The Razors Edge

~A/N>While I fight to finish chapter 30 of "Kindred Spirits, Bound Souls", I figured I would post the prologue of a story I've been working on in my spare time. It's going to be an H/Hr murder/mystery and I must warn you, it's going to be graphically violent and contain strong sexual content. So much so that I had to run just the prologue by the wonderful people who run this site first; they approved it but said I had to warn of the extreme violence. So here's your warning, if you can't handle descriptions of graphically violent acts, please don't read this. Thanks to those of you that do read it; please review and let me know if you think I should continue it! :)

He sat on the floor of the dank, deserted bathroom, watching as the dim light glinted off the blade. He felt himself grow hard at the rush of erotic excitement that traveled through his body when he saw the look of fear in her eyes. He had been waiting all week for the perfect time; he had watched her as she went to and from classes and while she ate, calculating the precise moment to make his move. She had been studying in the library with a group of her friends that night, and when they had gone back to their Common Room, she had foolishly stayed behind. He had known then that the time had come and had quickly formulated his plan.

He had waited just down the corridor, and when she had exited the library, he had started walking toward her. After their 'accidental' meeting, he had offered to walk back to the Tower with her, and she had eagerly accepted. As they reached the last corner before the portrait hole, he had suddenly grabbed her arms and swung her back against the wall, pinning her there. He had pressed his lips to hers forcefully, hard enough to bruise her lips, and he felt a wave of excitement course through his body as she tried to push him away. He pulled back from the kiss and quickly grabbed his wand out of his pocket. With a quick "Stupefy" he watched as her eyes went wide with shock, and then her body went rigid. He caught her before she slid sideways down the wall and set her stiff body on the floor. After levitating her, he took the invisibility cloak out from under his shirt and covered her with it. After making sure all but one of her fingertips was covered, so he could keep track of her floating body, he started to slowly maneuver her to the bathroom. A part of him was surprised at how calm he felt as he walked the corridors; he was sure a big part of it was that no one would question him walking around so late at night since he was a Prefect.

So now here he was, alone in a bathroom with his prey, ready for his first time. He stood up slowly and walked over to the sink; he put the dagger down and picked up the wig that was lying there. It had been tricky, sneaking around Hogsmeade to find the perfect one, but his diligence had finally paid off. He walked around the chair he had her tied to and slowly placed the wig over her blond hair. He saw the confused, scared look in her eyes and cupped her cheek with his hand. "No offense Luv" he said with an evil smile, "it just wasn't the right color." He started laughing as if he had just heard a funny joke and then went back to retrieve the dagger from the sink. He brought it up to his lips and proceeded to lick the blade from hilt to tip, the cool taste of the metal reminding him of blood, turning him on even more. He walked over and stood behind the chair where the girl was struggling against the ropes tied around her wrists and ankles; he laughed once more, leaned down and whispered in her ear, "it's no use Luv, you won't get away from me." Then just as he had done with the blade, he ran his tongue over the skin of her neck, which tasted of sweat and fear.

So hard now that it physically hurt, he stood directly behind her and pressed his groin against her bare upper back. Placing his left hand flat against her forehead, he pulled back just enough to expose her neck, and then pressed the blade of the dagger against the creamy flesh there. He leaned down once more and as he drew the blade slowly across her neck, splitting the skin, he whispered, "die mudblood".

He watched as blood ran in crimson rivulets down her neck and between her exposed breasts, all the while rubbing his erection up and down her bare back; the slower her breathing became, the faster he thrust. Her eyes were almost popping out of her head and her mouth kept moving as if silently screaming, but nothing would come out since he had cut her vocal chords. Just as her final breath escaped from her split throat, he thrust one last time and spent himself in his pants. After a quick cleaning spell on himself and the dagger, he made a quick sweep of the room with his eyes. He didn't want to leave any evidence behind that could point to him; he knew that by killing her using muggle methods he would throw the blundering idiots that ran Hogwarts off his path.

Satisfied that he had covered his tracks, he put his wand and dagger back into his pocket. After making sure the corridor was clear, he calmly walked out of the bathroom and continued with his rounds. As he walked he kept reliving her death in his mind and felt proud of himself; after it had gone so well and had been so gratifying, he couldn't wait to do it again.

~A/N>Thanks for all the great reviews for the prologue you guys!!! I'm so glad you like what comes from my warped and twisted mind! :) I want to say now that the chapters for this story are going to be shorter than I usually write and I don't think it will go over ten chapters, max. Who knows, it may take on a life of its own like my other stories have, but I doubt it. It's very hard to write a chapter without giving out too much information and ruining the end of the story. Special thanks to my beta Spaz; thanks for taking the time out of your life to help me! So without further ado, I give you chapter 1!

As soon as Harry lay down that night, he was asleep and deep into a dream. After a few detached moments of observation, Harry soon realized that he wasn't dreaming; he in fact was having a nightmare, a horrible one. He was walking down a corridor heading towards a bathroom; once inside he realized it was Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. As he looked around, in what seemed to be slow motion, he saw her; a brown haired girl, she was naked and tied to a chair. He couldn't see her face clearly because her head was down and in such a position where her chin was practically touching her chest. Fear and dread coursed through him as he realized that the girl looked a lot like Hermione. He tried to run to her, but his body felt weighed down with lead and he felt like a cartoon character, moving so slowly that someone watching could see every twitch and movement his body made. When he finally reached her he tried to call out her name, but no audible words came out of his mouth. Becoming frantic, he reached out and raised her head so that he could see her face; to his horror her head dropped all the way back, almost severed entirely from her neck. He watched as a brown wig floated to the floor and when he looked closely at her face he realized it was...

