James and Charlotte sat on the edge of their seats in the common room late that night when I ignored Draco's remark of 'don't mention it' and explained everything to my friends. Charlotte nearly screamed when I told them about Dr. Curtis. It was kind of cool to be the hero.

"What should we do?" James asked, surprising me.

"I thought that you wanted nothing to do with it?" I said to him. He shrugged.

"Dude," he said, "You find a dead guy in the woods, and I'm on your side. I think that we need the invisibility cloak back. And the map."

Charlotte nodded her agreement, and said, "But how are we going to get it? Your parents took it away."

"I'll be right back!" I said, jumping up and running to the first years' dormitory. I rummaged through my trunk until I found a little tin filled with Floo powder that I'd smuggled out of the house on my way home from Christmas holidays. James and Bronte were surprised, but impressed that I was about to disobey the rules.

"James," I said to him, "If they were in your house, where would they be?"

James thought for a moment as I contemplated the same question but in relation to my house. I decided that they would either be in my parents' bedroom or in the safe in the kitchen. 

"In my parents' room, there's a loose floorboard under their bed. My dad puts 'secret' stuff in there when he doesn't want anybody else to find it," he said. I nodded, and before either of them could stop me, I threw the Floo powder into the fire and stepped through the flames to my house.

*

It was barely past eleven o'clock, but our house was silent. I crept up the stairs, hoping that Mum and Dad wouldn't be awake, and wishing that I were a seventh year who would know how to perform invisibility spell. I crept past Jack's room, and I heard him stir from within. He stood up, and cocked his head to the side.

"Yemen?"

I walked quietly into the room. "Shhh…" I said in a futile attempt to quiet him. "Shhh…it's a game. You have to be quiet."

He nodded solemnly, and demonstrated his profound loyalty by sealing his lips shut tightly.

"Good," I whispered. "Don't talk, now, all right?"

He nodded again, and I turned my back to him and left the room. I walked further down the hall, and stopped in front of my parents' room, pressing my ear to the door. I heard nothing but the sound of Dad's light snoring. I was about to push open the door, when Dad's snoring was interrupted for a moment. No sooner had it stopped, but started again, and I figured that he must have just…turned over, or something.  

Please, let them have clothes on…I thought as I pushed open the door. What a sure-fire way to land a kid in therapy for the rest of his life, besides a workaholic mother, naturally. I opened the door silently, hand covering my eyes, just for good measure. I slit my fingers open a crack, just to be on the safe side, and heaved a sigh of relief to see that both of my parents were clothed, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because people who aren't Eskimos sleep with blankets in the winter time.

I walked silently through the room, not knowing where to look first. Their closets may have been a reasonable venture, but that meant crossing in front of their bed. It didn't look like I had any other choice, though, so I crept across the room. No sooner had I passed their bed, but Dad stirred and sat up, reaching under his pillow for his wand. I quickly dove through the nearest door, which turned out to be Mum's dressing room. I love coincidences. 

"What's wrong, Ron?" I heard Mum say in a very sleepy voice.

Dad was still looking around, because he didn't answer right away. "Nothing, I just…nothing. Go back to sleep, Mione."

"All right. You'll tell me if you think something's wrong again, won't you?"

Dad chuckled softly. "Yes. And you'll tell me next time that you know I'm lying, won't you?"

"Ron, I always know when you're lying. You're not any good at it. Good night," she said, and I didn't hear them anymore…except for Dad's snoring. I looked around the dressing room, careful not to make any noise. I never knew that my mother had so many clothes. Honestly, why didn't she just buy three outfits, wash them, and wear them over. Things would be so much simpler that way. I wasn't able to turn anything up in her closet, and probably wouldn't have been able to find anything even if I tried in Dad's closet, which was considerably smaller and messier. Mum's was organized by colour, season, brand name, and style. Dad's clothes, however, were just hanging. His shoes were just in a pile, and I was surprised that he was even able to find a matching pair.

I continued on, searching throughout the house, but nothing turned up. I couldn't stay in our house forever, so I quietly lifted the vase of Floo Powder from the mantle, and tossed it into the fire, before walking out into the Potters' house.

All right, so maybe it is breaking and entering, and maybe it is illegal. But it's only Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, I mean, seriously, how much are they going to care that I'm stealing two irreplaceable possessions and heirlooms from their house?

I heard voices coming from the kitchen and dove behind a settee. Light poured into the dark living room, casting eerie shadows on the floor.

"I dunno," came a familiar voice, the sound resonating from a familiar kitchen. It was evident that this familiar voice was coming from a well-known silhouette. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Someone knows, Harry, I could have sworn there was someone in my room tonight."

