A/N: OK, I'm having fun with all this. There isn't much for me to say with this one really. Mystery and intrigue abound. Everybody 'oh' and 'ah' at this point. Feedback pays my rent...or, at least I wish it did...

Chapter 10

Two weeks had passed by since Bellatrix Lestrange attempted to kidnap Ginny. In that time, no one had seen much of Professor Harris. His special class, after only one lesson, had been put on hold. He also wasn't present during defense class, which seemed strange to most of the students, considering Professor Giles had disappeared once more for a two day stint. The rumors going around ranged from the fact that they where merely at the school as a cover and really where there to hunt out Death Eaters or they where working for You-Know-Who and no one could do anything about it because he was too strong. Oddly, there was one rumor going that said they kept disappearing because they where robots and they didn't mix well with magic and kept having to be repaired. Harry knew the last rumor was started by a muggle born student and the majority of the school had no idea what a robot was so that one died off rather fast.

Harry, and the rest of his little group, knew at least the reason why Professor Harris was absent from all but meal times. After Ginny had explained to them what had happened, Hermione had finally been able to speak with them about the whole mess, and had promptly sorted out at least the meaning of the enchantment. Apparently as long as whoever she was talking to knew of the secret, and made it known to her as well, she was able to talk about whatever Professor Harris spoke to her about. So, they learned that he was a muggle, not even that a squib, but a muggle in the complete sense of the word. He had no magical talent, but he certainly knew about the creatures of the dark arts. He certainly knew how to dispatch of them by some more colorful means, if not the spell casting. From how Ginny talked about that night, and they're own experiences with him, he was by no means defenseless until it came to direct magic.

They wouldn't say anything to anyone, Professor Giles and Professor McGonagall had sat them all down, Luna included, and informed them that no one else could know. It seemed a rather mute point considering that Bellatrix knew, but, then again, she was crazy as Ron had pointed out.

But the real reason that no one had seen Professor Harris was that Hermione had him under a gun. Sure, she was compelled to help him whenever she could and was bound to secrecy if she told him anything, but she could ask him anything she wanted and he would be forced to answer truthfully. At least, that was what she wagered would happen, considering the wording of the agreement.

She hadn't given up with trying to figure out how a muggle and a witch had made such a mystical pact, one that she couldn't find in any of the sources she looked in, but had since stopped going at it with such force. Instead, she had restarted going after the Horcrux, trying to locate them and destroy them. Harry would join her when ever he could, to research and simply be near her.

He was sure that Ginny knew of his feelings for Hermione considering she got rather cold whenever she was brought up in the context of the two of them doing something. It wasn't that he didn't feel for Ginny, he did, but he also knew that it was different now. Nothing would change that. Besides, he was sure she had left something out of that story the night she followed Professor Harris. Perhaps she had been talking with one of the boys in her classes and didn't want to mention it in front of him. It made him jealous, yes, but not as much as he was certain it would have last year.

So, Harry now waited in the library for Hermione, trying to avoid the stare of the librarian. Opening up one of the books he had gotten, he had only started to read for a few minutes when he felt someone sit down next to him. Expecting it to be Hermione, he was rather surprised to see Ron who looked a bit out of breath.

"Hey, mate. Waiting for someone?" Ron whispered, trying to keep the attention of the librarian off of him.

"Yea, Hermione was supposed to meet me here. She had wanted help going over some of the books we got about the...you-know-what," Harry stopped himself from saying 'Horcrux' in case anyone was listening. Paranoid, maybe, but better safe then sorry.

"You came to help out too or did you and Luna find anything useful with all of your 'studying'?" Harry grinned.

Ron chuckled and pushed Harry's arm good-naturedly, "Oh, shove off. You know that we've been looking just as hard as you have. It's just a bit...difficult without being able to tell her exactly what it is we're trying to find."

"Not to mention all those study breaks," Harry wasn't mad at Ron for not helping as much with the research portion of all of this. He knew it wasn't his strong point but he would be there when the time came. That he was sure of. Besides, he was happy right now, which was something that seemed to be lacking a great deal of as of late.

