"Iwwts vromm Fwwed."
Given the amount of food in Ron's mouth, Harry was surprised that he could manage to form words at all. "What have you got there, then?"
Ron hefted the letter and swallowed audibly. "It's from Fred. He says -" Ron lowered his voice, "he has a job for me."
Ron evidently hadn't lowered his voice enough, for Hermione was looking up from The Muggle World and the Witches Who Changed It, her mouth already set in a disapproving line. "Well, what is it?"
"Go on, Ron," said Harry.
"Erm," Ron returned his attention to the letter, "He says, 'Hello darlingest little brother. Just a short note - we're generally quite busy - to congratulate you on your recent Quidditch victory.'"
" 'Darlingest little brother'?" said Hermione.
"You haven't got brothers, you wouldn't understand." Ron muttered. He continued, "'By the way, George and I left one of our inventions at Hogwarts. We forgot about it until this week, but we have a buyer on the line and was wondering if you could retrieve it for us. Just follow the map - oh, and make sure it's dark - and you shouldn't have a problem. Just send it along with the post. Thanks little bro! Love, Fred."
Harry took the map from Ron. It was a rough line drawing, hastily made with a quill. The familiar Hogwarts grounds were depicted; Harry could make out Hagrid's hut, the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the Whomping Willow. There was a big red 'X' in the center of the Quidditch Pitch.
"After dinner-" said Ron, at the same moment Harry said, "We were going to visit Hagrid tonight-"
"You're not seriously thinking of digging up this - whatever it is?" Hermione said, looking disgusted. "That you would even think about sneaking out when we have Herbology homework due first thing tomorrow morning."
"I have to, they're my brothers."
"Come on Hermione, it's just the Quidditch field."
"What have we here? Three young Gryffindors talking about Quidditch and - doodling - when there is plenty of Potions homework to be done." Professor Snape's cold voice echoed down at them. He had approached from behind while they were absorbed in the letter.
Ron turned the map over and gulped.
"We were just, err, just, reading," said Hermione, gesturing vaguely at her book.
"Indeed," said Snape, "I am glad to know that you three weren't - wasting - time in your typical and lamentably troublesome way. There would be serious - consequences - for any misbehavior."
They had no response for that, and Snape looked at them for a moment, pleased, before spinning around and walking to the head table, cape billowing. Harry hatefully stared after him.
"What does he think he's doing, spying on us?" Ron muttered. "Listening to our conversation?"
"He's a Hogwarts professor. He can listen to any conversation he wants." Hermione said, putting away her books.
"It doesn't matter," said Harry, "He didn't see the map, right? So we can still go get the - whatever it is."
"You're not still thinking of going, are you?" said Hermione. "Not after what Snape said?"
Harry and Ron exchanged a long look, then grinned at each other.
"No, Hermione." said Ron.
"Of course not, Hermione." said Harry, and they both started laughing.
"Oh, you're impossible!" sighed Hermione, and she didn't say another word to them the entire way back to the Gryffindor common room.
*
That night Harry and Ron sped through their homework, then anxiously waited for the common room to empty. Hermione sat with them, knitting hats for the house-elves with her wand and occasionally making comments like, "Prefects are supposed to be model students," while glaring at Ron. Harry did, however, catch a glimpse of a shovel blade in her bag.
When the last of the first-years had finally gone up to bed, Harry ran up to his dorm for the Invisibility Cloak. When he returned, Ron and Hermione were glaring at each other.
"You are not coming with us!" Ron whispered.
"Stop me!" said Hermione.
"Shhh!" said Harry. "It's okay, she can come."
Ron glared at Harry, "Why? After how much she complained?"
"Because," Harry said, "She has a shovel."
Hermione smiled and pulled the shovel out of her bag. It was the kind that the Dursleys owned but didn't use for gardening, with a round wooden handle. Ron grumbled, but said nothing else.
The three of them huddled under the invisibility cloak, tip-toeing through the castle. It reminded Harry of their first year, and he realized that he missed this kind of mischief.
They made it to the Quidditch Pitch without encountering anyone. Ron kept the map up to his nose, squinting and whispering largely unnecessary instructions, until Hermione finally snapped, "We know where we're going!"
Now they stood on the Quidditch field, Ron spinning around as he tried to orient himself and find the spot that the big 'X' on the map pointed to.
