Disclaimer: I disclaim everything

A/N: Evil, aren't I? Hmm.. I wonder what I'm going to do this chapter? Anything's possible.

Chapter Two: Harry Potter: The Boy Who Just Won't Die

George's death shocked everybody. Why should he have died? What did he really do to Lethe to deserve death? Of course, nobody did anything to deserve dying, but they did anyway. And everybody knew it was Lethe's fault.

There were no longer the Weasley Twins, it was just the Twin - Fred. Fred no longer spoke to anybody or came out of his dormitory. After the funeral, he blocked everybody out, including Ron. Ron was taking the loss of his brother extremely hard too. He walked around like a zombie, muttering on about how he was going to get revenge on Lethe. They tried to hush him, in case Erica - no wait. Erica was dead. They let Ron talk of killing the murderer, knowing for fact he would never do it - but they still hoped…

Lethe was hardly seen anymore. She rarely came to classes and never attended any more meals. The students took this as a relief. The less Lethe showed her face, the less chance they had on running into her. But the stars had still not gone to sleep, for the fates were still in control.

A Ravenclaw girl in Harry's year by the name of Terry Boot came up with a theory on Lethe's killings. She was one hundred percent sure that her conclusion was correct, but she wasn't sure why Lethe went on the killing spree. She went to Harry and Hermione right away and told them her suspicions.

"Wait," Hermione said, holding up her hand. "That sounds pretty far-fetched…"

Terry shrugged impatiently. "It's the only thing! I mean, c'mon! It all fits!"

Harry stared hard at the girl. "Yeah," he said. "It's too big just to be a coincidence. What do you say, Hermione?"

"You have to admit, Hermione," Terry said. "It's darn close."

Hermione sighed. "As much as I am skeptical on this, I think we still need to see Dumbledore."

So Hermione and Harry followed Terry Boot the Ravenclaw to Dumbledore's office.

"What can I do for you today?" Dumbledore asked, as he let them in his oval office. Fawks was asleep on his perch, and Harry subconsciously reached out to stroke it.

"Professor, I have a theory on the methods of Lethe's killing spree," Terry spoke forcefully and bravely. Dumbledore blinked.

"What makes you think Lethe killed those people?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

Terry swallowed. "It's the fact that all the people who had died are those who pissed Lethe off. Owen Cauldwell bumped into her at the Quidditch match, Erica, I heard, called her a mudblood before Lethe pushed Harry into her, and Trelawney said all that crap during dinner! And George dropped an exploding snap card on her! It's a bit too much to be a coincidence, isn't it?"

Dumbledore took a long moment before he answered. "There is nothing other then what you just told me that suggest Lethe did attack those people."

"Murdered them, Headmaster," Terry corrected him. "And I have more proof. It's what Lethe said during the Christmas feast about her family." Terry then blushed furiously. "It's quite far-fetched, I have to agree… but it is just too weird!" She took a deep breath. "So just bare with me here. My father's an auror so I have to think this way…

"Lethe said she is the youngest of seven kids, right? Well, she said her oldest brother is Brad… well… the first one she killed was Ben. Her second oldest brother is Oliver - the second one she killed was Owen… then a girl died! Erica! Her oldest sister, the third one down the line, name is Erin…"

Dumbledore stopped her with a raise of his hand. "So what you are saying is that Lethe is going after students that begin with the same letter as that of her siblings?" Dumbledore looked skeptical.

Terry, however, shook her head furiously. "Yes! I don't know why yet… maybe she hates her brothers and sister, but all I know… is that the next oldest of Lethe's family is Harold… I bet you Lethe's next victim will be a male who begins with an H."

Terry and Hermione suddenly turned to stare at Harry. Harry smirked.

"Oh, come on!" He said. "That idea is ludicrous! Why would she kill people because of their names?"

Terry shrugged. "I don't know. Lethe is crazy. I have a cousin who's crazy, and there's no explanation why he does the things he does."

