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The announcement the next morning was made by Professor Potter, and sent the school into a whirlwind of panic. In one night, the amount of attacks had doubled, even if Elias, Trilia, and Wren were all back with their Houses after only a night in the hospital wing. It took a full five minutes for Professor Potter to calm the chaos enough to speak over it.

"Students, I know this seems bad, and you're all scared of more attacks, but it is easily avoidable. Do not go anywhere alone, and do not leave your common room after curfew." Was it just me, or did he glance longer at James and I than anyone else when he said that?

The attacker hadn't been caught. The aurors had spent all night searching the entire school and the grounds, but no one was out of place. All they'd manage to do was disturb the house elves in the middle of the night, making our food this morning below average, most likely due to sleepy kitchen staff.

All the Gryffindor first years now moved as a pack. The other Houses' first years copied this practice, except Luna, so that it wasn't unusual to see a group of five boys and a few girls waiting outside the girls' lavatory while two or three girls used the bathroom. That was a bit too strange for my liking, and James' and my close calls had given me an insane amount of courage, so I refused to join the Gryffindor first years. Instead, I dragged Albus and Wren around by ourselves.

The day after the attack, we found James and rushed up to the library. We holed up at a corner table with every book about Dumbledore's Army we could find.

"Based on last night, I'd say we're on the right track," James said, lacking his usual grin. I understood how he felt; for once, I didn't really want to be right.

Wren frowned at Albus, then turned her gaze to James. "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't we tell you guys?" James asked. "We think the attacks have something to do with Dumbledore's Army. I mean, think about it. All the attacks so far, other than yours, have been on children of DA members." He pushed a book containing the list of members over to Wren.

"And anyway, yours was just because you happened to be there," I added.

"I wouldn't consider it an attack..." Wren said, studying the list. "I only got stupefied."

James shrugged. "Exactly. It makes sense. See..." He pointed to several names and listed the children of each member.

Albus sighed. "But why would they be attacking DA members' kids? That doesn't make sense, especially if they're looking for something..."

I gasped suddenly. "But it does! What if he knows the kids don't know where something is, but he's trying to get the information out of their parents by torturing their kids?"

James grinned at me. "That's brilliant! And that would explain why he hasn't been using a silencing spell on them. He wants people to find the kids and he wants the kids to say what he asked!"

Wren frowned. "But that still doesn't explain what she's looking for."

"She?" James asked, confused.

Wren crossed her arms. "It could be a 'she.' We don't know." Albus rolled his eyes.

Sighing, James said, "Whatever, he, she, it, they're still a criminal."

"And they're still looking for something," I added. "But what?"

No one had an answer to that. We spent an hour searching every book about the DA for a clue, but came up with nothing. Eventually, we had to give up.

"I bet my dad knows," James muttered as we walked out of the library.

"I bet he wouldn't tell us," Albus said glumly.

Albus was right, of course. If it was something worth using the Cruciatus Curse on children to get, Mr. Potter certainly wouldn't tell us what it was.

The week dragged on. Elias, Trilia, and Wren were bombarded with questions, and it was making Wren very nervous, I think. She didn't even remember anything that has happened that night! Couldn't they leave her alone?

The Wednesday after, Wren, Albus, and I were walking to lunch from Defense Against the Dark Arts. We were trying to avoid all the curious people who had been flocking around Wren, from wide-eyed and frightened first years to worried seventh years.

I suddenly froze. Up ahead, I could hear voices, voices that I recognized all too well. I probably wouldn't have cared, but I heard my own name multiple times. A quick glance around revealed that we were near the library, presumably where the voices were coming from. I pulled Wren and Albus into the library and behind a shelf, then listened carefully.

Ciara's voice wafted through the books. "Stupid Lewis, Stupid Potter, why do they get hailed as heroes? It's not fair."

Nico's voice replied, "All they did was break the rules." A pause. "You know, I have an idea.." I could practically hear his smirk.

Ciara quickly asked, "What?"

"We should go try to catch this attacker ourselves..."

Another pause. Ciara must have been considering this. "Not yet...we don't even know if he'll be out any time soon."

Nico must have shrugged. "All right, whatever. It's still a good idea."

Suddenly, Albus sneezed. Wren and I glared at him, then quickly turned, wands out, too see Nico coming to investigate. When he saw us, his face twisted into a sneer. "Hey, Ciara, I think we might have some eavesdroppers."

"What?" I heard Ciara's chair scrape across the floor, and her footsteps rounding the bookshelf. I wasn't scared this time. I could take them. After all, I could do nonverbal magic if I tried hard enough. And with Wren and Albus at my side, they were outnumbered.

