Author's Note: All right, so the last few chapters haven't been the most exciting ever, right? Never fear, this is better. Beaucoup d'action!  Whew! It took a long time though. I just finished my English assignment, and was itching to write something other than a commentary on Mark Twain.

Anyway… On with the show!

Chapter IX: Halloween

I can't quite tell you when exactly people stopped being edgy around me.  I also couldn't tell you when it was that Will decided that it was his personal mission in life to make me like him. But that is precisely what he did. He would follow me around, begging me to talk to him. All right, maybe I'm a bit cruel, but I did rather like the attention.

There was one day in particular, the day before Halloween, to be precise, when Will and I came to an understanding that we were on the same level. The poor bloke was following me around after Potions, being his typical self- or at least, typical to me.  It was getting very annoying, and I couldn't stop myself. Really, I couldn't.

"Look, Emily," he said, "I'm sorry, OK? I didn't mean to, what I mean to say is-"

We ran into this problem often. He'd attempt to apologize for beating me without coming right out and saying it, as if afraid to hurt my feelings, or something. I would smile triumphantly to myself when we came to this section of his tirade, inwardly delighting at his inner turmoil. It was a beauteous thing, to see him squirm. Actually, now that Will was talking, well, really, begging for my forgiveness, I rather liked him as much as ignoring him a la Ice Queen and continuing whatever I was doing at the moment.

I kept right on walking; ignoring whatever it was that he said to me, not caring. Let him apologize all that he wanted. It took a few seconds to realize that he wasn't following me anymore. I dropped a book on purpose, so I could catch a glimpse of what he was doing. As I bent down to pick it up, I noticed that he was standing there, half dejected, half angry. 

He ran to catch up to me, saying, "Won't you at least do something? Look, I'm sorry I'm better than you!"

Ooooooooh.

I saw red as I felt my fingers curl into fists. Everything around me blurred as my temper was threatening to explode. I didn't notice the people edging around us in the hallway; I didn't notice that I'd just dropped my books; I didn't notice the entourage of teachers, my father (and, strangely, mother and Uncle Harry) included, that were walking towards us in leisurely conversation; I didn't notice my friends standing at a safe distance away from us; I didn't notice Prissy Simmons leering at me from her position leaning on a statue; and I didn't notice that people had stopped to stare. I only saw Will Tucker, fuming mad, and the colour draining from his face, as he must have noticed my eyes flashing dangerously.

"Do something?! You want me to do something?! FINE!!"

Lose my temper, never. But that damn fist. I can't control it. Surprisingly, it went flying into Will Tucker's nose, with a satisfying crack on impact.

Will was shocked, and his hand immediately flew up to his nose as he gingerly felt it bleeding. For a split second, I thought that he might hit me back, so I brought my fists up protectively as I fixed my stance.

"Bloody- ow!" He said. "What the hell did you do that for?"

He took a step forward to, I thought, throw a punch at me. I almost wished that he had- it would make me feel better as I lunged at him, tackling him to the ground and ripping into him even harder. From a distance away, I heard Kyle placing a bet with Tom (I was pleased to know that my friends' bets were in my favour) and my very scandalized mother exclaiming "Emily Grace Weasley!" even as Professor McGonagall was deducting points from Gryffindor for fighting, disrupting the hallway, and lack of house unity. Will pushed me off of him, and pinned me to the ground. It was at this point when things became awkward as we realized our very close proximity and the very intimate position that we were in. Mum, McGonagall, Rachel and Meg all gasped (I could have sworn I heard some giggling from my two latter friends) as a blush crept up onto Will's cheeks and my face burned. In a split second, Uncle Harry pulled Will off of me by the collar of his robes, and I jumped up, ready to hit him again putting me in that position (it was worse that my parents and teachers were right there!), ignoring the tiny voice in my head that told me that I started it. I didn't have the chance to break his jaw (I'd be aiming for a black eye, but after the nose-breaking, he'd certainly have a set of black eyes) for Dad's arms circled around my waist, holding me back. Mum and McGonagall were both yelling at us, Professor Snape was sneering, and Professor Dumbledore, although angry, seemed as if he were trying to hide a grin. His eyes betrayed him, however, because they were as amused as they ever were.

