"I don't understand, Albus. What could be causing this?" The small charms professor demanded, albeit politely, during their bi-monthly staff meeting.

Halloween had just passed, Umbridge had been gone for over 3 weeks and so far, the Ministry had not sent a replacement. The staff was hoping they never would. Dumbledore was interviewing possible candidates, but until such a time that an appropriate replacement was found, the staff had the DADA classes covered. Severus taught most of the classes, since he felt confident leaving the first, second, and third year potions classes under the instruction of his apprentices. The few class periods he could not cover were seen to by Flitwick.

"I wish I knew, Filus," Albus sighed, but as he continued, his voice took on a more familiar commanding quality. "...at this point, I think the best we can hope for is that no more students are attacked before Christmas. We shall make it mandatory that all students return home for the holidays and with luck we will be able to find the source of the attacks."

"Oh, yes, what a brilliant plan," Tobias drawled sarcastically, obvious unimpressed. "Meanwhile, why not just sit around and twiddle our thumbs while Voldemort gains power and followers." Tobias crossed his arms and glared harshly at Dumbledore, while the majority of the staff was watching in shock.

Surprisingly, it was not Dumbledore that replied, but a soft, strong, voice from across the table from Tobias. "And what do you suggest? We are hardly miracle workers," Severus asked his father directly, though not disrespectfully.

Tobias leaned back slightly calmer, as though realizing his son's point, but he wasn't happy about it. Something had to be done, before the attacks escalated. "There must be a pattern of some sort. Perhaps involving the location of the attacks or those that have been attacked. What this...thing is isn't nearly as important as stopping it. Once we capture it, or at the very least contain it in some way, then we can worry about naming it."

"A pattern," Severus stated impassively, as though deep in thought.

"Yes," Tobias replied, it seemed as they were the only two involved in the conversation.

It was quiet only for a moment before McGonagall pulled out her wand and with a few flicks of her wand, a small blackboard appeared complete with chalk. In her usual no-nonsense voice, she addressed the group of teachers. "Well, if we work together, as some of the most brilliant minds in Britain, we should be more than capable of discovering any pattern."

Tobias smirked and nodded his head in her direction before standing from the table and moving towards the blackboard. Picking up the piece of chalk, he wrote the names of all the students on the board in the order they had been attacked, with plenty of room in-between to write. Turning around to face the table and using his ‘captain' voice, he began speaking. "Well? What are you waiting for? Severus, this girl was in your house," Tobias pointed to the first name on the board without turning to face it, "what can you tell me about her?"

For the next few hours, the professors of Hogwarts looked tirelessly for anything to give them a clue about what the monster was, where and whom it would strike next and some idea as to how to stop it. They left that night exhausted, irritable, and no closer then they were at the start of the meeting.

..............

"So...Sev," Harry began, too cheerfully not to be up to something. Severus lowered his quill and looked as his brother exasperatedly, he needed to do some research to find out what this thing roaming Hogwarts was, but he couldn't do that until the essays were marked. "What do you want for Christmas?"

Severus raised an eyebrow expertly and spoke irritability to his brother. If giving detentions to the boy for being late to class was going to be this torturous he'd just assign him a few nights with Filch next time. "What I want, now, is for you to finish scrubbing that caldron so you can go back to your tower and I can get something done."

Harry rolled his eyes before dropping the brush into the caldron with a clang and crossing his arms over his chest. He opened his mouth intent on telling his brother just what he thought about that, but stopped as Severus stood from his desk and walked determinedly towards the fireplace taking the jar of floo powder down. A confused look came over Harry's face and he tilted his head to the side before questioning Severus nervously. "What are you doing?"

Severus, a hand full of floo powder ready, turned toward his brother and told him in a casually innocent voice: "I'm flooing dad, of course. After all, I'm sure he'll want to know why you have detention for the next week with Filch."

Harry's mouth dropped open and he quickly reassured his brother even as he picked the brush back up and plunged it inside the caldron. "All right! All right! Look I'm scrubbing!"

Satisfied that Harry was in fact doing as instructed, Severus replaced the floo powder and moved back to his desk. The only sounds were that of turning pages, scratching quills, and the scrap of the brush on the caldron.

................

It was now time.

The nest was complete so as soon as some prey was lured into its home, the feast could begin.

Once it had its fill, it would be able to multiply and the nest would grow until it had taken over the maze of stone walls surrounding it.

With a sound that was practically human, the creature gave what could only be described as a sigh of contentment. The completion of its lair had taken much out of it. It would have to eat soon. If it grew too weak, then its home would crumble and it would have to start over once more.

Fortunately, the caller had left, so it could feed as much as it wished.

Once the food went to its lair, it would pick a few stragglers and lead them to its home.

......................

Professor Minerva McGonagall walked briskly away from Gryffindor Tower and to her own quarters, which were located down the hall from the Gryffindor Common Room. Since the creature's attacks had escalated, she now preformed a bed check each night and sealed the tower on her way out. She was especially on edge as she left the Common Room this night, however. It seemed that the thing attacking the school was growing restless. Three house elves had been discovered dead only a couple hours before. It also appeared as though the creature was growing stronger. The others had bled out through many cuts, and wounds, but these...Minerva repressed a shiver. The other house elves had cuts and bruises, like the students, then were abandoned, still alive.