"All right," came another voice, silhouette showing him leaning against a counter, nursing a mug of coffee. "So, let's say that someone did know. How would they have found out? How would they know that we're involved?"

"Come on, how could we not be involved in something this huge?" Dad asked.

Pause.

Uncle Harry spoke again, running his fingers through his already messy hair and heaving a sigh, "Did you tell Hermione?"

Dad yawned. "Yeah. She knew that something was bothering me, and tonight…when I thought that someone was there…she think that they'll attack. Soon." Dad, like me, was having some problems piecing his thoughts together tonight. Perhaps it was the hour, or perhaps his brain was running on overload as well as mine.

"I agree with her," said Uncle Harry. "The timing is perfect. It all fits."

At least someone knew what was going on.

"Hmmm… she's at home with Jack now, but I wish she were here to sort things out. I didn't want to leave Jack alone, though, sleeping or not," Dad said.

"It was never a problem with Landon and Emily," Uncle Harry said with a chuckle. "Or Evie, James and Rachel."

All right, so my parents left me alone when I was a baby. This was turning out to be just a wonderful night, next thing, I'll find out that I was conceived in a broom closet at Hogwarts or something. Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew…

"Just tell her to bring Jack over," said Uncle Harry. "We still have the nursery; just crash here for the night."

"Are you sure it's not a big deal? You've had to put up with Em's non-stop Quidditch talk all night," said Dad. I guess that Emily was sleeping over? That wouldn't have been unusual; the little girls had a sleepover at least once a week, it seemed. 

"Come on, Ron," my uncle said. "Do you think I'd rather have Hermione and Jack be in very real danger? And actually, Emily makes for very good Quidditch conversation. I think that you need to get her some dolls."

"We've tried," Dad said, "But she always dresses them in Cannons robes, and puts them on broomsticks. Otherwise, she's yanking off their heads."

Uncle Harry laughed, and said, "It's no problem; Ginny's asleep, anyway." Dad chuckled and stood up. This was not good. I would have to move and fast if I wanted to see my twelfth birthday. I wished that I could apparate.

As Dad appeared in the doorway, I scrambled around the side of the couch and hid in between an armchair and the wall. I heard as he threw Floo Powder into the fire to speak to a very sleepy Mum, and she and Jack were soon in the living room as well.

"Honestly, Ron," said Mum through a yawn, "If you were only going to wake me up fifteen minutes later, then why did you tell me to go back to sleep?"

Dad lifted a limp and sleeping Jack from her arms. He stirred a bit, and opened his eyes as Dad took him from the room while Mum and Uncle Harry sat down. From over Dad's shoulder, Jack spotted me. I put my finger to my lips, praying that the gods of silence would be smiling on me tonight.

Jack lifted his sleepy head before softly saying, "Yemen," with a little wave.

Bloody hell. How typical.

I quickly ducked down further behind the chair as all of the adults looked at my hiding spot.

"Yes, sweetheart," Mum said wearily. "Yes, that's a picture of Landon."

Ah, but the gods of dumb luck apparently like me. There was a picture of all of the grandkids sitting on a table just next to my chair. It was taken a few years ago, when I was only nine. James and I were much shorter then, and were sitting in the front, Emily and Rachel on our laps. Dad turned around again to take Jack upstairs to the nursery.

"They're attacking soon," Mum said.

"How do you know that?" Uncle Harry asked her.

"Feminine intuition."

"You? Intuitive? Come on, Mione, how do you know?" Uncle Harry and Dad loved teasing Mum. So did I, at that; her reactions were hysterical.

"Fleur said that they'd be attacking from the east. They're hiding in the hills behind Hogsmeade; they'll storm the town, taking prisoners and building their army with the Imperius curse before surrounding Hogwarts. Should be by the end of the month."

"What will they do once they've taken it?" Dad asked, coming down the steps.

"Fleur said that they're taking it for not only scientific purposes to determine the origin of magic and performing several studies on the students, but also to determine how magic is deemed to some and not others- and if it can be taken away. Muggle borns, especially. Young minds are easily corrupted."

"They'll rebuild an army of neo-death eaters," Dad surmised.

"More powerful than ever," added Uncle Harry. "When parents find out what's happening to their children, they'll stop at nothing to lend their aid."

"Especially when the staff can't. The parents then, including those who run the ministry will be forced to join them or they, and their children, will suffer the consequences," said Mum.

"Kill or be killed," Dad said darkly. "Darwin's survival of the fittest."

"The question is," said Uncle Harry, "what are we going to do about it?"

"Well," said Mum, yawning again, "As long as Fleur keeps lying to them, we've got at least some element of protection. Time is still running short, though."

"What about Malfoy?" asked Uncle Harry with dislike in his voice.

"He's still working on it. He doesn't trust Fleur."

