A/N: Heheh... *hides behind thestral* SOWWY! School was kicking my butt! I didn't have enough time to eat more than one meal a day (Toast. Yum yum.) and get more than six hours of sleep if I was lucky. I tended to get four. And no, I didn't give up on this story! I will finish it, because unfinished stories bug me SO much! So! *grins cheerfully* Here is the new chapter. Golden Trio Detective Agency. Heheheh...

Disclaimer: *sings* You can own the words and still, all you'll own is words untiiiiiiiilllll... You can be like all the authors that I'm not...

Chapter 10

"Honestly, Hermione. What are you looking for?" Ron asked.

"A book on magical creatures." she answered simply.

"But we've got loads of books on them already. What's wrong with them?"

"I need one that talks about less common creatures."

"... Why?"

"I've got a hunch, okay, Ronald? Now shut up and help me look!"

He closed his mouth, and began rummaging through the library shelves with her.

"A hunch about what?" Harry asked, dipping his quill in some ink.

Hermione scowled, stepping down from the ladder. "Professor Evans."

"You think that he's a magical creature?" Ron asked, amusement shining in his eyes.

"Think about it, Ron. He knew Harry's parents. He had time to become a Gryffindor before he left for America. That means that he's at least twenty-five. He could barely pass for that. But he seems to look and act much younger. But at the same time, the stories he tells us… he's seen as much as Dumbledore."

"So… a magical creature that ages slowly, is allowed into Hogwarts, is very wise, but chooses to not show that wisdom and instead acts like a first-year. Have I got it?"

Hermione shook her head. "How did you ever manage to get to fifth year?"

"Hey!"

"Enough, both of you." Harry snapped. "Hermione, what do you think he is?"

"Well, I'm not sure yet. That's why I need the book. But I'm thinking that he's an elemental."

"As childish as he is, he's not mental, Hermione." Ron said.

"Elemental, Ron. Not mental. Surely you know what that means now that your ears have been cleaned out?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you. But what shows that he's an elemental?"

"From what I already know, elementals belong to more specific categories than the four elements that a wizard can control. Such as, snow."

"He's a snow elementalist. So what?"

She sighed. "Ron, snow falls under the category of water for a human. But have you ever seen him do water magic that didn't involve freezing it?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but it quickly snapped closed again.

"My point. It's more specific. Besides, I think I read somewhere that elementals live much longer than a human, because they age slower. It adds up, so far."

Harry set his essay aside. "If you want a more specific book, then maybe you should ask Madam Pince."

"Professor Evans is close to all the teachers, except for Umbridge. We have to keep this between us, or someone may find out what we're doing—"

"What are you doing?"

The Golden Trio whirled around, meeting the pale blue gaze of a certain professor.

"Professor Evans!" Ron called.

His smirk grew. "Yep. That's me. Thanks for the information, Mr. Weasley. Now, I didn't realize that you three were pranksters — Well…" He seemed to ponder the statement. "Weasley and Potter, I can picture. But you, Ms. Granger? Didn't think I'd see that."

Hermione sent a glare to her two friends. "I'm not a prankster, Sir. I just happen to get pulled into all their trouble."

The professor laughed. "Sounds like me with my fam—friends."

The young witch nodded slowly, taking note of the sudden correction of his words.

"What are they like, Sir?" Ron asked, eyes gleaming with interest.

He shrugged, plopping himself into a nearby seat. "Well, we're very strange, I'll give you that. Aster, he's super grouchy. Didn't like me much, at first. But he's not all bad—he's great with kids. Then there's Nick. He's probably the happiest guy you'll ever meet. But don't think he can't be serious. He nearly scared the snow out of me the first time I saw him mad. Thiana is nice. She's a bit obsessed with my teeth."

"Your teeth?" Ron exclaimed.

Madam Pince shushed him from across the room.

Evans shrugged. "She likes how white they are. Her sisters are just as bad." He laughed, showing off said pearly whites. "Naw, they're worse.

