Harry hadn't been able to get the vicious attack in the foyer out of his mind. Neither apparently had anyone else; as the entire school was looking over its collective shoulders. Those injured in the attack had become meal time celebrities as everyone not lucky enough to be hit by falling debris was looking for a new horrifically embellished account of what had happened. Harry, Ron and Hermione: those most involved had remained completely mum on the subject per Dumbledore's instructions. A fact which was proving to be particularly frustrating to a few of their cohorts.
"He didn't mean ME!" Ginny squealed in irritation at Hermione's repeated efforts to get her to drop the subject.
"Well then who did he mean? Only people we pass on odd days of the week? He meant everyone, Ginny you'll just have to respect that." Hermione had ceased trying to eat her dinner amidst this constant barrage from her young friend.
"Look it's not like I haven't helped you before. It's not fair to leave me out of the loop that's all I'm saying." Ginny turned grumpily back to her food.
"Get over it Gin. Besides there's nothing to help us with this time, the Aurors and teachers have it covered." Ron shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth to emphasize his point before Harry interjected.
"Well actually Ron…"
"HAVE IT COVERED…" Ron stated again through a mouthful of potato.
"Look all I'm saying is that there are a load of questions no one seems to want to answer. And we all know by this point that usually means something's not entirely right around here." Harry said ignoring Ron's sharp look of reproach.
"Maybe Ron's right Harry." Everyone within earshot turned to look quizzically at Hermione at this statement. Though no one seemed as shocked as Ron.
"I said 'maybe'" as most of the casual onlookers returned to their food Hermione rolled her eyes before continuing.
"Maybe we should leave this one to the professionals Harry. I mean the stakes are a lot higher this time. People are dying outside of Hogwarts, and the Professors and Aurors are spending all their time making sure we're safe. I don't know that we have the right to interfere this time."
"I know Hermione, that's exactly why we have to find out more; they're too busy to find out what's really going on here. Look if you don't want to help me that's fine but I'm not just going to let it go. What just happened has never happened before and if we don't find out what's going on it's going to happen again. And this time people inside the school could die." The intense look on Harry's face quelled any further objections Hermione may have had; Ron however was a different story.
"Harry they can handle it I mean; you saw Novotny in there that was bloody amazing! She may be a vicious loony but I feel a hell of a lot safer." Harry turned bitterly towards his friend,
"That's where we have to start Ron; Novotny has something to do with this whole thing. I mean if she really didn't know what that thing was how did she know how to kill it? And why did she get rid of it so fast? And where does she go when she's not at the school? And why is she here in the first place? And…"
"Okay we get it mate, Novotny…big bad. That doesn't change the fact that she saved your arse, besides Tonks said she was doing something for the Ministry."
"Yeah Ron but she didn't know what that was. And let's face it being on the Ministry's side of late doesn't prove a whole lot." Harry was becoming increasingly agitated that no one but himself seemed to see that Novotny's behavior and presence alone was suspicious. Whether she'd helped him or not; he hadn't lost his mistrust for his new professor. Ron sighed deeply. By this point he knew when Harry had become immovable.
"Fine mate; what do you want to do?"
"Well that's obvious, we find out more about her."
"I already told you everything I know; I don't think the library is going to be much help on this one Harry." Hermione said.
"Yeah I know. We have to do a little reconnaissance I think. Does anyone know where her room is?" Before a horrified Hermione could object Harry continued his plan, "…we have guaranteed time every day where she's out of the castle doing whatever it is for the Ministry. We find out where her room is and go during the day, she'll never know."
"But Harry we don't know that she's gone all day I mean the woman has to sleep sometime, and if she's working all day and teaching classes all night…" Hermione began.
"She's not gone all day…." Ginny said interrupting her. Harry turned to the fourth year inquisitively.
"When is she gone Gin?" he asked.
"I dunno I just know she isn't gone the entire day. Tonks told me. Remember they've been patrolling together after Novotny finishes teaching." Harry looked up at the staff table where Tonks was engaged in conversation with the professor in question.
"Ginny can you use your parchment thing to find out when she's gone?" he asked excited that his plan could work.
"I could… if I were to come along on said reconnaissance." Ginny smiled wickedly. Harry was really beginning to wish she hadn't come quite as much into her own lately. Before Ron could answer emphatically in the negative Harry nodded yes. Prompting Ginny to whip out her parchment and pen and Ron to give his friend another scathing glance.
