Chapter Twenty
A/N: Okay! This is a very big improvement from last time! Snappish, every time I read your reviews, you make me laugh. I especially liked the "what have you done to Bill?!?!?!" and "I'll be crying myself to sleep…" I thank you whole heartedly for being such a faithful reviewer. Now update your story! Also, RussellGrl15, thank you for all of your very very kind reviews! I will try not to bash my own chapters… it's a bad habit, like biting your nails or something. Anyway, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat do not, own Harry Potter.
"Harry, wait!" Hermione sprinted after Harry down the corridor leading to Dumbledore's office, Ron right next to her. "What do we have to tell Dumbledore?"
Harry didn't answer, he simply ran. He ran down two flights of stairs, around three corners, up one flight of stairs, and past a Ravenclaw Prefect who didn't have the energy to yell at him. Harry ran until he reached the opening to Dumbledore's office. Just as he came to a halt, Professor McGonagall came down the spiral staircase.
"Mr. Potter! You better have a very good explanation for why you are sprinting down the corridors is such a fashion."
"I… have… to see… Dumbledore!" Harry panted.
"I am afraid that is impossible, as he has just left on urgent business."
"Left? No! He can't have. Not when…not when…"
"When will he be back?" Hermione asked, catching her breath.
"I am not entirely sure Miss Granger. But you three have better look after yourselves. I'm sure that the Headmaster will want to hear whatever you have to tell him when he comes-"
"But Professor!" Harry exclaimed. "Voldemort-"
"I am very well aware of the situation, Mr. Potter. As are all members of the Order. I advise you to keep your voice down. Just because I know, does not mean the whole student population needs to."
Harry walked slowly back to the common room, as though his legs were made of lead. Of course Dumbledore already knew. He had to have been called away on Order business. Harry felt very stupid and foolish. He instantly was reminded of this time last year… when Voldemort had been planting fake dreams into his head… His foolishness had cost him Sirius… what would it cost him this time around?
All year this is what Harry had been trying to avoid. He wanted a normal year, without people worrying about him and his scar. Without having to fight. Without feeling like an outcast. He let it all get to him. He let his ideas run away with him again. If Harry wasn't careful he might end up loosing more than Dudley to Voldermort.
"What do we do now?" Hermione asked, still not sure what Harry wanted to tell the Headmaster.
"I guess we wait." Ron said.
"Yeah… we wait…" Harry said absently. He was still so busy kicking himself for his actions that his best friends speaking to him normally again hadn't hit him yet.
"What do you think it is?" Ron whispered to Hermione while Harry looked lost in thought.
"It obviously has something to do with the strange stuff that's been going on." Hermione said.
"Obviously. But what does Harry have to tell Dumbledore so bad?"
"Do you think I can read minds?"
"You're the smart one, you tell me."
"I wanted to tell him what he already knows." Harry surprised them.
"You're sure he already knows?" Ginny Weasley just meandered over to them.
"Ginny-" Ron began.
Ginny held up a hand to stop him. "Ron, shut up. I went with all of you last year to the Ministry; I'm going to stay with you now, so tell me what's up. Obviously Harry is not telling us something." They all looked at her in shock. Ron raised an eyebrow, how did his sister know more about his best friend then he did?
"Don't forget me." Neville sat down on the couch next to Harry. "I am just as much a part of this as any of you. Now spill it Harry." Even Ginny was taken aback by the forwardness of Neville's tone.
"Well…" Harry sighed, "Hogwarts isn't safe."
For once, no one argued with him.
"How isn't it safe?" Ginny demanded.
"Have you noticed all the strange things going on, Gin?" Ron asked.
"It's not just that." Harry continued. "Have you noticed that every student at this school has had a family member taken from them?" His friends all stiffened at this comment. This was the first time any of them had talked openly about the disappearance of their loved ones. "Voldemort is behind it, I'm sure. He's trying… He's trying to tell us that Hogwarts isn't safe."
"He's trying to show us that we aren't untouchable." Hermione said.
Harry nodded. "Exactly."
"And he's doing it without having to get inside the castle." Neville added.
"That's what I'm nervous about…" Harry said.
"You mean, Voldemort come here?" Ron asked.
"Why not? He got into the ministry last time, why not the school?"
"He can't." Hermione said plainly.
"How do you mean?"
Hermione slipped off the necklace Ron had given her for Christmas and opened the mini copy of Hogwarts, A History. "He just can't, it's improbable with all the amount of spells and jinxes here. Hogwarts is next to impenetrable."
"You said improbable, not impossible." Harry pointed out. "He can do it, I know he can, and he's going to…"
"It's awful!" Lavender Brown and Parvati just burst into the common room.
