Sirius responded to Harry's letter within a couple of days, giving him the passwords to both open and close the map. However, Harry wasn't really able to get away from Ron after lessons and visit the secret room with Hermione and Draco. Instead he had to trust his two best friends to see if they could find the map. Not that it was easy with so many pieces of parchment to check.

"This is going to take forever," Draco complained on the Wednesday evening as they tried to find the map before they headed off for dinner.

"I'm beginning to think the map isn't here," Hermione confessed. "I mean, it was over twenty years ago that it was confiscated. Why would Filch keep something that long?"

"I don't know, he's got records going back decades in his office," Draco replied. "And some of this parchment looks pretty old. I say we have to keep trying."

"I suppose," Hermione sighed, getting back to it.

"So what did Harry tell Black?" Draco questioned. "Won't there be problems if we find the map and then the truth about you and Harry comes out?"

"Harry told him what happened, just leaving you out of things," Hermione answered. "But he's going to write back and tell Sirius he couldn't find the map. We don't want the light getting their hands on it, so as far as they're concerned Harry didn't find it."

"Sneaky," Draco said with an approving grin as he and Hermione checked a few more parchments before calling it a night. "Maybe Harry can help one night," He suggested as they tided away for the evening.

"We've got to get him away from Ron first," Hermione grumbled. "At the minute, Ron's obsessed with getting onto the quidditch team. I think they were heading outside to practise."

"All the practice in the world won't help Weasley," Draco snorted.

"How do you know, you've never seen him play?" Hermione questioned her boyfriend.

"I don't have to see him play to know he sucks," Draco retorted. "He's the Weasel, therefore he's going to suck. Not that it will make a difference anyway, Slytherin are winning the quidditch cup this year. I'm going to create the best team in history."

"Good luck with that," Hermione chuckled, before the pair shared a quick kiss and departed the secret room in the library.

Leaving the library separately, Draco and Hermione headed into the Great Hall for dinner. Both of them had just taken their seats, when an owl flew into the Great Hall and swooped down beside Theo. Since letters tended to arrive on a morning, everyone was curious as to why Theo was receiving a letter at dinner time. Even the Professors looked curious, and were watching intently as Theo tore into the letter.

"Yes!" Theo cried loudly as he read the letter.

"What's up?" Blaise asked.

"Father's done it," Theo replied with a grin. "He's going to be announced as the new Minister for Magic tomorrow morning. He just wanted to let me know before I read about it in the papers."

"I didn't know Fudge had been sacked," Pansy remarked as she slid closer to Theo.

"It happened earlier this afternoon," Theo answered, consulting his father's letter. "All the pressure Father and his supporters have put on him paid off. He was sacked with a no confidence vote, and he's spent the afternoon clearing out his office."

"This is so cool, Theo," Pansy gushed, smiling at her friend. "You're going to have so much power as the Minister's son."

"Yeah, I am," Theo agreed with a grin.

While Theo was basking in the news, the rest of the Great Hall were also gossiping about it. Most people had heard Theo's gloating about his father taking over as Minister, but even those who hadn't been able to make out what was going on, soon caught up with the gossip as it began to spread. Even the Professors seemed interested in the development, and Dumbledore looked seriously concerned with the news Fudge was no longer Minister. Umbridge also looked concerned that her boss had been sacked while she was off at Hogwarts.

Of course the revelation led to a barrage of loud complaints from Ron. All through dinner he complained about Nott's appointment as Minister. Of course he kept bringing up Voldemort, and the fact he had one of his supporters in the most important position in wizarding society.

"You're just jealous Weasley," Draco sneered as the Slytherins departed the Great Hall at the same time as the Gryffindors, and he overheard Ron's complaints. "I heard your father put his name forward for Minister and he was laughed off. Who would want a Weasley loser as Minister of Magic?"

"You can't talk, your pathetic father didn't even put his name forward," Ron retorted, going red at Draco's insults.

"Father has other things to do with his time," Draco replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "He's a busy man, you know."

