A/N: Sorry for the wait, folks. This chapter just wouldn't fit together right and somehow, once again, took a turn that I didn't plan. - sighs - Oh, well. It's a slightly longer chapter to make up for the wait!

CH22: When Paths Converge

Harry stared at the empty portrait frame. A small trickle of music sifted through the hole. There was a party going on inside Gryffindor Tower and the Fat Lady was nowhere to be found.

"Hmmm," Harry shrugged a bit to brightly. "Too bad. Guess we can't go in." He turned to leave.

Draco grabbed his arm. "Nice try, Deni."

"Come on, Im. We don't even know if he is in there."

"Severus said he came back up here. And he wasn't anywhere else we looked."

"But ... I really don't want to go back." Harry looked up at his friend, his eyes wide and vulnerable. Draco just squeezed his shoulder.

"There isn't anything scary about the Gryffindors. Sure, they're uncultured barbarians and they smell funny, but ..."

Harry smiled. "Alright." He took a deep breath. "You're coming in with me, right?"

"Are you kidding?" He gave Harry an incredulous look. "I'd be lynched! Those Gryffs are truly terrifying!"

Harry mock-glared at him and chuckled ruefully, before raising a hand and knocking on the empty portrait. Unsteady footsteps made their way over to the door.

"Who'sssss is it?" a muffled, slurred voice asked.

"I'm looking for Weasley," he answered bluntly.

"Who?"

"Ronald Weasley," Harry said slowly.

"Which'un is dat?"

Draco snorted and Harry rolled his eyes. "He's got red hair and freckles. He's tall."

"Tha' could be any of d'em!" the voice exclaimed.

"He's got an ego the size of a watermelon and the brain the size of a peanut," he explained patiently.

"Oh! Dat one! Ginny, where your broder at?" A distinctly feminine voice answered back.

"Upstairs, Dean!"

"Thanks! He upstairs, Dean!" Dean yelled through the wall. Harry groaned.

"Just open up the damn portrait!"

"Why didn't ya say so in da firs' place?" The entrance opened and a very tipsy Dean Thomas fell out into Harry's arms. He looked groggily up at the person holding him.

"'arry?"

Harry pushed Dean back inside the room and carefully propped him up against the wall. He surveyed the Common Room before his with a slight smirk.

"Illegal underage drinking? Tsk tsk tsk. What would your mommies and daddies say?" He shook a finger at them and the music and talking stopped.

"And I though Gryffindors were supposed to be good little boys and girls," Draco said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"'arry?" Dean repeated, swaying slightly. "Why are dere two of ya?" He fell forward again, Harry barely catching him before he hit the floor. Harry pulled him standing again and led him over to the couch, aware that the eyes of the entire room were following them.

"Sit," Harry commanded, dropping him onto the squishy couch. "Stay. Good boy." He patted Dean on the head and turned to a gob smacked Ginny. "He's upstairs then?"

Ginny opened her mouth slightly, confused, before realization spread across her face. "You're looking for, Ron?" He nodded. "You aren't going to hurt him, are you?"

"Why, that thought hadn't even crossed my mind! But that's a good idea!"

Draco laughed at the look on the red-haired girl's face. "Harry, stop tormenting the littler Weasley. We have other things to do."

Harry pouted. "But I was having so much fun."

"He ran up there about twenty minutes ago, looking like he had seen a ghost," Neville replied from a chair over by the window.

"Doesn't he see ghosts everyday?" Draco looked puzzled.

"It's an expression, Malfoy."

"Thanks, Nev," Harry interrupted, climbing the boy's dormitory stairs. He reached the top of the tower, a door marked 5th year boys, and went in.

Shaking off the wave of nostalgia he got from being in his old home, Harry walked up to Ron's bed and shook the drawn curtains. His ex-friend's irritated voice wafted out of them.

"Go away."

Harry shook them again and the voice got louder.

"Come on, I need my rest for the game tomorrow."

