Disclaimer: I don't own any characters.

Last time:

They got back to the common room to find the trio in a stunned silence.

"What's wrong?" asked Ginny.

Hermione held up a note written on silver paper with green ink. It said two words.

Thank you.

Chapter 23

After the trio, Ginny and Luna had finished their breakfast, Harry and Ron suggested that they go outside for a game of quidditch.

They went back to their rooms to get properly dressed and met in front of the Great Hall.

"I don't think Dumbledore would mind if we borrowed some of the school brooms," said Harry as they walked to the quidditch supply room. "How many do we need? Three?"

"Actually I have a broom," said Luna. "It's a Nimbus Two Thousand." She had been standing a few feet away and no one had really noticed she had a broom.

"Okay, two then," said Harry reaching into one of the closets and pulling out two school brooms.

"We'll need the quaffle, bludgers and snitch too," said Ron.

"Couldn't you think of anything else to do besides play quidditch," Hermione complained. "I wanted to start on that book you gave me, Harry."

Before she knew it Harry and Ron had locked their arms around hers and she was practically being dragged towards the pitch.

"Hermione, you are going to learn the meaning of the word 'vacation' even if it kills you," said Harry.

"If I fall off that broom, it just might," she said pulling away, but still continuing towards the pitch.

Once there, Harry handed a beaters club to Hermione and Ginny.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" asked Hermione, shocked.

"If a bludger comes at you...hit it," said Ginny simply. "You're supposed to be the smart one. Just treat quidditch like any other new spell you're learning and you'll be fine. Hell, you might even turn out better than Harry."

"Hey. I heard that," said Harry, feigning a hurt look.

Everyone mounted their brooms and kicked off the ground except Harry.

"We better not let the snitch out just yet," he called to Ron who had already taken position in front of the goal hoops.

Harry pulled out the quaffle and threw it into the air. He also released one bludger before soaring into the air to join the others.

Hermione was hovering next to Ginny, who was next to Luna, who had the quaffle. They were all facing Ron, while Harry did some laps.

Luna raced towards Ron, faked left and threw the quaffle right. He caught on at the last second and was able to catch it.

Not bad. She almost had me.

They did a few round like this, taking turns throwing the quaffle.

It was Ron's turn with Harry at the hoops, when they heard a chilling scream from behind.

"Aaaahhhh!"

Hermione seemed frozen in mid air and the bludger was headed straight for her.

Ginny, who was in front of her, didn't seem the least bit concerned.

Harry and Ron sped towards her, but Ginny stopped them. "She needs to get over this."

They looked up and sure enough, Hermione looked petrified, but determined all the same. And as soon as the bludger was close enough, WHAM! Hermione hit it with as much strength as she could muster and it went soaring in the other direction. She turned around and flew towards the rest of them.

"Ginny, I hate you. But...thanks. I guess it was kind of a rush." Everyone laughed.

"Can we join in?" came a familiar voice from behind them.

Everyone turned in mid air and saw Blaise and Draco hovering behind them. At first, no one answered.

"Well?" Blaise prompted.

Ginny looked over at Harry and Ron, who looked doubtful, but Hermione seemed to be considering it.

"Okay," agreed Ginny before anyone spoke.

Blaise smiled at her, which she tried to ignore, and she looked around. "Here's what we should do. Some one can be the referee, then we can have three people on each team. One person can be the keeper, the other can double as a chaser and beater to make it more interesting and the last person is obviously the seeker."

When she finished no one seemed to have any objections. On the contrary, everyone looked excited. Except Draco, that is, who looked bored.

It was Blaise who had talked him into coming down to the pitch when they had spotted the others flying around.

"Alright," said Ginny glad to be taking the lead for once. "Who wants to be the referee?"

"I will," said Luna. "I know all the rules."

"Great," said Ginny with a smile. "Now the sticky part. Who wants to join those two?" she said glancing at Blaise and Draco.

Blaise eyed Ginny quickly, hoping she would volunteer.

"Blaise? Blaise?" Draco called quite annoyed at being ignored. "Who the hell are you making eyes at?"

"Huh? No one," he said looking quickly away.

"Sure. Is it the little Weasley? I guess she's not too bad."

"Shut up," Blaise snapped quietly and sent Draco a glare.

It was a sign of what good friends they were, that Draco conceded with out a word.

On the Gryffindor side of the skies, there was a small debate going on. No one wanted to go on the other team. Harry and Ron had obviously been the first to refuse, so that left Ginny and Hermione.

"You know what? I'll do it," said Hermione suddenly.

"WHAT?"

"You heard me. I'll do it. I'm tired of being the boring and predictable one. I'll go."

"Are you sure that's a good idea," asked Harry, doubtfully.

"You're the one who said I should have fun this vacation, right? Well, I'm trying something new. Let me enjoy it."

