Unofficial Portkey Archive

~A/N> I apologize for how long it has taken me to finish this story. I didn't want to just slap together some ending and say, "there you go". If you've stuck with this story this long, then you deserve an ending that's worthy of the story. The first section is a bit slow, but trust me, things will pick up quickly and you will finally have the answer as to who the killer is. I hope you enjoy the chapter and thank you all so much for reading it, and for all the great reviews. It may take me a while to update a story, but I will never abandon any of them. I will be working on "The Light Within" next, and I have about three chapters of a new story done that I'll be posting next (after I have quite a few chapters finished). Enough rambling, I hope you enjoy the ending of "The Razor's Edge", and I hope I stumped a few of you as to who the killer was :)

Malfoy glared at Dumbledore and said, "Last night, I went to bed around ten-thirty. Just as I was drifting off to sleep my body was suddenly petrified, I couldn't move anything but my eyes. As I looked around the room, I didn't see anyone and then the next thing I know I'm floating out of my dorm and into the Slytherin Common Room."

"Please go on," Dumbledore asked.

"I floated out of the Common Room and into the corridor; once I was out there I zig-zagged this way and that, until I came to the statue of the one-eyed witch. I hovered in front of it for a second before a voice whispered some strange word, and then the statue slid to the side, revealing a secret room," Malfoy explained, "And before you ask, I never saw who was in my room and I never saw who whispered the word that moved the statue."

"You expect us to believe that some...apparition or invisible person wizardnapped you from your bed last night and that you had absolutely nothing to do with what happened?" Harry asked incredulously.

"I don't expect you to believe anything Potter," Malfoy spat, looking at him with disgust, "All that matters is that Professor Dumbledore believes I'm telling the truth; I'll even take Veritaserum if it'll convince you that I'm innocent."

"But I saw you in the corridor, I saw your blond hair," Harry said vehemently.

"I'm not the only blond in the school Potter, you could have seen any one of the many blondes that are here," Malfoy replied angrily, "It...wasn't...me!"

"What happened after you were placed in the room Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"I don't know how long I was in there, but I fell asleep and the next thing I knew I was being dragged out of my bed by Professor Snape this morning," Malfoy answered.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, "Professor Snape, will you please administer the potion? Harry, Miss Granger, the two of you need to return to your Common Room. Students can not be present while another student is being questioned under Veritaserum...Mr. Malfoy has a right to privacy just like every other student in this school."

Looking put out but knowing that arguing would be pointless, Harry nodded and took Hermione's hand. They made their way out of Dumbledore's office and down the stairs. As they were walking down the corridor Harry looked at Hermione and said, "You haven't said one word since we walked into Dumbledore's office...are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered, "It's just that...I don't think that Malfoy did it Harry...I think he's telling the truth."

~*~

He had spent the day prowling around the school, looking for his next plaything, when he had spotted Malfoy walking quickly down the corridor towards the Slytherin Dorms. Malfoy's face had been as white as virgin snow, and he had dark circles under his eyes. 'Serves him right,' he thought to himself, 'he's screwed too many witches and wizards over in his short life, it's time someone fucked up his perfect little existence.'

Now it was after curfew and he was tailing after one of the girls he had spotted that day. Mandy Brocklehurst was walking down the corridor towards the Ravenclaw Common Room and when she suddenly stopped and turned to look at him, he smiled and said, "Hello."

"It's you," she replied, sighing in obvious relief, "I know Headmaster Dumbledore said we should stay in pairs if we walk around the school at night, but I couldn't get anyone to walk back with me from the library."

"That's too bad," he said, walking up to her with a big smile on his face, "because I'm the one you should be afraid of."

Mandy started to laugh but as she realized he was dead serious she started to run down the hall. Acting quickly, he brought his wand up and said, "Stupefy!"

Mandy froze mid-stride, her eyes wide with fear and two tears in the process of sliding down her face. He slowly walked up to her shaking his head and said, "I can't believe you thought you could get away."