"Then finally, there's Sandy. He's quiet, I guess you could say. Most people look over him, but they shouldn't. He's the glue that holds us together. There was this time—not too long ago, actually—when he was… gone, for a while. I was new to the group, and Aster hated my guts. There was a misunderstanding between us, and…"

Evans shook his head, as if to rid himself of the thought. Though Harry thought he saw his eyes glisten with unshed tears.

Hoping to save him from the memory, Harry piped up. "Professor, why do you see me as a prankster?"

It worked. Evans raised his head, his signature smirk slipping back onto his face. "'Cause your dad was that way."

Harry's eyes widened. He'd always been desperate for any information about his parents, as he had little to no memory of them. "What—"

"Well! I best be off. Professor Grubbly-Plank said she needed me for something. Catch you later!"

Hermione pursed her lips as he left, then went back to the shelves. "He slipped."

"What?" Ron asked.

Harry groaned and slammed his book shut, earning another shush from Madam Pince, and two confused glances from his friends.

"I can't concentrate with this going on. What is it, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Professor Evans. He was about to say 'family' earlier, but switched to 'friends' at the last second." she explained.

"So?" Ron asked. "Lots of people consider their friends to be family. He's probably the same way."

She scowled, deep in thought as she muttered something under her breath. "We'll need to check out the restricted section. Tonight."

"What?!" the two boys exclaimed.

"Sshh!" Madam Pince shushed them again.

"What?" they called more quietly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Elementals can be incredibly dangerous. Any books about them have to be in the restricted section. At least, if Madam Pince has any sense. Which I think she does, since she keeps shushing you two."

"Hey!"

"Shh!"

"My point." Hermione began putting books away.

Harry sighed. "Fine. Let's say we go along with this—"

"You will."

"If we do this, how do you plan on accomplishing it?"

"Your invisibility cloak."

Now it was the two boys' turn to do the shushing.

"We can't all fit under it, 'Mione." Harry reminded her. "We're not exactly first-year size anymore."

"I know. But we can make it work. Who's to say You-Know-Who hasn't started recruiting elementals for his army?"

Harry rubbed his face. "Fine. Tonight, we meet in the common room, and sneak out under the invisibility cloak. Otherwise known as the Invisible-Except-For-Your-Feet Cloak. We come to the restricted section, and look up elementals. Have I got it?"

"Yep."

"Hang on, I never agreed to this!" Ron piped up.

"Two to one, Ron. It's how democracy works." Hermione said.

"I never agreed to a democracy!"

"Exactly."

"Ron, stop stepping on me!"

"It's not me!"

"Who else would be that clumsy?"

"Both of you, shush!" Harry demanded, attempting to peer through the darkness. "The library is just ahead."

The trio went quiet as they entered the library, silent all but for the sound of their breathing.

They entered the restricted section, and pulled out their wands.

"Lumos." Hermione whispered, and the tip began to glow with a silvery light.

"Where exactly would we find a book on elementals?" Harry asked.

Hermione's determined gaze landed on a specific row. "Right here. Come on."

"Do we have to keep the cloak on?" Ron asked.

She hesitated. "No, I suppose not. As long as we can put it on again really fast."

He huffed, pulling himself out from underneath it. "Please. I'm as fast as a—"

"Spider?" Harry asked, grinning.

Ron paled. "You are cruel, Harry Potter. Very, very cruel."

The raven-haired boy attempted to hold back his laughter.

"Here!" Hermione beamed, reaching into the shelves in front of her. "An entire book on elementals! We should come back here more often."

The two boys looked at each other, eyes wide. "We should go find Hermione." they said together, turning on their heels.

"I'm right here!"

"No, you can't be Hermione." Ron said stubbornly. "Hermione would never want to break rules."

She scowled. "Good to know you two have been rubbing off on me. Anyway, this should have the information we need."

"Great! Can we go now?"

"No! They can't know we've been here! We have to do the research now."