"Lavender!!" shouted Harry as he sat straight up in bed, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. Shaking from the intensity of the dream, Harry grabbed his glasses, clumsily got out of bed and was making his way out of the dorm when Ron mumbled sleepily, "Where are you going mate, and why were you shouting Lavender's name?"

"No time to explain Ron, there's something I need to check on," Harry hastily replied, and then he ran out of the room and down the stairs. Trying not to let the revulsion of what he saw in the nightmare overpower him, he prayed that it was just another sick trick of Voldemort's and nothing more, but deep down he knew that wasn't true. He knew Lavender was dead, and he knew that someone had brutally murdered her; he just had to figure out why.

"Harry?" came a quiet feminine voice that Harry knew instantly. He turned towards the couch in the common room and saw Hermione sitting there looking at him with a questioning expression on her face. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

Without thinking, Harry rushed over to where she sat and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "You're okay," he said, relief evident in his voice.

"Of course I'm okay Harry, I've just been down here studying," Hermione replied, thoroughly confused by his caring demeanor. Harry was not one to show affection, even if that's what she secretly longed for, and this display was affecting her more than she cared to admit.

Unbeknownst to her, Harry was being affected in much the same way. Pulling back awkwardly, he looked at her and said, "I just had a bad dream about Lavender; I need to find her."

"What do you mean? Lavender is upstairs asleep in her bed." Hermione replied, really confused by his odd behavior and a little jealous about his concern for her dorm mate.

"No she's not." he answered matter-of-factly, "I don't have time to explain, I need to find her now."

Hermione watched as he stood up and started to walk towards the door; just as he was stepping through the portrait hole she called, "Harry, wait, I'll go with you."

"No," he replied, stopping quickly and turning to look at her. "I don't want you to go."

"I don't care what you want," she answered shortly, angered by his refusal, "If Filch catches you out at this hour you'll get into trouble. Being Head Girl, I can go with you and he won't be able to do anything about it. I can make something up if he spots us."

Harry stood there studying her for a moment and then said, "All right, come on, but you have to let me go in by myself."

"Go in where?" Hermione asked, following him into the corridor.

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," he replied, quickening his steps so that Hermione almost had to run to keep up with him, unable to question him any further.

Harry stopped suddenly as they came to the door of the bathroom and turned to look at Hermione. "Stay out here, please don't ask why, just do it, okay?" Before she had a chance to answer, he walked inside and almost vomited at the sight in front of him.

It was just as it had been in his nightmare, but with one exception...the blood. There were lines of it from her throat, down her breasts and onto the floor, where it had pooled. Harry took a deep breath, and summoning all his courage he walked closer to the chair and tentatively reached out to lift the girls face up slightly, just enough so he could see whom it was. His chest constricted as he realized that it was, in fact, Lavender Brown.

Harry gently lowered her face again to the position it was in when he found her and turned to make his way to Dumbledore's office. When he turned he realized that Hermione was standing just inside the door, staring wide-eyed at Lavender's body. Her face was white and her mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out; she looked as if she was going to pass out and Harry rushed over to where she stood.

"I told you to wait outside," he said, trying not to sound angry.

"Harry, what...who is...what's going on?" she asked, sounding scared and frantic.

Harry managed to pull her back out into the corridor and cast a locking charm on the door so that no one could accidentally, or purposefully for that matter, stumble into or alter the scene. Taking her by the hand, he said, "I need to get Dumbledore and then I'll explain everything to the both of you, okay?"

Hermione nodded numbly, her mind full of visions of the dead girl making a permanent etching in her memory. She wondered how it was possible that Harry knew where to find the body… `Lavendar!' her mind screamed, at the sudden and terrible realization that the dead girl was Lavendar Brown.

Tears pooled in her eyes at the thought that someone she knew had died by what appeared to be a torturous death. When she continued to cry silently, Harry looked back at her and noticed the tears streaming down her face. Unable to stop himself, he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. She was trembling and clinging to him for dear life and all he wanted to do was comfort her, but he knew he had to tell Dumbledore as soon as possible.

Reluctantly pulling away slightly, he cupped her cheek with his hand and wiped some of the tears away with his thumb. "Are you going to be okay? Would you rather I take you back to the dorms first?" he asked.

"No...no, I'll be okay." she said quietly as she sniffled and wiped the tears off her face.

Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close to his side as they continued walking to Dumbledore's office. The only thought occupying Harry's thoughts was the image of Lavender's lifeless body and the crippling fear he felt when he thought it had been Hermione and the guilty relief that washed over him when he realized that it wasn't her; unconsciously he pulled Hermione closer to his side, glad that she was okay.

When they finally arrived at the gargoyle marking the entrance to Dumbledore's office, Harry looked at Hermione expectantly and she said, "Fizzing Whizbees". They watched as the gargoyle moved to the side and then proceeded up the stairs to the inner office door. Harry knocked on the door and called to the Headmaster; finally after a few ticks the knob turned and the door opened. With a surprised look on his face Professor Dumbledore said, "Harry, Miss Granger, I am surprised to see the two of you up at this hour; is something wrong, has something happened?"

"Yes Sir." Harry answered, "We need you to come with us, there's something we need to show you."

"What is it Harry?" the Headmaster asked, noticing his two students' wide eyes and scared demeanors.

"It's Lavender Brown Sir," Harry answered, "We just found her in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom...she's dead Sir. Murdered."

~*~

When he woke up the next morning the school was abuzz with the news of Lavender Brown's death. He acted concerned and expressed his shock at such a heinous crime, but inside he couldn't help feeling proud. His plan had been flawless and no one had any idea that he had been the one to take her life; everything had gone perfectly.

