Luna skipped happily down the hall, and practiced saying the spell used against boggarts: "Riddikulus!" Her voice echoed down the hall, and she was quite satisfied that she would be able to show it off in the Dumbledore's Army meeting, which was about to start. It was, in her opinion, the best thing to happen to Hogwarts this year. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's acceptance of her made her heart light, and the thought of Neville shyly asking for her help made a slight blush come to her cheeks. Shaking off the thoughts, she closed her eyes and brought her focus to what lay ahead of her. She stood in front of the inconspicuous wall, wishing nothing more than to practice a true defense against the Dark Arts. When the wall opened, so did her eyes. Alone in the hallway, she vanished through the brick.
After coaching everyone through the Dumbledore's Army session about boggarts, to which Harry hadn't bothered to show up, Ginny was worried. Perhaps Draco had gotten to him, and he was off somewhere trying to get rid of him. The DA was not exactly public, and if Harry had been caught on his way there, he could be in serious trouble with Umbridge. Ginny scowled when she thought of the creepy, toad-like "professor". The scar on the back of Harry's and other students' hands made her want to hex the Ministry hag. She turned the corner, and waiting for her was a mass of vines that immediately wrapped itself around her body. All she could do was struggle for her wand and scream in hopes of someone hearing. How she hated being a damsel in distress! The Devil's Snare, reacting to her attempts to free herself, only tightened its' already constricting grip on her body. She couldn't cry out anymore, and her vision was going fuzzy, gray. Her lack of breath made her head spin. Just when she thought she was going to pass out, a bright light and a firm voice jerked her back. Her body hit the ground, and she tried to gasp her way to a normal breath. Hermione, with her hand on Ginny's shoulder, asked, "Are you alright?" "Yes," Ginny wheezed, "but I need another moment or two…" She closed her eyes and waited until the dizziness faded and her breath was effortless again. Hermione was rubbing her back, and waiting patiently. "Thanks for that," Ginny grinned, "I thought I was done for." Sudden footsteps echoed rapidly through the corridor. The two Gryffindors lifted their heads to see Professor Sprout swiftly approaching.
"What happened to my Devil's Snare? What is it doing here?" the Professor's voice took on a bit of a squeak by the end of her speech, and the two girls looked at each other helplessly.
"I dunno, it just—" Ginny tried to explain, but it was too late.
"Fifteen points from Gryffindor," squawked the Head of Hufflepuff, "for not learning how to handle Devil's Snare properly. The next time you encounter it, you will not struggle. I expected more of you, Miss Weasely." With that, Professor Sprout waved her want to summon the shriveled plant to her side, turned on her heel, and marched down the corridor.
"Well," Ginny stood, "have you seen Harry 'round? He didn't make it to the DA meeting. He never misses."
"He didn't make it?" Hermione immediately looked concerned as she rose from the floor, "I know he meant to be there. He wouldn't just skive off."
"I know," Ginny agreed, "that's why I'm worried. I'm afraid something happened to him. If he ran into Draco—"
"We'll find him." Hermione started tugging her down the corridor.
"He had something to do for Professor Trelawney, didn't he? Let's check the Divination classroom," Ginny's idea had her tugging Hermione off. Together, they charged up the stairs and found themselves in an empty classroom smelling of sandalwood and tea.
"If he was here, and Draco found him, then they would have fought, wouldn't they?" Ginny's brow furrowed, "I think Draco could have pulled off Impedimenta, don't you? Then dragged him off somewhere—"
"Ginny, the Impediment jinx only lasts about ten seconds—it couldn't have stopped Harry for long. He would still have some motion control, and the entire room would show signs of him fighting Draco. This room is undisturbed. If it happened here, it wasn't with Impedimenta. I'm sorry, Ginny," Hermione ended gently, knowing Ginny only wanted to find Harry as quickly as possible.
"We'll find him. There're others who will help. Neville, Luna, Ron—they'll all want to help," Ginny's gaze hardened with determination. Hermione, relieved, nodded, "Let's go find them."