Harry shook his head. "I think there is something more to these deaths then just letters… there's something bigger."

Terry sighed. "You just better be careful. Headmaster, tell him to be careful."

Dumbledore stood. "I will tell him what I am telling you now. All of you better be careful. I'm not sure what's going on here exactly, I'm not even sure if these were killings or just accidental deaths, but I agree with Harry. There is something bigger here then what is being put off. So all of you, be careful…"

That night, Lethe showed up for dinner. Nobody seemed to be breathing. Nobody wanted to stand out to her. Lethe took her seat at the end of Gryffindor table, but didn't eat. She had gotten skinner since the last time anybody saw her. Her hair had grown a bit more too. But that crazy glint in her eyes stayed the same.

"You better watch yourself today, Harry," Ron said, staring cautiously at the girl. Terry's theory had spread like wildfire through the school, and every guy who began with the letter H was taking no chances. Most of them turned right out of the Great Hall when they saw Lethe enter. "There's no telling what she will do."

"Oh, you are being stupid, Ron," Hermione said. "Lethe didn't kill those people. She was outside with us that day Trelawney jumped out her window. And she was in the common room studying all night at the table next to me the night Ben had drowned! Lethe didn't do it. So leave the poor girl alone."

Harry suddenly gagged. Heads turned quickly around and faces paled. Harry was going to choke!

"Disgusting!" Harry cringed. "Who made this stuff?" Everybody sighed.

"House-elves," Hermione said, with a note of stiffness in her voice.

"Well, it needs salt." Harry stood to fetch the salt shaker. The nearest one was by Lethe's plate. Taking a deep breath, Harry approached her.

"Excuse me, Lethe?" Harry said, getting the girl's attention. "Are you using the salt?"

Lethe nodded her head. "Yes," she said. She grabbed the salt shaker and took off the lid, then began pouring it on her meatloaf. Harry stood still, not knowing what to do. Should he just walk away? Or ask her if she was all right? He didn't do anything until all the salt was out of the shaker and on Lethe's plate. Lethe threw the shaker to the side, and pushed her plate away.

"Um - er - are you feeling okay, Lethe?" Harry asked, then braced himself.

Lethe blinked, as if she had never been asked that question before and she didn't know how to respond to it.

"I'm fine," she finally said. "How are you?"

Harry shrugged. "All right."

Lethe nodded. "Would you like to sit down?"

Harry glanced sideways, and noticed everybody was staring fearfully at him.

"Come back here," He saw Ron mouth, but Harry shook his head and sat down across from Lethe.

"You are Harry, aren't you?" Lethe asked, scraping the salt from her meatloaf off with her fork.

Harry nodded. "Yes," he cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry if I scare you," Lethe suddenly said, very quietly. "I scare everybody, I know. But it's not my fault. Honest. I never touched those people…" Harry blinked, not knowing how to respond.

"I never said that you did," he said.

"There's too much salt on this," Lethe complained, pushing her plate aside. "I'm going to see if there is any more soup left…"

Lethe got up and walked down the table.

Again, it happened very quickly. So quickly nobody saw it happen, except for Harry. Harry was watching Lethe carefully, as she reached for the pot of hot soup that had just been brought by the House Elves. Lethe, very carefully, began walking back with it, her eyes never leaving the steaming broth.

Harry didn't see Draco Malfoy get up, or him run by… but he knew exactly what had happened when Lethe was a few feet from Harry and Draco Malfoy ran right into her. The scolding hot soup flew from her hands and right into Harry Potter.

Harry felt like he was on fire, and he fell screaming to the floor. The boiling broth had splattered on his face, his chest and his stomach. Harry couldn't move. He stayed on his side, trying to rub some of the boiling water off of his body, but it only burned his hands. He noticed vaguely his skin was turning an ugly blue color, but he couldn't do anything but scream in pain.

Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid, and Snape, sprinted from the Staff table and to Harry's side.

"Harry," Dumbledore yelled urgently. "Stop touching yourself! Just try to hold still! Minerva, run to alert Pomfrey."

"Headmaster," Snape breathed, staring shocked at the Potter boy, withering on the ground. "These have to be third-degree burns! We have to get him to Pomfrey right away if we - "

"I know," Dumbledore said. He took out his wand and drew up a stretcher. Snape lifted the dying boy onto it and they sped out of the Great Hall, but not before Snape grabbed Lethe's arm and brought her with them.

"I didn't do it," Lethe said quietly. Snape said nothing.

Once they reached the hospital wing, Harry was immediately stripped of his robes and uniform by Pomfrey. "What happened?" She asked, as she frantically tried to calm Harry's spasms.

Dumbledore glanced at Lethe before carefully answering. "A pot of soup had been dropped on him."

"Soup!" Pomfrey screeched. "What was soup doing on the Gryffindor table at that temperature? There are rules stating that nothing at scolding temperature is allowed outside the kitchens! I can't believe the House Elves would be so careless!"

"Neither can I," Dumbledore whispered.

"Severus, please fetch me the Pugnauxil Potion in my cabinet…" Pomfrey instructed, and Snape nodded. "Hold on, Harry… you've been in a lot more dangerous situations… hold in there.."

Snape returned with a bottle of thick-greenish liquid, and handed it to the nurse. Pomfrey carefully placed her hand on the back of Harry's head, and fed the potion to him. Harry sputtered and gagged. "Don't even think about it!" Pomfrey yelled, as if Harry could do anything about it. Harry almost immediately stilled, but his burns weren't looking any better. Pomfrey ran to her closet and returned this time with a cloth and two bottles. "Severus, I'm going to need your help."

Snape nodded wordlessly. "I need you to feed this to Harry while I rub the ointment on his skin. We have to do this at the same time, or it will have side-effects."

Snape, careful not to hurt the boy further, lifted Harry's head and began pouring this time a reddish liquid down his throat. Harry responded none. He laid still and limp.

"Pomfrey," Snape said, when nothing was happening to improve Harry's condition and Harry continued to lay immobilized.

Pomfrey continued to spread the ointment on Harry's burns. "It needs time!"

Then they heard Lethe's small voice from the other side of the room. "He has no pulse."

Pomfrey didn't even allow herself to register before her hand flew to Harry's neck, and just as Lethe had said, Harry's pulse had faded and ceased.

"No!" Pomfrey screamed, running back to her closet.

"What's happening?" Dumbledore asked suddenly. "Pomfrey, he's not -"

"No," Pomfrey came running back. "He's fading. He will be in a few seconds if we don't hurry!" She held a long, plastic tube in her hand and at the bottom of it was a beaker of boiling, black potion. Snape knew exactly what it was; Harry's last hope.

Pomfrey lifted Harry until he was in an awkward sitting position, and leaned him back on her shoulder. She then took the tube and stuck it in Harry's throat, until only the handle was sticking out, and began pumping the black liquid into his stomach. She closed her eyes, and began muttering something nobody could distinguish. It was like she was praying it would actually work.

The potion was almost finished, and Harry still hadn't revived. Dumbledore held the end of the bed in a death grip, staring Harry in the face, as if daring him to die. Snape stood back a ways, feeling totally useless. Lethe stood in the shadows on the opposite side of the room, humming a strange tune to herself. The boy with the letter H was dying.

Pomfrey slowly took the tube out of his mouth, and laid the limp form of Harry back onto the pillows. She refused to give up hope, though Snape and Dumbledore looked to have. Harry Potter was dead.

"Madam Pomfrey," Dumbledore said, in a tight voice. "There's nothing more you can do."

Pomfrey shook her head and sat on the side of Harry's bed. He didn't look dead! Save for the fact he was pale as his sheets and his burns looked like nasty acid burned holes. He had to wake up!

