Saying Shirou was angry probably was one of the biggest understatements ever. To be exact, he was utterly furious. Standing atop the Hogsmeade's Owlery, Shirou could feel the fire burning within him as he unleashed a volley of silver arrows down at the Daywalkers on the ground. Being hit by surprise, the weaker monsters were getting slaughtered while some of the stronger ones managed to avoid being hit, but it was enough for their preys to get away to the safety of the warded buildings, temporarily set up by the Aurors once the pressure had been taken off of them.

As an inevitable result, attention of the whole horde was focused on him. Not that it could make much of a threat. Having the vantage point overlooking the whole town, Shirou was almost untouchable as he could see clearly into every direction and stopped any attempt of the Daywalkers to get close to him. All of those foolish monsters that were brave enough to try were all greeted by a silver arrow and turned into dust in an instant.

That was it, until he spotted the Greengrass sister running on the roof of a building below. It looked like they wanted to jump over to the next building, but wasn't able to, and was soon cornered by a Daywalker. During that moment of distraction, another one managed to creep close to Shirou and jumped on him, its claws bared. Noticing it through the corner of his eyes, Shirou turned on his heel and with a swift movement, the arrow in his hand shifted into a sword, slicing the Daywalker's head off in a single strike. When he turned around again, the sword had already turned back into an arrow as he loaded it into his raised bow and released, just in time to prevent the Slytherin witches from being harmed by the monster pursuing them.

It was at that moment, that Shirou felt a chill ran down his spine. He didn't see what was coming, but every nerve within his body was screaming at him to dodge, so without thinking, he lept off of the Owlery, barely avoiding a flash of metal sliced through the space where his neck was just a second ago.

Reinforcing his legs to support the fall, Shirou landed on the roof of a lower building. Without even looking up, he let the bow he was holding vanish, before tracing Kanshou into his right hand and swung it upward at full force. Sparks flied into every direction as the white blade collided with the enemy's weapon, deflecting it and sent the attacker flying until he landed on the other end of the roof.

"Your sword play isn't half bad for someone who call himself Archer, isn't it?" Asked the attacker in a low, calm voice as he and Shirou both stood up, facing each other. It was only then that Shirou managed to get a good look at him. The monster standing in front of him was no doubt a Daywalker. But there was something different. Shirou could feel much more malice, as well as magical power radiated from the one standing in front of him. Also, while he was wearing the same attire as the others of the horde, there was also a black hood covering most of his face, and he was using a longsword as an weapon instead of bare claws and teeth.

"Are you the leader of those monsters?" Asked Shirou while observing his opponent.

"Aye," he replied. "But 'monsters'? Isn't that a little harsh? We're just feeding. We need food too, you know. How is it any different from you human eating cows or pigs?"

"As far as I'm concerned, your kind can live off livestocks just as well. Why attacks human?"

"Because it's fun, and they taste better," the Daywalker said. "We also need to satisfy the thirst of our new recruits, which can't be quenched by animals' blood. But again, it isn't your business, and I'm not here to explain ourselves to you."

The two of them then started circling around the roof, looking for an opening to strike. Their eyes hadn't once left each other.

"You're interesting, Archer. I've never seen my kind being killed off so quickly, even by the most skilled witches and wizards. You really are something else."

"You think this whole thing is amusing?" Shirou asked, disgust apparent in his tone.

"Why yes," the Daywalker laughed. "You wouldn't understand, human. Or maybe you would, if you were to become one of us."

"Dream on," Shirou growled.

"Full of yourself, aren't we?" His opponent mocked. "Who said I was inviting you? No, you'll provide better entertainment this way. So that I can enjoy killing you, slowly. Well, if you still survive having your limbs being cut off, one by one, then I'll consider letting you join us."

As their talk was finished, the Daywalker suddenly turned into a blurry shadow and reappeared in front of Shirou in a blink of an eye. He only raised Kanshou just in time to block the incoming strike and was pushed back a couple of steps. The moment their weapons collided, Shirou felt a shock running through his arm, together with the numbness he got from deflecting the earlier strike, it almost made him drop the blade. Still, it was enough to unable him from using the same arm again for a brief moment as his opponent launched another attack aimed at his head.