"I don't think all the rest in the world will help you," Harry dryly replied and the curtains were abruptly ripped back.

"Harry?" Ron gazed up at him fearfully. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to ask you something."

"If you came to yell at me some more about what I did, forget it. I've heard it all from Snape."

"Actually, I need to know what you heard about Voldemort's visions."

Ron visibly flinched at the name. "Why?"

"You tell me what you know, and maybe I'll tell you what I know."

He sighed. "It was the first night I was a spy. I was ... nervous about going to the meeting that night. I was so sure that the Dark Lord would take one look at me and know that I had betrayed him. But it was cancelled that night. Apparently, something had happened to make the Dark Lord unavailable for the night. I was getting ready to leave when I heard them ... "

"What is going on, Malfoy?" a hoarse voice demanded. "What has happened to our Master?"

"Did you get it?"

"Of course I got it. Dumbledore doesn't ward his office carefully enough. But you are changing the subject. What hap – "

"Quiet! The same thing as always, you idiot."

"What was it about this time?"

"Potter. Potter can see them, too."

There was an intake of air. "Are you sure?"

"Our Lord is never wrong! You would do well to remember that!"

"Yes, sir. But if Potter can see our Lord's visions, will he know – "

"There are too many ears around here. Let's go discuss this somewhere more privately."

"I told Professor Dumbledore what I heard as soon as I got back here," he finished.

Harry was lost in thoughts, but now he had an even bigger problem on his mind. "You said they mentioned taking something from Dumbledore's office."

"Ah, yeah." Ron looked confused. "But I thought you wanted to know about the vis – "

"Did you tell him?"

"Yes. He said a book from his personal collection was missing."

"The Travels of Mendrak," Harry whispered.

Ron's eyes widened. "That's it! How did you know?"

Harry ignored him. "Did Dumbledore seem worried that this book was gone?"

"No, it wasn't as big a deal as – "

"Thanks, Weasley." Harry stood up and left.

"But Harry – " The door closing blocked out the rest of the sentence.

Harry rushed down the stairs. Draco stood in the entrance of the Common Room, polishing his wand, and sending the slightly afraid Gryffindors menacing looks.

"Everything go well, Harry?" Draco called when he saw his friend coming back down.

"Do you know any good spells to get blood stains of the ceiling?" Harry mentioned off-handedly. At Ginny's gasp, he went on. "Just kidding. I left him in all one piece. See you, Neville!" He waved at Neville as he and Draco left.

"Hey, slow down, Deni," Draco panted, struggling to keep up with Harry's quick strides despite the Hunter training he had.

"Voldemort stole the book," he said without preamble. Draco lengthened his steps without question and they rushed back to the Headmaster's office.

Harry burst into the office without knocking. They seemed to have intruded on some sort of meeting. Harry brushed past his former teachers, the Weasleys, and some he recognized as Aurors and leaned over the Headmaster's desk.

"The Travels of Mendrak was stolen by Voldemort?" Several in the room jumped at the name.

"Yes. It was a great literary loss," Dumbledore answered, sounding slightly annoyed. "What is this about, Mr. Potter?"

Even more occupants jumped at the sound of this name and scrutinized the young man before them even closer.

"Are there any other copies in the world?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "They were destroyed centuries ago."

Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose, dreading asking the next question, although he knew he must. "Is Voldemort's Headquarters still the Riddle house?"

Sirius stood up from the corner of the room. "What are you doing, Harry?"

Harry slowly glanced over to his godfather. "What I have to do, Sirius." He turned back to the Headmaster. "Well, is it?"

"Yes, but – "

Harry cut him off. "Draco?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry to have to ask you this again, but ... Do you want to break in to one of he most powerful men in the world's office or do you want to get this book legally?"

Draco smirked. "I'm a Slytherin. Do you really have to ask?"

Sorry for the slight cliffhanger, but I'll try not to make you wait as long this time.