(A/N: Sorry if I sounded a little full of myself with my last note. I got a little to into it. Here's the next chapter. I love you all! Really, you're all just beautiful to me! Drinks all around! I also would really encourage you to read some of my other stuff if you haven't already. Especially 'The Curse of Abel Frye.' I want the reviews so desperately. Who doesn't like getting them? 'Demon of the Well' has been a really good one, from what I've been told, but it's a one-shot, so please stop asking me to update. The story's done. You don't need to have seen The Ring to understand it either. Alright, on with it now...)

The house was completely dark when Hermione finally reached it. There was no sign of Viktor, or anyone for that matter. She could only pray that she was not too late. When she turned on the lights, she was a little surprised to find the two large containers of gasoline. What the heck was that all about?

There were footsteps on the stairs, and she began to run in their direction. "Oh, please!" she whispered to herself. "Please don't let me be too late!" But when she reached the top of the stairs, there were no signs of anyone. The place, for once, felt completely empty. A light shined through the window, sunlight, and she blinked. Why was the sun coming out already?

A man walked out from one of the rooms, and wandered down the hallway. He looked familiar to her, and she watched him silently, a little surprised that he didn't seem to notice her. It took a minute, but then in the back of her mind, she remembered reading one of the articles Snape had placed in her hands. That was Jeff Richerdson, the man who had committed suicide a week ago!

"What are you doing here?" she whispered. He didn't respond, and she soon realized that perhaps he couldn't see or hear her. There was a hint of fear on his face which made her feel curious. Down the hall, the little boy who was supposed to be dead, peaked out from the bathroom. Jeff turned to him, shaking his head and signaled him to go back.

"Just wait right there," he said softly. "I'm going to call the police and find your parents." Hermione stared at the little boy, knowing he wasn't real. Jeff, however didn't know this, and she could already tell something bad was going to happen. The boy slipped back into the bathroom without a word, and Jeff walked down the hallway, stopping by the master bedroom and looking in.

Not really knowing what else to do, Hermione followed him and watched as he looked around the room, curiously. There was a journal laying on the floor, and he picked it up, thumbing through it slowly. Hermione snuck up behind him and read over his shoulder. The diary had been written by the boy's mother, who was also dead.

"...I've fallen in love with a man who doesn't even know I exist...

...He's so handsome and wonderful. I wish I could be with him...

...Jeff Richerdson..."

Jeff's eyes widened, and he started flipping through the pages. Every single one had the words 'Jeff Richerdson' written over and over again, surrounded with hearts. It was almost as if he were reading a teenaged girl's diary. There were photos of him in there as well. She had stalked him almost every time she had seen him.

Hermione leaned in a little closer to look, but Jeff dropped the diary and turned to the closet door. There was several pieces from photographs on there, and he moved closer to see them better. They were her face, all of them. They had been cut out and thumb tacked to the wall. Whoever had done it was obviously furious with her. Hermione stepped up next to him and looked with shock. This woman had been obsessing over him, what had her husband thought when he found out?

The room grew cold, and the light faded. She looked to the side, but Jeff was no longer there. The photo heads on the closet door were gone as well. It had all been a vision. Hermione shuddered and suddenly remembered why she was there. Viktor was still in the house somewhere and she had to save him if she could.

A faint moan got her attention, and she turned to face the doorway, seeing a shadow moving slowly down the hall. Her heart went to her throat, and she looked around the enclosed room. Whatever was there could get her now, and she'd have no way of escape. The moan was heard again, and she felt her skin crawl. Her mind was reeling and her imagination took over, filling her head with gruesome thoughts of what could and probably would happen now. She'd turn and someone would be there, ready to gut her. Or she could step into the hallway and whoever was there would leap out of the shadows to get her and that would be the end. Facing a ghost was far more horrifying to her than facing a monster. You could kill monsters, but there's no way to stop a ghost from existing.

Gathering what little courage she still had, she stepped slowly out into the hallway and looked around. There was nothing there, but a faint light coming from the bathroom. Again she heard the moan and ran in that direction, quickly deciding she had nothing left to lose. Viktor was on the floor, eyes wide opened and breathing heavily. He looked at her and tried to speak, but couldn't. He was dying. Hermione ran to him and started to pick him up when she looked at the tub. Sunlight suddenly filled the room, and visions from the past started to play out in front of her. The Chinese woman was bent over, filling the tub and humming to herself when her enraged husband barged in, her diary in his hands. A black cat ran into the room, meowing nervously, and the little boy ran in front of his mother, ready to protect her.

The husband picked up the cat, who didn't even fight back, and snapped its neck, tossing him mercilessly into the tub, which was now ready to overflow. He then grabbed his wife, who was cowering in front of him and pleading for her life. She was thrown at the tub, and he held her there, head in the water, while their son sat huddled in a corner, unable to do anything. The husband turned to him once the wife had stopped fighting, and grabbed the son...

The vision ended there, and Hermione was left, tears threatening to blind her. Viktor's rasping became worse, and she threw one arm over her shoulder and began to carry him down the stairs. There was a crash, just as they were on the last step, and she saw a body throw itself on the ground. It was the woman, only she didn't look so helpless now. Her arms were terribly thin, and her eyes were bulging out. Her mouth was stretched wide open, the low grumbling noise echoing loudly in the room.

Hermione screamed, and dragged Viktor, none too gently, down the stairs, and started to drag him towards the door. He was too heavy, and she could barely move him. Her eyes strayed up to the steps, and the woman was climbing down to them on all fours, an icy chill flooding the room with each movement. Hermione tried to drag Viktor, but her body had suddenly tired out, and the growing fear was consuming here, killing her from inside. She could feel herself physically dying.

Hermione fell back, too afraid to even try to drag Viktor away now, and the woman stumbled down the rest of the stairs, proceeding to crawl on top of Viktor. Hermione kicked at her, trying to kick her off, but her grip was too tight on him. Viktor's eyes suddenly widened even more, and he moved up a few inches, breathing in quick small breaths, and then fell backwards, dead. The woman's head turned to Hermione, and she felt the urge to just let herself be taken. There was no point in trying to fight now. She could never win. Not unless...

Her head snapped to the side and she spotted the containers of gasoline she had seen when she first stepped in. Much to her luck, one of them already had the top off, and she kicked it over. Reaching over into Viktor's pockets, she pulled out a cigarette lighter, and fought with it till it lit. A hand grabbed onto her arm, trying to stop her, and she looked over to see the woman's face in hers, ready to kill her. Hermione sneered at her, and tossed the light at the gasoline that had started to run all over the floor. Flames immediately lept up, and the woman gave a wail of anger. Hermione sat back, completely exhausted now, and just watched as the woman crawled onto her with the same look in her eyes. She soon wasn't visible as the smoke and flames surrounded them.

(A/N: It's not over yet... There's still the final chapter...)