After casting the mobilicorpus charm, he directed her to the Great Hall and left her bound to the Ravenclaw house table. Smiling down at her he said, "Now don't go anywhere, I'll be right back with someone for you to play with."

Whistling quietly, he walked back into the corridor and went looking for the other Witch he had spotted earlier that day. He knew she would be on patrol right about now, and he also knew that she would probably put up more of a fight. Finding her in the sixth floor corridor, walking along with her boyfriend Justin Finch-Fletchley, he knew he would have to take care of Finch-Fletchley first. Raising his wand and pointing it at Justin's back he quietly said, "Diffindo!"

He watched with sadistic glee as a gash opened up in Finch-Fletchley's back and blood starting gushing from the wound. As Justin screamed, he quickly cast the silencing spell and stupified Susan. Casting another mobilicorpus, he directed her body down the corridor as Justin Finch-Fletchley proceeded to bleed to death in the middle of the corridor, becoming his first male victim.

He continued to calmly walk down the stairs until he reached the entrance hall; he proceeded to direct Susan Bones body into the Great Hall and bound her to the Gryffindor table. Looking to his right, he noticed that Mandy was staring at him with fear evident in her beautiful blue eyes. Turning to his left he let his eyes roam over Susan's body until his eyes met hers, shining with tears. "Well girls," he said with a smile, "Welcome to the party; I would say I hope you have fun, but I already know that I'm going to enjoy this much more than either of you will."

~*~

Harry paced back and forth in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, grumbling to himself angrily. After half-heartedly attending their classes, he and Hermione had come back to the common room to do their class assignments. When she had stood up and announced that she had to do rounds, he had stood up to go with her. When she had stated that he didn't have to go, that she would have Terry Boot, the Head Boy, patrolling with her that night he had still insisted he go with her.

"Harry, Terry and I are quite capable of protecting ourselves while we patrol. You need to stay here and finish your classwork."

"I can finish my work later, your safety is more important."

"For the last time Harry, you don't need to go with us tonight. Terry is a capable wizard, and I can protect myself if need be."

"Like you protected yourself last night?"

He had known he had gone too far when he saw the anger flash in her eyes and her jaw clench. She hadn't said another word after that, she had just spun quickly around and slammed her way out of the portrait hole, causing the Fat Lady to go into a tirade about disrespectful students. That had been two hours ago, and he'd been here pacing ever since.

Running a hand angrily through his hair, Harry walked to the couch and flopped down on it while emitting a frustrated sigh. He would just wait here until she got back in an hour, so that he would know she was safe and he could apologize to her. Getting comfortable, Harry picked up his Quidditch Through The Ages book and started to read, hoping to pass the time more quickly. After a couple of pages though, his eyes started to droop and the words started to run together. Leaning his head back against the back of the couch, he closed his eyes just to rest them for a little bit, and fell fast asleep.

~*~

Hermione and Terry had been patrolling for two hours, and Hermione had been angrily replaying her argument with Harry in her head the entire time. The fact that he had taken a shot at her ability to protect herself had hurt her feelings and Harry was not her favorite person at the moment. She thought of all the hexes that she'd like to demonstrate for him...on him if she got angry enough...and then she'd show him how she didn't need his protection.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Terry asked, breaking through her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she asked distractedly as she looked at him. Seeing his questioning expression, she said, "I'm sorry Terry, I'm not much company tonight, am I?"

"You've seemed a million miles away all night," he replied with an easy smile. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"No," she said, returning his smile, "I just had a little row with Harry right before I left to meet you."

"Afraid I can't help you there," Terry replied, "Seeing as I can't seem to keep a girlfriend for more than a couple of weeks, I'm not the most qualified person to give romance advice."

"Oh, Harry and I aren't a couple," she said quickly, and then added, "At least, I don't think we are."