"Are you quite through?" Dad asked me as I was still struggling to get out of his grasp and attack Will.

"Geroff, Dad, I'm gonna kill 'im!" I was still twisting like crazy, and managed to kick Dad very hard in the shin.

"Bloody hell, girl!" He released me, and I advanced towards Will again (although he was still in Uncle Harry's clutches) until one of the scariest and intimidating things ever stood in my path.

"Emily," Mum warned, "If you don't stop this right now, young lady, your Quidditch career ends tonight! This is no way for you to behave; this is entirely unacceptable!"

"He told me to!" I pointed frantically at Will.

"You what?" McGonagall inquired as all eyes turned to my sandy haired opponent.

"Well," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling, "If Miss Weasley was obeying his wishes…" but not many people heard him except me (He winked as I stifled laughter). They were all listening to Will.

"She broke my nose!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Uncle Harry interfered. "You let her punch you? You have a lot to learn. This is Emily, Will. You'll not get into a fight with her and come out unharmed."

"She does have a killer right hook," Dad agreed as McGonagall shot him a look of 'What kind of parent are you?' even while Mum sent him an almost identical one, although with a different meaning of 'You're not helping' that were very frightening to see.

"Perhaps," interjected Snape, "That points from Gryffindor and dual detentions are in order?"

McGonagall, clearly having an internal battle over agreeing with Snape and being peeved that he was disciplining her students, turned on him, saying, "I will be the one to dole out punishment, thank you, Severus."

"My dear Professors," Dumbledore interjected, "Miss Weasley and Mr. Tucker clearly need to be escorted to the hospital wing. Perhaps we can continue this debate in a less…accessible area."

I thoroughly agreed. I was a hair away from cursing Prissy Simmons, who was still hiding behind that statue. My temper was at a high point and my mood was certainly teetering on the edge of fiery red and utter insanity.

"Get back to class, please," the Headmaster told everyone who was watching in the hallway.

Rachel didn't listen. She was fussing over Will- "Oh! Oh, Will, are you hurt terribly bad? Oh, let me see, dear, that's horrible! I do hope you're not in too much pain, Will." I nearly laughed out loud at the sickened look on Uncle Harry's face as he watched his daughter flirt gushingly in front of his face.

"This means you, too, Miss Potter," Dumbledore said, still trying to withhold his grin.

"Yes, sir," she said, with one final longing look at Will. "I'll come visit you, Will, dear!" As she left, Uncle Harry cleared his throat and she noticed him for the first time. "Oh! Hello, Daddy!" she exclaimed giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Fancy seeing you here!" She apparently thought that she was going to get off without a hitch, for she left Uncle Harry standing there to 'obey Professor Dumbledore and go back to class'. But how very wrong she was.

"Is she always like this?" My uncle asked me. I nodded, and he clenched his jaw.  "Excuse me," He said to everyone who had been involved in this ordeal as he left to follow Rachel down the hallway.

"Infirmary. Now," McGonagall commanded.

"But, Professor, why do I need to go to the infirmary? I'm not hurt at all." I was wrong, though. As I picked up my books, I noticed that my hands were covered in blood. I wasn't sure if it was Will's or mine, but once I inspected them, I saw that my knuckles had split from the pressure of the blow. It would only take a second to heal, but I had an idea that there would be more than just healing going on.

Detention. For three days starting after the Halloween feast. Professor Dumbledore had mercy on us. When I looked at his eyes twinkling, it seemed as if he knew something that I didn't. But then, wasn't that always the case? Mum and Uncle Harry still hadn't told us why they were at school. Oh well, I didn't quite expect them to after what had happened. Besides, I was trying to stay away from Mum at the most part. When she was angry…well, it was best to stay out of her way.

Will and I were dismissed from Charms, our next class, considering that it was half over anyway. As we walked back to the common room, still not really speaking, he turned suddenly and said-

"So why did you punch me, anyway?"

I shrugged. I had been wondering about that myself. What had compelled me to punch him besides rage? I couldn't think of anything else, so this was the answer that I supplied.

"Are we okay?"

