It was nighttime. And the boys should have been in bed...
But of course, they weren't. They were all huddled underneath one Invisibility Cloak. An Invisibility Cloak that had been made to cloak only ~one~ person. So, of course, it didn't exactly cover them entirely. Their shoes and socks showed at the bottom. But none of them were aware of it.
They did make it to Restricted Section without anything happening, however, mostly because of the handy-dandy Marauder's Map.
Of course, none of them paid enough attention to notice the little dot labeled Hermione Granger asleep in the Professor's Quarters.
"Illusione," Draco muttered as he looked from book to book.
"Don't touch that," Harry warned as Draco's hand reached to pull out a book. "That's the one that screams."
Ron gulped. "Okay."
"Illusione," Harry jabbed triumphantly at the thin black-bound book with the title "Illusione Spells of All Kinde" embossed on its cover.
They carefully opened the book.
"It just lists a bunch of Illusion spells," Ron said, after skimming through the table of contents.
"No, look at that," Draco pointed to one obscure name. "Roughly translated, that means Illusione Spell."
"Is that even English?" Harry asked.
"I took Ancient Runes," Draco dismissed as he flipped through the pages. "Here. The Illusione Spell is the most potente of the illusion spells. Casting a glamour upon oneself, it draws attention away from revealing features, and can make one beautiful or ugly. It is primitive, but virtually undetectable. Only the faint smell of vanilla betrays the user of the Illusione Spell."
"Vanilla?" Harry asked. "Why vanilla?"
"Hey," Ron objected. "Vanilla's good. Especially vanilla ice cream. Especially vanilla ice cream with cookie bits in it."
Draco rolled his eyes and was about to retort, when a sound caught their attention. Like a pro, he tucked the book underneath his robe and slipped the cloak on. Unfortunately, he failed to notice that Harry and Ron were left unCloaked. At this point, though, Argus Filch had emerged, and protesting to empty air would have their Invisibility Cloak confiscated, among other nasty possibilities. So they remained silent. And glared at a sheepish Cloaked Malfoy.
Argus Filch, however, had not raised a ruckus. He had merely given Harry and Ron a flat stare. "Are you still intent on making trouble for me even after you leave Hogwarts?"
Harry and Ron gave him identical inoccent faces.
Mr. Filch sighed. "I'll give you ten seconds to get back to your Common Room. If you're not there before I am, then I'm afraid I'll have to give you detention. Do you udnerstand?"
Harry and Ron nodded.
"Good. Ready. Set. Go."
In a flash, Harry and Ron were out of the library and in the corridors. Left. Right. Up the stairs. But to their horror, the staircase they were on suddenly changed destinations. Over their shoulders, they could see a smiling Argus Filch making his way to the Gryffindor painting.
Harry pulled out his Marauder's Map. "All right then. Follow me."
He led Ron, weaving, through this corridor and that. They had to duck behind tapestries several times, and they were in a great hurry. They raced down the final corridor and got in front of the Fat Lady. They could see Mrs. Norris coming down the corridor now.
"Victory. Victory." They gasped the password, and entered the Gryffindor Common Room just as Mr. Filch rounded the corner.
"That was close," Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
Ron snorted. "And what was Malfoy thinking? Cloaking only himself?"
"Never mind," Harry said. "Let's go to sleep. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
And talk, they did. Draco narrowly avoided being hexed by Ron, who was held back by Harry, who wanted his Invisibility Cloak back. But Draco also proudly held out the fruits of his success. The Illusione book.
"But I was reading it," he said eagerly, "and I found something out. The point of the Illusione Spell is to make a person conspicious. You can manipulate it to make yourself ugly or pretty, but the entire point is to make a person inconspicious. So on the day of the Ball, all you have to do is take out your Marauder's Map, and look for Hermione."
"But it's not that easy," Harry said with puckered brow ...
To be contined ...
But of course, they weren't. They were all huddled underneath one Invisibility Cloak. An Invisibility Cloak that had been made to cloak only ~one~ person. So, of course, it didn't exactly cover them entirely. Their shoes and socks showed at the bottom. But none of them were aware of it.
They did make it to Restricted Section without anything happening, however, mostly because of the handy-dandy Marauder's Map.
Of course, none of them paid enough attention to notice the little dot labeled Hermione Granger asleep in the Professor's Quarters.
"Illusione," Draco muttered as he looked from book to book.
"Don't touch that," Harry warned as Draco's hand reached to pull out a book. "That's the one that screams."
Ron gulped. "Okay."
"Illusione," Harry jabbed triumphantly at the thin black-bound book with the title "Illusione Spells of All Kinde" embossed on its cover.
They carefully opened the book.
"It just lists a bunch of Illusion spells," Ron said, after skimming through the table of contents.
"No, look at that," Draco pointed to one obscure name. "Roughly translated, that means Illusione Spell."
"Is that even English?" Harry asked.
"I took Ancient Runes," Draco dismissed as he flipped through the pages. "Here. The Illusione Spell is the most potente of the illusion spells. Casting a glamour upon oneself, it draws attention away from revealing features, and can make one beautiful or ugly. It is primitive, but virtually undetectable. Only the faint smell of vanilla betrays the user of the Illusione Spell."
"Vanilla?" Harry asked. "Why vanilla?"
"Hey," Ron objected. "Vanilla's good. Especially vanilla ice cream. Especially vanilla ice cream with cookie bits in it."
Draco rolled his eyes and was about to retort, when a sound caught their attention. Like a pro, he tucked the book underneath his robe and slipped the cloak on. Unfortunately, he failed to notice that Harry and Ron were left unCloaked. At this point, though, Argus Filch had emerged, and protesting to empty air would have their Invisibility Cloak confiscated, among other nasty possibilities. So they remained silent. And glared at a sheepish Cloaked Malfoy.
Argus Filch, however, had not raised a ruckus. He had merely given Harry and Ron a flat stare. "Are you still intent on making trouble for me even after you leave Hogwarts?"
Harry and Ron gave him identical inoccent faces.
Mr. Filch sighed. "I'll give you ten seconds to get back to your Common Room. If you're not there before I am, then I'm afraid I'll have to give you detention. Do you udnerstand?"
Harry and Ron nodded.
"Good. Ready. Set. Go."
In a flash, Harry and Ron were out of the library and in the corridors. Left. Right. Up the stairs. But to their horror, the staircase they were on suddenly changed destinations. Over their shoulders, they could see a smiling Argus Filch making his way to the Gryffindor painting.
Harry pulled out his Marauder's Map. "All right then. Follow me."
He led Ron, weaving, through this corridor and that. They had to duck behind tapestries several times, and they were in a great hurry. They raced down the final corridor and got in front of the Fat Lady. They could see Mrs. Norris coming down the corridor now.
"Victory. Victory." They gasped the password, and entered the Gryffindor Common Room just as Mr. Filch rounded the corner.
"That was close," Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
Ron snorted. "And what was Malfoy thinking? Cloaking only himself?"
"Never mind," Harry said. "Let's go to sleep. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
And talk, they did. Draco narrowly avoided being hexed by Ron, who was held back by Harry, who wanted his Invisibility Cloak back. But Draco also proudly held out the fruits of his success. The Illusione book.
"But I was reading it," he said eagerly, "and I found something out. The point of the Illusione Spell is to make a person conspicious. You can manipulate it to make yourself ugly or pretty, but the entire point is to make a person inconspicious. So on the day of the Ball, all you have to do is take out your Marauder's Map, and look for Hermione."
"But it's not that easy," Harry said with puckered brow ...
To be contined ...