Alrighty! Here's the next chapter! Be forewarned-a few characters will be OOC, but that is because of the situation they are in and how I think that they may have reacted to it. Not much else for me to say, other than to thank everyone for the amazing reviews :) Please remember to continue with them!

"Speaking"

"Sounds"

"Thinking"

"Text-book"

Harry Potter Point of View

The five friends dashed up to the castle, tripping over one another and their own feet. They reached the castle just as the enormous front doors began to swing shut, the locks already clicking and preparing to engage.

"Wait!" Ginny cried, and they ran faster, managing to slip inside the doors just before they slammed shut. As one, they let out a sigh of relief. That relief, however, changed to fear when they heard someone clear their throat behind them. Slowly, they turned to face… Professor McGonagall. The look on her face was enough to make the brave Gryffindors tremble.

"Come with me." Her voice was as cold and sharp as an ice crystal. She turned and began to walk, not even looking over her shoulder to make sure her students were following. Her steps were brisk and loud in the quiet corridors. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Neville followed behind in a terse, wary kind of silence. All thoughts of Sirius Black were washed from their minds, instead replaced by the ideas of being expelled from Hogwarts and of how much trouble they were going to get in. However, they soon realized that they weren't heading for Professor Dumbledore's office.

"Professor, what's going on?" Hermione asked, her brow crinkling in confusion as she realized that they had stopped in front of the entrance to the Great Hall. "Why are we here?"

"I have no time for this right now." the professor said, and for the first time, Harry realized how tired and nervous she seemed. "You will be severely dealt with later, but for now you five must stay put. Go find your House and stay with your classmates." The older witch said harshly. She pulled out her wand, muttered a few quiet spells, and stepped back as the doors swung inwards. The occupants of the hall went silent immediately, every face turned towards the newcomers. It was an eerie kind of quiet that was brought on by tension and fear, instead of the usual curious stares.

As Harry took the first step forwards into the hall, with the others following close behind, their footsteps echoed loudly in the enormous hall. Looking around at the faces that stared up at them, Harry noted that the usual long tables and benches were gone and that in their place were many, many sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets. Finally, the quiet was interrupted by one person turning to the other to whisper something in their ear. Soon, the entire place was buzzing again.

Theories and rumors flew from person to person, some about how Sirius Black could have gotten into the castle and what he could possibly want, and others about what the famous Harry Potter and his friends might have been up to. Harry ignored the latter ones, but was particularly interested in the ones about Black despite already knowing what the criminal was truly after.

The Great Hall had finally quieted down, with only a few whispers or giggles that were quieted almost immediately by the patrolling teachers and Head Boys and Girls. Harry was lying quietly, too wrapped up in his thoughts to get any rest, when he felt a sharp jab in his side. Letting out a little hiss of pain, he turned to face the person who had done it.

"Harry, do you think that Darren is alright?" Neville asked the bespectacled boy. Harry looked thoughtful for a moment before he slowly nodded his head. "But…how do you know?" Neville muttered, his eyes widening a little bit.

"Because I don't think that the ministry would want anything bad to happen to him. Plus, he's in that cage and it is hard to get into." Harry told him, making a slight face at the mention of the ministry and at the memory of burning flesh. Neville didn't look convinced, but nodded his head anyways.

"Harry, do you think-"

"SShhhhhh!" somebody hissed at them.

Neville fell silent, eyes darting towards the source of the noise a little nervously before whispering even more quietly "Do you think we will be able to talk to him again?"

Harry didn't know how to truthfully answer him. Luckily, he didn't have to because at that moment, it was Snape who drew near to them to silence them. At the hook-nosed teacher's approach, Neville immediately went silent except for the few quiet whimpers that escaped his throat. Harry heaved a quiet sigh, but he, too, turned over in an attempt at sleep.

Darren Shan Point of View

That feeling was back. The terrible guilt and the sense of hopelessness; I knew that I really just deserved to dies, after the terrible things I had done. In my mind, the cries of Sam and the howls of the Wolf man echoed. I could hear the sounds of my parents and of Annie crying and begging for me not to be dead. I could hear Steve's words and accusations. It felt as if my soul was being swallowed by darkness.

The sane part of me screamed to me that these feelings weren't natural. I could practically feel that they were caused by the strange, dark creatures that were swarming across the grounds, drawing ever nearer to my cage. But my body just didn't seem to respond to this rationality. It was the worst kind of feeling.

My eyes closed. Now a few of the creatures floated by my cage, a rancid smell emitting from their beings. I almost gagged, simultaneously choking on my own tears.

They were so close, and now I was choking on something else.

What is it?

So close.

Choking.

Cold….

Why?

"Expecto patronus!" a voice yelled, right near me and yet so far away. So far away….

But I was feeling warmer, and I wasn't choking anymore. That was good, wasn't it? It had felt like death, but I surely wasn't dead. My eyes were still closed when I felt a gentle touch. Slowly, I opened them to gaze curiously at the newcomer. It was a man with graying hair and a young face. He was smiling warmly but cautiously, one hand on my arm while in the other hand he held something that smelled like…chocolate? I gazed up at him with wide eyes, confused and uncertain about who he was or what he wanted, and whether or not he had done something weird to the offered sweet.

"It's chocolate. If you eat it, it will help you to feel better." He told me gently, moving the piece closer to me. My stomach growled, and that was the deciding factor. At that point, I didn't care if he was trying to poison or trick me. Chocolate meant food, and I was hungry- starving even. I devoured it, ignoring the man's cautioning about how I should eat it slowly.

"You wouldn't happen to have anything else to eat, would you?" I asked him hopelessly as I licked my fingers and lips. He had been right about it helping me to feel better. The man stared down at me, eyebrows raised. I sighed and said quietly "I need human food and blood to survive."

The man 'hm'd thoughtfully. "I don't have anything else on me at the moment, but I can bring you something in the morning."

"Really? But what do you want for it?" I demanded suspiciously, eyeing the strange man in front of me.

He was silent for a moment, but finally said "Although I would appreciate some information, I'm not going to withhold what you need to live for it."

I didn't want to believe him, but something about him made it hard not to trust him. I had no idea what it was, but I felt an odd kinship with this strange person. "Who are you?" I questioned.

"My name is Remus. Remus Lupin. May I ask what your name is?" he responded (too politely, in my opinion). Something told me that Lupin and Crepsley would get along great if they ever met.

"I'm Darren."

"Just Darren?" he asked, seeming honestly curious.

"Just Darren." I confirmed seriously. Before he could say anything else, I asked "What was going on up there?" and motioned towards the castle.

Lupin appraised me for a moment before saying "There's a killer on the loose, Darren. Although I doubt he will bother you, I would suggest you be cautious."

"And how should I do that?" I questioned dryly, rattling the bars of my cage a little bit and earning myself a burnt hand. Lupin just shook his head a little, seeming unsure himself. He sighed and told me that he had to leave, but promised to be back the next morning. As he began to make his way back to the castle, I saw him gaze upwards.

I followed his gaze, but all that I saw was the almost-full moon. Brushing it off as just some wizard quirk, I turned instead to try and figure out how to get rid of one of the slightly rotting animal carcasses. I made a face at it, and briefly wondered if the big guy that had been leaving them there thought that I was some kind of an animal that would eat rotting meat. Well I suppose, for me, it was more like he thought I would drink bad blood. Scoffing a little bit at the idea, I attempted to shove the stiff body through the bars.

My stomach growled, and from the forest I heard a long, low howl. Something told me that this was going to be a long night….

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