"Over there," said Ron, waving his hand toward the three goal hoops. "Just like Fred and George to hide something there!"
"Do you see that?" Hermione exclaimed, pointing at the foot of one of the goals. "It's glowing!"
At first Harry didn't see anything other than wavy reflections of moonlight, but then he, too, saw an unusual glow from the foot of the post. Dragging the Invisibility cloak behind him, he walked over to it.
Reaching for Hermione's shovel, he poked it into the soft earth. There was something there! Working quickly, he dug up a small metal rectangular object.
"Let's see then." said Ron, grabbing it out of the dirt. "What do you reckon it's for?"
"It's a box, silly," said Hermione. "Open it!"
"I knew that," Ron pulled the lid off the box, and something long and thin fell into his outstretched hand.
"It's a quill," said Harry, oddly disappointed. He had been hoping for something more like the Marauder's Map, something uniquely useful and clever. Or even a prototype joke wand.
"I wonder what it does," Ron mused, writing in the air with it. Nothing happened.
"Let's go." Harry sighed. He was going to be so exhausted tomorrow he would be lucky if he didn't fall of his broom during Quidditch practice.
They had just emerged from the pitch when Harry heard something that sounded like laughter. He froze, quickly unfurling the Invisibility cloak.
"Hurry!"
They had just gotten under cover when Harry heard the sound again, followed by a voice he recognized only too well - Snape. They were too far away to make out what was being said. Leading the way, Harry tip-toed towards Snape, Ron and Hermione following with their hands on his shoulders.
Snape was leaning against the wooden back of the bleachers. The creature he was talking to was an indistinct figure wrapped in a hooded cloak, deep in the shadows. They were too far away to make out more than a few words and indistinct phrases: "missed", "flifferwiff", "should not be seen", and ominously, "Dumbledore won't find out".
Harry was trying to decide whether to go closer when Snape leaned forward for a moment; then he was striding back to the castle, head high, as if he had done nothing suspicious at all.
"Secret meetings in the middle of the night." Harry muttered, staring after him. "What do you think he's up to now?"
"What do you think 'flifferwiff' means? Is it a spell?" Ron said, looking puzzled.
"Not one that I've ever heard of. Besides, he's a Hogwarts Professor," said Hermione, "He can meet with anyone he wants to. And Dumbledore trusts him."
"But who would he be meeting with that Dumbledore shouldn't know about? Do you think that was a Death Eater?" Ron was pale.
"I don't know," Harry replied, "But I do know that we're going to find out."
*
Harry was so tired the next day that he was completely miserable except for when he ran into the last person he expected to see at Hogwarts as he walked, somewhat late, down to Snape's dungeon for double Potions.
"Hey, Tonks!" he called when he spotted her trademark spiky purple hair coming up the stairs. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Harry!" Nymphadora Tonks responded cheerfully, "Just stopping by. You know."
Her lips were bright red today and her eyes deep blue. Her nose was the one that Ginny called 'a button', and Harry marveled again at her metamorphic abilities.
"Are you off to Severus' - I mean, Professor Snape's class?" Tonks asked.
Harry nodded glumly. "Actually, I'm late."
"Well, you'd better be off then, hadn't you?" she grinned. "See you around, Harry."
"See you, Tonks." Harry replied.
Harry's late enterance got him only a glare and not a scolding; Snape seemed to be in a good mood. He didn't even take points from Gryffindor when Neville surreptitiously tried change the color of his potion with a Transfiguration spell and ended up making his cauldron grow pink fur.
Harry rushed through dinner to make it to Quidditch practice, flew poorly because he couldn't stop worrying about the amount of homework stacked on his desk, then had fallen asleep without completing any of it when Ron shook him awake.
"Harry! Harry, wake up! I figured it out!"
He rubbed his eyes and followed Ron down the common room. Hermione was sitting at a table in the corner by herself. There was a large sheet of paper on the table, covered in doodles and densely written words. It was mostly nonsense - Harry recognized part of Hermione's Herbology notes, and a few quotes from a Quidditch book that he had leant to Ron.
"Do you see?" Hermione asked. She picked up the quill and whispered, "Professor McGonagall." A small puff of green smoke came out of the tip of the quill and quickly dissipated. Then she wrote, 'Harry Potter is excused from detention.'
Harry had spent quite a bit of time deciphering Professor McGonagall's elaborate script. Now, looking at the paper, he realized that each of the lines was written in a different Professor's handwriting.
