A/N: This is a contest fic I wrote for Final Prophecy. It had to be under 500 words and I just made it at 499! It won first place and I hope you'll enjoy it.

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Unbidden Entry

A door locked is an inviting mystery begging to be solved. Still more tempting may be the door open where there is an underlying, yet understood, warning which forbids entry.

While most people would simply walk through such a door, Hermione Granger stood outside this one, eyes narrowing as she turned these thoughts over in her head.

Hermione had not been sent by the Order to search for clues, nor had she been given any hope that Snape's office would unseal itself- the man was a powerful wizard, and no one short of the deceased Albus Dumbledore himself could be expected to break through wards such as these. The door was not supposed to open until Snape returned to Hogwarts… yet… here Hermione stood, staring into the dark, seemingly abandoned room with no small amount of intrigue.

Hermione turned her head just slightly to address Peeves, who was hovering over her shoulder. "How did you open this?" Her voice was shaky and unsure, a manifestation of the anxious feelings dwelling within her. On rare occasion had she allowed herself to dream up an opportunity such as this, even for mere speculation.

Continuing to smirk, Peeves flipped upside down and eyed Hermione mockingly, cackling, "Silly little witch."

Irritated, Hermione said in a harsh whisper, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hermione never received her answer; Peeves abruptly flipped right side up and made a rude gesture at Hermione, disappearing quickly down the hallway.

Confused, and rather annoyed, Hermione turned to face the door once more.

It didn't make any sense. Poltergeist or not, no one should have been able to get the door open. Hermione knew, somewhere within her, that this opportunity was too good to be true. Still… opportunity was opportunity.

Taking a deep breath and steeling her nerves, Hermione crossed the threshold between the corridor and Snape's office. Once inside, she stopped in her tracks, staring around for a moment and taking in the feeling of a fantasy realized.

The pace of Hermione's heart quickened as she took several quick steps to Snape's desk, adrenaline now dictating her actions.

Rummaging through the pile of papers on the desk, it did not take long to come across something of significance. Enveloped and sealed, Hermione found what she could only guess was an unsent letter. It was addressed to no one, and in a quick moment, Hermione decided her only option was to rip it open.

Trembling, Hermione unfolded the letter and peered at the cramped, slanted writing.

Potter, the first line read.

Hermione did not read past the first line. No, something else caught her attention. Eyes widening, she moved her thumb to run across the first word on the page.

The ink smudged.

All at once, Hermione was acutely aware of two factors. One, she had just discovered something invaluable. Two, she was not alone in this castle.

From the dark corridor, where a menacing figure hovered in the doorway, two words nearly stopped Hermione's heart cold.

"Miss Granger?"

Fin

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An: 2/18/07- I have decided to continue this as a story (named: All Manners of Necessity) and will be posting it in June. I should be just about finished with the fic by then, which will allow me to update regularly. If you are interested in reading such a fic (it will be HGSS), place me on your author alerts and you will be notified the second I post.