It had been two weeks since Hedwing had been kidnapped. Even though Harry
felt that Malfoy had done it, he had to get proof.
'Oy, Ron,' Harry called form the opposite side of the Gryffindor common room. He had decided to run his plans by Ron and Hermione before actually making arrangements. Sometimes Ron would have a sneakier way to do it, and Hermione's intelligence had saved them countless times in the past.
'Whatdya want? I'm right in the middle of a game of wizards chess,' Ron was sitting near the fire playing a game with Seamus Finnigan.
'Just come here, I'm gotta talk to you,' Harry was getting irritated with Ron; and he just wanted Hedwig back. He missed her with a passion. Not only did he have no means of sending owls to Sirius, he just missed the way she visited him at breakfast in the Great Hall. She would just land on his shoulder and nibble at his toast. He missed her affection. Ever since his arrival at Hogwarts, all of his friends had been like his family, and not only for the school year. Hedwig however was the closest of them all. And now she was gone.
'What, now that I've forfeited my game,' Ron frowned. 'And I was gonna give that Irish sod a thrashing.' He sat down in the chair next to Harry, out of hearing distance of everyone else.
'Where's Hermione, this is really important?' Harry asked Ron urgently.
'You brought me all the way over here to ask where Hermione is? Are you bloody nuts? I just lost my reputation as best chess player in Gryffindor thanks to you.'
'For Chrissake Ron, Don't get your bloody knickers in a twist, this is about Hedwig.' Harry sat Ron down before he had a heart attack over a game of chess.
'Look Harry, I know you miss her, but there's nothing we can do to bring her back.' Ron replied more compassionately now that he had seen Harry's solemn face.
'Ron, What is I told you that Hedwig had been kidnapped..." Harry whispered.
'What!'
'Shhhhh...I know she's been kidnapped, and I'd bet my Nimbus 2000 and 1 that it was Malfoy...but...'
'That slimy little bas...' Harry covered Ron's mouth.
'We can't attract any attention to ourselves, nobody must know about this all right.'
'All right, but how do you she was kidnapped?' Ron seemed to have settled down now.
'Well, remember the first day she was gone, when we went back to the dorm cause I had left my wand, the cage was open?' Harry was steadily getting more excited.
'Ya. What about it?' Ron seemed confused.
'Well, I used your wand last night to perform a spell...' Harry now felt the remorse he knew he would eventually feel, even before he borrowed Ron's wand.
'What spell?' Ron seemed angry that Harry had used his wand to do his evil deeds.
'Prior Incantem.' Harry was a little calmer now that he saw Ron wasn't too mad.
'So, that's not a bad spell is it?' Ron obviously had no Idea what the spell was and was trying to hide the fact that he didn't pay attention in charms.
'No Ron, we learned it in charms, it will re-perform the last spell the wand was used for. And, the spell was...Alohomora.'
'Hermione's specialty?! Harry, I know you guys haven't been getting on lately too well, but Hermione would never in her wildest dreams think about kidnapping Hedwig. She loves that bird! Even though....'
'Ron! Calm down, I was just gonna saw that...' Harry didn't stand a hope in hell of getting a word in edgewise.
'Even though Crookshanks didn't like Scabbers, not that any of us did, doesn't mean it as looking at Hedwig with a hungry stomach.'
'RON! FOR GODSAKE SIT DOWN!' Harry looked around the room. If the common room was almost empty, every single pair of Gryffindor eyes would be staring at them. Harry's yelling had even made the fire quiver.
'Sorry, but I just don't think...'
'That's not what I was saying. What I meant is that the last spell used on my wand was the lock opening charm. Geez, how could you even think I would accuse Hermione, You and her are my best friends, and I wouldn't let anybody get in between that.' Harry took a glance at the fire, if they planned to stay in the common room much longer, they would want to put another log on. It got very cold on damp December nights.
'I know that. I'm sorry I flew off the handle like that. I was just excited.'
'Don't worry, it didn't show,' Harry retorted sarcastically. 'Anyway, what I was saying is that Hermione helped me learn the spell, I used it on my wand, and I haven't used the Alohomora charm in months. In fact, I haven't used it since Voldemor---' Ron cringed at the sound of the evil lord's name. 'Sorry, wasn't thinking. So, I think whomever took Hedwig used my wand to magik open her cage.'