"So, have you two made any headway yet?" Ron asked, idle turning pages in one of the books.

Shaking his head, Harry replied, "Not at all. It's as if no one was willing to write anything down about the you-know-what's. We don't know any more then what we started off with. Hermione's even starting to bring up going back and talking to Professor Giles."

Ron nodded, still looking at the book, "Are you thinking about it? I mean, he is pretty...odd what with all his disappearing. Come on Harry, the two of them aren't exactly sane, even for us. Besides, I, uh, sort of wasn't talking about the research."

Harry looked over at Ron, who wouldn't meet his gaze and instead continued to play with the book, "What do you mean?"

"I'm not a complete git, ya know. I can see the way your looking at her," he said, shutting the book.

Not knowing how to react, Harry simply nodded, "Ron...that's ridiculous. She's Hermione, I mean I don't..." he stopped at the look Ron gave him. "I'm not going to do anything about it, if that's what your worried about."

"I was, I mean, at first. But, then Luna and I talked about it. If she makes you happy, then why not? But...if you hurt Ginny over this, I'm going to kick your arse...you know, after we defeat you-know-who," Ron said as an after thought.

Harry grinned. Leave it to Ron to boil everything down to a few sentences. It must have taken a lot for him to talk about this with him. Not because of his past feelings for Hermione or the fact that Ginny was his sister. No, he just wasn't the type of person to really speak about his feelings or matters of the heart with anyone.

"So, Luna explained all this to you, didn't she?" Harry asked as an after thought.

Ron let out a breath, "Of course she did, mate! Did you really think I spent time watching you and Hermione wondering, 'gee, are they making googly eyes at each other'."

The two laughed quietly, though it still earned them a sharp glare from the librarian. Quickly stifling their laughs, they opened the books in front of them to at least pretend they where reading.

"So, what's stopping you?" Ron asked after a moment.

"Oh, I don't know, Ron. It's not like there aren't about a hundred things going on at once that are just a bit more important," Harry said sarcastically.

Ron nodded his head in understanding, "Yea, I know what you mean. But, Harry, just take it from me, alright? Don't wait too long on these type of things. I mean, I don't want Hermione back or anything, mate, don't get me wrong. But, I always wished I had done something about it sooner, ya know?"

"This is a bit odd, you know. Talking about this with you, I mean."

Ron looked slightly uncomfortable at his point, "I know, but your also my best mate. This isn't exactly easy for me to talk about either. It's my sister and my ex-girlfriend! But, I'm trying to be all objective and what not."

Harry couldn't help but be amazed. In the years that Harry and Ron had known each other, Ron had always been one to let his gut reactions lead him. If he was angry at someone, he made sure they knew it. If he didn't approve of something, then everyone knew it. But, now Ron was sitting there trying to give him relationship advice. Advice where he was essentially telling him to do something about Hermione.

"Luna is beginning to be a good influence on you," Harry joked.

"Oh, don't even get me started. I used to think she was just nutters but you know what? She's smart...and crazy as well. You know she keeps looking at my freckles, swearing that if I don't do something that they're going to become infested with something called a Chittering Glowmite," he said with a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"Yea, you sound real upset over it," Harry laughed.

Ron punched him lightly in the arm, "She's something though, I'll tell you that. Oh, that reminds me! Luna's dad sent this to her, just got here this morning with the owl's. You've got to check this out."

Ron reached into his bag and pulled out a black and white photo of four people. There was a man standing in the back with long platinum blonde hair, with his nose up in the air. It was impossible to mistake him for none other then Lucius Malfoy. Off to the right was the familiar long greasy black hair and pointed nose of Severus Snape. Standing next to him and in front of Lucius was a younger and slightly saner looking Bellatrix Lestrange and Rupert Giles.

Bellatrix and Giles where holding each other, bending over laughing and once in a while, Giles would try to pull Snape in with them who only shrugged it off. Lucius didn't seem too distracted by their antics, only moving when Bellatrix would accidently knock into him from laughing so hard. It looked as if they where standing by the Great Hall. From the looks of it, Snape was the same age Harry had seen him in the pensive, which made him in his fifth year and the rest in their seventh year. It had to have been just before Giles had went into hiding, if they had pieced everything about his past together correctly.

