Harry Potter and the Black Grimoire

CHAPTER TWENTYONE - THE LEGACY

Harry and Hermione returned from their ride just as the sun's last rays sunk below the horizon. They had ridden back after their visit to Godric's Cemetery in silence. Hermione had managed to get Harry to leave the graves of his parents, but he did so reluctantly. They spoke not a word all the way back.

Hermione waved to the passerby on the road, but Harry sat soundless in his saddle, silent tears still present on his cheeks. They all saw and understood. Not one pressed the matter; they new it best not to. It was a day they all knew would come. They had been expecting it.

Sirius was already back at the house when the returned. They could see lights on through the kitchen window. Smoke billowed forth from the brick chimney above. Sirius was at the fire when they entered the house, boiling a stew in a cauldron. He was in a good mood, but his smile faded as he saw the look on their faces. He guessed the reason.

Without saying a word to either of them he strode over to Harry and wrapped him in a comforting, fatherly hug.

"We all knew this day would come, Harry. It was for the best."

Harry's mournful frown faded a bit but he said nothing. He just wiped the tears from his eyes.

"I'm going to go to bed," he said softly. "I just need some sleep."

"Of course, Harry."

"Can I--?" Hermione asked Sirius, starting after him.

"Go."

She followed him to his room and made him as comfortable as possible beneath the covers. Then she herself got undressed and laid beside him. Harry's breathing had gone heavy almost before Hermione had even joined him. He was asleep. She kissed his forehead and snuggled up beside him.

~*~*~

The next morning brought another warm day for winter and another beautiful sunrise in the valley. Hermione woke up before Harry did and looked to him, where a small smile resided on his face.

'At least he slept happy,' she thought.

She rolled over and kissed him on the lips and ran her fingers through his hair as she watched his face. Soon his head turned and he flashed his green eyes at her.

"You're smiling," she said.

"I am."

"Does that mean you're feeling better?" she asked hopefully.

"I think so," he replied.

"Want to talk about it?"

"I think I can do that now."

"How do you feel?"

He looked up at the ceiling, apparently trying to find the right words.

"I can't really explain it," he said. "I guess I feel... at rest. Does that make sense?"

"Completely," she replied.

"It was a good thing to see their graves, I think. Like Sirius said, we all knew it was coming. And now that I did, I think I can... let go. Seeing them there with the rest of my relatives and ancestors... with Gryffindor...." He paused. "I guess I have closure now."

"That's a good thing."

"It is. But they're at rest now. Right where they should be. And I can't complain about that."

She smiled at him warmly and he returned it, this time taking his turn and kissing her on the mouth.

"Now lets go downstairs," Harry said, breaking the kiss. "I just realized I'm starving!"

"Typical boy," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

They both got up from the bed and Harry got dressed and headed for the bathroom. Hermione went to her own room to put on fresh clothes and brush her hair. They met up again in the kitchen where Sirius was again cooking breakfast, this time large waffles and bacon.

"You sure are quite the cook!" Hermione said when they entered.

"Ahh! I was wondering when you two were going to wake up!" He was wearing an extremely tacky apron with little hearts on it. "How're ya this morning, Harry?"

"Better," he replied with a smile. "Much better."

"Good! Then we can all do something together then today!"

"Uh, Sirius... we kind of met some people yesterday while we were out. I was invited to play Quidditch and Hermione's going shopping," Harry said ruefully.

"Well then can I come watch you play?" he asked, still with a smile.

"Of course! We can eat and hang out a bit then head over there. The game starts at noon."

"Sounds good!"

"You two will be able to bond," Hermione said sarcastically.

"I sense a note of jealousy, Ms. Granger," Harry said mischievously.

"I am not! Besides," she stated firmly, "I have my own plans today, remember?"

"Yes. Shopping."

"Yes. And now I don't think I will buy you anything!"

"Fine then! I didn't ask for anything!"

They were interrupted by Sirius's chuckle beside them.