'Oh, I see. But how did they find your wand in the dorm? And how did they get into our common room? And how did they get in without being noticed? And how did they get out with a flapping bird, unnoticed in our common room?!'
'Wow, calm down, maybe I should put the Pertrificus Totalis hex on you to keep you still.' Ron's face dropped, even though he knew Harry was just kidding. Harry took a minute to catch his breath. He glanced around the room and saw that Neville Longbottom was twitching in his chair by the glowing red coals of the fire. Clearly the experience he had in first year, when Hermione put the Pertrificus Totalis hex on him, had been a traumatic moment.
'Are you gonna answer me? Or sit there and pretend as if you're trying to remember the wand movements for the hex?' At this point, Neville jumped out of his seat.
'Goodnight...' he stuttered as he stumbled up the stairs backwards.
'All right, first of all, the would have found my wand easily because it was sitting on my bed, or at least I think it was. Second of all, maybe they used the Poly Juice potion, made up some excuse like: taking Hedwig to the nurse to get past our fellow Gryffindors, and pranced out past the Fat Lady.
'I guess that works, but how would they have known the Gryffindor password?' Ron was still in deep thought, as if he was trying to solve the mystery of the universe.
'Ron, how did Sirius get the passwords when he broke in?' Harry smiled. To say Harry hadn't thought this over long and hard would be a crime.
'Neville...' Ron's thinking expression changed to absolute fury in a matter of seconds. Even faster than his cheeks went red at The Yule Ball the year before, when he was dressed in what looked like girls robes. 'That boy is lucky he went to bed, or I'd put that hex on him and leave him til' morning.'
'Look Ron, it probably wasn't his fault, maybe Malfoy stole the passwords from Neville's bag during Potions.' Harry chimed in for Neville's sake.
'Ya, either that or Snape stole them for Malfoy. Who knows what dark wizardry he's back into now that You know who is around again.' Ron's look of absolute fury had still not faded. 'Harry, even if we assume that Malfoy stole the passwords from Neville, which I'm gonna hex him for anyway, how would he have known that your wand would be on your bed?'
'Hmm...I hadn't thought of that. Maybe he just saw my wand and decided to keep his clean at last minute.' Harry offered. Ron looked a little more content now that he had contribute to solving the mystery without Hermione calling him an idiot.
'Are you serious? Malfoy, acting in a improvisational way? What are you on harry Pothead?! I would have thought you of all people would have known Malfoy better than that. He's just like his father, evil and well-planned!' Ron was so excitable that he was yelling again. But this me, Harry didn't bother to shhh him because the common room was empty.
'Ya, you're right...he must have stolen it then! Maybe I didn't forget it after all. He probably stole it from me when he shoved into Myrtle's toilet, then left it on my bed. By the time I noticed it was gone, we were already at Transfiguration. So, that would give him plenty of time to take the potion, get Hedwig, and waltz out like Dumbledore in the teacher's room.' Harry looked a lot more confident in his accusation, but much more sleepy. They were now the only ones in the common room. It was beginning to get cold, considering the fire had in fact dies half an hour before, and he had been talking to Ron for the last 2 hours.
'So you're sure its Malfoy?' Ron winced.
'Positive, if I'm wrong, let Voldemort come in here right now and eat me!' Harry threw in just to see the look on Ron's face again.
'Don't you ever say that. Not even as a joke. If you want him to eat you, wait until I'm out of the room before you summon him please.' Ron was quite shaken again. 'Well, if your sure that its Malfoy, how are you gonna prove it?'
'That's where Hermione comes in. I was expecting her back at least an hour ago. She's gathering the evidence.' Just then, the portrait hole swung open and Hermione walked in. A smug look on her face indicated she had found what she was looking for. Ever since Malfoy had given her beaver teeth the year before, she was longing for revenge. And this was her chance.
'Hi Hermione, get what you need?' Harry smirked.
'Oh, let's just say those beaver teeth he gave me are gonna bite him in the ass!'
'Well, Whatdya find Hermione?' Ron was urging to know what was going on. He hadn't the faintest idea of how there could possibly evidence anywhere but in Harry's room.
'I've found exactly what I thought I'd find...'
