33 (Deceived, Trapped, and Rescued)
At last, the students arrived at the Great Hall, the fabulous feast waiting for them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had sat down beside Neville, Ginny, and many other Gryffindors. The roast chicken had a magnificent smell that acted like a magnet to Ron. He was sniffing it, rather than tasting it.
Over by the teachers' table, Harry thought he saw Professor Snape babbling with Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. He was wondering whether Professor Snape was up to something nasty with the students.
"Harry, go ahead and eat," muttered Hermione, sticking her fork into some lamb chops.
"I wonder what Snape's talking about," he mouthed, and squinted his eyes to at least lip-read what the slimy grease-ball was speaking.
"Never mind that old hag, eat now," sputtered Ron, spitting out some chicken. Dean was disgusted, and so was Seamus.
"Ron's right, Harry," murmured Hermione earnestly, "you're going to need your strength for tonight."
"Oh," moaned Harry, as he remembered their quest for tonight. It was definitely going to be difficult and wearisome. Sneaking past Argus Filch and Seveus Snape wasn't easy of a task. It needed care and vigilance. Of course, something else was at their side. Actually two: the Invisibility Cloak, and the brilliant Marauder's Map.
Nearly Headless Nick was having a little conversation with the Bloody Baron, who was beside the Slytherin house-table. He was babbling about the way Peeves had previously played pranks on his unbelievable uncle, Gadzy. The Bloody Baron was disappointed of Peeve's poor behavior, and was enraged because Uncle Gadzy was one of his closest friends. Nevertheless, it didn't make any difference. What happened had happened, and Peeves was glad that his Uncle Gadzy left Hogwarts. It's been quite a while since all the students witnessed Peeves throwing some pepper at his uncle's eyes, and boy, how Draco was fascinated.
"Say Harry," began Ron, chewing on the steak, "when are we going to leave?"
"Ron, would you just shut your mouth? Don't rush, everything will go smoothly if stop babbling," Ron had clearly received some kind of scolding from Harry.
Hermione was giggling under her nose, staring at her plate. Harry had a point, because Ron has turned into the world's biggest gossip in the past two days.
At the end of the feast, there was an amusing recital being played by a talented chorus from fourth year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. Several boys were playing the bass, and the other ones were playing the drums. All the girls were singing with a sharp, high-pitched voice that nearly knocked Harry out. Eventually, they were done, and all the teachers along with the students were clapping.
Everyone was moving back to the dormitories by now, all stuffed up with food.
"Did you see that little girl from Ravenclaw? Did you see how wide her mouth was opened?" giggled Ron. Harry and Hermione had also noticed that girl. She was so emotional towards music that she closed her eyes, and began screaming in the most terrible noise rather than singing in a perfect harmonic tone.
"Slinkhart!" yelled out Parvati Patil, and the portrait of the Fat Lady opened instantly, letting every Gryffindor in.
The majority of them were all squeezed in lines, climbing up the stairs. Poor Neville, he was beginning to retch, due to the tremendous amount of food he ate. His friends were lucky that he didn't vomit on the carpets.
"Harry, Ron, come here," called Hermione, as she invited her best friends down on the ground.
She made sure that every other Gryffindor was inside the dormitories, and then took out a badge.
"Oh, I nearly forgot about that," prattled Ron, as he remembered he joke they were going to play on Draco Malfoy.
"What's that we said we were going to write again?" inquired Harry.
" 'Hail Malfoy, the Sorrowtuckle loser'," burst Hermione, laughing quietly.
Harry was grinning at the two. He was reading what was written on the badge, giggling. 'The Sorrowtuckle Champion', was too much for an arrogant slimy, dirty, stuck up brat like Draco.
Hermione took out her wand, and with a wave, the arrangement of letters was change, in addition to some other words. The letters moved around on the badge, and Harry and Ron were grinning at it.
'Hail Malfoy, the Sorrowtuckle loser', it read now. Ron fell to the floor, wriggling like a flobberworm.
"When should we return it?" interrogated Harry, still laughing his wits out.
"Tonight," replied Hermione, tears of laughter gliding down her cheek, "before our departure from Hogwarts."
Harry nodded, and read the badge one more time.
