Ugh, stupid job hunting... sheesh. So many places hiring, but so few places for me to use my skills and grow. (sputters and pulls the Disclaimers in)

Disclaimers: You know the whole routine; I don't own either book series or franchise.

Later on in the Tower where the owls hung out, Val was waiting for a message to come in from Sirius.

Harry looked out for any signs of the white owl that was his, but didn't see anything.

Val heard an owl screech and looked around, seeing that it had a note in its beak as she went to it and picked it out, opening it curiously.

Harry joined her and the two read the letter together.

Harry and Valerie,

I couldn't risk sending Hedwig. Ever since the World Cup, the Ministry has been intercepting more and more owls and she's too easily recognized. We need to talk face to face. Meet me in the Gryffindor Common Room this Saturday Night and make sure it's just the two of you. Sirius.

Val looked at Harry. "Weird. That's almost the same exact words he told me last year when I met him in the forest."

Harry nodded and frowned, turning a bit and suddenly yelping slightly as his finger was nipped by the owl.

Val looked at the owl and looked at the letter again after a moment, scoffing lightly. "'P.S.: The bird bites.' You'd think he'd put that in the explanation about the owls."

That Saturday night at exactly 1:00 AM, the half-bloods went to the common room and looked around for signs of their ally, but didn't see anything.

Val noticed a copy of the Daily Prophet and picked it up, seeing herself blinking slightly in the flash of the camera before she opened it up to the section of Me, Myself, and I and started reading through it, making a disgusted face as she went on. "'Valerie Tod, age 14, a suspect entry in the Triwizard Tournament. Her eye swimming with the ghosts of her pasts and choking back tears...'" She growled angrily and crumpled the paper up, tossing it into the fire and whipping out her wand, pointing it at the ball. "Incendio!" She made the newspaper burst into flames on the ash pile and sighed softly.

Harry patted her shoulder. "I would have done the same." He stopped when he saw Sirius' face in the flames and quickly knelt down. "Sirius!"

Val looked over and knelt with Harry, looking at the older wizard in the flames. "Sirius, are you alright?"

"I don't have much time, so let's get straight to it, kids." Sirius spoke quietly. "Val, did you or did you not put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"

"No!" Val whisper-shouted, getting a warning shush from Harry.

"I had to ask." Sirius clarified. "Now then, tell me about this dream of yours, Harry. You mentioned Wormtail, Voldemort, and D'ablo, but who was the fourth man in the room?"

Harry shook his head. "No idea. I didn't hear a name, but Voldemort was giving them both a job to do, something important. He wanted me and Val. I have no idea why, but he was gonna use this man to get to us."

Val looked at Harry. "But it's just a dream, right? I mean, that couldn't actually happen."

Sirius nodded a bit. "Look, kids; the Death Eaters at the World Cup, Val's name rising from that Goblet? These are not just coincidences. Hogwarts isn't safe anymore."

Harry looked at his godfather in confusion. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying the devils are inside the walls." Sirius explained. "Igor Karkaroff? He was a Death Eater, and no one, no one, stops being a Death Eater. Then there's Barty Crouch, heart of stone. Sent his own son to Azkaban."

Val looked over, hearing a door open and Ron and Hermione's voices, sighing as she looked at Harry and Sirius. "It's just Ron and Hermione coming. Anyway, Sirius, do you think one of them put my name in the Goblet?"

"I haven't a clue who put your name in that Goblet, Valerie, but whoever did is no friend to you, and people die in this tournament." Sirius responded.

Val hyperventilated slightly. "I'm not ready for this."

"You don't have a choice, Val." Hermione spoke up behind the Dhampir, causing her to jump and look around in surprise as the brunette continued, "We have to stick together in this and work out a plan, all of us."

Ron nodded and sat down, looking at Val. "Hermione and I have been thinking about something. If you're able to control whoever with just your thoughts, like pure telepathy, wouldn't it make a little sense to ingest some of their blood? Make it so you and the person are more connected?"

Val blinked as she thought it over. "Like a psychic link."

Ron nodded a bit in confirmation.

"That might actually be smart and definitely useful for all of you." Sirius pointed out. "That way, if one of you is in trouble, the others would know."

Harry nodded and looked at his friends, specifically his fellow ravenette. "We should start out small though, just one of us for now, that way there's no serious damage done to you mentally." He pulled out his wand and carefully tapped his arm. "Diffindo." He winced in pain as his skin split open, letting fresh blood out.

Hermione immediately caught the blood in a small beaker that she had summoned from her room, letting it be filled before she tapped Harry's arm with her own wand. "Reparo." As the wound healed, she passed the beaker to Val.

Val grabbed it and hesitantly brought it to her lips. "Do you guys really think this could work?"

Ron shrugged. "You'll never know if you don't try it, mate."

Val thought it over and admitted to herself that the redhead did have a point, so she threw her head back as she drank the blood given to her, letting the crimson liquid flow down her esophagus before she set the beaker down and groaned slightly.

The group waited patiently to see what would happen and not two seconds later, Val's eyes flashed purple as she gasped sharply, seeing everything that Harry had gone through and almost collapsing on the floor.

Hermione quickly caught Val and checked her over, seeing the glowing eyes and looking at the boys, noticing that Harry was being held up by Ron. "Well, seems like the plan worked."

Val slowly came back to her senses and looked at Harry before she looked at her friends. "Better make sure though." She touched her forehead where Harry's scar was.

Harry felt the sensation and shivered slightly. "Bloody hell, that's creepy."

"But we definitely know we have an advantage against You-Know-Who now." Ron reminded them.

Val nodded to Harry, feeling more confident now.

Whew, glad I got this done. Read and review, y'all.