A/N: Hey! Happy Groundhogs day, 2 days ago. Please read and review! Oh, and if you get the chance, go to www.badgerbadgerbadger.com. It is HILARIOUS! (To me, but I have an odd sense of humor. Lol!)
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Chapter 46:
The rest of Potions was filled with people miserably crying or staring into space. The students who were close friends or families of the victims were allowed to go home, if they still had one, but the others were left in an awful state of helplessness. Snape was being unusually kind, if Snape could be called such a thing. He took ten points from Slytherin when Nott made fun of the Creeveys. The Slytherins were all huddled together now, whispering. Suddenly one of them said something that seemed to piss of Draco, who stood, and walked across the room.
He sat next to Hermione, Harry, and Lenore. "Hey, Lenore," he said quietly, putting his arm around her. Lenore had been sobbing all of the period so far, and she took refuge resting her head on Draco's shoulder. "I can't believe it," said Hermione suddenly, breaking through the foggy silence that had settled over them all. "There's probably loads they aren't telling us. Nobody's seen Dumbledore all day, and the school is basically in lockdown…. I bet Voldemort's at the Ministry as we speak," she said miserably.
"But," reasoned Draco, "The Order members would be there…. Snape, Lupin, McGonagall, and Hagrid are all here." Hermione shook her head sadly.
"I wish," she muttered. "McGonagall's classes are with Calista, and Evelyn's gone. Hagrid's classes are with Trelawney, and Snape wouldn't exactly to go and publicly fight for or against Voldemort, if he's supposed to be a spy for both sides…"
"How'd you figure all that out, 'Mione?" asked Harry curiously. She looked at Harry quizzically.
"The galleon," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I've been talking to Ron, Hannah Abbott, and Katie Bell." She then looked at her watch. "Right now Orla is patrolling. She's been in Trelawney's room, so it hasn't been hard to escape unnoticed. Seamus is with all the others who had families in the attacks, and nobody knows where exactly that is… Anyway, she says that none of them are in the school, Hogsmeade, or Diagon Alley, and neither are any suspected Death Eaters…"
"Then they're either at the Ministry or the Order," said Draco thoughtfully. Hermione suddenly gasped.
"My shift starts in ten minutes!" she said impatiently, "And I don't know if Orla can go unnoticed for too much longer… We need to get out of this classroom."
"How are we going to manage that?" asked Lenore skeptically.
"Well, I don't know her very well, but, from what you've said before, Lenore, can you think of nobody who is a master at this kind of thing?" Lenore thought for a moment and then smiled.
"Tabby," she said, grinning.
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Five minutes later, Harry was whispering to Tabby through the galleon. There were about sixty people in Tabby's classroom, and she was sure she could get out. It was getting out Harry, Hermione, Lenore, and Draco, that was the problem. Harry decided that Snape would let Draco out, and would possibly allow Hermione to go to the library, but more likely not. They decided that Snape would be most reluctant to let Harry go, so he would have to use a Skiving Snackbox, and Hermione could escort him to the hospital wing. Then Tabby could get Dean Thomas to forge Madame Pomfrey's signature and ask for Lenore to please come to the Hospital Wing. Yes, hopefully this would work.
At sign from Tabby as she walked past the Dungeon classroom many minutes later, Harry swallowed a half of a fever fudge. Draco had already been allowed out to go to the bathroom.
"P-p-Professor?" asked Harry suddenly, walking dizzily up to his desk.
"Yes, Potter?" asked Snape, in a gruff voice that seemed almost tinged with sadness.
"I-I'm not really feeling t-too well, a-a-and I th-think I'm going t-to pass out, and…"
"Is it your scar?" asked Snape sharply.
"N-no," said Harry, taken aback at the concern in Snape's voice. "It's.. I'm a bit dizzy, and I-"
"Hospital Wing, Potter. Miss Granger, please take Potter to the Infirmary."
"Okay," she squeaked realistically. Harry was seriously beginning to feel weak and delirious. Hermione jumped up and escorted him from the room.
The moment the door closed behind them, Harry threw the other half into his mouth and quickly smiled. He immediately began to feel slightly better. "Well done," said Tabby, smiling, coming out from behind the wall with Draco. "I have the note," she said, brandishing a small piece of parchment.
"Good," said Harry. "Ready?" She nodded, her auburn hair bouncing readily.
"Of course." She then flashed a smile and headed to the door of the Potions room. Several minutes passed once she entered. Harry was beginning to get worried when both Americans strode out of the room. Tabby was smiling, and Lenore looked like she'd just seen a ghost.
"Easy," said Tabby confidently.
Lenore frowned doubtfully. "Are you kidding, Tabby?" she asked incredulously. "Snape knew it was fake! We could've just been expelled!" Tabby rolled her bright brown eyes.
"Calm down, kid. We weren't caught! Times like those are… exhilarating. What's life without risks?" Lenore sighed loudly, rolling her eyes. Harry was actually beginning to wonder why Tabby wasn't a Gryffindor.
"Okay, let's go," chided Hermione. "We can't waste time, OR get caught." The five students hurried through the uncomfortably vacant hallways. They had just reached the seventh floor corridor when Tabby suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"What is it, Tab?" asked Lenore. Harry stopped and looked at Tabitha curiously.