It really was amusing to do such thing to Draco. After all, he's been the greatest source of loathing, hatred, and nuisance for the past six years. From the very first moment he saw Ron, he hated him as much as he hated dead rats. Draco always made fun of Ron's condition with his family. Also, he loathed Hermione more than anything else, for being a mudblood. No need to mention how cunning he was when he tricked Harry in first year, inviting him to the midnight duel, which he never came to. It was also quite silly, the way he imitated the dementors in third year. And much more of him has been seen by innocent students, who thought of his actions unbearable. Thanks to Ron and Hermione, they came up with a fine retribution. So far, Crabbe and Goyle had such a disposition with Draco. However, if things went right, they're going to be in big trouble with him.
From the talking Harry, Hermione, and Ron did, they hadn't noticed the time. It passed so quickly that they didn't even feel it pass by. It was ten thirty, and by now, almost all students should be tucked in their beds.
"It's time," whispered Hermione, "let's go."
They all got up, ready to leave, but Harry remembered something.
"Wait right here, I'll get two necessary things we'll need on the way," muttered Harry, and ran with footsteps of an ant to his dormitory. Dean, Seamus, and Neville were all rolling around their beds, trying to adjust and fall to sleep. They were so busy trying to recline that they didn't hear Harry come in. As quick as an eagle, Harry took out the Marauder's Map, and carefully held the Invisibility Cloak.
He ran down the stairs within a flash of a second, his wand tucked in his pocket, and of course, the sword of Anystal well hidden under his clothes.
Ron had an effective expression when he glanced at the Marauder's Map. His own trapped brothers, Fred and George, were the ones who offered it to Harry in third year. Although he hated them for never letting him have it, he forgot about that, and was ready to risk any chances, so that in the end, they'll be free again.
"Got everything Harry?" asked Hermione. "Wand? Anystal? Invisibility Cloak? And the Marauder's Map?"
"I've got them all here," pointed out Harry, as the three of them covered themselves with Harry's cloak. Ron, ever since last year, has reached the length where it was vital for them to kneel down a bit so that his large feet wouldn't show.
Out of the door they stepped, surprising the Fat Lady, who was snoring. She looked around, but no sign of anyone. Eventually, she went back to her sleep.
They were creeping along the corridors, quiet as tigers. They were lucky to find Crabbe and Goyle wandering outside the Great Hall. It was a wonder why no prefect or head-boy, or even a teacher told them off.
"Ready Hermione?" asked Harry beneath the cloak.
"You bet," she whispered, and took out the badge. The letters were shining brilliantly, all messily written like Crabbe's writing.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" muttered Hermione, and instantly, the badge was hovering in the air. She made sure it would reach Crabbe's pocket in the right time, because she didn't fancy the idea of chasing after them. Fortunately, the badge zoomed through the air and fell into Crabbe's pocket. He felt something drop in, which made him look up at the ceiling. But nothing of course.
"I just can't wait till I see Malfoy's angry face," giggled Harry.
"Where should we go now?" asked Ron. "Oh, yeah, the One-Eyed-Witch statue!"
"Keep your voice down, Ron, we don't want to be heard," whispered Hermione.
Harry lit his wand, and read the Marauder's Map. Professor Snape was having a conversation with Professor McGonagall and the headmaster in his office. That reminded Harry of the same sight he saw at the feast. Argus Filch was currently patrolling the grounds, and Mrs. Norris was sleeping in his office. So, that indicated that the three were safe.
At last, the One-Eyed-Witch stature came to their sight, and they carefully approached it. Harry stretched out his wand, tapped the hump on her backside, and muttered "Dissendium". Immediately, it was opened.
"Come on, move it Ron," murmured Hermione, and suddenly, she sensed something brush against her ankle. She was so terrified that it could be a teacher.
"Crookshanks? What are you doing here?"
"Never mind him now," interrupted Ron. But it was too late. Crookshanks was already meowing, and soon he was heard by Mrs. Norris. She was scurrying between the corridors, following the sound.
"Oh great," whispered Harry, "the red eyed bossy cat meets Hermione's nosey beast."
From under the cloak, Hermione's eyes glared at him.
"Sorry," said Harry, and watched as Crookshanks had a fight with Mrs. Norris. Their claws were striking at each other.
"Crookshanks!" muttered Hermione, desperately wanting to reach out for him and kick him to the common room. It went on and on, and soon, Crookshanks cleverly hit Mrs. Norris on her bloody eyes, which made her scram away.
"That was brilliant!" commented Ron, having enjoyed the cat show.