"Wow," he said.
*
Harry and Ron went directly to the library after Divination, each hauling a large bag full of books and scrolls.
"If we get any more homework," said Ron, grumbling, "I swear I will give up sleeping altogether."
"And not eating?" Harry asked, eyeing the small stack of crackers and cheese in Ron's hand.
Ron looked disgusted. "Why would I ever give up eating? Hey, what have you got there?" He looked at the book in Harry's hand.
"I'm looking up 'flifferwiff'." said Harry. But 'flifferwiff' was not in the Expanded Book of Spells, or even in Irreverent and Irrelevant Spells and Hexes, which was a volume that Harry was sure Snape would have enjoyed.
"Why isn't it here?" Harry grumbled, shutting the last one.
"Well, if it were a Death Eater he was talking to, he wouldn't be using just any spell." Ron said, "It would be some kind of evil, dark spell."
Harry sighed. "The kind that wouldn't be in a book in the library. Maybe in the Restricted Section." He looked longingly at the locked gate.
Meanwhile, Ron had packed up his books. "C'mon Harry, it's dinner time."
"Food again? You go ahead," said Harry. "I just want to check one more thing."
"Suit yourself," Ron called over his shoulder, already out the door. "But some of us are hungry!"
Harry squinted at the books in the Restricted Section, trying to read the titles on the spines. There must be something here that would explain! He got up from his table, and pretended to browse in the Arithmancy section, casting short glances over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching.
He was about to open the gate to the Restricted section when the library door burst open. Harry ducked behind the nearest shelf just in time to see Snape stride into the room and head deep into the shadows between shelves. With a last quick glance behind, Harry followed him.
Snape pulled a book from the shelf and put something inside it. Then he shoved the book back onto the shelf and walked back out into the library.
Harry waited until he was gone and then crept up to the shelf. There was no sign that Snape had been there at all, but after a bit of fumbling he found a note tucked into the cover of Fashion of Famous Witches, not the sort of thing Harry could imagine Snape reading at all.
The note read:
Whomping Willow, fifth hour after dinner
Harry roughly shoved it back into the book cover. He left his own books spread across the table in the library and ran to the Gryffindor common room.
*
"Ron? Ron!" Harry ran into the common room, causing the first years to look at him with wide eyes.
Ron and Hermione were just coming back from dinner, Ron carrying a handful of crudités and Hermione a scroll.
"Harry!" said Ron.
"Did you send that quill to Fred and George yet?" Harry demanded, causing Hermione to look up from her scroll and Ron to quit munching on a carrot.
"No," Ron admitted, "I was going to, erm, investigate it a little more first."
"Great! Fetch it and come over here." said Harry. He dragged Hermione and Ron over to the table in the corner and in a low voice he told them about Snape's appearance in the library and the mysterious note.
"Of course! Snape must leave a note telling the Death Eater where to meet him," said Hermione. "It would be too risky to meet in the same place each time."
"We haven't got much time." Harry said impatiently. "Come on!"
Most of the students were still at dinner or studying in their common rooms, leaving the library empty. Harry led Ron and Hermione to Fashion of Famous Witches; thankfully, the note was still there.
Hermione pulled out her wand and pointed it at the note. "Papyrus blankus!"
The letters on the note shook as if in a brisk wind. They began to swirl around, and then got smaller, vanishing, as if getting sucked down a drain.
"Wow," said Ron, sharing a look of amazement with Harry.
"We learned that in Charms two months ago! Don't you pay attention?" said Hermione, disgusted.
Ron ignored her and handed Harry the quill. "Severus Snape," Harry whispered. He dodged the small puff of smoke, and then he wrote:
Edge of the Forest, fifth hour after dinner
"That should do it," he whispered in a satisfied voice.
*
Harry packed up his books and returned with Ron and Hermione to the Gryffindor common room. For the first time in days he felt as if he had too much time on his hands. He was unable to concentrate on his homework, and after flipping through a few pages of The Gotten Snitch: Quidditch Strategies for the Seeker he slammed the book shut and let it slide to the floor.
"This is foolish," Hermione said. "We shouldn't be going anywhere near a Death Eater! We could be captured, or killed! And then what would happen?"
"We're just going to hide in the woods," said Harry, explaining, "And see who it is. And then we'll tell Dumbledore."
