Darkness and Light

Chapter 21

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Madame Pomfrey came quickly, Chibiusa running ahead. When she saw he was conscious, she wrapped herself tightly around Harry.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She cried. "I've just been under stress - Occlumency and all, looking in the library for any information about that lost Senshi or whatever!"

"I-It's okay, you didn't make me collapse." He said.

"Then what did?" Ginny asked.

"Were you feeling dizzy? You probably need to go inside and warm up, dear." Pomfrey said.

"It was...I...don't know."

Firstly, Harry didn't want anyone to know about Neco, for it seemed that Neco wanted it that no one knew of her. And secondly, was it Neco that made him collapse? It never had before.

"I-I'm fine. Really."

"Are you sure? You might be suffering from hypothermia." Pomfrey said.

"Really. I'm fine." Harry said firmly.

Madame Pomfrey nodded and left, though there was suspicion in her eyes.

"We need to find Professor Tonks and Sirius." Hermione said.

"But it's not a Hogsmede weekend...It's not even a weekend!" Ron said.

"Ron, Sirius is in danger, we have to make sure he's not caught!" Hermione said. She gave him a look, so close to a look she gave Harry last year. "Just trust me."

Ron nodded.

"Hold on a second," Harry said, raising his wand to the sky. "Accio Invisibility Cloak!" The cloak floated lazily into his arms, just as his broomstick did two years ago. They crouched inside the cloak and set off towards Hogsmede.

"We can take it off later in the path," Harry whispered as they passed by Fang, who lazily lifted his head as they passed.

As soon as they had walked two minutes into the path they removed the cloak and made Harry carry it. The forest looked different now that they weren't in the protection of a charm-protected thestral-drawn carriage.

"Where do those paths lead?" Ginny asked, pointing at two identical paths going back in the direction they came from, then turning right or left until it disappeared behind the trees.

"I've never noticed them before." Hermione said. "But we can wonder about that later, we need to go."

They walked a bit more until they came out into the snowy Hogsmede.

"Oh crap!" Chibiusa cried softly. "Under the cloak!" She pulled them off the main road and into the grass, or where the grass would be, and pulled the cloak over in the process. Through the fabric, they could see the outline of Professor Snape walking towards them on the main path.

"What's he doing here?" Ron hissed. Someone who looked like Cosmos, and who they later found out was, ran up to him. The five heard murmurs and one yell of "absolutely not!" From Snape, but nothing else audible.

"Why?!" Cosmos cried.

"No!"

"But if you don't, you knowwww.... They'll be deaaaaad..." She said laying the stress on certain words.

"Then they shall die a noble death!"

"But I foresaw it. And so did you." Cosmos said lightly.

"I do not go by the time stream!"

"Time told me you would say that." Cosmos said. "But really...shame...I wonder what Dumbledore...no, Voldemort would say..." She made her voice cold and high. "You denied the opportunity to have Harry Potter in your house, to bring him to me?! Avada Kedav-"

"All right!" Snape yelled. "Just get the bloody hell away from me!"

"Okay. Prepare five rooms at the least." Cosmos said regaining her commanding tone. She walked back towards the city, Snape going into the path the five came from. They removed their cloak.

"What was that about?" Ginny asked.

"Chibiusa's grandfather is cheating on Queen Serenity for Cosmos..." Ron taunted. Random people stared at him.

"Anyway..." Hermione said, "where would they be?"

"The Shrieking Shack, of course." Harry said.

"Then why not use the entrance Sirius came from?" Hermione asked.

"Cuz...Tonks was there and he didn't know she would follow him?" Ron asked.

"Well, how did they get in then?" Ginny asked.

"A hole in the wall!" Chibiusa said proudly. So they set off towards the old building. "Oooh... scary smoke effect."

"What?" Ron asked.

"The smoke," Chibiusa said, pointing at the building.

"I never noticed that there was smoke here before now." Ginny said.

"There wasn't," Harry said, thinking the worst. They climbed over the low wood fence and started searching around the perimeter.

"Here!" Hermione exclaimed after a minutes worth of searching. They walked over and crawled in one-by-one.

Dust was everywhere. The furniture looked, if possible, more broken than it did the last time they came in.

"Oooh..." Chibiusa said again. "Hey, what's this?" She picked up a old, yellowing piece of parchment. " 'Dear'...someone, it's a bit smudged...'it pains me'...all blurry, then...'I can't get over it'...er...'want to die as he died for me'...this is depressing, who wrote this? Oh, um...'Si'-something, then, 'and I know this sounds stupid, but ever since last Christmas, I've been confused about'....something and...it almost looks like Hermione, but that can't be right...'stupid redhead' ...'best friend',...'want to kill'... uh...'see you next week'....that's all I can make out."

"Maybe it's from the person who used to live here." Ginny said.

"I wonder who it was..." Chibiusa said.

"No one did. It was built when Remus went to school here." Harry said.

"Then why not simply tear it down?" Chibiusa asked.

"Save that question for later, come on."

They headed upstairs as it seemed the most obvious place. They opened the door and were shocked to see Sirius in his human form and Tonks unconscious, leaning against the wall.

"You wouldn't happen to have any food with you? I'm starved." Sirius said casually.

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My insparation's kinda lost...um...see ya next time. Any ideas are welcomed.