar side-effects. Legilimens had always been something to frown upon, in Starr's opinion, but right now she didn't really care. The ravenous poison infected her even further and her eyes, like ice, shifted to Syn's sweating face.

"You know he won't find much in there," she hissed to him, completely ignoring Ericus. Both were concealed in memory now. It didn't matter what she did anymore. "There's nothing in there to find. Your memories are soppy and full of your love for those around you." Bitterness curled at the tip of her tongue, white hot anger still forcing words from her lips. "I should let him discover your secrets," Starr whispered, as if possessed. "I should let him, shouldn't I..."

But, even as she spoke, her wand hand raised and pointed to Ericus. Blue eyes shifted from Syn to rest for a split second on Ericus' concentrating face. "Stupefy!" Red light seared from the tip of her wand and hit Ericus without warning. Whether or not the spell on her husband was broken wasn't on her list of priorities right now. She wanted to sort this thing out as quickly as possible and get away from Syn and the past that came along with him.

[Professor Ericus Black]

Ericus could only see few memories. None of which mattered. But he knew something was about to happen. He had released the spell just in time. Ericus had about a milisecond to stop it and he was lucky he did. The Shield Charm he cast blocked the stunning spell effectively. His wand slashed and the red light wisped away. Ericus pointed his wand at Starr. She was next. He was sure of it. But Ericus wasn't ready to invade her mind yet.

He turned his head to Syn. Before he realized it, Ericus was shouting. "Syn, you are weak and pathetic excuse for a human being. You have always been a weak one. Even to me. I could tell when we were in school. Your powers have always been the same. Feeble attempts at Powerful spells. Your mind is nothing but a disgusting playground for memories of a girl who no one remembers except you."

His chest heaved a few times before his breathing relaxed itself once again. Ericus turned his attention back to Starr. With a wave of his wand, Ericus' door had shut and would not open unless he made it. They were all trapped now. "Now Starr, although I'd hate to harm a pretty face, I must search the constructs of your mind as well." Ericus pointed his wand back towards Starr's head. "Legilimens!"

[Professor Syn Kimaki]

Syn shook his head. He had a major headache, it felt like someone had just forced his brain open and searched deep inside, for a treasure and stabbed random parts of his brain while looking.

"Syn, you are weak and pathetic excuse for a human being. You have always been a weak one. Even to me. I could tell when we were in school. Your powers have always been the same. Feeble attempts at Powerful spells. Your mind is nothing but a disgusting playground for memories of a girl who no one remembers except you.

Syn didn't say anything. To many thoughts were running threw his head. What could he say? He shook his head again, this time disagreeing. In a very low, quite voice, he managed to mumble That girl wasn't just some random person Ericus. I loved her, I really did... but, I made a mistake and lost her forever.

He watched as Ericus started to read Starr's mind. He didn't attempt to stop him. Not because he was angry, but, like they said, he was weak.

He thought about Harmony. He hadn't seen her in years, but he knew Ericus was wrong. He wasn't the only person who remembered her. She was amazing in her life, strong. He knew she hadn't given up without a fight. Thats why she was dead. It was Syn's fault. If he hadn't become head of the school... if he had just closed the school without causing all this trouble, she would still be alive. Chi would be alive. It was his fault everyone he knew was dying.

He didn't fight Ericus. If he did, something else might happen. After all, if he knew Crucio, he probably av...avoir. He remembered that Ericus had been saying something that started with Av when he had come to his office. He highly doubted it was avoir now. He knew Ericus knew the killing spell. He didn't do anything though. He was to weak.

[Professor Starr Kimaki]

Starr knew what was coming next. After reading her husband's mind, Ericus would turn his wand on her. She'd had practice. Occlumency was a very strong talent of hers. While Ericus' wand seemed to point at her in slow motion, Starr thought a bit about what she was going to do. Manipulate what she would let him see, that much was obvious. But how much information? And what type of information? Something personal? Somethi---

A little red flash obscured her vision and all other thought went blank within her mind. She wiped it clean. She could see a black space within her mind. Manipulation at its best.

