"No! Damon!" Haylie screamed as Damon's knees gave way and he fell to the ground, lifeless, without even as much as a yelp of pain. She ran toward him but was stopped by Ron who pushed her over to Hermione who took Haylie in her arms and stroked her hair soothingly. No one said a word. Only heavy sobs could be heard from both Haylie and Corinne. Ron gaped at Damon's body, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he turned to glare at Elvin.

"Look what you've done Elvin," Ron growled, his face bright red from anger. Elvin's face was also cheery red, though his blush came from the hot sun, which was now spreading a shadowy glow across the countryside. A large beam of light illuminated Damon's face, his eyes closed and dead. Haylie let out another huge sob, realizing she would never be able to look into his brilliant blue eyes ever again. Suddenly, a force greater than hatred came over Haylie and she could feel its power surging through her body. Her pulse quickened and her pain seemed to intensify, mixing with her anger and magic to abruptly stop her tears from flowing. She gazed up at Elvin, her eyes flashing. Hermione looked down upon her sister, fear in her eyes, and she quickly grasped her younger sisters wrists to keep a strong hold on her. Hermione instinctively knew her sister's power and definitely did not want her to use it.

"Don't do anything you'll regret Haylie," Hermione whispered in her ear, releasing her sister and backing away slowly. Haylie peered back at Corinne, Hermione, and Eileen, all three coping with their fear and grief differently. Corinne was still sobbing horribly, while Hermione stood still, her arms crossed calmly. On the other hand, Eileen had her wand out and ready to fight.

"Let me at him," Eileen spat, rushing toward Elvin, wand in hand, "I'll defeat his scrawny little…" Haylie grabbed the wand from her fingers and wouldn't let go. Eileen stared at her in sheer amazement, her fingers still in the same position they were when she was holding her wand. Slowly, she lowered her arm and held out her palm.

"Give it back Haylie," Eileen demanded, glancing at Elvin and then back at Haylie, "I won't do anything to him. I'll stay out of it." Haylie nodded and gave her friend a small smile, thankful that Eileen wouldn't interfere and get herself killed like Damon had. She handed over the wand and turned to stare Elvin right in the eye, but she couldn't. Elvin's eyes were turned and gazing at Damon's body.

"Not what you wanted, was it Elvin?" Haylie asked with fury present in her voice, "You just wanted to kill Ron. No one else."

"Shut up," Elvin muttered under his breath, obviously affected by Haylie's words. She had plucked his heart strings.

"All this time you wanted revenge for what happened to your parents," Haylie continued, acting as if she didn't hear him, "You wanted to kill Ron and harm his family. Well, I guess you did help your parents by finishing what they started."

"Shut up Granger," Elvin whispered more loudly and sternly. Haylie knew she was causing him pain.

"What was that? You want me to be quiet?" Haylie kept going, letting the words pour out of her like water, meant to drown his filthy heart, "Why? You should be proud, shouldn't you? You finished what they started. You killed the last remaining member of the Shockley family." Elvin's lip was trembling now and his eyes were filling with tears.

"Damon's dead, Elvin. Just like his parents are. All because of the Danebridge family," Haylie finished, seeing that there was no other way of hurting. The pain he must have been feeling at that moment filled Haylie's heart with sadness. She never wanted to hurt him, but there was nothing else she could do at the moment. She couldn't let him harm anyone else.

"Stop it! Just stop saying these things!" Elvin yelled, pressing his hands against his ears and falling to his knees. Tears started to flow from his eyes, while he lowered his head to the ground, just a few feet from Haylie's feet. His moans of pure grief filled Haylie's ears as well as echo throughout Hogsmeade. Finally, his cries died down and he pushed himself back onto his knees and he peered up at Haylie, his eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying. Normally, Haylie would wonder about her appearance after a major episode of bawling, but now was not the time. Elvin and Haylie's eyes connected and for a moment they both understood each other, both knew what the other was going through and what they were feeling. Elvin finally sealed the deal.

"I'm sorry Haylie," Elvin whispered shyly, but fully meaning his words.

"I'm sorry too, Elvin," Haylie answered sincerely. A few seconds of silence ensued before that stillness was shattered.

"Stupefy!" a voice screamed, the spell hitting Elvin, causing him to fall to the ground, flat and stiff. Everyone looked up abruptly, expecting to see Harry with reinforcements. Amazingly, the voice came from non-other than Damon Shockley, who had risen to his feet with his wand still aimed directly at Elvin's back. Haylie gawked at Damon for a moment, not quite sure whether he was an apparition or truly alive. Finally, she came to realize that he was real and very alive. She then ran across the road and flung her arms around his neck, suffocating him in a huge hug.

"Uh, Haylie," Damon stuttered, obviously making hand signals behind her back, because Hermione immediately demanded that she let go of him. As she released him she made sure to look into his eyes, the eyes she, just a few moments ago, though she would never gaze into again.

"How…"

"I definitely should win an Oscar for this one," Damon said smugly, his sense of humor never faltering. Haylie smiled up at him, just now realizing how much he had grown from September, physically and mentally. She gave him another small hug before walking with him over to the others.

"Oh thank goodness! " Hermione cried, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Ron, Eileen, and Corinne smiled at him warmly and everyone admitted their happiness for Damon being alive and well. After everyone had gotten over the initial shock of Damon not being dead, they all turned to examine Elvin, who was still lying frozen on the road.