"Yeah, busy being a Death Eater," Ron shot back.

"Better than a loser member of the Order," Draco snapped.

"Did you hear that?" Ron asked, turning to look at Harry and Hermione. "He's just admitted that his father is a Death Eater."

"That's old news Weasley," Draco chuckled. "But at least my family will be on the winning side, you can't say that. When this is all over, you'll be lucky to have any family left. Not that you're guaranteed to survive long Weasley."

"Poor deluded Malfoy," Ron snorted. "You and your lot won't win. We've got Dumbledore and Harry on our side. You're the ones who won't be surviving, not us."

"We'll see," Draco replied with a mysterious smirk, before he stalked away to the dungeons with the other Slytherins following behind him.

"I can't wait until he gets what's coming to him," Ron muttered as he turned and stalked up the staircase.

"That would be good," Harry muttered, only his gaze was firmly on Ron's retreating back rather than Draco's.

Hermione chuckled, spotting where her nephew was looking. Slipping her arms through his, the pair followed Ron up to Gryffindor Tower, hoping he wasn't going to spend the rest of the evening complaining about Theo's father becoming Minister for Magic.

C.O.T.D.

In order to keep the peace, Hermione agreed to attend the quidditch try-outs on Saturday. Ron had been in foul mood for the past few days, following Nott's appointment as Minister, so Hermione had decided it would be easier if she went to try-outs rather than stay away and give him something else to moan about. He was rapidly becoming unbearable to be around, and at this point she was willing to do anything to making spending time with him easier to cope with. Although, she did want to support Harry so attending the try-outs weren't all doom and gloom.

Settling herself in the stands, Hermione's attention was caught by some movement over beside the Slytherin stands. Focusing on the area across the pitch, she spotted Draco, Blaise and Theo sneaking around under the stand. Hermione figured the Slytherins had come to spy on proceedings, either that or they just wanted a laugh as they watched Ron try out for the team. Either way, Hermione wasn't planning on alerting anyone on the Gryffindor team to the trio's presence. They should be more alert if they wanted to keep things secret.

"Okay, here's how it's going to work," Angelina cried, gathering everyone who wanted to try-out in the stand where Hermione was sitting. "We'll be doing one position at a time. Everyone trying out for that position will get a fair chance to prove their skills. My decision on the team is final, and if you don't like it, tough. Now we're going to start with the chasers. Anyone interested in that position, mount your brooms and get onto the pitch."

"Wish me luck," Ginny cried as she hopped on one of the school brooms and flew out onto the pitch with the other people trying out for the chaser positions.

"She's mad," Ron said, shaking his head as he perched next to Hermione. "Everyone knows the only real position up for grabs is keeper."

"Didn't you consider trying out for chaser?" Hermione asked, remembering a question she'd heard Ron ask Harry the previous week.

"It was a momentary thought," Ron replied with a shrug. "However, I realised I was being stupid. Why try out for a position you won't get?"

"You never know," Harry said from where he was sitting at the other side of Hermione. "Angelina might decide one of the other chasers isn't up for the job anymore."

"Not likely," Ron snorted. "Alicia's her best friend, so she's not going to boot her off the team. And Katie's been on the team for as long as you. Besides, the three work great together. It would be madness to change a successful trio of chasers."

"I suppose so," Harry muttered as he turned his attention to the chaser try-outs.

Ginny was actually pretty good, but as Ron predicted Angelina ultimately went with the established three chasers. However, Ginny did get her name put down as a reserve, and Angelina encouraged her to keep practising and to try out the following year when the team would need two new chasers.

"Are you okay?" Ron checked with his sister as she joined them to watch the rest of the try-outs.

"Actually, I am," Ginny replied with a smile. "I never really expected to make the team, but I just wanted to see if I was good enough. I know now if I keep practising, I can make the team next year."

"Seekers," Angelina called, interrupting the chattering in the stands.

"Good luck, Harry," Hermione called as he nephew picked up his broom, mounted it and swept out onto the pitch.