Twisting himself out of the way of the incoming sword, Shirou traced Bakuya into his left hand, and using the motion of his spin, swung it upward. If it were to connect, the Daywalker would have been sliced in halves, from the bottom of his torso to his shoulder. Unfortunately, Shirou's imperfect body Reinforcement didn't provide him enough speed to achieve that goal, and thus, his attack were parried, sending him rolling on the ground before springing back up into a ready position.

Damn, Shirou cursed silently. The exercise that he was doing daily had managed to improve his current body's condition greatly, but there was still a long way until it could catch up with his original one.

The Daywalker didn't seem to be fazed at all by the sudden appearance of a second blade. Instead, he just readied himself and attacked again, this time delivering a flurry of stabs at vital points on Shirou's body. Shirou managed to deflect most of them, dodged some others, all the while slipping his own counter attacks in between. For once or twice, he was so sure that his strike would connect, but they were all either blocked or parried.

The two of them traded blows for almost thirty seconds, and Shirou was already panting. He was afraid that if the current situation was allowed go to on, his body wouldn't be able to keep up with the strain. Deciding to end it, Shirou reinforced his body even further, pushing its limit and was about to try putting some distance between them when the Daywalker suddenly ceased attacking and pulled away.

"That's enough for today," he grinned widely. "You're fun, Archer. But Dumbledore is coming. I don't want to risk fighting both you and that old goat at the same time. Farewell."

"Wait!" Shirou dash forward and struck, but Kanshou just sliced through empty air as the Daywalker activated a hidden Portkey and vanished. The same was happening to the remainings of his horde. Within just a second, they retreated, leaving behind a mess of destroyed building and blood everywhere.

Feeling all of his strength escaped from his body, Shirou lowered his reinforcement a little, releasing the prana from Kanshou and Bakuya and was about to get away himself. Unfortunately, he let his body and mind relax more than necessary, and thus didn't notice a wave of magic coming at him until it was too late. Shirou had only enough time to recognize the Banishing Charm before it threw him off the roof, slamming his back onto the opposite wall.

"Ugh…" Shirou groaned as he fell helplessly to the ground. His body didn't suffer heavy damage, but he couldn't move because the back of his neck also got hit. His vision blurred and Shirou could barely make out anything in front of him. He should recover shortly, but this was extremely dangerous situation to be in. It was obvious that someone attacked him on purpose.

"Well, well, if it isn't the infamous Archer. What a fancy display you showed us earlier," Shirou heard a voice, but it seemed to come from a distance. A few seconds later though, he feel two sets of rope tightening around his body and ankles as someone approached.

"Do you remember me?" That person, a man, asked as he bent down, trying to look under the hood. He shouldn't be able to, since Eleanor had added some extra protections. Shirou tried to answer, but he still couldn't open his mouth yet.

"Couldn't speak, eh?" The man continued. "Doesn't matter. Let me remind you, I'm the Auror that you had kindly used as a shield when you resisted arrest during the World Cup."

Ah, that one. Was his name Dawlish? Shirou thought, vaguely recall the Auror.

"You know, I probably should just stun you and turn you in. But since there are only the two of us here…" Dawlish drawled. "...How about me having some payback first?"

Before Shirou's mind could understand what exactly did that mean, he was already kicked hard in the stomach and doubled over. The shock from the pain made him regain a little of his consciousness, but still wasn't enough to break free from the rope that was binding him.

"That's right, I want you to stay conscious when I do it. That one is for punching me," said Dawlish mockingly. "Where is your big attitude now, kid? You think you can disrespecting the laws and get away with it? We will continue this, but first, let me take a look at your face."

Damn, come on, me, Shirou's mind screamed. His analysis told him that it was still a couple more minutes until he could move again. It would be too late able to stop his identity from being exposed. As his vision get clearer, he could see Dawlish's hand reaching out to him.

