Kailor: Just a last bit of clarification, in case the fight with Percy didn't do it. Ven does have a crush on Penny. Penny does not see Ven that way because she's so much younger. So really, Penny is on you guys' side! Please stop pming me about it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

The next morning Harry got two letters and Ven got one. She tore it open, grinning as she read through it.

"Who's writing to you that makes you so happy?" Ron asked around his grilled cheese.

"Your sister."

"Ha ha," Ron glanced at the letter. "Hey, that really is from Ginny! Why are you writing my sister?"

"Ron, I've been writing your sister." Ven laughed. "We met on the train platform and hit it off. She's funny."

Ron stared at her like she'd just grown a second head. "She's a brat! She isn't funny!" Ven just patted his cheek and continued reading. Harry smiled at the two, then opened his own letters.

The first was from home.

Anrai, my son,

I hope your classes are going well and you are behaving. We will be going to Diagon Alley this week for the presents you asked for. Your da keeps saying, "Oh, those children think we're made of money!" I tell him that's not true at all. You all know he's the one made of money and your poor dear mother needs every Knut she gets to keep the house running! So continue asking him for things. Good lad.

Now, on the topic of money, your da has taken a new job. As you know, he's been retired quite a few years now, but he feels it's time to get back out there. He will be a part-time worker, but I won't discuss the job here. We will sit down as a family this summer and talk about it. But write often. Tell him you love him. I know boys sometimes have problems saying that, but you were always my little gentleman.

Now, about this Hermione! She sounds wonderful, from what you've written! Invite her for the summer! Your da has already invited the Weasleys to stay over from mid-July on. She can come along too! Dagda knows we've got the room!

Love,

Mum

Harry blushed and shoved the letter into his robes before Hermione, or worse, Ven, could see it. He opened the second letter, recognizing the untidy scrawl.

Harry. Need your help. Meet me at me house after dinner.

"Hagrid," Harry said, handing the letter around.

Hermione frowned. "It must be something about...Norbert." She whispered the last word behind her goblet. Harry nodded, his stomach twisting.

XXXXXXX

Harry ducked into an empty classroom, followed by Hermione, Ven, Padma, and Ron. They had refused to let him go alone.

They waited, silent, as the last few stragglers from dinner made their way up the Grand Staircase. Harry checked the map. Penny was on patrol tonight, so he made sure she was far away before moving out. The line of first years streamed out of the front doors and raced for the hut near the forest.

Once inside, Harry realized Hagrid had been crying. His beetle black eyes were puffy and red, his beard a little damp. "Yeh shouldn'ta brought so many, Harry. I shouldn'ta even wrote yeh. I wasn' thinkin'."

"What's going on, Hagrid?" Harry asked, ignoring the man's words.

"It's Norbert." Hagrid glanced at the place near the fire where the dragon had a large pallet he slept on. There was no dragon. "I think he's done somethin' bad."

"No, Hagrid," Ron said, sarcasm barely hidden. "Your pet dragon did something bad?"

Hagrid didn't seem to notice Ron's attitude. He just nodded, sniffling. "Yeah. I thought he migh' need some exercise. So I took him out teh the woods. But he got away from me. An' I don' know where he is now. But...I found this." He motioned to a rag on the table. It was covered in a thick, silvery liquid.

"What is this?" Hermione asked, lifting the rag carefully to look closer.

"Unicorn blood," Hagrid sniffed.

Hermione dropped the rag.

"You think Norbert did this?" Padma asked. By her face, Harry could see she was in agreement with that thought.

Hagrid shook his big head, fat tears falling from his eyes. "I don' know! He wouldn'! He's a sweetheart. But...maybe if he was scared..."

"You need to tell someone, Hagrid," Hermione said. But the giant man shook his head even harder.

"They'll have me job! And Norbert! I won' know fer sure he did it, 'til I find the body. I on'y called yeh down here teh ask yeh somethin'. I can' go inter the forest 'til I hear it from someone else...do you think he did it?" His eyes were round and pleading, and, though Harry was certain Norbert was off munching on unicorn at that very moment, he found himself unable to break the man's heart.

