CHAPTER 28: THE TROUBLE WITH HERMIONE

"No shit, Sherlock," Chessa said rudely.

Dumbledore sighed. "Please refrain from profanity, Miss Garney."

Harry genuinely admired Dumbledore's ability to maintain composure in a bad situation.

Chessa spat.

"Chessa!" Harry said loudly, "You have to help us."

Chessa narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Why should I help you?"

Harry thought fast. "B-because… because Professor Garney – I mean, Emma, has gone."

Chessa's eyes flashed. "Oh?"

Hermione, catching on, said, "Yes, Chessa. We don't know where she is… but do you?"

Chessa looked as though she were about to reply, but, her eyes widening, she caught herself. "No." she said firmly. "I don't."

"Oh, Chessa, you do…" moaned Ron.

Dumbledore gave Ron a look.

Chessa was indignant. "I don't know anything about her."

"Well, do you know anything about Sirius?" Harry asked quietly.

Chessa looked down at the table in apparent shock. "Oh, no," she whispered.

Hermione's eyes darted over to Harry, who mumbled, "Why does that disturb you, Chessa?"

Chessa looked up at Harry and Hermione. "He wasn't supposed to die."

"He is not dead," Dumbledore reassured her.

"Oh."

"He is Petrified."

"Sh…" Chessa swore.

Chessa hovered near Fawkes the Phoenix's cage. Fawkes squawked and Chessa glared at him.

"Who did this to Sirius, Chessa?" Dumbledore asked.

"Can't tell you." Chessa suddenly looked malicious. Her eyes flashed again.

"Please, Chessa," Ron begged, "Sirius is our friend!"

"That's nice," Chessa said sarcastically. "You want to know who did it?" Chessa turned to Hermione. "Ask the cat."

And with that, Chessa's ghost blinked a few times, flickered, and disappeared.

"No!" Harry groaned. "She can't leave, not yet!"

Dumbledore sighed. "How did she get out of the Road to Nowhere?"

Ron was staring at Sirius' motionless form. "Sirius, if only you could tell us who did it…"

Hermione was silent. Noticing her lack of comment, Harry turned to look at her. Ron and Dumbledore soon did the same.

Hermione's eyes were darting around as if she were thinking very fast. Suddenly her eyes widened and she looked as if she were going to cry.

She looked up at Harry in surprise.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Ask the cat." Hermione whispered without taking her eyes off of Harry.

Harry narrowed his eyes and thought quickly.

"Ask the cat."

Hermione suddenly ran from the office, leaving Ron staring after her in surprise. Harry grinned.

"What's so funny?" Ron demanded.

"That has to be the single cleverest girl I've ever seen in my life." Harry smiled.

Ron shook his head, and Dumbledore simply stared at the door.

"Psst…" Hermione hissed at Harry, pointing at a piece of paper in her hand. Hermione held the paper so no one but Harry was able to read it.

Harry squinted to read the parchment. Hermione had used red ink, so it was difficult to read, but Harry was able to make out:

Meet me in Astronomy Tower at eleven-thirty tonight.

Harry nodded. He knew what the meeting would be about.

"Mister Potter?" Snape asked with a smirk.

Harry snapped back into Defense Against the Dark Arts. "Yes, Professor?" he responded.

Snape narrowed his eyes. "The answer, Mister Potter. What is the answer to my question."

Harry stared open-mouthed at Snape and shrugged.

Snape raised his eyebrows. "Ten points from Gryffindor."

Harry scowled.

"Miss Granger?" Snape crossed his arms.

Hermione had been writing something on another sheet of paper, presumably to show Ron, Harry thought. She glanced at Snape, frightened.

"You don't know either?" Snape said after a few seconds' silence. Hermione shook her head.

"My, my, what is with the Gryffindors today? Tut, tut… ten more from Gryffindor, Miss Granger."

Hermione looked as though she were about to burst into tears.

Snape carried on with the lesson, occasionally flashing Harry the look of loathing he'd invented just for him.

"Please, Professor," Hermione said, raising her hand. "May I go to the restroom, please?"

Snape glared at Hermione, but nodded. Hermione walked out of the classroom. Ten minutes later, she still hadn't returned. Snape sent Parvati Patil to make sure she was all right. Parvati came back a few minutes later; claiming Hermione wasn't in the girls' restroom.

After Defense Against the Dark Arts, the Gryffindors had Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid.

"All righ', Harry?" Hagrid asked, looking stressed and tired.

Harry nodded, and turned to Ron.

"Where do you s'pose Hermione is?" Ron asked after a moment.

"I'll tell you tonight at eleven-thirty," Harry whispered.

"She said she'd meet us here." Ron demanded.