"Stupefy," the moment Dawlish touched the hem of the hood, however, a voice came from behind accompanied by a flash of red light struck him squarely on his back. The Auror then fell unconscious, making a loud 'thud' as his body hit the ground.

Daphne Greengrass was shaking like crazy. Her wand were still pointing forward. She couldn't believe what she just did. She just stunned an Auror for Merlin's sake. If words about this got out then she was definitely screwed.

Why the hell did I do that? What was I thinking? She thought in panic, looking at the unconscious Auror on the ground. Just ahead of him was Archer, sitting immobile and bound by two set of rope. Swallowing audibly, Daphne then gathered her courage and stepped closer.

"Erm… Are you alright?" She asked, surprised at how timid her voice sounded. However, Archer didn't reply. Daphne then remembered that the back of his neck was hit just earlier when she was watching from the roof. Maybe it was the reason that he couldn't speak, or move yet.

Is...Isn't this my chance? Thought Daphne, looking around nervously to make sure that nobody was around before turning back to the person in white and blue. He was such an enigma. She'd just seen him fight, and it impressed her deeply. Was he even human at all? Was he even safe?

Many questions started swirling around as Daphne stared at Archer. In the end, she decided that if, by any chance, the person in front of her was working with her father, then he couldn't be that dangerous.

Besides, he'd just saved me and everyone. I have the right to know who my savior is, right? She concluded, knowing all too well that it was just an excuse to satisfy her curiosity, but it didn't matter. Reaching out with a shaky hand, Daphne could almost touch the white hood before Archer suddenly spoke up, startling her and made her jump backward.

"Please don't," he mumbled weakly. However, his voice were clearly altered by magical means.

"My apologize," said Daphne hesitantly after calming down.

"It's okay," Archer answered. "You should get out of here. Being seen with me and a downed Auror isn't something you want to happen."

"But… How about you?" She asked.

"I will be fine. My senses are returning. Another minute or two and I'll be able to escape."

"I...I want to ask you something first."

"There's no time," Archer slowly shook his head. "I can feel them approaching. You should go."

"That's…" Daphne opened her mouth, but shut it right away. He was right, lingering here would lead to some inexplicable questions. Groaning in frustration, she then raised her wand again and cast 'Finite' two time, releasing Archer from the ropes that were binding him before walking away. Once she reached the corner, however, Daphne turned around once more and said.

"Thank you for saving my sister...and me, I guess."

She left immediately afterward, feeling her cheeks heated up a little. If Daphne had stayed behind for just a bit longer though, the she would have seen a small smile forming on Archer's lips under his hood.

For the next few days after the horrifying Hogsmeade trip, Archer's appearance was almost the only topic of discussion that could be heard around Hogwarts. Apparently, after his fight with the Daywalkers, his reputation had turned to a more positive page in the eyes of everyone, with the exception of some certain Slytherins.

The mysterious vigilante aside, Shirou had returned to his daily life within the castle. He still remembered being cornered on the day of the attack after returning to the school, by Hermione Granger and the two Weasleys, asking about his condition. Seeing their relieved expression once he told them that he was fine, Shirou couldn't help but felt the guilt inside him bubbling again. Despite the way he treated them, they were still considering him their friend, and that made his stomach twisted painfully every time he thought about it.

On a side note, after a little digging around, Shirou found out that the three of them, plus Draco Malfoy, were at the Shrieking Shack that day. Once they saw the sign of the attack, they dumped Malfoy and rushed back to help, but was stopped by Professor Moody before they could get inside the village. That explained why all of them escaped unscathed. However, once asked what they were doing with Malfoy all the way up to the Shack, they just answered vaguely before switching topic and talked about weather or homework.

On the following day's morning, a copy of the Daily Prophet was delivered to Shirou during breakfast. It was obvious that something as big as a Daywalkers attack on Hogwarts students couldn't be covered, thus the article about said fiasco had been given the entire first page and half of the second page. Above the title was two big pictures, one of a Daywalker, and the other about the fight between Archer and the horde's leader.