They both turned to look at him. He was smiling and looking at the ceiling, absentmindedly, chewing on a piece of bacon.

"What?" they both said at once.

"Oh, nothing!"

"What??" they both said again.

"It's nothing! Just a bit of a flashback to my teenage years."

They both knew what he was hinting at. Harry's parents again.

Harry and Hermione smiled at each other and continued eating. Its not like they could ever be mad at each other for something as small as that anyway.

After breakfast, Sirius and Harry and Hermione lounged in the living room for a while. Hermione busied herself with the bookshelves and Harry and Sirius talked about Quidditch. At eleven o'clock they made there way out to the stables and mounted their horses. It had dawned on Harry that he didn't know where he should meet the guys, so they decided to ride into town. Hermione would be able to find Victoria and Jean either way.

Soon they reached the café that they had eaten at early and found the whole group to be gathered inside again at the same table. They came out as they saw the three ride up and greeted Sirius warmly. They knew him already after all.

"Harry! Is that a Firebolt?" Scottie asked, seeing his broomstick tied to the side of his horse.

"Sure is."

At that moment Scottie and John had started a great argument about whose team Harry would be on. Harry was quite pleased with himself.

Victoria and Jean had taken their opportunity and said they would be going. Hermione kissed Harry on the cheek before running off with the girls, who had suddenly developed a fit of the giggles.

Sirius sat atop his horse surveying the arguing that the boys were doing when Harry turned back to them. Finally they seemed to have come to a conclusion. They would flip a coin when they got to the playing field.

That being that, they started to lead Sirius and Harry to a great field on the other side of the town where a large group of boys were already gathered. There was one large hoop in the ground at either end of the field.

Soon Harry had been introduced to everyone and he was placed on John's team for the first game. Play began almost immediately.

As Harry played with the boys he found them to be quite good. The opposing team's seeker was a great flyer, but his broom was simply a joke compared to Harry's. He watched Harry zip around the field and do loops with a look of wonder in his eyes. Meanwhile Sirius had taken up a spot on the ground below to watch. James and Bubbles were grazing on the uncovered grass nearby.

Harry played for nearly the whole day with them. He felt that he enjoyed playing Quidditch a lot more when there wasn't as much pressure on him to perform well. Not that he didn't enjoy playing on the house team.

The sky was getting dark as Harry landed on the grass for the last time that day. The guys' mothers had begun to call them home from distant parts of the village, their voices carrying on the wind. They all thanked him for playing with them and commented on how great of a player he was as they left. Harry had not lost a game all that day.

Harry joined Sirius on the grass for a bit to rest before they mounted their horses again. They rode back into town while talking about the games that day. They found Hermione, Victoria and Jean browsing at an outdoor clothes store. Hermione's arms were full of bags. She greeted them with an enthusiastic wave and they rode over to her. She wrapped Harry in a hug as he dismounted and he greeted the other two girls again. Sirius asked them if they would be interested in joining them for dinner at an outdoor café he often ate at and they accepted. So they all walked over to the restaurant together; Harry, Hermione and Sirius leading their horses on foot.

They ate merrily with Jean and Victoria as the three girls told them about their day shopping. Harry and Sirius saw it in their best interests to sit quietly with a smile and nod their heads at what they were saying.

After their enjoyable dinner Jean and Victoria excused themselves and thanked them before returning to their homes. They each gave Hermione a hug and told her they would see her again soon.

After they left the trio decided to roam around downtown a bit before returning to the house. So they walked slowly down the cobbled streets, old-fashioned streetlights with the moon lighting their way. The atmosphere was highly welcoming and festive as they examined the shops. Harry bought Hermione and Sirius tall cups of hot cocoa to drink as they walked. The weather had started to turn cold again. Soon they mounted their horses once again and rode back to the house in the chilly night air.

~*~*~

The next few days in Godric's Hollow passed seamlessly. It seemed that that the warm spell had passed and the weather was once again as winter should be. Show fell from the sky form time to time, dusting the ground in white.

