Hi, here is the other part of this book chapter, I hope you all enjoy and it is my delight to tell you that there are only five more chapters left of this story! I will try and update sooner rather than later.

All of this chapter is in Hermione's point of view which was interesting to write. I wrote that Ron and Harry and Calla and to some extent Draco and Neville would all know that to kill a unicorn was bad and that to drink it's blood even worse and I wrote in Ron knowing something about Voldemort's reign of terror because he overheard his parents talk about it, I calculated in my head that Bill would be in his first year of Hogwarts while the war was going on but I might be wrong about that so if so I apologise.

Next chapter will be broken up into two chapters in this story again, I hope you all enjoy this one.

Disclaimer-Nothing is mine just Calla Isolde Black.

Please Read and Review.

And They Lived

Chapter 10-Shadows

Calla, Hermione, Harry, Draco and Neville enter the forest with Hagrid and learn that something disturbing is prowling the Hogwarts grounds. Harry meanwhile has not only a terrifying encounter but also a terrifying theory and the gang find out something that they thought lost to them has been returned.

Chapters Covered-The Forbidden Forest, Part 2.

The deeper they got into the forest the colder it seemed. Or to Hermione that was how it seemed. Neville and Malfoy had separated and she Hagrid, Calla and Harry were prowling around the forest with nothing but a lantern and a crossbow in front of them.

Perhaps sometime next week once her heart rate was back to normal Hermione would go and do some research about people like Ronan and other creatures who were half man, half horse (perhaps she would write to Calla and Harry's Uncle Remus he seemed very knowledgeable) but right now she was clutching one hand with Calla's and the other with her wand and she was trying to not completely fall apart.

For the third time that night she told herself sternly to look at this logically.

Something was killing unicorns.

The first fact was that it was very difficult to catch a unicorn. They had only used the tail and the horn in potions and more than once whenever someone (Neville) had made a mistake, Professor Snape had moaned like sin about how much the ingredients cost him to buy. If one was bleeding then that was very bad indeed. Hermione didn't know what unicorn blood was used for but she didn't think it was for anything good.

Second of all that something incredibly powerful that was killing the unicorns was in the forest with them right now.

And third they were separated. Malfoy and Neville were alone and even if Malfoy could keep his wits about him then she was willing to bet that if they came across whoever or whatever it was then he wouldn't last very long.

And it was getting even colder.

Suddenly there was red sparks on the horizon. Calla screamed unable to stop herself the fear getting to her usually strong friend, Hermione wrapped one arm around her Harry jumped as if he had just received an electric shock. The three of them huddled together behind a tree as Hagrid left them there to go and find out what was amiss.

And that was when Hermione heard it. It was a thin rustling sound on the ground. It wasn't an animal or wind, it sounded like the rustling of a cloak. She bit her lip until she tasted the tang of blood in her mouth and closed her eyes as whatever it was passed by them without a second's hesitation. She had no idea what was going on here but she wanted out. There was only so much of this a person's nerves could take.

Calla looked as if she might faint and Harry didn't look much better she noted.

Hagrid came back seconds later thumbing in the forest looking thunderous. Hermione wanted to ask him if they could stay together or at the very least if she and Calla could leave because Calla did not look like she could stand much more of this without throwing up her dinner but she found that words failed her and she forced her and her friend to move through the undergrowth one hand wrapped tightly around Calla's shivering cloak-less shoulders.

No breaking of school rules was worth this she thought as they carried on walking. Even Malfoy had gone paler than usual his face the colour of skimmed milk once he'd gotten a good look at the unicorn blood and been told to go off with Harry and Hermione didn't even have it in him to be mad at him when all she could feel right now was fear and ice in her veins.

And then she heard it.

Shouting, furious shouting and Hagrid took off at a run which meant the three of them had to sprint after him Neville panting and Calla a white faced ghost next to her.

They came across a sight that Hermione knew she was not going to forget in a hurry.

A unicorn was dead, shiny blonde hair over trees and blood on the trees. Malfoy was panting bent double looking terrified and Hermione took no pleasure in seeing him brought so low. She pushed past him following Hagrid noting that Calla stayed behind her face so white it was illuminous in the darkness of the forest and she paused before hurrying forwards.