"You promise that you won't do anything stupid, or heroic," Hermione said, glaring. Then she looked over at Ron. "You either!"
They snuck through the hallways, trusting to the Marauder's Map to keep them from being seen. Wands drawn, they approached the Forbidden Forest. Looking into the dark woods, Harry felt a chill climb up his spine.
They found a shrub that seemed both inanimate and a fairly good hiding place and crept down behind it.
"What time is it?" Ron whispered.
"Five past." Hermione replied.
"Do you think the Death Eater is late?"
Hermione barely shushed him when they saw the cloaked figure walking toward the trees. It was obscured completely beneath piles of coats and cloaks, the face hidden in deep shadows. The figure walked with a dark purpose, each stride more of a glide than a step.
Harry's breath caught deep in his throat. What was he doing, hiding in a bush, when the Death Eater could probably see right through the thin leaves and branches? Harry absently drew his wand, though he knew that the Death Eater could probably curse him to death before he could get a word out.
"Who's there?" The Death Eater demanded. Harry was surprised to hear a light feminine voice. It sounded vaguely familiar.
Suddenly, Hermione was leaping out of the bushes, shouting. Harry reached for her, but missed, his hand grabbing empty air. The Death Eater turned around and pushed back her hood as Harry raised his wand, ready. then stopped.
Nymphadora Tonks blinked into the gloomy light. "Hermione? Is that you?"
Hermione said, "Yes," just as Ron shrieked, "No!", tripped over his own feet, and fell to the ground.
"Tonks, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked.
Tonks giggled. "I'm visiting someone. Why are you hiding in the bushes? Are you spying on us?"
"We thought," Harry gripped his wand tightly, "We thought you were a Death Eater!"
"POTTER!"
Snape's voice cut through the darkness. He sounded more angry than Harry had ever heard him before. Harry gulped, waving his wand in the air.
"What is going on here?" Snape strode towards them, his own wand held precisely before him. His eyes burned with rage.
"I think our secret is out," Tonks said. With a playful smile on her lips, she walked over to Snape, and, twining her arms around his neck, kissed him full on the lips.
"Tonks is the Death Eater?" Ron yelped.
"Oh, Ron," Hermione said, "Tonks isn't a Death Eater. We've been wrong all along!"
"Snape is my boyfriend." Tonks said, smiling. "Severus, honey, put that away." She looked at his wand.
"I don't think so." Snape hissed. "I think Potter needs to be taught a lesson. A lesson that he won't forget so conveniently."
Harry took a step backwards. "I didn't mean - we thought you were - she was -" words failed him. Snape's wand seemed to grow before him. He couldn't turn away.
"No." said Tonks, and there was a note of steel in his voice. "They were just doing what they thought was right. right?"
Ron, Harry, and Hermione all nodded quickly.
"He stole my note. If I hadn't seen his disorderly books in the library when I left."
"I hate to interrupt," Hermione said suddenly, "But why did you keep this all hidden?" She gestured, indicating the couple.
"We didn't want to worry everyone," Tonks said.
"And you three have no right to get involved." Snape hissed.
"What did you expect, dearest, with all of the sneaking around?" Tonks tempered the rebuke with a soft smile. She kissed Snape on the cheek. "Come along, let's go back to the Castle."
Snape's face softened as he looked into her eyes. "As you wish, Flifferwiff," he said fondly. He slipped his arm around Tonks and turned her away from them.
Snape looked back over his shoulder and mouthed, "Ten points from Gryffindor!" Then the couple, murmuring softly to each other, walked away.
"Oh my. just wait until I tell Ginny!" Hermione had a huge grin on her face. "Come on you two, we'd best get back before we get in any more trouble."
"But this is horrible!" Harry said. "Tonks is with. Snape. He doesn't deserve her."
"Perhaps you fancy her yourself," Ron said, grinning, "She is rather pretty."
"If she's happy, then it's wonderful," Hermione said definitively. "And neither of you will say anything to the contrary."
Harry felt like hitting them both in the head. He went to bed still sulking.
*
In the days that followed, Harry often caught glimpses of Nymphadora Tonks in the castle. He even felt glad that, for once, he was in on current gossip. But he couldn't get over the feeling of jealousy, that of all people Snape should be so happy.
Hermione just told him that he was being a nitwit, but he was sure, somehow, that he would someday show Snape.
That someday he would meet someone he could call 'flifferwiff'.