"No it wasn't, if there was a teacher, we could've got busted by now," snapped Hermione, and she reached down for Crookshanks, but he ran away, fearful of Mr. Filch arriving soon.
"That's a good boy," claimed Harry, grinning, "come now, we're supposed to move in."
Obediently, Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved in, and were confirmed that the stature closed itself.
"It's dark in here," claimed Ron, "I wonder if there are any spiders."
"Lumos Maxima!" sighed Harry, as he lit his wand to the maximum power. Hermione had to cover her eyes.
They were walking up some stairs, and each step seemed deeper than the other.
"Aren't we ever going to arrive?" inquire Hermione, catching on to her breath.
Harry thought he had heard a noise coming from the floor.
"AAAAAH! SPIDER!" yelled Ron, which forced Hermione to cover his mouth. The spider terrifyingly was dangling from its web, which had a butterfly trapped in it. Ron was so vexed that his whole body was shaking terribly.
"For God sake Ron, it's only a spider," declared Harry, and pointed his wand at the creepy spider.
"Arania Egsumay!" he muttered, and immediately, the spider was vanished with a brilliant beam of blue light.
"Thanks," burbled Ron, calming down after he saw the spider disappear.
Finally, they reached a dead end. However, as Harry has been here before in his third year, he knew that there was a trapdoor just above him that would lead him to the cellar of Honeydukes.
Clearly, the door was hard to push up. Definitely, there was some merchandise on top of it.
"Push…harder," spoke Harry, as Ron and Hermione helped push the door up.
At last, the door was opened, and Harry saw some dim light.
"Welcome to the Honeydukes cellar!" giggled Harry, as he helped Ron and Hermione out.
"Great place they've got here," commented Hermione, grinning in the darkness.
"What now?" inquired Ron, dreading the darkness for some more spiders.
"Now, we sleep till dawn," responded Harry, glancing at Hermione for more instructions.
"We'll make our move tomorrow, Ron. We'll have to rest for the rest of the night," she exclaimed.
Ron was still nervous about sitting in the dark, although he had the ability to light his wand.
"Nox!" yelped Harry, and put out the light of his wand.
"What did you do that for?" interrogated Ron, looking around helplessly in the dark.
Harry and Hermione were giggling quietly at Ron's state of fear. They couldn't believe how much of a baby he was whenever it was dark. The calmly went to sleep on the Invisibility Cloak, which happened to be a lot more comfortable than lying on the rough floor. Ron was still looking out for spiders and creatures that might attack him within a heartbeat. Eventually, though, his eyes got sleepy, and he dozed off.
Harry was having the most beautiful dream now. He was soaring in the sky on his broomstick, over many farms in the country. Then, he saw Sirius from afar waving at him. Harry caught a glimpse of Buckbeak being chained to his tether. A wide smile appeared on Harry's face, and then he found himself descending lower and lower. Through the clouds he flew, and above the grassy pasture his traveled. When he landed at last, he got down hastily and hugged Sirius, like he's never felt any kind of warmth and family. Sirius showed him the way into the house, and Harry was amazed. His home was unlike old Grimmauld Place, not at all nasty or full of doxies. It was warm and bright, and had about three fireplaces. The windows, all of them, had fancy curtains that would roll themselves up whenever the sun rose, and roll down when it set. No shadows were creeping up the walls, for it was so bright and magnificent from the inside. Harry then was talking with his godfather, pleading for him to come and visit him at Hogwarts. But no, the circumstances, as Sirius said, wouldn't allow him to. Perhaps one day, as Sirius declared, he would be able to walk through the doors of the Great Hall one more time, before he passes on the next world.
Suddenly, in the dream, everything went dark, and the curtains pulled themselves down. Sirius and Harry were scared. The doorbell rang, and Sirius carefully stepped towards the door. Into the house stepped the wicked Voldemort, and instantly, Sirius was dead.
"Harry? Harry?"
"No…I'll kill…I'll kill you…" murmured Harry vaguely.
"Harry, it's me," came the voice of Hermione.
He was awakened by her, and for some moments, he didn't realize whether he was in reality or dream world. His heartbeats grew faster, and his breath was terribly quick.
"Relax," instructed Hermione, pulling Harry upright, "what happened?"
"Sirius," began Harry, "I was flying above a farm, and then I saw a pretty little house. Sirius was waving…and Buckbeak was tied to his tether…we talked and had fun."
"And then?" asked Hermione slowly, but impatiently.