"I don't trust Fleur," said Mum, "But we haven't any other choice, have we? I don't trust Draco, at that, either. The man's trouble."

"You just said it yourself, Nee, we haven't any other choice," said Dad. "He knows what he's doing, though. Think of who he grew up with."

"But leaving the fate of our children in the hands of a man that we hate?" It was evident that this had been bothering her for quite some time.

"I know," I don't like it either, but we have no other choice."

"Fine."

…

Twas the night before peril, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…although there was this boy who was very scared, confused, and trapped in an uncomfortable position behind a chair that was far too close to a wall for comfort. When he woke the next morning, still in the same position, he found that no one was around, and his legs had gone permanently numb.

I looked at the clock on the mantle, and saw that it was three a.m. I crawled out from behind the chair, which was quite an odd sensation, because of the pins and needles in my dead legs. Silently, I crept upstairs and found my way to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's room. They would both still be asleep; it was still dark out. I silently pushed their door open and army-crawled to their bed, which was very high off of the ground. I managed to crawl under without making much noise, and located the loose floorboard with little trouble, aside from my stomach being rug-burned. Soon I was ably to pry it open, and pulled out the invisibility cloak. As well as the cloak, there were tons of pieces of parchments. I sifted through wills, deeds, and finally, I found the decrepit Marauder's Map.

Getting back downstairs was going to be a challenge. The fire had been put out before everyone went to bed just an hour ago, and I hadn't brought my wand with me in my haste. I decided that I would just…borrow Dad's wand; perhaps it would work for me. I snuck out of the room, and my aunt and uncle never knew that I had been there. I slipped the invisibility cloak over my head, and found my way to the guest rooms, eliminating each with an opening of the door. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny were pretty rich, similar to our wealth; I guess you could say. They're house was about the same size as our old house, the one without terrifying monsters, but our new one, the one with scaly things that like to eat redheaded little boys, was much larger than theirs. Using the process of elimination, I found the guest room that Mum and Dad were staying in. Dad's wand was clearly lying on the bedside table. I snatched it quickly and silently, before turning around and darting out of the room just as quickly. Once back in the living room, I set a blueball fire into the hearth, and set Dad's wand nicely on the kitchen table before heading back to Gryffindor tower, treasures in tow.

* * *

James shook me roughly at eight thirty that morning. I had an insane crick in my neck and an invisibility cloak under my pillow. All three of us waited for something to happen, but…nothing did. Not for two months. We had nothing to investigate, no need for an invisibility cloak or Marauder's Map (although James and I did sneak into Honeydukes). The only thing that had happened was my improving upon my theory parchment:

Key People

Mum (Hermione Granger-Weasley)- working for the Ministry, undercover at Hogwarts? Not making sense, she's been teaching here for years and has been retired as an Auror for a while, too.

Dad (Ron Weasley)- working with the Ministry on the same case as Mum?

Uncle Harry Potter- working with the Ministry on the same case as Mum and Dad?

Uncle Sirius Black- Case Director?

Peter Pettigrew- Bad guy? After evading Azkaban he rejoined Death Eaters and is now serving as the Dark Lord's (albeit, he's dead) liaison? Leading DE's

Professor Delacour- Working on the same case as everyone else? Either double-crossing them, or a double agent? Or, she's double-crossing the Death Eaters? Working on the good side, and as a double agent- lying to DE's, and feeding the proper information to the Ministry.

Draco Malfoy- ??? Somehow protecting everyone from DE's evil plan. Father was DE, so he must also serve as a 'character witness'.

Missing Pieces

What the hell is this case anyway? All I know is that something is wrong, and all of those people have something to do with it.

When will they attack?

Professor Dumbledore?

Alexander Curtis?

Other Theories

1. Peter Pettigrew looks like a Mouse

2. Mum is somehow protecting the school. Perhaps Prof. D. was sent here to spy and find a right time for the D.E.'s to attack. Note: why would they want to attack?

3. DE's attacking Hogwarts to determine the origin of magic and kill Muggle-borns, trick parental units into fighting, and rebuild army.

Two months of doing nothing got pretty boring. I had finally passed Charlotte by a whole ten points in the class standings, take that; Jack had learned to say my name properly; Professor Dumbledore was still in the hospital wing with a stable condition- not good, not bad; Mum had become Headmistress, and had begun writing a book about her, Uncle Harry and Dad during their Hogwarts books.

Who would want to read a book about them, I ask you? Honestly.

Author's Note: I'm sorry, this chapter wasn't very long, or up to its' usual humour standard. It was necessary to answer a lot of questions that Landon, and I'm sure, you all had. The rest will be better, I promise! I'm guessing that there will be three or four left. Review!