"Now?" Ron's shoulders slouched. "What about sleep?"

"We can't sleep when we could have one of You-Know-Who's followers in the school!"

Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses. "'Mione, I think you're jumping to conclusions. All we really know about Professor Evans is that he's good with water magic—yes, he freezes it a lot. That could just be his favorite thing to do. Also, he looks youthful. Youthful, and likes snow, Hermione! That's all we know about him! There's nothing to suggest that he works for V—You-Know-Who."

She frowned, and pulled out a list, shoving it in her friend's face. "Here. All the strange things about Professor Evans."

Harry and Ron lit up their own wands, eyes scanning the sheet.

Professor Evans

Friends with Snape, because they "found common ground"

Powerful master of elemental magic, specifically the element of snow (not a wizard element)

Knew the Potters until death, but would have only been a few years old at the time

Gryffindor at Hogwarts

"Invisible kid"

Moved to America

Hates shoes and robes

Has a staff instead of a wand

Harry looked back up. "I guess… But he seems to be really accepting of everyone. Maybe he did the searching that no one else wanted to do, and that's how he found common ground with Snape."

"Or they both work for You-Know-Who." Ron grumbled reluctantly.

Harry sent a short glare his friend's way. "Maybe he just prefers doing things with snow, but can do other water magic. Maybe he looks youthful."

"Yeah, but—"

"Maybe he used to be shy, but decided to change that when he realized that no one noticed him. What's so weird about the fact that he moved to America? It's not like America is home base for You-Know-Who." He straightened, and actually laughed. "I hate robes. I tripped over them all the time, first year. Still do, actually. And let's be honest, a staff is just a bigger, cooler-looking wand. It's basically the same thing."

"Except staffs can fly." Ron mumbled.

Harry frowned. "What?"

"Nothing! Harry's right, Hermione. Evans is innocent."

She pursed her lips, looking at the book in her hand. "Just in case, I'm going to look through this. If there's nothing in this book, we'll give up."

Harry and Ron exchanged a look that seemed to say, Guess we're not getting that sleep after all.

Hours later, Hermione growled and snapped the thick book shut, waking the two boys.

"Wha?" Harry asked, glasses askew.

"Mum, I'm awake already." Ron grumbled, burying his face further into his arm.

"There's nothing in here!" Hermione exclaimed, burying her fingers into her bushy hair. "Elementals are small, and look something like pixies. They have sharp teeth, and are typically made of their own element. Like snow elementals are made of snow, and plant elementals are made of moss and bark. Evans may be cold, but he's not made of snow."

"He did say something like, 'scared the snow out of me' today." Harry pointed out, scowling as he realized that his glasses were off-kilter.

"Could be a joke, Fred." Ron mumbled, still half-asleep.

Harry sent a strange look his friend's way, then turned back to Hermione, mouthing, I sound like Fred?

She shook her head. No. she mouthed.

Ron looked around, bleary-eyed. "Where am I?"

"At Hogwarts, Ron. In the restricted section. I'm Hermione, not your mum. And this is Harry, not Fred."

He nodded. "Right. Forgot."

Harry rolled his eyes. No kidding.

Hermione exhaled slowly. "Ron is right, about one thing, anyways. It could have been an inside joke with his friends."

Harry nodded. "So Evans is not an elemental?"

"Not unless he can use some really advanced magic that elementals are not capable of to change his appearance."

"Great. So no. Can we go back to sleep now?" Ron grumbled, scowling at nothing in particular.

Hermione sighed. "Alright. Come on."

The trio disappeared under the invisibility cloak again, and closed the door behind them.

After a few moments of tense silence, Ron asked, "Why do we have to be quiet right now? There's no one around."

"We don't know that, Ron." Hermione snapped.

"Can we know that?"

She rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand. "Homenum Revelio."

The two boys held their breath. "Anything?" Harry asked.

"What was that spell, Hermione?" Ron asked.