A moment later Tonks had written back.
"She says she leaves patrol at about seven in the morning and doesn't usually show up till seven that night for dinner. But, Harry that doesn't mean she's out of the castle that entire time." Ginny added worry creeping onto her face.
"If we get caught in there…by her we're dead." Hermione said.
"Well if she's really on our side Hermione I think the worst we'll get is detention." Ron said evenly.
"Either way we've done this sort of thing before 'Mione. In and out we'll never be spotted. Gin does Tonks know where her room is?" Harry asked.
"She wants to know why we want to know." Ginny said grimacing and pointing up to where a decidedly suspicious Auror was glaring at them. Ron smiled and waved weakly.
"Tell her Hermione has an appointment with her for extra lessons and needs to know where to go." Harry said quickly. Ginny complied.
"She wants to know why 'Mione doesn't just ask her."
"Because she scares the ever loving shit out of her that's why." Ron said. Hermione punched him viciously on the arm. Before Hermione could interject a less embarrassing justification Ginny had already responded.
"Tonks says she doesn't blame her. And her rooms in the old Dungeons. Where's that?" Before anyone could throw out an ' I dunno' Hermione had spoken.
"Well according to Hogwarts: A History, the old Dungeons are just below the Dungeon level the Potions classroom is on. They go a mile down under the castle. Salazar Slytherin had them built to house disruptive students and Dark Magical creatures he wanted to study. They're abandoned." Ron groaned.
"Of course they are it's not like she could be in some cheerful sunny place is it? Oh and before you say it: there's no maps and the place is a bloody maze right?"
"Well… yeah." Hermione said flushing visibly.
"Yeah better be careful Ron. Probably all sorts of creepy crawlies down there, rats and bats and…spiders." Ginny interjected sweetly.
"Oh my." Ron said in a much higher voice than usual.
"And one royally pissed off psychotic Professor if she catches us snooping around down there." Hermione added. Harry had to admit he was not fond of the idea of running into Novotny in that sort of environment.
"We'll go tomorrow at lunch." Harry said resuming his dinner.
"Oh yeah sure we couldn't go during study hours…" Ron said bitterly.
"Uh no, no we couldn't I don't know about you Ron but the N.E.W.T.S. are still top priority…" Hermione began.
"They're over a year away 'Mione! Let's focus on living long enough to reach them first a'right?" Harry laughed for the first time that night. Allowing the conversation to drift off to more mundane topics helped him to take his mind off the task ahead of them.
The next day seemed to be going by in a crawl. At breakfast Ginny had written to Tonks to make sure Novotny had left that morning. Surprisingly enough Tonks had replied in the affirmative without asking any probing questions leaving Harry and the rest no excuse to abandon their plan. Though as Lunch time closed in there were certainly a few who tried.
"But Harry I just can't think we've covered everything. I mean don't we want to go, I dunno study protection spells for a few days first?" Ron asked plaintively.
"What's the matter Ron? Afraid you'll never know Blaise's preferred style of underwear?" Harry snickered. He was trying to keep himself loose, and finding it difficult he'd never snuck around all that much in broad daylight before.
After Potions and just before lunch Harry and Hermione waited some hundred or so feet from the classroom (still containing the dangerous and obsessively watchful Severus Snape) for Ron and Ginny. Hermione was a bit nervous.
"We don't even know how to get down there Harry, and what if her room's booby-trapped? You remember what Moody's office was like don't you? All sorts of security."
"Hermione if we can break into the Department of Mysteries we can break into Novotny's room." Was all Harry said as Ron and Ginny rounded the corner at the end of the hall. Hermione was about to remind him that that particular bit of breaking and ending hadn't gone all that well, when she reminded herself an indignant, guilt ridden Harry was even less rational than an obsessed one.
"So where to now?" Ginny asked.
"Well if it's below the Dungeons; we have to find a way to go down." Harry said.
"Oh yeah there's our intrepid leader's mind at work." Ron said, he looked distinctly unnerved.
"Thanks Ron. Any idea 'Mione?" Harry said looking down the hallway in the opposite direction from the Potions Classroom.
"Well there's probably stairs round that corner up there." She said pointing in the same direction.
"Wow I'm truly in the presence of geniuses; you're right I'm not cut out for this hardcore detective work." Ginny said in a low voice.