"You're a cruel creature, Ericus Black," Starr's voice sounded within her own head. She knew he could hear it too. "I should cast you out of my mind, but there are things you deserve to see and experience as I did. It will help you understand. Though you don't deserve to understand, I suppose I have no choice. My husband fed you memories of grief and loneliness - I can assure you my memories are quite different."

The voice in her head died as her eyes closed. The chain around her mind loosened and fell away while she accompanied him into the memories of her past:

"I'll love you forever. You'll remember that, right?" A boy smiled down at a girl partially curled up in his lap.
Her delicate hand traced imaginary circles across his chest while she nodded eagerly. "That's a silly thing to ask me, Jayak," the young girl giggled. "I'll never forget your love. Like you'll never forget mine."
The boy's hand stroked through her hair while his handsome smile crossed his face and he touched a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you..."

The vision shattered and peeled away.

The sun appeared to no longer exist. The world around them was quiet, dull, dead. A single grave stone dotted a grassy hill while mourners scattered the surrounding area. There was a girl kneeling before the tombstone, her head bowed. Light brown hair fell over her face, blocking her vision from those around her. A slight breeze fluttered past them and a hand reached down to touch the girl's shoulder.

"Starr... Starr, honey, it's time to leave." It was a man's voice, but the girl didn't appear to have heard him. "Starr, we have to go home."
Finally, she responded to him in a chilled voice. "I'm staying with him."

The man's hand lifted from her shoulder and footsteps signaled his leave. The girl's eyes lifted, only to cause more tears streaming down her face:

Jayak Akaji
Beloved Son and Brother
May he Rest in Peace

The memory melted in a pool of tears.

"You're a foul creature, Starr Manning!" There was a slap. A cry of pain. The sound of a body hitting the floor. "I don't know why I agreed to teach you!" A young woman lay sprawled on the ground, but she struggled to lift her head and face her attacker.
"You promised, Singer! You promised to help me learn!"
The man's face twisted into a snarl. "That was before I learned what you were! What you do!"
The woman looked startled. She clambered to her knees. "I don't do anything, James! I told you the truth! I love Syn, I do!"
"Did you tell Jayak that? Did you tell him whom you really loved? That you betrayed him?"
"It isn't like that!" Tears streaked her face, tracing familiar paths down her cheeks.
Another slap sent her back to the floor and his voice was full of unforgiving malice. "I will teach you."

A ripple distorted the dream.

"Good, good. You have learned well, Miss Manning." A beam of approval shown across his face.
"It's Kimaki, James. After training me for two years, you should know by now."
The grin faltered. "You don't love him."
Her hair had grown longer now and darkened considerably. Threateningly close to black. "I do love him, Singer. I love Syn with all of my heart."
"You're a liar. You don't love him with all your heart. You try to love him, but you don't. There are others filling the space that your husband should!"
The woman grew angry. "Yeah? Like who?"
"Jayak... and Ericus." The corner's of his lips were twitching.
There was no response from the woman. She turned her back on him, her figure melting before his eyes and transforming gracefully into a slick black panther. The panther didn't look back as it swept out the door. She had no plans of coming back.

For the last time, the images broke.

There was a small pop and a hiss. A woman looked up from her desk, startled. "James!" The man moved quickly toward her, his hand wrapping around her wrist while he turned sharply on the spot.

The two were standing in front of a familiar grave at the top of a hill. He grabbed her by the hair on the back of her head and shoved her forward, forcing her on her knees. "Look."

The woman cried in protest as her hands flew out to balance herself. His hand knotted in her hair and he wrenched her face upward, shoving it closer to the grave, forcing her to read. "Read it. Remember it. You betrayed him."