"He's not dead, Madam," Lethe's voice was heard again. This time everybody living turned their head to see the murderous girl, standing in the shadows. "He's waiting."

Pomfrey blinked back her tears. "What are you talking about? Headmaster, what is she talking about? Isn't she the one that carelessly dropped that pot on him? What does she mean he's waiting?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "She was pushed."

"Just like she was pushed and had Harry stab that poor girl!" Pomfrey yelled.

Lethe seemed like she didn't hear the comment. "He won't die," she said, so quietly they had to strain to hear her. "It was an accident. Harry…" Lethe began to walk to Harry's dead body. "Harry, you can wake up now. No more pain."

Pomfrey stood protectively in front of her patient. "Keep that girl away from -"

"Madam!" Snape yelled. Pomfrey turned around and gasped.

Harry had started to breathe again. The potion had finally kicked in and even the burns were starting to go away.

Lethe smirked. "Always playing…"

"She's crazy…" Pomfrey breathed, not tearing her eyes from Harry. She sighed, "He had me scared to death!"

Dumbledore nodded in agreement… and Harry opened his eyes.

He squinted against the bright lights and moaned, "Where am I?"

"Hospital wing," Pomfrey said, relief flooding through her. "Would you be any place else?" Harry snorted.

"No."

Just then the door banged opened, and Hermione and Ron flew in.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione sobbed. "I was so worried! You were screaming so loud! I thought you were d-dying!"

"'lo Mya," Harry chuckled. "How could I without you guys near me? All that waiting left me alive…"

Pomfrey, Dumbledore, and Snape stared.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione grinned tearfully. "Stop playing around! You scared us half to death! Oh!"

She finally spotted Lethe.

Ron's eyes darkened. "It was her, Headmaster, who did it! You heard Terry's theory! It happened just like she said! Lethe tried to kill Harry!"

"Ron, shut up," Harry growled.

"But he's right!" Hermione spoke up, careful not to look at Lethe's lethal gaze. "There was a pot of soup right next to her, but she decided to get the one that was scolding hot! And Draco Malfoy didn't even push into her that hard! She practically threw the pot onto Harry, which was strictly unnecessary! She tried to kill him!"

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore began, but Lethe interrupted him.

"It was an accident, Hermione," she said, stepping up from behind Snape. "I wasn't intending that pot to fly onto Harry. It was an accident."

"Sure it was!" Hermione screeched. "Just like bumping into Harry that time he dropped his knife and killing Erica! Who else are you going to kill, Lethe? Your H survived!"

Lethe held her fierce stare right on Hermione. "If I wanted Harry Potter dead, he would not be living. I would have found a better way then soup."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You see?" She turned her frantic eyes to the Headmaster. "Now all we have to do is get her to admit she was after an H in a guy's name, just like her brother Harold, and we can finally send her away! She crazy, insane!"

"Miss Granger!" McGonagall spoke, hushing the girl.

"Hermione, Ron," Dumbledore said calmly. "Please return to your dormitories and rest. It's been a traumatizing day so far, and I think you should sleep off some of your worries. Lethe, please wait outside my office, I wish to speak with you."

"Yes, Headmaster," Lethe nodded. "I'm glad you are all right, Harry." She walked towards the door and put her hand on the handle. Before she opened it, however, she turned her head and said, "Harolda is a girl."

Hermione's body was found two days later, in the Prefect bathroom. It was ruled an accident. Hermione apparently slipped on a patch of slippery floor and banged her head on the bathtub. Nobody found her in time to save her.

There was no proof Lethe had anything to do with it…

Except she was found trying hard not to giggle when Dumbledore was again addressing the school about another tragic, accidental death that had occurred at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…

A/N: Ooh, evilness! I bet I'm going to get a lot of flames for this one! Hehe.. All the better for the next chapter… who will be next? Dadadum!!