Disclaimer: All the Harry Potter characters and world belongs to JK Rowling, and anything that I do with them is only for amusement.

Harry, as it happened, was blown up to Trelawney's tower. Not exactly his favorite place to pass the time, but far better than the History of Magic Classroom, where even the spiders had left due to utter boredom. The place still smelled like incense and perfume, which reminded Harry ever so slightly of his dreadful time at Madame Puddifoots. It also made him wonder if Professor Trelawney frequented there, thus causing the identical smell. As he poked and prodded around for the trapdoor, a thought struck him. "The Room of Requirement," Harry said to no one in particular, "perfect place to find all that you need, isn't it?" Clunk

Harry had released the trapdoor, causing an updraft of putrid air to fill the classroom. The scent was a peculiar mix of stomach acid and margarita; it appeared the castle was starting to take on heavier drinks as the moon rose higher into the sky. As Harry descended the ladder, his mind was not full of foolish thoughts. He knew that entering The Room of Requirement would not make either Ron or Hermione pop up out of thin air. He was, however, hoping that the room could give him some guidance as to where he could find them. It was this thought that brought him to its door several minutes later, slightly out of breath and panting for air.

As expected the door opened to reveal what he needed most. When Harry stepped into the room he saw, at its center, a large basin. 'That's funny,' thought Harry, 'I don't need a drink.' Nevertheless he approached it, and upon looking into it found what he was searching for. He only had a few seconds to glance at it though, because the castle, upon realizing his location, shouted rather loudly at him.

"Hey, you! What do you think you're doing in there – that's cheating! Get out!" And with those words Harry was met with another gust of wind, which this time landed him inside the Gryffindor common room. Thanking his lucky stars that he hadn't landed in some unidentifiable broom closet, Harry stood up and began wracking his brain to recall the images he had just seen of his two friends. Hermione had been a blur, and judging by what had just happened to him, Harry guessed that she too had been in an out of bounds place and had been in transit while he was looking in the basin. Harry deduced that she must have been in the library looking up a way to disenchant the castle; he therefore decided that he would not go there to look for her. Ron's image, however, had been perfectly clear. Ron had appeared to be sitting against a wall, and wearing a saucepan on his head.

Hoping that on the way he would bump into Hermione, Harry set off towards the kitchens at breakneck speed. Upon approaching the last staircase, however, a strange sight met his eyes. There appeared to be a waterfall of tequila cascading down the stairs. It wasn't coming from anywhere in particular; it just seemed to be shimmering its way down the steps, originating at the top of the first one. Harry knitted his eyebrows in puzzlement towards it, wondering if the steps were indeed safe, or if he'd have to find another way to the kitchens. As if to answer his unspoken question, the tequila began to move, and eventually settled on molding itself into the shape of a cat. The cat gazed at him, licking its paw disdainfully. "Well?" it said, with a deep voice of feminine quality, "What brings you here? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the company, but I am quite the curious being." She purred, rolling on her back, trying to look harmless and playful, yet not quite fooling Harry's instincts.

Harry figured he'd get straight to the point, so he replied with, "I'm looking for my friend. I think he's in the kitchen, may I pass?" The cat raised her eyebrows and asked innocently,

"But why would you have to look for your friend? You are the great Harry Potter; your friend should be looking for you. That is, if he is indeed a friend. Why don't you stay put for awhile? If you don't go anywhere sooner or later your friends are bound to find you." She smiled, sending a shimmer through her translucent, golden fur. Despite the friendly air the cat had taken when she said all those things, Harry was still quite riled.

"Just because I am Harry Potter does not make me 'special' or excuse me from my duties as a friend!" shouted Harry, quite fed up with people – or in this one odd instance a cat – treating him like some saint. "And what," huffed Harry, "makes you say that Ron isn't a true friend?"

"Well," said the cat delicately, gazing at her claws. "He does have a soft spot for that Granger girl, doesn't he? Perhaps they are making out in there, and in that case it is best not to disturb them, don't you think dear? I mean, waiting here for the both of them couldn't possibly interfere with there business, and once they appear you can go and search for that Snape fellow. Besides, I do so enjoy your company, please say you'll stay." Harry was beginning to understand the cat's game now; hers was the game of any alcohol. If he stuck around her too long, Harry knew he'd be provoked into doing something rash, thus delaying their progress on the mission further.

"Oh yeah? Well I don't enjoy your company very much," Harry stated, and as he did so the cat's eyes flared. "I need to find my friend, excuse me." But as Harry tried to push past the cat, it hissed and blocked his path.

