Title: Minerva's Unexpected Quest

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To sjrodgers108: Thanks for your review.

To Beth5572: Thanks for your review.

To notwritten: Thanks for your review

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Chapter 20: Alice's Help

Term soon came to an end and the students all lined up to take the boats or whatever back to the Hogwarts Express. Alice and Minerva were the only ones that remained in the Slytherin Common Room and Minerva enjoyed the silence.

"Do you think the Professors have left?" Minerva asked.

"I think so," Alice said. "I heard that the Headmistress remains though."

"That's good to hear," Minerva said.

Minerva used the first two days to finish the homework that had been given her and then she put her school things away. Alice commented about her dedication to her work.

"You act like the world's going to end if you don't finish your work," she said.

"I believe in getting things done, that's all," Minerva said, defending herself. "At least I'm doing better then Amelia."

"Okay, I'll agree with that," Alice said. "So what do you want to do now?"

As though the school had heard her question an owl appeared and landed on the table, a letter in its beak. Alice took it and opened it.

"What does it say?" Minerva asked.

"It says that the Headmistress is having a treasure hunt," Alice told her, which instantly got Minerva excited.

"Oh this is going to be so great," Minerva said.

"Want me to help you?" Alice asked.

"Sure," Minerva said, glad that her friend wanted to partner with her.

The next morning, around ten, the students that remained gathered. Most of them were first years, like themselves, but a couple were older students. The Headmistress appeared, smiling at them.

"I've decided to have a treasure hunt," the Headmistress told them. "You'll all get a map that will lead you to clues. You must solve these clues in order to win. The first person that gets to the object will be given a prize. So is everyone up to it?"

The students went wild and each of the Professors that remained gave them a list of places that they had to go. When Minerva and Alice got theirs they headed for the first place on the list, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

It surprised Minerva how many people chose to go there first. There was a fight for the clues and when Minerva finally got theirs she looked at what the clue was asking.

"Go to the place that only one that is determined to find, can see, go there and you shall find what your looking for," Minerva read.

"What place do you think their talking about?" Alice asked.

Minerva saw that several students were confused. "I don't know but lets go to the first place that I think it might be and if it isn't then we'll continue to look," Minerva said in a low tone.

Alice nodded and they left the room.

Minerva believed that the clue was talking about the dungeons. Minerva had explored this part of the castle a lot and there was a room that only Slytherins could enter. She tapped three times on the door and it opened. Sure enough a clue was waiting on them.

"Smarty," Alice commented and Minerva grinned.

Each clue was hard, asking them to really think about the place that it was talking about. One by one pairs gave up but Minerva and Alice were determined to find the item and win the prize. The last clue talked about a place where the dead died but truly never died. Minerva and Alice looked everywhere but nothing. Suddenly Alice disappeared and Minerva got scared. Did she fall down an ancient well or something?

"Alice, are you there?" Minerva called out.

"Yes, I'm here but I think I broke my ankle," Alice called out.

"I'll get you out of there," Minerva told her and took out her key.

One incantation later she summoned the Wood Card to get her down to where Alice was. True to what she had said her ankle was broken.

"Where are we?" Minerva asked.

"I don't know," Alice said. "And I can't find out."

"I'll go and see if there's an exit," Minerva told her.

Alice groaned and Minerva headed down the tunnel.

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"I'm worried about them," McGonagall told Yuko.

"They'll do fine," Yuko told her. "Anyway I think it was fun to have them out there looking for things."

"I didn't count on one of them getting hurt."

Yuko sipped her tea. "Things will work out," she told her. "Just have a little faith."

McGonagall didn't say anything. She just hoped that Yuko was right.

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Minerva continued down the tunnel, hoping to find an exit so that she could get Alice some help. Suddenly she saw a set of stairs and taking them she soon saw a wooden door. She opened it and stepped into a large stone corridor. A painting that Minerva saw she recognized. She was back at Hogwarts. She went to get a teacher and the teacher followed her back down the tunnel to where Alice was at.

"Your going to be okay," Minerva told Alice.

"Thanks, for being my friend," Alice told her as she was being led away.

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A/N: Aren't we all glad that Alice got help. Next up: Silent Christmas

Another note: I won't be updating for several days due to back pain. Sorry about that but I did some real damage to it.