"I guess we better…"Ron started but was then interrupted when he saw Harry running down Hogsmeade Street, leading at least two dozen other witches and wizards behind him.

"Oh my, is he dead?" Mrs. McGonagall asked, her hand over her mouth in a "gasp" expression.

"No, he was just stunned," Damon answered. McGonagall whipped around to face him.

"Is anyone hurt?" she questioned, looking around frantically.

"Well, Damon died," Eileen told her, giggling loudly.

"WHAT?" McGonagall gasped, staring at Damon as if he was a ghost.

"Are you…a spirit?" she asked, looking Damon up and down with a weird expression on her face.

"No, he didn't actually hit me with the correct spell. In fact, all the spell did was push me to the ground. I just acted to be dead so he wouldn't kill me or anyone else," Damon told her, not able to hide his smile.

"Oh," McGonagall chirped, fixing her hair and walking away to speak to some Hogsmeade residents who had heard the screaming and decided to wander out onto the street. The sun was now fully raised in the sky and the first signs of daylight began to consume Hogsmeade. Canaries were singing in the trees and wizards and witches with carts began to roll them out into the street. Eileen yawned and pushed past Damon and Haylie, muttering something about getting some sleep.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Haylie agreed, following Eileen up the path towards the Honeyduke's passageway to Hogwarts.

Two months later…the final day of school…

"How's Elvin doing?" Haylie asked, resting on one of the larger tombstones in the Hufflepuff Graveyard, a place she had become all too familiar with over the last school year. Now she was visiting this place for the last time before she made the trip back to her muggle home. Of course, though, she wasn't alone.

"He's doing great. Professor McGonagall told me that he's doing well at St. Mungo's and may even be allowed to come back to school next year," Damon answered, also sitting on a gravestone, his mother's gravestone, "Of course, he'll be watched over carefully. Very carefully."

"That's wonderful," Haylie said, a smile brightening up her face, "I'm glad he'll be coming back. When he wasn't the Cloaked Figure I really liked him, he was just really nice."

"Yeah," Damon didn't seem as enthusiastic as Haylie, with good reason. Having someone try to kill you and almost succeeding definitely doesn't leave a good impression. Haylie fully understood and expected Damon's apprehension.

"I can't believe that we're almost technically second-years," Damon continued, a smile now appearing on his face, "It's great."

"We won't technically be second-years till September 1st," Haylie corrected him, now just trying to tease him.

"Yeah, but being almost technically second-years is better than being technically first-years," Damon added, Haylie's teasing not phasing him one bit. Haylie giggled.

"That makes no sense," she said, pushing herself off the gravestone and onto her feet.

"Yeah it does," Damon snuffed, "Everything I say always makes sense."

"Yeah right Damon," Haylie added sarcastically, reaching the gate of the graveyard and opening the door, "Hermione's calling us. We better go get ready for our train ride."

"You know I'm right!" Damon yelled to her as Haylie walked through the graveyard gate and started up the hill, smiling from ear to ear. She could hear him close the gate behind them and she gazed up at the large Hogwarts castle and each of the four towers that seemed to hold up the skyline. Just above the Gryffindor tower she could see a tiny brown speck moving closer and closer towards her. Next to her, Damon had stopped and was gazing at the same tiny brown speck flying through the sky.

"What is that?" Haylie asked him, squinting her eyes against the blinding sunlight.

"It's an owl," Damon answered, walking past her to go meet up with Brent, who was calling his name from the top of the hill.

"Yo, Damon! What's up man?" Brent yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking, "Hey Granger, your sister told me to tell you to come get your stuff! It's time to go lovebirds!" Haylie rolled her eyes and shook her head. Brent irritated her more than ever. Now, she could finally see the owl in full view and snatched the letter out of the owl's talons as it finally flew atop her head.

Dear Haylie,

Thank you from saving me. I will always be in your debt and I promise, I am no longer "The Cloaked Figure". I'll see you next year. Say hello to Damon and Ron for me.

Sincerely,

Your New Friend Elvin Danebridge

Haylie smiled and stuffed the letter in her jeans pocket. Up ahead Damon was waiting for her, eagerly awaiting the trip home.

"Who was it from?" Damon asked, searching her hands for the letter, but coming up short. Haylie grinned and pulled out the now folded letter from her pocket and twirled it between her fingers.

"I do believe this is the last letter we will ever receive from The Cloaked Figure," Haylie told him before adding one more thing, "Oh, by the way, Elvin says hello." Damon nodded, understanding her perfectly, as they opened the Hogwarts entrance and walked inside. From way up the staircases they could hear Hermione's voice.

"Ronald Weasley! Why can't you ever fit these socks into this suitcase?" her shrill, irritated voice echoed loudly throughout the corridors, causing all the people around Haylie and Damon, including Eileen, Corinne and Natalie who were already packed and ready to go, to snicker. Haylie laughed and took Damon's hand.

"I do believe that is our cue to hurry upstairs before we feel the pain of Hermione's wrath," Haylie joked, pulling Damon with her up the stairwell.

"Poor Ron," Damon said sincerely, but still smiling all the same.

"I wonder if that's how we'll be in five years," Haylie questioned, turning to look at Damon as the stairwell jolted and moved to another section of the castle. Damon squeezed her hand tighter as they entered Gryffindor Common Room.

"I hope so."

THE END