"You guys… something isn't right. Harry, does the Marauder's Map map the Room of Requirements?" Harry frowned.
"Actually, I really don't think it does, or else we all would've found out about it much earlier…" Tabby moaned.
"Oh, no… Harry, I think I know what they're thinking… Reverse psychology. Are you getting my drift, anyone?" Lenore and Draco looked just as confused as harry, but Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth.
"Harry- they're playing off of your need to be the hero!"
"What?" asked Harry, even more confused. "Why would they put everyone's life in danger?"
"So Voldemort can't! Don't you see, Harry? They know that we're going to head straight for the Ministry… Snape knew what we were planning, and that's why he let us go with only a little bit of a hard time…They think that you, Harry, with Ginny, Draco, and Lenore, are going to Apparate to the Ministry. There, people will be assigned to your protection and you'll pretty much be stuck… And Voldemort will think you'll be here, at Hogwarts, and that everyone else is at the Ministry, so while he thinks they're using reverse psychology on Him, it will really be on you, and the joke's on You-Know-Who!"
"Exactly!" yelled Tabby triumphantly. "And Dumbledore knows that we'll figure this all out, and we should be in the Room of Requirement with Ginny and Ron and some select DA members in about 20 minutes."
"In English?" asked Harry faintly. "What the hell are you talking about?" Hermione sighed.
"Harry. Listen. Everyone-" she made a big swooping motion with her arm- "is in the Room of Requirements. The battle- will be at the Ministry, where Voldemort thinks you'll be hiding as a trick to you from Dumbledore. In reality, you'll be here, at Hogwarts, where you would've been in the first place. It's kind of- reverse reverse reverse reverse psychology."
"Doesn't that cancel out to be regular psychology?" asked Draco cynically. Tabby rolled her eyes.
"Oh," she added, "And they think that you guys won't be safe here, so they're probably going to send you to Acacia's common room."
"How'd you know-" began Harry, but Lenore intervened.
"I told her."
Tabby then smiled. "Honestly, people marvel at how Dumbledore's mind works- I've got him read like a book. Oh, and Ginny and Ron most likely went to the Room of Requirements anyway, just to get out of class; I mean, Weasley minds think alike…" Harry looked at her in amazement and exchanged glances with Draco.
"She- is- a- genius!" he mouthed. Draco nodded fervently. The five set off for the Room of Requirements. Harry's mouth dropped open in surprise; the room was literally filled with people! Aurors, teachers, Order members, Fred and George, other DA members… Harry caught sight of Ron and Ginny.
"Oi! Harry!" yelled Ron, waving. Ginny ran up to them, grinning broadly.
"This was brilliant!" she exclaimed as Dumbledore walked slowly over.
"Alas… Miss Granger… I knew you would figure it out." Hermione blushed.
"Actually, it was Tabby."
Dumbledore's eyes widened a bit. Tabby grinned slightly, but Harry could tell that she was trying to prove a point. Her chin was sticking out stubbornly, and her face was set in an emotionless, pleasant expression. "Oh. Alas, I never would have guessed. It just goes to show that one never does have a complete understanding of a person. Lemon drop?" Tabby grinned.
"Ooh! I love those!" she said happily. She picked one up and threw it into her mouth, loudly crunching on it. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled for a moment; then his face turned grave.
"Harry. Draco; Ginny; Lenore… Voldemort is not really coming, and we are not so foolish to attack quite yet. This is a cover, so that you four might go, unnoticed, to Acacia's common room. When you're in there, we believe that four hours for you is equivalent to a day. But we ask you to be gone no longer than a week, which will be twenty-eight hours for you. I trust that that is plenty of time. We need you to find any information on Acacia that is possible, and about Amara as well. There may be dangerous items in the room. Be on guard. Use good judgment."
"So there won't really be an attack?" asked Harry.
"I didn't say that," said Dumbledore gravely. "We believe there will be an attempted invasion. By Death Eaters, who are looking for you."
"What about the other students?" asked Harry, his anger rising.
"They will be protected," said Dumbledore. "Trust me."
"B-but I want to fight! I don't want to hide in some porthole to another dimension! Professor!"
"Harry, calm down. We need you to go. Harry, you won't be missing anything. Anything!"
"Professor, there is something you aren't telling me."
"Harry. Fine. I will tell you, but you won't be happy. The election is being held this week, and we don't want you all over the media again. Big things like this trigger Harry stories. Also, the Dursleys are in Grimmauld Place for the time being, and if Rita Skeeter finds out anything, we may have to hold her captive until she dies…. Another reason is that, well… to tell the truth, a certain Dolores Umbridge just got out of a trial. She isn't happy, and we believe that she and a group of followers want to… er, take over the Ministry. She's entered the election."
"I don't care, professor, I don't want to run away from my troubles!"
"We know, Harry. Just go. Please." Harry looked up into Dumbledore's troubled eyes. Ah, well, he'd find out the story later.
"Yeah," he said in a defeated voice. "Kill Pettigrew for me if you get the chance…" With that, Harry angrily stormed away, into the hidden common room, the other heirs hurrying behind him.
A/N: Please review! If people stop reviewing, I don't want to write anymore, because nothing keeps me motivated : ( Lol. Anyways, ReViEw!!! I'm begging.
~Jinglez**