Chapter One – Grandmother Figg

Meanwhile, back in the hospital wing…

It was late afternoon. Remus blinked slowly and sat up. His head ached and there was I.V. tubing attached to one arm. He cleared his throat noisily. Madam Pomfrey appeared from her office. “Awake now, are you?” she called, and bustled over to check her patient.

“What’s all this?” Remus asked, holding up a length of the tubing.

“I shouldn’t wonder you don’t remember,” Madame Pomfrey said, making a clicking noise with her tongue. “You were so tired! It’s a transfusion of blood to replace what you evidently lost to the vampire that slipped into Hogwarts last night.”

“Ah, I see.” he said, “Well, then thank you my dear Madame Pomfrey. I feel refreshed and restored – like a new man. And now I really must be going, so if you would be so good as to

unhook me…”

She crossed her arms across her chest and shook her head. “Nothing doing” she said firmly. “You’re staying the night…”

Remus waved a hand impatiently. “I can’t possibly. I have papers to grade and lectures to prepare. I’m fine, really I am.” He grinned boyishly as her, “I’m not a student any longer Poppy. You can’t hold me in here like you used to.” Her features softened slightly. “Look,” he said, “you can come ‘round and check on me later if you like, but I have got to get out of here….” At last, she relented, his youthful charm winning out over her better judgment.

Remus walked briskly from the ward and turned, not back to his office, but to the grounds and the road that led to Hogsmead. Once he was well outside the grounds and outside the “no-apparition zone” he closed his eyes and concentrated on the Three Broomsticks. In a flash he was there, touching down lightly outside the door.

It was early evening and the pub was crowded with regulars. Remus eased himself through the throng and up to the bar. Madame Rosmerta smiled in welcome, “Remus!” she cried “It’s been to long.” She handed him a butterbeer and he sat down.

“Rosmerta,” he said quietly, “I wondered of you could help me. Have you seen a woman hanging about that bears a striking resemblance to Lily?”

“Have I ever!” Rosmerta said, raising her eyebrows. “She’s staying here!”

“Who is she?” Remus asked.

“Says her name’s Lila Ivenova - says she’s some sort of reporter from Bulgaria.”

“And do you know where I might find her?” Remus asked, trying to keep the urgency out of his voice.

“Try turning around,” said a distinctly female voice behind him. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He whirled on his stool. She was there - a woman who was the very image of Lily at the height of her beauty. He gasped.

“I’ve been hoping to meet you.” she said, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

“Who are you?” Remus breathed. Lila took one of his hands in hers and began to play with it idly. Her fingers were cool and silky.

“I’m Lila” she said, simply. He looked at their joined hands and then at her face.

“And why…why did you want to meet me?” he asked.

Lila looked around the noisy pub. “It’s a bit loud in here to really talk. Isn’t there someplace a little more private where we could chat….without interruption?” Remus considered for a moment. There was always the Shrieking Shack… Without a word, he led her through the crowd and out of the Three Broomsticks.

A dark male figure watched from the corner of the pub, unnoticed by Lila and Remus. Only when they were out on the street did the figure move. It glided past the bar and up the steps to the guest rooms. He paused outside Lila’s door and reaching into the pockets of his dark robes, drew out a wand. Looking around first to make sure the coast was clear, he whispered “Alohomora”. The lock clicked open softly, and he slipped inside. Methodically, he began to go through her things.

Back at Hogwarts…

Harry found Hedwig easily among the owls in Hogwart’s Owlery, for she was snow white. He called to her and she swooped down softly to a nearby perch. Hermione looked the letter over one last time before Harry attached it to Hedwig’s leg. It began,

Sirius,

Someone has admitted a vampire to Hogwarts. She has bitten Remus along with several other students. We believe we know her identity. She is a woman called “Lila Ivenova.” Hagrid met her briefly in the Three Broomsticks, and we glimpsed her on the railway platform the night the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade.

Sirius – she looks exactly like my mother, like Lily. This can’t be a coincidence. Do you suppose this is the revenge Lucius Malfoy had in mind when he threatened Remus in Diagon Alley? Can you come to Hogwarts? Tonight or tomorrow? We’re all very concerned about Remus. Thanks,

-Harry

Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched Hedwig sail away, south toward Paravel. “I hope she reaches him soon…” Hermione said, biting her lip. Harry squeezed her hand in reassurance, and they went down to dinner.

