a/n: Okay, so here's how it is: I love you. You i know /i that I love you because I tell you all the time. You at least sort of like this fic. I i know /i that you at least sort of like this fic because if you didn't, then what the heck are you doing reading chapter 21? Seeing as we both know all this stuff, is an author's note really necessary? Nah…

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own the record that plays the snazzy music at the end of every chapter! (puts the gigantic record in the record player and sings along to the theme music) DUN DUN DAAAAAAaaaa!

Chapter 21: The Fog Turns Clear

Claire blinked at the spot where Robin's head had been in the snow bank. It was obvious to her what was going on: Robin had somehow got her hands on an Invisibility Cloak and snuck into Hogsmeade as well. But for what purpose? Apparently, she wasn't coming from the Three Broomsticks, as Claire had been, but judging from the position they ran into each other, Robin had been running from the opposite direction…

Curiosity was coursing through her body like a contagious disease. Looking down at the snow, Claire saw several newly-made footprints heading in the direction from which she had just come. Based on the judgment that Aquinas would stay put in the pub until his belly was good and full, Claire stealthily followed the mysteriously appearing marks in the snow.

She nearly walked to the other end of Hogsmeade, only having to step aside a few times to let someone pass; the footprints were doing a good enough job of dodging people that Claire didn't really have to pay attention to much else.

Finally, Claire heard the tinkling of a shop bell. She looked up to see that they were outside of Honeyduke's. The footprints disappeared at that point; Claire supposed whoever was making them had stepped into the shop. She wasn't worried about following them any longer; she had a hunch where they were headed…

Ducking behind a group of chattering sixth year Ravenclaws, Claire slipped into the shop and headed for the back room. She checked that the person at the register was occupied in helping the students purchase their sweets and then edged quietly into the cellar.

Just as she shut the door behind her, she heard another one at the bottom of the stairs snap shut. She grinned and leaped down the stairs. Placing her hand with care on the handle, she mentally counted to ten, opened the trap door as quietly as she could, and then dropped herself down into the secret passage.

At this point, she broke into a run. She had to get to the end of the tunnel before the person she was pursuing did if she wanted to catch them…

Trying not to breathe too loudly, she finally saw the small door that lead out of the witch's hump and back into the corridor. Had she beat them there?

She stood by the exit and waited. About a minute later, she thought she heard someone coming…

She began counting to herself, 1…2…3!

Claire threw out her arms and bumped into something. Grabbing a hold of some sort of fabric, she pulled.

"Aha!"

And there was Robin, glaring into space, looking around for her attacker.

"Who's there!" she said. Claire detected a hint of fear in her voice.

"Oh, no one really," Claire said, enjoying her moment of success. Reaching up, she too pulled down her hood. "Just me."

"Woods," Robin snarled, her eyes reduced to slits behind her sheaf of dark blonde hair.

"Yes, it's me," Claire said, grinning mischievously. "But that's not the question. The question is what are you doing here, Robin?"

Robin didn't answer, but merely continued to glare. It was a good thing she didn't have laser vision, otherwise Claire was certain she'd be dead.

"Whose Invisibility Cloak did you, shall we say, 'borrow?' Hmm?" Claire egged on.

"None of your business," Robin said, tugging out of her grip and trying to escape quickly out of the witch's hump.

"Not so fast!" Claire said, throwing out an arm to stop her. "What makes you think I won't go to McGonagall and tell her that you were in Hogsmeade today, eh?"

"Let me think," Robin said, sarcastically putting a finger to her chin. "Oh yes, how about the fact that you were there too?"

"Funny," Claire said, happy that Robin was falling into her trap. "You sound as if you were expecting to run into me."

Robin rolled her eyes.

"Woods, you are entirely too predictable," she said, shooting a look over her shoulder. "Now will you let me through before someone else comes this way? I'd rather not be thrown out of Hogwarts today, thanks…"

Claire realized that Harry might be coming any minute and let Robin pass. But as she did so, something else hit her…

"Wait a minute…" she said, scrambling out of the witch's hump after her. "How did you know someone else was coming!"

"I never said I knew for sure. You assumed," Robin said, slipping off her Invisibility Cloak and stuffing it into her bag, which was sitting next to the statue of the one-eyed witch. Eyeing Claire, she added, "You might want to take that off. Never know when someone might come by and see your head floating about in the middle of the hallway."

"I'm going to return this," Claire said, throwing the hood back over her head, "and you should do the same with yours—"

"Return mine?" Robin asked, annoyed. "Whoever said this didn't belong to me?"

