Okay, chapter 12 is here! I'm glad you all liked chapter 11! While writing it, even I got the chills…talk about spooky. Anyway, I'm babbling, so first thing's first. Thank reviewers!

Liesofadarkheartedangel- Thank you. Here's chapter 12 enjoy.

Freaker1605- Thanks for your review! I hope this makes your summer better!

Andrew- You're right. Better late than never. Thanks!

Sarah- Thank you! What d'ya mean, "almost worth the wait?" I thought it was worth it!

Niles Chiku- You'll have to read this to find out what happened to Jason. Thanks for your review!

Molly- Thanks for your review(s)! I completely agree with you with everything you said…but you'll have to wait until Halloween to see what happens!

Disclaimer: I…quite sadly…do not, nor ever will—no matter how much I wish—own Harry Potter. The movies are owned by Warner bros. The books by J.K.R. and the actors by their parents. And I will never get one as a birthday present. (cries)

And second…enjoy chapter 12! Woot!

Note: What Blaise said about the Gryffindors being Gryffindorks, there's no spelling error. I did that on purpose. On to the story!

Transformation & Death

"Did you hear?"

"Yeah, but I can't believe it."

"That poor Ravenclaw boy."

"I heard it was a vampire attack."

"Imagine—a vampire at Hogwarts."

Vampire. That word echoed through Sophie's mind like a gong. She remembered that night vividly, and wave after wave of guilt rushed at her as she lay buried beneath the comforters of her bed, listening to the girls around her.

She remembered the feeling of the hunt, and the taste of Jason's innocent blood in her mouth. But she also remembered the fear, shame, and dread that came crashing towards her moment the realization of what she had done dawned on her.

She felt tears come to her eyes again.

I'm a monster, she thought. I've ruined the life of an innocent young boy.

Tears flooded out of her eyes, and fell onto her pillow. There was no escaping the thought that she know implanted in her mind, branding it forevermore in the depths of her soul. She was a monster…and there was no denying that fact.

"Sophie," said a voice that she recognized as Pansy's. She didn't answer. "Sophie you have to wake up now," said Pansy. "We'll be late for breakfast."

"I'm not going," whispered Sophie.

"What did you say? I didn't hear you," said Pansy.

"I'm not going," said Sophie louder. "I'm not feeling well."

This was, in fact, true. Since last night, she had felt sick to her stomach and the thought of eating breakfast only made her feel sicker. But there was another reason too. She knew that the entire student population would be talking about the attack on Jason…and she didn't feel like dealing with that.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Pansy. "You did say you might be catching a cold yesterday. Would you like me to bring you anything?"

"No, thank you."

"You sure? I don't mind, really."

"I'm sure."

She was starting to get annoyed at Pansy. Couldn't she see that she wanted to be alone? What was wrong with her? Pansy started pestering her again.

"I really don't mind—"

"Pansy!" yelled Sophie. "I don't want anything!" An awkward silence passed between them. Sophie sighed. She couldn't take her anger out on Pansy…she hadn't done anything wrong after all.

"Look," she said to her. "I'm sorry. I'm just—I don't know. I guess I just need some time to myself or something. I apologize for yelling at you."

"I understand. It might just be the cold talking anyway," said Pansy. She turned to leave the dormitory and said, "I'll see you around, Sophie." Sophie wriggled a hand out of the mass of comforters around her and waved good-bye to her.

Pansy's eyes widened with cold fear and her insides churned, and turned glacial. Was she imagining things…or was Sophie's hand as white as death? She shivered. Nobody turns that white unless their dying, she reasoned.

She wondered if Sophie was…no she couldn't be. Yes she admits, she was turning pale day after day, but dying? Pansy pushed the thought aside, deciding that she might tell the others at breakfast.

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"Good morning, Pansy," said Blaise as she came and sat down next to Draco at the Slytherin table. There was bacon, toast, oatmeal, fried eggs, and orange juice on the table waiting for her but all she did was stare blankly at them as if wondering what to do with them.

"Are you all right, Pansy?" asked Blaise. "You look like the Bloody Baron just went through your body."

"And you're not eating breakfast," added Roger. "Don't tell me you're coming down with a cold like Sophie as well." Pansy shook her head. Should she tell them what she saw? No, she thought to herself. Everyone turns pale when their sick, she was just imagining things. Sophie will get better in no time.

With that thought, she started to serve herself bacon, eggs, and toast and began to eat.

"So, did you all hear about that attack on that Ravenclaw boy?" asked Draco with a grin.