Hermione pulled the cloak off of them, and tucked her wand away again. "It's called Homenum Revelio, Ron. Do some of your own research this time. Anyways, there's nothing, Harry. No one around for two hallways."

"You're sure?" Harry asked, fingers itching for his cloak.

"Positive. Now, come on—"

"You are little troublemakers, aren't you?"

The three whirled around, eyes wide.

Professor Evans casually leaned against his staff, white hair gleaming in the moonlight. "And two of you are prefects! Even better!" He coughed, and attempted to smother a grin. "I mean, uh, worse. Obviously. Trouble is no good."

Ron gulped. "S-sorry, sir. We were just—"

"Out for a walk." Harry jumped in. "We, er, we couldn't sleep."

Evans smirked. "Wow. Never heard that one before."

"Please don't get us in trouble!" Ron exclaimed, earning a glare from Harry. Great, Ron. Real smooth.

The professor hesitated, then sighed. "Fine, fine. It's not like I was much better when I was in school. You're just lucky it was me you ran into." He gestured vaguely towards Gryffindor Tower. "Go back to bed."

The two boys relaxed, while Hermione remained frozen, her face pale.

"Thank you, sir." Ron said, grinning.

Harry grabbed Hermione's elbow, beginning to pull her away, before Evans spoke up again. "Remember,"

They turned to face him.

The light-hearted teacher's face was surprisingly serious. "It's not safe to meddle in the darkness." he said. "Never was, never will be."

And with that, the professor turned, and disappeared into the shadows.

Silence.

"Well… wasn't that sunshiny."

Harry elbowed Ron in the gut. "No way. I thought he gave a motivational speech worthy of Dumbledore."

Ron managed to grin through his pain. The expression fell as he turned to Hermione, worry creasing his brow. "You okay? You look like you're gonna faint."

Hermione's wide eyes found his. "The spell." she whispered.

"I guess it didn't work."

She shook her head adamantly. "No, it did. I know it did. Ron," She grabbed his sleeve. "Homenum Revelio reveals any humans in the area."

Harry's eyes widened. "That means—"

"It was all theory before, but we know now. We know, Ron." She turned her face back to the dark hall where the professor had disappeared. "He may not be an elemental, but," She swallowed. "Professor Evans isn't human."

A/N: Heheheheheheheheheheh... Uh oh, Jack, you're in trouble.

Jack: When am I ever NOT in trouble?

Me: Fair enough. Hope you all enjoyed! I'm working on the outline, I promise! Once it's done, everything will be coming out much more smoothly... unless, y'know, school kicks my butt again. *glares at homework that I still have to do* Anyways, if you knew the song that I used for the disclaimer (with minor tweaks here and there), leave a review and tell me, along with telling me how you liked the chapter. *smirks*

ilovesilverthehedgehog: Sorry, I prolonged the suspension by accident. But here's more suspension! Merry Early Christmas!

SpiritBlackPaw: Uh, all of them. And it would be hilarious. *thinks about adding it*

Nick: Aw thanks! I'm trying to keep it up. Thanks for sticking with this story!

Guest: Thanks! This review made me so happy. Yeah, I'm all for big reveals, so I guess we'll see. *smirks* And since Jack is part of the Order, Sirius, Remus, and Jack will be chatting it up.

Lama: There! Detective Hermione!

KaiaRenkin: Voila!

Rabbit887: Thanks! And here it is!

Guest: Not this one, I'm afraid. But one of those is coming up soon, don't worry. Probably two chapters away.

WeirdoHalfa: Sorry I made you wait... *hides* But here it is!

Guest: Thanks! And here is the update!

foxchick1: Sorry for the wait, but it is here now! So positives! *grins while hiding behind Sirius*

Guest: I'm glad it's unique. And yep, still writing it! I'm not about to stop, since I really do like writing this story.

lirg eht: *pants* I'm going, I'm going! *collapses* No! I'm going! *leaps up and keeps writing*

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