The Great Hall was buzzing with talk of the vampire, for news that Andrew Weston and Sam McDermott had been bitten had spread like wildfire among the student body. Jonathan Clift sought Harry and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. “You know about this vampire business I take it…” they nodded. “It’s unbelievable to think that someone is giving the creature access to the Castle,” he said in a tone of disgust, “but that’s the only way it can be getting in. A vampire can’t enter a dwelling without invitation.” He continued, “It is possible, I suppose, that someone has done it unknowingly, or unwittingly. Which brings me to my point - third years and below will not have studied vampires yet. Tonight, in the Common Room, will you gather your House together and remind your younger students about the dangers of admitting strangers to the Castle? And,” he said with a sigh, noticing Colin Creevey walk by, positively bedecked in garlic, “let them know the whole garlic thing is a myth, would you?”

Harry smiled, and through mouthfuls of dinner said, “Yeah, okay”

“Good man” said Jonathan, then turning to Hermione, gave a slight bow, “and gentle lady, I shall leave you to your duties as Prefects.” Jonathan set his sights on the Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchly at the Hufflepuff table and set off across the Great Hall.

Hermione laughed, thinking of a previous Hogwarts Head Boy. “Have you ever met anyone less like Percy Weasley?”

Harry looked at his watch. “It’s still early yet,” he said to Ron and Hermione. “Let’s go to the hospital wing and check on Remus. If he’s awake, we can ask him what he remembers about his dream. I’ll bet all the galleons in Gringotts it will be similar to Sam’s.”

They entered the hospital wing a few minutes later to find Remus’s bed deserted. “Where is he?” Hermione asked a bit sharply of Madam Pomfrey.

“Time off for good behavior, Miss Granger. He said he had some papers to grade and I let him go. I’m sure he’ll be in his office or his rooms.” Ron and Harry exchanged swift looks.

“C’mon!” Harry said to Hermione and they dashed from the hospital wing.

“I assure you, he’s fine!” Madam Pomfrey called to their retreating backs.

They raced along the hall to his office, which was, as they suspected, empty. “You know where he’s gone, don’t you!” Hermione moaned. He’s gone into Hogsmeade to find Lila. I’m sure of it.”

“There’s one way to be sure…” Harry said, and he conjured the Marauder’s Map from thin air.

“Perfect” said Ron. The three of them poured over the map, frantically searching for the dot labeled “Remus Lupin” but it was nowhere to be seen.

“Well, we know for sure he’s not in the Castle…” said Hermione with a worried look.

Slowly, they made there way to the Gryffindor Common Room, with Harry thinking hard the whole way. They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. Hermione was about to give the password, when Harry stopped her. “Wait a minute, Hermione” he said, running a hand distractedly through his hair. “I’ve got to try and find him. You go in there and address the younger students, just like Jonathan intended for us to do. I’m going to get the Invisibility Cloak and apparate to Hogsmeade.”

She frowned. “I want to go with you.”

Harry shook his head. “I know you do, but there’s no telling how long it will take to round up the younger students, address them, and then answer their questions. Remus may be in trouble right now. It can’t wait.”

“Okay,” she said, “but if anything happens, you’ll summon me won’t you?”

“Of course I will.” he said. He kissed her swiftly, then scrambled through the portrait hole and up to his dormitory to retrieve the Invisibility Cloak. Ron went with him.

“Harry,” Ron said. “This isn’t finished yet, but you may need it.” Ron handed Harry a large sheet of parchment. It was a map of Hogsmeade – just like the Marauder’s Map of Hogwarts. All the buildings weren’t on it yet, but where there were buildings, there were little labeled dots – and the dots were moving.

“Brilliant!” said Harry. Ron grinned. “I was going to give it to you for Christmas, but maybe you’d better have it now.”

