Chapter 13: Renewed Purpose

Harry's fingers had grown numb from the continuous page turning he had done for the past two days straight. Ginny, Luna, Harry, Ron, and Neville had been scouring the restricted section nonstop for the past two days, only stopping for short bathroom breaks, naps, and eating.

"Harry, we aren't getting anywhere with this," Ginny snapped. Her eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and her usually styled hair was frizzy and mangled.

Harry gritted his teeth and was about to retaliate when Luna touched his hand. "Ginny has a point," Luna took a moment to yawn. "We've checked every book in the library - there is nothing on parselmagic here."

"And there are no cataloged reports of Patronuses," Ron added.

Neville asked with a sigh while rubbing his eyes, "Where else can we look?"

"Look for what Neville?" The five teenagers turned around to find an irritated Professor McGonagall standing behind them, arms crossed. None off them could give a verbal response, only showing their gawking mouths.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice the fact that the Headgirl, who has only missed class because of accident with you two," she said pointing to Ron and Harry, "is now missing?" The kids continued to stare slack jawed. "Close your mouth Potter, it really doesn't suit you." Harry proceeded to quickly close his mouth.

Ginny spoke up, "Minerva, this isn't what it looks like."

"Oh, don't you 'Minerva' me, at a moment like this, Miss Weasley. Now, where is Miss Granger?"

"We found out about her and Draco," Ron declared as he stood up from his chair and placed his hands firmly on the table. McGonagall quickly realized that Harry and Ron had done something.

"What did you do?"

"Um, well, I've sorta been teaching Ron Parseltongue to strengthen his résumé for Aurors." McGonagall's eyes widened in fear and then slanted into suspicion.

"And?"

"And he cast the wrong thing, and now we think that she might have been moved back to the 40's with Riddle." McGonagall grabbed a book and whapped Ron over the head, and then whapped Harry too.

"Why is it always you two who you drag Miss Granger into trouble? My own house consists of idiot heroes." Minerva covered her forehead with one hand and breathed deeply. "Well, the one thing you all have correct is that you won't find the answer here."

"Where can we find it?" Ron asked in earnest.

McGonagall explained, "Not here in Hogwarts, Mr. Weasley."

"You're talking about the Library of Alexandria, aren't you?" Harry questioned. McGonagall nodded.

"What are we waiting for?" Ron clapped his hands together to rally his friends. "Let's go!"

"And leave school? Ron, you've already done that once. Mum will kill you if she finds out you've done it again," Ginny warned him.

"Fred and George did it. Why can't we?" Ron turned his attention to his best friend. "Harry, school was never our thing. It was inevitable we were never going to graduate."

"Ron, you don't need to persuade me. I'm in." Harry rose from his seat and the two clapped each other on the backs, reinvigorated.

"Well, I'm not letting you two idiots go alone then," Ginny said with a tiny smile, the first one that had graced her face in a week.

"I'll go too." Luna straightened herself in her chair and her eyes had a dreamy look about them.

"I've got nothing better to do," Neville shrugged. "Besides, Hermione was my first friend here at Hogwarts."

"It is Potter and Mr. Weasley's fault, and they should be the only ones who can right this situation."

"I agree that they are responsible; however, with all of us combined we have a higher chance of bringing her back," Neville argued.

Ginny reminded her professor, "You can't keep us here Minerva, we're not children. We haven't been in a long time."

Minerva covered her face with her hand for a moment before relenting. "Fine. You may leave. However, none of you can expect to graduate with degrees from Hogwarts if you miss class for a continually long period of time." They nodded in understanding.

"Let's get some sleep and reconvene in the morning at McGonagall's office," Harry stated, already stepping up to a leadership role.

"Harry, might want to pack your cloak," Neville suggested. "Ginny, bring some of your brother's tricks too. And Luna, you may want to bring some lucky charms." Harry, Ginny, and Luna all got up from the table and left.

"What can I bring to help Neville?" Ron asked his friend.

"Bring your mind, Ron. We're heading into a labyrinth and we'll need your strategies to get through it." Together, the pair exited the library.

Behind them, the books fumed. They magically floated to the appropriate places on the shelves in the restricted section.

A blue book seethed. "Take your stinky grub with you!"

A green book cried in distressed, "My pages, they're ruined!"

"What a bunch of tossers!" A brown book declared

"Do you think they'll find the girl?" An older textbook asked the group

"Nah." The red book argued

A hardcover white book argued, "Ten galleons says they do."

The red book protested, "Oh yeah? And how are you gonna get the galleons!"

"Yeah, way to be a bloody idiot." The brown book added.

A chained book shook its chains in fury. "The lot of you need to shut it!" Fearing the chained book's wrath, the others went silent for a bit. While some of the books snored, a few on the back shelf whispered to each other again in hushed tones.

"I hate that guy." The green book whispered.

The blue book asked, "Who? Chains?"

"Yeah. He's such a wanker."

The red book noted, "I would be too if I was locked up like that."

Green asked, "Do you think that the girl's being sent back is a part of the prophecy?"

"Which one are you talking about?" The brown book questioned.

"The classified Pike prophecy."

The blue book jumped in. "Oh, you mean the one that's all like: The first life they live, their hearts break from other's wounds…they cannot find shelter in each others arms... the gray bear keeps her away… The clouds of yellow and green refuse to blend…The next time they live, they refuse to love each other, but it is destined to be so, as her life is bound to his…green and yellow will swirl together despite the gray bear's protests…the saviors of light have come at last when they vanquish the bear cloud luring over their fates. That one, right?"

Red book confirmed it. "Yeah that one. Do you think she's the savior?"

"I don't know."

Chains rattled again, scaring the whispering books.

"Stop gossiping and shut it!"

"Sorry" the books said in unison.

Harry, Ron, Neville, Luna, and Ginny stood side by side outside the statue guarding the staircase to McGonagall's office.

"Checkmate." The staircase spiraled open for the pair to climb. Once they reached the room, they were met by an emotional group of teachers. They received somber looks from everyone.

"Are you all ready?" The group nodded. "Good. I have contacted the Minister of Magic in Egypt, so he knows you will be arriving. Now, I must warn you both: the Library of Alexandria houses ancient magic, older than the Founders. It's a rumored to be a magical labyrinth of sorts. Many have tried to find it, but only a few have succeeded in doing so, and even fewer have managed to escape its clutches. This is going to be much harder than battling the Dark Lord, but I have every faith in you both."

"We'll bring her back Minerva, I promise." McGonagall placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I can only hope." Harry nodded, and turned to grab a handful of floo-powder from the fireplace ledge. He stepped in, and shouted their destination, vanishing in a fiery green cloud. The others followed suit, but turned back to face his teachers again.

"I'll contact your families about your whereabouts, don't worry." McGonagall gave each of them a reassuring look. One by one they stepped into the fireplace, shouted their destination with a pinch of floo-powder thrown in, and they too vanished into a green fire.