A/n: hey people! I'm so happy! It was just my birthday! does little jigs and so, as a treat, I give you this chapter!

Chapter 9: Evil reappears…

Brooke woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. She glanced at the clock and her eyes widened, it was already 9:30. Luckily, it was the weekend and she was in no danger of being late. Humming to herself, she bustled around the empty room and proceeded to take a shower. Stepping out of the bathroom with only a robe on, she sat down in front of the mirror and picked up the necklace she had received the night before. She put it on, not noticing the faint glow it emitted once she had clasped it. Feeling light headed she rubbed her temples and stood up. She closed her eyes momentarily and when she opened them, an eerie glow was in her blue eyes.

Tossing her dark hair over her shoulder, she rummaged through her trunk and brought out a dress. She put it on and went over to the mirror and applied her make up. Grinning appreciatively at her reflection, she stood up, put on a pair of stilettos and waltzed out the door.

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Harry and the others waited in the common room for Brooke.

"Why didn't you two wake her up?" Ron asked the two girls crossly. "I'm getting hungry."

Olivia was about to reply when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. All four of them turned to see who it was. Their mouths dropped open when the person finally appeared.

"B-Brooke?" Harry gasped out. Everyone stared at her shock evident on their faces. And they had every right to be. Brooke was the type of girl who never really used make-up. She was a simple girl, a natural beauty. Now here she was, in a short tight0itting black dress and make-up.

"Hi there." She said with a wave. "Let's go down to breakfast guys. I need to scope out some hotties."

"Brooke?" Olivia said snapping out of it. "Are you feeling ok?"

Brooke gave her a grin, "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" she asked ditzily. When they finally got down to the Great Hall, Brooke was given a lot of appreciative stares.

"Brooke whatever possessed you to dress like this?" Olivia asked Brooke. But Brooke never heard it. She had already strutted over to the Ravenclaw house table and was shamelessly flirting with Scott Anderson, who looked as if his eyes were going to pop out of his head with shock.

"What just happened here?" Harry asked dazed.

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Ron, Hermione and Olivia sat in the Common Room doing their homework and contemplating. Brooke's behavior for the past two weeks had them utterly confused. She was flirting with boys, always wearing jewelry and make-up, and wearing these clothes they didn't even know she had. They had watched the recording in the Room of Requirement and were as stumped as ever.

"You know I still don't understand it." Ron said while poring over his Divination essay.

"You're essay or Brooke?" Olivia asked jokingly.

"I'd say both." He answered.

"What I don't understand," Hermione voiced out from her four-foot long Transfiguration essay. "Is why she's acting like this, when it's pretty clear in the recording that she and Harry hit it off perfectly."

"I know," Olivia said frowning in confusion. "I can't understand it either."

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Draco lay in bed in his dorm room, laughing. He was having immense fun manipulating Matthews. He had been assigned to monitor her actions. Pretty soon Brooklyn Matthews, you'll be dead…he thought, twirling his wand in his fingers. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'You're making a mistake you know." said a nagging voice in his brain, that set aside the malice riddled in with his last thought.

'No I'm not. I don't care if she dies.' He told the voice defiantly.

'Yeah right.' The voice said in a mocking tone. 'If that's true, then why do you think that if she's not going to be yours then no one's going to get her?'

'I don't think that.' He said indignantly.

'Oh you do, you may not realize it yet… but you do…' the voice said sneakily.

Draco shook his head and buried his head in his hands. He just had an argument with a voice in his brain… clearly, that wasn't a good sign.

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Scott Anderson sat in the library face to face with Harry Potter and his friends. For so long, he had been jealous of the Boy Who Lived. He had everything it seems and yet, he took it for granted. He had fame, looks, Quidditch Captain, and a perfect girlfriend. But he still broke Brooke's heart. But he was not here in the musty Hogwarts Library to speak about Harry Potter's mistakes. He was here to talk about Brooke. The one girl he had ever loved… and the one girl he could never have.

Scott had to admit that he enjoyed all the attention Brooke had been heaping on him lately. But he found that he couldn't. Brooke had been acting strange for more than a month now. And frankly, he was getting worried. He wasn't the only one he flirted with, she flirted with almost every attractive guy in the castle. But now, as they sat here in utter silence, none of them could figure out just what had happened to Brooke that could cause her to act the way she was. But all five of them knew that whatever it was, they had to figure it out soon.

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Brooke sat in front of the mirror in her dorm frowning. Her brow furrowed deeper as she tried to recall a certain moment during the past week but found that she could not. What's wrong with me? Why can't I remember? She asked herself biting her lower lip. She had already finished her homework though she only vaguely remembered the lessons and had to look them up again, and as now left wondering where Harry and the others were. She also had a vague recollection of a bad verbal fight with Dahlia Withers from Hufflepuff though she couldn't imagine why. The necklace glowed red once again and a strange glint came to Brooke's usually gentle blue eyes. She checked her reflection and walked out the door. An evil smirk on her lips and an equally eerie evil glow in her eyes.

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Hermione frowned and sighed heavily. Whatever had caused Brooke's mysterious attitude change had more to it than what meets the eye. Ever since Brooke had started behaving strangely, there had also been mysterious attacks on students. They were mainly in the form of pranks but people had stared getting hurt. The hospital wing was now frequently housing the victims. All of who always had fights or confrontations with Brooklyn.

"I have an idea." Hermione said to the others at the table, brining out a piece of parchment and a quill and ink. "I don't know if it will help us but it's worth a shot."

"It's better than sitting her thinking till our brains explode." Olivia said shrugging.

"Let's hear it then." Harry said eagerly.

"What are some of the peculiarities you've noticed in Brooke?" she asked them.

"She's acting like a slut." Ron said frankly. Harry and Scott glared at him, clearly offended, but he shrugged it off. "It's true."

Hermione dipped her quill in the ink and wrote it down on the parchment.

"Umm.. Hermione?" Olivia asked. "How is this supposed to help us?"

"By making a list of all our observations, we should be able to identify something that's out of place." She explained. "Something that stands out. And maybe, just maybe we can figure out what's causing Brooke to act this way, and put a stop to it."

They all looked at her in fervent wonder before nodding in agreement.

Hermione pored over the list, analyzing each one. Always seems to be wearing jewelry. This triggered something in Hermione's memory. Brooke was always wearing jewelry nowadays. But there was one piece of jewelry in particular, that she never took off.

"Of course." She breathed, just loud enough for the others to hear. "It's so simple I never even thought about it!"

The others looked at her as if fearing that she had lost her mind. She laughed inwardly at the simplicity of it all. No one would have suspected all this from something so small and unimportant. The only thing out of place… a necklace….

A/n: hey hey y'all! i now it's short but i hope you liked that chapter! And since it was my birthday, I demand that all of you give me gifts! Lol, just kidding. Just review and I'll call it even. Also, check out my other stories! I have also updated them as a treat to all of you lovely people. Cheers! Don't forget to:

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shadOw08 c",)