When Blaise and Draco had heard the yell that had come from the others, they had feared the worst.

Oh no, Potter or Weasley. I knew it. I knew they wouldn't let one of their precious girls -

Draco's thoughts were interrupted when he saw Hermione flying forward.

"Granger?" he said incredulously, while his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "You have got to be kidding."

"Why's that, Malfoy?" she challenged.

"Have you ever even been on a broom?" he questioned.

"Of course I have," she said indignantly. "That one time in first year."

"Well, this should be good. I hate to break it to you Granger, but flying is the one thing you won't be good at," he said smirking.

"We'll see," she said, more determined than she had felt in a while.

"What position do you want?" asked Blaise.

Hermione thought for a second. Keeper was out of the question as she didn't want balls being thrown forcefully at her face. Being a beater wouldn't have been bad, but then she'd have to be a chaser too, and she didn't fancy the idea of Ginny, Ron or Harry body slamming her to try and take the quaffle away, so that left only one choice.

"I want to be the seeker."

"What?" Draco said, voice a little too high pitched. "You can't! I'm the seeker!"

"But I'd be no good at anything else," Hermione whined and looked at Blaise, puppy-dog eyes in place. She knew that out of the two, he'd be more likely to let her have her way.

"Just let her have it, Draco. It's just for fun. Maybe we'll play a second game and we'll all switch."

Draco looked at his supposed friend in shock.

He sputtered at a loss for words and then said, "Fine. But you better not lose."

Hermione glared at first but then her face softened as she remembered the note. "Your welcome, by the way. I thought you'd like it, what with the snakes and all. You didn't, um, get me anything did you?" she asked carefully.

"If that's supposed to be a joke, it wasn't very funny," he said coldly before flying in the opposite direction.

"Ignore him. He's just mad that I made him come out here. He did get you that quill. I think it was something Professor Halliwell told him."

"Oh," she said understanding. "She made him."

"No, actually she said he didn't have to if he didn't want to. Don't try to understand. He's been my friend for years and I still don't get him sometimes."

She nodded.

"Hey, I have an idea, let's land for a second and switch brooms," said Blaise.

Hermione looked at him suspiciously.

"Potter has a Firebolt and so do I. Even if you get near the snitch, you won't have a chance at catching it on that broom."

So, Hermione followed Blaise to the ground and they switched brooms.

"Now remember, this is a top of the line broom. It'll react with the slightest touch," he told her.

Then they rose back up.

Hermione loved the speed that she now had. She went back and forth a few times to get the feel of it, and was ready.

"You guys ready?" Harry called from a few feet away.

"Yeah," called Blaise. "Let out the snitch."

Harry cast a spell towards the box on the ground and the snitch flew into the air.

Everyone looked at Luna, who surprisingly had a whistle in her hands. She blew it and they took off.

To no one's shock, Harry began to look for the snitch. To his utter surprise, he saw Hermione a few feet below, also scanning the field for the snitch.

He flew down to meet her. "Hey. You're the seeker?"

"Yeah. Isn't this weird. Me against you? I never would have thought," she said smiling. "But it is fun," she grudgingly admitted. "And I love this broom. I can't believe he let me use it." All the while she never stopped looking.

"Yeah, it's a great broom."

From down below, a whistle blew. Harry and Hermione turned around and saw Luna lecturing Draco.

"That was an illegal attack towards the keeper. You were not in the goal zone at the time that the bludger was hit. Penalty shot to Ginny."

Draco looked furious. "Goal zone? What the hell are you talking about, Lovegood?"

But Ginny had already flown towards Blaise's end of the pitch poised to take her shot. She hovered directly level with him but about ten feet away. He saw her eyes flicker to his left, her right.

She's feigning left.

Ginny readied her arm and threw the quaffle with all her strength to her right. Blaise who thought she had been faking flew in the other direction and obviously missed.

Clapping hands were heard, and not just Harry and Ron's. They looked at the stands and saw the adults sitting in the teachers booth watching. They all seemed to be quite enjoying the spectacle.

"We better get going," said Harry. "Good luck."

"You're gonna need it," said Hermione smiling.

I have to see the snitch first. If it comes down to a race, Harry will win no matter how fast this broom is. He's the more experienced flier. I have to see it first, then some how make him think it's in the opposite direction so I have plenty of time to catch it.

Hermione's brain was working on overdrive. She really wanted to win. Mostly so she could rub it in Draco's face. But it would be nice to be good at something other than school.

Draco scored a few times with the quaffle but so did Ginny. The score was fifty to forty with Harry's team in the lead.

I have to catch it soon before Ginny scores anymore. Draco's not a good chaser, he's too used to being seeker.

Then she saw it. The snitch was at Blaise's end of the field, hovering behind the right goal post. If not for the angle she had, she wouldn't have seen it.