Given the amount of food in Ron's mouth, Harry was surprised that he could manage to form words at all. "What have you got there, then?"
Ron hefted the letter and swallowed audibly. "It's from Fred. He says -" Ron lowered his voice, "he has a job for me."
Ron evidently hadn't lowered his voice enough, for Hermione was looking up from The Muggle World and the Witches Who Changed It, her mouth already set in a disapproving line. "Well, what is it?"
"Go on, Ron," said Harry.
"Erm," Ron returned his attention to the letter, "He says, 'Hello darlingest little brother. Just a short note - we're generally quite busy - to congratulate you on your recent Quidditch victory.'"
" 'Darlingest little brother'?" said Hermione.
"You haven't got brothers, you wouldn't understand." Ron muttered. He continued, "'By the way, George and I left one of our inventions at Hogwarts. We forgot about it until this week, but we have a buyer on the line and was wondering if you could retrieve it for us. Just follow the map - oh, and make sure it's dark - and you shouldn't have a problem. Just send it along with the post. Thanks little bro! Love, Fred."
Harry took the map from Ron. It was a rough line drawing, hastily made with a quill. The familiar Hogwarts grounds were depicted; Harry could make out Hagrid's hut, the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the Whomping Willow. There was a big red 'X' in the center of the Quidditch Pitch.
"After dinner-" said Ron, at the same moment Harry said, "We were going to visit Hagrid tonight-"
"You're not seriously thinking of digging up this - whatever it is?" Hermione said, looking disgusted. "That you would even think about sneaking out when we have Herbology homework due first thing tomorrow morning."
"I have to, they're my brothers."
"Come on Hermione, it's just the Quidditch field."
"What have we here? Three young Gryffindors talking about Quidditch and - doodling - when there is plenty of Potions homework to be done." Professor Snape's cold voice echoed down at them. He had approached from behind while they were absorbed in the letter.
Ron turned the map over and gulped.
"We were just, err, just, reading," said Hermione, gesturing vaguely at her book.
"Indeed," said Snape, "I am glad to know that you three weren't - wasting - time in your typical and lamentably troublesome way. There would be serious - consequences - for any misbehavior."
They had no response for that, and Snape looked at them for a moment, pleased, before spinning around and walking to the head table, cape billowing. Harry hatefully stared after him.
"What does he think he's doing, spying on us?" Ron muttered. "Listening to our conversation?"
"He's a Hogwarts professor. He can listen to any conversation he wants." Hermione said, putting away her books.
"It doesn't matter," said Harry, "He didn't see the map, right? So we can still go get the - whatever it is."
"You're not still thinking of going, are you?" said Hermione. "Not after what Snape said?"
Harry and Ron exchanged a long look, then grinned at each other.
"No, Hermione." said Ron.
"Of course not, Hermione." said Harry, and they both started laughing.
"Oh, you're impossible!" sighed Hermione, and she didn't say another word to them the entire way back to the Gryffindor common room.
*
That night Harry and Ron sped through their homework, then anxiously waited for the common room to empty. Hermione sat with them, knitting hats for the house-elves with her wand and occasionally making comments like, "Prefects are supposed to be model students," while glaring at Ron. Harry did, however, catch a glimpse of a shovel blade in her bag.
When the last of the first-years had finally gone up to bed, Harry ran up to his dorm for the Invisibility Cloak. When he returned, Ron and Hermione were glaring at each other.
"You are not coming with us!" Ron whispered.
"Stop me!" said Hermione.
"Shhh!" said Harry. "It's okay, she can come."
Ron glared at Harry, "Why? After how much she complained?"
"Because," Harry said, "She has a shovel."
Hermione smiled and pulled the shovel out of her bag. It was the kind that the Dursleys owned but didn't use for gardening, with a round wooden handle. Ron grumbled, but said nothing else.
The three of them huddled under the invisibility cloak, tip-toeing through the castle. It reminded Harry of their first year, and he realized that he missed this kind of mischief.
They made it to the Quidditch Pitch without encountering anyone. Ron kept the map up to his nose, squinting and whispering largely unnecessary instructions, until Hermione finally snapped, "We know where we're going!"
Now they stood on the Quidditch field, Ron spinning around as he tried to orient himself and find the spot that the big 'X' on the map pointed to.
"Over there," said Ron, waving his hand toward the three goal hoops. "Just like Fred and George to hide something there!"