"Voldemort…everything went dark….no light…Sirius opened the door, and…and the next thing I knew was him on the floor, motionless…then…Voldemort was laughing…and I heard someone call my name."
"That was me Harry," whispered Hermione amicably, "how are you feeling now?"
"Confused," admitted Harry, "I've never had this dream before."
"I know," she said quickly, "but it has a positive side, too."
"What?" interrogated Harry, discerning her face outlined in the dark.
"According to Divination, seeing a dead sibling in a dream foreshadows meeting him in the future," explained Hermione; Ron was snoring loudly, "that's the only bit of useful information I was able to get out of that mad old hag."
"Really?" asked Harry, his heart beginning to flood with happiness. "I'll…I'll get to see Sirius again?"
"I'm not sure Harry, but that was the theory behind such a dream," she held his hand, to sooth him; "I hope you do, one day soon."
Harry's ears caught a noise coming from the door.
"Lumos!" he muttered, and pointed his wand straight at the door. It was opened, perhaps a few inches.
"There's nothing there Harry," chattered Hermione, "it possibly was the wind."
After Harry was assured that nobody had entered, he put the light out, and reclined on his father's cloak. He had his eyes opened for a while, even though it was pitch dark and he couldn't see a thing. He kept recalling the dream he'd just seen. Harry was so happy and glad that he'll get to see his godfather for one more time, very soon. Yet, he had slight doubt in it. Hermione had always hated Divination, for it needed a lot of guesswork. She might've just made that theory up to bring him some comfort. But impossible, she was his secret girlfriend, and she would never dare to lie to him. She never did, and never will. That's what Harry believed about Hermione. She was always so honest to her friends.
Harry shut his eyes slowly, and sank back into the deep shadows.
The next dawn Harry woke up, he found himself buried under the Invisibility Cloak.
"Good morning!" whispered Hermione, smiling at his sleepy face.
"Good morning Hermione," he replied, putting on his glasses, "where's Ron?"
She pointed her finger behind her. Ron couldn't be seen behind Hermione, for her hair was all messed up because of her disability to sleep in such circumstance. Their friend was still sleeping, and his mouth was three inches open.
"Better wake him up," said Harry, getting up, but making sure the cloak still concealed them.
"Ron, Ron," whispered Hermione, pushing his shoulder gently.
"Wha…What?" he yawned, as light came back to his eyes.
"Get up," she spoke, smiling, "it's dawn, and we'll be leaving soon."
"Yeah, yeah," he whispered back, and got up.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up from the floor, kneeled down a bit, and started walking to the door. It was locked. Harry was mystified by that fact. Only last night, if he wasn't mistaken, he saw the door open a few inches; now it was closed.
"Alohomora!" muttered Hermione, and within seconds, the door was unlocked.
Carefully, she pushed it open, and stepped outside.
"Colloportus!" sighed Ron, locking the door behind him.
"Nice move!" commented Hermione, giggling from underneath the magical cloak.
No one was up yet, and the village was dead of noise. The sun rose behind the green hills from afar, and the birds were starting to sing. The shadows were beginning to leave, as the brilliant sunrays washed them away.
Harry was looking around him, to make sure nobody was there yet.
"I think it's ok to take off the cloak," he suggested, only Ron and Hermione declined to do so, taking extra precautions.
"Harry, there's a killer Death Eater on the loose, and you want us to walk freely, undisguised?" asked Hermione logically.
"It's really getting tight, though," pointed out Harry. It was true; the three were stuck to each other under the cloak.
"Hang on," said Hermione, "I have an idea."
She took her wand out, and pointed it at the cloak above her.
"Engorgio!" she whispered softly, and the cloak was beginning to expand.
"It worked!" sighed Ron, excited. At least, now they would have more room to scoot a bit under the cloak.
They crossed the street, and began trudge forward. Zonko's Jokeshop was filled with joking materials, as they grabbed everybody's attention from outside the window. The Hog's Head had the curtains down, and no sign of movement came from the inside.
"Look!" pointed out Ron, as he saw some crows flying above them.
Harry and Hermione automatically raised their heads up to see a murder of crows soaring high in the sky.
"They must be…from Dark Valley!" declared Hermione, remembering the awful incident of the crows attacking them at Hogwarts.
"The bloody spies," mumbled Ron, furiously, "I bet you anything they're carrying news to Dolohov."
"Inevitably, they would be," discussed Harry, "let's go."