"Yeah, it was in the middle of last night or something, wasn't it?" said Roger. "I heard it was that boy Jason Pilney or whatever-his-name-is."

"Well I heard from Professor Snape that it was a vampire attack," said Draco, his voice teeming with excitement. "Imagine it—a real vampire at Hogwarts. Just think of how many mummy's and daddy's will come and pick up their kids once word gets out to the Daily Prophet that Hogwarts just might not be safe anymore."

"Plus," said Blaise in a whisper, "with—" he lowered his voice so that the others had too lean closer to hear him "—the Dark Lord back, the entire wizarding world will be in pandemonium. What with the school—and your own house—no longer the safest places to run."

Roger grinned at this statement as well as the others.

"I wonder how the vampire got in," said Pansy to the other boys. "I mean, security's been tightened like mad this year so it surprises me that it even managed to find its way inside."

"That surprises me too," said Draco with a frown. "But however it managed to get in, it found a way and now we're all in even more danger than usual."

"Yeah but…what if it was in the castle the entire time and only just now decided to show itself by attacking a student," said Marcus, his voice filled with excitement and grinning at his theory.

The group stared at him as if he was psychotic.

"Don't be a prat, Marcus that's just idiotic, even for you," snapped Pansy.

"This is coming from the girl with four stomachs," he retorted looking at her cheekily.

"Draco!" she whined turning to her boyfriend. "Make Marcus stop making fun of me."

But Draco wasn't listening. He had just realized something that commanded all his attention and left him oblivious to the fight between Marcus and Pansy: somebody was missing from the table. There was usually an occupied seat next to Roger and now there was nothing but air.

He searched his brain to figure out who it was that sat adjacent to Roger. It seemed to take him forever to discover who it was. Then it hit him.

"Hey Roger," he said. "Where's Sophie?"

Upon hearing this remark, Pansy's eyes flashed toward her boyfriend, suspicion mounting inside her. Then that suspicion melted into fear and she remembered Sophie's chalk-white hand waving good-bye to her. Did she really believe that her friend would get better soon? Should she tell them what's happening to her?

"Since when do you call her by her first name?" asked Roger, suspiciously.

"Just answer the question, Davies," snapped Draco.

"I dunno. I'm sure she just woke up late, or something. She'll be down before we have to go to class—even with a cold. She doesn't seem like the type to miss out on school to me."

Draco remained silent although he secretly agreed with Roger. Still, he couldn't escape the feeling of worry that plagued and tormented his mind. What if Roger was wrong?

He remembered their potions class and how she had passed out when the potion was near ready and she remained in the Hospital Wing for two days. Now that she wasn't here, he wondered if there was something seriously wrong with her.

What's the matter with me? He thought. Why should I care about her? There's nothing special about her that should cause me to worry about her well being. But, if that's true…then why am I doing it?

Draco was pushed out of his thoughts by the sound of the Staff Table commanding the attention of the students. The Hall fell respectively silent as Professor Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement.

"As I am sure you all, by now, know about the attack on the Ravenclaw first year, Jason Pilney," he said to the students. There was a quite murmuring amongst them but it quickly died out with Dumbledore's next few words, "Then, most of you know that it was a vampire that had attacked him.

"I will not lie when I say that the staff and I have no idea how the creature managed to get in to the castle—" There were loud mutterings and murmurs in the sea of students and several shifting of seats by anxious and nervous kids.

Dumbledore had to raise his voice slightly to be heard—"But I assure you all, that we will do everything in our power to protect each and every one of you. The Prefects will be patrolling the hallways alongside the ghosts and the staff members, every night and on every floor of the castle."

There was a pause then Dumbledore said, "I am sure you are all wondering what happened to Jason. He was transported to St. Mungo's Hospital last night after a student awoke to a shuffling noise in the boys' dormitory and found him covered in blood, with two bite wounds on his neck.

"His parents were alerted and are with him at the hospital as we speak. And now, I believe that it is time for you all to go to your classes. Good-day to you all."

The Great Hall was at once filled with the bustle of students getting up to go to their classes as scheduled and the noises of their pounding footsteps as they dispersed throughout the castle.

"All right, Pansy, Draco, and I have double Herbology with the Gryffindorks right about now," said Blaise to the others. "So, we'll see you all at lunch." Then he, Draco and Pansy left to go to the grounds while the others went to their own classes.

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While on their way to the greenhouses, Draco couldn't help but notice that his girlfriend seemed a bit fidgety and jumpy about something. She was wringing her hands and she kept looking at the ground. He wasn't the only one to have noticed either—Blaise did as well.