"Well, I'm all right, and you're all right, so I'm thinking that we are all right, as well." Honestly, I didn't know what this kid was going on about.

"No, I mean are we- you know, as friends- are we okay? You know, since you got your rage out and all." I couldn't help but notice that the corners of his mouth were twitching into a smile.

"I guess."

"Good. Because I've been meaning to ask you something. The game against Slytherin is on Saturday, and they have a good Seeker. Do you think that maybe, I mean, if you want to and you're not still mad at me, maybe could you help me work on my Wronski Feint?"

"I don't see why not," I shrugged. Glancing down at my watch, I said, "Hey, we have lunch next. Do you want to skip it and go down to the pitch?"

"Skip lunch? I dunno, Emily…"

"What, you're not afraid to get caught, are you?"

"No, I'm just hungry."

I stopped and looked at him, my hands on my hips. Of course, this was all in fun, but I was hoping that maybe he'd be afraid of breaking his nose a second time.

"Will Tucker," I said, "Do you want to be a good Seeker or not?" He couldn't fight that, and gave in. Soon we were out on the pitch, both holding top of the line brooms.

"Let me see you go at it," I told him. I would watch from the ground. After a few tries and close shaves, I waved him back to the ground. "Off the top of my head," I said, "I'd say that you're approach is all wrong. You need to get closer to the ground. It looks like you're just diving. I'm not convinced that a Snitch is there. Sorry, mate."

Ron…

I was so sick of dead ends. Samuel Fitzgerald knew nothing. Even after Harry slipped Veritasserum into his water, nothing. Susanne Cummings, Richard Tucker's ex, refused to comment, and once again, we were back at square one. Surprisingly, Tucker's record was spotless. Not even a Muggle parking ticket. His bank account didn't have any record of his huge transaction. Rock bottom was getting pretty familiar.

The only thing that was making any progress was our profile. Piper Stowe, one of Dad's recommendations, was working with Atticus to determine everything possible about our killer in attempt to compile a list of suspects.

We were concerned about Halloween.

"He likes to make a splash," Piper told us, "he demonstrated that at the Ball. Perhaps…perhaps that reflects on his childhood…" she jotted down a note to herself before returning to the rest of the team, "I'd be careful at the Hogwarts feast, if Emily is your main concern. If he's willing to break into a building filled with Ministry officials, then breaking into Hogwarts filled with innocent students shouldn't be a problem."

So the three of us were there, wands ready, and just itching for some action. No one made a fuss; even the students took it with a grain of salt. Hermione, who until now had been chatting with McGonagall, was pushing her mashed potatoes around on her plate nervously. On the other side of me, Harry was staring at her hands, watching as she made fluffy swirls on her plate. Finally, looking as if he couldn't take anymore, he reached over me and stilled her hand.

"You don't have to be so nervous," he said. "What did the potatoes ever do to you, anyway?" The feeble attempt to make her laugh didn't work, and when he saw this, he shrugged and focused on Emily and Rachel, laughing madly with their friends. Emily and Kyle were the centre of attention, cracking jokes left and right. Everyone was watching the lively Gryffindors, and even Snape had to stifle laughter as Emily demonstrated for everyone who could see her wonderful cosmetic abilities on Kyle. Rather than lipstick, blush and eye shadow, however, she used potatoes, gravy, and treacle pudding. Soon, though, they calmed quite noticeably and began to speak in hushed voices.

"What's going on over there?" I heard Harry mutter quietly. Kyle and Will got up to leave, finished with their dessert. Then Meghan and Tom left. Obviously, Rachel and Emily would be following.

Emily…

"Hey, everyone," Tom said in a quiet voice. We all leaned in to listen to him. "I've got an idea. Why don't…why don't we see if those rumours are true? You know, about werewolves in the Forbidden Forest?"

Meghan paled noticeably, and said, "But…but we could get in big trouble… and it's really dangerous…"

"What's the big deal?" I responded. After all, our family was friends with a werewolf, how bad could it be?

"I dunno, Emily," Rachel said now. "Uncle Remus is one thing, but…but real werewolves? You know, the kinds that don't take potions? That's a little too scary. Besides, there's…" she lowered her voice even further as she stole a furtive glance around, "there's more than just werewolves in that forest. You've heard the stories, same as I have."