Hermione shot her a look, but Harry ignored her as they rounded the corner to indeed find stairs. They looked as if they were rarely if ever used. The House Elves didn't seem to clean this particular area of the castle and dust coated everything. Bad for those with allergies but excellent for those trying to trace someone else's steps as there were clear footprints in the layers of dust that they could only hope belonged to their mysterious professor. No one said anything as they descended the stairs, unaware that someone was watching them.
"Everyone stay quiet, if she is down here we don't want her to hear us coming; only speak in an emergency." Harry whispered. It was incredibly dark down there, the only light coming from a single torch burning some hundred yards ahead of them.
"There's a good bet." Ginny whispered ignoring Harry's instructions. They moved silently the rest of the way to the door; encouraged to see that the footsteps disappeared underneath it as they had been unable to follow them in the dark of the corridor.
"Harry if she's…" Hermione began.
"I know." He said reaching for the handle. As he opened the door the group held their collective breath. Waiting to hear Professor Novotny's deep angry contralto greet a disturbance.
"Well no problem there." Ron said as they stared down at another staircase; the footprints inviting them to follow. There was a faint hint of torchlight at the bottom.
After they had descended the staircase they continued to follow the footprints off to the right towards another torch-lit doorway. "Wow not exactly paranoid at all is she." Ron said as the second door revealed yet another staircase.
"Not at all if she doesn't have anything to hide." Harry said as they descended the third staircase. This time the footprints led off to the left. Ginny sighed as they sighted the next door.
"You know eventually people will wonder what happened to us." She said as they approached the door. Harry was beginning to wonder whether the hour and a half they had for lunch would be enough time. As he opened the door this time he was relieved to see no more stairs were present. But slightly worried that there was no trace of light within the room.
"What if she's sleeping?" Hermione asked.
"She wouldn't be sleeping at noon. She'd either do it in the morning or just before dinner." Ginny pointed out reaching for her wand.
"Lumos." Harry muttered having beaten her to it. The room was small. At least smaller than Harry had thought most teachers rooms would be. They'd raided offices before but never a professor's actual living quarters. It was unsurprisingly cold even for a dungeon. The only things visible within the magical beam were the edge of a large darkly adorned bed and several bookshelves and dressers arranged around the room against the walls. Harry raised his wand a little higher to reveal several unlit torches and a cold empty fireplace.
Shooting sparks from his wand onto the torches and into the fire Ron provided them with a clearer view of their surroundings. Other than what they had initially seen there wasn't much to the room. Other than a desk and large trunk on the other side of the room next to a doorway which appeared to lead to a bathroom.
"Not much of a decorator." Ron said moving into the middle of the room.
"So what are we looking for Harry?" Ginny asked. Moving closer to the nearest bookshelf and touching a large red leather-bound book lightly. The title was in Russian giving her little hope of finding something incriminating in a brief once over.
"I dunno, any letters, weapons, pictures anything that'll give us a clue why she's here." The others nodded and got to work. Hermione sat at the desk opening the top drawer. Ginny resumed her search of the bookshelves and Ron…sat on the edge of the bed staring confusedly about the room.
Oddly enough it was Ron who discovered the first thing of interest.
"OWWW!" he shouted jumping off the bed and grabbing his left ankle in pain. The other three simultaneously shushing him and running to his side.
"What's wrong?" Hermione whispered emphatically.
"Something bloody bit me!" Ron spat in only a half whisper. Ginny and Harry both looked at the bed.
"Something underneath it?" Harry asked.
"Only one way to find out." Ginny said reaching for the edge of the covers that were currently dusting the stone floor. The others quickly drawing their wands and pointing them at the bottom of the bed.
"Ron I swear if it's a bloody bug I'll…" Hermione began.
Ginny whipped the covers up to reveal…absolutely nothing. Four heads bent to investigate. But could find absolutely nothing under the bed aside from a plushy blanket that had been strewn somewhat carelessly underneath.
"She's a slob too that's just great. Nice work Ron." Harry said… " Way to find that killer blanket that is damning." Ginny added as they stood back up. And promptly leveled their wands again in surprise.
"Is that?" Hermione asked somewhat less verbosely than usual. The 'that' to which she referred was a small red fox which was now sitting on top of the bed giving them accusing looks.
"Ah well I guess it wasn't the blanket then." Ginny said lowering her wand.