"Pansy," said Malfoy, "are you all right? You seem…agitated about something."

"Yeah," chimed Blaise, "usually you're pretty calm—well, except when Draco's hurt—but now you're just…twitchy. Care to share with the rest of us what's bothering you?"

She took a deep breath and tried to tell them but no sound came out of her mouth. She cleared her throat and tried again, and this time managed to croak, "It's about Sophie."

The three of them stopped dead and they could hear the rest of the students heading to the greenhouses.

"What's the matter with Sophie, Pansy?" demanded Blaise. She shook her head.

"I don't know," she said. "It was just before breakfast when I noticed something was wrong with her. It gave me such a fright, I can't believe that she looked that way—I mean she was fine a week ago, what could possibly have happened to her?"

"Pansy," said Blaise as calmly as he could. What came out of his friend's mouth frightened his as well. What could possibly be wrong with Sophie that it could scare her like this?

"Pansy," he repeated, "calm down, and tell us what is wrong with Sophie. What was so different about her to make you all nervous and scared like this?"

"Her hand," she said.

"Her hand?" said Draco curiously. Although he didn't show it on the outside, his insides had turned to ice and he felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. "What was wrong with her hand?"

Pansy's eyes began to fill with tears, but she kept her voice steady as she told them the rest of what she had seen.

"It was in the girls' dormitory, and she was all bundled up inside the bed comforters so I went to try and wake her up so she'll be ready for breakfast. She said that she wasn't feeling well, so she wasn't going to breakfast and I thought she was just talking about the cold she said she was coming down with."

She paused and a few tears leaked from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks onto the grass.

"Go on," urged Blaise. She took a breath again, and started to speak once more.

"So I asked her if she wanted me to bring her anything, but she said no. I figured that she was just being polite and didn't want me to go through any trouble worrying about her so I told her that I really didn't mind getting her anything to eat, but when I started to ask her again, she yelled at me—"

"What?" said Draco.

"Shush! Calm down, we'll worry about that later," said Blaise. "Keep going Pansy."

Draco shot Blaise a fierce look but said nothing and let Pansy continue with her story.

"She then apologized for barking at me, and said that she needed some time to be by herself for a while," she said.

"Did she say why?" questioned Malfoy. Pansy shook her head again.

"No. I didn't bother to ask, she seemed in such a bad mood." The two boys nodded in agreement.

"So, when does her hand come into all of this?" asked Blaise.

"I was getting to that actually," said Pansy. "I said good-bye to her and was just about to leave the dormitory, when she somehow managed to wriggle a hand out of the mass of comforters surrounding her. She waved good-bye to me, and that's when I noticed that something wasn't right."

"What was it?" asked Malfoy.

"Her hand…her hand…was as white as death," Pansy finally managed to say, and looked at her two companions—both of whose eyes were as wide as saucers.

"We need to tell someone about this," whispered Blaise. "Madame Pomfrey, or Professor Snape, or someone."

"What are we going to say to them?" demanded Draco. " 'Our classmate's hand is extremely pale, please do something?' No. It's probably just the cold she was talking about anyway, it'll blow over."

"Draco!" said Blaise, his voice rising. "Colds don't make you turn chalk white. Something is seriously wrong with her!"

"I highly doubt that."

"Draco, don't you care about Sophie at all?" exclaimed Pansy. "Do you really hate her that much, that you are willing to look away at something that is staring you in the face and saying that something is not right with Sophie?"

Draco remained silent at these words, but looked directly at Blaise who stared right back. They both were remembering that day in Potions when she had fainted and Draco carried her limp body to the Hospital Wing. Pansy wasn't there so she wouldn't know.

They were also remembering the "get well" roses Draco had given to Sophie. Draco remembered how they had put aside their differences and even managed to be something close to friends—but not really.

I don't necessarily hate her, he thought, but I don't like her either. I don't even know why I worry about her. She's like a mosquito—just there to annoy me. She's just…there.

The warning bell rang and the three of them jumped.

Blaise let out a long sigh.

"Look, we'll worry about this later. We'll tell the others and then try and figure out what to do with this giant wad of information and how to help Sophie. Right now, let's just get to Herbology."

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The morning had zoomed by to afternoon and before they knew it, Pansy, Blaise and Draco were heading to lunch after their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Professor Snape had given them a mountain of homework due by next Friday, so they had to drag themselves along with their heavy textbooks to the Great Hall.

