Disclaimer: I disclaim everything! (which is a good thing for everybody to keep in mind for this chapter…) and I give all credit to JK Rowling… Fine! Take it!!
A/N: *looks extremely sad and puffy eyed* I am sooo sorry for this chapter!!! I was extremely stupid when I came up with the same Samuel as a name!!! Noooo!! I only know of two people in the Potter world that started with the letter S!!! I am so sorry… I deserve flames for this one… I had to flip a coin!! I don't want to do this, but it's a cure for writer's block… it works… I am so sorry… be kind, huh? I'll kill off Fudge in one of my other stories, okay? Huh???
*takes a big gulp of air before starting*
Chapter Five: They All Fall Down
The school was shocked for days. Nobody had seen it coming. Lethe would move on to use her parents? That was definitely not expectable. So it was never really over… any one of them could have been targeted… but it was him… He was killed.
But again… Lethe wasn't convicted.
Severus Snape died of suicide, or most of the adult population believed anyway. Instead of adding the fang of a vampire powder, he added in the fangs of a fruit bat… in the potion he had created with it, turned out to be a deadly toxin.
He was walking around fine that day he died. The usual sneer held perfectly in his face as he scorned down on pitiless first years. There was nothing unusual about his behavior at all. He was the normal, sardonic, big-nosed, greasy hair git everybody had grown to get used to. He was their potions master.
Key word: Was.
It was Harry Potter who had found his body. He had gone down to the dungeons to serve yet another detention with the favorable Potion's Master two days after his "Lethe encounter." He walked into the cold, damp dungeon and saw Professor's Snape's body sprawled out on the floor, twisted in his own robes. Harry flew to Snape's body, but it was too late to save him. An empty vial laid next to his opened, lifeless hand, his deep, black eyes would remain forever shut.
Was this another mistake? How could the Potions Master be so careless with his own potions? Everybody knew Snape never mess up on a liquid remedy. It had to have been Lethe, and he Harry knew he wouldn't have killed himself - he was too important to the war against the Dark Lord. Samuel was next on her list, right? That was Lethe's father's name at least. Therefore Lethe Cold had killed Professor Snape - Professor S. Snape.
Severus Snape had no living family, so only a small funeral was held for him. Harry wasn't going to go, he wanted to hunt down Lethe and strangle her, but for an unexpected reason, Dumbledore had asked him and Lethe to go to Snape's funeral service. Lethe nodded wordlessly, then fought back a giddy smile when he turned his back.
The funeral service was extremely small. Only a handful of Professor went, including Minerva McGonagall, Argus Filch, Hagrid, and Dumbledore. Lethe and Harry were the only children there.
Harry couldn't bring himself to sit in the front rows with the Professors and Lethe; he kept to the back where he could keep an eye on the murderer. Dumbledore didn't pressure him either.
Seven people were dead - dead all because of Lethe. Harry knew it was Lethe. There could be no one else. Though the ministry believed the students deaths had been accidents, and the Professors foolish suicides, the rest of the student body had their eyes on the new girl named Lethe Cold.
One more person was left to kill.
And nobody could do anything about it.
~~~~~~*****~~~~~~
TWO WEEKS LATER
The school was getting restless and more terrified as the days passed silently by. Not a single strange happening had occurred since the day Snape's body was found. But there was still Amanda - the last name on the list. Lethe had returned to her silent, dirty self again, and was alone. Harry refused to even speak to her.
Needless to say Potions Class was canceled. Harry believed with every fiber of his body that it was his fault Lethe went after Snape… Why didn't he just go to Dumbledore and tell him Lethe did confess? Dumbledore would have had to do at least something! Maybe even write a letter to her parents, and they would have taken her out! Anything could have been possible!
By the time Harry made up his mind to go to the Headmaster, it was too late.
Argus Filch was dead.
And again, the death was ruled an accident. Filch, the mean, scowling caretaker of Hogwarts, had tripped on his cat Mrs. Norris when walking trying to run down the stairs in hot pursuit of the rowdy poltergeist Peeves. Mrs. Norris ran onto the next step and Filch stepped on her - his feet never hit the floor.
Finally, eight were dead. Eight innocent people had died because of the sure madness of Lethe Cold. The only person who didn't believe this was Dumbledore. But he had to believe it! Lethe had to burry her head in her hands to smother giggling when he announced the last death!
That was it! Harry was going to Dumbledore and forcing him to open his eyes and stop being so blind! Harry always knew the Headmaster to be a wise and all-knowing wizard, who never let anything pass him by… then why didn't he see how insane Lethe was? He would make sure Lethe would be permanently expelled out of Hogwarts, and committed. The more and more he thought about it, the more he wanted her locked into Azkaban to rot. She didn't deserve St. Mungo's in a room next to the honorable Longbottoms… she didn't even deserve death. What she did deserve was a metal cell - soulless- and a rotting corpse as her roommate.