“Thanks” said Harry, folding the parchment carefully and tucking it into his robes. He drew the Invisibility Cloak over his head and disappeared from view. Ron heard a small “pop” and knew that Harry was gone.

~~~

“Rosmerta?” said a deep voice in her ear. She jumped, a bit startled, then beamed.

“Sirius Black! I wondered when we’d be seeing you in here! Drinks on the house for you tonight.”

He gave her a fleeting smile. “Another time Rosmerta, I’m looking for someone and I think maybe you can help me.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Let me guess, Lila Ivenova, right?”

He nodded. She’s certainly the popular girl this evening. Not thirty minutes ago, Remus Lupin came in looking for her as well.” Sirius’s face evidenced his concern.

“Where is he now?” Sirius asked sharply. Rosmerta shrugged, “Don’t know. He left with her a few minutes ago.”

“Damn” Sirius said.

“What’s this all about?” asked Rosmerta.

“That woman – Lila – she’s not what she appears to be…” he said carefully. “What woman is?” Rosmerta laughed.

“You don’t understand, Rosmerta, she’s a vampire. I think she’s been sent here to either kill Remus or turn him into something like herself.” Rosmerta was stunned.

“Which room is hers?” Sirius said suddenly. Rosmerta handed him the spare key and pointed toward the stairs. “Thanks” Sirius whispered and edged away from the bar and up the stairs.

Sirius crept quietly along the hallway until he reached Lila’s door. He slid the key in the lock and gently pushed the door open. The room was dark and apparently empty. He stepped inside and was about to turn on a light, when someone jumped him from behind. There was a terrific struggle. A lamp was broken, a table smashed. Somehow, Sirius managed to pin his attacker’s arms to his side. From the hall, Sirius heard the sound of running feet. Rosmerta appeared in the doorway and turned on the light.

Sirius was kneeling over the dark hooded figure that had been lingering in the pub earlier that evening. Never taking his eyes off the figure, Sirius drew out his wand and stood up. “Get up” he barked. With a groan, the figure stood up and pulled off his hood. Rosmerta gasped…

“Alias Swift!” she cried. Sirius lowered his wand instantly and offered a hand.

“Sorry mate, didn’t know it was you.”

Rosmerta looked confused. “But what is he doing here?” Alias smiled and shook Sirius’s outstretched hand.

“After I left Hogwarts, I joined the Ministry of Magic. I’m an Unspeakable.” he said shortly. “I’ve been following this woman for months. She’s a sort of vampire for hire. We could have taken her a long time ago, but we want to know who she’s been working for.”

Sirius put away his wand and said, “I always knew you’d do well, Alias, even when we were classmates, you always seemed to have a knack for ferreting out the truth.” Alias didn’t respond. Sirius continued, “So, you were searching her room? Looking for something to connect her with the wizards who hire her?”

“Yeah” Alias replied. “I had just stumbled onto some of her papers when you came in.”

Alias took an appraising look at Sirius. “So what’s your connection to this woman?”

“I think she’s been hired by Lucius Malfoy to either kill Remus Lupin or turn him into a vampire.” Sirius replied, businesslike again.

“Well, then, perhaps you’d care to help me?” Alias said, gesturing to the papers strewn all over the floor. Without a word, they dropped to their knees and began scanning the pages that littered the room.

Alias was pouring over a particularly revealing page. “You were only half right Sirius. It’s not just Remus she’s after.” With a grim look, Alias handed the page to Sirius. It was a picture of Harry.

“No…” said Sirius hoarsely.

Chapter 30 – The Shrieking Shack

A rush of wind filled Harry’s ears. The boys’ dormitory blurred and disappeared. He felt his feet touch down on pavement and looked around. Harry had apparated to the sidewalk directly opposite the Three Broomsticks. Carefully, Harry took out the map of Hogsmeade. It was nearly impossible to see in the dark. He lifted his wand and said “Lumos”. From under the Invisibility Cloak, his wand gave off enough light to read the map. Harry began searching frantically for Remus’s name. Suddenly, he saw it. Remus was in the Shrieking Shack and he wasn’t alone. Another dot labeled, “Lila Ivenova” hovered close by.