"Still no sign of Sophie, eh?" said Roger one the three of them had taken their seats. He had dashed out of Defense class before them and was already serving himself steak and mashed potatoes along with some pumpkin juice.

"No," said Blaise with a sigh.

"I would have thought that she would arrive in the middle of Defense class but…I guess I was wrong. She's still not here. I wonder what's wrong with her."

"As do I," said Pansy.

"Pansy—as well as I—think that something might be seriously wrong with her," said Blaise. "Draco's still in denial, though."

"Shut up, Blaise," shot Malfoy. "I just don't think it's as serious as you two think."

"What are you talking about? What d'you mean something might be wrong with her?" asked Marcus looking at Pansy.

She then went into explaining everything she had said to both Roger and Marcus, this time without any interruptions. When she had finished, they had the same expressions as Draco and Blaise.

"Well," said Roger, his voice hoarse. "D'you…I mean…do you reckon we should tell someone about this? Because this is a very serious matter."

"I agree," said Marcus. "I mean, how couldn't we see that something wasn't right with her? She's been growing paler for days and days. What are we going to do?"

"She's just sick, alright!" yelled Draco. "It's not like she's dying. God, you're all acting like it's her last days on earth or something."

The rest remained silent.

"I don't feel like discussing this anymore," said Pansy, breaking the silence. "We'll just have to see what happens. And pray that everything turns out all right."

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Up at the Staff Table the teachers were discussing what they were going to about keeping the children and themselves safe from the threat of a vampire attack.

"Well, as always we could use garlic, Holy water, etc.," said Professor McGonagall.

"No, that won't do," said Dumbledore.

"What?" exclaimed Professor Flitwick. "But that's what keeps a vampire at bay—everyone knows that. Why wouldn't we use those?"

"Because," said Dumbledore. "It wasn't an ordinary vampire."

The staff sat in stunned silence, looking at the Headmaster.

"What do you mean, Albus?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"The Healers at St. Mungo's told me that the bite on the boy's neck wasn't a true vampire bite," he told her and the rest of the Professors.

"Impossible!" said Slughorn. "A vampire bite is a vampire bite! What do they want, a death?"

"Horace, please. Let me explain," said Dumbledore. "The Healers say that the wounds were no longer there when the boy arrived at St. Mungo's. But the bloodstains remained. They somehow disappeared during the night or while he was traveling to the hospital."

The others remained silent, listening intently to Dumbledore's words.

"Furthermore," continued Dumbledore, "the fact that he was still alive is troubling to the Healers. Usually, when the wounds of a vampire bite disappear—"

"The victim is already dead," finished Professor Snape. Dumbledore nodded.

"Precisely, Severus," he said. "That bit of information bothers me as well. Why did the wounds disappear? And what kind of creature is responsible for them—even if it wasn't a true vampire?"

"I suppose we'll just have to find out for ourselves. Or until we catch the beast," said Professor Flitwick, after a long pause.

"I suppose so," said Dumbledore.

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The afternoon gave way to evening, and the evening surrendered to night, along with the students who dragged their feet to their warm four-poster beds. They all immediately fell asleep and drifted off into their dreams of whatever.

All the students…except one, that is.

Sophie quietly crept out of her bed and, careful not wake any of her sleeping roommates, slipped out of the girls' dormitory and into the Slytherin common room.

The moon cast an eerie glow throughout the common room and silhouetted her as she moved to the entrance of the dungeon common room.

She took out the Marauder's Map and, whispering the incantation, cursed when she saw what was on it.

A little dot labeled Simon Viscor was patrolling the seventh floor corridor, as if looking for someone or something.

How am I going to get to the Room of Requirements with that nuisance walking around? She thought. Wait—why is he walking around? Especially this late?

She huffed and put the Map back into the pocket of her robes.

No time to worry about that. I have to figure out a way to get past him without getting caught and before the Red Moon arrives.

So, without a moment to lose, she opened the door and snuck out of the Slytherin common room and headed for the Room of Requirements.

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Careful to stay in the shadows and not be seen, Sophie managed to find her way back to the Room, and now all she had to worry about was to figure out how to get inside without attracting the attention of Simon.

What's he looking for anyway? She thought. She quickly ducked out of sight as he came closer to her hiding place.

How am I going to get to the Room? She wondered. She looked around her for something she could use as a diversion. There has to be something.

Then she had an idea. She saw a suit of armor on her right and went for it. Hopefully with any luck, Simon was the only one on the floor.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLASH! BOOM!

