A/N: Hmmm ... I thought the site would be down today? Ah, well, I'm not complaining! Anyway, this chapter's a little shorter than I wanted it to be, but I have to get up early tomorrow. I'm taking my permit test. Yay!

This chapter is Dedicated to Per, who had a birthday ... well, yesterday I guess since it's after midnight. Happy B-day, Per!

CH20: Knowledge

"A creature that sucks out souls?" Giles asked when Harry approached him with the idea. "I'll have to take a look, but nothing comes to mind ..."

"It's just a hunch," explained Harry. "It could be nothing."

"Still, this merits looking into." He left the room, muttering to himself. Harry sat down on the couch and sighed. He had a paper to write for tomorrow's English class and only two hours before he was due to start patrolling. 'Oh, well', he thought as he pulled out a pencil and a notebook. 'Better get started.'

"Harry?"

He mentally groaned at the interruption. "What is it?"

Dawn cleared her throat nervously and clutched onto Draco's hand. "We have something to tell you –"

"You and Draco have been secretly dating and sneaking around between classes and you really need to learn to cover the hickies on your neck better," he stated, without taking his eyes of the paper. The pair blanched. "And I won, Xander."

Xander came around the corner. "No fair, you said it for them. I was looking forward to seeing Spike Jr. here squirm."

"I do not look like fang-man! My hair is natural!" Draco shouted at the same time Dawn said, "I can't hide my hickies?!? Well, we'll see about that tomorrow! Come on, Draco!" She pulled his arm and dragged him out of the room.

Harry rolled his eyes.

Gritting his teeth, Harry pulled the sliver of wood from his arm. 'That's the last time I ever fight anything near a picnic table.'

He walked down the road, looking forward to a few hours of sleep before school, when a sudden chill racked down his spine. Slowly turning around, he eyes his surroundings. He didn't see anything, but there was the distinct feeling that he was being watched.

A low, eerie music filled the air, causing Harry to experience the exact opposite of when he heard the Phoenix song. His skin crawled. The air sifted slightly and a breeze blew through his hair. Leaves crackled at his feet. A woman screamed. There –

Wait a second. What?!?

In a second, Harry was running towards the sound. The music grew louder, causing blood to pound in his ears. A slight glow illuminated the path ahead of him and he could barely make out a large, dark figure. When he reached the spot, both the man and the song were gone, leaving a dead body behind.

"Her name was Jamie Michaels," Harry said, leaning back into the chair. "I recognized her from school."

"And her murder was the same as the others?" questioned Giles.

"As far as I can tell." Harry hesitated a bit. "There is one thing. I heard – I heard this ... music ..."

"Buffy, didn't you overhear the police talking to that woman who was with her boyfriend when he was attacked?" Flame asked. Buffy nodded. "Did she remember any ..."

"No. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, but all she could remember was light." She shot Harry an apologetic look. "Sorry."

Suddenly, Giles' eyes light up. "Hold on, I think I've got something." He rushed out of the room.

'Just like Hermione used to,' Harry realized with a pang in his chest.

He sprinted back into the room, an old decaying book in hand. "Here!" He stopped to catch his breath, before reading out loud:

"A Brozac Demon is one of the many monsters that walk the Earth that are capable of blending in with human beings, making it easier for them to hunt. The reports of this demons feeding activities go back all the way to the 13th centuries B.C. A Brozac Demon kills its victims by, literally, sucking the life out of them. There is no warning of this attack. However, magically inclines people are likely to hear a deep, rueful song before he goes in for the kill. This song is said to be comprised of the demon's victims' grief and the pain he or she experienced in life, but whether or not this is true has yet to be proven.

"That's it."

"Magically inclined?" Draco said in disbelief. "Who talks like that?"

"Now, I took the liberty of looking Brozac demons up and I have found that there is a more complete reference to them in a book called 'The Travels of Mendrak,'" Giles continued, ignoring the blond-haired boy.

"Where can we find this book?" asked Harry. Giles looked pensive.

"It's a rare book, only a few copies left in the world – "

Draco cut him off. "I know where we can find one." The room looked at him.

"What?!?"

He bit his lip. "However ... it'd highly guarded."

"So?" smirked Harry.

"Deni, you don't understand."

"Then explain it to me."

"If you needed to hide something very valuable in the wizarding world, where would you put it?"

"Gringotts?" he suggested weakly, his heart plummeting.

Draco shook his head. "I'm sorry, Harry."

"It always has to be bloody Hogwarts," Harry grumbled.

A/N: Yup! Back to Hogwarts once more! Maybe I should just make them stay there ...

Harry: No! Please don't! I don't think I can stand any more lemon drops!

Oooh, that's a good torture threat for the next time you decide not to listen to me.

Harry: - whimpers -

Draco: Stop being mean to poor, defencless Harry.

Harry: I am NOT defensless!

Draco: - pats him on the head - Sure you aren't.

Harry: - growls and pulls out wand -

Draco: - panicking - Now, now, Harry, put that away. You could poke someone's eye out!

Harry: Mulletus Fullioso!

Draco: - grows a mullet - Ahhhhhh!

Boys, boys, stop bickering. And, Draco dear, your hair doesn't look that bad ... - snickers -

Draco: - sulks -

Harry: - smirks -

Draco: - glares - You'll get yours, Harry, when we go back to the castle next chapter!

Harry: - whines - Devvy, please don't make us go! I'll be good, I promise!

Your starting to sound like Xirb. And the answer is no. It's not like I want you guys to go back, but Weasley decided to become a Death Eater and now I have to fix his mess.

Ron: - pouts - Don't blame me for this. You wrote me this way!

All I know is that when I planned this story, you were not a Death Eater. Actually, you weren't really there much at all ...

Ron: Then it serves you right that I'm a Death Eater! You shouldn't have written me out of the story!

I didn't write you out, you just sort of disapeared ...

Severus: Hey, do I get to be in the next chapter! Because I haven't said anything in a long time.

Don't worry. I can't have a spy to spy chat without you! Now, everyone, if you would -

Everyone: Read and Review please!

Ah, they are so polite, so well trained. - doesn't notice Harry and Draco laughing as they curse her hair bright, Weasley red -