They scurried along on the road to sit under the shade, on the porch just outside a giftshop called "Lady Loretta's Little". The shop's name was a bit self-explanatory, for all the gifts that the three of them saw through the window fitted in one palm.
"I'm getting bored," groaned Ron, as the time passed by, "when could we get this cloak off?"
"Ron! This is serious," gossiped Hermione earnestly, "we could be wearing the Invisibility Cloak for the next twenty four hours!"
"Ok, don't bite my head off," gurgled Ron, "you should learn how to control your temper."
"And perhaps you should learn how to shut your mouth and stop complaining. Please, Ron, do us a favor and shut it," begged Hermione desperately, humiliating poor Ron.
A few minutes later, Ron heard the birds singing in his empty stomach, kicking the walls of it.
Harry and Hermione laughed at it.
"It's your fault," pointed out Ron, glancing at Hermione, "I could get me some food, but no, I shouldn't move, shouldn't talk, shouldn't complain, shouldn't do anything at all. I might as well be fine with you two off my tail."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, amazed by Ron's sudden selfishness.
"Ok, I'm starving too," commented Hermione, rubbing her stomach, "we'll knick some food, but quickly return here."
"Fine with me," snarled Ron, a wicked grin appearing on his face.
"Wait, I've got a feeling that something is missing," moaned Harry.
Ron was impatient, stumping his foot on the ground, pleading his fellows to move on. Hermione looked around, helping Harry to get whatever he think he's lost.
"There, your sword!" pointed out Hermione, as she saw Anystal lying on the dusty doorstep of Lady Loretta's Little giftshop. Quickly, Harry stretched out his hand, and like lightning, snatched his sword, and placed it back under his clothes.
"Thank you," muttered Harry, quietly, appreciating the way his girlfriend helped him.
"Great, you've got the sword. Can we move on now?" interrogated Ron, stumping his foot.
Harry and Hermione nodded.
Carefully, they got off the bench, and hastened to The Three Broomsticks. Ron almost tripped over the cloak once his leg came out.
"You see," emphasized Harry, "that's the disadvantage of enlarging the cloak."
Hermione and Ron raised their eyebrows at him, as if he never realized he was the one complaining about the size.
The door was of course locked, and no one was inside yet.
"Alohomora!" muttered Ron, and soon, the door turned unlocked, and sprang open.
They made sure they pushed the door back behind them, so that no evidence of burglary was left behind.
It was quite warm inside The Three Broomsticks, for there was a fire glowing like the sun in the fireplace. The tables were all neatly lined by the side, and the chairs were placed upside down on the tables. The floor was clearly mopped last night, for it was sparkling.
"To the kitchen," pointed out Ron.
"Ron, there is not kitchen. We don't get a feast here," giggled Hermione.
"Oh, sorry," apologized Ron, and continued to wander forward.
Harry was longing for a Butterbeer, actually two. However, he found something even more appetizing.
"Look! Cupcakes!" murmured Harry, and soon, he pulled them to the bar.
The cupcakes were placed in a cold storage, and the key wasn't with them.
Harry took out his wand, dropping the Marauder's Map, and pointed at the huge lock.
"Alohomora!" he spoke, and immediately, the lock turned counterclockwise, and the cold storage glass was lifted upwards. He stretched his hand and grabbed a handful of delicious cupcakes.
"One for you, and the other for you," he whispered, handing two cupcakes to Ron and Hermione.
Ron was so excited to have a bite out of the chocolate cupcake. But he found a surprise he never expected. The cupcake was too rough to chew, and his teeth were stinging him with pain.
"Here, Ron," giggled Hermione. With a clever wave of her wand, the cupcake was softened, and she did the same thing to her cake and Harry's.
Several minutes later, when each of them was done eating two cupcakes, Harry went over to snatch some Butterbeer. He summoned the big jugs, and filled them with the warm toothsome foamy Butterbeer. It was quite soothing to drink something like this before you started a long wearisome mission, in which you were threatened to die.
Unluckily, Ron, who turned a bit clumsy, had the jug slipped from his hand.
"Oops!" he scoffed, staring at the broken peaces.
"I'll fix it," sneered Harry, and took out his wand to repair the broken jug. Nevertheless, he never managed to do so, for the three of them heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Madam Rosmerta! Quick! Let's get out of here," instructed Hermione, and they glided to the front door. In only ten seconds, they found their way out. They left clear footsteps behind them, which could be used to detect burglars who were breaking and entering.