**Please review and tell me if I should write the next chapter**
'Oy, Ron,' Harry called form the opposite side of the Gryffindor common room. He had decided to run his plans by Ron and Hermione before actually making arrangements. Sometimes Ron would have a sneakier way to do it, and Hermione's intelligence had saved them countless times in the past.
'Whatdya want? I'm right in the middle of a game of wizards chess,' Ron was sitting near the fire playing a game with Seamus Finnigan.
'Just come here, I'm gotta talk to you,' Harry was getting irritated with Ron; and he just wanted Hedwig back. He missed her with a passion. Not only did he have no means of sending owls to Sirius, he just missed the way she visited him at breakfast in the Great Hall. She would just land on his shoulder and nibble at his toast. He missed her affection. Ever since his arrival at Hogwarts, all of his friends had been like his family, and not only for the school year. Hedwig however was the closest of them all. And now she was gone.
'What, now that I've forfeited my game,' Ron frowned. 'And I was gonna give that Irish sod a thrashing.' He sat down in the chair next to Harry, out of hearing distance of everyone else.
'Where's Hermione, this is really important?' Harry asked Ron urgently.
'You brought me all the way over here to ask where Hermione is? Are you bloody nuts? I just lost my reputation as best chess player in Gryffindor thanks to you.'
'For Chrissake Ron, Don't get your bloody knickers in a twist, this is about Hedwig.' Harry sat Ron down before he had a heart attack over a game of chess.
'Look Harry, I know you miss her, but there's nothing we can do to bring her back.' Ron replied more compassionately now that he had seen Harry's solemn face.
'Ron, What is I told you that Hedwig had been kidnapped..." Harry whispered.
'What!'
'Shhhhh...I know she's been kidnapped, and I'd bet my Nimbus 2000 and 1 that it was Malfoy...but...'
'That slimy little bas...' Harry covered Ron's mouth.
'We can't attract any attention to ourselves, nobody must know about this all right.'
'All right, but how do you she was kidnapped?' Ron seemed to have settled down now.
'Well, remember the first day she was gone, when we went back to the dorm cause I had left my wand, the cage was open?' Harry was steadily getting more excited.
'Ya. What about it?' Ron seemed confused.
'Well, I used your wand last night to perform a spell...' Harry now felt the remorse he knew he would eventually feel, even before he borrowed Ron's wand.
'What spell?' Ron seemed angry that Harry had used his wand to do his evil deeds.
'Prior Incantem.' Harry was a little calmer now that he saw Ron wasn't too mad.
'So, that's not a bad spell is it?' Ron obviously had no Idea what the spell was and was trying to hide the fact that he didn't pay attention in charms.
'No Ron, we learned it in charms, it will re-perform the last spell the wand was used for. And, the spell was...Alohomora.'
'Hermione's specialty?! Harry, I know you guys haven't been getting on lately too well, but Hermione would never in her wildest dreams think about kidnapping Hedwig. She loves that bird! Even though....'
'Ron! Calm down, I was just gonna saw that...' Harry didn't stand a hope in hell of getting a word in edgewise.
'Even though Crookshanks didn't like Scabbers, not that any of us did, doesn't mean it as looking at Hedwig with a hungry stomach.'
'RON! FOR GODSAKE SIT DOWN!' Harry looked around the room. If the common room was almost empty, every single pair of Gryffindor eyes would be staring at them. Harry's yelling had even made the fire quiver.
'Sorry, but I just don't think...'
'That's not what I was saying. What I meant is that the last spell used on my wand was the lock opening charm. Geez, how could you even think I would accuse Hermione, You and her are my best friends, and I wouldn't let anybody get in between that.' Harry took a glance at the fire, if they planned to stay in the common room much longer, they would want to put another log on. It got very cold on damp December nights.
'I know that. I'm sorry I flew off the handle like that. I was just excited.'
'Don't worry, it didn't show,' Harry retorted sarcastically. 'Anyway, what I was saying is that Hermione helped me learn the spell, I used it on my wand, and I haven't used the Alohomora charm in months. In fact, I haven't used it since Voldemor---' Ron cringed at the sound of the evil lord's name. 'Sorry, wasn't thinking. So, I think whomever took Hedwig used my wand to magik open her cage.'