There was Harry sat on the back of a centaur his hands on his shoulder. The centaur was in the middle of a heated debate with two others, one that she had seen before and the other that she hadn't. There was a pause where she took him in on the back of a centaur and then Harry slid off looking like he had aged ten years in the half an hour they had been separated.

The three centaurs started arguing and the one Harry had been sat on the back off started pawing the ground. Hermione who didn't know much about horses which technically he was half of one knew enough to know that, that was often a bad sign and she moved backwards pulling Harry by the sleeve with her. Hagrid seemed to understand that this was a bad idea as well and the three of them turned and ran back out of the clearing and back to Calla, Neville and Malfoy.

They walked back in silence. Hagrid told them that he would go back to the centaurs in the morning and ask them about the dark shadowy thing that Harry had seen drinking blood. Hermione understood that there was something very dark and terrible about this, Neville had let out a terrified squeak when he had heard, Malfoy had groaned looking horrified and Calla had looked terrified even more so than she had been before. Even Harry had looked pale and Hermione had never felt more like a muggle born than she had done in that moment.

They crossed back into the grounds and then they separated, Hagrid walked them up to the castle and Malfoy still looking pale went downstairs while they went up. Neville went straight to bed not even saying goodbye and that left the four of them sat there in front of a dying fire.

Calla was shaking still and Hermione wondered weather or not she should take her friend to the hospital wing but Ron was there and she took the blanket he had been sleeping under and wrapped it around her friend as Harry began to pace telling them what he had seen.

"Why is it so terrible to drink unicorn blood?" Hermione asked seeing the look on Ron's face darken as the story was told.

"Because unicorn blood is special. There's a reason we don't use it in potions. My Dad told me it's closely regulated by the Department of Control of Magical Creatures, St Mungo's the Wizarding Hospital only has a short stash that they could use. The second that your mouth touches the blood it's over"

"It's poison?" Hermione asked feeling very cold.

"No." Harry said finally. "It makes you less…well I don't know what you would call it. Tonight I was told that from the second the blood touches your lips you live a half life, a cursed life. I was asked what was in the school at the very moment that could ensure that someone would avoid that choice"

And suddenly, even though she felt sick at the very idea, Hermione understood.

"The Philosopher's Stone" she breathed. Finally another piece of the puzzle was coming together.

Someone was in Hogwarts looking for the stone, someone who was drinking unicorn blood for it's master…for Voldemort if Harry was correct, someone who had daily access to Fluffy but had not yet learnt of all the enchantments guarding it.

"And to think," Ron said finally into the silence. "I was worried about the potions final"

"You think it's Snape" Calla said looking at Harry. It was not a question, it was more an accusation. Hermione looked at her friend and found that there was no guilt in the green orbs. Harry was serious. He thought the man working for Voldemort was Snape.

"Why don't you tell your Dads?"

She directed the question at all three of them.

Ron snorted and looked into the fire. Harry shook his head and Calla started off the couch.

"No" Ron said finally. "They wouldn't listen to mine anyway."

"And…" Harry shot a look at Calla that was filled with some indescribable emotion that she couldn't read into and she couldn't change. She paused taking a deep breath. "Hermione" Harry said finally. "I am not going to ask my father to chase after Voldemort. Not again"

Hermione swallowed. A part of her wanted to ask Harry was that not his father's job but the other part of her didn't want to ask. She loved her father, she couldn't imagine what it was like for Harry and Calla. Hermione couldn't imagine what it was like. She turned away her head turning to the side and thinking hard.

"Your forgetting something" she said finally. "All of you. There was only one person You-Know-Who was afraid of the last time. There was only one person that he was scared off."

Six pairs of eyes stared at her. She sighed.

"Dumbledore" she said naming the man that they all trusted and loved even if they had only seen him once or twice this whole year.

"As long as Dumbledore is around we are safe, and you Harry…you cannot be touched as long as Dumbledore is here"

There was a very pregnant pause.