Two days before Christmas the town was hit by a heavy storm. They all woke up to find the corners of their windows filled with snow and even more falling outside. It was near whiteout conditions in the valley for the entire day. As much as Harry wanted to go outside and enjoy it, Sirius kept him inside. Hermione wanted nothing to do with the snow; she had all of the books she could ask for right outside her bedroom door. Harry decided he too could take advantage of this forced imprisonment and read up on new curses and hexes for the Dueling Club.

They both left Sirius in the kitchen after breakfast and headed for the library on the second floor. From the moment they entered the room Hermione started to gather books. Just like at the Diagon Alley library, she found so many Harry couldn't find a place to sit at her table. So he kept browsing the shelves.

The books in the main library were sorted into sections, just like a real library would be. There was a section for history and potions and transfiguration, herbology, charms and divination, as well as others. None of the books that Harry saw interested him too keenly so he kept looking. Finally he found what he was looking for: the section for general spell books.

The books in this section were particularly thick and dusty. They appeared to be the oldest in the room. Harry began scanning the titles and found a few that jumped out at him, so he took them back to the couch. He read the books for hours, remembering as much as possible. The older the book was, Harry was usually more interested as the magic was more ancient and powerful. All in all he felt he had learned some interesting spells he was dying to try out.

And try them out he did. Later that day Sirius allowed them to venture outdoors when the storm had subsided. It left a good foot of snow on the ground, so the three threw snowballs and built a fort. After Sirius and Hermione relayed their wish to go back inside, Harry told them he would be back in a bit and went farther into the back, nearer to the woods. There he built a large snowman that he could practice the spells on.

He practiced for nearly an hour until he could perform all of the ones he could remember. He found himself melting the snowman quite often though. Harry went back into the house thinking of the day when he would be able to use these against Malfoy.

~*~*~

Christmas Eve finally came and a very light snow fell throughout the day. Sirius busied himself in the kitchen for most of the afternoon, cooking what to Harry and Hermione seemed to be an extra large amount of food.

The teenagers went about the house decorating anything they could. They adorned the large pine tree in the sitting room with old ornaments that Sirius gave them. Harry used an icing spell he had learned the previous day to put icicles on the banisters and the railing of the balcony. Hermione then bewitched them to stay frozen, but not cold. They hung leaves of mistletoe over the door to the sitting room and were happy to be the first to put them to good use. By the end of the day the house was dressed in Christmas cheer.

When night came Sirius lit candles all over the house and finished preparing the food. At six o'clock a knock came on the front door. Sirius dropped what he was doing immediately and hopped out of the kitchen with a large smile on his face. He stopped at the door and smoothed down his hair while Harry and Hermione watched from the sitting room amusedly. He opened the door and let Melissa Radford and Madeline in. Harry and Hermione jumped up and ran to the foyer to greet them. It was truly an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

That night they all shared an extra delicious dinner together in the dining room. Sirius had outdone himself again. After dinner they retired to the sitting room and sat around the fire singing Christmas carols and telling stories until early in the morning. Sirius talked them into staying overnight and Hermione took Maddie up to her room where she would be sleeping. They all wished each other a good night and went to their separate rooms, but not before Harry noticed Melissa following Sirius into his room.

~*~*~

The next morning they all awoke early and gathered in the in the sitting room where a large pile of presents were stacked around the tree. Sirius separated the gifts into piles and presented them to their receivers. Harry got a gift from Ron, Hermione, Maddie, Sirius, Lupin, Hagrid, Mrs. Radford and of course the usual from Mrs. Weasley. There was a letter included with her sweater from the twins. They had snuck a box in with the parcel that contained all of the products they had invented so far using the money Harry gave them. He hid those for later use.

They all opened their presents happily that morning and had a small wrapping-paper-ball fight afterwards. Melissa Radford was quite outgoing, lively and good-natured out of class. Not that she wasn't nice in class.

