Jade, Alana, and West reached the Care of Magical Creatures classroom on the edge of the grounds, which was full of cages and dangerous creatures. A group of imps snarled at them from a cage the size of an Easter basket. West shrieked when a bowtruckle clicked its stick fingers right into her hair. Each cage had an elegant label, with attractive calligraphy and the Latin names in clear black print that could only have been achieved via wand.

"Fire Crab, ooh! A kelpie, Alana look how creepy its eyes are. Phoenix, aww, it just molted!" Jade had a running commentary on the cages' contents, pausing occasionally to get a better look at the more dangerous or fantastic. She had never taken Care of Magical Creatures, and was amazed by the wonders, all amassed into one collection. "Redcaps, those are scary. Oh, here we are, Black Rabbit."

"What's so special about a rabbit?" West asked.

"I have no idea," Jade admitted. "I think it's some strange tradition." She peered into the cage, and then let out a scream.

The rabbit's cage was empty. Its door swung open slightly, and there was a strange set of oblong prints in the dust on the floor. Alana gasped, and the others turned to her. Her face was pale, and she had a hand clapped over her mouth.

"What?" Jade said, fearing the worst.

"Today," Alana said slowly, hand still pressed to her face, "is the fifth day of the new school year. The rabbit is missing."

West joined in on her friend's horror. "It's 1901 all over again!"

Jade looked scared as she grabbed their hands. "Guys, we have to get inside. If what we've read is true, the lights are about to go out."

The three tore across the grounds and into the Great Hall. "God, I hope we aren't too late," Jade prayed, clasping her hands to her chest. She only prayed out loud when she was really stressed.

Thankfully, everyone was still gathered in the warm, brilliantly lit Great Hall, eating their dinners and chatting to one another. The girls sat down at one of the many small tables and took their plates of salad and lasagna. None of them felt much like talking. Jade cut her food into tiny pieces and pushed them around with her fork. Anxious anticipation roiled in her stomach, and just the thought of eating gave her a pounding headache. Floating candles bobbed above their heads, and she found slight comfort in their warmth.

Just then, all of the lights went out. The room filled with screams, half joking and half serious, and the smell of burnt wax wafted over everyone's heads. Jade covered her eyes with her hands and began to inhale and exhale quickly. Alana placed a hand on her back comfortingly, and West stood on her chair to try and reignite the candles with the tip of her wand, which was flaming steadily. After a moment Jade joined her.

"Verdimillius," she said, swirling her wand in a circle around her head. There was a flash, and then the whole room was illuminated with an eerie green light. It was kind of spooky, but better than nothing. Everyone turned to look at Jade, who formed the core of the light. She shimmered strangely, but kept her hood firmly up. She didn't want anyone staring at her any more than they had do.

The lights returned, and Jade sat back down gladly. "Nothing's going to be missing for a while," she confided to Alana and West. "Just some potions stuff today."

"We have to watch out," Alana said, taking another bite of lasagna. "Soon, the intruder's going to want a student."

"And if Professor Clearwater was right, they won't fail again," West finished.