Remus and Lila had reached the Shrieking Shack after a few minutes easy walk. Remus used his wand to blast away an opening in the back door. They slipped inside. He conjured a lantern or two, and then gestured to a battered table and chairs. “Won’t you sit down?” he asked.

“I’d love a drink…” she said, eyeing him meaningfully. He conjured two glasses of wine, and handed her one.

“Now” he began, “suppose you tell me why you wanted to see me?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” she smiled. “I’m a reporter and you are the only person to have ever survived the werewolf’s curse. You’re the only person to have ever overcome it. In my homeland, you are famous.”

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, “And where is your homeland?”

“Bulgaria” she said coolly. He nodded. “I thought I detected a trace of accent.”

Remus took a seat across the table from her. “So, now you’ve met me. What is it you want to know?”

“Everything” she said slowly, through half closed eyes.

“Don’t reporters usually carry around loads of parchment and three quills?” he asked, mildly.

“Some do, I suppose, but I have an uncanny memory for stories.” she said, deftly dodging his question.

“And I have an uncanny memory for faces.” Remus said, “Yours is very familiar.”

“Not this again,” she said, rolling her eyes. “People have been calling me “Lily” ever since I arrived.”

He looked at her face closely. In the light, he could see the subtle differences. There was a certain harshness in her eyes that Lily’s never had. But he said easily, “A natural mistake to make. You realize, of course, who you look like.” She nodded. He was about to say more, when Lila leaned across the table, accidentally spilling her drink. Her glass fell to the floor, breaking. Remus stooped to retrieve and repair it. In a twinkling, Lila shook the contents of a small vial into his wine. He never saw it, or tasted it, as he sipped deeply a few minutes later.

Remus began to feel sleepy and stupid. The room was warm – the air oppressive. His head hurt and his vision blurred slightly. He could hear Lila’s voice from a long way away. “You loved her, didn’t you?”

Remus mumbled, “Of course I did, we all did” Lila slipped from her chair and twined her arms around his neck. With preternatural strength, she lifted him to his feet and helped him up the stairs to a huge four poster bed with dusty hangings. They fell across it.

Lila continued whispering. “You could have been with her if it hadn’t been for curse. That must have hurt you terribly.”

“No,” he mumbled, “…never loved me, always James.”

“But that’s over now,” she said, her lips to his ear. “Your free” she threw back her head and laughed. Remus was clinging desperately to consciousness. The room was beginning to spin. Mist filled his eyes, and suddenly Lila was no longer Lila, but Lily.

Overcome by the powerful drug Lila had put in his drink, he gave way to hallucination. “Lily” he whispered, taking her into his arms.

She kissed his eyes and lips, then slid slowly to the hollow of his neck. Her lips brushed against his jugular vein and she could feel his heart beat. It was intoxicating. She felt an urgency in the pit of her stomach. She needed to feed. Without warning, she bit savagely into his neck. He moaned in pain and tried to push her away, but he was too weak. She clamped down hard and began to drink.

A door slammed loudly downstairs. There was the sound of running feet. A voice shouted, “Remus! Remus are you alright?” Lila roared in frustration and shifted silently into mist, drifting slowly away through a crack in the window.

There was a wand blast, followed by a jet of red and gold sparks. Harry stood in the doorway, eyes blazing, wand drawn. He stepped warily into the room. Remus was lying in a pool of blood, barely breathing. Harry seized him and by sheer force of will, heaved him over his shoulder and apparated directly to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey screamed and dropped one of her bedpans when Harry appeared under her nose, covered in blood and carrying Remus. “You’ve got to help him.” Harry shouted, “He’s lost a lot of blood – too much blood.”

