"Into the tent!" Menie screamed, and everyone followed immediately.

  In a panic, the Director and the young teacher were disputing over what was best to do. Tom, however, knelt down - with eyes closed, he connected with the earth beneath him - feeling a terrifying power that seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth.

  "What do you feel?", Luna breathed softly, having sunk down beside him.

  He opened his eyes - his face expressionless. "This power is ancient. Ordinary magic will not defeat it, let alone keep it away." Within a few heartbeats, he had made a decision. His gaze flickered over to the Director and the young witch, who were still at odds over what to do, while the first pressure wave bore witness that the initial protective shields had already shattered....

  Then he looked at Luna; he took a deep breath and, without a word, hurried past her out into the night...

  Luna followed him without hesitation. She could guess what he intended, and never - never would she leave him alone in the face of this threat.

  The wind struck him like an elemental force. He paused - concentrating with all his might on the light of the sun.....

  Gleaming light coursed through his hands - leaving behind an indescribable tingling..... then he commanded the light, which was brighter than the sun itself, to destroy the being.

  At furious speed, the orb of light raced toward the creature of darkness - enveloping the figure.... but suddenly, dark cracks formed within the pure light - causing it to colpse in on itself. Tom gasped in horror. He could hardly believe what he was seeing...

  Luna had stepped beside him. Feverishly, she tried with all her might to concentrate on the sky above her. The power of the stars - the light of the moon....

  Like a massive wave, light as cold and clear as the moon shot between her hands - spreading out - racing relentlessly toward the being....

  With a single movement of its hand, the light that was meant to bring so much hope was extinguished.Dense fog emanated from the creaturen - swirling across the ground...

  Then suddenly, Luna was jerked to the ground. Something that looked like the tentacle of an octopus, yet consisted only of bck smoke, had wrapped itself around her ankle—pulling her mercilessly toward the being....

  "LUNA!", Tom screamed in desperation and tried to hold onto her, but was dragged along....

  The creature of darkness was now directly above them. Tom tried to discern something. It almost seemed to him like the distorted silhouette of a woman - a woman who tilted her head and observed them intently.

  Another wave of her hand, and thick white smoke covered their bodies - billowing further toward the tent, where the sound of falling bodies echoed—bodies sliding into a deep, dreamless sleep....

  When the mist cleared, the creature was gone...... and with it, Luna and Tom....

  Cold y the nd upon which their bodies rested. A faint murmur, like voices carried from afar by the wind, rang out.

  "Wake up, servant of the sun. Wake up, servant of the moon...", then the murmuring ebbed away—vanishing with the rising of the sun over the world....

  Only slowly did they both regain consciousness. "Luna!" Tom gasped hoarsely."I am fine," she whispered, reaching her hand out to him. They were alive.

  With effort, they both stood up - looking around.....

  Around them stood tall, ancient conifers, clustered densely together. A forest like neither of them had ever seen before.It was cold, as if summer had been erased from the world. Cautiously they walked through the dense undergrowth, constantly gncing around. The old leaves beneath them smelled musty. The ground was covered with morning dew. Now and then, a bird took flight from the enormously high treetops—circling beneath a gray, suffocating sky.

  "Where are we?", Luna whispered.

  He shook his head. "I don't know, Moon. What I do know is that we are going to try to Apparate back to the camp now," he ended firmly, looking at her intently. She nodded silently and held onto him.

  He closed his eyes - envisioning the small campsite.... but nothing happened.

  Horrified, he snapped his eyes open again - his heart hammered against his chest - his thoughts were nearly racing.

  "It isn't working," Luna breathed, more as an observation than out of fear.

  "You don't say, Moon!", he replied, a bit annoyed.

  "Come, then we'll just try our luck on foot," her voice rang out calmly. "A pity I left my compass at the castle. Had I suspected how much we would need it, I would have brought it," she noted matter-of-factly.

  "Moon!" he called out urgently. "Something is altogether wrong here, and I don't believe a compass would help us with this."

  "It would, Tom Riddle," she giggled softly. "Now come, before we lose any more time. I have the feeling that the days are short here and night will fall quickly," she gently pulled him along.

  They had been on their way for a while when loud shouting broke the silence. The sound of horse hooves rang through the dense forest.Tom and Luna paused - listening into the woods. The trampling of horses came closer and closer.

  "Those must be Muggles...", Luna whispered. "It's surely a driven hunt. They always travel by horse then," she concluded. Tom pced his index finger on his lips, motioning for her to be quiet. The first riders were already visible as shadowy figures between the densely standing conifers....

  Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past their heads and thudded into one of the tree trunks.With a swift movement, Tom pulled Luna down into the thicket with him....

  The shouting grew louder....