He stood in the crowd that had gathered in the corridor outside the bathroom and listened to all the gossip and fabrications that were being voiced around him. 'Stupid fools,' he thought, 'they're as clueless as the sodding wankers that run this school."

He watched as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger came from inside the bathroom and couldn't help the small smile that broke out on his face; he had known that the do-gooders would be the ones to find her. He knew about Potters 'dream' because that had also been a part of the plan; not only would he get to take Potter's precious Mudblood away from him, but she would get to watch her precious hero die first. After that he would show the bitch what a real Wizard could do and then he'd kill her too, only he would take his time with her. He was going to make her beg and plead for her life first and then he was going to torture her until she screamed his name as she drew out her last breath.

Getting aroused at the mere thought of Granger's death, he took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on what pathetic nonsense Dumbledore was spouting at the minute. After basically telling them to make their way to the Great Hall immediately, he turned to follow the group of students and that's when he saw her; she looked a lot like the Mudblood and even had brown hair, which would make things a great deal easier for him. He had just found his next plaything.

He walked up to her and turned on the charm, flirting with her incessantly. He noticed the blush on her cheeks and knew it was from his attention; she was going to be easier to fool than the last one was, and as he took in her strong resemblance he also planned on having some fun with this one first. From what he could gather in their short discussion she was a sixth year Hufflepuff who didn't have many friends; saying his goodbyes so he could make his way to his house table, he watched her walk away and felt his excitement start to grow. In about a week she would be his and he'd get to practice again; he'd be ready for Granger sooner than they expected and that thought alone almost drove him over the edge with need. He smiled as he sat down next to his friends and as he looked towards the Hufflepuff table he saw the girl wave at him tentatively; he waved back and as he started to eat he couldn't help thinking how pleased his Master was going to be with his progress.

~A/N> Thank you for all the great reviews on the last chapter! I'm glad you like this story so much!! For those of you that read my other stories, I'm hoping to update the other two by this weekend. I'm trying to work through a wicked writer's block and finishing this chapter today has helped a little. Thanks to Spaz and Heaven for all their help on this chapter!! :)

Hermione walked down the corridor, looking around nervously. She was currently on rounds and unfortunately she was patrolling alone. Harry was supposed to be with her, but Professor Dumbledore had sent him an owl saying that he needed to see Harry in his office immediately. She probably should have asked someone else to walk with her, especially after what had happened to Lavender. She could have asked Ron, he would have come with her if he didn't have a date that night...

"Hermiioooneeee," came a taunting voice, seemingly from nowhere, causing Hermione to stop dead in her tracks. Hermione stood in the middle of the corridor, looking in every direction, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"Harry?" she whispered, praying it was Harry. Her hopes were dashed when evil-sounding laughter rang out all around her.

"You wish," came the angry reply.

Hermione took a few tentative steps down the corridor, hoping that no one would jump out at her as she tried to make her way to the stairs. If she could just get back to the Common Room...

"Over here Mudblood," the evil voice taunted again, an almost hateful denotative to it, "Don't run away or another girl will be taken in your place."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her own voice quivering with fear. It was the middle of the night and the corridor was pitch black except for a few lit sconces along the wall, spaced widely apart. As she looked from left to right she noticed that there was a light haze surrounding her, impeding her vision even more. As she slowly continued down the corridor, she listened intently to see if she could pinpoint the exact location of whoever it was that had been calling out to her.

"What do you think I mean?" the evil voice continued to taunt, "Lavender was taken in place of you...I wanted to practice so that I was ready when it came time for the real thing."

Hermione gulped involuntarily and asked, "The real thing?" She became nervous when her question was met with an eerie silence so she started walking a little faster. Just as the stairs came into view and relief flooded through her she felt an arm wrap around her waist and a hand cover her mouth, silencing her before she could let out a scream.

She cringed as she felt his tongue lick her earlobe and then the evil voice whispered in her ear, "You, my pitiful Mudblood, are the real thing. I'm going to have fun taking you from Potter." She started to struggle, hoping to break free of the maniac's hold, but stopped when she felt the cold, sharp edge of a blade being pressed against her throat. "Time to have fun," the evil voice said, his excitement evident. She could feel the pain as the blade cut through her skin and she started to fight with every ounce of strength she had...

"Hermione, wake up!" shouted Harry, and when Hermione opened her eyes the first thing she noticed was that she had her hands wrapped around Harry's neck, choking him.

"Oh my God Harry, I'm so sorry!" she cried out horrified and immediately removed her hands before flinging her arms around him, holding him tightly.

He could feel her trembling and he held her close to him. "What's wrong?" he asked her, bringing his hand up to smooth down her bushy hair, hoping it would somewhat comfort her.

She turned her face so that her nose was pressed against his neck and tried to calm herself down enough to tell him about her nightmare. She sighed as he moved his hand from her hair to her back and started rubbing it comfortingly; he always knew just what to do to make her feel better...safer.

"I was having a nightmare about Lavender's killer," she started to explain, "I was making my nightly rounds and he came after me...it was so scary...you woke me up just as he was slitting my throat."

"That would explain your reaction," he replied. They sat there quietly for a while, just holding each other in the silence. They had returned to the Common Room after they had explained everything to Dumbledore; it was hard to believe that it had only been five hours since they had found Lavender's body in the bathroom. Thankfully Professor Dumbledore had excused them from classes that day and seeing as neither of them wanted to be alone they had sat on the sofa together and proceeded to fall asleep in each other's arms. They had been totally unaware of all the Gryffindor's passing by them, talking about how cute they looked together and how it was obvious they belonged together.

Harry pulled back just enough so he could see Hermione's face and brought his hand up to lightly cup her cheek, gently rubbing his thumb over her skin. "Are you okay now?" he asked, looking deeply into her eyes; her breath caught as she glimpsed what she thought was love shining in his eyes.