"What is it?!" Hermione demanded.
"It's… it's Professor Trelawney! She's gone!" Lavender cried.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville exchanged worried looks.
"It's starting." Harry said.
"Professor McGonagall!" Harry and his friends banged on the staff room's door.
A very unnerved Professor McGonagall came rushing out. "What is it?!"
"Professor, I don't think Dumbledore is gone on business." Harry said.
"Potter, we have more important things to worry about than your silly ranting!" Snape shoved his greasy, hook nosed head out of the open staff room door and gave Harry a look of deepest loathing.
"But Professor, this is very important!" Harry contended.
"Mr. Potter, I'm sure that you have already heard of both Professor Trelawney and Professor Sprout have gone missing-" McGonagall began.
"What?!" All five of the students cried together.
"Not Professor Sprout!" Neville moaned.
"The Professors are dropping like flies." Ron mused.
Hermione shot him a look that clearly said this was not the time or place.
"Professor, if we could only come in for a moment… I have to talk to you!" Harry begged.
"Potter, I suggest that you and your little friends get yourselves back up your dormitory at once." and with that Snape closed the door on all of them.
"What are we going to do?" Ginny wailed.
"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Hermione said.
"I say we owl Dumbledore." Ron added.
"Don't you understand? Dumbledore didn't get called away on Order business! He disappeared jut like Sprout and Trelawney!" Harry punched at the air with his clenched fists. "Snape, I bet you anything he's behind it!"
"Harry, how many times have I got to tell you, Snape works for the Order?!" Hermione said furiously.
"Then how do you explain that the Slytherins haven't lost any family?" Ron demanded.
All at once a light clicked on in their minds. They ran for the opening to the Slytherin common room.
"We don't know that password!" Neville cried from behind.
"Who needs a bloody password?!" Hermione said, surprising them all. She pulled out her wand, "Evenesco!" the portrait in front of them vanished and the five students ran into the Slytherin common room. Ten stunned Slytherins gaped at them. Draco Malfoy included.
"You can't be in here!" he yelled indignantly, and then smiled. "I'm sure Professor Snape would love that."
Harry marched right over to Draco and pulled him off the couch he was sitting on by the collar of his robes. "What have you done to the school, Malfoy?"
"What makes you think I'm the one who did it?" Draco replied, his cold drawl only faltered for a moment.
Ron couldn't resist. He strode quickly over to Malfoy and punched him squarely in the nose. "What have you done to the bloody school?"
"I didn't do anything, Weasel."
"You didn't do anything my ass!" Ginny cried, much to the shock of everyone but Ron, who had been on the opposite side of her yelling for many years now.
"Let's just say I paved the way for a few friends of my father." Draco smirked, even though blood was dribbling out of his undoubtedly broken nose.
Harry dropped the slick-haired Slytherin and bolted back to the staff room, the other's followed.
Without knocking, Harry yanked open the door, just to find a room devoid of teachers. Harry then ran to Lupin's office. Gone. The hospital wing. No one. They even went into the kitchens, which were usually bustling with house elves. Not a soul remained. Fearing for their housemates, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville sprinted back to the Gryffindor common room. On their way, however, they stumbled upon a very unlikely person.
"Luna?" Ron said.
"Hello Ronald." she said in her dreamlike way.
"What are you doing here, Luna?" Ginny asked.
"Waiting for you."
"For us?"
"Yes. You know, it's very rude to plan another adventure like last time and not invite me." She meandered slowly down the hallway toward the Gryffindor common room. Harry and the other's just stood open mouthed.
When they got back to Gryffindor Tower, everyone was still in tact.
"No one missing?!" Harry asked him housemates.
"No…" said a very scared looking Collin Creevey.
"Good, lets keep it that way."
"What is going on?!" Dean Thomas demanded.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" Harry trialed off.
"Try us." Seamus said.
Harry looked at his friends, who nodded nervously at him. "Well… er… all of the teachers are missing."
"What?!" All of the common room went into a frenzy.
"Nice tact, Harry." Hermione mumbled.
"It's the truth." he shrugged.
"What are we going to do?!" Harry looked over to see Madison, the small redheaded witch from DA training.
"Listen!" Harry yelled over the commotion, everyone quieted down to listen to him. If Harry had to be honest, he actually quite liked being able to silence a room. "I've got an idea. Prefects, go and get the other houses Prefects, the Head Boy and Girl too. I want them to get all of their houses and bring them to the Great Hall, got it? Everyone else, follow me."
A/N: OOOOO… I like this one. Much better than my last, if you ask me. I like the chaos I'm creating.