AUTHOR'S NOTE I've determined that this story will be 12 chapters long, plus the theme song, just so you all know. Also, it's kind of turned into a Buffy crossover, except Amy Madison is the only one who is from Buffy.

DISCLAIMER Don't own any of 'em.

…

Madam Pomfrey was as quick to put Cho to bed as Professor McGonagall was to whisk the other four into her office. "What exactly were you doing outside?" she fumed to Ron and Hermione. "After I expressly told you to stay inside!" She turned on Harry. "And you! Sneaking off when this is school is in the middle of a crisis!"

Harry had the good sense to look ashamed. "I'm sorry. I guess, I wasn't thinking – "

"Again," McGonagall said sharply.

Harry blushed crimson and looked to Ron and Hermione for help. Hermione looked utterly miserable from McGonagall's scolding, but Ron stepped up. "He was upset about Seamus, Professor. We all wanted to be alone."

She softened just a little. "That doesn't mean you can go off on your own whenever you feel like it," she said to Harry softly.

Harry nodded sadly. "I understand, Professor. I'm sorry."

Bricilla sat silently, scared to death of the stern witch lecturing them. Professor McGonagall had all of the first-year students in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff terrified, although she probably didn't mean to. Slytherin students were, for the most part, too haughty and arrogant to fear any professor and the Gryffindors wouldn't fear their own Head of House (as much). But to Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, she was scary.

Professor McGonagall seemed to see Bricilla for the first time. She sighed frustratedly. "I want the four of you back to your dormitories right now. Do not say anything to your classmates. I will speak with you later this afternoon."

Slowly, they trudged single-file out of the office. Harry swore that he heard McGonagall mutter, "Always those three!" under her breath.

Once they'd seen Bricilla safely back to Ravenclaw Tower, Ron and Hermione sat Harry down in one of the Gryffindor armchairs. He avoided their eyes as they crossed their arms and stared at him.

"I'm sorry," he finally said.

"You'd better be!" Ron shot back.

"Ron!" Hermione admonished him. She turned to Harry. "We were just so worried about you! And then when we found Cho…" She sobered.

Harry asked softly, "How is Cho?"

Ron shrugged. "You heard her, same as I did. You know, she sounded almost like Lockhart did when we were down in the Chamber."

"Oh yeah," Harry said. "What was that spell he was so good at?"

"Obliviate," Hermione said immediately. She blushed when the boys both turned to stare at her. "So whatever attacked Cho must have been interrupted before it was finished and wiped her memory so she couldn't tell anyone." She paled. "Which means…"

"Which means that it's a witch or a wizard doing this," Harry said grimly. "One of us."

.i.i.i.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared their disturbing new development with Fred and George, who for once took everything seriously. They sat together in the Gryffindor Common Room late at night, long after everyone else had drifted off to bed. "How do we go about this?" George asked as he slouched in an armchair and stared into the fire.

Ron shrugged. "Dunno." He sighed and threw his hands up in the air. "Will someone please tell me why someone new tries to kill us every year?"

Two pairs of identical eyes flashed toward Harry, who didn't respond. "We could ask a teacher for help," Hermione suggested half-heartedly.

Ron rolled his eyes. "When in doubt, ask a teacher," he muttered. Hermione looked at him with a wounded expression.

"May Professor Madison can help," Fred suggested. "She is Defense Against the Dark Arts after all."

George snorted. "Just because you fancy her doesn't mean she has all the answers." Fred looked hurt at his twin who'd betrayed him for the first time. George looked upset. "I'm sorry," he said sadly. Fred waved him off.

"Wouldn't have done any good anyway," Harry said. "We already talked to her."

"And?" Fred asked.

"Vampires." Harry shrugged. "All she had to say."

Hermione bit her lip. "But what if it is a vampire? I mean, you know Dumbledore. He let a werewolf in as a student." She avoided Harry's glare. "Who's to say he wouldn't let a vampire in as well?"

Fred and George shook their heads. "Too many rules for a vampire," George commented. "No garlic, no sunlight, have to be invited in, they usually stay away from wood."

"Plus," Ron piped up. "No bite marks, remember?" Hermione shrugged. Ron sighed. "Face it. We've hit a dead end."

Fred and George looked at each other and leapt to their feet. "All right," Fred said as he hauled Ron to his feet.

"Hey!" protested Ron.

"Time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves," George announced as he did the same to Harry.

Hermione looked mildly interested and climbed off the couch. She eyed the twins curiously. "Why are you two doing this? I know part of it is because of Ginny and Oliver, but you've never put this much effort into anything, except maybe your joke shop. What's going on?"

They didn't look at each other, to everyone's surprise, instead opting to stare into the fire or out the window. "A lot of things have happened since we've been at Hogwarts," George said softly. "Our teacher turned out to be You-Know-Who."

"The Chamber of Secrets was opened," Fred added.

"The Dementors."

"Durmstrang."

"Umbridge," George finished with a sigh. "But through all of that, we were never really scared to be here. It was always safe at Hogwarts."

"No one died anyway," Fred said bitterly. "At least not on school property."

"Now we're scared," George admitted. "Students are dropping dead."

"We noticed," Harry muttered.

"Whoever this is, they're taking control of our lives and we don't like it."

Hermione studied Fred's determined look. "Okay then. Maybe we should go talk to Cho."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "In the middle of the night?"

Wryly, Harry pointed out the window. "Try morning." Ron looked confused as he followed his brothers, Harry, and Hermione through the portrait hole.

Madam Pomfrey was not at all pleased to find them at the door of the hospital wing. "Absolutely not!" she said. "Miss Chang can absolutely not receive any visitors!"

"But – "

"No, Miss Granger," she said firmly. "You should all be back in Gryffindor Tower! I must insist that you go back immediately."

Reluctantly, the group of five left and wandered back toward the Fat Lady. "Why wouldn't they let us see Cho?" Ron asked. "Madam Pomfrey never kept us from visiting Ginny or Neville."

"Maybe they want to protect her, being awake and all," Hermione suggested.

Privately, Harry wasn't so sure that was the case. Madam Pomfrey was upset. He'd spent enough time in her care to know the difference between her normal, strict demeanor and her being on edge.

Something was wrong with Cho, but Harry didn't say that to the others. He needed to find this out and he knew just how to do it.