~~~

She closed her eyes and was about to apparate to Harry's side when Ron grabbed her by the elbow. "Not here..." he hissed, "No one's supposed to know you can apparate, much less apparate in the Castle!" he said in a low voice that the Creevey brothers, who had begun arguing the effectiveness of Holy Water against vampires, missed entirely.

Ron seized Hermione and shoved her hastily behind a tapestry. He heard the characteristic "pop" of apparition, and knew that she had gone.

He turned his attention back to the Creevey brothers who had missed her departure as well. "Now where were we?" Ron said loudly. "Holy water," said Holly Lockheart from somewhere behind him.

Hermione’s nostrils were assailed with the smell of disinfectant.

She knew that smell. She was in the hospital wing. "Harry?" she said, looking around.

He was standing next to Madam Pomfrey, shouting, "You've got to help him! He's lost a lot of blood - too much blood. In horror, Hermione watched as Harry lowered the still form of Remus Lupin onto a bed.

There was a jagged wound at his neck. Madam Pomfrey seized her wand and instantly staunched the flow of blood - magically mending the torn arteries and veins. With skill and precision, she inserted a new IV line and began dripping much needed blood back into Lupin's nearly depleted body.

Hermione edged forward quietly and laid a hand on Harry's bloodstained shoulder. "Hermione," he breathed, turning to face her, letting his head sag onto her shoulder.

She led him to a nearby bed and sat him down. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

He told her about seeing Remus and Lila on Ron's map. "I apparated directly to the Shrieking Shack, but it was too late, she had already started to....feed on him."

"You saw her then?" Hermione asked.

"No, no" he shook his head. "She must have heard me coming up the stairs and vanished. I remember seeing mist in the room..." his voice trailed off as he tried to reconstruct what had happened. "Then I saw Remus. I don't remember anything else except bringing him here..."

"And in the nick of time, too!" said Madam Pomfrey. "Another few minutes and he would have surely died." She bent over Lupin, pouring amber liquid between his lips. They could hear her muttering to herself. "Wretched vampires..."

There didn’t seem to be much more they could do for Remus, and Madam Pomfrey was clearly ready for them to leave… “You’d better go change your robes, Potter,” she said in a tone that was a bit more maternal than she usually used with him. “Come and see him in the morning before class if you like.” Harry nodded gratefully and taking Hermione by the hand, led her toward the Gryffindor Common Room. As they neared the portrait of the fat lady, they could hear raised voices. It sounded like an argument.

~~~

Upon learning that both Remus and Harry were being targeted by a vampire, Sirius had set off in search of Remus. Sirius suspected that they might have gone to the Shrieking Shack, and made his way directly there, accompanied by Alias Swift, the Unspeakable from the Ministry of Magic. They arrived to find the Shack deserted, but noticed with horror that the upstairs bed was soaked in blood.

“I’ll go with you to Hogwarts,” Alias replied, “Its time I let Dumbledore know what’s going on…” And so, they apparated as close to the Castle as its defensive magic would allow, then made their way on foot across the grounds and into the Entrance Hall. Sirius sped toward Gryffindor tower, while Alias set off in search of the headmaster.

Sirius reached the Portrait of the Fat Lady who bristled at the sight of him. Her encounter with Sirius two years before was fresh in her mind. She rustled her pink silk dress irritably and said, “Password?”

“Not a clue…” said Sirius, “but it’s imperative that I speak to Harry Potter.” The Fat Lady folder her arms across her chest and refused to budge. Sirius was growing annoyed. “Be reasonable, you know who I am…”

“I know perfectly well who you are!” she shrieked at him “and what you’re capable of!”

“Those were extraordinary circumstances!” he said, his voice growing louder…

~~~~

“What’s that about?” Harry said, as the voices increased in volume. Suddenly he recognized Sirius’s voice and broke into a run.

“Not here…” said Hermione, and turning to the Fat Lady, she said crisply “Paravel”. The Fat Lady swung reluctantly on her hinges and shot Sirius a nasty look as he scrambled through the portrait hole behind Harry and Hermione.

Fortunately, the Common Room was nearly deserted, for it had grown quite late. Only Ron remained, and he was pacing anxiously by the fire. He was startled to see Sirius, and the blood on Harry’s robes made him pale beneath his freckles. “You okay?” he croaked hoarsely at Harry.

“Yeah, fine” Harry said, taking a seat. The others followed suit. “Your map was a lifesaver. Without it, I would have never found Remus.” said Harry gratefully to Ron.

“You found him?” Sirius said sharply.

“Yeah” said Harry, “in the Shrieking Shack. Evidently I interrupted Lila just as she had begun to feed on him. He lost a lot of blood, but Madam Pomfrey says he’ll be okay.”

Harry turned to Sirius, “I gather you got my message?” he asked, referring to the note he had sent with Hedwig.

Sirius nodded. “I went to the Three Broomsticks looking for Lila. Rosmerta told me she had just left with Remus. I managed to convince Rosmerta to let me search her room. When I got there, I found one of the Unspeakables searching her room as well.”

“You’re kidding…” breathed Ron.

“No, I’m not,” said Sirius. “He was a classmate of mine – name’s Alias Swift. Says he’s been tracking this woman for months trying to find out who she’s working for.”

“I think we all have a pretty good idea who that is…” said Hermione, dryly.

Sirius took a file folder from his robes and passed it to Harry. “We found that in her room. Alias has loaned it to me long enough for you to see it, but then it will have to be taken into evidence.” Harry flipped the folder open and was startled to see pictures of himself, his mother and his father. There were pictures of Remus, too, as well as loads of biographical information. Harry dug deeper into the papers. He found a dossier of reporter’s credentials and a passport bearing the name Lila Ivenova.

