"Mister Malfoy, what, may I ask, are you doing under this cloak in the middle of the stair well?" asked Professor Dumbledore.
"I was…" Draco was still stunned from getting knocked over by Professor McGonagall. "I er... isawhermioneandroninabathtub!"
"Slow down, Malfoy!" McGonagall said sternly.
"Professor McGonagall, it's quite all right. You need to get yourself up to the hospital wing. I will take care of this," said Dumbledore. McGonagall began the decent down the stairs and he turned back to Malfoy. "Now, Draco, what was it you were trying to say?"
"I saw Hermione and Ron in a bathtub, just inside this door."
"And how, exactly, did you see through this door?"
"Through the keyhole, just there."
"And why were you looking through the keyhole, Mister Malfoy?"
Draco knew he was in trouble now, and his face went pink. "I – I dropped my… pen."
"What pen?"
"Er… oh no, I mean .. I stumbled, yeah!! On the stair, and –"
"And why did you have this invisibility cloak on?"
"Er… that's a good question!" said Malfoy, with a sideways grin on his face, hoping the Professor would laugh, but the wrinkled face remained serious.
"Mr. Malfoy, giving you the benefit of the doubt, I will unlock this door and see whom, if anyone, is inside," said Dumbledore. "But you will have to serve two nights of detention for sneaking around the school, when in fact you were supposed to be making your way to the train to leave for Hogsmeade. And you will not be able to go on this trip to Hogsmeade, so I will have Peeves chauffeur you to the Slytherin Common room, where I will meet you shortly."
"Ron!! What the – huh?" Hermione was confused. She and Ron had just passed through a wall and were now standing in a musty hallway. "Where are we?"
"Hermione, shh!!" Ron warned, as he pointed back out through the wall to the door handle that was opening. He quickly whispered a spell, swished and flicked his wand, and the bathtub disappeared. They then saw Dumbledore walk into the room and look around. Both had to keep from gasping when they thought the Headmaster had looked straight at them. He said nothing, nor did the expression on his face change, and he exited the room a moment later.
Ron and Hermione waited a few minutes before coming out of their hiding place, still wondering whether or not Dumbledore had seen them. "Do you think he saw us, Hermione?"
"I don't know, Ron," she answered, but then an idea popped into her head. "Stand back in the secret hall, just there; yes. YES!!"
"What?" Ron asked.
"I can't see you at all! I love this castle!!! So many magical things, it's bewildering. But one thing, Ron. How did you know that it was there? After all, you can't see it."
"Well, let's just say that it's something us Weasleys know about," he said, as he winked at her.
"Oh, do tell me!"
"Naturally, Fred and George told me about it before. They said something about a dark smudge mark in the shape of something. I couldn't remember what at first, but then I saw it. It's in the loose form of a lion! They told me that it worked just like the entrance to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, so I just ran straight at it, and it did!"
"Luckily for us you remembered that Ron," replied Hermione. "Otherwise we might be in the same situation as Malfoy. Now let's get down to Hogsmeade before anyone catches us."
"But Hermione," Ron said. "Everyone else left about twenty minutes ago, how are we supposed to get there undetected now? Besides, you said we could spend a little time alone together."
"We must think about this logically, Ron. If Dumbledore believes what Draco told him, and we don't show up at Hogsmeade today, he will definitely get suspicious! He'll know that Malfoy was telling the truth, and we could get as much of a punishment as he did. Worse than that –"
"What, we could get expelled?" Ron said, feeling a little down."
"No, worse than that, it would probably be the end of us."
Ron could feel his eyes tearing up a little bit. She actually thinks we're more important than Hogwarts! That's a first! He couldn't help but let a few of these tears roll down his cheek.
"Don't cry, Ron. I'm here beside you," said Hermione, while giving him a comforting hug.
"You're right, 'Mione. And that's all I need," he answered back. He kissed her, soft and gentle at first, then with passion. "Now, let's get to that old statue that Harry's used to get to Hogsmeade before, and have ourselves a ball!"
"Oooh, Ron," Hermione laughed. "Don't tempt me so!"
"Now who's perverted?" Ron belted. And with that, the two left the room, making sure no one was coming, and hurriedly found the statue that lead to the passageway to Hogsmeade.
"By the way, Ron; what ever happened to that bathtub you magiced away?"
"Well, I don't know to tell you the truth," he answered, with a somewhat worried look. "I don't know where that spell puts stuff that disappears. Oh well, let's go."
Meanwhile...
Vernon and Petunia Dursley were enjoying a quiet dinner at home with their son Dudley, and most importantly, without Harry. It had been a nice entrée of chicken parmesan, and they were now working on dessert, cherry-cheese cake.
"So, Dudley-Wudley," said Harry's aunt. "How was school today?"
"Boring, as usual," Harry's cousin replied. "And they wouldn't let me have a third helping of food today at lunch!!"
"Oh no! How awfully dreadful!! And, Vernon, how was work?"
"It was absolutely splendid, Petunia! Positively spl–"
But he was interrupted by bubbly water splashing down all around him, followed by an old rustic bathtub, which landed right on the table, splatting the cheese cake over all three of them.