This had been something that everyone had thought Ginny had to have imagined. They had known that Giles and Snape had been friends, and from what they could find out, the best of friends. But Giles being together with Bellatrix was simply too bizarre for any coherent thought. Still, this wasn't the strangest thing in the photo. What had caught Harry's eye next was the fact that it was one of the few times that Snape didn't seem to have that permanent sneer on his face. In fact, at times the Snape in the photo seemed to slightly smile.

"Ron, this is..."

"Creepy, huh? I mean, Snape almost looks normal not to mention Bellatrix," Ron helped.

"So, Giles and Bellatrix really where...?" Harry trailed off again, still staring at the picture.

"Kind of hard to say anything different. I guess Gin didn't hear wrong after all,"

Not being able to look away, Harry kept watching Giles and Bellatrix laugh and carry on while Lucius and Snape continued to stand around, shifting every so often or looking at the seemingly happy couple.

"We have to show this to Hermione," Harry said, finally looking away from the picture.

"Don't worry, she's coming right now," Ron nodded towards the door. Turning, Harry saw that Hermione was in fact coming but that she was also being accompanied by Luna.

Hermione looked a bit frustrated, as if she was trying very hard not to yell at someone. It didn't take a genius to guess that it was most likely Luna that she was trying to keep her patience with. Luna didn't seem to notice, which was likely considering that she only seemed to notice what she wanted too. But, as Ron had pointed out, that didn't make her stupid. She wasn't in Ravenclaw for nothing. Luna continued to talk to Hermione, not caring that she wasn't getting a response or that they where getting nearer to Ron or himself.

"Harry, sorry I'm late. Luna had to...talk to me about something," she said taking a seat next to Harry. Then, turning to Ron she glared merely saying, "Ronald," by way of greeting.

Luna, even when simply walking to a library table seemed to somehow float over, smiling warmly at Harry when her eyes finally rested on him, "Harry, how are you?"

"Fine, Luna. Everything alright?" he asked in return. He had the sinking suspicion that it probably wasn't a good thing that Luna was talking to Hermione at the same time Ron was talking to him but couldn't say why. It just seemed troublesome some how.

"I'm just fine, thank you. I just needed to ask Hermione a few questions I had," she said smiling at Hermione this time.

"Oi, what am I, chopped dragon liver?" Ron said joking.

"Ronald," Luna smirked taking the seat next to him.

"Hermione, take a look at this," Harry passed her the photo, watching as her expression changed from curious to shock.

"Harry! Where did you find this?" she asked.

"Luna's dad sent it to her."

Hermione continued to study the picture with almost more intensity then Harry had. Finally, she looked up and handed it to Luna, "Where did your father get this? I didn't think your father attended Hogwarts with any of them."

"He didn't, but mother did. She was in the same year as Professor Giles, father says," she explained.

"Was she the one that took the picture?" Ron asked. Harry noticed that he had placed a hand on Luna's shoulder when she had mentioned her mother. Another telling sign, to him at least, that Luna was having a profound effect on him.

"No, it was a friend of her's. That's how she got the photo," she turned and smiled softly at Ron who returned it.

"Who? Maybe we can track them down, ask them a few questions. Professor Giles being here isn't a coincidence, I'm sure of it. If we can figure out more about him...or just talk to him," Hermione said glancing at Harry when she mentioned talking to him.

"No, absolutely not. We know he was friends with Snape and now we know he was snogging Bellatrix! No! I don't trust him," Harry said without hesitation.

Luna shook her head, "We can't talk to the person who took the picture."

"Why not? I'm sure if we just explained what was going on...Hell, if Harry just asked they'd probably do it," Ron said.

"Ronald, shush," and to the surprise of both Harry and Hermione, Ron didn't say another word when Luna told him not to. "Harry, your mother took the picture."

Harry blinked. No, he couldn't have just been told what he thought he heard, "Luna, there has to be some mistake. My mom and dad hated Snape. He was a git to her, why would she take his picture?"