"I'm better now," she replied, unable to tear her gaze away from his. Without either of them realizing it, they started to lean closer to each other, their lips mere inches apart. When their lips finally met in the long awaited kiss, it was as if time stopped around them. The sensation of drowning in their feelings engulfed them both and Harry tentatively touched her lips with his tongue, asking permission to explore the depths of her mouth more intimately. He groaned as her lips slowly parted, granting him access and he plunged his tongue in, familiarizing himself with every taste of her that he could.

Suddenly Hermione realized that she was kissing Harry, her best friend, and that she was possibly putting their friendship in danger. Reluctantly she broke the kiss and pulled away from him, or at least as much as she could with his arms wrapped so tightly around her. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, afraid of what she would see in his emerald eyes, so she stared at his shirt.

"Hermione?" he whispered, his voice deep with emotion and longing. Hermione closed her eyes, gathering all of her courage about her so that she wouldn't start kissing him again the moment she looked at him.

Heaving a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes and met his questioning look with one of sadness, "I-I'm sorry Harry, b-but I don't t-think we should be doing this."

Before Harry could say anything she broke out of his embrace and went running up the stairs to the girls' dorm rooms, tears streaming down her face as she thought of how she had just experienced the very thing she had always wanted and had to push it…him away. She loved Harry with every fibre of her being, but she refused to put him at further risk with foolish romantic distractions.

Harry watched her run away his heart aching with the thought of how close he had been to having everything he had longed for; he was in love with Hermione, had been in love with her since...well, he had known there was something special about her the first time he met her on the Hogwarts Express that first year. Obviously she didn't return his feelings; he only hoped he hadn't done permanent damage to their friendship by acting so impulsively. He didn't know what he would do without her; he most likely wouldn't have survived Hogwarts this long without her by his side.

Unbeknownst to him, this was exactly what Voldemort was counting on...without Hermione, Harry would surely die and Voldemort would be free to take over the world.

~*~

The Hufflepuff had been easier to control than he had originally thought; she had opened up to him after only two days and now she lay underneath him, opened to him in a new way. He tried to tune out her incessant crying as he pulled out and plunged in again, but he was unable to block out her whining entirely and it was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Will you just SHUT UP!" he shouted, causing the girl to immediately stifle her crying, as her eyes grew wide with fear. "Much better," he mumbled, smiling down at her, "If you will just relax and keep quiet, you will enjoy yourself. I know you want this just as much as I do."

She stared up at him in disbelief, comprehension of just how demented he was blossoming in her clouded mind. She had not wanted this, but he had somehow convinced her to do it anyway; she had given in to his persistence and now he had taken the precious gift she had been saving for the man she loved. She felt the tears start to fall from her eyes once more and prayed that he wouldn't notice; she watched as he bent down and roughly sucked her nipple into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth and causing pain to shoot through her breast. This man thrived on causing others pain and this realization alone caused her blood to run cold as she realised what he may be planning to do to her next.

"Gods you're a good fuck for a Mudblood" he panted, thrusting into her harder and faster. Trying to block out the pain, she looked at him in confusion.

"I am a Pureblood" she said, and when he suddenly stopped moving she knew she had said the wrong thing; she pushed herself as close to the floor as possible at the look of pure hatred that now twisted his handsome features.

"You just couldn't keep your fucking mouth shut, could you?" he spat, and she watched in fear as he pulled out of her and walked over to their clothes that were piled by the Astronomy Tower door.

He bent down and retrieved something from the pocket of his robe; she squinted in the darkness, trying to see what he held in his hand, but it was useless. When he once again kneeled between her legs she watched as he brought his hands from behind his back and revealed what he was holding; her body froze in fear as she saw the moonlight gleam off the blade of a knife.

She was so scared that she was unable to form words; her mouth kept opening and closing but no sounds escaped from her lips. He started laughing almost maniacally and said, "If I had known this is all it took to keep you quiet, I would have brought it out when we first started."

She tried to scoot back, putting distance between her and him, but he quickly grabbed one of her ankles to impede her progress. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips as his eyes glinted with his repressed anger, "I'm not through with you yet; you won't leave unless I let you leave. You're mine now...just like Lavender."

"L-Lavender?" she asked her voice barely a whisper and fear overwhelming her now as she thought of the poor tortured girl who died such a horrible death. "T-That was y-you?"

"Yes that was m-me," he cruelly mimicked, mocking her. Letting go of her ankle, he moved so that his still hardened arousal was between her legs once again; plunging himself into her once more, he brought the knife up and pressed it against the soft flesh on her neck. As he started to pull out and push in slowly, the blade dug into her skin as he pressed harder and harder with each thrust. She listened as his breathing became faster as his excitement grew and then he said almost remorsefully, "It's a shame you had to open your big mouth; we could have had lots of fun together first."

As comprehension dawned on her face and fear filled her eyes, he plunged in balls-deep and slid the blade across her throat, splitting the skin in a familiar manner. He watched her life drain away, he slid in and out of her faster and faster, turned on by the power that consuming her life force had given him. When her final breath passed through her lips he plunged in hard and came, the power of his orgasm nearly causing him to black out from sheer ecstasy. When he had completely sated himself he walked back over to his robe and grabbed his wand, casting a cleaning charm on her body eliminating any evidence that might implicate him.

After taking his time getting dressed, he carefully examined her body and the area surrounding it, making sure he hadn't missed anything and then took one final look at her, "This is all your fault, if you had played the game properly, you might still be alive."