"Do you see that?" Hermione exclaimed, pointing at the foot of one of the goals. "It's glowing!"
At first Harry didn't see anything other than wavy reflections of moonlight, but then he, too, saw an unusual glow from the foot of the post. Dragging the Invisibility cloak behind him, he walked over to it.
Reaching for Hermione's shovel, he poked it into the soft earth. There was something there! Working quickly, he dug up a small metal rectangular object.
"Let's see then." said Ron, grabbing it out of the dirt. "What do you reckon it's for?"
"It's a box, silly," said Hermione. "Open it!"
"I knew that," Ron pulled the lid off the box, and something long and thin fell into his outstretched hand.
"It's a quill," said Harry, oddly disappointed. He had been hoping for something more like the Marauder's Map, something uniquely useful and clever. Or even a prototype joke wand.
"I wonder what it does," Ron mused, writing in the air with it. Nothing happened.
"Let's go." Harry sighed. He was going to be so exhausted tomorrow he would be lucky if he didn't fall of his broom during Quidditch practice.
They had just emerged from the pitch when Harry heard something that sounded like laughter. He froze, quickly unfurling the Invisibility cloak.
"Hurry!"
They had just gotten under cover when Harry heard the sound again, followed by a voice he recognized only too well - Snape. They were too far away to make out what was being said. Leading the way, Harry tip-toed towards Snape, Ron and Hermione following with their hands on his shoulders.
Snape was leaning against the wooden back of the bleachers. The creature he was talking to was an indistinct figure wrapped in a hooded cloak, deep in the shadows. They were too far away to make out more than a few words and indistinct phrases: "missed", "flifferwiff", "should not be seen", and ominously, "Dumbledore won't find out".
Harry was trying to decide whether to go closer when Snape leaned forward for a moment; then he was striding back to the castle, head high, as if he had done nothing suspicious at all.
"Secret meetings in the middle of the night." Harry muttered, staring after him. "What do you think he's up to now?"
"What do you think 'flifferwiff' means? Is it a spell?" Ron said, looking puzzled.
"Not one that I've ever heard of. Besides, he's a Hogwarts Professor," said Hermione, "He can meet with anyone he wants to. And Dumbledore trusts him."
"But who would he be meeting with that Dumbledore shouldn't know about? Do you think that was a Death Eater?" Ron was pale.
"I don't know," Harry replied, "But I do know that we're going to find out."
*
Harry was so tired the next day that he was completely miserable except for when he ran into the last person he expected to see at Hogwarts as he walked, somewhat late, down to Snape's dungeon for double Potions.
"Hey, Tonks!" he called when he spotted her trademark spiky purple hair coming up the stairs. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Harry!" Nymphadora Tonks responded cheerfully, "Just stopping by. You know."
Her lips were bright red today and her eyes deep blue. Her nose was the one that Ginny called 'a button', and Harry marveled again at her metamorphic abilities.
"Are you off to Severus' - I mean, Professor Snape's class?" Tonks asked.
Harry nodded glumly. "Actually, I'm late."
"Well, you'd better be off then, hadn't you?" she grinned. "See you around, Harry."
"See you, Tonks." Harry replied.
Harry's late enterance got him only a glare and not a scolding; Snape seemed to be in a good mood. He didn't even take points from Gryffindor when Neville surreptitiously tried change the color of his potion with a Transfiguration spell and ended up making his cauldron grow pink fur.
Harry rushed through dinner to make it to Quidditch practice, flew poorly because he couldn't stop worrying about the amount of homework stacked on his desk, then had fallen asleep without completing any of it when Ron shook him awake.
"Harry! Harry, wake up! I figured it out!"
He rubbed his eyes and followed Ron down the common room. Hermione was sitting at a table in the corner by herself. There was a large sheet of paper on the table, covered in doodles and densely written words. It was mostly nonsense - Harry recognized part of Hermione's Herbology notes, and a few quotes from a Quidditch book that he had leant to Ron.
"Do you see?" Hermione asked. She picked up the quill and whispered, "Professor McGonagall." A small puff of green smoke came out of the tip of the quill and quickly dissipated. Then she wrote, 'Harry Potter is excused from detention.'
Harry had spent quite a bit of time deciphering Professor McGonagall's elaborate script. Now, looking at the paper, he realized that each of the lines was written in a different Professor's handwriting.