"Harry, we know that Snape had...feelings for your mother," Hermione said softly.

"No! You don't understand, my mom wouldn't have anything to do with him, I know it," Harry said defensively. He was sure he was right, he had seen the pensive. She only defended him to get to his father and stopped once Snape had cursed at her.

Getting up, Harry grabbed his bag and walked out the library, slamming the door open. He didn't look back, just kept walking down the halls not caring about where he ended up. After a moment, he veered to the right and started towards the front doors. There was still an hour left before curfew set in and he wasn't supposed to be out on the grounds.

The rule had been set in place after the attack by Bellatrix had happened. Apparently she had managed to cast a silencing charm around the area near the front gate and, from what Giles had said, managed to cast a charm on her to prevent the wards around the school from going off. Though no one could say what charm could do that considering the strength of the wards. Everyone had assumed that if you where going to attack you would have to break down the wards which would alert everyone inside the school. They weren't saying it, but all of them suspected that Giles knew more then he was saying.

Without looking, Harry navigated his way down to Hagrid's hut. Having been there so many times, he didn't have to look to find the way. It would be the first time he had visited this year, though considering everything, he was sure that Hagrid wouldn't mind. Hagrid had been here as the groundskeeper back when his parents went here and had been friends of theirs as well. He would be able to explain this to him and prove that there was a logical reason why Luna's father insisted that it was his mother who had taken the photo.

When he finally reached the door, he was slightly out of breath and paused before knocking. He could hear voices coming from inside the hut, talking softly. One was definitely Hagrid, which made sense, but he couldn't tell if he knew the other one. Putting his ear to the door, he heard Hagrid say, "Yer kiddin' me. He actually said he'd help? I didn' think that he would step one foot of his out of that damn city from how you tells it."

"Well, he's gotten...more powerful, as it where. It really is hard to put. I must say, I'm amazed your actually taking me serious. I can't remember how many times you would yell at me and...well, how many times you would say we where making up stories," the other voice said. It was Professor Giles, someone he hadn't expected to be down here.

"Ya well, yer where always up to something. You and...him," Hagrid said, growling out the last word.

The conversation inside stopped abruptly. He thought he heard whispering and in a second, the door opened.

Hagrid beamed down from the doorway, "Harry! What a surprise. Cuttin' it a bit late, aren' ya?"

"I'm sorry, Hagrid. If you've got company, I could come back," Harry was a bit thrown off. Usually he had to knock for a minute before Hagrid came around to answer the door. He imagined that Hagrid was either putting on a fresh pot of water for tea or something. He always seemed very big on social graces, as he put it, when anyone came by. At least as much so as he imagined being social would be.

"Nothin' doin', Harry. I was just talkin' ta Professor Giles. We where just...catching up on old times and what have you," Hagrid explained, lying poorly as he often did.

"Really, it's alright Hagrid, I'll come back," Harry said backing up, ready to turn and leave.

"Mr. Potter? Is that you? Come in, would you?" Giles said from inside.

Seeing no way out of it, Harry relaxed his shoulders and went past the smiling half giant and into his home. At the table, he saw Giles sitting without his robe on but rather a tweed suit, his jacket hung around the back of the chair. Two large mugs sat on either side of the table, and he could tell it wasn't tea in them.

"Evening, Professor," Harry said to Giles. Having gone from angry to flummoxed in such a short time, he was trying to get his head together and not make either a a fool of himself or give anything away. He wasn't sure if he wanted to bring up the photo with Giles being here, but at the same time he might get more information that way.

"So, Harry, what brings you here? Not that I'm not glad ta see ya, of course," Hagrid said, sitting down. "Oh! Let me put a pot on. It's gettin' cold out already and I'm sure ye could do with a cup," Hagrid said rising again and moving to the fire place to start the tea. "Would ya be wanting a cup, Rupert?"

"If it wouldn't be any trouble," Giles replied, pushing the previous mug to the center of the table, clearly done with whatever was in it.

"So, Mr. Potter, Hagrid says that you and him have become fast friends," Giles said facing Harry.