He turned toward the door and opened it; just as he was going to close it behind him he took one last look at his conquest. The moonlight was shining off of his handiwork, making it look as if an angel had fallen to Earth. Smiling, he softly closed the door and made his way back to his Common Room; trying to contain the pride he felt in himself he thought, 'two down…many more to go before my task is complete.'

~Please review, it only takes a minute and I greatly appreciate it!! ~

~A/N> I know, you all are sitting there reading this thinking 'It's about time, where the hell have you been?' Well, I've been around, but between having my mother-in-law visit and a huge writer's block on all my stories I just haven't been able to write. I had to completely re-write this chapter twice to get it near acceptable...by the way Spaz (my beloved beta), you're my hero, you must have the patience of a Saint. I'm sorry about the long wait and I'm pretty sure the next chapter will not take as long. As for those of you who read "The Light Within" I may be putting that story on hold, it's not going anywhere near the way I wanted it to and I'm hoping that if I put it on the back burner for a while I'll be able to return to it later and finish it. Thanks for all the great reviews (and for those of you who have agreed that I have a demented mind!) and thanks to Poppywillow for reading the chapter over and giving me her honest opinion when I needed it the most!! :) BTW, please keep this in mind while reading: Nothing is ever as simple as it seems

Hermione walked down the fourth floor corridor, checking all the normal hiding places for snogging couples as she went along. She was once again patrolling the halls in search of meandering students, but her mind was really not on her duties at the moment. She kept thinking about the kiss she and Harry had shared that morning; she felt like such a fool for running away the way she had. She had been avoiding him ever since; even when he had tried to talk to her at dinner, she had made up an excuse and ran off to the Common Room.

He watched her from the shadows, her brow was creased and she had a distant look in her eyes; he knew she was deep in thought. He'd watched her enough times to know her every mood and expression. He wished he could reach out and touch her...his body almost yearned to feel the silky skin which he would soon claim as his own.

He looked around and when he saw that no one was around he quietly whispered, "Hermiioooneeee."

Hermione immediately stopped, her blood turning to ice as she heard the eerie voice echo all around her in the corridor. She looked around, wondering if it was just her imagination or if she was dreaming again. Figuring it was the latter she continued walking, hoping that it wouldn't play out the way her other dream had.

"Hermiioooneeee," came the taunting voice again, "won't you stay and play with me?"

She stopped walking once more and looked around frantically; the voice sounded nearer that time. She could feel the adrenaline racing through her body as she surveyed every corner, every shadow, looking for any hint of movement that could give the person away.

Hidden by his invisibility cloak, he snuck up behind her, leaned in as close to her ear as he could without touching her and whispered, "You'll be mine soon Mudblood."

She turned quickly to her right, where the person had just whispered in her ear, and looked around. She started shaking as her mind screamed at her to run, but fear caused her to stay rooted where she was.

She stood there for a while, waiting for the voice to come again, but she was met with only silence. Lost in concentration, Hermione cried out when someone grabbed hold of her shoulder suddenly. When she wheeled around with her wand drawn, she saw Harry's face directly behind her, shrouded in his invisibility cloak.

"Harry!" she said, anger and fear evident in her voice as she placed her hand over her rapidly beating heart, "what in the name of Merlin do you think you're doing, scaring me like that?"

"I'm sorry Hermione" he replied, "I called your name, trying to get your attention, but obviously you didn't hear me."

She could see the apology in his eyes and she sighed, all of her anger ebbing away, leaving only her lingering fear. "No, I'm sorry Harry, I-I didn't hear you..."

Harry took in her pale face and grabbed her hand, feeling her tremble. "Hermione, what's the matter?" he asked.

"I don't know" she answered, looking around again, "I thought I heard a v-voice before...but it wasn't your voice, it was like the one I heard in my nightmare last night...maybe I was just imagining it."

Harry wrapped his arms around her, attempting to comfort her, and asked, "Did the voice say anything in particular?"

Slightly lost in the sensation of Harry's hand rubbing up and down her back, she answered, "He wanted me to play with him and said that I would be his soon."

"What?!" Harry asked alarmed. He pulled her back so that he could look her in the eyes and immediately she knew she shouldn't have told him that, but it had felt so good being in his arms...

"Hermione!" he said, pulling her from her thoughts, "Why were you just standing there then when I walked up to you?"

"I-I don't know," she replied, still trying to answer that question herself, "There was just something about the voice, something familiar and terrifying. My mind was screaming for me to run but I just couldn't seem to move."

"That doesn't sound like you," Harry replied, staring at her intently.

"I know but a part of me wanted to believe that it was just another nightmare," she said, looking at the floor.

Harry put a finger under her chin and lifted until she was looking at him once again and said, "This guy is serious Hermione. You've got to be careful, I can't lose you."

She smiled up at him, his words echoing in her mind, and then she remembered that morning and the kiss they shared and she looked away quickly.

"Hermione, about this morning..." he began, as if reading her thoughts.

"Harry," she interrupted as she brought her gaze back to his piercing green eyes, "Please don't apologize. I understand that we just got caught up in the moment...there's nothing to be sorry for."

"Is that what you think, that we kissed because we were both upset over what happened last night?" asked Harry holding her gaze.

Hermione tried to shake off the overwhelming desire to lean in and kiss him again as he continued to stare directly into her eyes. "I-I don't know what I think Harry," she replied, "Why do you think it happened?"

"Because we wanted it to," he stated matter-of-factly, "or at least I know I did."

Hermione's heart felt as if it were going to beat out of her chest; she had liked Harry as more than a friend for so long, and now here he was, admitting that he had feelings for her too. Shaking herself from her thoughts, Hermione said, "I'm almost finished with my rounds...why don't you join me and then we can talk more about this when I'm done?"

