He stopped unable to read anymore and looked up into the shocked faces of Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. They had met Doge at Headquarters. He seemed like a good person, the few times they met. However, the people around them immediately flew into a panic, as did their parents, who sent letters to their children, seeing if anything had happened to them. 
                              
The news of the murdered family shook the school to its foundations. The next Hogsmeade visit was canceled. The Care of Magical Creatures classes were not held in the woods anymore. Everyone became extremely interested in Defense Against the Dark Arts, now. They wanted protection, and even Snape was thrown off by their sudden desperation for participation. 
                              
Even Quidditch had its down side. They witnessed an unaffected Slytherin team beat Ravenclaw by two hundred and fifty points. They had indeed been training. They were not as good as Gryffindor, but they made up for it in brutality. Roger Davies ended up in the hospital for three days after being hit in the head with a Beater's club.
                              
Ron stepped up the training to include defensive plays and misdirection plays. He went through book after book trying to look for moves to protect against the callous moves of the Slytherin team. Harry knew that while Ron was concerned for all his players, he was more worried about his younger sister. She was the smallest player on the team and proved to everyone that she was the top Chaser. She had not missed a goal, yet. However, when Ron suggested that she slow down and not make such an obvious target, she exploded, and said she could handle the Slytherin team and that he should not be so over-protective. Ron reluctantly backed off.
                              
When they were not thinking about Quidditch, the school was relatively somber. The imaginary safety net that had surrounded the school seemed to have fallen, and the reality was that Voldemort was still out there. Their professors got participation out of fear, but the depressing state of the castle seemed to dwindle away that sudden rush of involvement. Meals were quiet, and the common room was worse. No one was happy or laughing. One little act caused this much pain. Harry did not understand it. 
                              
One morning, he went out for a walk around the castle. It was before Ron and Hermione was up. He could not figure out why the murder of the Doges could affect the whole school, when no one really knew them. He was on the fourth floor, not really watching where he was going, when he felt like he plunged into an icy shower. He stepped back quickly. He had walked straight into the Bloody Baron, who everyone, living and spirit alike, avoided. 
                              
"Mr. Potter, you should watch where you are going," he said in a stern, but hoarse voice. Harry shook off the goose bumps and looked up into the Bloody Baron's gaunt face.
                              
"Sorry," he said, though wondering why a ghost would care if someone walked through him. The Blood Baron, however, stared through him as though he were a ghost, too.
                              
"What are you doing up so early this morning?" he asked, criticizing Harry's presence.
                              
"Walking around, why are you up?" Harry asked. 
                              
For some reason, the Bloody Baron did not make him as nervous as usual. His demeanor was not as formidable, when no one else was around.
                              
"Ghosts don't rest, Mr. Potter, and you should not be walking around the halls this early in the morning. These are dangerous times," he said, perceptively.
                              
"I know," Harry said, nonchalantly. 
                              
"Students always know everything," he said, critically. Harry looked at him and the silver bloodstains that were coming down the front of his shirt.
                              
"Where'd the blood come from?" Harry asked, audaciously, and the Bloody Baron looked piercingly at him. He was not offended, but impressed.
                              
"Only one other person has ever asked me that," he said, almost a little flattered. It reminded him of Myrtle. Maybe everyone was wrong in avoiding asking about how the ghosts died. They all seemed keen to tell. 
                              
"Even when I was alive, I couldn't get the blood off. I was cursed, forever. I committed a crime that nature does not forget. In my younger days, I thought nothing, but chasing immortally. I found several ways of advancing my life. Many were dangerous and had irreversible side effects. Then, I found something that would keep me alive, even inches from death. Do you know what it was, Mr. Potter?" he asked, stoically.
                              
"Unicorn blood?" he said after thinking about it, and the Baron smiled.
                              
"Yes, Mr. Potter, after one of my experiments backfired, I almost died. I caught the unicorn and drank its blood. It was easy. I survived, but to live the rest of my days cursed. My search for immorality ended there, for I was sure nothing could make me whole again and I had no desire to live forever in that condition. Tell me, Mr. Potter, how did you know about unicorn blood?" he asked.
                              
"I saw Voldemort drink it," Harry said, waiting to see a ghost's reaction to the most feared name in the wizarding world.
                              
"Voldemort, ah... yes, Mr. Tom Riddle. It is as I feared, but then again he deserves a worst fate than I," the Baron said, sadly. 
                              
"What is 'as you feared'," Harry asked.
                              
"Mr. Riddle had a great aptitude for acquiring immortality. It was he who asked me about the stains and learned about the unicorn blood. He asked about the other more dangerous spells I had used, and after that, I was never more concerned for anyone as I was with him. He was only afraid of death and being fameless. I don't need to worry about you, do I, Mr. Potter?" the Baron asked, raising his ghostly eyebrow.
                              
"No, death always seems to find me and I think I have enough fame," Harry said, with a dark hint of amusement.
                              
"Very good, Mr. Potter. You best be off to your common room," the Bloody Baron ordered.
                              
"Ok, good-bye," Harry said.
                              
"There is no good-bye for ghosts, Mr. Potter. We are always here," he said.
                              
Harry complied with his wishes and went back to Gryffindor Tower, thinking about Voldemort's search for immorality and what the Baron had said. Voldemort's mind and spirit found immortality, not his body. He was not sure if this new information helped at all, but when he got to the common room, Ron and Hermione rushed him at the door, believing that he would start wandering off again. 
                              
"I just went for a walk, calm down," he reassured them. 
                              
They got their bags and went downstairs for breakfast. It was still very quiet when they entered. They sat down and ate slowly. Everyone was eating very silently.
                              
"Why is everyone acting like this?" Harry asked. "They didn't even know them."
                              
"Because... imagine if you are here and your family and relatives were murdered," said Ron, looking quite pale and stirring his porridge inattentively. Harry started to understand and frowned. He just did not realize it, because he had already lost his family. 
                              
When they were finished, they went to Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid took them back to the padlock for Buckbeak and Nemesis, who was getting more aggressive by the day. Hagrid did not like to see her struggle against the chains, but griffins are very hostile when pregnant. He showed them how to feed her, and held her so they could pet her. 
                              
Malfoy would not come any closer to her, knowing what her mate can do. It was another good lesson and it raised the spirits of the class a little. Afterward, they went up to Defense Against the Dark Arts, which did not help the mood at all. Snape showed no interest in the feelings of the class. He had them working on pain-inducing spells that Death Eaters would no doubt use.
                              
However, in Transfiguration, McGonagall held back the class after the bell and said, "In an effort to lift the school spirit, there is going to be a ball on Easter." 
                              
With that, everyone looked up at her as if she said there was no more homework for the rest of the year.
                              
"It will be open to fourth years and above, though you can still bring younger students. Dress robes must be worn, and I expect all of you to behave appropriately. Any misbehaving will be dealt with accordingly," she said warningly and dismissed them.