The sound of the armor falling down the stairs was enough for Simon to rush to the bottom and give Sophie the time she needed to get into the Room.

Quickly, she paced across the landing thinking of how she needed a meeting place where lots of people can be in without being seen.

The wall in front of her had just morphed into the door of her room when Sophie heard voices from below. She glances down nervously.

"What pushed the armor down the stairs, Simon?" said a voice.

With her vampire-like eyes, she could see Professor Vector along with Professor Dumbledore talking to the boy.

Sophie felt a tinge of guilt for going behind Dumbledore's back like this. But then again, he didn't know that she was a vampire, so the guilt vanished instantly.

"I'm not quite sure, sir," said Simon. "But I'm going to find out." He started heading up the stairs with the two Professors accompanying him.

Sophie gasped, wrenched open the door and flung herself inside, being careful to shut the door quietly.

"There you are, Sophie. We were getting worried," said the voice of her uncle. She sighed with relief and a smile spread across her face.

"Uncle," she said coming up to him and giving him a hug. "It's so good to see you."

"We're happy to see you too," he said.

"Hey, what about us? Don't we get hugs too?" said Felix, grinning. He was standing in a corner along with Diana. Sophie's smile widened and she went to go and give them a hug as well.

"Sophie," said her uncle. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Okay, what about?" she said.

"It's about this boy you were talking about in your letter to me."

"Malfoy?"

"No," said Diana, her voice forceful. "The other one. He has quite an odd name if you ask me."

"Oh," said Sophie, looking at the floor. "You mean him."

"I'm afraid he might know too much, Sophie," said her uncle. His niece stared at him, her eyes wide with fear. Could he really mean what she thought he meant? Does she really have to kill?

"Uncle," she said, trying to keep her shaking voice steady. "He…he thought—and still thinks that—"

"It doesn't matter my dear. He knows too much—and you remember the promise you made to me."

"Yes, but—"

"Then you must fulfill it, Sophie. No one can know what you are."

She remained silent, dreading of what she might do when she got out of here.

"First Jason, and now him," she muttered. Unfortunately, Felix heard her.

"Who's Jason?" he asked. She gasped. That wasn't meant for anyone else to hear.

"Um, well," she stammered, her eyes filling with tears once again. "You see, last night I…I did something that I wasn't supposed to do. And a little boy named Jason was involved."

"What did you do to this boy, Sophie?" asked her uncle. For an answer she stayed quiet as tears silently rolled down her face. Realization dawned on all of them.

"Sophie," said Felix, with a sigh. "You didn't."

She nodded miserably.

"You drank that boy's blood?"

"Please Felix, don't make me feel any worse than I already do," she said, wiping tears from her face. She looked at her uncle who looked back at her disappointingly. He heaved a sigh.

"Where is the boy?" he said. She shrugged, too ashamed to speak. There was a pause inside the room.

Sophie took a deep breath and said in a hushed voice, "What's going to happen to him, Uncle?"

"The boy will become somewhat like you and the wounds will vanish almost at once. But that doesn't last long—only for a couple of hours. Three at most. Then the boy will die."

"What?" said Sophie, shocked. "He'll die?" Her uncle nodded.

"He's already dead now. That is why I didn't want you to give in to your cravings when you weren't a full vampire. Even if you did bite him while you were a true vampire—yes he would still die—but at least he'll have a couple days to have with his family."

"Oh no," whispered Sophie falling to her knees. "What have I done?"

"No need to dwell on the past, Sophie," said Diana, coming up to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "What's done is done and nothing you can do can change that."

"Diana's right," said Felix. "It's time for your transformation Sophie."

She nodded and stood up to face the curtained window. She stood there looking at the sky and she saw that the moon was beginning to turn a light pink color.

The color gradually deepened until it was a pure shade of red. Then all of a sudden, she felt as cold as ice and her breathing became shallow. She put a hand to her heart, and was horrified to find out that it was slowing down.

She staggered backward and was caught by Felix who carefully laid her down on the floor with her head in his lap.

"She's unconscious," he said looking up at his leader.

"That's understandable," he said. "She's dying after all. When she wakes up, she'll be a vampire—she'll be one of us. For now, anyway."

Diana wasn't paying attention, however. She was looking around for her brother who was nowhere to be seen.

"Felix," she said. "Where's Dimitri?" He looked up at her, puzzled.

"I thought he was here the whole time," he said.

"He's not," she said shaking her head. "I don't know where he is."

Felix, Diana, and their clan leader all exchanged nervous looks. Where could he be?

