"It's too bad that neither you nor Katelyn got valentines," Hannah told Tanya as they worked on their homework in the common room.

"Actually, I'm relieved that I didn't get one," Tanya said without looking up from her Transfiguration textbook.

"Yeah," Katelyn agreed. "I mean, who'd honestly like to have those…things recite your valentine in front of the whole class?"

Rachel pretended to cough. "Hem, hem, Sarah, hem, hem."

"Good point," Hannah agreed.

At that moment, Harry and Ron came through the portrait hole. Neville ran to meet them, whispered hurried words to them, and all three dashed up to the boys' dorm.

"Well, that was weird," Tanya said matter-of-factly.

"Ditto," Rachel replied with a raised eyebrow.

A few minutes later, Dean, Seamus, Harry, Ron, and Neville came back down to the common room and flopped unhappily onto chairs.

"What happened?" Hannah asked worriedly.

"It's our dormitory!" Ron said in disbelief. "It's been ransacked!"

The four girls stared at them incredulously.

"How did it happen?" Rachel asked.

"It looks like someone was looking for something, and they got it," Harry explained, fiddling with his wand.

"What? They got what?"

"Just an old book of mine," Harry answered quickly, glancing at Ron. "It's really nothing valuable."

"But who would want it?" Katelyn wondered aloud.

"Someone completely mental," Ron answered, "…probably Percy."

They all laughed, and, feeling the tension lift, went back to their own business. After a little while, Harry looked at his watch and said that he should go to Quidditch practice—after all, their big game against Hufflepuff was the next day.

"Oh," Rachel exclaimed, leaping up. "I need to go too."

"But you're not playing."

She shrugged. "To quote our beloved captain: 'I don't want either of them getting soft. Strength!'"

Harry nodded, understanding completely. "Ah."

So the two left, leaving everyone else to their own devices.

---------------------------------

The next day was the Quidditch match that would determine who would get the Quidditch Cup: Hufflepuff verses Gryffindor. But when Katelyn, Hannah, Rachel, and Tanya made their way down to the pitch, they were met by Professor McGonagall, who barred their way and said the match had been cancelled.

"What?" the girls cried in unison. "Why?"

McGonagall's eyes began to water. "There has been another attack, I'm afraid. Hogwarts is no longer safe."

"Who?" Rachel asked. The blood drained from her face, leaving it deathly pale.

McGonagall put a steadying hand on her student's shoulder. "My dears…Her…Hermione Granger."

Katelyn's head spun. "Hermione…?" she echoed faintly.

"Do Harry and Ron know?" Tanya asked, her voice trembling audibly.

Professor McGonagall nodded, her face oddly flushed. "They're on their way to the Hospital Wing already."

They stood in silence for a minute, Rachel whispering a quiet prayer. Then McGonagall wiped her eyes and said in a more business-like tone, "If you will follow me to Gryffindor Tower, I have an announcement to make."

They turned and made their way back to the castle.

------------------------------

As soon as Professor McGonagall left, the common room exploded in hubbub; everyone immediately began discussing this newest turn of events. Everyone, of course, except the Funny Farm.

"Hermione. It was Hermione," Katelyn was saying. "Hermione."

"We know, Katelyn," Seamus and Dean said in unison.

There was a quiet sniffle, and the Funny Farm looked over to see Rachel curled up on the sofa buy the fire, crying quietly into a Kleenex. "What's the matter, Rachel?" Tanya said concernedly, going over to her.

Rachel wiped her eyes with her tissue. "Hermione was Petrified. She's a Muggle-born. The entire school knows we're Muggle-born, too! Besides," she added with another sniffle, "she's my friend!" She dissolved in quiet tears again.

Seamus joined her on the sofa and put a soothing arm around her shoulder. "Hey…it'll be okay, Rachel…"

The fact that Seamus hadn't used her surname barely registered with Rachel; instead, she procured another tissue and blew her nose. "You're half-and-half—Dean's Muggle-born, too! You could die any day now, and I'd never see you again!" This time, the dams broke and Rachel began to sob in earnest.

Hannah blinked back her own tears. "H-Hermione's not…d-dead, Rachel…" Her voice quavered, and Dean patted her back soothingly.

"But you could be dead tomorrow!" Rachel whimpered and blew her nose again.

Seamus squeezed her shoulders. "Don't worry. None of us will die."

Rachel swiped at the tears still running down her cheeks, put her forehead on Seamus' shoulder and began to cry.

Seamus looked rather confused as to what to do for a moment, but then he rubbed her back as comfortingly as he could manage. "Er…don't worry…it'll be okay…"

She got her emotions under control after a moment, then sat back and wiped her eyes dry. "Sorry, Seam," she said sheepishly. "Did I scare you?"

"Er…not really."

At this, Katelyn's face broke into a wide grin. "Hannah—Rachel! I think I know who your secret admirers are!"

"Who?" they asked in unison.

Katelyn winked. "I'll tell you when the time's right." She ducked a flying a Beater's bat and disappeared into the girls' dormitory.