According to the official report, there were seven people, including three Aurors, lost their lives that day. Reading the article only served to make Shirou's anger toward Adam Greengrass surface again. The nerve of that man. He freaking knew about the attack beforehand and didn't bother to warn anyone, all in the name of his own agenda. Shirou hadn't heard about him ever since that night in the common room, but he was ready to tear that man a new hole once they met.

Returning to the present, Shirou was doing his daily routine of exercises near the Hogwart's lake. The last encounter with that Daywalker reminded him of how weak he still was. If Shirou was still in his original body, then that monster shouldn't even be a challenge. However, as he was now, the only way for him to defeat it was to sniping from afar with Hrunting, Caladbolg II, or anything effective against vampires in general. Either that or he would have to train his body harder in order to remove the disadvantage forced onto him whenever his opponent got him into close range combat.

Naturally, to do so, he would have to practice harder than ever, but Shirou just couldn't put his mind into it. He'd received some worrisome news over the past few days and was still in the progress of digesting the information.

First, the suicide cases. Of course, Adam still hadn't got back to him yet, and the assignment in Hogsmeade turned out to be completely worthless when the cases were concerned. However, it had become a habit for Shirou to expecting suicide people every morning when he opened the Daily Prophet during breakfast. The strange thing was, it suddenly stopped one day. There was nothing the following day, or the day after that either, as if whoever was behind those cases suddenly took a break. At first, it confused Shirou to no end, but made him feel a little relieved at the same time. However, after thinking about it more thoroughly, he finally noticed something that made him shiver and his stomach clenched in horror.

It was exactly nineteen days, from the day of the first case, which was also the day he arrived at Hogwarts, until now. Nineteen days, nineteen cases, nineteen dead people. That particular number keep sticking on his mind and refused to go away. Shirou's suspicion was right. This had to have something to do with the raid at the World Cup.

The second news was even more urgent in another way. On the same day as the attack, when he finally got back to the dorm and got changed, Shirou noticed that something had gone missing from his attire.

The Marauders' Map had disappeared from his inner pocket.

That was bad news, thought Shirou, gritting his teeth. He'd tried to look for it all over, from the bathroom to the dorm. He even took out all the content of his trunk to search but didn't find anything. It was incredibly careless of him to lose the map. Who knew where it could end up now. If it fell into the hand of the wrong people…

Shaking his head, Shirou then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. After all, at first glance, the map looked just like a normal piece of parchment. One had to be prana sensitive, like him, in order to figure out its true nature just from looking. Even then, it would take them quite a long time, if ever, to reverse engineer it in order to unlock its functions. It was entirely possible that Shirou would be long gone by the time that happened. Before he went, he would make sure to inform Dumbledore of the map's existence so that the old man could have appropriate countermeasures.

Opening his eyes again, Shirou finally decided that the session was over. If he couldn't concentrate on it, then there was no point in continuing, not to mention that it could be dangerous. On his way back to the castle, he spotted Daphne Greengrass walking a little ahead of him, and remembering how he hadn't got the chance to ask her about the day of the attack.

"Hello, Greengrass," he greeted, quickening his pace to catch up with her.

Hearing his voice, the Slytherin girl stopped and turned around. When she saw him, her eyes widened a little. But the surprised expression was gone just a moment later.

"What do you need, Potter?" she asked. Her voice was the usual icy cold tone, completely different from the time he talked to her under the guise of Archer.

"I just want to ask if you are alright," Shirou scratched his head, now wondering why did he even wanted to talk to her in the first place. However, since she - kind of - saved him from certain doom, and he'd got to see another side of hers, Shirou thought that the least he could do was to make sure that she was alright. Living through an attack like that was the kind of experience that could scar a person forever.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?" She replied with another question, while looking at him like he was some kind of alien.

"Well, you know, since you were also in Hogsmeade that day…"

"Really, Potter?" Daphne rolled her eyes. "Almost a week after the deed and you asked if I was alright just now?"

"Look, I'm sorry if I offended you," Shirou held up his hands and took a step back. "I've been wanting to talk to you, but it wasn't easy. In fact, this is the first time I've seen you without any of your housemate."