"Deletrius!" muttered Hermione, and with one wave of her wand, the footsteps vanished into the thin air.
"Now, where exactly is my brothers' shop? Oh yeah, that way!" stated Ron. He was in the lead, and Harry and Hermione followed him, vigilant from any sounds. They had to walk just a further stretch of the road, until they saw the smoke coming out of the chimney. There it was, as gold as its manufacturers, The Golden Wheezer Jokeshop.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped a bit closer to the outside window, glancing at the inside.
"Look, over there," whispered Harry, as he indicated a black cloak hung over a nail sticking out of the wall. There was also a black hood just over it.
"Where could Dolohov be?" inquired Ron. "He's not taking a bath or something?"
"Don't be silly Ron," noted Hermione. "But where are Fred and George?"
Harry continued to look around, searching for two tall red haired boys. Still, no sign of them.
"Better step in," declared Hermione, scared.
She unlocked the door, and they instantly walked into the shop. Hermione was looking slightly frail, and scared about the unknown. Ron was having a bit of fun playing with the sausage Jack-in-the-Box. Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione were moving crates around, thinking that possibly Fred and George might be hidden somewhere.
"Ron, would you stop playing and help us out here?" interrogated Hermione, taking off her thick wool jumper.
Then, something occurred to Harry that he'd never thought of before. He suggested Fred and George being upstairs. And so, Harry, Ron, and Hermione crept upstairs, looking for a sign of Fred and
George.
At last, they found them.
"Fred! George! Wake up!" whispered Ron, excitedly. His twin brothers were tied to a wall, there hands and legs wrapped with thick itchy ropes.
"What's the matter with them?" asked Harry, trying to wake up Fred.
"Dolohov must've put them into enchanted sleep," explained Hermione solemnly and logically.
"Put them into what?" asked Ron.
"Enchanted sleep, Ron, and it can't be lifted off only if the one who put on them takes it back," spewed Hermione, sitting on a couch.
"Well then, help us untie them," muttered Ron, trying to loosen the knot.
"It won't do any good, at all," suggested Hermione, "the rope is tightly secured."
"Well then…do some magic, you know everything," suggested Ron desperately.
"I'll try," agreed Hermione, and she took out her wand.
"Lacarnum Inflamari!" she cried, but no flames affected the ropes whatsoever. Ron was depressed.
Harry was thinking of something, while Ron argued with Hermione. There had to be something that could've lifted the ropes off, but still nothing came to his mind.
"Accio Ropes!" she tried to summon the ropes to her, but they didn't move at all.
Suddenly, Ron came up with an idea.
"Move over," he pointed out, as he gently pushed Harry and Hermione away from the two prisoners.
He concentrated his mind on something special. He closed his eyes to gain focus, and trust in his ability. When he opened them, he raised his wand to the knot that connected the two ropes; it was in the middle between Fred and George. Carefully, he waved his wand to the left, then right, then diagonally down.
"Frogos!" he cried out, and instantly, a beam of blue light shot out the tip of his wand. It was circling around the big knot, and entirely covered it. Within a heartbeat, smoke appeared after an explosion. And then, the smoke slowly drifted away.
"You…you did it!" yelled Hermione, so excited.
The result was the knot becoming loose. Fred and George fell to the floor, as soon as the knot was loosened.
"Look how tight the nutter tied the ropes around their wrists!" pointed out Ron furiously. Their wrists were very red by now.
For a moment, Hermione gazed dreamingly at Ron, beaming at him.
"How did I ever forget solid division?" she wondered, grinning at him.
Helplessly, Ron was begging his brothers to wake up. He tried everything. Ron poured some water in their faces, slapped their cheeks, explodes some fire-crackers, and even tickled their ears with a curly pig-tail-like string!
Shortly after that, Hermione and Harry realized that Dolohov was missing. Of course, he couldn't have just enchanted Fred and George and just left. For a second, Harry thought he heard someone climbing up the stairs.
"It might be Dolohov!" whispered Harry. "Quick, Ron, hide in the closet. Hermione, hide behind the door, and I'll be on the other side. When he comes in, we'll surprise him with our wands!"
Obediently, Ron opened the dusty closet door, and hid inside, although the dust and cob-webs made it uninhabitable.
Harry and Hermione hid on either side of the door, with their wands ready.