"Wow," he said.
*
Harry and Ron went directly to the library after Divination, each hauling a large bag full of books and scrolls.
"If we get any more homework," said Ron, grumbling, "I swear I will give up sleeping altogether."
"And not eating?" Harry asked, eyeing the small stack of crackers and cheese in Ron's hand.
Ron looked disgusted. "Why would I ever give up eating? Hey, what have you got there?" He looked at the book in Harry's hand.
"I'm looking up 'flifferwiff'." said Harry. But 'flifferwiff' was not in the Expanded Book of Spells, or even in Irreverent and Irrelevant Spells and Hexes, which was a volume that Harry was sure Snape would have enjoyed.
"Why isn't it here?" Harry grumbled, shutting the last one.
"Well, if it were a Death Eater he was talking to, he wouldn't be using just any spell." Ron said, "It would be some kind of evil, dark spell."
Harry sighed. "The kind that wouldn't be in a book in the library. Maybe in the Restricted Section." He looked longingly at the locked gate.
Meanwhile, Ron had packed up his books. "C'mon Harry, it's dinner time."
"Food again? You go ahead," said Harry. "I just want to check one more thing."
"Suit yourself," Ron called over his shoulder, already out the door. "But some of us are hungry!"
Harry squinted at the books in the Restricted Section, trying to read the titles on the spines. There must be something here that would explain! He got up from his table, and pretended to browse in the Arithmancy section, casting short glances over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching.
He was about to open the gate to the Restricted section when the library door burst open. Harry ducked behind the nearest shelf just in time to see Snape stride into the room and head deep into the shadows between shelves. With a last quick glance behind, Harry followed him.
Snape pulled a book from the shelf and put something inside it. Then he shoved the book back onto the shelf and walked back out into the library.
Harry waited until he was gone and then crept up to the shelf. There was no sign that Snape had been there at all, but after a bit of fumbling he found a note tucked into the cover of Fashion of Famous Witches, not the sort of thing Harry could imagine Snape reading at all.
The note read:
Whomping Willow, fifth hour after dinner
Harry roughly shoved it back into the book cover. He left his own books spread across the table in the library and ran to the Gryffindor common room.
*
"Ron? Ron!" Harry ran into the common room, causing the first years to look at him with wide eyes.
Ron and Hermione were just coming back from dinner, Ron carrying a handful of crudités and Hermione a scroll.
"Harry!" said Ron.
"Did you send that quill to Fred and George yet?" Harry demanded, causing Hermione to look up from her scroll and Ron to quit munching on a carrot.
"No," Ron admitted, "I was going to, erm, investigate it a little more first."
"Great! Fetch it and come over here." said Harry. He dragged Hermione and Ron over to the table in the corner and in a low voice he told them about Snape's appearance in the library and the mysterious note.
"Of course! Snape must leave a note telling the Death Eater where to meet him," said Hermione. "It would be too risky to meet in the same place each time."
"We haven't got much time." Harry said impatiently. "Come on!"
Most of the students were still at dinner or studying in their common rooms, leaving the library empty. Harry led Ron and Hermione to Fashion of Famous Witches; thankfully, the note was still there.
Hermione pulled out her wand and pointed it at the note. "Papyrus blankus!"
The letters on the note shook as if in a brisk wind. They began to swirl around, and then got smaller, vanishing, as if getting sucked down a drain.
"Wow," said Ron, sharing a look of amazement with Harry.
"We learned that in Charms two months ago! Don't you pay attention?" said Hermione, disgusted.
Ron ignored her and handed Harry the quill. "Severus Snape," Harry whispered. He dodged the small puff of smoke, and then he wrote:
Edge of the Forest, fifth hour after dinner
"That should do it," he whispered in a satisfied voice.
*
Harry packed up his books and returned with Ron and Hermione to the Gryffindor common room. For the first time in days he felt as if he had too much time on his hands. He was unable to concentrate on his homework, and after flipping through a few pages of The Gotten Snitch: Quidditch Strategies for the Seeker he slammed the book shut and let it slide to the floor.
"This is foolish," Hermione said. "We shouldn't be going anywhere near a Death Eater! We could be captured, or killed! And then what would happen?"
"We're just going to hide in the woods," said Harry, explaining, "And see who it is. And then we'll tell Dumbledore."