Harry nodded, "Yes, sir. Hagrid was the one who told me I was a wizard. As well as about what happened to my parents." Harry lowered his head. While the topic of his parents would always be sore, he was hoping that he could maybe use it as a way to get Giles and Hagrid to talk.

"Yes, I was sorry to hear about that. Your parents grew up to be very good people, from what I've been told," Giles said solemnly.

"Did you know them, sir?"

Giles paused and exchanged a quick look with Hagrid, "I did, but not well. I was more familiar with some of your fathers friends. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, your Godfather if I'm not mistaken."

Harry wasn't expecting this. Giles had been in Slytherin, there was no way that Remus or Sirius would have anything to do with him on principle alone.

"Mr. Potter-Harry, I know what your thinking. I didn't say I was exactly friends with them, but I did know them. While we had our...differences, we did get along every so often. Especially Lupin and myself," Giles said to him.

"Aye, you and Remus did seem to stir up a few questions from people. Considerin, how none of you could get on when in your own groups, it was amazin' seein' ya do it alone," Hagrid added.

"You where in Slytherin, weren't you, sir?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, I was in Slytherin, Harry. But, I would think that you would already know that with all of the information you've no doubt been gathering on me," Giles said leaning back slightly. He didn't say it in a mean tone, more of stating a fact then anything else.

"Harry! What are ya doin' snoopin' on Professor Giles?" Hagrid asked, clearly shocked.

Giles shook his head once, "No, no, Hagrid. It's fine, really. In fact, I think that it's rather an intelligent thing to do. It wouldn't be beyond my imagination that you've found a few of my more...colorful incidents here. I would take it as a gross exaggeration of everything I've been told about you if you didn't look into my past."

Harry kept getting thrown for loops around Giles. He would have been prepared had he been upset or ordered him to stop. Hell, even if he had reassured him that he was safe and didn't require being inspected he would have known what to do. But, he was commending him on snooping around. This was completely mad. But, if he was saying it was a good thing, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to see his reaction to the photo.

"Sir, there's a photo that we've-Ron, Hermione and I- have found. It's of you with Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and Snape. The person who found it for us says that...that my mother took it," Harry said.

Giles nodded, clearly aware of the picture he was talking about, "Yes, she did. I remember it quite well. It's the only picture of the four of us together, I believe."

"With all due respect, sir, that doesn't make any sense. My mother and Snape didn't get on at all. I can hardly imagine that she was friendly with Malfoy or Lestrange. And you even said that you didn't really know her," Harry said, exasperated.

"Harry, your mother, Lily, was a friend of Severus. The two of them go quite a bit back, if what he told me was true, and frankly, I can't see why he would lie," Giles told him.

This was too much for him. Harry could not believe that he was being told that his mother and Snape, of all people, where friends. He had to be lying, there was no way he could be telling the truth. Harry looked at Hagrid, hoping that he would deny what Giles was saying. Instead, he nodded his head in agreement.

"Aye, the two of them where as thick as you and Hermione and Ron, Harry. At least they where in the beginnin'. Then, they just sort seemed to go off into different thing's, if you catch my drift. I say it be right about the time that you, er, left, Rup, that they seemed to stop speaking entirely. More 'in he deserved, I tell ya. Why, if I could only go back-" Hagrid stopped when Giles stood up.

"Hagrid, it's been wonderful seeing you again but, I really must be going if I'm going to catch the train," Giles said putting on his jacket.

Harry, still in shock, couldn't stop himself from asking what everyone had been wondering, "Professor, where do you keep going off to?"

'Probably off to some Death Eaters gathering. He's probably working for Voldemort as well. He's lying,' he thought at the same time.

Giles stopped, looked at Harry and picked up a small satchel by the front door and slung it over his shoulder, "Harry, I'll take you back up to the school," he said before exiting.

Nodding to Hagrid, Harry followed Giles onto the path back to the main doors. Harry assumed that he wasn't going to be getting anything more out of him. Maybe he had over played it a bit. Hagrid had confirmed it that it was his mother who had taken the picture which still didn't make any sense. But when they had said that Snape and his mom had been friends, well, nothing was making much sense anymore.