She chanced a glance at Harry, he too was scanning the field. She noticed, however that he was facing the hoops directly. Surely he couldn't see it, otherwise he would have gone after it already.

She moved slowly towards Blaise. If she flew to fast, Harry would catch on. When she was about twenty feet away, she turned around and faced Harry. She caught his eye, smiled and waved. Then she looked down passed him and opened her eyes dramatically.

He whirled around thinking she had seen the snitch. As soon as she saw the back of his head, she sped off in the other direction towards Blaise. He saw her coming and quickly moved out of the way.

By the time Harry had realized what had happened, Hermione was nearly there. He turned around and sped down the pitch as fast as he could. He was right behind her when she stopped in mid air. He had to swerve upwards to avoid a painful collision.

He looked down and saw Hermione beaming with the snitch in her hand.

"I've got it, I've got it, I've got it!" she shrieked.

The adults in the stands were clapping.

Blaise and Draco flew over to Hermione followed closely by Ginny, Ron and Luna.

"Great job, Hermione!" Ginny said smiling.

"Yeah, good one," said Harry a bit embarrassed at having been outwitted.

Hermione looked quickly at Draco who looked a bit impressed but refused to say anything, and they flew back down to the ground where the adults were waiting.

"That was very entertaining, indeed," said Dumbledore. "But I am afraid the weather will be getting a bit turbulent. It will be best if we head inside."

"Hermione that was great. You're a pretty good flier," said Paige.

"Thanks. I never thought playing quidditch might actually be fun. You should try it."

"Yay!" squealed Ginny. "We've converted you. You finally see the quidditch light."

Up ahead, Harry was walking with Ron behind Draco and Blaise.

"Hey, Zabini. It was good of you to let Hermione use your broom," said Harry.

"No problem. She's a pretty good flier for not having much experience."

"She must've read a book on it at some point," joked Ron.

Harry felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Snape.

"Occlumency. My office, eight o'clock."

Harry's high spirits were instantly diminished and him and Ron trudged along.

Phoebe had overheard.

"Hey, Severus."

Snape stopped dead in his tracks and Phoebe caught up.

"I just wanted to thank you for the perfume. It smells heavenly. Where'd you buy it?"

"I made it," he said, trying to ignore how close she was walking next to him.

"Really? Wow, well it's amazing. Thanks again. By the way, I couldn't help but overhear you talking to Harry. I need to ask you a favor."

They had stopped and everyone else had gone ahead. Snape realized that his hands had started sweating.

"I know you get frustrated really fast with Harry and everything, but I was wondering if you could at least try to be patient with him. I have a feeling that he'll get a lot better if you weren't pressuring him so much, not to mention yelling, screaming, insulting -"

He cut her off. "Phoebe, I understand. And although you don't understand why I am the way I am with him, you might some day."

"You hated his father. What's not to understand? Harry isn't James."

He looked flustered to say the least. "How did you know that?"

"Oh. I'm an empath. I guess I forgot to mention that. Will you try and control your temper...for me?" she looked up at him pleadingly.

"For you," he answered.

"Yay!" she squealed, much like Ginny had done earlier. "Thank you."

She reached up and put her arms around his neck in a hug and kissed his cheek before walking off.

He didn't know what to say or do so he just stood there. Even after she had gone and the snow had started to fall.

Phoebe walked back to the castle and found Piper and Paige waiting for her.

"What was that all about?" asked Piper.

"What was what about?" asked Phoebe innocently.

"Snape," said Piper.

"Yeah, spill it sister. You like him don't you?" said Paige.

"Maybe. I guess. At least he's not evil. I've dated enough evil men to last me a life time. Hell, Cole was enough evil to last me a life time. There's just something about him. I don't know. I just want to see where it goes and I want my sisters' support."

"Well, of course, sweetie. Does this mean you two are a couple?" asked Paige.

"I don't know if he sees it that way," said Phoebe truthfully.

"You think you could get him to wash his hair?" asked Piper, grinning.

"Yeah, maybe if she does it for him," whispered Paige suggestively.

"Hello! Standing right here."

The wind was howling as the snow fell violently outside. By the looks of the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall, the storm wasn't going to let up anytime soon.

Dumbledore had set up a cozy table right in the middle of the Hall full of food. All around were other, smaller tables set up like stations. One had a wizard's chess game set up, another was set up for exploding snap, and still others were set up with what could only be muggle games.

Everyone went around and experimented with the different games. Harry, Hermione, Luna and sometimes Blaise, who having taken muggle studies knew what some of the games were, couldn't help but laugh at the others when they shouted at game pieces to move and nothing happened.

Harry's spirits were instantly crushed when he heard the clock strike eight.

"I'll see you later guys."

