The students looked at each other with fear in their eyes. Who had screamed? What was happening?

Professor Dumbledore stood up by his seat at the High Table.

"Your attention, please!", he said, and everyone turned their eyes towards him, hoping for him to give them answers.

"Prefects, follow the students back to the houses. This party is over. Good night to you all."

He walked out followed by the other teachers, and the prefects started to lead the confused and frightened students out through the doors.

"But Hermione...", Ron began.

"I know, Ron" Harry said. "But maybe it wasn't her after all. Perhaps you just missed her?"

"I didn't, I looked carefully at everyone I passed. We have to help her!"

"We will" Harry said. "We will."

They got back to the Gryffindor tower with everyone else. No one complained about the interrupted party, everyone was too worried. It must have been the monster, and it had taken someone! Everyone went into their dormitories, and half an hour later the doors lightened up and locked themselves.

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

Dumbledore and the teachers sat in the Headmasters office, discussing.

The Headmaster sighed deeply and looked down. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Hagrid looked at his old face, as if hoping he would smile like he used to and come up with a brilliant plan.

"It seems we only have one choice", he said.

"What, Headmaster?", professor Flitwick asked.

"Things have gone out of control. I think.... Death is the only solution."

Professor Sprout gasped.

"Are you sure there is no other way? The calmas will be ready in a month..."

"I am sorry" Dumbledore said. "This is worse than I ever dreamt it would be. The monster must die."

"But Headmaster..."

Professor McGonagall stopped talking. She knew he was right, there was no other way.

"Go back to your rooms for the night, my friends" he said, and they left their armchairs that sank down into the floor. None of them seemed to notice that professor Snape wasn't there...

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

The tall shadow held its prisoner close as it glided over the floor. From the dress it felt, it knew that it had seized a girl by the arm. She had screamed so loudly... The others had always been asleep and silent, but tonight the monster couldn't wait for the students to go to bed, it needed food now.

The shadow with the girl in its arms stopped in a dark, windowless corridor. The girl had fainted with fear, and the monster brushed her hair away from the warm neck where her blood ran hot.

It bent down over her, put its lips to her smooth skin and pierced it with its fangs. The girl's pulse yelled in its ears, like a loud, violent drum, and the sound made the monster more excited. It drank and drank until the girl was almost dead before it tore itself away from her, gasping for air.

So good... So wonderful....

Better than any other blood it had ever tasted....

The shadow licked its lips and felt the girl's strength shoot through its limbs. Now all it had to do was to put her in a place where they were sure to find her the next morning. The Entrance Hall was a good idea.

It gathered the girl up in its strong arms and started gliding over the floor again. It left the corridor, crossed a hall and into another corridor. The night was very black, but the monster's eyes were use to see in the dark and it had no troubles at all in finding its way around.

Curiosity gripped it. What did this girl look like...? It stopped and lowered its eyes to glance at her.

She had thick, brown hair. It knew that hair. But from where?

It brushed it aside and looked at the girl's face.

"No! Not her!"

But it was her. The two red, bleeding markings on her throat shimmered at it, like red eyes, and the monster held her close to its chest again, sobbing.

Then it gave a great roar of sorrow and regret that echoed through the castle...

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

The Great Hall was a very quiet place the next morning. Hermiones room mates had told the other Gryffindors about how she hadn't come to their dormitory the last night and everyone decided to look out for her.

A student had been taken by the monster... Harry saw the fear in everyone's eyes. They wanted to leave the school, go back home and not return until next year, but they knew they couldn't. They were all stuck in the castle.

Like last night, Dumbledore rose at the High Table. There was no need for him to ask everyone to be silent.

"From now on, no one must walk around school by themselves. You will go to your classes in pairs or groups, and a teacher will watch over you all the time. Also, all Potions classes are cancelled until further notice. Thank you."

He sat down and got back to his breakfast.

Ron turned to Harry.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

Harry thought hard, when suddenly Hedwig came swooping down and landed in front of him with a letter tied to her leg. Harry gave her some toast to nibble on and she took off to the Owlery.

"It's from Hagrid" Harry said after he had opened the letter. "He wants to see us as soon as possible, it's important. And we have to bring... Hermione's unicorn horn?"

"It must be about her. Maybe he's finally going to tell us everything."

After breakfast the Gryffindor students went to their Transfiguration class. Harry and Ron had troubles concentrating and their attempts to transform a bird into a fish only resulted in featherless birds with no voice.

When the class finally ended Harry and Ron caught up with Melissa.

"You share room with Hermione, right? We need help."

She asked him what it was about. Boys couldn't enter the girl's dormitories, so she was their only hope.

"Somewhere among Hermione's things is a unicorn horn. Could you bring it to us, please? It's important."

She nodded, and the three of them headed for the Gryffindor tower. Harry and Ron walked back and forth in the Common room, waiting for Melissa to come back, and when she finally did, with the glittering unicorn horn in her hand, Harry grabbed it, threw a 'thank you' over his shoulder and he and Ron shot out through the Fat Lady's portrait like Bludgers.

They ran through the castle and crossed the big lawn with their hearts in their throats. It was again a very foggy day and they had to look around for a while before they saw Hagrid's hut.

They knocked on the door and Hagrid opened. He seemed stressed, but when he saw the unicorn horn in Harry's hand he got an excited look in his black beetle eyes.

"Good yeh came so quickly" he said and pulled the boys in through the door.

"Hagrid, what has happened to Hermione? You have to tell us!" Ron demanded.

The half giant squirmed and looked away from the boys as he tried pouring them some tea.

"I can' tell yeh much, lads. I don' know much meself. But I know this: 'ermione is in great danger."

"What is the monster? Tell us, now!"

Hagrid leaned forward and gently took the unicorn horn from Harry. He held it up to his eyes, as if examining it carefully.

"'Tis somethin' that a thing like this could take care of", he said.

"But... a unicorn horn isn't magical after it's been taken from the animal, it can only be used in potions." Ron said.

"We don' need magic for this sorta thing, lads. All we need... is somethin' pointy."

"But Hagrid, you have to tell us..."

"Yeh have to get back now", he said. "Thank yeh for comin', you've made all the diff'rence."

And with that he practically shoved the boys out through the door and shut it behind them.