And Harry would make sure she'd get that.
What happened next nobody expected. How could they have all been so blind?
Another person was killed.
Harry didn't even get the chance to make it to the floor of Dumbledore's office, when it happened.
In a matter of seconds Harry Potter's and the whole Wizarding world had changed forever.
Harry had met Lethe going up the stairwell. Lethe was skipping down, whistling another strange tune to herself, and looking extremely happy. She spotted Harry and suddenly stopped, but her smile stretched further.
"Hello, Harry Potter!" she squealed. "Isn't it such a beautiful day?"
Harry didn't answer. He continued to walk upwards, with no intention of making any sort of conversation with the demon, but keep on track to Dumbledore's office.
"A beautiful day in my neighborhood!" She let out a high, screeching laugh as if she had said the funniest thing in the world. "Don't you agree Harry?"
When Harry finally met up with the insanely laughing girl, he didn't stop.
Lethe turned around and shouted, "Guess what, Harry Potter! I have a secret! And I want to share it --- with you!"
Placing an evil frown on his face, Harry slowly turned around at her words. "A little late, don't you think?" He spat.
Lethe shook her head and bounced back and forth. "Nope! Better late then never! But you have to guess!"
Harry snorted. "You murdered eight people."
"No, silly! Guess again! Two more guesses!"
"You're crazy."
"Uh, uh! One more!"
"You have eight toes," Harry growled, fed up with playing games with a murderer. "Get on with it, Lethe. I have important matters to attend."
"Okay, Jeez!" Lethe giggled. "You always were the impatient one! Well - before when my dad enrolled me into Hogwarts, he said I was going to stay the entire year! But he lied… I was only staying here until my family moved again, and they planned to take me out when they did. Well… they moved!" She laughed again.
"That's wonderful," Harry growled. "So you're planning on leaving? I don't think so. Not after I confront Dumbledore. Please, Lethe, stick around - you might find this amusing also."
"Oh, Harry!" Lethe giggled. "It's okay if you think I'm crazy. You aren't the only one. The only thing that matters is my family - and they think I'm a genius!"
Harry blinked. "What do you mean by genius? You're mad."
Lethe grinned. "Not anymore. Now I'm perfectly happy! I'm going away now, Harry Potter! To my family - maybe not my real family, because they were killed fifteen years ago. But to a family who appreciates me."
"I don't think so," Harry growled. "You just wait right here! I'll be back with the headmaster!" Harry turned to quickly ascend the rest of the stairs, when Lethe's sudden outburst in giggles stopped him.
"What's so funny now?" Harry inquired suspiciously.
Lethe shook her head, a frail hand lingering over her mouth to hide her smile. "Nothing, oh nothing. But if you go looking for the Headmaster in his office, you won't find him. He left."
"Well, where did he go then?" Harry asked, frustrated by her riddles.
Lethe shrugs. "Depends!"
Harry stared.
"Oh! Well, I must be going now! Lots to pack and so many people to say goodbye to!" Lethe turned and skipped down a few more stairs until she stopped again and turned around. "You will write to me, won't you, Harry? You'll continue to be my best friend, won't you? I don't know the address, but just address the envelope Lethe Cold and you're owl will find me."
She turned again, but then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, you better address it with my birth name - you know, just in case! It's Alethia! Alethia Cold! Good-bye, Harry Potter. Have a nice day."
With that Lethe turned and continued to skip and hum her way downstairs.
Alethia?
Dumbledore!
Harry turned on his heal and went flying up the rest of the staircases - but just like the all the last times it was too late.
Dumbledore was dead on his office floor.
Harry almost gagged at the bloody mess Lethe had left this time.
Dumbledore's face looked to have been scalped off with a fork… and stabbed with a dull spoon in the chest repeatedly.
Harry fought, but Lethe was never convicted, however his death was ruled a murder - of a different kind.
The next day in the Daily Prophet, the front page article read,
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was viciously attacked by hit pet Phoenix after the favorite Headmaster refused to let Fawks near his favorite student Alethia Cold, for the phoenix had been acting strangely for days…
Fawks was put to sleep two days later.
Alethia Cold was never heard from again, and all school records of her mysteriously disappeared. Harry tried to hunt her down, but to no prevail.
However, two years after the disappearance of Alethia Harry found himself in a grave yard, facing eight tombstones arranged neatly side by side.
Brad Cold
Oliver Cold…
Erin Cold…
Samantha Cold…
Gerry Cold…
Harolda Cold…
The Beautiful Children of the deceased Samuel and Amanda Cold…
R.I.P.