Harry, Ron, and Hermione just barely made it back to the gate back to Hogwarts before it closed. It was only when they entered the common room did they realize how tired they were. Harry still had an essay on the properties of unicorn blood. He thought back to his first year and wrote down what ever came to mind, and began to wonder how many different ways he could write about keeping one from dying. Hermione, who had done her essay already, went to bed.
Ron and Harry sat at a table in the common room doing the last bit of their homework. Harry grew tired, slowly drifting away from his homework. Unicorn blood can be used for healing purposes… Harry set his quill down on the table. He could finish this tomorrow. Next to him Ron must have been thinking the same thing, for he put all his books back in is bag.
Harry forced himself to clear his mind before he fell asleep….
Someone was tugging on his arm. “Harry,” they groaned, “Get up! Harry!” Harry opened his eyes to see a lot of brown bushy hair hanging over him.
“Hermione,” Harry moaned, “I’ll get up later.” He rolled over in his bed and closed his eyes. Hermione became impatient and began to tug on his arm again. Harry used his free arm to throw I pillow at her, so she would let go.
“Come on! We’ve only got ten minutes ‘til transfiguration.” said Hermione.
“Alright!” Harry groaned irritability, “I’m up, see?” Hermione nodded and stalked out of the room. Harry pulled on his robes and walked into the common room. Hermione was sitting impatiently while looking at the clock.
“Finally!” groaned Hermione as they walked down the hall. Harry, who was still half asleep, simply nodded and followed Hermione to class. They took their seat in class while professor McGonagall lectured. Hermione, along with the rest of the class, took notes. Harry, on the other hand, took this time to finish his potions essay.
Professor McGonagall walked around the class as she lectured. Harry ignored her and continued his potions essay. McGonagall stopped next to him and looked over his shoulder as the class fell silent. Harry looked around to see why it had become so quiet.
“Mr. Potter, what, might I ask, does unicorn blood have to do with forcing an Animagi to resume its usual form?” she asked. The class snickered at his dumbfounded expression. Harry smiled sheepishly.
“Nothing professor,” he said softly.
“Then I suggest you put it up.” McGonagall said. Harry nodded softly and folded up his essay just before the bell rang.
Harry and Hermione turned in their potions essay to professor Snape, who was to return them graded at the end of class. They spent the rest of the class period making a potion that called for powdered unicorn blood.
“Oh,” Hermione groaned tiredly, “He wanted the essay on powdered unicorn blood! I just did unicorn blood in general.”
“He didn’t say anything about the essay being about powdered blood. We’re just using it for this particular potion.” Harry said trying to calm her, but she shook her head.
“He didn’t,” she moaned in a distressed manner, “He said it during his lecture, that we wouldn’t be using pure unicorn blood. I even wrote it in my notes.” Harry wondered how it was possible for Hermione to have written an essay that was completely on the wrong subject. Of course Harry had done the same, but he was likely to do something like this.
Professor Snape walked around the room handing back papers. He had a horrible smirk on his face as he came to Hermione, as though thrilled that she had done one thing wrong for once. He held up the paper so that anyone behind her could see her grade before setting it down on her desk.
“Ten out of fifty?” she whispered, her voice very high pitched. Snape walked on to Harry, who had received a lower grade than Hermione. People around them started to whisper to each other, while Hermione hid her face in her hands. She wasn’t crying, she merely seemed distressed.
The bell gave a small buzzing sound and the class shuffled out of the dungeons. Harry and Hermione were the first people to enter the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, where Ron met them just after them. Lupin had an odd expression about him, as though hoping they had brought something with them.
“Err… You three wouldn’t have seen my map while in Hogsmeade would you?” he asked hopefully.
“Your map,” said Ron, “you mean ‘s gone?” Lupin took this as a ‘no’ and sighed.
“I suppose if you don’t have it then yes.” he said in a forced calm voice.