"No, Hagrid. I don't think Norbert would do this."

Before anyone could react, Hagrid had Harry in a bear hug. The Ravenclaw was certain he felt his ribs creaking and kicked his feet, which were off the floor. When the groundskeeper finally put him down, Harry staggered into Ven, rubbing his chest. "Thank yeh, Harry," Hagrid said, his eyes crinkled into a smile. "Yeh best get back teh the castle. I'm goin' look fer that unicorn."

The big man moved towards his back door, grabbing the huge crossbow that rested there. Harry's voice stopped him. "I'm coming with you."

Hagrid looked like he'd been slapped. "Why would yeh do that?"

"Because you're my friend, Hagrid. I don't want you to be alone when you find the unicorn. Just in case." Harry stepped up to join Hagrid at the back door. He wasn't surprised that Ven moved with him, unhesitating.

"Bloody hell," Ron hissed. "Fine, I'm coming too."

"And me," Hermione agreed quickly.

"Well, I'm not staying here alone. Let's do the thing," Padma said, crossing her arms.

"Yer all firs' years! I can' let yeh do this!"

"And we can't let you do it alone," Harry said. "We're coming, Hagrid. Or you can leave us here and we'll just follow you on our own. Wouldn't you rather be able to keep an eye on us?"

The large man struggled with his options for another minute, then sighed. "Fine. But yeh do exactly as I say, and yeh stay close. We'll bring Fang too." Fang was Hagrid's enormous boarhound. The dog had been living in the backyard since Norbert's birth, since the dragon seemed to enjoy setting his tail on fire.

The group, joined by Fang, crossed the vegetable patch and followed the tree line, Hagrid in the lead with a large lantern. Harry had to jog to keep up with the man's large steps. Just when Harry was about to ask what they were looking for, Hagrid stopped, pointing at the ground. A small patch of moonlight was shimmering in the dirt, puddled on the fallen leaves and twigs. Then Harry realized it wasn't moonlight, but more unicorn blood. "This way," Hagrid muttered, moving into the forest.

Out in the open grounds, Harry had been sweating from the unusual heat of the night and trying to keep up with Hagrid. But now he shivered in the silence of oaks and elms. Shadows drenched the high tree trunks, only kept at bay by the lantern in Hagrid's fist. The path they followed was narrow, and Harry found himself walking beside Padma, her arm bumping his as they both tried to stay away from the black bushes on either side. After a few minutes of walking, Hagrid stopped. "The path splits here. Blood goes this way." He pointed to the right. With Hagrid in front and Ven taking up the rear, they carefully moved along. At one point the ground rose sharply, forcing them to clamber on hands and knees. When the forest floor leveled out, Hagrid stopped. Harry ran right into him, Hermione squeaking as she stumbled into his back.

"Oh no," Hagrid groaned, kneeling. Harry could finally see what had stopped him.

The unicorn's iridescent body lay in a dip in the forest floor, glowing softly. The gully was filled with the creature's soft white light, but the light was rapidly fading. The white mane, slowly moving in the nonexistent wind, was coated in silver blood. The neck was torn open, bite marks evident on the thick veins. Behind Harry, he heard Hermione gasp.

"It's dead. But it wasn' Norbert," Hagrid said, his voice thick with relief. "A dragon woulda used fire. There's no burns. Just bites."

"A werewolf?" Ron asked, glancing around as if he expected one to be standing right behind him. Ironically, Ven was.

"Nah, not fast enough. Plus, these bites are too small."

"Then wha-" Padma started, but stopped, jaw dropping as Ven stepped past her. The Gryffindor lifted her arm to her mouth and bit down hard. Padma spluttered. "Ven! What're you doing?"

