Dead.

So that's what was wrong. Millie's family was dead. She was kept in hiding for a few weeks until it was decided that Hogwarts was probably the safest place for her to be.

Zander came back from Christmas break to the bad news of the death of the first wizards he had met. He didn't know what to say to Millie. The only thing he could do was listen to rumors. It drove him insane. It didn't all add up. Who would kill such a nice family? No one had answers, only assumptions. He didn't know. He didn't want to talk to Millie about it because he knew that memories like that where a sore point.

The rose he that had sucked his blood on the train had remained fresh as if it was just picked. Zander didn't know why he did it but he kept it near him always.

Someone (Jezzabell was a suspect) was also spreading rumors that Zander was a werewolf and that's why he was so self-reserved and had all the scars. Matt came back from Christmas break being... well... Matt. He didn't know what to do so he did nothing. Typical thing for Matt to do, by the way. He and Zander still hung out once in awhile but not much.

Millie surprised everyone by remaining her cheerful self. It was just to cover her pain though. When someone mentioned what happened to her family she would somehow disappear into the shadows and wouldn't be seen for at least fifteen more minutes.

Zander found her hiding one day while he was wandering around Hogwarts one day. He was near the Quidditch field when he looked up and saw a bit of movement on a castle wall. It took him another day to figure out how she got up there but when he did he snuck up behind her as she sat on the wall looking down at what was below.

The first thing he noticed was that she held a white rose in her hand and was carefully studying it.

"Where did you get that?"

Millie looked up, startled.

"Get what?"

"The Rose."

Zander leaned on the wall by her.

"It was in my sister's pocket when she-," Millie stopped and stared at the forbidden forest just beyond the walls of the castle.

Zander nodded his understanding.

"Oh, and thanks for the Christmas present," Millie said lightly touching a scarf around her neck that she had received from Zander for Christmas. It was a cute double-sided knitted scarf, one side was striped yellow and black and on the other side was decorated with the Hufflepuff logo with a yellow background.

"Yea. And thank you for the cauldron cakes."

"Aw, how cute. I must have just missed the snogging." A voice behind Zander and Millie made them tense their shoulders. They didn't have to turn around to know it was Jezzabell. Millie started to turn around but Zander lightly touched her knee to stop her.

"Oh, by the way, Millie, I forgot to tell you. I'm a werewolf," Zander said casually.

Millie smirked. She had heard the rumor that Jezzabell had started about Zander so she caught the joke.

"No way. Me too."

Jezzabell frowned. She hated being teased. She walked forward and snatched the rose from Millie's hands.

"Hey! Give that back!" Millie tried to grab it.

Jezzabell jumped back and raised the rose above her head.

"Come and get it."

"Jezzabell, I'd give that rose back to Millie if I were you," Zander said, turning around to face her, his voice was even but his eyes flashed threateningly.

"Oh, I'm so scared." She pulled out her wand quickly.

"Z, stop. It's my rose," Millie said as she pulled out her wand and jumped from her perch to meet Jezzabell.

"Expelliarmus," Jezzabell said.

Millie's wand flew out of her hand. Jezzabell smirked.

"Whitehurst, I do have a score to settle with you for embarrassing me in front of my fellow Ravenclaws."

"Jezzabell, I'm warning you." Zander had an unreadable look in his eyes. Jezzabell looked slightly intimidated but she clenched her jaw and looked at him determinedly.

"Come at me."

Zander pulled out a wand rather clumsily and but was quickly disarmed.

"Now what are you going to do?" Jezzabell chortled, "Guess your warnings meant nothing."

"One last warning," Zander's eyes glittered coldly as if he was actually enjoying what was happening.

"What are you going to do? Blink and make me disappear?" Jezzabell laughed.

"That would be a good start wouldn't it?"

There was something about his voice that disturbed Millie, almost as if it wasn't his own.

Jezzabell lowered her wand and narrowed her eyes scrutinizingly.

"What are you going to do, Whitehurst?"

"This." Zander yanked another wand from his sleeve and disarmed her.

Suddenly, something startling caught Jezzabell's eye. She looked up and saw a cloaked figure crouched in the air pulling out a wand. Forgetting everything else she gasped and pointed her finger. Millie turned around to see what was the matter and gasped too. Zander's eyes were blank.

His arms dropped to his side and his wand clattered to the floor. A shoot of purple magic shot out of the cloaked figure's wand directed at Millie. Millie, thinking the spell was meant for Zander, quickly lunged at him and knocked him over. The spell missed both of them.

Jezzabell quickly regained her senses and snatched up Zander's wand then quickly shot a spell at the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure dodged the weak spell and then sent a spell at Jezzabell.

Zander pushed Millie off then grabbed Jezzabell's ankle making her fall out of the way of the spell. He realized the person in his head had taken over him while he was fighting with Jezzabell but when Millie had knocked him over he had come back to his senses. He pulled his wand out of Jezzabell's hand and pointed at the cloaked figure still crouched in the air.

He didn't need to do anything though because something suddenly whizzed into the figure, knocking it over. It was Luke on a broomstick with Lucy behind him on another broom. They had seen what was happening from the Quidditch field and decided they needed to do something. Luke fell off his broom as he pushed the person out of the air.

Lucy caught his hand before he fell to his death but the figure kept falling until it landed on its feet on the ground below and started to run to the forbidden forest. Remarkably, however, it seemed unhurt despite the long drop.

"Come back!" Zander called after it. He put one leg over the side of the wall but Millie caught his arm.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going after it!"

He pulled away and leaped over the edge. As he neared the ground he pointed his wand at the ground. A gush of air-cushioned his fall but he still had a small bruise. Ignoring this he jumped to his feet and dashed after the figure.

"Come back!"

He chased it into the forest barely able to keep it in sight as they dodged trees and branches.

"I'm not going to hurt you! Come back! Who are you!"

The person suddenly stopped. Zander slowed to a stop five feet away from it.

"Who are you?" he repeated breathlessly.

"Don't you recognize me?" It kept it's back turned to him.

"You-you were the same person who killed Millie's family, aren't you?" Zander asked. The figure confirmed this by silence. "Then you came back to get Millie. Why? What did they do to you?"

The figure remained silent. The cloak it was wearing was black with white edges. It looked just an inch or so shorter then Zander. It had a slender build.

"You're a girl," Zander realized. He tried to walk around her to see her face but she turned away. Zander thought of something else. "You're the person who's in my brain, aren't you?"

"Zander, please, do as I say," she finally said, "Hold those you love close to you while you can. They're not going to be there very long."

"Let me see your face," Zander demanded.

"I can't take you yet because we don't have all we need to convince you," she continued,

"Please, enjoy your somewhat normal life while you can."

"Convince me for what?" Zander questioned, still trying to see her face. "Who are you?"

"You'll see in a few more years."

Suddenly she whirled around and all Zander remembered next was a flash of light coming from her wand.