"James, I don't---"
"READ IT!"
"I read it every day, James! I visit his grave every day! Let go of me! I don't understand!"
"You're still married to that git, Syn. You're married to him!"
"I love him!"
"LIES!" He ripped his hand from her hair, letting her topple forward. "You're a LIAR! You do NOT love him! You married him out of pity! I trained you in occlumency, Starr! I trained you! I KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!"
The woman lay curled on the snowy ground, sobbing. "I-I can't... I-I don't... p-please..."
His voice overpowered hers. "You love that other one! That Black boy! Ericus! You betray Jayak for a Death Eater?!"
"Ericus is not a Death Eater! I do not love him!"
"He is. And you do." There was a pop followed by muffled sobs before all grew silent.

Starr's eyes reopened and she calmly shut Ericus out of her mind again. From Syn's point of view, it would look as though she had simply fallen into a peaceful sleep while Ericus probed her mind. She showed no signs of pain or suffering or weakness. She simply stared at Ericus, waiting for his words.

[Professor Ericus Black]

Ericus was almost swimming in Starr's memories. All of them seem to be centered around Jayak and Syn. And her love for them. And ehr training in Occlumency by the man known as Singer. Ericus knew not of him. But his thoughts on him, were the least to say, surprising. Ericus was not, nor would he ever consider himself a death eater. And Singer was wrong to accuse him of such. The pain she seemed to be suffering in these memories was almost harming Ericus. He could feel odd stings and pricks at his mental state.

Ericus was almost tempted to not draw away. But he had to. It was only fair to show them his deepest memories as he had forced them to show his. Ericus staggered backwards, sweating. The power it took to crack Starr's mind had physically fatigued him. Ericus turned around and walked shakily towards the cabinet near his desk. And as he opened it, a silver shine broke the slight dimness of the room. Out of the Cabinet, Ericus pulled out a pensieve which he placed upon his desk.

Ericus quickly moved to his chair and collapsed into it. It was exhausting. His wand, which he had retreived from the crack in the cabinet, was touching to his temple. And as he drew it away, a few silvery strands were dangling from the tip of his wand. Ericus moved his wand and held the tip over the pensieve. And tapped it four times as four different strands fell in. "Look in, the two of you. It will shed some light."

The first memory, almost slightly blurry fazed into view. It was a younger Ericus, who had just graduated from Hogwarts. His broom was slung over his shoulder and around it were tied his quidditch robes, which he ahd secretly taken. He was travelling through Scotland when he was confronted by two men. One of them claimed to be sent by a man named James. The other man claimed to be the said man. As Ericus tried to back away from the duel, a spell was shot at him by the other man. As the duel went on, 'James' fired a killing curse towards Ericus. Lucky enough to get out of the way, Ericus rolled as the green light zoomed into the other man's face. Ericus turned to face Singer who apparated seconds later. Ericus turned towards the man, who seemed slightly familiar. Ericus turned to check the face...The memory began blurring away into another one.

It was a dark forest. Ericus was on the ground with blood covering his face. His wand was lying a few feet away from him and he was surrounded my people in black hoods. One of them spoke, "Tell us where they are hiding." The man's wand pointed directly at Ericus' chest. "No," was all Ericus managed to spit out. "Very well then. Crucio!" Ericus seemed as though his insides were being ripped apart. Tears flooded his eyes as they closed and the memory faded.

Ericus was not present at the marriage of Starr and Syn. He refused to go on the grounds that it wasn't meant to be. Ericus had taken the excuse of leaving on an important mission for a group of ex-aurors. He was not gone. Nor was he out of the country. Ericus sat up on a higher ledge of the building in which they were getting married. A tear was slowly streaming down his left cheek. Ericus knew that within a few moments that his relationship with Starr would practically be over. And his best friend Syn would be the cause of it.

