Chapter 16

Sorry this is so short, I wanted to get it posted as soon as possible

"Halloween"

Lily woke up at 3:00 in the morning. A scratching noise at the window was the cause of her awakening. Rolling over, she shut her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. The noise at the window only grew louder. She flipped over onto her back again and listened. Thoughts of owl, Starla, filled her mind. With that in mind, she fell back to sleep.

The next time Lily woke up it was 7:55.

"Enter at your own risk" Lily called out. The door opened and Declan entered in. He took one step in, looked around the cluttered room, the girls getting ready for the day and said; "I can see why entering is a risk"

Lily threw her spell book at him.

With an easy smile he caught it with one hand while pushing the door open with the other. "Small meeting." He said and James, Sirius, Lupin and Peter walked throw the door. With a small whip of her wand, Lily tidied up the room and then sat down, the rest of the 5th years finding various positions around her. Declan stood facing them, his muscular and scarred arms folded in front of his chest. He looked at them with a strange look in his eye and a frown on his face as he studied each of the students.

"There was an attack last night."

A stunned silence echoed around the room before noise broke through.

"Attack? What do you mean attack?

"On who? What happened?

"Where?"

"Why?"

"When?"

Declan made a silencing notion with his hand and they quieted.

"It happened at about 3:30 in the morning last night. In the entrance hall we expect. The attack was on Richie Charleston. He and his girl friend had snuck out late to snog on their way back up they came head to head with three hippogriffs', and a sphinx. The fact that these creatures that usually would be enemies are working together is a bad sign. The majority of the monsters acted on Richie while his girlfriend, Katie, ran to the nearest Auror room, Agent Moran. We were able to get there in time to save Richie but he'll still be spending numerous months in Mongo and has a strong possibility of permanent damage. "

He paused for several moments. Lily had never seen him look this serious before. Even through the silence the 5th years had the feeling he wasn't done.

"And?" James finally asked

"And because of this security is being tightened. Curfew is now 8:00, all students in their common rooms or dorms, no exception. You will be escorted from class to class by your Protective agents.

"What if we want to go visit Hagrid?" James piped up from where he and Sirius were sitting on Michelle's bed.

"Not unless I'm with you."

James and Sirius shared a look that obvious shared their thoughts on the subject, but Declan wasn't done yet.

"We have our reasons for it. The current idea is that the animals that broke in had a separate victim in mind and Richie and Katie were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Exactly who it was for we have some leads but were not certain."

" A-a person?" Adrian stuttered out.

Declan nodded his mouth a thin line, but Lily was far too busy thinking to notice. She had heard the scratching noise at 3:00. The attack on Richie had occurred at 3:30. Was it possible that it hadn't been Starla at all? But the hippogriffs? Hippogriffs could fly after all. A half hour was long enough for them to try and break in before ultimately deciding to enter through the great hall.

But that plan was ridiculous. Why would they want with her? Ignoring Arameo if course… but that would make sense. Evil was eventually attracted to evil. Right?

But that was ridiculous… absolutely…

"Ridiculous"

"What was that Lily?" Declan asked. She hadn't even realized she had said it out loud, and now every eye was turned to her.

"Nothing." She said blushing and looking at the ground.

"Lily." Declan asked, looking at her. "If you know anything. Anything, I need you to tell me."

"Its nothing, all that happened was that at about 3:00 last night I heard this scraping noise at the window. No biggie it was proubraly just starla." Declan eyes widened and he pulled out his wand.

"This window?" He asked motioning towards the window next to her bed. Lily nodded

"It wasn't Starla." He said moving towards the window.

"How do you know."

"Because the owelry was locked last night."

He had reached the window. With his wand he motioned for it to open. The window moved slightly before breaking into several pieces. The window had been scratched so bad that a feather could have opened. Declan's eyes looked towards her face in adamant concern. Lily heart almost stopped. With no actual thought other than away she rushed into the bathroom. Hypervenalating at the sink, her makeup grew uncomfortably hot. Turning on the sink she wipped it all off; scrubbing until it was all gone. When it was gone she looked up at herself and gasped. Not believing her eyes, she washed her face reputedly while Declan called her name.

"No" she whispered. It was all too much, the attack on Richie, the hippogriffs trying to break in her window, and now this….

This; her tattoo, which only yesterday had reached from her hip to her eye, was gone.

All of it.

Whatever your thinking, review and say just that, whatever it is!

LIZIES