"Harry, I was hoping you had given more thought to my offer to you," Giles said after Harry had caught up.

"No offense , sir, but I don't think that it's what Dumbledore wanted. He had said that I had to find these things on my own," Harry replied.

Nodding, Giles continued, "Yes, but I can only assume that you have your friends helping you with the research, am I not mistaken? Trust me, something like this, you don't want to take on your own."

Harry thought about it, but still decided that he couldn't trust Giles. He had pushed the earlier thoughts of him working for Voldemort aside, though. He couldn't afford to become more paranoid then he already was but he also could not afford to trust him either. If he was on the up and up, then he would only be putting him in more danger.

"I know you mean well, sir, but I can't. This is something that I have to do," he told him.

The had reached the doors, and Harry could feel that Giles wanted to try and convince him more. Instead, he nodded and put an arm on his shoulder, "Harry, I understand. But, I need you to understand that I have seen and done more then you and as such, have a better understanding of certain things. While you accept my help, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to do something on my own. I know how much of a strain there is on you."

"I hardly doubt you know anything about prophecies and being chosen," Harry muttered, only realizing that Giles had heard him when he chuckled softly.

"You'll find that I know quite a bit more then most. Now, go inside. If Filch finds you tell him...tell him that he'll answer to me if he gives you any trouble and that I told you to say that," Giles turned and started down the path to the gate.

Harry watched him go till he couldn't see him anymore. There was something so odd about him, even for a wizard. But, an idea had started to form in his head when Giles was talking to him. There was no way for him to know if Giles was being honest with him. But, there was someone that Hermione could get the truth out of, no matter what.

Opening the doors, being thankful that they hadn't been charmed shut yet, Harry almost ran to the common room. Skidding to a stop, at the portrait, he gave the password and jumped in as soon as it swung open wide enough. Scanning the room, he didn't see Hermione or Ron or anyone he needed. Saying a few quick hello's, he ran up to the dorm hoping to find Ron but it was empty. Cursing under his breath, Harry ran down the steps back to the common room and almost knocked Ginny down.

"Harry! What's wrong? Why are you running around like that?" Ginny said catching herself on the wall.

"Ginny, where are you going? Do you know where Hermione is?" he asked at the same time.

Sighing slightly, Ginny nodded, "Yeah, she's in the library with Ron and Luna. I just left them, I have my last detention with Giles tonight."

"Really? That's perfect!" Harry exclaimed.

"Oh, thanks," Ginny said rolling her eyes.

"No, this is great. I need you to help me but we need to get Hermione first," Harry said heading for the portrait hole with Ginny in tow.

"Do I get to know what this is all about?"

Harry started walking faster, urging Ginny to catch up, "You remember how we couldn't tell if Giles and Harris are being honest with us? I mean, Giles is always sneaking off somewhere and Harris is...well, you know. Well, I know that Giles isn't here tonight. If you show up for your detention, you'll only find Harris there."

"Uh, tha-that's great, Harry. But I'm still not following. Did Giles say whether Professor Harris was, uh, going to be there alone?" Ginny stammered slightly.

"What? Oh, I don't know. But, if we can get Hermione to talk to him, he'll have to answer whatever she says because of their pact, remember?"

The reached the library and found that it was dark and empty but they saw movement inside. Quietly, in case Madam Pince was still there closing up, they walked in and started towards where they saw the shadows move. As the got closer, they heard a few muffled voices and someone knocking into a desk. Exchanging a glance, they kept moving until all they had to do was go around a shelf to find whoever was there. It didn't sound like Hermione, but now curiosity had gotten the better of the two.

"Ow!" a muffled voice was heard after the shelf shook slightly.

Harry and Ginny quickly jumped out to see who it was and stopped short.

"Ginny! Harry! Do you mind!" Ron cried.

"Ron, there are better places then this I would think to snog," Harry said slightly embarrassed. They had found Luna laying on top of Ron, the two of them kissing softly.