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Down on the first level of the castle, Dimitri somehow managed to make his way into the Slytherin common room. He was determined to do something for Sophie that would make her stay here a lot safer.

He was heading to the boys' dormitory to do some…unfinished business. He crept in, said an incantation to make whoever would wake up see nothing but darkness, and started his search.

"There you are," he said with a bloodthirsty relish. He had found who he was looking for and smiled his dagger-like teeth shining in the red light of the moon.

He took the pillow out from beneath the boy's head and swiftly placed it on his face. He struggled to free himself, but Dimitri held his grasp. This boy wasn't going anywhere.

He struggled for about seven minutes, and then lay still. Dimitri removed the pillow from his face and felt the boy's pulse. There was none. He chuckled evilly.

"My job is done," he whispered. "Time to get back to my family and Sophie."

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Back in the Room of Requirements, Sophie began to open her eyes. Her uncle and the others were happy to see that they were blood red and her teeth had elongated.

"I…felt something," she whispered.

"Felt something?" said Felix in curiosity. She nodded.

"I can't explain it," she said. "It was as like…something was taken away from me." Then, feeling worn out and tired, she closed her eyes again and fell asleep.

Diana and the other men smiled.

"She's survived her first night as a vampire. Even if it was for only a couple of seconds," said Diana.

"I don't blame her for falling asleep like that," said Alucard. "It's very strenuous—dying and coming back to life in the course of one night."

The door suddenly opened and the three of them looked at who was coming in.

"Dimitri," said Alucard, "where have you been?"

"I was…" he stammered but Felix cut him off.

"Nevermind that right now," he said. "You need to take Sophie back to her dorm. She needs her rest." He then carried Sophie and handed her to him. Dimitri looked at her sleeping face and blushed with what little blood he had in his veins.

"Right," he said. "I'll—er—do that. No problem." Then he left.

"Where do you think he went to, Alucard?" asked Diana looking at the closed door.

He sighed. "He went to kill," he said. The other two looked at him.

"You can't mean that he—" said Felix, shocked. "He really didn't kill the boy, did he?" Alucard nodded.

"He did."

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Dimitri had made it back to the Slytherin common room with Sophie in his arms, safe and sound. He was on his way to the girls' dormitory to put his cousin in bed, and then he'll be off.

Adjusting her so the she would fit more comfortably in his arms, he used his free hand to open the door to her dorm room, and the two of them went inside.

Finding her bed in no time, he removed the covers, and placed Sophie inside the bed. Then, to make it look like she was here the whole night, he started to disrobe her and put on her nightshirt.

He would have gone for it too, if she hadn't woken up that very second as he tried to take off her shoes.

"Dimitri," she whispered, sounding cross. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I thought—" he stammered, but she fiercely cut him off.

"I can do that myself, thank you. Now, could you kindly leave?"

He stood staring at her for a minute, sighed, and then said, "Very well. Good-night, Sophie."

"Good-night, Dimitri," she said as she watched him leave. When she was sure he had gone, she undressed and pulled on her nightshirt.

Hmmm, she thought, looking at her gigantic black shirt. I think it's time for a change.

With a wave of her hand, she transfigured her giant shirt into a black tank and pants.

I guess I could live with this for a while.

She pulled on her new pajama, and went straight to sleep.

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The next day she was woken up not by birds…but to the sound of sobbing girls. Then a voice cut into the room saying that they should all go into the common room to discuss this tragic event.

Sophie's heart skipped a beat. What was going on? She feared that it could only mean one thing and one thing only: someone had died.

She jumped out of bed and followed the mass of girls into the common room. There she found Pansy, Draco, Marcus, and Roger all sitting down on a couch looking stricken and pale.

Seeing her, got up and rushed to give Sophie a tearful hug.

"What's going on?" she asked as they broke apart.

"It's Blaise," said Pansy, tears falling fast from her eyes. Sophie's worst fear had come true and her insides seemed to vaporize and she was nothing but a hollow shell.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked, though knowing and dreading the answer.

"He's dead," cried Pansy. "Blaise it dead."

End of chapter 12! Bet you all didn't expect that did you? Now, that I'm done writing this chapter, I have just bummed myself out. I mean, I really am depressed about what just happened in the story. My day is going to suck now. Though I hope yours doesn't. Guess how many pages this is. Go one guess. Give up? 26. That's right, 26 pages—including this note. Well, I hope to see you all in chapter 13. Before I go, I would like to thank a new reviewer—zuerlein2001. Hope to see you soon!