Ericus was inside of the ministry the same day it was taken over. He tried to fight as much as he could but Stunning Spells and Reduction Spells were useless. Ericus, feeling a glint in his eye as he turned towards one of the wizards and cried, "Avada Kedavra!" The green light erupted from his wand, and nailed the man in his chest. Ericus quickly moved over towards him, to see who it was that he had killed. And it was none other than the man James, who had attacked him those years ago. The sound in the memory began to fade but the scene stayed clear. Ericus was fired green bolts in all directions.

Ericus stayed seated, hoping that both of them would take the time to gaze into his mind. These weren't his most personal memories, but they were ones that would help them understand why he was the way he was. Ericus still had some cold sweat from the venture into Starr's mind on his face and he didn't bother to wipe it off or bother to move at all.

[Professor Syn Kimaki]

Syn watched as Ericus probed the far, cobwebbed depths of his wife's mind. There was many, many,many things she had never told him. Infact, she probably had more secrets then he had actual memories. Unlike how he had been, he could tell she was allowing Ericus to search her mind, for those memories she treasured.

His heard burned with curiosity. What was she showing him? Did he already know, or had she never told anyone? He wanted to stop it, yet the calm look on Starr's face wouldn't let him. Syn was frozen, watching it. It was odd, almost scary. He'd never seen her that calm. It was almost like she'd finally realized her mind couldn't hide these things forever. He'd just wish he knew what these things were.

He noticed Ericus started to back off, and Starr getting up. He wanted to know what she had shown him. He deserved to know, he was her husband. She should feel like she could tell him anything. The question is: Did She?

Starr's memories was all the was on his mind. He traveled back to the odd world of reality when Ericus told them to look into the pensieve.

Syn was following a younger Ericus. He had to be right out of Hogwarts. Almost out of nowhere, a duel had began. Syn had managed to catch one of the attackers names James, before the scene changed again.

Ericus was being attacked. By who though, Syn couldn't tell. They wanted to know something about someone hiding. Ericus wouldn't tell them, so they attacked him. For some reason, Syn felt sorry for him.

Syn recognized this next scene, considering he was there. Ericus wasn't out of the country afterall. He lied to Starr and him. What a surprise. And the fact that he thought his relationship with Starr was over was somewhat selfish. Syn had found out extremely early in life that if he couldn't "have" Starr, being her friend was just as good. After all, all great relationships started with friendship.

The scene changed again and Ericus was fighting off some more people. Then he heard it. "Avoir". His fists curled. He watched as Ericus killed the man who had attacked him those many years before.

Syn was free and immediately looked at Ericus.

You think those...thoughts, memories, whatever you call them, will make me feel sorry for you? Sorry, but I don't give a DAMN that you killed someone who attacked you a few years ago. And you were crucio'd, yes, but that doesn't give you an excuse to go around and use it on anyone you choose.

He waited a few seconds and sighed.

You lied to us Ericus. You choose not to come because you were jealous. You wanted it to be the other way around. You wanted to be in my position that day.

He waited another couple seconds and continued.

Ericus, I'm your best friend. Sure, I didn't meet you until my 5th or 6th year in school, but you've known me long enough to know that I haven't had my fair share of good days. Hell, I've been with two people in my life. TWO. One of those, which you saw, didn't last to long. Every day in school, I was a sidekick. No one wanted me, no one wanted to touch me. Ericus, if anything, I should be jealous of you. Your childhood wasn't too bad. You had your share of bad days, who hasn't? You got to experience life at an early age. You went out with that Lillian girl, and that Katrina girl. You were a quidditch star at Hogwarts. Everyone liked you. The day I married Starr was the happiest day of my life. I knew I had finally found the one person in this world who I knew loved me as much as I loved her.

He pointed his wand at Ericus' forehead, he was shaking quiet a bit.

Ericus, I don't feel sorry for you. You lied to your friends, committed murder. What would the kids at school say now? Would they still think your "down with it?" Your just small boy who can't handle the fact that he's not as popular now as he was when he was a kid..... right?

Yeah... that has to be it....

