Roses are red
Violets are blue
I don't own Harry
So please just don't sue!

I'm trying to get creative with my disclaimers.


Malfoy's humiliation cheered the Gryffindors considerably for the next few weeks. The poisonings had gone to the back of
everyone's minds, although Cho Chang was still avoided by nearly everyone. The teachers seemed to be talking about
OWLs much more seriously suddenly, and for once the fifth years were actually attempting to pay attention in their lessons.
Even though it was only January, Hermione was already trying to dig up her work from previous years so that she would be
able to revise it all before the OWLs started.

One Wednesday night Hermione was sitting alone in the common room. Everyone else had already gone to bed, the fifth
and seventh years because they were exhausted, and the other pupils because they couldn't be bothered to stay up if there
were no Weasleys about for entertainment. Harry, however, was out training the new Gryffindor keeper before their next
match, and Hermione had agreed to wait up for him.

Hermione yawned. It was late, and she was worn out from all the work she'd been doing lately. Her mind wandered vaguely
over the events of the past few months. The year had started out normally enough, well, as normal as anything ever got
around Hogwarts, but then... Hermione sighed. She was now almost used to not having Ron around, but every day there
was a poignant reminder of what had happened. Hermione had no idea what she would say when... if... he was revived. She
had to say something, she had no choice now that Harry knew...

Suddenly, there was a sound from the stairs leading to the girls dorms. It was the distinct sound that people make when
they're trying to come down creaky stairs without making any noise. Hermione looked up to see who it was and saw -

Fred Weasley.

And he didn't have a shirt on.

"Fred!" she said. "What are you doing?"

Fred's head jerked around. Evidently he hadn't realized that anyone was there. "Her - Hermione?" he said croakily. "What
are you doing up at this time of night?"

"Waiting for Harry to get back from Quidditch practice with the new keeper!" said Hermione indignantly. "Anyway, I'm a
prefect, so I should really be asking you what you were doing in the girls' dormitories. And without a shirt on." It was a bit
of a struggle not to smile when she said this last part.

"Oh, for God's sake, Hermione, don't get all prefect-ish on me," said Fred. "What is this, the Spanish Inqui -" he broke off
as Angelina came down the stairs.

"Fred, you forgot your sh -" she said, and then she saw Hermione. "-it!" said Angelina, finishing the word slightly differently
than she'd planned. She turned on Fred. "Why didn't you tell me she was down here?"

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" said Fred helplessly. "It was you who -"

"You'd better not finish that sentence, Fred," said Hermione, trying desperately to keep her face straight. "As a prefect, I
might have to report you to the head of house."

"McGonagall!" Fred gasped. "Hermione, if you do..."

"No, I won't," said Hermione hurriedly, seeing Angelina's furious face, "but you owe me one now, you know."

***

The next morning at breakfast, Hermione was struggling not to tell Harry the events of last night.

"So, um, how was the new Keeper?" she asked desperately.

"He's okay," said Harry. "Maybe not as good as Oliver, but perhaps with some training... okay, what is it, Hermione?" She
tried to look innocent. "You're not fooling anyone."

"Oh, it's nothing," she said, but the smirk on her face gave her away.

"Tell me, Hermione!" said Harry. From Hermione's face, her secret was extremely interesting.

"I can't tell you Harry. I really can't," she said. And then an idea came to her. "But if you guessed what had happened, I
couldn't help that, now, could I?"

Harry understood the implication. "Is it to do with... Ron?" he hazarded.

Hermione sighed. "You have a terrible Ron fixation, did you know that? No, it's not."

"Okay, um... Quidditch?"

"No, Harry!" Hermione said in exasperation. "Try again."

"Is it something about... Cho Chang?"

"Oh, this is pointless!" Hermione cried, getting up from the table, leaving Harry to eat breakfast on his own.


***

"You do know that eventually you will have to remove the girl."

"Yes, master," the bowing form replied.

"You have been amazingly careless," said that high voice. "I would have hardly believed it of you... one of my most trusted
followers..."

"I am sorry, master!" the Death Eater cried. "I had no idea how difficult it would be!"

"He is a sixteen year old boy!" the voice cried from the face of the Dark Lord, which was suspended in the middle of a fire.
"It cannot be that difficult! And you have let the blame fall on a girl! And insignificant, pretty little girl!"

"I know, master, I know, and I am deeply sorry!"

Voldemort's high voice went dangerously quiet. "This is the dawn of a new age of wizardry, the beginning of a world ruled
by Lord Voldemort, and you have ruined the very first plan I conceived to prove to the Ministry that my return is real!
Perhaps you are not as loyal as I thought..."

"No, master, please, I am devoted to your cause, I -"

"Silence," said the Dark Lord impatiently. "You are young. You may be forgiven. Now you must try again. You must try
again soon. And this time you will not fail me. You know what you must do."

The figure shivered slightly. "Yes, master. I know."

"Then go."

The figure put out the fire it had been using to speak to Voldemort. Slowly, cautiously, silently, the Death Eater picked up
a pile of school books and stepped out of the unused classroom into the corridor.

There was a Death Eater at Hogwarts.


Author's Note: Oh no, what is Voldie up to? And obviously, I want to know who everyone thinks the Death Eater is!
Thank you to Captain Carrot (who has never met me in her life ;-) ) for suggesting the Fred/Angelina/Hermione scene. I
know that the Groovay Penguin enjoyed it - not that I know her either. lol. And, yes, Ginny R is also a friend of mine. Who
likes Daniel Radcliffe a lot. Hehehe. Which is why we call her Ginny. Hehehe.
I must say that I am amazed that no one spotted the terrible mistake I made in chapter 12. I said that Rosemary and the
others were all in Hogsmeade, in the Leaky Cauldron. Slight problem - the Leaky Cauldron is in London! It should have
been the Three Broomsticks - I've now fixed it.
I've had to take down my e-mail address from my profile because of some e-mails I've been getting. If there is anything you
would like to contact me about, tell me in your review and leave your e-mail. I'll get back to you.

Now please review!