The footsteps were having a higher pitch, as they crept closer and closer to the door.
Harry watched Hermione's eyes, and signaled something that she understood as surprising the person coming. Instantly, the both of them took out their wands, and pointed them straight at what they thought was Dolohov.
"Percy?" sighed Harry, stunned.
"Hello Harry, Hello Hermione," spoke the unexpected Weasley.
Ron came bursting out of the closet as soon as he heard the name "Percy".
"Perce? What are you doing here?" interrogated Ron, shocked by his bigger brother's appearance
"Would you mind lowering your wands?" asked Percy, grinning. There was something about his grin that made him look suspicious to Harry. It was not at all like the grin of the Percy he knew, but this one seemed more crooked and wicked. But he dared not to speak anything, not until he realized the truth at least.
"So, Percy, how did you ever get here?" inquired Hermione, interested.
"I came as soon as I heard," explained Percy, looking at his twin brothers, "the Order sent me a message, and I was nearly done with my honeymoon with Penelope."
"Oh, how is she?" asked Harry calmly.
"She'll be allright without me for a couple of days," claimed Percy, still gazing at his brothers, "anyway, I was totally in shock to hear what happened to Fred and George. God! What's he done to them?"
"He likely put them into enchanted sleep," suggested Hermione earnestly, "and they were tied with thick ropes that seemed almost impossible to untie. Thanks to Harry here, we managed to get them off."
Percy averted his eyes, and watched Harry. Harry still thought there was something wrong with Percy, and his grin was suspicious.
"Have you seen Dolohov on your way here?" inquired Ron, awaiting Percy's answer.
"No," he replied straight away, "he must've escaped."
"He can't have," muttered Hermione, "why would he leave his cloak and hood behind when he decided to escape?"
Percy was swallowing a lump now, and that interested Harry even more.
"Perhaps he had another pair of them?" suggested Percy, sweating.
"Look here Perce, don't you be silly…" Ron began an argument with his older brother, who unexpectedly showed up at this shop.
Meanwhile, Harry pulled Hermione closer to him.
"What?" she asked, intrigued.
"Don't you think there's something different in Percy?" whispered Harry quietly.
"Like what?"
"Look at his grin. It isn't the pleasant warm grin that I've always known…it looks like…filled with cruelty and nastiness," explained Harry.
"Nonsense Harry, people change their grins all the time," sighed Hermione.
"Yeah, but I knew Percy for six years, and he's never changed his grin. It's unique in him," explained Harry.
"Harry, listen to me," tittered Hermione softly.
"No, you listen to me," interrupted Harry, "when you pointed out leaving the cloak and hood behind, he was uneasy. I assure you, he was swallowing some kind of heavy lump in his throat."
"I don't blame him, because he's as confused as we are," whispered Hermione, scratching her neck.
"Hermione, please believe me," pleaded Harry, "that's not Percy!"
"I disagree, Harry!" declined Hermione, and moved away to listen to Ron and Percy's argument. It seemed that they were chattering about the two pairs of cloaks forever, had not Hermione interfered.
"Thank you Hermione," stated Percy, getting up, "you've just ended a silly argument with a non-stop red haired weasel."
That even shocked Harry more. It was the first time he heard Percy tease his own brother. Percy used to talk all the time about official decisions in the ministry and his meetings with seniors.
"Would you three please follow me? Let's leave them sleep in peace until we figure out a plan to rescue them," talked Percy, grinning at Harry, as he showed them the way out.
Harry was hesitating a bit, but his girlfriend insisted that he kept on walking.
"Trust me," whispered Harry, "something's wrong about him."
But Hermione ignored him, and continued walking downstairs behind Ron and Percy.
Percy stopped in front of a little door, leading to a little chamber in the basement.
"'The Thinking Room'" Percy read off the letters on the label. "Fred and George must've used this room to elaborate their ideas about their joking business."
Even the way Percy laughed seemed different from usual, and Harry didn't at all trust him. Nevertheless, he had no choice but to follow Hermione's desires.
"In you step, and I'm right behind you," indicated Percy, opening the door. The room looked gorgeous with several maps and rolls of parchment. It had posters of the twins hanging all over the place, and some toys were located on top of shelves.
As soon as Harry entered, he heard a slam. Percy wasn't in with them, instead, he was out, gazing a them through the glass window on the door. His grin widened into scary one, and the three them were stunned.