"You promise that you won't do anything stupid, or heroic," Hermione said, glaring. Then she looked over at Ron. "You either!"
They snuck through the hallways, trusting to the Marauder's Map to keep them from being seen. Wands drawn, they approached the Forbidden Forest. Looking into the dark woods, Harry felt a chill climb up his spine.
They found a shrub that seemed both inanimate and a fairly good hiding place and crept down behind it.
"What time is it?" Ron whispered.
"Five past." Hermione replied.
"Do you think the Death Eater is late?"
Hermione barely shushed him when they saw the cloaked figure walking toward the trees. It was obscured completely beneath piles of coats and cloaks, the face hidden in deep shadows. The figure walked with a dark purpose, each stride more of a glide than a step.
Harry's breath caught deep in his throat. What was he doing, hiding in a bush, when the Death Eater could probably see right through the thin leaves and branches? Harry absently drew his wand, though he knew that the Death Eater could probably curse him to death before he could get a word out.
"Who's there?" The Death Eater demanded. Harry was surprised to hear a light feminine voice. It sounded vaguely familiar.
Suddenly, Hermione was leaping out of the bushes, shouting. Harry reached for her, but missed, his hand grabbing empty air. The Death Eater turned around and pushed back her hood as Harry raised his wand, ready. then stopped.
Nymphadora Tonks blinked into the gloomy light. "Hermione? Is that you?"
Hermione said, "Yes," just as Ron shrieked, "No!", tripped over his own feet, and fell to the ground.
"Tonks, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked.
Tonks giggled. "I'm visiting someone. Why are you hiding in the bushes? Are you spying on us?"
"We thought," Harry gripped his wand tightly, "We thought you were a Death Eater!"
"POTTER!"
Snape's voice cut through the darkness. He sounded more angry than Harry had ever heard him before. Harry gulped, waving his wand in the air.
"What is going on here?" Snape strode towards them, his own wand held precisely before him. His eyes burned with rage.
"I think our secret is out," Tonks said. With a playful smile on her lips, she walked over to Snape, and, twining her arms around his neck, kissed him full on the lips.
"Tonks is the Death Eater?" Ron yelped.
"Oh, Ron," Hermione said, "Tonks isn't a Death Eater. We've been wrong all along!"
"Snape is my boyfriend." Tonks said, smiling. "Severus, honey, put that away." She looked at his wand.
"I don't think so." Snape hissed. "I think Potter needs to be taught a lesson. A lesson that he won't forget so conveniently."
Harry took a step backwards. "I didn't mean - we thought you were - she was -" words failed him. Snape's wand seemed to grow before him. He couldn't turn away.
"No." said Tonks, and there was a note of steel in his voice. "They were just doing what they thought was right. right?"
Ron, Harry, and Hermione all nodded quickly.
"He stole my note. If I hadn't seen his disorderly books in the library when I left."
"I hate to interrupt," Hermione said suddenly, "But why did you keep this all hidden?" She gestured, indicating the couple.
"We didn't want to worry everyone," Tonks said.
"And you three have no right to get involved." Snape hissed.
"What did you expect, dearest, with all of the sneaking around?" Tonks tempered the rebuke with a soft smile. She kissed Snape on the cheek. "Come along, let's go back to the Castle."
Snape's face softened as he looked into her eyes. "As you wish, Flifferwiff," he said fondly. He slipped his arm around Tonks and turned her away from them.
Snape looked back over his shoulder and mouthed, "Ten points from Gryffindor!" Then the couple, murmuring softly to each other, walked away.
"Oh my. just wait until I tell Ginny!" Hermione had a huge grin on her face. "Come on you two, we'd best get back before we get in any more trouble."
"But this is horrible!" Harry said. "Tonks is with. Snape. He doesn't deserve her."
"Perhaps you fancy her yourself," Ron said, grinning, "She is rather pretty."
"If she's happy, then it's wonderful," Hermione said definitively. "And neither of you will say anything to the contrary."
Harry felt like hitting them both in the head. He went to bed still sulking.
*
In the days that followed, Harry often caught glimpses of Nymphadora Tonks in the castle. He even felt glad that, for once, he was in on current gossip. But he couldn't get over the feeling of jealousy, that of all people Snape should be so happy.
Hermione just told him that he was being a nitwit, but he was sure, somehow, that he would someday show Snape.
That someday he would meet someone he could call 'flifferwiff'.