After a moment, Ven lowered her arm, holding it out to the unicorn. Harry understood immediately. He knelt beside Hagrid, comparing the marks on Ven's arm to the marks on the creature's throat. A thrill of fear ran through his stomach at how similar they were. He looked up at his friends, finding all of their eyes on him. "They're the same. A person did this. A human."

"Not human anymore," Hagrid said gruffly. "Killin' a unicorn...it's a horrible thing. It's a crime agains' nature, it is. An' drinkin' the blood will keep yeh alive even if yer on the brink o' death."

This choice of words brought Harry's gaze to Hermione. He could see from her expression she had caught it too. Those were the same words the book had used to describe the Sorcerer's Stone.

"For killin' somethin' so pure, though, you live a half-life, a cursed life, after. Yeh gotta be dead desperate teh even think o' doin' this." Hagrid shook his head, sighing. "I'll have teh bring it back teh Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore will need teh see this."

"What about Norbert?"

Hagrid blinked away the tears that suddenly sprang to his eyes. "I'll find him. I'm jus' so glad it wasn' him! Bless him, he really is mommy's boy!"

"Hagrid," Hermione said, hesitant. "You know you can't keep him. Not after this. What if next time he really does hurt someone?"

The groundskeeper nodded. "I know. I always knew. Just didn' want teh give him up and be alone again. Just me an' Fang for so long, yeh know."

Harry touched Hagrid's shoulder. "And now you have us."

"I can get you in touch with my brother, Charlie," Ron said. "He works with dragons in Romania. He'll take good care of Norbert." This seemed to perk Hagrid up.

"But first we have to do something with the unicorn and find Norbert," Harry said.

Hagrid stood, shaking his head. "I'll find Norbert on me own. My fault he's missin'. Yeh need to get back teh yer dorms. But, Ron, I'll write Charlie. I'm still in touch with him. He was real good with animals when he went here. For now, let's just get this unicorn up to the house."

In the end, Hagrid took the unicorn's front end because he didn't want any of them to deal with the blood. Ron and Harry took a side each, helping push it along. The girls followed.

When Harry figured they were halfway back, he turned to tell Ven to help them push, but found she had stopped a few paces back. "Ven?"

She looked at him and breathed deeply through her nose, her scar crinkling. He let go of the unicorn, drawing his wand. Whatever she smelled, he wasn't sure he wanted to meet it.

Hagrid, noticing their halt, was immediately there. He moved his lantern through the trees, his crossbow at the ready. Fang whimpered and hunkered down near Harry's feet. He strained his eyes against the dark, instinctually moving closer to Hermione and Padma. Ice ran through his veins as something moved outside the lantern's glow.

It was fast, swishing over the forest floor, past them and continuing on until it was gone. It moved too fast to be human. But then, a human had killed the beautiful beast they were bringing back to the hut.

The whole encounter took about three seconds. But every one of them stayed still for another minute, holding their breaths and listening. Finally, Ven glanced at him and shook her head. "It's gone."

"Let's get out of here," Harry said, keeping his wand out.

XXXXXXX

At Castle Stalker the sun rose slowly, lighting the courtyard. Lyall was bent, tending the garden, when an owl swooped down to him. He petted the snowy white creature's head and took the letter tied to its leg. Harry's handwriting seemed sloppier than normal. He frowned, reading what his son had sent him. In the letter, Harry told him everything-from the three-headed dog and what they thought it was guarding, to the forest and their mysterious guest. Minerva had written him when the troll attack had happened. When he read that letter, he couldn't help but be proud of his kids. Yes, he had written back questioning how the troll had managed to get in, and been angry when she couldn't provide an answer, but it hadn't squashed his pride.

For a moment, Lyall tried to be angry that his children had been out roaming the corridors at night and had been in the Forbidden Forest, at night no less. But just like before, he was so proud of how smart they were, how brave, how loyal to their friends, that he couldn't bring himself to actually get mad. He was, however, scared now.