"Look" Ron said sitting up and running a hand through his red hair. "We are going to get nowhere tonight. I say we all get some sleep and regroup in the morning"

Hermione forced herself to bed with weary legs. Calla had shut the door the second she had gone into the bathroom but Hermione could hear the retching in the toilet. She waited until Calla came out In case the other girl wanted to speak to her but instead she climbed into her bed and feeling exhaustion in her limbs Hermione followed suit and fell into a wonderfully pointless, dreamless, sleep.

The next morning Ron was pacing up and down the common room and there was something in his face that made Hermione pause. It was a weekend and Calla was still asleep her hands clenched into fists into the blanket. Hermione on the other hand was hungry and not just for food. Surely there had to be some explanation to what Harry had seen that night in the forest? Something that she could find in her books? Because call her stupid or whatever but Hermione still could not believe that Professor Snape was behind it. Surely Dumbledore would know if he had hired someone working for Voldemort?

Even in her head the thought of him coming back sent shivers down her spine and Hermione had not even seen first-hand…had not lived the devastation that Ron and Harry and Calla had. Had not lost family or wondered weather or not she would ever see her children again. The grief and the stories that she had heard that came with the grief was hard even for her to fathom.

He grabbed her as she was in the room and pulled her into a corner.

"We got the map back" was all he said. Hermione raised an eyebrow feeling her heart hammering in her chest. "What do you mean?" she asked finally.

Ron looked gleeful.

"I mean Harry got into bed last night and found the map attached to his pillow with a note pinned to it saying just in case.

"Just in case?" Hermione wondered but Ron it seemed was too busy to listen to her.

"Come on" he said "Let's go get some breakfast. Harry's gone flying and we can bring some back to Cal. She didn't look too good last night, kind of like George when he ate that bogey flavoured bean"

"Ron" Hermione said very quietly. "How bad was it? The first time You-Know-Who came to power?"

Ron stopped walking just as they reached the portrait hole, it was still early on a Saturday morning and they were alone. There was a pause where they stood there and Hermione could see Ron thinking.

"I don't know much" he said finally. "I was only a baby Hermione, Ginny—my sister wasn't even born but…I asked my older brother Bill once, he was at Hogwarts and he said it was bad, people were dying and kids were being pulled out of classrooms, my mum lost both her brothers, they went down like heroes Dad says and she still gets really upset. I don't know what happened that night Harry stopped him but I do know that it was a terrible time. There was something in the air, you just knew, everyone was tense and everyone was scared and some nights we could hear mum or dad prowling around outside Charlie said seeing if there was anyone there. You didn't trust anyone. It was horrible"

Hermione swallowed.

"Ron" she whispered feeling her terror increase as she thought about what Ron had said and what he had heard about that dark time in history.

"Ron do you think he's going to use the Philosopher's Stone to come back?"

Ron looked at her for a long time and there was no laughter in his eyes, no mocking or teasing glint, nothing but a terrible kind of fear and weariness that Hermione had not seen before. Ever.

"I don't know" he said finally. "But maybe your right, the only reason he never took the school last time was because Dumbledore was there Dad told me that. That was the only way that students could go really, they knew they were going to be safe. I think that as long as we have Dumbledore then we are safe, and…and I think he knows what he's doing having that stone in here"

Hermione nodded but she couldn't help but feel cold still.

Ron smiled at her. "Come on" he said finally. "Let's go eat, and if you want you can lecture me about my revision timetable and tell me how I'm going to fail everything. But only for half an hour" he said suddenly stern.

"After that I need you to read over my potions essay. I completely forgot how to do a forgetfulness potion and knowing the old bat he'll put it on the upcoming test. I don't want to think about the shadows of war as my Dad used to say, not when there isn't going to be one."

Hermione nodded but she was hardly listening if she was being honest with himself. All she could think of was that the carefully constructed peace of the wizarding world might be crashing down around them and she had no clue what to do other than go along for the ride and hope like hell that someone could stop whoever it was from stealing that stone.

Next Chapter-The gang sit their exams as they realise their time is up, Dumbledore gives a cryptic hint, Harry has a plan, Calla grips onto he courage and meanwhile in the Ministry, James and Sirius run into Dumbledore who realises something is wrong at Hogwarts.

And let me know what you think