"Yes, but our parents were magnets for trouble, Rae. We are not hunted by an army of death eaters, are we?" I knew instantly that I shouldn't have said it. As soon as it left my mouth, I was met with the familiar and irrepressible feeling of being watched… by cold, steely grey eyes. I blinked away the apparitions, putting a brave smile back on my face. "Come on."

Kyle and Will nodded encouragingly as the two girls exchanged glances.

"I really don't know," Meghan still protested.

"Don't be such a baby, Meg," Tom said. The glare that she threw him made him regret saying that, so he brilliantly covered with, "I mean that in the best possible way, of course." Even Meghan didn't buy that. "Don't worry! And, if we happen to be attacked by werewolves, I'll be there to protect you." He puffed out his chest as a cocky grin crept up on his face. Meg tried to remain stolid, but she was soon smiling as well.

"All right," she said daringly with a small giggle.

"Let's go," I whispered standing up with Rachel and Kyle.

"Wait!" Will commanded, pulling my arm to make me sit. Rachel and Kyle followed suit. "If we all leave now, then they'll know that something's up!" You know, he was very useful to have around, considering that we were friends now.

"Tom, you and Meghan go first. They'll think you're just going to snog or something."

Meghan blushed. They weren't officially dating, but everyone knew that it was coming.

"Maybe you and Kyle should go first," I offered. "If they think that they're going off to a broom closet, then they'll follow; but if they think that they're going off with the two of you, then it won't be a big deal. Rachel and me can follow last."

Will nodded, and he and Kyle stood to leave. After waiting a bit, Meghan (who was stifling giggles) left with Tom.

I was about to stand up, when there they were again. The eyes, staring right back at me. I held me breath and closed my eyes. They'd be gone when I opened them again; I just knew that they would. They had to be.

Sure enough, when I opened them again, I was met by the emerald green eyes of one very anxious looking Rachel Virginia Potter.

"Come on," she hissed. "The sooner we get this over with, the better." I stood up with her, looking as casual as possible. I even stopped to wave at a few people as we left.

As we were about to exit the hallway, I heard an explosion rattle through the hall, fallowed by screaming. Confused, I turned to see what was going on, only to be tackled to the ground.

Ron…

Sure enough, Rachel and Emily stood to leave soon after Tom and Meghan left.

"What's that all about?" I heard Hermione say, leaning in to see our reactions. I wasn't paying attention to her, though. My eyes flicked to one of the high windows where the moon had just emerged from clouds, casting an eerie shadow on the stone floor. The cause of the shadow? A man that I couldn't even see but a silhouette was there in the window with what appeared to be a gun in his hand. It followed Emily as she walked.

"Shite," I muttered, jumping up from my seat so fast that it tumbled backwards. Harry and Hermione were both confused as I was sprinting across the hall, until Harry saw. He grabbed Hermione's hand in attempt to steady her as she saw the scene playing out in front of her. As I ran, people jumped out of my way and in the case of an unlucky few, were pushed, jostled and sworn at. The only thing on my mind was Emily. I hadn't a clue of what I was doing, only of her safety. When I heard the explosion of the gun, I ran harder than I ever have in my life, adrenaline pumping in my ears. Without thinking twice, I dove at her, both of us falling to the ground. As I rolled off of her, I heard the rush of footsteps behind me. Harry and Hermione immediately knelt down beside her; Landon was on his way. Seeing that she was in good hands, I ran in the direction of the window, swiping the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain's broom.

Emily…

Dad rolled off of me in a split second, and was off. I ignored Mum, Uncle Harry, Landon and Rachel, who were all fussing over me, and craned my neck to see what Dad was doing.

"Hey," said Uncle Harry, turning my head to look at him. "Keep your eyes open." He shined his wand in my eyes, and I squinted at the direct contact. "Are you all right?" he asked, putting his wand away. Apparently no concussion. I nodded, and he ran off. Instead of stealing a broom, he levitated to the window before jumping out.

I was still having trouble putting two and two together. Why had Dad jumped on me? I looked up, and there it was. A dart had hit the wall, right where I was standing. No…no…no… this was not happening.