The Cure – Chapter Three 11.12.04

By: Aelfswythe

The bulk of his curiosity satisfied, Harry was content to leave Hermione alone and do some serious studying of his own. He wanted to pass the final exams more than anything and become an Auror, and he had a little catching up to do. He wasn't as bad off as Ron, by any means, but he still didn't want to take any chances. His grades had improved over the years with the threat of Voldemort silenced in his fifth year. Something told him it wasn't over yet, and he wanted to be ready when it came at him again.

He buried his nose in a large book touching on the more serious forms of Defense Against the Dark Arts and read by lamp light at a table in a far corner of the common room.

It was in just such a way that Hermione found him. She plopped down in the seat beside him, trying to catch her breath. Harry looked up in pleasant surprise to see her cheeks pink, her hair fluffed around her as if she'd been out in the wind.

"What have you been up to?" Harry asked, rather amused.

"Oh, Ron and I have been out for a run," she said happily, which explained her track suit and running shoes. Ron came up right behind her, grinning.

"I finally got her out, Harry! She had so much pent-up energy she made me jog around the whole grounds three times! I thought I was in shape, but man I thought I was going to die trying to keep up!" He leaned over to catch his breath and work out a cramp.

Harry laughed. "It's about time! How do you feel?"

"So much better!" Hermione exclaimed. "You were right, Harry. I did need to get out. After that run I could study for hours! It was so refreshing!"

"Whoa! Hold on a minute!" Ron unbent himself. "I told you that after the jog with me, you had to come inside and have a bit of fun for a change. When was the last time we played a prank on good ol' Draco?"

Harry grinned. "It's been ages!"

Hermione shook her head. "Don't you think you're a bit old for pranks? Besides, you know poor Draco hasn't been the same since his mother died."

Ron pouted. "I know," he whined. "But you promised you'd do something fun!"

"How about I quiz you for Friday's test?" she smiled innocently. "That's fun!"

"No, way!" Harry slammed his book shut. "I think I've studied so much my brain's going to explode. I've got a better idea." He ran up to his room and came back down with something tucked underneath his shirt. "Come on, let's go."

Ron grabbed Hermione's wrist and dragged her behind him. They hurried down the hall until they reached a little alcove near the end. Harry pulled the bundle out from underneath his shirt.

"Your invisibility cloak!" Ron cackled gleefully. "What did you have in mind?"

Harry shrugged. "I was hoping you'd have an idea."

Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed the cloak. "Come on, I've got an idea."

She led them downstairs and through some twisting hallways until they reached a dark corner of the castle. Strains of music could be heard coming from one of the rooms where a light shone out into the deserted hallway. The boys gave her a quizzical look, but with a finger to her lips she threw the cloak over them. It barely covered Harry and Ron's feet, but they moved forward as one toward the door, which stood slightly ajar.

"One, two, three, one two three, one – no, no, no, Severus! You step forward with your left. No, your other left. There we are. Now start again. One, two three, one two three." The teenagers peered through the door and nearly choked in their effort not to laugh long and loud. The sight before them was enough to send anyone into conniptions.

Severus Snape stood in the center of the empty room in the arms of Madam Parsley, one of Hogwart's resident ghosts. Apparently he'd placed a Solidarity Spell on her so that she could guide him without slipping right through him. The tinny sounding music came from an old phonograph in the corner.

"No, there you're doing it again, Severus! Watch your feet! It's a good thing I can't feel anything, because I'd have all of my toes smashed by now!"

"I'm so sorry," Snape mumbled. "This has always been harder for me than other - "

"No! No excuses! Take your rebuke like a man and then continue! We don't have all evening you know! I have a lesson with Dumbledore in a half hour. Come, now don't pout! Once again, one, two, three, one, two, three. Much better! Imagine yourself floating. Just you and the lady, swirling away on wispy clouds!"

Hermione snorted and covered her mouth. Luckily, Snape hadn't heard, but all of them were having a harder and harder time controlling their amusement. They left Snape to his dancing fate and hurried away under the safe protection of the invisibility cloak.

When they were a safe distance away, the cloak was thrown off and they burst into laughing fits. Hermione laughed so hard she cried and they had to sit on the floor until they had regained their senses.

"Oh, that was delightful!" Hermione gasped, wiping her eyes. "I'd heard the music before, and thought I'd seen Snape heading down that way one night, but I never knew!" She collapsed into another fit of giggles.

"Dance lessons!" Ron laughed. "I wonder if he's planning on asking McGonnagal for a boogie at the graduation party?"

They laughed hard at this, imagining just such a scene. Hermione leaned against the wall, holding herself, aching from a cramp in her side.

"Oh, I needed that. My head feels so much clearer now. Thank you, guys. You've been very good to me."

"No, thank you," Harry insisted. "I've never seen anything so funny in all my life! I'll remember that for a long, long time."

"Well, we better go," Ron said. "I've got to hit the books." Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I do study, believe it or not, Hermione."

She didn't say anything, but followed them down the hall and back upstairs toward the Gryffindor tower. Coming round the corner they nearly ran head-on into Professor Lupin.

"Whoa! Watch it there!" Lupin cried out. "Well, Harry, Ron. I'm surprised to see you about. The only others I've run into are everyone other than seventh years."

"Yes, I know, Professor," Harry said, trying to inconspicuously stuff the cloak up the back of his shirt. "We were just taking a break and having a bit of fun. We were heading back up for some more hard studying."

"That's good to hear," Lupin mumbled, slightly distracted. He was looking at something behind the boys. Just then Hermione burst between the two of them.

"Come on Ron, Harry. You heard the Professor. Back to studying." Surprised, the boys bade Lupin farewell and followed after her.

"Actually, Hermione, I said that." Harry caught up to her and tried to get her to slow down. "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Hermione's cheeks glowed crimson, and Harry somehow suspected that nothing wasn't exactly nothing.

"Aww, leave her alone, Harry. You know she's always been a bit… well, you know. Strange about things…" Ron drew circles by the side of his head indicating she was a bit loopy. Harry shook his head and they entered the common room.

"Do you think he noticed my cloak?" Harry asked suddenly. Having it confiscated was the last thing he wanted.

"Nah," Ron replied, "Don't worry about it." He dug around in the candy bowl on the coffee table until he brought out a chocolate frog and pulled his books to him. "Well, here goes nothing!" he cried and dove in.

Harry sat back at the table, Hermione having long since disappeared, and contemplated a bit. He had a sneaking feeling that there was more to Hermione's project than she was letting on; more even perhaps to the motive behind her project. And why was Lupin wandering about the Gryffindor halls? Had he been looking for someone? Surely, he could wander wherever he wanted to, but still…

Harry sighed and lost himself in Transfiguration.