"Well then, all I can say is that he's a daft bloke not to see the wonderful witch standing right in front of him," Terry said with a reassuring smile. "I'm sure he'll open his eyes soon, and if he doesn't, it's his loss."

"Thanks Terry," Hermione replied, glad to be talking to him instead of stewing in her anger. As they continued their easy conversation, they checked all the normal places for any student that might have tried to hide from them. Hermione and Terry had always gotten along well, and she had been happy when she found out that he had been chosen as Head Boy. If she had found that she had no shot at a relationship with Harry, she might have returned the advances of the handsome blond haired wizard walking beside her.

Just as they turned the corner of the corridor that led to the Astronomy Tower, a green jet of light hit Terry in the chest, causing him to crumple immediately to the floor. Hermione, seeing no one in the corridor with them, crouched down and put her hand to the pulse-point on Terry's neck and felt tears gather in her eyes as she found no pulse at all.

"You are a little whore, aren't you?" came an eerie voice behind her, causing her blood to freeze in her veins.

Gathering her wits together as best she could, Hermione turned her head slowly to look behind her and gasped. Breathing rapidly as her fear and disbelief stole over her and fighting not to start hyperventilating, Hermione stood up, staring wide-eyed at the wizard standing before her and said, "Colin??"

~*~

Harry could see Hermione and Terry walking through the halls as he observed through the haze in his mind. They seemed to be having a normal conversation as they patrolled, and even if it all looked very innocent, he couldn't help the jealousy he felt at seeing her with another guy. Continuing to watch them in his dreaming state, he saw them turn the corner of the corridor that led to the Astronomy Tower and saw the green jet of light hit Terry in the chest. Knowing the killing curse when he saw it, he watched as Hermione looked around frantically before bending down to see if Terry was still alive. He noticed the figure that was walking up behind her, taking in the hate filled expression that was on his face as he stared at Hermione, and woke up with a start. Bolting off of the couch and running for the portrait hole, he ran straight into Ron as he walked through it.

"Woah mate, where's the fire?" Ron asked with a smile, which immediately fell away when he saw the frightened look on Harry's face. "Harry, what is it? What's wrong?"

Barely stopping to explain, Harry frantically replied, "It's him Ron, Colin Creevey! He's the one that killed Lavender and Rebecca and he's with Hermione right now!"

"What?!" Ron exclaimed as he ran after Harry out of the portrait hole, "How do you know that? Wait, Colin killed them? Bloody hell!"

As Ron and Harry ran down the corridor together, Filch suddenly appeared in front of them, causing them to skid to a stop to avoid colliding with him. "You're not supposed to be in the halls this time of night! Just wait until I tell McGonagall..."

"Stupify!" Harry said, causing the caretaker to fall stiffly to the floor.

Ron, wide-eyed in disbelief, opened his mouth to say something but was cut off as Harry said, "Later, Ron. We have to get to Hermione now."

They continued running until they reached the corridor where Harry had last seen Hermione in his dream. When he saw Terry laying on the floor dead, the knot of fear in his stomach doubled in size. Looking around, Harry spotted something on the floor and bent down to pick it up. Turning to Ron, he held out Hermione's wand for him to see and said, "He's got her Ron...he's got her and she has no way to defend herself."

~*~

"Why are you doing this?" Hermione asked, trying not to let the fear she was feeling come through in her voice.

"Shut up Mudblood," Colin snarled as he poked her in the back with his wand to make her start walking again.

"But I don't understand, why would you kill Lavender and Rebecca? They've never done anything to you except be nice," she said, hoping to get him to talk.

Sighing, Colin sent Hermione flying into one of the walls with a flick of his wand, knocking her unconscious. Levitating her, he walked slowly towards the great hall and said, "You just don't know when to shut the hell up."

Levitating her limp form off the floor, Colin directed her down the hall to the doors of the Great Hall. With a quick flick toward them, the doors swung open and he steered her to the empty table. After binding her in the same way he had the other two, Colin pointed his wand at her and said, "Ennervate."

