A/N: I know, I know, it's been a long time and this chapter is really short, but junior year is really crazy and I've been working my freaking arse off. Thus, I'll try t update in shorter chapters more often. I'm sorry my wonderful and fantablurific reviewers. You guys are so awesome. I love you. I love you so much I made up that fanthingy word for you.

So…REVIEW! Yay! They're awesome.

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Chapter Ten

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"I think you all need to go back to Hogwarts," Piper announced to the room of Hogwarts students. "Thank you for helping us to find the demons, but it will be safer if you're at Hogwarts while we vanquish them."

"I can help," said Candie. "I'm a natural witch. I've dappled in demons."

Pepper resisted the overwhelming urge to punch her. Luckily, her aunts squashed Candie's idea right away. "We don't want to be responsible for you getting hurt," said Piper. "It would be in everyone's best interests if you all went back to Hogwarts. We'll keep you updated on what we accomplish."

Pepper looked smugly down at Candie. "You too, Pepper," said Piper, seeing her niece's face. Pepper looked at her aunts in disbelief. "We will keep you updated on our demon progress, Pep, don't you worry. Leo will take you all back to school. Good luck with Blaise," she added quietly.

And before Pepper knew what was happening, she and her friends were back at Hogwarts in the common room of Hermione and Draco. "I'm exhausted," Mystic said dramatically, yawning widely. "Today has been way too busy and my bed is calling." She kissed Blaise on the cheek quickly and then headed out of the room.

The attitudes of the people left suggested that nothing out of the ordinary had happened to them in the past few weeks. Pepper looked around at the other people with her. Their faces were mostly unreadable. Pepper was too worried about her aunts and the demons right now to talk to anyone, so she turned towards Hermione's dormitory and let herself in. She couldn't believe that her aunts hadn't let her come vanquish demons with them. She could be a great help to them, she knew, and she couldn't just sit here and not do anything.

She decided, of course, in Pepper-like fashion, to go back and assist her aunts, whether they liked it or not. Just as she had closed her eyes in preparation to Mirror, Hermione burst in the door. Pepper's eyes flashed open.

"Pepper Halliwell, don't you dare move from that spot!" Hermione cried. Pepper's mouth was agape with almost-formed words, but Hermione continued. "I know you were about to go back to help but you need to stay here! We need to go and tell Professor Dumbledore that we're back and see if he's figured anything out."

Hermione knew her too well, which was strange, seeing as they'd only known one another for a year and a half. Hermione took Pepper's arm. "C'mon, Pepper, let's go."

Pepper avoided Blaise's eyes and tried not to meet Trent's as they passed through the common room. "We're going to see Professor Dumbledore," Hermione told them as they exited the common room. Harry and Ron hurried out behind them, meeting the girls in the corridor.

They walked in silence for a few moments, still mostly in a daze about what had happened to them. Then, Harry cleared his throat and said, "Pepper, you've really got to do something about that bloke."

Pepper chuckled. Harry could always make her feel better about a situation.

"No, I'm serious," said Harry. "He's like a puppy, following you around like he does."

"Harry, shouldn't we be more worried about the demons who may be trying to kill us?" said Hermione briskly.

"Whatever you say, Hermione," Harry said.

"Honestly, what should be feeling right now?" Pepper wondered. "Because I think my emotions are a little mixed up at the moment."

"I'd have to agree with that," said Ron.

"I just hope that Professor Dumbledore and the sisters figure out what is going on," Hermione added.

As it happened, Professor Dumbledore had no idea what was going on yet. He did, however, employ Nymphadora Tonks and two other Aurors who were going to search the Head common room, looking for clues, and who were also going to watch after the students who were attacked.

"Hermione, don't you think I should just go and see how my aunts are faring?" Pepper asked as they exited Dumbledore's office, completely disappointed.

"No, you shouldn't, Pepper, and you very well know that," Hermione said sternly.

"Well I want to do something about this instead of sitting on my arse."

"You're the one that said we should be thinking about it, Hermione," Harry pointed out.

"Yes, well," said Hermione, now sounding unsure of herself. "Let's go back up to my common room and wait for your aunts, Pepper."

Blaise was in the Heads common room. "Why don't we just go to Gryffindor Tower?" Pepper asked, trying as hard as she possibly could to evade Blaise. He made her much too uncomfortable, and she didn't want to get obviously squirmy in front of anyone.

"You three can go there; I want to talk to Draco about getting caught up with the Head duties that we missed," said Hermione. "We are way behind our schedule."

Of course, Pepper couldn't go back to Gryffindor Tower alone. Then they would definitely suspect something. She had a feeling that she was getting a little paranoid. She needed to tell someone about what had happened…but she couldn't…now that she thought about it, the whole event was embarrassing to say aloud to anyone besides her aunts. They had to love her no matter what. Her friends on the other hand…

"Pepper, are you coming?"

She had been standing in the middle of the hallway while everyone else had still been walking. She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts of sex with Blaise and followed her friends.

Harry let Ron and Hermione walk ahead. The pair was holding hands and smiling a lot, so they didn't notice when Harry pulled Pepper back. "Is something wrong, Pepper?" he asked her quietly. "You seem a little…off."

Pepper lied quickly, "It's just this whole thing with these demons. I'm trying to figure out what really happened." She hoped Harry would believe her.

And he seemed to believe her. If he didn't, he didn't press her about it. "Just remember, Pepper, I'm here to listen, not to judge."

After he said that in his sensitive-Harry way, Pepper nearly spilled her guts to him, but she refrained.

"I'll be fine, Harry," she said, trying to convince them both that this was true. "But thanks, you have no idea how much that means to me."

Harry smiled lopsidedly at her. "What are friends for? Now let's go get Trent off your back; he's really irking me."

But when they got back to the common room, Trent was gone and Draco and Blaise were sitting on couches opposite one another. They stopped talking when the four friends entered the room. Draco looked at her, scrutinizing, his eyebrows raised in disbelief, and Pepper got the feeling in the pit of her stomach that Blaise had just told him what had transpired between the pair of them. Pepper did not appreciate this, and she felt bad because she hadn't even told Hermione yet; though, she suspected Draco would be more accepting than Hermione would be.

She quickly looked away from Draco. "I don't know if I really feel safe in here, guys. I mean, this is where we were abducted from before."

"Frankly, Pepper, I don't think it matters where we are," said Hermione. She took a seat next to Draco on the couch. "I think the demons are after you, Pepper, so if they want to find us, they will."

This thought had crossed Pepper's mind, but it hadn't actually registered to her that the demons were hunting her down. She was feeling a little lightheaded. "I-I think I'm going to go lay down," she said, and turned around and walked out the portrait hole.

Why couldn't this all have ended last year? Why was someone still sending demons after her?

She needed food. And sleep. She hadn't had much of either lately and those elements combined with the reality Hermione had just hit her with was making her very woozy. All of a sudden, Harry was beside her, his hand on the small of her back. "Careful, Pep, you nearly collapsed," he said. "We've got to get you into bed. I'm feeling about the same way you are, and I'm off to bed too. Demons should just leave us the feck alone."

Pepper yawned, and the next thing she knew she was crawling into bed, fully clothed; her head hit the pillow and she temporarily forgot about the demons and the sex and the stress.