"Then you haven't looked hard enough," Daphne said. "And why are you concerning yourself with me anyway? We aren't friends, aren't even acquaintance for that matter. Just two strangers who have talked to each other a few times."

"I…" Shirou opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. After a few seconds, he finally relented.

"Alright. I'm sorry for bothering you. Good day, Greengrass," he sighed and turned away. However, Shirou was only able to take three steps before being called.

"Wait a sec," Daphne's voice came from behind him. "If I answer your question, would you answer mine as well?"

"You must be kidding," Shirou turned back and covered his face with his palm. "I was just asking if you were alright. Do you really need to turn it into some kind of favor? That McCoy too, is it in the Slytherin blood or something?"

"Pardon, who is McCoy?" Daphne raised an eyebrow.

"Mc… Oh, that's Malfoy. Sorry, I seem to get into the habit of calling him that way," Shirou waved his hand apologetically. As he glanced at the girl in front of him, he couldn't make out the look she was giving him. It looked like half of her mind wanted to scold him for doing something so ridiculous, while the other half was trying to hold back a smile from showing on her face.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, Potter," finally, Daphne said. She then hesitated a little before continuing. "And I'm fine. Thank you for asking. So is my sister, she was a little shaken, but who wasn't?"

"That's true," Shirou smiled, feeling relieved to see her opened up a little. "Please send my regard to her."

"Will do," Daphne nodded. "Now is my turn."

"You were serious about that?"

"Of course, idiot," she glared at him. "Say, where were you when the attack happened? I saw you getting into Hog's Head when we first arrived, but that pub was one of the places that were struck directly by the Daywalkers."

Shirou tried not to let the surprise show on his face. Just as Adam said, Daphne Greengrass was a very observant girl.

"I left that pub long before the attack happened," Shirou said. "I wanted some time alone, but the Hog's Head was more crowded than normal, so I went back to the castle."

"I see. That may explain why you didn't show up during the attack. From what I heard about you, I think you should be one of the first to rush out and fight those monster yourself," Daphne finally said after giving him a long, calculating look.

"Sorry to disappoint you then," Shirou shrugged. "I guess it's time for me to run. The next class is starting soon and I still have to take a shower first."

"And I don't need to know about that. Goodbye, idiot," said Daphne as she turned away and left.

Looking after her until she disappeared behind a corner, Shirou shook his head in resignation and head for his dorm. It wasn't until he reached the Fat Lady's portrait that he realized that something was off.

"Wait a minute…" He mumbled to himself. "Did she just call me an idiot?"

"What an idiot," said Daphne as she placed a stack of books down onto a desk in the library.

"Who?" Her friend Tracey asked without looking up from the book she was reading, some kind of romance novel. For the most part, she'd recovered from the attack and returned to her normal self. Daphne still remembered how angry and worried Tracey was at her the day after the incident. She had the right to be though. Being left alone while her friend was out risking her life wasn't the most pleasant experience. However, while being genuinely sorry, Daphne didn't regret what she did. If she didn't get out there to find her sister, Astoria might have died. Just the thought of that was enough to make her shiver involuntarily.

"Potter. I just talked to him," she answered.

"You talked to him?" Apparently, the topic was interesting enough to grab Tracey's interest as she finally put down her book.

"He sought me out," Daphne shrugged. "Saying he wanted to ask if I was alright."

"Oh…" Tracey grinned mischievously, covering her mouth with her hand. "Someone's worrying about you."

"Yes, you," Daphne said simply.

"You know what I mean, Daphne."

"Do I?" Asked Daphne. "It seems to me that someone is taking an unusual interest in him."

"I told you it's not like that," Tracey protested, blushing a little as her teasing backfired.

"Then how is it like?"

"That's… Ugh, never mind. Just you watch. I'll get my revenge next time," she stuck out her tongue and picked up her book again.

"I'll be looking forward to that," Daphne said, grinned a little and opened an Ancient Runes book. It wasn't that she was doing any essay, however.