Hermione's eyes shot open and she stifled a gasp as she found herself staring up at the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall, which now mirrored the pitch black sky outside. Struggling to move, she turned her head to the left and was surprised to see Mandy Brocklehurst staring back at her with frightened eyes, tied up to the Slytherin table wearing only her underclothes. Looking to her right, she felt dread wash throughout her body as she saw Susan Bones tied to the Ravenclaw table in the same state of undress. At hearing the doors to the Great Hall slam shut and a muttered locking spell, Hermione looked straight ahead as Colin walked toward the three of them.

"Well ladies," he said with a sadistic smile on his face, "Let the fun begin!"

~*~

Coming to a skidding halt outside the Great Hall doors, Harry swore as he heard the sick squelching sound of a locking spell.

Seeing the almost scared look on his best mate's face, Ron stood panting behind him and asked, "What is it?"

Trying to catch his breath also, Harry replied, "I just heard the doors seal shut. Colin must have cast a locking spell on them and I have the feeling it won't be a simple one to break."

"Won't know until we try," Ron said, pulling out his wand. After trying every counter spell he knew, Ron swore and looked questioningly at Harry, letting him silently know that he was out of ideas.

Harry turned toward the doors, staring at them while going over every spell, jinx and curse that they had been taught in their seven years at Hogwarts. Getting frustrated at their lack of progress, Harry's thoughts came to a stand still when he heard what could only be Hermione scream. "He may have locked it, but he didn't bother to cast a silencio," he said, looking fearfully at Ron. When Hermione's scream was joined by another female scream, Harry's fear for her tripled and all rational thought flew from his mind. Pointing his wand at the door, a wave of magic traveled from it's tip and slammed into the doors without him uttering a word. The look of shock on Ron's face mirrored that on Harry's as they watched the doors swing open. When they saw what was going on inside the enormous room Harry whispered, "Oh, fucking hell," as Ron turned and retched on the floor.

~*~

"NOOOO!" Mandy screamed as another rip appeared in the skin of her stomach. Colin chuckled as he watched her blood start to seep out of the wound. It was the third cut he'd inflicted on her so far, and he wasn't planning to stop anytime soon.

"Stop it!" Hermione shouted at him as tears fell from her eyes. Mandy looked as if she were going to pass out at any moment from pain, which might be a blessing for her since she wouldn't feel any more pain, but it might anger Colin to the point of killing her. When Colin turned his angry glare on her she held her breath, afraid of what was to come.

"I told you before Mudblood, shut the fuck up!" he yelled, and then pointed his wand at her and said, "Crucio!"

Hermione screamed as the pain tore through her body. It felt as if every bone was breaking over and over again, and her skin felt as if it were on fire. Gritting her teeth together, trying to stop her screams, Hermione tried valiantly to be strong but lost the fight quickly and screamed, "HARRY!!"

Just then the doors of the Great Hall burst open and Hermione opened her eyes, barely clinging to consciousness, to see Harry and Ron standing there with shocked expressions on their faces. When Ron looked over at Susan he turned and got sick. She knew how he felt, Colin had peeled away layers of Susan's flesh on parts of her body after he had used her in a sick, sadistic way in front of the two other girls. Susan had passed out, as far as Hermione knew, and it was probably a blessing for the girl. Mandy was also starting to fade in and out of consciousness, so that left only Hermione for Colin to torture.

Harry walked into the Hall, staring down Colin the entire time, but he wasn't really Colin anymore. His eyes had taken on a red glow, and the expression on his face was one that Colin would never wear. Walking right up to him Harry said, "Well, hello Tom. Looks like you found a way to get into Hogwarts after all."

"How dare you call me that! Crucio!" Voldemort yelled in Colin's voice as he pointed his wand at Harry.

Harry dove for the floor, the curse whizzing past his ear, barely missing him. As his attention was focused on Harry, Ron pointed his wand at Colin/Voldemort and yelled, "Expelliarmus!"