After all of the presents were put away and the mess cleaned up, Sirius suggested that they all make a big breakfast. This sounded like a good idea to everyone, so they each took a job in the kitchen and in a matter of no time, the table was laden with eggs, potatoes, ham, bacon, pancakes, toast and all kinds of pastries. There was a little bit of something for everyone, and they all ate their fill.

After their big breakfast, Melissa suggested that they all get dressed and go for a walk through the town. She and Madeline wanted to see first hand the hospitality that they had heard so much of. So that they did. The group spent the rest of the afternoon in the village, browsing the shops and stands. They bought so much stuff that they had to shrink it all to fit into one trunk.

That night Sirius, Hermione, and Harry accompanied the Radfords back to the train station. They waited there with them until the night train rolled into the station and bid them goodbye. Harry and Hermione gave their friend a hug and Sirius gave Melissa a bit more.

"Mum!" Madeline yelled in annoyance.

With a loud sucking sound Melissa Radford turned her head and broke the lip-lock Sirius had on her.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. Her face was an embarrassing shade of red.

With another wave they got on the train and soon it pulled from the platform. They were gone. The trio went back to the house in high spirits and spent the rest of the evening in the sitting room around the fire. Before long they were all saying goodnight and heading back up to their rooms.

And that night, Harry dreamt.

~*~*~

Where am I? This place looks so familiar.... I've been here before. I know this place. But I can't put my finger on it.

He turned around and looked. It was a hallway. There were seven doors.

Seven doors? There's a number above each one.... He paused, thinking. That's it! The Common Room! It's the boys' dorms. Why didn't I recognize it? It's different somehow. The paint is different. And the carpeting. Everything looks...older.

Harry stepped towards the first door and went inside. There were five beds. The curtains were closed on all of them. It was night. They were all asleep. He moved to the beds and peeked through the curtains.

I don't recognize any of them. I'll go check the next room. There has to be a reason why I'm having this dream. It has to be telling me something. But what?

He left the room and went to all of the others in turn. He still did not recognize any of the kids. As far as he knew they were just students. One thing that he could tell was that this was not his Hogwarts. It was older. He was in a different time. Not toomuch older. But older.

He walked to the last door. It was the same dorm he now lived in. Right now it housed the seventh years. He went inside and moved to the first bed. Quietly he moved the curtain aside and peeked through. He jumped back, startled and scared.

That was Wormtail! What is he doing here?!

Cautiously he peered through the curtain again. There he was, fast asleep. But he was different. Younger. He wasn't bald. He wasn't as thin. Then it dawned on him. Hurriedly he dashed to the next bed and poked his head though the curtain. He jumped back again and went to the next bed, even more excited. Again he did the same. He went to the next bed and looked. He held his breath. It was like looking in the mirror. There he was, asleep in his bed. Only it wasn't Harry.

Dad....

Harry looked at the seventeen-year-old version of his father. It wasn't hard to see why so many people said he looked like his father. They had the same hair. The same face. The same body-type. Almost everything was identical. Harry knew the only difference was hidden behind his father's closed lids.

He stepped back from the bed and closed his eyes.

What is this trying to tell me? Why am I here? What am I supposed to see?

He opened his eyes again. He was still bewildered. He was just beginning to wonder when he would wake up when the room began to change.

The beds are spinning.... They're swapping places. What's going on here?

He stepped back as the beds began to move faster and faster, swapping places with each other, mixing up their order. Harry stared, mesmerized. It was like watching a magician perform a huge version of the cups and balls trick, except there were no cups, nor balls. Only the beds.... They were going so fast, too fast to see properly. Now they were nothing more than a wild blur.

Then they stopped dead.

~*~*~

Harry woke up with a start. He sat straight up in his bed and wiped sweat from his forehead.

He sat there for a while contemplating what the dream had meant. But the answer did not come to him. The more he thought the more his head hurt. Soon his temples were throbbing. He got up and opened the curtains on his large window. Light sprung forth into the dark room. He looked out and saw that the sun was beginning to rise over the edge of the mountain. It peeked out, a bright orange and cast long fingers of golden color over the trees of the forest. It was beautiful.