"Sounds like a plan," he replied as he took hold of her hand. They continued to walk through the corridors and Hermione suddenly remembered something.

"Harry, why were you in the corridor with your invisibility cloak?" she asked.

"Dumbledore had called me into his office after dinner and said that it would be okay for me to patrol with you tonight," he replied, "I had finally gotten away from Mrs. Norris when I came up behind you."

"I really could have done without you scaring me the way you did," she said and when he looked at her incredulously she continued, "I know, you already explained what happened and I must admit that I feel a little better having you walk with me while I do my rounds, but I can take care of myself."

"Oh yes, by all means, you definitely demonstrated that earlier," he replied cheekily and she hit him in the arm.

"Alright Potter let's go. We have an Astronomy Tower to check," she said, lightly tugging on his hand to get him to walk faster.

"On to interrupt snogging couples," he said, smiling at her, as she laughed at his cheeky remark. Both of them were unaware of the person following closely behind them.

~*~

'Fucking Potter!' he cursed as he stood there listening to their dull bantering, 'He's like a dog in heat who's found a bitch to fuck!' Glaring at the couple, he followed them as they walked up the stairs, careful to stay far enough back so that they wouldn't sense him there. He smiled as he realized where they were heading and knew that they would be finding his little 'gift' soon.

He ducked behind a suit of armour that was near the base of the stairs that led to the Astronomy Tower; he wanted to witness the event first hand. He smiled to himself as he watched Granger walk in first with her lapdog following closely behind.

~*~

Hermione lit her wand as soon as she entered the dark tower and heard Harry do the same a tick after. She hated this part of her rounds; she had caught many a couple snogging and even shagging up here. There were many whispers of 'Hermione the Prude' as she walked by some of the outed couples in the corridor, but she just told herself that she was only complying with her responsibilities as Head Girl...she couldn't let it become personal or else she'd have her feelings hurt every day.

She made her way along the North wall as Harry went in the opposite direction, a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he turned away from her. 'He's enjoying this way too much' she thought, smiling to herself. She kept replaying their earlier conversation in her mind and still couldn't believe that Harry Potter, her best friend of nearly seven years, had admitted that he wanted to kiss her. A small part of her, the giggly little teenager that she suppressed all the time, wanted to squeal with delight and swoon at the fact that the boy she liked felt the same way. But then the fact that the very boy she fancied was Harry cut into her thoughts and she sobered immediately. She thought about how he was her best friend in the world, how they could be jeopardising their friendship if they took their relationship a step further and how he would have to face Voldemort soon; the familiar fear of losing him swept over her once again at the thought of the looming Second War and the important role he had to play to save the world, wizarding and muggle alike. She shook her head, trying to clear her overly analytical mind, and continued her exploration. Thankfully it seemed that everyone had either stayed away from the Tower tonight or had been smart enough to leave before she got there.

She swept the light over the floor, over the corners, and coming to the last corner of the room she passed the light quickly over the spot...and almost got sick. Lying there on the cold stone floor was a girl, a pool of blood surrounded her mass of mousy brown hair and her eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling. The most horrid thing Hermione noticed was the fearful, surprised look that seemed permanently etched into the girls features; features that were now masked by the look of death that would tell anyone that saw her that the girls death had been anything but peaceful.

Staring wide eyed, her heart raced and soundlessly her mouth opened and closed. Unbidden images of Lavender's dead body passed through her mind's eye and she closed her eyes tightly trying to stop them. 'Stop it, stop it!' she thought, shaking her head and trying to maintain control over her emotions. She just couldn't believe that it had happened again, another student, another girl murdered...

"H-Harry!" Hermione called frantically, unable to find her voice at first. Harry ran quickly in the direction of her frightened voice and when Harry walked up beside her and looked to the spot she was unblinkingly staring at she heard him whisper, "Not again".

Hermione turned and buried her face in Harry's chest while he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Distraught, she couldn't bear to look at her slain classmate any longer...death was rapidly becoming an all too familiar and unwelcome sight at Hogwarts. As Head Girl, Hermione wanted to set an example and be strong but she feared that she might go mad from the pressure. She pressed tighter against Harry; he made her feel safe...safer.

"Hermione, do you know her?" Harry asked, a note of grief and regret for having to ask her in his voice.

She turned her head just enough to see the girls face once more and tried to study her face impassively, failing miserably, and realized with a sinking stomach that she did know the girl, quite well in fact. "That's Rebecca Brighton," she replied quietly, "She's a sixth year Huffelpuff from my Advanced Arithmancy class." Unable to hold her composure she sobbed, "She was always so nice and helpful; why would someone do this to her?"

"I don't know," Harry replied, also looking at the figure on the floor that was once a live, vivacious girl, "but we need to let Dumbledore know what's happened."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement and without another word Harry led her out of the room. He stopped just outside the door and cast the strongest locking charm he knew on the area so that no one else could enter the room. They descended the stairs and with Harry's arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder they made the all-too-familiar trip to the Headmaster's office to deliver bad news once again.

~*~

He watched them silently descend the stairs from his hiding place and almost laughed in delight at the looks on their faces. Granger had a haunted look on her face while Potter kept looking at her with a look of concern and...no, it couldn't be...a look of love?? "Enjoy him while you can Granger," he said quietly to himself, "Soon you'll be out of my way and I can complete my task."

So engrossed in his possessive thoughts, he forgot to cover himself with the invisibility cloak and stepped out from his hiding place; he had to get back up to his room so that no one would be suspicious. He would get to enjoy the mass hysteria in the morning when the entire school found out what he had done and listen to all their incorrect speculations on who was responsible. Looking at Potter and Granger once more to make sure it was safe to leave his hiding spot, he got up and silently made his way back to the Common Room.