"No one dislikes my company, Potter! No one! You shall not get past me, no matter how hard you try." She snarled, positioning herself to pounce.

Harry pulled out his wand, he was unsure of what hexes to use, so he went with the first one that came to mind, "Stupefy!" Unfortunately, this did nothing but cause the cat to splatter; she regained her form mere seconds later, and fixed him with a cocky grin.

"How charming, you aim not to kill, do you Potter? Well believe me; I have no such chivalrous codes in my fighting technique." She began to prepare her pounce once more, and Harry knew he would drown if she landed on his face. This thought struck Harry funny, and inspired him to think on a different route of thought. His opponent was a liquid, no an alcohol. 'But what weakens alcohol?' He thought. The answer came to him just as she sprang forward, hurtling towards his face.

"Aqua Vitae!" Shouted Harry, and a jet of water streamed out of his wand, encircling the cat and pinning her down. He stepped over to her and saw to his satisfaction that the water had begun to dilute her. She would be no threat to him now, and so he headed down the stairs and through a few more corridors until he came to a painting with a bowl of fruit in it. Harry tickled the pear and was immediately granted access to the gigantic kitchens. As he wandered the room it was not long until he realized just how much of it he had never seen. He had always been in the entrance, being waited on hand and foot by House Elves, and now, well, he found himself at quite the loss. At this rate, Harry was beginning to think that he would never find Ron, or that Ron had possibly left while the cat had been taking up his time. 'Damn that cat,' Harry thought, searching for any signs of pots that had collapsed, remembering Ron's unique headgear in the basin. Minutes later Harry's nerves were beginning to wear thin, he was even considering risking going back to The Room of Requirement just to catch another glimpse in the basin. Then, just as he was about to turn around and leave a piercing shriek halted his steps. Another sent Harry rushing towards the voice, now positively identified as Ron's. Harry was now running past icebox after icebox, fireplace after fireplace, all to get to his final destination, which was a massive cauldron.

"Harry!" shouted Ron, from the cauldron, his voice full of hysteria, "Harry, you've got to stop him, he's going to light the fire!" The 'he' that Ron was referring to was, to Harry's surprise, a giant swine adorned with a chef's hat and apron. He winked at Harry and said cheerfully,

"It's the redheads that always make the spiciest gumbo!"

The swine stood erect at the cauldron; in his left hoof he held a ladle, while the right one was curled around a torch. Harry's jaw dropped in horror, his best friend was about to be cooked alive, by a swine nonetheless! What had Dumbledore gotten them into? For the second time that night Harry raised his wand and shouted, "Aqua Vitae!" Water shot again from his wand, this time incasing not a cat, but the wood that was underneath the cauldron.

"Hey, now, that's not nice! You dampened my wood! You'll pay, for sure!" At this the swine turned towards the counter, opened a draw, and began to rummage for something. Harry had just managed to free Ron when the swine appeared to have found what he was looking for. "Oh, so you both want to play, eh? Well, come on then – give it your best shot." The 'something' that the swine had been looking for was a rather nasty looking cleaver. He licked the blade in what would have been a threatening manner, had he not accidentally severed part of his tongue off in the process. "OH, Merrlwin!" squealed the swine in agony, "It stin-es, it stin-es!"

Ron seemed to be rather enjoying himself, and his look of glee intensified once he had located his wand and sent a stunning hex at the then wailing swine. As it hit, the swine crashed to the floor, a faint trickle of blood coming from his mouth as his partial tongue continued to bleed. "Come on," Ron said, turning to Harry. "Let's find Hermione."

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A/N: Hello, hello! Thank you to all that reviewed, and/or added me to your favorites, or my story to your alerts. You make a fanfic author very happy! Now, to answer some questions – yes, you will see what Snape is going through, however that will be some chapters ahead. All I wanted you to pick up about the castle was that it was enchanted with ancient dark magic. Why Dumbledore reacted the way he did will become clearer later, as many things often do with Dumbledore. Neville, is an excellent point, however in my manner of thinking I would say that he would be willing to join the Order, and probably will or if not, at least be part of the final battle in the real series. Hence I jumped ahead with him a bit. I did not really think that Snape's title being revealed would be a big deal as, well, who, except those necessary, would want to be around an angry Dumbledore? I was picturing their group a bit more secluded, sorry if I didn't make that clear. I hope that helped answer some of your questions, stay tuned for more installments, as I quite enjoy writing this and do not foresee any writer's block. With several chapters planned out, who could, eh? Have a good, no, great day everyone!