"Harry, wait," Phoebe called from behind him. "Look, I know how much you hate this but you have to try. It's for everyone's own good."

"I know," he said wearily.

"If Severus loses his temper, just give him a second to calm down."

"Severus?" he questioned, looking at her curiously.

"Professor Snape," she corrected quickly. "Concentrate on clearing your head. Don't worry you'll get it."

She ruffled his hair and went back to Paige and Piper who were having a little to much fun playing wizard's chess. The pieces were very reluctant to take orders from them anymore as they found it quite amusing when they got crushed.

Harry made his way down to the dungeons trying to keep in mind what Phoebe had said. And yet at the same time, trying to keep out of his mind what Phoebe had said. Why had she called him 'Severus?'

He controlled his breathing and tried to clear his mind before he got to the door. Then he knocked.

"Come in."

He opened the door and found Snape sitting behind his desk. There was a single chair sitting directly in front of his desk as well. This is where Harry sat.

"If we're going to do this, we'll do it right," Snape began. "Close your eyes."

Reluctantly, Harry agreed.

"Think of the ocean, only water, until you get closer. Now think of your mind as the depths of the ocean. From afar, too vast and general to be able to discern specific things. But up close, everything is visible. You need to keep the view as far away as possible. You always want your mind to be hidden well beneath the surface."

Strangely, Snape's bizarre analogy was working. Harry could picture everything he was saying and he understood what he had to do.

"Now, when I perform the spell concentrate on your breathing and keeping your mind hidden away, beneath the ocean, as it were. One, two three, legilimens!"

Harry tried his damnedest to remember what Snape said. He pictured the ocean, but he forgot his breathing.

He let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding and he found himself once again running down the corridor in the Department of Mysteries.

Snape lifted the spell before it got too far. He knew that letting Harry relive it again would only make him weaker and more vulnerable.

"You forgot your breathing," said Snape, trying to keep his tone neutral.

"I know," answered a frustrated Harry. He was surprised that Snape hadn't snapped at him.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?" Snape was taken aback.

"For lifting the spell, before...you know."

"Let's try again. This time, remember your breathing."

Harry nodded looking determined.

"Legilimens!"

Harry once again concentrated on a vast ocean. He tried not to think about anything else in the world but his breathing. He pictured him self sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking a huge expansion of water. It was never ending. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly, and deeply every time.

Snape was looking, searching, prying, but all he could see was water. He was about to end the spell, quite impressed when the scene before him dramatically changed.

Water became land. The cliff now a regular stretch of highway road. A road...that stopped. An enormous hole stood in the middle of what looked like a desert. It was big enough to fit a small city comfortably. There was nothing all around.

Harry stood in front of this hole, peering down curiously. He turned around and saw one thing. Amidst the nothingness that was the desert, it stood out drastically.

A white sign with cheery letters was emblazoned: Now Leaving -

The vision was cut short. Harry's scar had started to throb painfully and Snape had ended the spell.

"Potter! What is it? What's wrong?"

The pain subsided slowly. Harry noticed that he had been dragged towards the chair and was now sitting. Snape was in front of him, kneeled on the floor and offering him something.

It was chocolate.

"I've heard this helps," he said sounding a little sarcastic. "What was that I just saw?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted after taking a bite out of the chocolate. "I've never seen that before. But...there's something wrong. My scar hurt. It hasn't done that in a while. He's happy."

Snape looked anxious and scared. What could make Voldemort happy? And what did it have to do with a hole in the middle of nowhere. "There was a sign," Snape remembered. "I ended the spell before I could see. What did it say?" he said to himself, wishing he had held the spell for a second longer.

Being in Harry's memory, he remembered it clearly.

"I know what it said."

"Well," he said impatiently.

"It said: now leaving Sunnydale."

"Get some rest Potter. Tomorrow we will report to the Headmaster's office and tell him what we know."

Harry nodded and got up to leave.

"Don't forget to clear your mind before you go to bed. And Potter...well done."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said stunned before leaving the room.

Snape felt like he had just betrayed everything he believed in. How could he be civil with Potter?

"You did the right thing," a voice said from the fire.

Snape turned around slowly. "Spying, now are we?"

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. How'd it go?" Phoebe asked.

"Surprisingly well. Until the end that is. The Dark Lord is happy and I am afraid that it never a good thing. You wouldn't happen to know anything about a Sunnydale, would you?" he asked knowing it would be a long shot.

"Actually that does ring a bell. Hold on...yeah. There was an earthquake there last summer, before we came here actually. It swallowed the city whole. It's actually not far from where we live in California. Maybe an hour or so. What does that have to do with anything?"

Snape was even more confused than he was before. "It's a muggle city?"

"It was as far as I know. Why?"

"I don't know yet."

What would the Dark Lord want with a hole in the ground where a muggle city called Sunnydale used to be?