"I'll tell you tonight at eleven-thirty! Just trust me. She's fine."

"All right, all right…"

Hagrid took Harry by the shoulder and said, "I need to talk with you, Harry. You too, Ron. Now."

He turned to the congregation of Slytherins and Gryffindors and said loudly, "Everyone continue with your work on your Fireworms. Don't forget the hide gloves and goggles… don't want no one getting burned, now."

Hagrid walked into his cabin. Ron looked at Harry, shrugged, and the two boys followed Hagrid into the cabin.

Sitting on the table in the cabin was a white cat with bright blue eyes. Her tail twitched.

"Hermione!" Harry breathed. "You did it! You really did it!"

Ron looked at Harry like he was crazy.

"Are you batty?" he said incredulously. "That's just a cat."

"No!" Harry insisted. "That's Hermione!"

"That's… a… cat!" Ron said, pointing at the feline.

"No, Ron," Hagrid said, as the cat transformed into a human being. "That's Hermione."

Ron's eyebrows were sky-high. "My god," he gasped.

Hermione brushed herself off. "I was going to wait until tonight to tell you about this, Ron. Harry figured it out a long time ago. I've been working on it since third year."

"You're an Animagus?!" Ron hissed.

Hermione nodded. "But a registered Animagus, mind you. Dumbledore knows."

Ron looked shocked. There was an awkward silence.

"Oh…" Ron moaned suddenly.

"What? What is it?" Hermione whispered.

"Ask the cat. I've been so stupid. You asked the cat, didn't you."

Hermione nodded slyly.

"You know who Petrified Sirius, don't you."

Hermione nodded again.

"Who?"

There was another silence.

"Lucius Malfoy."

It was nearly midnight when the Astronomy Tower was completely empty so that Hermione, Harry, and Ron could talk.

"Now, no snogging, you two," Ron insisted. Hermione laughed uncomfortably. Harry said nothing.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Anyway… the cat… I asked all of our cats: Gryff, Simon, and Crookshanks. It turns out one of them saw Sirius get Petrified."

"Hold up," Ron interjected. "What do you mean, you asked them?"

Hermione looked impatient. "I mean I asked them. I transformed into a cat, and asked them. Simple as that."

Ron shrugged.

"Anyway," Hermione continued, "It was Simon who knew. He'd been basking in the sunlight in your dormitory, Harry, when he fell asleep. When he woke up, it was raining, so he went for a walk. In the hallway, he came across Sirius, and recognized him. He rubbed up against Sirius' leg, all friendly-like, and Sirius picked him up to pet him. Suddenly, Simon saw Lucius Malfoy coming around the corner. Only, Sirius couldn't see him, which makes me think Lucius must have an Invisibility Cloak. Simon hissed and spat, and Lucius tried to petrify him. He darted the hex and ran away. That's all he saw."

Ron was silent. Harry thought hard. "So Lucius has an Invisibility Cloak, eh?"

"It seems so."

"Hm."

The stars shone brightly, and along with the nearly-full moon, cast a bright light. A cool breeze blew, and Harry saw Hermione shiver. Harry had brought his winter cloak outside, which he handed to Hermione. Hermione smiled gratefully, and put the cloak on. For a moment, their eyes met, until Harry looked away and changed the subject.

"Quidditch final's next week," he noted. "Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw."

"Oh, good, you'll get to play with Cho Chang," Hermione said bitterly.

"You mean against Cho Chang," Harry corrected.

"What do you have against Cho?" Ron demanded.

"Nothing," Hermione said firmly. "Nothing."

Harry bit his lip. He had obviously chosen the wrong subject to talk about. "Well, maybe I can knock her off her broom," he said, laughing nervously.

Hermione smiled slightly.

"You'll be there watching, right?" Harry asked his two friends.

They nodded. Ron said, "Did you hear how mad Snape is? Because two of the Slytherin team members are gone, and about a third of their fans, too." he grinned.

"At least that feud has died down a bit since the Disappearances." Hermione noted.

Harry suddenly realized that he'd been so caught up in his spying job, Sirius' petrifaction, the disappearance of the Slytherins, Chessa and Emma Garney, and Hermione's becoming an Animagus that he'd nearly forgotten about Quidditch, let alone looking at the Road to Nowhere… then he remembered that he didn't have the book anymore. Hermione did.

Suddenly there was the sound of soft footsteps behind Harry. He whirled around, along with Hermione and Ron. Standing there, shrouded in moonlight, was Madeline Lecour, and she was brandishing her wand.

A/N: SORRY!!! Sorry this took so very very long to put up, but you see, I had completely forgotten about it! Ha! But I'll finish it. I promise! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!! THANKS!