After being cornered by the Daywalker on the roof of that building, Daphne finally realized how incompetent she actually was. In school, her grade was just below the know-it-all Granger, and she could cast many more spells compared to any student from her year. However, as demonstrated, none of those could even come close to stop something like that monster. That weakness almost cost her, and more importantly, her sister's life. Ever since that day, Daphne had vowed to herself that she wouldn't let it happen again.

Her first solution was to learn how to cast Fiendfyre, but after thinking about it, Daphne decided that it was too dangerous for someone of her level. The tremendous required magical power aside, that spell was extremely hard to control, and could become a disaster if she made even the smallest error. Therefore, Daphne decided to put that idea onto the shelf for later use, and turned her attention toward Runes and Arithmancy. While those two subject took time to learn, no one could deny their usefulness and wide range of applications.

That ward used by Professor McGonagall during the attack was a perfect example. It was rather strong and very quick to build. If Daphne had known how to make it, she and Astoria wouldn't have to go through what they did. That one time, they were lucky because of Archer's intervention, but there was no guarantee that the same thing would happen again the next time she found herself getting into trouble.

"So, what else did you two talk about?" Asked Tracey after awhile.

"Well, since he was asking me a question, I took that opportunity to ask him something as well," said Daphne.

"And?"

"I asked him where he was during the attack. He said that he'd returned to the castle before that."

"He said that?" Tracey, for the second time, put down her book and sat straight up, looking at Daphne like she was joking. "But that's…"

"A lie? Yes. That's why I called him an idiot," Daphne answered. She knew for certain that on that day, Potter was the last person to return to the castle, much later than everyone else. No one, except for Granger and her friends, seemed to care about his absence. Originally, Daphne didn't think much about it either. She was just curious where he was hiding during the incident. And then the idiot decided to lie to her.

He must have thought that no one saw him when he got back, thought Daphne. Unfortunately for Potter, she was on her way to check on Astoria in the Hospital Wing when his carriage arrived. She was gone when he finally got to the castle though. Maybe that was why he didn't know that she'd seen him.

"But why did he lie?" Tracey frowned. She then laughed. "Please don't tell me that he was afraid of being mocked."

"Mocked? For what?" Daphne raised an eyebrow.

"For hiding, of course. He was the Boy-Who-Lived, Vanquisher of the Dark Lord and all, you know," Tracey shrugged. "Also, I was just joking. Didn't think you'd take it that seriously."

"Ah, right. Sorry," Daphne said. "Though I don't think that could be the truth. Potter wasn't McCoy after all."

"McCoy?"

"That's how Potter call Malfoy," she grinned. "Suit that ponce quite well, don't you agree?"

That made Tracey burst into laughter.

"Indeed," she said after stopped laughing. "Looking at Potter, no one would have guess that he also had a sense of humor. Still doesn't explain why he lied though."

"I don't know, why don't you go ask him?" Daphne said.

"Why do I have to go?" Tracey asked.

"Because you're interested in him. And from what I see, you two seem rather close."

"Are you going to tease me again?" She huffed.

"I think I am," Daphne smiled at her friend.

"Well, it's not working," Tracey said before picking up her book again. "But maybe you're right. I'll try to ask him the next time we talk."

After that, silence fell between them. Daphne knew, and she was sure that her friend knew too, that there was more to Harry Potter than met the eyes. Tracey might not really care about it, but it'd been bugging Daphne for awhile now as odd things keep happening.

Firstly, her father's sudden interest in Harry Potter. Not long after that, Archer, who seemed to be working with her father, showed up. The timing of his arrival was rather close to the time Potter got his amnesia too, if he was indeed the one who interfered with the fight at Diagon Alley. There was also the obvious change in Potter's appearance.

Not to mention, there had been a rumor going on since the World Cup fiasco, that Archer was actually a teenage boy...

Of course, all of those were just speculations. Daphne couldn't be sure if the two of them were really working together or not. Archer's arrival at the two attacks, one of which her father knew about while he was at the other himself, seemed to support the theory. However, there was still a big chance that everything was just a huge coincidence in the end.

There's no way that Potter could actually be Archer, is there? Daphne couldn't help but wondered.

End of Chapter 13.