The most recent attacks hadn't been as mundane. The three house elves, recently found, had been killed purposefully. While the others had been left to die, these were killed outright with no obvious signs of how. They were merely dead, with cuts and bruises, but none showed the blood loss the others had.

Quickening her pace, McGonagall continued briskly to her chambers where she had several books, many that were older than her, which she hoped might assist in stopping the monster lurking through Hogwarts and the Transfiguration professor was in a hurry to reach her private quarters and find the answer. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, as though she knew the answer, but it refused to unbury itself. Consequently, the solution remained allusive, but she was sure the answer lied in one of her old tomes. The question was, which one?

So absorbed in her thoughts was the deputy headmistress, that as she rounded a corner she ran smack into a wall, scratching her face and arms as she fell, leaving bruises. At least she thought it was a wall, what else could it be? As she tried to regain her equilibrium, a dark shadow fell over her and her eyes fluttered close.

........................

"What do you mean she's missing?" Tobias demanded of his son. It wasn't that he was angry with the boy, but frustrated with what he was hearing, as well as alarmed.

"We don't know where she is, Dad. She wasn't at breakfast this morning, then she didn't show up for transfiguration, which isn't like her. According to the third years, she didn't show up to the class after us, either," Harry explained with a bit of panic in his voice. Half way through their transfiguration class (during which they were teacherless), Hermione suggested they leave to go find Professor McGonagall. They had first gone to her private quarters, but didn't get a reply after they knocked. They would have opened the door to see if she was hurt and unable to answer, but the door had more wards then the three Gryffindors had ever seen preventing them from entering. Afterwards, they ducked into the hospital wing, but the Professor was nowhere to be found. Their search for the professor had caused them to skip their second class of the day and running into several third years they learned that McGonagall still had not made an appearance. By then, the concerned Gryffindors knew something was wrong. As perfects, Ron and Hermione knew the password to Dumbledore's office and went to him with their concerns, while Harry went to tell his dad, grateful that it was his free period and he wouldn't have to interrupt a class.

"Did you inform Dumbledore?" Tobias asked, distractedly. He had a feeling he knew what happened to her.

Harry nodded his head, while giving an impatient verbal answer. "Ron and Hermione went to inform him, while I came to tell you."

"I see," Tobias seemed only to be half listening, but Harry realized his father was thinking about the best course of action. "Come, I need him to call an emergency staff meeting."

Harry nodded and followed his father out of his office.

....................

The staff meeting had been a complete and utter waste of time. All they were able to establish was that Minerva was missing. Eventually, they came to the marvelous conclusion that Hogwarts was not safe and the Heads of House, with Professor Vector standing in for McGonagall, locked all the children away in their towers or underground homes after ensuring all were present and unharmed. Once the children were out of harms way, the teachers were going to pair up and perform a thorough search of the castle.

Tobias was on his way to the dungeons to meet up with Severus, who was ensuring all his students were safe and sound and that the house elves would deliver their lunch to the common room. Walking determinedly down the dungeon corridor, Tobias could not shake the feeling that he was being followed.

No, not followed...stalked...like prey.

.....................

Now this was interesting. It appeared as though the food was made up of a few families that traveled in packs. The older ones had locked their young up in their nest for safely, while the parents had taken to scouting the lair.

It was a pity, really, as the young tasted so much better than the adults of the pack. However, once the elders were done away with, the young would be left defenseless.

Now, to find the weakest of the old ones and pick them off, one by one. There was one, a male, that was a testament to will power that he was still walking. He produced no energy whatsoever, yet he appeared to be a leader among the others.

He would be the next victim.

..........................

Harry was sitting in the common room of Gryffindor Tower, drumming his fingers nervously on the table. Ron was beside him, being beat ferociously in chess, while Hermione couldn't seem to decided which book to peruse in order to complete her essay. The tension was tangible.

The common room had never been so quiet with so many people present. Everyone could see the nervousness etched in the faces of the teachers, which did nothing to dispel the anxiety felt by the students. For being the house known for its courage, the Gryffindors where practically sick with fear.

Harry was startled out of his thoughts when Fred and George, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared at the table with them. Ron, with a muttered curse, put his chest set away, and Hermione seemed almost willing to close her books.

"So what's the plan?" asked George eagerly.

"What plan?" asked Ron confused.

Fred rolled his eyes before answering, "You three always have a plan that, despite everything, always works. Now, care to share?"

"There is no plan," Harry stated with a dark look and clenched fist. "Besides, we're locked in, unable to help and I don't even have my invisibility cloak."

"Oh," the twins answered in unison, before leaning back in their chairs, deflated.

In response, Harry merely got up angrily, banging the chair back against the wall in the process, and stormed up to his dorm room. Once there, he did the only thing he could.

He threw a tantrum.

Though if asked later, he would deny it, saying he was merely relieving his frustrations regarding being left out and unable to help. He kicked his trunk and his bed before picking up his pillow and hitting Ron's bed with it.

Then as quickly as it came, Harry collapsed on his bed, swallowing hard and fighting back his frustrated tears. It wasn't fair. He should be helping his dad and brother locate McGonagall, but no, he was stuck here utterly useless and trapped like a rat.

It just wasn't fair.