He looked down and saw the horses already grazing. He looked to the stables and saw Sirius there, filling up the food buckets and refilling the stalls with fresh hay.

Harry decided against going back to sleep and instead went to his dresser and pulled out some fresh clothes. After he was dressed he went to the bathroom before going downstairs and grabbing his cloak. He opened the back door and was greeted by the cold, refreshing mountain air. It thoroughly woke him up and he jogged over to the stables to meet Sirius. He found him bent over, spreading hay in Lucy's stall. A swift kick in the ass alerted him to Harry's presence.

"A nice 'Hi' would have sufficed," he said, picking himself up off the floor.

Harry simply smiled and looked innocent.

"What're you doing up so early?"

"I woke up and I didn't feel like going back to sleep. So I decided to come out and bother you."

"Good, you can give me a hand then. Grab some hay from the corner and spread it in Lily and James's stalls."

Harry did what he was told and started work. Sirius called to him from the next stall.

"You know, the Ministry's called me away for the rest of the winter holiday. I leave later tonight."

Harry stopped working and leaned up against the side of the stall.

"So what does that mean for us?"

"It means," Sirius said, grabbing more hay," that you and Hermione are going to have to go back to Hogwarts early."

"But -"

"No buts. I can't leave you two here yourselves for a week, so you're going to have to go back to Hogwarts."

Harry leaned out of the window and watched James digging his nose into the snow in search of grass.

"I guess you're right," he said, not looking away from the horse.

"Yes, of course I am."

They continued to work in silence for a little while more before Sirius came into Lily's stall and helped Harry finish.

"Done," he said, wiping his hands on his jeans. "Let's go in the house and wake up Hermione then."

He put his arm around the boy's shoulder and they walked into the house together. They found Hermione was already awake and was in fact cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

"Wow, Hermione."

She was fully dressed and was leaning over the stove frying ham and toasting muffins.

"I just felt like making you breakfast for a change, Sirius," she said.

"Thanks! I appreciate it! What're you making?"

"Eggs Benedict. I had it in a restaurant in London. It's quite good. I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure we will," Harry said, getting plates out of the cupboard and filling glasses with orange juice.

Soon they were all sitting down to the delicious breakfast and Sirius told Hermione the news. She was disappointed, but she agreed that they had no other choice. So, the afternoon was spent packing their belongings and cleaning the house before they left for the station.

Just as dusk came around and the sun that had shown so brightly that morning began to dip below the horizon, Sirius called for a carriage and he helped them load their things. They went to the station and waited on the platform for the train.

"I'm sure you two will be fine on your way back. I've already owled Dumbledore. He's sending Hagrid to pick you up from Hogsmeade station."

"We'll be fine," Hermione assured him.

"Good, I wasn't really worried about you two anyways."

Just then they began to hear the familiar chug of the train as it pulled in. With one last check and goodbye, Harry and Hermione boarded the train and Sirius left. They made there way down the car to the last one, which was empty. Here they had a view of the country on three sides and they settled in for the ride.

They were awoken three hours later by the shrill cry of the whistle. They both awoke with a start and looked out the window at the Hogsmeade platform. Quickly they grabbed their things and tumbled out of the train. They each got a cart for their trunks and went out to the front of the building to find Hagrid. He was just climbing down from one of the horseless carriages as they went outside. It was almost eight o'clock.

"Sorry 'm late."

"No problem Hagrid."

"Well let's get yeh back up to the castle then."

They both got into the carriage with Hagrid and it trundled along the road back up to the castle.

~*~*~

The next morning, after they settled themselves in properly, they went down to breakfast. They were happy to see that the Great Hall was mostly empty, with only the usual, small amount of students staying the holidays. This meant that they would have more privacy than usual, particularly in the common room: they noticed only two people, both third years that stayed behind. This appealed to both of them as the castle was always more enjoyable when it was empty.