"Oughtta make a bloody hat out of you." Ron said. The fox barked and trotted toward him on the bed. Ron took a step back before he could stop himself much to Hermione and Ginny's amusement.
"Oh is Ron afraid of ickle foxxie?" Ginny laughed.
"Well at least it's not a spider Ron." Hermione said covering her mouth. Ron was not amused. And walked over to the desk to continue where Hermione had left off; muttering something like, "hope it's rabid," as he went.
Hermione and Ginny laughed again and both reached down to pat the fox. Shutting up promptly after it had nipped both their hands. "Ow! You little…" Ginny started.
"Serves you right; the lot of you." They turned to find the source of the voice standing in the doorway. Tonks' hair was dark today in short uneven patches. She did not look particularly pleased to find them there.
"And to think I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Shame on me. Gin you need to learn to lie better. Now what exactly do you all think you're doing?" she asked moving into the room. Harry was about to come clean with their suspicions when he saw something that raised even more. The fox who had been growling at him a moment earlier leapt off the bed and skittered over to Tonks' feet jumping up and bracing its front paws on her leg. When it started to whine, the Auror reached down and scritched lightly behind its right ear; at further whining she lifted it clear off the floor and held it in her arms.
"Uh not for nothing but how'd you two become such good friends?" Ron asked still rubbing his ankle.
"Professor Novotny asked me to feed him while she's away during the day. Odd isn't it how he doesn't attack people who've been invited?" she said pulling away when the fox began to lick her face. "Now what are you doing here?" she asked again.
"We were trying to find out why Professor Novotny is here at Hogwarts, and where she goes during the day. And if she really didn't know what that thing in the foyer was." Harry said mostly to the floor. He liked and respected Tonks and she was one of few adults who didn't normally lecture him on this sort of thing. To be frank he didn't think she'd ever been angry at them before.
"Oy really, the four of you if you want to know something ASK." She said exasperated sitting on the bed and continuing to pet the fox that was now curled up in her lap.
"You mean you know?" Harry asked.
"Yes I know and if it will prevent you burgling in the future I'll tell you." She replied as they stood to listen.
"Look obviously this stuff isn't to be common knowledge so keep your gobs shut promise?" she asked as each of them nodded. "The Ministry has suspicions that the Vampires may be considering helping You-Know-Who. So they asked her to come and find out if that was true after all there's no one better at finding them is there? Additionally they believe one of the Vampires You-Know-Who is trying to enlist is an ancestor of hers; they're hoping she'll finally be able to stop him if that's true. So during the day she goes to look for him. Apparating all over the place apparently. She hasn't said if she's found anything. And finally if she says she didn't know what that thing was; then she doesn't know all right?" she asked finally. Harry was disinclined to simply leave it at that.
"How do you know all this stuff?" he asked.
"She told me. Now if you're done playing amateur detective for the day can we please go back upstairs before this one falls asleep and I have to budge him?" she asked nodding towards the drowsy fox in her lap. She moved to push him off her lap much to his dismay which produced a loud whine as he hit the comforter on the bed. He continued to do so until Tonks planted a small kiss on the tip of his nose and scritched his ear again.
"Geez, foxy has too mommies a bit?" Ron said. As he exited the room. Tonks hit him swiftly upside the back of his head.
"Actually now that he said that you two are awfully chummy aren't you?" Ginny said as Tonks shut the door behind them.
"All right knock it off." She said even in the torchlight her face was scarlet.
"AW! You are you're snogging!" Ginny said far too loudly for Harry's taste.
"Oh come on Gin' Tonks doesn't swing that way." Ron said eliciting a laugh from Hermione.
"Besides you'd have to be some kind of desperate girl to go after Novotny I mean she's downright scary." He continued. Tonks hit him again.
"Not that it's any of you're business; but she happens to be an excellent mentor, I've learned more from her on patrol than I did in three years of Auror training."
"I dunno, I'm pretty sure whatever she's teaching you, wasn't on the curriculum there." Ginny said quickly before running towards the stairs. Tonks sighed. Hermione giggled. Harry thought about what they could've found uninterrupted. And Ron wondered whether or not this new revelation meant Tonks would kiss Blaise Zabini or not.
Author's Note- ::Ducks debris being thrown her way:: Yes yes I know it's been over a year. Seriously don't get your knickers in a twist. But still anyone who read the story previously who stuck around…Bravo I don't deserve your interest.