The wand went flying across the room, but without a moments hesitation Voldemort held his hand out palm-up and the wand flew right back into it. "I'd think a pureblood like you could do better than that, but being around that mudblood filth and a half-blood, I guess you wouldn't know what 'real' magic is."

"I don't want to know your kind of magic," Ron said angrily, trying to distract him so that Harry could come up with some sort of plan. When he saw Harry move out of the corner of his eye he swore and ran straight for Colin/Voldemort and tackled the small boy. Unfortunately, that small boy had the magic of a very powerful wizard in him and soon Ron went flying across the room, slamming into the wall and slumping to the floor unconscious. Harry, all on his own now, came out into plain view so that he was face-to-face with Voldemort.

"It's me you want," Harry said, "So why did you kill those girls and torture these three?"

"Because I saw your dreams Harry," Voldemort said. "Oh yes, I saw the things you wanted to do with that piece of mudblood filth, and I knew to break you I would need to kill her first. But I wanted to practice until I knew how to do it perfectly and enjoy it...each one I killed looked like her in some way. And I knew in that head of yours you'd piece it together at some point. Then being the hero that you are, you'd do anything to protect her. But you didn't protect her very well tonight, did you?" Harry saw the evil gleam in those horrid red eyes and before he could do anything Voldemort turned around and crucio'd Hermione again, causing her to scream in pain.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Harry screamed, disarming Voldemort. Before he could get it back, Harry said "Accio wand," and it flew into his hand. Quickly looking it over, he saw that it was in fact Voldemort's wand and not Colin's that he had been using, which was just what he had been hoping for. Pointing both wands that had phoenix feather cores in them at Colin, Harry concentrated on pulling all the magic he could from everyone in the room, building up his own magical levels for what he was about to do. Praying to any higher powers that were listening and hoping that his parents were watching over him, Harry took a deep breath and started to yell, "Apoluo Doulos Hagiazo Psuche, Apollumi Daimonion Aionios!"++

Harry watched in horror as the silver beams of light hit Colin's body, lifting him slightly into the air. As Voldemort/Colin screamed, his body started to split into two, one side being Colin and the other the ghost-like presence of Voldemort. As his spirit was ripped from his host's body, Voldemort roared in anger and before he could head toward Harry, he started to swirl in a ball of flames faster and faster until the flames suddenly flared out into a fireball, all traces of Voldemort gone. Colin fell to the floor with a thud and Harry started to rush over to him, but then thought better of it and made a careful approach. Waving his wand over Colin's body, looking for any traces of Dark Magic left in his body, Harry sighed as he found him to be clean. "Ennervate!" he said, still uneasy around the heap of a boy that lay on the ground before him.

"W-What?" Colin asked, looking around. When he saw the girls tied up, bloody, and unconcious he quickly turned away from Harry and retched on the floor. Harry could hear Ron stirring behind him and without taking his eyes off of the scene before him he yelled, "Hey Ron, can you go get Pomfrey? Are you up to it mate?"

"Yeah, sure," Ron mumbled, and Harry could hear him stumbling about behind him. "Bloody hell," his mate said, shuffling out of the hall. "Sodding wanker, that bloody hurt."

As he noticed Colin trying to stand up, Harry held a hand out to stop him and said, "No offense Colin, but I'd rather you stay right where you are for now." Looking up to where the girls were still suspended, tied to the tables, Harry's eyes zeroed in on Hermione and he willed Ron to be quick. Mandy and Susan looked much, much worse, making him wonder if they were even still alive, but Hermione was so pale. Her breathing was shallow, he could barely see the rise and fall of her chest, and there was so much blood that he couldn't tell where it was coming from. It seemed that Voldemort had perversely enjoyed using the Sectumsempra against all three of them, but Hermione had the look of someone who had taken one too many crucio's and that scared him as well.