[Professor Ericus Black]

Ericus weakly looked at Syn. It seemed as though Syn had conjured the courage to finally stand up to him. Ericus didn't rise from the chair as he was yelled at. And Ericus didn't feel he deserved any of it. But he felt now he had to come clean. Ericus lifted his hand lightly to stop Syn. It didn't seem to work but Syn seemed to have finished and was now pointing his wand at Ericus. He merely gazed up at the two of them.

"Well, Syn, if you're wondering who I was protecting. It was the two of you. There was basically an army after you. You don't even know the half of what happened to me that night. And I choose to let know one know what else happened. But you are my friends and i feel I must explain. Nay, I will show you." Ericus waved his wand in front of his face and there was a small wisp of skin colored powder in the air. Not too long ago there was a spell made to permanently hide disfiguration. It was able to be removed and replaced at anytime.

Ericus face was covered in numerous cuts and marks of Dark Magic. His left Eye was covered by an X-like scar. As he waved his wand back over his face, it was covered once again. Now back to looking like his normal self, Ericus spoke again. "Syn, you may think I was popular and everything. That I got the girl more than you. But if you hadn't noticed, I no longer play Quidditch. I am not married as you two are. And my childhood...I choose not to divulge with you."

Ericus rose, his body was cold and shaking. His wand was now lifted towards Syn and was pointed at his chest. "But if you must try and prove yourself as a man. Then Defend yourself. "Av....C...Sec...." Ericus' wand, three seperate times showed a weak green light, a weak red light, and a weak purple light. His energy felt drained. He couldn't figure out why. He slumped back into his chair and placed his wand upon the desk. Looking up at Syn, he spoke once more, "If you feel I have wronged you, Finish It."

[Professor Syn Kimaki]

"Well, Syn, if you're wondering who I was protecting. It was the two of you. There was basically an army after you. You don't even know the half of what happened to me that night. And I choose to let know one know what else happened. But you are my friends and i feel I must explain. Nay, I will show you."

I know there was an army after me. I was well aware of that, I mean theres this thing called communication, and word spread pretty fast. What I want to know is why....why did you go there? I mean, its not like you could have magically wandered into a campsite with a bunch of death eaters. Unless they tracked you down. And if they did, they would have no trouble finding me, so they wouldn't have to ask where we were at.

Syn watched as Ericus removed his "mask". It was....It showed the pain he had suffered that night. For him, For Starr. Syn knew he had gone threw countless hours of torture, and he never once gave them his location. Syn felt the weakness he was suffering earlier come back to him.


"Syn, you may think I was popular and everything. That I got the girl more than you. But if you hadn't noticed, I no longer play Quidditch. I am not married as you two are. And my childhood...I choose not to divulge with you."

Ericus...You may not have noticed, but theres not an army after you. I'm married, yeah, so? It doesn't make my life any easier. I mean, I have someone to talk to, but no one possibly understands the fact that I'm causing murders. People are being murdered because they were protecting me, or even know me. Look what happened to you. You think I like living with the guilt that Voldemort is murdering my friends and family? Torturing them? He killed my only living relative. He killed Harmony. He won't stop at them. I may be married the most beautiful girl in the world Ericus, but my life is anything but easy.

He listened as Ericus once again tried to curse him. This time though, it didn't work.

"If you feel I have wronged you, Finish It."

Syn pointed his wand at Ericus. He'd had enough. He'd almost forgotten Starr behind him, and didn't really understand why she hadn't done anything or said anything to them. He sighed and he decided he was going to do it. He was... He was going to kill Ericus Black. He took a breath and out came the words.....

Avada Kedavra

Syn grinned. This was it. But.... nothing happened. Then Syn sighed and knew it was no use. He hadn't meant it. Syn couldn't kill a friend.

[Professor Starr Kimaki]

There was no way to react to what was falling in place around her. No words to describe the emotions churning inside of her rigid body while the two men engaged in a heart wrenching conversation. It was like they didn't care what the other was feeling. They just talked to hear their own voices and get their opinion across to the other. But it wasn't working. It didn't seem like they cared about that, either.