~*~

Harry walked down the corridor, his thoughts on Rebecca and the troubling realization he had just had...she looked just like Hermione. First the wig that resembled Hermione's hair on Lavender and now Rebecca and her uncanny resemblance...he felt a knot of dread and fear form in his stomach as he realized that whoever did this was after Hermione. He pulled her closer to his side as they made their way down the corridor and stopped abruptly as the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end; they were not alone. Looking up at Harry and seeing the fierce look on his face Hermione asked, "Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry didn't respond, he just continued to survey the corridor around them and as he turned to look behind them he pushed her behind him, shielding her from whatever it was he was looking for. Raking his gaze over the area around the Astronomy Tower staircase his eyes caught a glimpse of white-blond hair just before it disappeared quickly around a corner.

Trying to wrap his mind around what he had just seen, and chastising himself for even being surprised at seeing him there, Harry quickly turned to Hermione and said, "Malfoy?"

He heard Harry's questioning voice, a smirk forming on his lips, and he quickened his pace not daring to look back.

~Please review, it only takes a minute and I greatly appreciate it!~

~A/N> I want to apologize for being MIA, I have been working on this chapter and a brand new story that I hope to start posting soon. With other things happinging in my life, such as health problems and other various things, my writing and stories have suffered. I have been getting everyone's reviews on all my stories, I just haven't gotten around to replying to any of them and I want to say I'm sorry for that too. Also, I'd like to invite you to check out my live journal and join should you feel the inclination, I love talking to all my readers and getting opinions on certain aspects that pertain to my stories: http://www.livejournal.com/~miscard/ . Thanks for being patient, and thanks to Spaz, my beta, who worked hard on this chapter so that I could get it posted quickly.

Harry and Hermione continued silently down the corridor, both lost in thought. Hermione stopped suddenly and turned to Harry with a confused look on her face. "I know that Malfoy can be really mean and nasty sometimes, but do you really think that he's capable of murder?" she asked.

"Yes I do," replied Harry, "Especially since both victims weren't in Slytherin. I always wondered if Malfoy would snap if goaded and tormented enough, and this just proves that I was right."

They both fell quiet again and continued to walk to Dumbledore's office. When they finally reached his door and knocked, they had to wait a while before he opened it. He ushered them in and motioned them over to the fireplace. "I will be back in a moment," he said to whomever he was conversing with.

Turning towards them he asked, "Miss Granger, Harry, what brings you out at this late hour?"

"There's been another murder Sir," Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

Dumbledore didn't say anything but his face took on an expression that was part anger and part sadness. The twinkle in his eyes dimmed as he said, "I have an urgent situation to attend to just now, but I will be there as soon as it is taken care of. Miss Granger, I will need you and Harry to make sure the scene is not disturbed, but I believe it would be best if you used Mr. Potter's Invisibility Cloak."

"I just happen to have it with me," Harry said.

With a slight smile and nod, Dumbledore said, "Very well, I shall be along shortly."

"She's in the Astronomy Tower Sir," Hermione said, "We put a locking charm on the door, but we'll go remove it and wait for you at the entrance."

"I will meet you there as soon as possible," Dumbledore replied. Harry and Hermione turned to make their way out of the office when he said, "Miss Granger, Harry, make sure to keep a watchful eye and look out for one another."

"Yes Sir," replied Harry as he took Hermione's hand and led her to the staircase; they were both dreading the time they would have to wait in the tower until Dumbledore arrived and neither could help wondering if the killer might still be somewhere close by.

~*~

They had been standing by the Astronomy Tower door for thirty minutes, just inside the room, covered with Harry's invisibility cloak when Dumbledore appeared in the doorway and conjured a bunch of floating candles above them, lighting the entire room. They both came out from under the cloak as Dumbledore glanced around the room. Harry knew the moment the Headmaster had spotted Rebecca lying on the floor behind them because the twinkle in his eyes diminished down to nothing, replaced with a look of quiet sadness.

Hermione looked up and said, "I found her while I was checking for stray students...this is always the last place I look while on my rounds...it's Rebecca Brighton Sir."

Dumbledore walked over to where the young girl lay and stared down at her. "I remember her parents when they attended Hogwarts, I will have to have Madam Sprout notify them immediately," he said, looking back at them, "Two murders in two days…this may very well be the end of Hogwarts."

"Sir," Harry said, looking from Hermione to Dumbledore, "it was Malfoy."

"How can you be so sure it was Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked, "What exactly did you see?"

"I saw him," said Harry trying to explain, " I felt as if someone were in the corridor, watching us. I went to look around, to see if I could find anyone, and he ran when I spotted him peering around a corner...I'd know that blond hair anywhere."

Dumbledore called for Dobby and when he suddenly appeared he said, "Go to Professor Snape and inform him that I require his and Mr. Malfoy's presence in my office immediately."

"Yes Sir," said the nervous house-elf and just as suddenly he disappeared.

Dumbledore turned his attention back to Harry and Hermione and with a Grandfatherly look said, "I think the two of you should go to my office also; I will be there as soon as Madame Pomfrey arrives to take care of Miss Brighton."

Harry looked down at Rebecca again and felt his stomach turn; keeping his arm around Hermione's waist he said, "Yes Sir," and guided her down the steps.

~*~

'Her features are just like mine…' Hermione thought as she walked to Professor Dumbledore's office with Harry, 'and Lavender had a wig on that was the same style and color as my hair.' She knew she was probably over reacting, that it was just lack of sleep, finding a second murdered girl and having Harry's arm wrapped around her...but still the thought kept nagging on her conscious. 'What if he was really after me?' she thought with a small jolt of fear and then shook her head in frustration, 'Don't be silly Hermione, why would anyone be after you?'