'Oh, I see. But how did they find your wand in the dorm? And how did they get into our common room? And how did they get in without being noticed? And how did they get out with a flapping bird, unnoticed in our common room?!'
'Wow, calm down, maybe I should put the Pertrificus Totalis hex on you to keep you still.' Ron's face dropped, even though he knew Harry was just kidding. Harry took a minute to catch his breath. He glanced around the room and saw that Neville Longbottom was twitching in his chair by the glowing red coals of the fire. Clearly the experience he had in first year, when Hermione put the Pertrificus Totalis hex on him, had been a traumatic moment.
'Are you gonna answer me? Or sit there and pretend as if you're trying to remember the wand movements for the hex?' At this point, Neville jumped out of his seat.
'Goodnight...' he stuttered as he stumbled up the stairs backwards.
'All right, first of all, the would have found my wand easily because it was sitting on my bed, or at least I think it was. Second of all, maybe they used the Poly Juice potion, made up some excuse like: taking Hedwig to the nurse to get past our fellow Gryffindors, and pranced out past the Fat Lady.
'I guess that works, but how would they have known the Gryffindor password?' Ron was still in deep thought, as if he was trying to solve the mystery of the universe.
'Ron, how did Sirius get the passwords when he broke in?' Harry smiled. To say Harry hadn't thought this over long and hard would be a crime.
'Neville...' Ron's thinking expression changed to absolute fury in a matter of seconds. Even faster than his cheeks went red at The Yule Ball the year before, when he was dressed in what looked like girls robes. 'That boy is lucky he went to bed, or I'd put that hex on him and leave him til' morning.'
'Look Ron, it probably wasn't his fault, maybe Malfoy stole the passwords from Neville's bag during Potions.' Harry chimed in for Neville's sake.
'Ya, either that or Snape stole them for Malfoy. Who knows what dark wizardry he's back into now that You know who is around again.' Ron's look of absolute fury had still not faded. 'Harry, even if we assume that Malfoy stole the passwords from Neville, which I'm gonna hex him for anyway, how would he have known that your wand would be on your bed?'
'Hmm...I hadn't thought of that. Maybe he just saw my wand and decided to keep his clean at last minute.' Harry offered. Ron looked a little more content now that he had contribute to solving the mystery without Hermione calling him an idiot.
'Are you serious? Malfoy, acting in a improvisational way? What are you on harry Pothead?! I would have thought you of all people would have known Malfoy better than that. He's just like his father, evil and well-planned!' Ron was so excitable that he was yelling again. But this me, Harry didn't bother to shhh him because the common room was empty.
'Ya, you're right...he must have stolen it then! Maybe I didn't forget it after all. He probably stole it from me when he shoved into Myrtle's toilet, then left it on my bed. By the time I noticed it was gone, we were already at Transfiguration. So, that would give him plenty of time to take the potion, get Hedwig, and waltz out like Dumbledore in the teacher's room.' Harry looked a lot more confident in his accusation, but much more sleepy. They were now the only ones in the common room. It was beginning to get cold, considering the fire had in fact dies half an hour before, and he had been talking to Ron for the last 2 hours.
'So you're sure its Malfoy?' Ron winced.
'Positive, if I'm wrong, let Voldemort come in here right now and eat me!' Harry threw in just to see the look on Ron's face again.
'Don't you ever say that. Not even as a joke. If you want him to eat you, wait until I'm out of the room before you summon him please.' Ron was quite shaken again. 'Well, if your sure that its Malfoy, how are you gonna prove it?'
'That's where Hermione comes in. I was expecting her back at least an hour ago. She's gathering the evidence.' Just then, the portrait hole swung open and Hermione walked in. A smug look on her face indicated she had found what she was looking for. Ever since Malfoy had given her beaver teeth the year before, she was longing for revenge. And this was her chance.
'Hi Hermione, get what you need?' Harry smirked.
'Oh, let's just say those beaver teeth he gave me are gonna bite him in the ass!'
'Well, Whatdya find Hermione?' Ron was urging to know what was going on. He hadn't the faintest idea of how there could possibly evidence anywhere but in Harry's room.
'I've found exactly what I thought I'd find...'
**Please review and tell me if I should write the next chapter**