The next week passed much like the atmosphere in the castle. Quiet, if not too quiet. Harry and Hermione spent all of their time together of course and at night they would sneak up to the astronomy tower together so Harry could practice changing into a phoenix. He almost had the process mastered. He could change into the great bird when he wanted to and without difficulty, for an extended period of time, but it was not an instantaneous transformation like it should have been. Instead it took a few seconds for the change to complete. Nevertheless, both Harry and Hermione were proud of his efforts and accomplishment. Of course they didn't just use the empty tower for practicing transformations.

Two days before the students and staff were due to return to the castle, Harry and Hermione sat on the long couch in the empty common room. The sun had just set on a brilliantly sunny day and they had taken to their usual nighttime spot. A large fire was lit in the hearth and dark silhouettes danced across the walls of the room. Amid the soft pops and cracks of the burning timber other sounds could be heard, namely the soft gasps and giggles of the two teens embraced on the sofa. The snog session was not out of place at this time or place; on the contrary it had become quite routine almost, but not to the point that it was an unwanted and tedious effort. No, their relationship was still in its young and exciting stage, still full of surprises and exploration.

Their bodies pressed against each other as they let their hands wander and find those special hot spots, the spots that drove the other person wild with just a touch; just a mere graze of a finger. Harry broke the kiss they had shared and blew softly into Hermione's ear while he teasingly drew invisible pictures on the bare skin of her side, just above the hip. She hungrily leaned in to kiss him on the mouth and return the ecstasy that he so willingly bestowed upon her. Harry poked his tongue into her mouth and felt hers there before he broke the bond with a tug of her bottom lip. She slowly opened her eyes and exhaled a long blissful breath before looking at him in the eyes she now knew by heart. They were not just eyes to her, but instead they were her window into his very being; his every thought and mood. And today she read them just like any other day, but she did not like what she saw there. She could tell his thoughts were on something else then her.

"You're not thinking about me are you Harry?"

"I am. Why wouldn't I be?" he replied.

"Don't lie to me Harry Potter. I can tell when something is on your mind and right now it isn't me. What're you thinking about?"

Harry took her hands and leaned into her fully, using her shoulder as a resting spot for his spinning head. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"You know me too well Hermione." He did not lift his head from her shoulder.

She ran her hands through the blackness of his hair in attempt to alleviate some of the pressure he seemed to have on him. He always enjoyed the feel of her fingers in his hair and she knew it.

"I'm supposed to. That's what I'm here for. Now tell me what's on your mind."

"I had a dream. It was one of the dreams I get that usually tells me something, or means something important. It was vivid, just like the others." He paused. "But this one was... confusing. I don't understand what it means."

"Tell me about it. Two heads are better then one after all."

Harry told her all about the dream, but she looked just as puzzled as him.

"Mean anything to you?"

She did not answer him for a few moments.

"I'm stumped."

"Me too."

They sat in silence for a great many minutes. Finally Hermione broke the silence.

"All this business with the beds is confusing me."

"All what business?" Harry asked.

"Well first it was Lupin and now this dream. I don't know what any of it is about."

Harry snapped his head up in an instant took her by the shoulders.

"That's it! Hermione you're a genius!" With that he planted a kiss on her unsuspecting lips and bounded up the stairs to the boys dormitories.

Utterly bewildered, Hermione quickly got up and ran in pursuit. When she got to Harry's room all she found of him was a pair of feet sticking out from under his bed.

"Apparecio," she heard him mutter.

He said nothing for a few seconds. Then, "Nothing."

He crawled back out and hurriedly dove under Ron's bed, but the result was the same.

"What are you looking for?" Hermione asked.

"The beds in the dream, they were spinning."

"I don't get it."

"They were changing places!" he said, from under Seamus's bed.

"Meaning that the beds that the Marauders had when they were here aren't in the same places!" Hermione added, catching on.

"Meaning that whatever Lupin left would not be under the bed in the same spot as his was!"