When Ericus struggled to pull out the pensieve, Starr had merely glanced at the images, barely watching as the young version of her best friend floated across the shimmery surface. She didn't want to know what he felt in the past. She didn't want to be reminded of the sufferings thrust upon people who stood in Voldemort's way. They didn't have to do what they did, she knew that. But it didn't stop her from feeling incredible waves of guilt every time she was reminded that an innocent life had been taken on behalf of her or her husband.

The pain was just too much to bear.

All the while Starr stood motionless behind Syn, the argument had grown violent. She'd stopped listening to what they were saying a while ago, merely standing there while her mind floated to other places. Suddenly their voices were no longer bumblebee hums and she sharply tuned back into the conversation. Her darkening eyes flicked upward. Her husband had a wand pointed at Ericus. The Black man wasn't fighting back. He merely sat there, his breathing labored and sweat dribbling down his cheeks.

The scene wasn't right. It didn't fit. "Syn..." Starr croaked inaudibly. "Syn, don't..." Her words weren't heard as her husband attempted to unleash a spell she never thought she'd ever hear being uttered from his lips... Nothing happened. No flash of green light. Ericus was still sitting before them, alive as ever. Fatigued, but alive.

The shock emptied from Starr's system as if she'd been struck by lightning. Cold rage flooded her mind and body. "SYN!" Starr's scream split the surrounding silence as she rounded on her husband. "YOU STUPID, SELFISH BASTARD!" She tore her wand out of her pocket, suddenly controlled by the random rage within her. With the point of her wand digging sharply into Syn's back, her scream died into a bitter growl while she leaned close to snarl into his ear. "I married you because you were different. I don't want to be married to a murderer. Stupefy."

Tears were streaming down her face as the spell erupted from the tip of her wand, giving her arm a little jolt with the power of it as she tore her hand away from him. She moved without thinking from that point on. Her body directed itself without thoughts sent from the brain. Her mind shut itself down, barricading any other thoughts besides the instincts to survive. Starr walked stiffly around Syn, unconscious or not, and moved to the door.

She reached shakily for the handle and gave it a sharp twist. It didn't budge. "Damn it!" Starr cried, her body trembling while she tried to turn the doorknob again. She had forgotten that Ericus cursed it closed. Leaning forward, she slammed her forehead against the wood. And that's where she stood: her forehead resting against the door, her shoulders hunched awkwardly, her legs trembling with the effort to remain standing, her right hand on the doorknob.

"Ericus..." she croaked through tears. "Open it..."

[Professor Ericus Black]

Ericus remained in his seat, his body tensed as Syn spoke the two words of the Killing Curse. But nothing happened. Ericus still sat fatigued in the chair. Syn was still standing in front of him. But Syn was wrong about himself being the causes of the murders. There wasn't anyway to explain it cleanly, but Ericus felt he had to. "Syn...You weren't the reason Chi and that girl died......It was my fault. I gave there locations to the death eaters instead of yours....I didn't know what to do. But I remembered you telling me about the two of them. I'm sorry." Ericus leaned his head down.

He looked up as he heard Starr saying something to Syn. And she shouted the Stunning Spell and Ericus, already had his wand pointed at Syn and spoke, "Ennervate." That way if Syn was even stunned at all, he would awake within a second. Ericus stood as Starr moved to the door. She was trying to leave. Ericus was going to tell her to stop, but remember that he had jinxed the door closed. He refused to let anyone leave. "Starr.....I'm not opening the door." Ericus spoke softly.

He could tell she was crying. He'd heard that inflection on her voice when she asked him to open the door. Ericus moved around the desk past Syn. Mind you, it was shakily. "Starr...If you want to know more....I'll allow you into my mind." He said tapping his head with his finger. Being a master of both Occlumency and Legilimency, Ericus knew how to block images and open them. Starr was going to be the first person he would ever allow to read his mind. On his terms.