"Mr. Weasley, I must insist on examining you this inst...oh Merlin," Madam Pomfrey breathed as she had been practically chasing Ron down the corridors and lecturing him at the same time. Spotting Harry, she walked over to him and after giving him a quick once-over she asked, "What has gone on here? This has the signature of Dark Magic."

"It was," Harry replied, watching as she slowly and carefully lowered Mandy first, then Susan, and at last Hermione.

Examining Mandy first, Pomfrey spotted Colin and asked, "And what about you?"

"He's last," Harry practically ordered, surprising the nurse and Colin both. "He was Voldemort's host and I still don't know if it was willingly or not."

"Oh my," the nurse blustered, quickly recovering and going to work on healing Mandy.

"I-I would never do this willingly," he said, furious and stung that someone he looked up to as a role model could ever think it possible for him to be so violent. "I'm fine anyway," he stated, not daring to look at Harry.

"Good," Harry said, turning to point his wand at him. "Stupefy. Incarcerous."

"Mr. Potter!," the nurse huffed, giving him a look of admonishment. "That was unnecessary,"

"You wouldn't say that if you had witnessed what just happened," Harry replied. "I just don't want to have to worry about him anymore right now. I used a spell Dumbledore taught me, but even he wasn't sure that it would eradicate all of Voldemort's evil from the host's body. Let Colin stay that way until Dumbledore can examine him personally."

Walking up to Hermione, Harry reached out gently and touched her cheek, assuring himself with the feel of her warm skin under his fingers that she was still alive. "Is it okay if I remove the ropes?" he asked Pomfrey.

"As long as she doesn't move around much," Madam Pomfrey replied. "The bindings are keeping them still; if they move the wrong way it may make any of their cuts bleed even more."

Touching his wand to the ropes around her middle Harry said, "Deletrius." Doing the same to the ropes around her ankles and shoulders, he watched her eyes flutter open slowly and then widen in fear as she remembered what had been happening when she passed out. "It's okay Hermione," Harry said instantly in his softest tone of voice. "You're safe. Ron and I were able to stop him before he hurt the three of you any more than he already had."

She turned toward him, her eyes taking a moment to focus in on his face. When she saw it was him her eyes welled up with tears and she said, "Oh God, Harry. It was Colin, but Voldemort had control of him. He killed Lavender, Rebecca, Terry, Justin, and poor Susan and Mandy..." she trailed off as she looked to where Madam Pomfrey was working frantically on Mandy.

"NO!" screamed Susan suddenly, becoming conscious again. Looking around frantically, her eyes were wide but unseeing and she thrashed against her bindings.

"Mr. Potter, stupefy her, quickly," the nurse ordered. Doing as he was told, Susan once again slumped back down onto the table.

At that moment, Professor Dumbledore walked in with Professor McGonagall following closely behind and looked around the Great Hall, taking in the obvious violence that had occurred and how badly injured his students were. McGonagall gasped in horror and made her way to Madam Pomfrey to see if she could be of any help while Dumbledore walked over to Harry.

"It was Colin, sir," Harry said before the Headmaster could even say a word. "Voldemort was in him, like the way he was inside of Professor Quirrell in my first year. I wasn't able to get here in time to stop him from hurting the girls, but I used the spell you taught me and it seemed to work. Just in case it didn't though, I stupefied and bound Colin so that you could check for any lingering signs of Voldemort."

"Good job Harry," Dumbledore praised, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder. When he saw the look on Harry's face he knew that the young man blamed himself for everything that had happened and taking on a grandfatherly tone he said, "You did what you could Harry, and you saved three lives tonight, possibly more if you had not stopped him. There is no way you could have known, so there is no need to blame yourself for actions that were beyond your control. Now, I believe you have your friend Ron to check on while Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, and I tend to these three young ladies." When Harry opened his mouth to protest he added, "I will be sure to let you know the moment you can speak with Miss Granger."

