The plan was set, the trap ready to be sprung. This of course was a metaphorical trap, as no harm was meant to the Reverend. The little ones respected him greatly, and would never harm an authoritative figure. Harry and Hermione knew there was a backdoor to the Reverend's office. They would sneak in while he was using the bathroom and take a quick look at his desk to see if the letter was there. If not, they would try again another time. Ronald and Dean Thomas' plan was surprisingly similar, to the point of possible plagiarism. This was no matter to the children, as their plan would be put in motion that night.
"Are you ready, Hermione?" Harry said, both of them crouched right outside the backdoor to the Reverend's office. No one was to be seen down the hallway, especially not the likes of Harry's new rival, Ronald. Once they heard the Reverend's personal bathroom door slam shut, they quickly opened the door and crept in stealthily. Suddenly the bathroom door swung open with a gusto akin to only those of high social class.
"Wh- Children? Hermione and Harry? Is that you? I thought y'all would be perusin' the snack cart down at the Great Hall! What finds you in my office?"
A chill went down Harry's fragile spine as he realized something they hadn't accounted for. The Reverend was just washing his hands before he ate! Harry tripped over his words, but Hermione was quick to the rescue.
"Oh! Hello, father. We were just coming up here to ask you for your hand sanitizer, because we are quite ravenous, and don't want to waste our time washing our hands!"
The lies that come out of the children's mouths kept coming out easier than before. Hermione had not thought about this before, and neither had Harry. However, in that moment, Harry grew very uncomfortable. He knew this was the wrong thing to do, but was doing the wrong thing for the right reason okay?
"Well who am I to say you can't get nice and clean before a good snack? Have at it!"
They grabbed the hand sanitizer and bolted back down the hall they came. Once they caught their breath, they conferred.
"That was a close oneā¦" Harry said, still regaining his control over his heavy breathing.
"Oh, no, my father is a reasonable man. There are few things I could have said that would raise his suspicion. He trusts me immensely. That's why I feel so bad lying to him. We have to get to the bottom of this though! For Draco's sake!" Hermione said, with a triumphant tinge to her voice, still panting from zooming down the hall.
"We will have to give it another shot some other time. Perhaps during a school-wide event, like the luge championship we can go back and try again. It starts in half an hour. Let's go to the stadium!" Hermione's confidence now carried into Harry's voice.
As soon as their breath returned to normal, Hermione grabbed the boy's hand, dragging him behind her.