"Brilliant Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as Harry muttered the spell under Seamus's bed just as Lupin had.

"Nothing under here. Wait, there's a small rat carved here."

"Must have been Pettigrew's bed."

Harry crawled out slowly.

"Ok, we know that the one by the door was my dad's, but when I was under it I saw 'Pads' carved in the wood, so that would mean it was Sirius's."

"I would think so."

They were both talking very fast and becoming increasingly excited.

"Ron's looks like it is newer then the others and we know that there had to be one bed added since then because there are five of us and there was only four Marauders."

"Makes sense," Hermione said. "And the one you just came out from under was Peter's.

"Meaning that Lupin's is either Dean's or Neville's."

With that he dived under Dean's bed and said the spell. Immediately a quick yelp came from under the bed and the sound of scraping wood followed.

"What is it?!"

"A secret door! There's a package inside!" He was sliding out as he spoke and hit his head on the edge in his rush. Ignoring the pain, Harry dashed over to Hermione and they kneeled on the floor over the package, which was wrapped in old looking parchment paper.

"Open it!" Hermione squealed.

Harry did so and out fell an old wand box. Harry opened it with shaky hands. The padding in the box was gone to make room for an old roll of parchment and a quill. Harry took it out and examined it in the light. There was a ribbon around it to keep it from unrolling.

"There's a letter attached to it! Hurry and untie it!"

Harry quickly untied the roll and took off the single sheet that was rolled up with it. He read it aloud.

Dear Mischief Maker,

Enclosed within is the secret to our success and the tools of the trade. Take this gift and go forth on ye righteous campaign of mischief making.

Signed,

Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.

At the bottom of the letter was a list of instructions.

"Harry, this is how they made the Marauder's Map!"

"I know."

She looked at him with a face-full of concern. "What's wrong? You should be excited."

"I know. I am, it's just that..." He trailed off.

"You were expecting something more."

"Exactly."

"Well, since we can guess this is what Lupin was looking for, we can also assume this was his bed. Which leaves us with one more bed and one more Marauder."

A look of light came back into Harry's eye and he sprang up.

Hermione grabbed his shirt before he was out of reach. "Don't get your hopes up."

Harry turned from her and went for Neville's bed. Again he said the same spell and again the same yelp came from underneath.

"You found something?!"

This time Harry slowly wriggled out from under the bed and walked over to Hermione. In his hand he held a single, plain piece of parchment that looked oddly familiar.

"Harry, that looks like the -"

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," Harry said, once step ahead of her.

Immediately lines began to snake across the page in the familiar fashion. Only this time there were differences.

"What's the red line for?" Hermione asked."

"I don't know. And it only says Prongs at the top."

"Harry, the red line starts from us and goes out of the common room."

"Yeah..."

"Harry, go outside of the room."

He quickly did as she instructed and in a manner of seconds they were both in front of the fire once again, examining the map in the flickering light.

"Harry look! The line behind us is gone and it goes outside of the common room into the castle. It looks like it leads somewhere!"

Hurriedly Harry ran to the stairs again, map in hand. Hermione called out to him from the couch.

"What are you doing?"

He turned and looked at her, shadows flickering across his face. "Getting out my dad's cloak. We're following that map."

Minutes later they were both under the invisibility cloak, quietly sneaking through the portrait hole (Tsk tsk; after dark). They spent the better portion of an hour following the curving line all around the castle, all the while keeping a lookout for Filch or one of the teachers.

After forty-five minutes and near run-ins with Dumbledore, Filch and Mrs. Norris, Harry became aware that the map was leading them up to the North Tower.

"The line's getting shorter Harry. We're almost there!" Hermione whispered excitedly.

For ten more minutes Harry and Hermione kept their heads down, staring at the map and automatically moving their feet in the right direction. Soon they reached the end of the red line and looked up at a familiar painting, only to be greeted by and even-more familiar voice. Harry threw off the cloak.

"Why good even my good sir and lady! Wherever did you come from so quickly?"