Knowing how unrelenting Dumbledore could be, Harry nodded grudgingly and made his way over to where Ron sat on the floor, leaning against the wall nearest the doors while rubbing the back of his head. When Harry slid down the wall to sit next to him, Ron said good-naturedly, "I should know better by now not to go chasing after you. It never ends well, does it?"

"It did this time," Harry replied, noting the haunted look that still lingered in his friend's eyes. Turning away to look at the young woman that completed their trio, and who was quickly becoming much more to him, he surmised, "If we had been just one minute later than we were..."

"Don't even think on it mate," Ron said, cutting him off. "We got here in time, you stopped him, and at least we know Hermione will be alright."

"You're right," Harry agreed, still worried about Mandy and Susan. "Thanks for helping me out, even though you didn't know what the hell you were getting yourself into."

"What are friends for?" Ron asked, giving him a slight smile before turning back to the scene before them, both of them wishing they could obliviate the nightmare of what they had witnessed from their minds.

~*~

Somehow, all three girls ended up alright in the end. Mandy had taken the longest to heal since Voldemort had hurt her the worst, but after two weeks she was doing a lot better. Susan's injuries were more mental than physical, but she was getting the help she needed to work through it without having to stay in St. Mungo's, and Hermione was lucky enough to have Harry. She was beginning to really enjoy all the extra attention he was giving her lately, and it was an added bonus that even Ron was being sweet toward her.

Colin, unfortunately, had not been so lucky. After he fully remembered the horrors that Voldemort had made him go through, and the pain he had been forced to inflict on his fellow female students, his mind had shut down completely. He was currently in St. Mungo's, catatonic, with no hope of ever recovering. Harry actually felt sorry for him; he was just another innocent victim of Voldemort's, no matter what anyone said or thought. Of course the gossip ran rampant throughout the school, but Dumbledore had made sure to tell the trio the true story. Colin had been filled with hatred and anger after his parents had been killed by one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, leaving him very susceptible to Voldemort's possession. When they searched Colin's belongings, they found the Riddle family's invisibility cloak, along with a dagger that bore the Riddle family crest on it's handle. The thing that weighed the most on Harry's mind was Colin's little brother, Dennis. He had been so harassed and ridiculed by the other students that Dumbledore had sent him to live with his Grandparents for the remainder of the year. The poor boy had been through hell, losing first his parents and then his older brother, only to be cast out by his peers when he had done nothing wrong.

As for the trio, the three of them became closer than ever, having gone through it together. They were often the last ones up at night; they would sit in front of the fire, talking easily amongst each other, or just quietly enjoying the relaxing silence. After a while Ron would go to bed so that Harry and Hermione could have their time alone. They had become much closer since that night, and Harry couldn't begin to imagine what he would have done if he had not gotten there in time to save her.

"You're doing it again, aren't you?" Hermione asked one night as she watched sadness and self-deprecation swirl in the emerald depths of his eyes. His lack of an answer said it all and she said, "Harry, there was nothing you could have done. No one had any idea that it was Colin."

He sat there running his fingers through her hair, not meeting her eyes at first. When she reached up and gently placed her hand on his stubbled cheek he said, "I just keep having this nightmare, and in it I didn't get there in time and you died. It's like a bad movie and I can't seem to make it stop."

"Just keep reminding yourself that you did get there in time to save me," she replied. When he still stayed quiet she said, "I guess I'll just have to keep reminding you everyday that you're stuck with me now."

A slight smile curved his lips as he finally met her eyes and said, "Everyday 'eh? Is that a promise?"

"That's a promise," she replied. "I love you Harry, and I'm not going anywhere." As if to prove her point, she crawled onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck as his settled around her waist.

"I love you too, and I'm going to hold you to that promise," he said quietly and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss, the two of them getting lost in each other and the hope that this was finally the beginning of their peaceful life together.

++ = very, very loosely translated- "Release the servant, purify the soul. Destroy the evil spirit forever."