"Actually, the library after this time isn't that bad," Ginny commented.

"I remembered, thank you Ginny," Luna said sitting up and, not embarrassed in the slightest.

"Ginny!", "Luna!" Harry and Ron yelled at the same time, respectively.

Harry saw the two girls grin at one and other, clearly amused at the fact that he and Ron where probably as red as Ron's hair at this point. Wanting to get off of catching Ron and Luna in a more private moment then he would have liked, Harry decided to get right to the point, "Do you two know where Hermione went? I need her for something,"

"I'll say, mate," Ron snickered earning him a glare from Harry.

Not commenting on what Ron had said, Harry went on, "You guys should come as well. Might as well get everyone together if we can in case we forget anything."

"That can't be good," Ron said as the headed towards the door. Luna and Ginny had moved ahead of them, Luna leading the way to Hermione. The two where talking to each other and giggling every so often.

"So, I take it that there's more then just something physical going on, huh?" Harry said.

"What do you mean? You mean Luna and me? Of course there's more then just a good snog," Ron replied.

"It's just when you where with Lavender, you didn't used to go off to find somewhere quiet. You didn't care who was around."

Ron nodded in understanding, "It...it's different, mate. What can I say?"

That was all he needed to say for Harry. He knew what he meant and he was happy for him. But, right now, happiness could wait till after they found Hermione, not realizing how true that was for him. They needed answers and they where going to get them tonight.

BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK

Nestled somewhere in the London, was a pub, which wasn't unbelievable considering it was London. It was as nondescript as you could get while still being able to tell there was a pub there. The inside while not exactly bright, was dim to the point where you could easily bump into the stools at the bar proper or one of the tables off to the side especially after a few drinks.

It was the sort of place where drinking was taken seriously and eye contact wasn't avoided because of fear of a fight, but more because you didn't want to see your pain or horror in another's eye. But, you could easily find the place half full on any given night, and today was no exception. There was a dull lull of quiet conversation, assuring some mediocre privacy . This wasn't an issue for the two men sitting at a table in the back of the bar though, seeing that anyone trying to listen in would only hear a light buzzing noise.

For the past two hours they had been sitting there, drinking, talking and generally catching up. On occasion, they could even be seen to laugh, although the one in the tweed suit would do so more then his darkly dressed companion. But, such was always the case when Rupert Giles and Severus Snape. Now though, the two sat in quiet silence, which was finally broke by Giles.

"That is quite the story, Sev. I'm amazed that you've made it this far," he took a sip from the pint of dark ale in front of him.

"One could say the same of yourself, Rupert. And what your proposing, it's not just insane, it's...it's beyond insane," Severus replied, leaning forward in his chair.

Giles sported a cocky grin, "I know. Kind of reminds you of the old days."

"Are you sure that he has agreed to help? You know how...fickle he can be," Severus said, rolling his eyes at Giles face.

"Well, there is a catch. You, Severus. He wants to see you first, before he'll come to our aid. I'll warn you, Severus, he...has changed a bit. Hell, he sized me up before I told him anything. Then again, word always did spread fast there," Giles said.

"When?"

"Now, I would wager. I trust you remember the way?" Giles asked standing up.

Severus looked at him before rising as well, "Please, Rupert. I was the one who showed you how to get there."

"Maybe, but I was the one who had to drag you off the train, you ponce."

"How long would you say? A day or two at most?" Severus headed to the door, leaving Giles to pay for the tab.

"I would say about that long, though I would think we should be back here by morning. You know how that damn time shift is. I should tell you though, John's back," Giles told him turning to get oriented before heading towards the train station.

Severus actually sputtered, "Jo-John?!? I thought he would have been smarter then that! He's still alive?"

"Thriving, from what I could tell. He can't help, though he did offer. But, you know about his limitations."

"I suppose that we'll have to settle for Eddie then," Severus said with more then a touch of sarcasm.

"You think Minerva will take this well?" Giles said with a bit of the old Ripper in his eye.

"I dare say that even if this works, we may not be able to find enough of anybody left to take anything well," Severus muttered darkly before they entered the station and boarded the train.