"He doesn't need luck, he's the best seeker in the school," Ginny said with a dreamy smile.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the red-headed witch's continued obsession with Harry, before she refocused on the trial her nephew was about to undertake. Hermione suspected Harry was rather nervous as he'd never had a proper trial for the team, but he didn't show it as he swept around the pitch, showing off his excellent flying and seeker skills.

"No major surprise, but our seeker is Harry Potter," Angelina announced.

A grinning Harry returned to the stands where they were sitting, as the beaters took to the pitch to try-out. Again things ran rather predictably and Fred and George maintained their positions on the team. Then again, no-one expected the twins to lose their places as they worked perfectly together and they were by far the best set of beaters in the school.

"Last but not least, keepers," Angelina shouted. "Get yourselves over here."

"Good luck, Ron," Ginny said, grinning at her brother as Harry and Hermione also wished him luck.

Much to Harry and Hermione's shock, Ron was actually pretty good. His flying skills were up there with the other people trying out, and in his first round of goal keeping attempts, he only let one goal in. Since the keeper was the only position that would definitely have new blood, Angelina had chosen to focus most of her attention on this particular try-out. It meant the keepers had a lengthier try-out and were slowly whittled down until finally it was between Ron and a sixth year, Cormac McLaggen.

"This is so nerve wrecking," Ginny gasped, clutching onto Harry's arm as Cormac took his place in front of the three rings for the final test. "McLaggen's pretty good."

"He is," Harry agreed with a nod. Personally, he though Cormac was slightly better than Ron, but he might just be biased as he didn't really fancy having Ron on the team with him.

"But then again, so is Ron," Ginny added, still clinging onto Harry's arm.

"Yes, he is," Harry conceded quietly as he watched Cormac save all the goals Angelina, Katie and Alicia threw at him.

When it was Ron's turn, he also saved all the goals the Gryffindor chasers threw his way. Now it looked as though it was going to come down to which keeper Angelina preferred. Or more precisely, which one she thought would gel better with the team. While Cormac may have been good, he also came across as a bit conceited, and Harry had to wonder how he would cope with taking orders from someone else, especially a witch. Whereas Ron would slip into the team much easier, with two of his brothers on the team and his best friend.

In order to make her decision, Angelina called her entire team together and they discussed their options. Like Harry suspected, Cormac wasn't a popular choice as a few of the team didn't like him and thought he would be harder to work with. After all, how were they going to win the cup if the team wasn't a united force? When it came down to the vote, everyone backed Ron, even Harry as he didn't want to raise suspicions by backing Cormac over his supposed best friend.

"We have a decision," Angelina announced. "Our new keeper is Ron Weasley."

"Nepotism," Cormac cried loudly. "This is a bloody fix."

"Sod off McClaggen, you're just jealous that I'm better than you," Ron sneered.

"Nonsense," Cormac snorted. "You're only on the team because your brothers are part of the team, alongside your best friend. Well, you've made a bad call there," He said to the rest of the team. "Mark my words, I would have been the better choice. But now you're stuck with Weasley, so don't expect to win the cup this year."

"Git," Ron muttered as Cormac grabbed his broom and stormed out of the stands.

"Forget about him," Fred said. "Let's go and celebrate our little brother making the team."

"Yeah, and we can also discuss how we're going to win the cup this year," George added. "It's our year this year, I can feel it. We're going out on top, aren't we Fred?"

"We are, George," Fred replied, slinging his arm around his brother's shoulder. "Gryffindor for the win this year, I say."

With a bit of laughter everyone began making their way down from the quidditch stands and back into the castle. Harry and Hermione joined the other Gryffindor in returning to Gryffindor Tower, even though both of them would have loved to gone off and found Draco. They would love to know what their best friend thought of Ron making the team, but they were sure they would find out soon enough. After all, they still had to sort through the rest of the parchments from Filch's office in the hopes that one of them would be the elusive map Sirius reckoned existed.