Seventeen-year-old Harry Potter ran down the corridor, curses streaming from his mouth. He shoved through the crowd surrounding the library, not even noticing how strange that crowd was.

He burst through the door and immediately began searching for Hermione. He didn't find her, but he did notice the wall of twenty computers that had never been there before. As he stood gaping, Hermione sneaked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, making him jump and quickly turn around.

"Hermione!" he yelled. "You scared me! Listen, I'm really sorry I was late, but Quidditch practice ran late, and--"

"Harry, its okay, you weren't that late," she interrupted.

"Half an hour! And it's my fault, too, I'm Quidditch Captain, I should have been paying attention to the time!"

"Its fine, Harry. Now, calm down and shush, we are in the library."

"Fine, 'Mione," Harry said, giving up the fight. "So what is all this?" he asked, gazing around the room again.

"I convinced Dumbledore to get some computers connected to the Wizarding Web, for researching purposes, of course. But there is a ChatWizard installed on each one."

"Everybody, move!" a voice called above the chatter of the crowd. "Get out of my way! What the--"

"Malfoy," Harry said. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard that that fool Dumbledore gave permission to put some disgusting muggle technology in here and I had to see it for myself," Draco spat.

"You--" Harry started.

"Sod off, Malfoy," Hermione interrupted, trying to ward off a fight.

"Shut your mouth, you filthy mudblood."

At that one word, Harry saw Hermione's composure break for half a second. For all the tough words and facades, Harry knew that Hermione was really very sensitive.

"Come on, Hermione. I need some help on an assignment," he said, trying to get Hermione out of the library.

"What assignment, Harry?" she asked, completely clueless as to what he was trying to do. "We have all the same classes, and I don't remember any assignment that you would need my help with."

"Just come on, Hermione," he pleaded.

"Fine, Harry," Hermione said, and taking his hand, she walked out the door.

One of the bright spots of being Head Boy, Harry had learned, was the freedom to move about the castle at night without constantly being on the lookout for teachers. That, of course, made sneaking into the library my easier.

"Bloody hell!" Harry yelled, walking straight into a suit of armor. "I really need to start watching where I'm going!"

When he reached the library, he quietly slipped inside and sneaked over to the new computers.

Turning one on, he said, "I'm sure that Hermione said that these have ChatWizard on them."

Harry clicked on the ChatWizard icon and a window popped up, promoting him to create an account.

Name: Harry Potter

Age: 17

Birthday: 7- 31- 1986

Gender: male

ScreenName: EmeraldLightingSeeker31

Password: (Gryffindor)

Confirm Password:

ENTER

He pushed the 'enter' button and entered the chat room.

EmeraldLightningSeeker31: Is anybody there?

Draco Malfoy carefully unwrapped the package that his large eagle owl had dropped on his bed just moments before. Out of the package fell a large, black rectangular thing.

"What is this?" Draco accidentally pushed a button, causing the top the flip open, where a note lay across a bunch of keys with letters on them.

Son,

This is called a laptop. It is a muggle technology that has been modified for wizarding uses. Under normal circumstances, I would never encourage you to use this, but it will send messages over long distances much faster than an owl can.

Lucius

After much searching, Draco finally found a button that turned it on. When the computer finished booting up, a window popped up prompting him to create a ChatWizard account.

Name: Draco Malfoy

Age: 18

Birthday: 1-7-1986

Gender: male

ScreenName: IceDragon7

Password:

Confirm Password:

ENTER

When he clicked the 'enter' button, another window popped up, recommending a chat room for him. Figuring that he had nothing better to do, he entered the chat room.

EmeraldLightningSeeker31: Is anybody there?

IceDragon7: Hi.

Hermione Granger was finishing up her rounds as Head Girl when she decided to pop into the library.

When she walked over to the wall where the computers were set up, she noticed the bright light of one screen shining in the darkness.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" she asked her best friend.

"Oh! Uh, just some research, Hermione!" he replied, after realizing that it was, in fact, just Hermione.

"Okay, well, I am going to work on some things, too," she said, sitting down a couple of computers away from Harry.

Making sure he wasn't watching, Hermione double-clicked on the ChatWizard icon. She quickly filled out the form.

Name: Hermione Granger

Age: 17

Birthday: 9-19-1986

Gender: female

ScreenName: BookWorm19

Password:

Confirm Password:

Enter

Hermione quickly entered the chat room.

EmeraldLightningSeeker31: Is anybody there?

IceDragon7: Hi.

BookWorm19: Hello!

BookWorm19: r u guys still in school?

EmeraldLightningSeeker31: yeah

BookWorm19: IceDragon?

IceDragon7: Yes

BookWorm19: what school?

IceDragon7: I'd rather not say

EmeraldLightningSeeker31: me neither

BookWorm19: Okay, we'll get back to that:)

IceDragon7: :)?

BookWorm19: it's a smiley. A happy face.

IceDragon7: oh

BookWorm19: do u no nothing?

IceDragon7: Of course!

BookWorm19: never mind! r u guys or girls?

IceDragon7: I'm a guy

EmeraldLightningSeeker31: me, too.

IceDragon7: It's getting late.

EmeraldLightningSeeker31: yeah, it is

IceDragon7: I have to go.

BookWorm19: bye!

:user IceDragon7 has logged off:

BookWorm19: well, g2g. ttyl, hopefully

EmeraldLightningSeeker31: bye!

:user BookWorm19 has logged off:

:user EmeraldLightningSeeker31 has logged off:

"Harry," Hermione said, "Are you almost ready to go?"

"Uh, yeah, just a minute," Harry stammered. "Okay, let's got, 'Mione."

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, and together, they walked to the Gryffindor Tower.