Harry's suspicions about Quirrel made him wonder. He hurried into the castle, leaping the stairs to his bedroom. Faolan was just waking up. Lyall paused for a moment in the doorway, relishing the way her red hair splayed across the pillows. Though they had been together since they were twelve, he still found himself amazed at her beauty.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare?" She laughed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Lyall smiled. "I just might. The view is incredible. It reminds me..." His voice dropped, softer than before and full of memories. He took a slow step towards the bed. "It reminds me of Petra, the 'rose-red city half as old as time'." Another step. "Of the turquoise stream of the Fairy Pools on the Isle of Sky. Of flying over the white power of the Shifen Waterfall. Or the sunset shadows filling the gaps in the columns of Clochán an Aifir." He settled on the edge of the bed.

Faolan reached for his hand, curling her fingers with his. "Silver-tongued devil, you are. That was my favorite of our honeymoons."

"I know," Lyall grinned. He placed a small kiss on her knuckles. "But I'm afraid we have other matters to speak of right now. Harry sent me a letter."

When Faolan reached the bottom of the letter, she was sitting up, all traces of sleep gone. "Quirrel? Surely not. I worked with Quirrel on that mission in Tanzania, hunting vampires. He was ambitious, yeah, but quiet. Smart. I don't see him going after the stone."

Lyall nodded. "That's what I thought. I met him at the ministry a few times. I never saw it in him either."

His wife looked at him, her eyes telling him she was on the same train of thought. "You think he isn't working alone."

"I was an auror, Faol. I know better than most that people can be very different from how they appear. But I have a bad feeling about this. Remember what Hagrid said last time we saw him? That Dumbledore doesn't believe Voldemort is really gone. Just in hiding."

"You think Voldemort is at Hogwarts?"

"I'm not certain. But I'm going to head up there tomorrow night, after work. I'll say I want to visit with Minerva, but I will drop in on Quirrel and check." He crossed his arms, his brow furrowed. The scar running from his nose to his lip crinkled slightly.

Faolan glanced at the letter again. "Why would Dumbledore hide the stone in Hogwarts? It's like he's baiting Voldemort!"

"That's possible. But Harry said that Snape is suspicious of Quirrel. Wasn't Snape a death eater?"

"Supposedly. Harry said that Snape was accusing Quirrel of trying to steal the stone and seemed to be against him. Was Dumbledore right? Has he really come over to our side?"

Lyall just shook his head. "Remember what we always tell the kids: some people change. If Harry trusts Snape, then, for now, we will too."

"But Harry doesn't know what Snape was." She watched Lyall stand and cross to the window. He stared out at the loch and the sun climbing in the sky.

"I have a feeling that's for the best."

Kailor: Thank you for reading! As always, the places Lyall mentioned are real places!

Petra- Petra is a city in the Kingdom of Jordan. It is called The Rose-Red City because of the color of the stone there. Lyall quotes a poem written about the city by John William Burgon. "The hues of youth upon a brow of woe,/which Man deemed old two thousand years ago,/match me such marvel save in Eastern clime,/a rose-red city half as old as time."

Fairy Pools- Gleann Breadail (Glen Brittle) is a glen in the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The Fairy Pools are part of a steam running off the Cuillin Mountains. The pools are vividly colored, there are some beautiful little waterfalls, and they are wonderful to swim in. Cold as hell, pretty much all the time, but still wonderful.

Shifen Waterfall- Shifen Waterfall is a gorgeous waterfall in Taiwan, part of the Keelung River. It is a cascade waterfall, where the water flows one way and the rocks slope in the opposite direction. Stunning view.

Clochán an Aifir- This place is more commonly known as The Giant's Causeway. It is in County Antrim, northeast coast of Northern Ireland. There are about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, created by a volcano. On the Scottish isle of Staffa, right across the sea, there are identical columns. Most believe that's why the legend of the Causeway is what it is. Look it up! Better yet, go visit all of these places! Watch your step on the Giant's Causeway though. Not fun to fall down.

Review, me loves!