7

Snape dried his tears on his sleeve, sniffing. He looked sooo cute! I could have kissed him, but I thought better of it.

"So—wh—what are you going to do?" he choked.

"Weeeeellll," I said, "I have an idea."

I beckoned for my fellow Snape fans, and we huddled. I whispered my plan, and they broke off nodding.

"We're going to Scotland," I announced.

"I don't THINK so," Snape said, resuming his usual icy tone. "We would be getting CLOSER to the dementors, idiot girl!"

Willowhawk sighed.

"I don't think you get it, dear," she said. "We know someone there who can help you."

"Who?" Snape asked curiously.

"A Muggle," Gumlick replied, "by the name of J. K. Rowling."

*

Ron yawned.

"I can't believe Malfoy wants to meet us SO late," he complained.

"SHH," Hermione whispered, as they entered the trophy room and slipped off Harry's invisibility cloak. Malfoy had told them yesterday to meet him tonight to discuss how they were going to get Snape.

Draco stepped out of the shadows. "'Lo," he said casually.

Ron and Hermione glared at him.

"Oh DO stop that," Draco sighed irritably. "After all, I'm the temporary Harry Potter."

"YOU ARE NOT!" Hermione screamed.

"Shhhh! You'll wake up the whole castle!" Draco hissed. "Look, I don't like being with guys as much as you guys don't like being with me. So—how are we escaping from Hogwarts?"

"Er," said Ron, but Hermione launched eagerly into her plan.

"Well," she said, "we obviously can't Apparate out, but I was doing some reading--"

"Surprise, surprise," Ron muttered, and Draco shushed him.

"—And I found there's no real pracrical way of escating, so we should just stral a couple of brooms from the Quidditch shed," she finished dully.

"Ugh," Ron groaned. "That was the best you could do?"

"Hey!" Hermione retorted. "I don't see any ideas from you two! So ju--"

"Calm down," Draco whispered furiously. "Let's do it—it's the best we've got."

Ron yawned again.

"I'm going to bed," he announced, slipping on the invisibility cloak.

"Me too," Hermione agreed, pulling it over her head as well.

"G'night," Draco said, disappearing into the shadows.