“What does all this mean?” Harry asked.

“It means that Remus isn’t her only target.” Sirius said, lifting a note from the pile of papers in Harry’s lap and pointing to some scrawled notes. It read only: “Lupin – dark gift, Potter – extinguish”

Hermione had been reading over Harry’s shoulder and gasped “The dark gift! She’s trying to turn Remus into a vampire.”

Harry nodded slowly. “I suppose Lucius Malfoy would consider that vengeance for the fact that Remus turned him into a werewolf.” Harry smiled bitterly, “and I see he hasn’t forgotten me either.”

Sirius got to his feet and began to pace. He raked a hand through his hair. “She’ll have a hard time extinguishing you Harry, as long as you can apparate. And even if you’re unconscious, Hermione should be able to use the Cadeau Du Mer to summon you from danger.” He thought for a moment. “Do any of you know how many times Lila has had access to Remus?”

Hermione thought for a minute. “Probably only twice, but I can’t be sure.”

Sirius sighed. “She’ll have to have access to him at least three times, and convince him to drink some of her blood in order for him to become a vampire.”

“I can’t see Remus ever letting her near him again, much less drinking her blood!” Hermione said, desperately wanting to believe she was right.

“You don’t understand about vampires, Hermione.” Ron said, nervously, “They have ways of well…manipulating you. They can get you to do things you’d never dream of doing normally.”

“Well then,” Hermione said, her voice slightly higher, “how are we going to keep her from getting to Remus and Harry? Obviously, garlic’s out…” she said sarcastically, gesturing to the wreathes and swags of garlic that the Creevey brothers had insisted on putting at every window.

Sirius scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Alias is meeting with Dumbledore right now, and doubtless they will have some suggestions. Keep in mind, too, that during daylight hours, she’s no threat. She’ll have to find a cave or crypt somewhere to sleep in while the sun is up since she can’t return to her rooms at Three Broomsticks. But when the sun sets…”

Harry interrupted quietly, “she’ll come after us.”

“It’s simple then,” Hermione said. “We’ll have to find her in her lair tomorrow and turn her over to Alias.”

“Oh no you’re not,” said Sirius sharply, “you’re staying right here in the Castle and attending classes like everyone else. Leave this to me and to Alias.” Hermione frowned, but didn’t argue.

Sirius spent the rest of the night in a camp bed in the boys’ dormitory. Alias (much to the dismay of Madam Pomfrey) spent the evening in the hospital wing on a bed next to Remus.

Harry found it hard to concentrate in classes the next day. Hermione was distracted as well, and Harry noticed that she hadn’t been able to eat any of her breakfast. They visited Remus in the hospital during morning break. He looked pale and tired. He didn’t even have the energy to argue with Madam Pomfrey who was insisting that he stay with her through the weekend, even though it was only Thursday.

Talking with Remus helped ease their jangling nerves. “Vampires are easy to deal with, once you know what you’re up against. And we don’t even have to kill this one, since Alias wants to take her into custody – we just have to stun her.”

“You can stun a vampire?” Ron asked, surprised. Hermione rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything.

Remus nodded, which made his head hurt, and said, “Yep, just like you can stun a wizard. No messing about with stakes through the heart or slopping Holy Water everywhere, just get a wand on her and yell ‘Stupefy!’”

They all felt a bit better and somehow managed to get through the rest of the day without incident. The afternoon slipped away, and soon sunset was upon them. Harry stood with Hermione in the Entrance Hall, looking out one of the large windows onto the grounds. The tops of the trees in the dark forest had turned to glorious gold in the fading light.

“I hate this!” Hermione burst out suddenly. “I hate this….feeling of dread and the sickening waiting.” Her cheeks showed bright patches of red and her eyes were overbright. She thumped the banister railing with her fist in frustration. “We don’t even know if she’s coming tonight!”

“We could always go see Professor Trelawney…she’d be only too pleased to tell us when Lila’s coming.” Harry said lightly, trying to make the situation more bearable.

“You’re impossible,” Hermione said with a weak smile. Harry drew her into his arms and held her quietly as the sun disappeared below the horizon.