"Well—"

"That's your problem, Woods," Robin said, walking through a door concealed behind a tapestry on her way to Gryffindor Tower. "You speak before you know the answer. And in response to your earlier question, about knowing someone was coming? Well, perhaps someone" –Here she looked directly at Claire, eerily, considering that she was invisible— "should stop leaving their books lying around."

And with that she continued on her way, leaving Claire standing there awestruck with a tapestry flapping back in her face.

Claire wasn't entirely sure how she made it back to the common room, up the boy's staircase, into Harry's trunk, and then back down again without being noticed, but hey, perhaps she was just gifted at this whole stealth thing. The important thing was that the Invisibility Cloak was now back where it belonged, no damage done.

Or so she thought…

Claire threw herself into an armchair, thinking hard. Ordinarily, she would have been furious with herself for leaving one of the Harry Potter books lying around for anyone in her dormitory to read, but that just wasn't the case. In fact, as far she could recall, she never remembered ever leaving one of the books out anywhere more noticeable than her bedside table drawer. And even Robin, who put on a mean and sarcastic face, would not go snooping through her roommate's belongings…

This only left one possibility: Robin was lying. Trying to cover something up, more likely. But the question was why…

Claire gasped, making a first year sitting nearby jump. As she apologized, she couldn't help but give herself a pat on the back. The answer had hit her like a snowball in the face. It was completely obvious! She could have kicked herself for not realizing it before…

Without another thought in her head, she raced up the girl's staircase and up to her dormitory to wait for Aquinas to return.

"Brrr!"

Claire looked curiously at a small, fluffy snowball that had just landed on the windowsill. A moment later, she ducked to avoid the snow flying everywhere as Aquinas shook off his feathers.

"Can you believe this weather!" he huffed indignantly as he shut the window behind him. "It's horrendous! It's going to take me weeks just to get all the snowflakes out of my ears!"

"Oh, you poor thing," Claire said sarcastically.

Aquinas turned to glare at her. She was leaning back on her four-poster, tossing her Rememberall from hand to hand. The smoke inside it was as clear as glass.

Aquinas noticed this and grinned.

"I had something I wanted to ask you," Claire said, grinning as well.

"Oh really?" Aquinas said, shuffling his tail feathers in a vain attempt to get an icicle off his rear end. "And what might that be?"

"Well, you remember a little while ago when we had that chat about how I'm stupid and never think about things before I act?" she said.

Aquinas sighed happily.

"Of course I remember!" he said, breaking the icicle off and throwing it into the fireplace. "There are so few memories I cherish in life. Lecturing imbeciles is one that I hold very dear to my heart."

"Uh-huh," Claire said, spinning the Rememberall on the tip of her finger. "Well, I just wanted to say that if you don't like the cold, you better pack a sweater or something, because we're going to be hiding out next week."

Aquinas cocked a feathery, frost-bitten eyebrow.

"What the devil for!" he demanded.

"Because if we stay at Hogwarts over Christmas, we're going to create a few problems," she said, tapping her finger on the book at her side.

Aquinas raised his eyebrows at her.

"I must admit, I'm impressed," he said, shaking his head. "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually," she replied, resuming her Rememberall-tossing. "I need you to tell me some things about my past, about why I'm an orphan and whatnot."

"I can manage that," Aquinas said, smirking in spite of himself. Claire could see he was thrilled that he was now working with someone who was actually using their brain.

"And one more thing," Claire continued, sitting up and setting the glass ball down on her sheets.

"Do tell," Aquinas said.

"You remember when you told me that it was a possibility that there could be other people in this story besides me?" Claire said slowly, wanting to savor the moment.

"I do recall saying something to that effect," Aquinas said, warming his talons in front of the fire. "Why do you ask?"

"Is there any way you could check on that?" Claire said, tracing the surface of the Rememberall with her fingertip.

Aquinas stared at her.

"I don't know," he said, cocking his eyebrow once more. "I suppose I might be able to. But why?"

"Oh trust me," Claire said, smiling broadly now, "it's going to be, very, very important."

a/n: DUN DUN DAAAAAAAAaaa! What the heck is Claire talking about! Why exactly does she have to hide out over Christmas break! And is Aquinas EVER going to get his feathers properly dried! Okay, okay—you probably don't care a great deal about that last one. But all the other stuff will be answered in the next chapter…plus much, much more...See you then! Happy Easter to everyone! (hands all her readers nice pretty little colored eggs)