They took their seats in the classroom, and started the lesson as the rest of the class came in. Harry thought back to their Hogsmeade visit. He had seen a cloaked figure ran out of the pub with a dark piece of parchment, about the same colour has Lupin’s map, which looked as though it had been folded over. After that Lupin went running after him in the same direction.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all did different homework essays in the comfort of the common room. Hermione kept zoning out, peering around at the people chatting. Finally she set down her quill and looked desperately at Harry.
“Harry, I… I need to use your cloak again.” she said quickly, as thought it had been on her mind for a while. “And the map.” she added softly.
“Wa “ why?” Harry asked.
“Because,” pleaded Hermione, “the last time I used them it really helped me keep my mind on things. I was getting better grades than all of that month. It might help me concentrate more. Besides, Lupin went and lost his map, so I can’t get caught.”
Harry gave her a calculating look, then told her to get the cloak and map out of his trunk. Hermione thanked him and gave him a small hug before disappearing into the boys’ dormitory. About two minuets later, the portrait open and closed it’s self.
Harry had a hopeful feeling that Hermione might let him copy her charms homework since he let her borrow his cloak. With that he put his books away, and fell asleep in the comfort of his bed.
Sunday was perhaps the best day of the week. He had no classes, practice, or lessons, leaving him to wake up when he pleased, which today was about ten. Unlike the first time Hermione chose to sneak out, Harry wasn’t worried. He didn’t want to bother himself with a sleeping girl.
Harry entered the common room where Ron and Ginny were playing chess while a lot of boarded Gryffindors watched. “Who’s winning?” yawned Harry. Ron looked at him irritably as Ginny watched one of her pieced carry Ron’s rook off the board.
“Hermione’s got to many classes this year.” Ginny stated as Ron made an attempt to check her king. “I feel sorry for anyone who has classes on Sunday.”
“Hermione doesn’t have classes on Sunday.” Harry said, frowning.
“Well she must. I mean, I haven’t seen her any this morning.” Ginny said happily has she took Ron’s queen.
The landscape that surrounded the castle was covered by a dark layer of clouds. The grounds were muddy from the melted snow. Harry wandered onto the grounds to search for Hermione. He wished that it was still snowing, at least that way he could see her footprints in the snow. He walked over to the same spot where he found her last time.
He felt around the willow tree at the edge of the lake, hoping to feel the outline of Hermione, but none came. “Hermione?” he asked softly. There was no answer. He looked around the ground nervously. “Accio cloak! he hissed. From the base of the willow where he had just searched came the silvery figure of his cloak.
Harry’s stomach lurched. “‘mione?” he said much more loudly. Once again there was no answer. “Accio map!” he said worriedly. The thick parchment came flying towards him from the same spot as the cloak. Harry opened it and began to search through all the pages. He was just overlooking her. That had to be it. But from what Harry could tell, Hermione was no longer on the castle grounds.
A horrible thought seemed to click within Harry’s mind. During the Christmas holidays there had been a Death Eater attack in Leeds. They had been looking for her, so they could lure Harry somewhere. A cloaked figure was seen with a piece of parchment that looked like Lupin’s map. It was a Death Eater had stolen the map from Lupin when he went to the Three Broomsticks. Harry thought to himself. Wormtail would have known how to activate the map.
How could he have been so stupid? He simply let Hermione use his cloak and map to get as close as possible to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds in the middle of the night. “Dumbledore..” Harry murmured to himself and broke into a run towards the castle.
He ran throughout the castle, not caring about the few people he knocked over. “Canary Creams!” he panted to the gargoyle, and sprinted up the stairs. The office door opened and Harry stumbled into it. “Professor…” he panted to nobody. Professor Dumbledore was not where in his office. Most of the people were gone from their portraits.
Harry’s mind was racing with questions. Where would a man like Dumbledore be on a Sunday afternoon? A clipping of the Daily Prophet sitting on the edge on the table jogged his memory. Amelia Bone’s inauguration was today.
Knowing how important it was to inform the headmaster of what had happened, Harry clumsily grabbed a handful of floo powder from a flower pot and threw it into the fireplace. “Ministry of Magic!” he croaked, just before being engulfed by a wall of emerald flames.