Ciara glared at me when she saw us. "So, you've stooped to listening to private conversations? I really would have expected better from the hero of Hogwarts." She raised her wand casually, smirking.

"I'm not the hero of Hogwarts, you idiot," I said, rolling my eyes. "Who says that?"

Ciara's face showed real surprise. "You haven't heard? People are calling you and Potter the Heroes of Hogwarts, the Stars of Gryffindor. It's sickening. You didn't even do anything."

I hadn't heard any of that, and judging by the confused looks on both Wren and Albus's faces, I guessed they hadn't either. Of course, we'd been sticking to ourselves a lot.

"I agree," I said, shrugging. "I haven't done anything. Just happened to be at the right place, at the right time."

Ciara faltered. "You agree?" Nico jabbed her with his elbow, and she regained her composure. "You don't deserve those titles."

"You're just a prat," Nico added.

Wren glared at him. "She is not! You are!"

"Aw, so cute, little Wren thinks I'm a prat. I'm so scared," he said, shaking with laughter.

"You should be," she declared, sounding a whole lot braver than she looked. She pointed her wand at Nico, who continued to laugh.

"Anteoculatia," she said clearly, and burst of light erupted from her wand tip. It flew towards a surprised Nico and quickly disappeared. For a second, we all held our breath. Nico looked like he was about to laugh again when Ciara shrieked. His hair was growing into antlers.

Nico reached up to feel his head, then started completely freaking out. Albus and I started laughing, though Wren just looked happy that her spell had worked. Nico rushed off, trying to hide his head, followed by Ciara, who turned back to us just before leaving the library.

"You'll regret that," she said coldly, staring straight at Wren. Then she turned and marched out.

~~~~

Over the next two months, March and April, we managed to beat Hufflepuff at Quidditch, I heard many people using the names Ciara had mentioned, and four more attacks happened. And none of them occurred at night.

Lacy and her sister, Leah, were attacked outside, in broad daylight, but in a place that conveniently wasn't observable from any of the castles windows. They'd been writing letters to their family, and the attacker had apparently come up behind them, used Petrificus Totalus on them, probably asked them the questions, then Crucio. It hadn't lasted long before Hagrid stumbled upon them, scaring the attacker into the Forbidden Forest. The aurors didn't find him.

Colin Creevey was the next. He got detention in Transfiguration, and had been walking back from it when the attacker struck, exactly the same way. He was found even faster, by Professor Patil, but the attacker cast some sort of invisibility spell on themselves and disappeared.

The last was Elizabeth Finch-Fletchley. She had gone to search for Luna, actually, to tell her that Herbology for the Ravenclaws had been cancelled because Professor Longbottom wasn't feeling well. The attacker hadn't expected her, it seems, but had ended up doing exactly the same thing he had with Colin and the twins: Petrificus Totalus, questions, Crucio. She was in the hospital wing for a week before Madam Pomfrey released her.

By the beginning of May, several students had been pulled out of school "until safety returned."

I wanted to do something, to help, but I had no idea how. There was no way I could stand up to the attacker, not if they had no qualms about using an Unforgivable Curse on children. Anyway, exams were coming, I didn't have time for much of anything except studying.

Wren made sure that Albus and I studied practically all the time. I was fine with it, because I knew that if I didn't pass, I couldn't move on to second year, and I'd get sent back to the Lewis's, or worse. Albus, who, like James, seemed to take Hogwarts for granted, having grown up with it, had a harder time studying. Wren and Albus got into a lot of arguments about that.

"Wren, can't I do this later?" he said, looking longingly outside, on one of the first nice days that week.

"No," she said firmly, frowning at him. "You need to pass your exams and you won't if you don't study."

"You sound like my mum," he complained, but went back to his book.

May second, the whole school was given the day off as a memorial to those who died in the Battle of Hogwarts twenty years ago. Most kids had lost a family member or family friend in the battle, and even if they hadn't personally known the person, it was still a sad day. All of the teachers looked especially somber. They had all fought in the battle, and lost friends, except for Professor Sulcan, of course. Professor Potter himself had died in the battle, but somehow also didn't die in a confusing turn of events.

All the Weasleys met outside, along with James and Albus, who dragged me along, to have a moment of silence for their Uncle Fred who had died there. Now I suppose I understood Fred Weasley's name...

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Did you like those Fred feels at the end?

Questions will be accepted until the Author's Note at the end is published, and even then I'll probably add your question to it if you have a good one that hasn't been asked (once Book 2 is out, though, make sure you say which book the question is for).

Sorry for the short chapter...

Anyway, vote!

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I love you guys!

~Ellie