"Are you okay Hermione?" Harry asked from beside her.

"As good as can be, I suppose," she answered, looking up at him. "Harry, did you notice anything...familiar about Rebecca?" she asked, watching as a look of surprise crossed his face and then quickly disappeared.

"What do you mean?" he asked, and she knew he was stalling.

"Did she look like anyone you know?" she persisted, a small part of her wanting to know if her fears were warranted.

"Hermione..." he said as he stopped in the middle of the corridor, giving her a questioning look.

"Do you think she looked a lot like me?" she asked, saying it quickly before she lost the nerve to ask.

"No...no, she didn't look like you," he said so unconvincingly that even he didn't believe it.

She knew instantly that he was lying and staring directly into his eyes she said, "I just want to know if my suspicion's are justified Harry, so would please just answer my question...honestly?"

She watched as Harry sighed heavily, looked her in the eye and said, "I did notice that there was a slight resemblance to you, and then the wig that was on Lavender...I noticed that it looked sort of like your hair."

The slight fear she had felt before started to multiply as she listened to what he said; her fears were obviously not as ridiculous as she first thought. "So what do you think the resemblances mean?" she asked, a part of her afraid to hear his answer.

"I think," he said, stopping and taking both her hands in his, "that there's a possibility that it's you he's really after."

"That thought had crossed my mind too," she replied, squeezing his hands as her fear increased, "But why would someone be after me?"

"Because you're my best friend, more than my best friend, and someone thinks they can get to me by hurting you," he answered, anger evident in his voice. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest; "He won't get to you Hermione, I promise," he said quietly, and when she looked up at him he bent down and kissed her softly on the lips, sealing his promise.

~*~

He woke up the next morning, showered and got dressed, and then made his way to the Great Hall to eat. He smiled to himself as he walked out into the corridor; he couldn't wait to hear the fearful whispers and moronic guesses as to who was responsible for all the chaos in the school.

As he navigated his way through the corridors he heard snippets of conversations here and there; "I heard her head was cut completely off!" wailed a third year Ravenclaw.

"I heard all her blood was sucked out and that they think it was a vampire!" cried another fifth year Hufflepuff as she scurried past him.

The smile on his face grew even wider as he enjoyed the panic he had caused; it gave him a rush of power much like when he claimed the essence of a worthless young witch, like Rebecca.

"I saw Snape literally pull him out of bed and rush him out of the Common Room," he heard someone say and stopped to listen. "Word is that Snape has been up all night looking for Malfoy; he wasn't in his bed and no one has been able to locate him."

Trying to stifle the laughter that bubbled up inside him, he literally skipped his way into the Great Hall and sat down at his house table. He whistled as he heaped eggs and sausage onto his plate and just before he was going to take a bite, he froze. His eyes had focused on the most disgusting sight he had ever seen...Harry and Hermione, with their heads close together, whispering to each other.

"Filthy, Rotten, Mudblood Bitch!" he thought to himself angrily. What the hell were they doing there, looking so cozy with each other? He would have thought by now that she would have gotten the hint and would have stayed locked up in her dorm, afraid for her life. But nooo, there she was salivating all over Potter and making goo-goo eyes at him. Damn her!

As he silently ranted he watched as Dumbledore approached the sickening spectacle and whispered to them. Potter nodded and stood up, and to his disgust he grabbed the Mudblood's hand; he watched them walk out of the Great Hall hand-in-hand and fought down the wave of nausea that washed over him.

He knew Malfoy would be accused, but he also knew that his Daddy would make sure he stayed in Hogwarts no matter what. As soon as he knew Malfoy was released he would find another girl to play with, maybe two this time. He'd always wanted to fuck two slags at once...he had his pick of any that he wanted in this hell hole...and this time he would be sure to leave a message that the school, especially Potter and his whore Granger, wouldn't be able to ignore; it was time to show them how powerful he really was, that he was not to be fucked with, and that they would never be able to stop him.

~*~

"I said I want to know why you dragged me in here!" Malfoy shouted as Harry and Hermione walked into Dumbledore's office. When Malfoy looked over and spotted them he spat, "What are they doing here?"

"I suggest you calm down Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said quietly as he sat down behind his desk. With a wave of his hand four chairs appeared in front of the desk and he motioned for everyone to sit down.

With Draco and Hermione sitting on opposite ends, Harry reluctantly sat next to Snape and fought the urge to scoot his chair closer to Hermione. When everyone was settled Dumbledore looked at Draco and said, "Mr. Malfoy, something very disturbing happened last night and you were seen leaving the area where it took place. Would you please explain to me why Professor Snape was unable to find you until this morning?"

"What?!" Draco yelled, "Is that why they are here? They're trying to accuse me of doing something I didn't do so they can get me expelled from Hogwarts! This is absurd!"

"Miss Granger is Head Girl Mr. Malfoy, what reason would she have for falsely accusing you of doing something you did not do?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"I don't know!" Draco shouted, "Why does Potter act like the bloody hero all the time?" When Snape placed his hand on Draco's shoulder to calm him down, Draco looked over towards Harry and Hermione, and with a venomous look on his face he said, "I didn't kill that girl!"

The room became eerily quiet as the four realized what he had just said. Harry looked at Hermione and saw the same shocked expression on her face as was probably on his. As far as Harry knew, Malfoy hadn't spoken to anyone that morning, not even Snape, so how...?

"I can not speak for Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy," replied Dumbledore, settling his piercing gaze on Draco, "I am curious, since no one in this room has made mention of Miss Brighton, please do tell us how it is that you became aware of the unfortunate event of last night?"

~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."