"I told you it was a trap, but you weren't listening!" yelled Harry, enraged. Ron and Hermione had their eyes wide open, and rushed to the door to push it open, but no use. Even though they knew the unlocking spell, there was no lock from the inside.
"I guess you'll be joining those two idiots in a short amount of time," giggled Percy wickedly from behind the door.
"Percy! Let us out…you've gone mental!" yelled Ron, hitting the door strongly with his fists.
Suddenly, a wicked face crept to the glass window. It was not Percy's, but Dolohov's. His eyes were as haunted as the devil's. His rigid cheeks had a long scar. His filthy greasy brown hair was covering his eyes fleetingly, as the wind from the outside pulled them away. His teeth were so yellow, all uneven and a few of them were missing. His long crooked nose was the scariest thing about him.
"You mad nutter! Get us out of here!" shouted Ron helplessly.
"The clock is ticking," whispered Dolohov in a cold voice, holding a hand watch. Momentarily, he walked away from the door, laughing like a maniac.
"Where's Percy?" asked Ron curiously. "How come he suddenly came out of my brother's body?"
"He must've used the Polyjuice Potion!" shrieked Hermione, looking around her for someway to escape.
"If only you listened to me Hermione," began Harry in grief.
Hermione turned her head to him, and hugged him tightly.
"Harry…forgive me for not understanding, I'm so sorry," she apologized difficultly. Harry said nothing, but stroked her neck, and his hands were holding on to her back.
Ron was watching them, amazed. He never saw such intense feelings between the two of them.
"Harry…Hermione…what's going on?" inquired Ron, perplexed.
"Nothing," responded Hermione, letting go of Harry quickly.
Ron went back to looking at the floor, desperate to get out and save not two, but three of his innocent brothers.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat there for another forty minutes, all depressed, and afraid. They were stuck to the floor; all looking miserably at each other, and worst of all, was the guilt Hermione felt for not listening to her boyfriend. She felt so remorseful that she began a flood of tears. Harry and Ron stuck to her to bring her some comfort, but still, no solution came to one of their minds.
"Come on, we can't just give up," chattered Hermione, getting up.
"Hermione, it's no use," sighed Ron heavily.
"We're trapped, and that's that," admitted Harry, wiping off the sweat on his forehead.
Meanwhile, Hermione was thinking of a plan that would get them out. She knew all the magic they learned for the past six years, and was certainly able to apply it to real life.
She took out her wand, which was stained with her tears, and pointed it to the glass window.
"Bombardo!" she wept, and instantly, the glass shattered, breaking into smaller bits which were falling to the ground.
Harry and Ron's eyes moved towards the explosion sound, observing Hermione's plan.
"Good," prattled Ron, "now we'll have to squeeze into that hole to get out."
Hermione shot him an angry look, and kept walking across this Thinking Room.
"Hermione, what good will it do? How in the world are we going to get out?" inquired Harry, folding the Marauder's Map and placing it in his pocket.
"Would you two mind being quiet? It's called the Thinking Room!" snapped Hermione, enraged. She came to another clever idea. She thought that maybe if the hole was too tight and small, perhaps she could enlarge it to fit their size.
"Engorgio!" she cried, and it worked. The circular opening was widening into a larger size, creating enough space for one of them to pass inward.
Harry and Ron had expressions of rejoice on their faces.
"We owe you so much," they both said together, standing up.
"No, I owe you," declined Hermione, wiping the tears off her nose, "I'm the reason we got stuck here. If I had listened to Harry, then perhaps we would've captured Dolohov by now."
And so, they decided to take turns into going out.
"I'll go first," spoke Hermione, approaching the door, "once I'm out, I'll unlock the door, and then you two could get out easier than I will."
Yet, the circular opening was a bit high. Hermione had to jump so that her hands were clanged to the opening, and she need someone to lift her up.
"I'll help," talked Harry, and he quickly moved to push her up. She pushed her head through, and then easily slid forward, so that her hind body could get out in turn.
"AAAH!" shrieked Hermione, as something from the outside pulled her away.
"Hermione!" shouted Harry and Ron, not being able to see because Hermione's clothes were blocking the way.
Ron saw two hands gently pulling Hermione out of the hole, but it was a bit clumsy, and dropped her to the floor accidentally.
"Oops! Forgive me, dear!" spoke a familiar voice that Harry hadn't heard in ages.
"Tonks!" he mouthed, not believing his luck.
"Wotcher Harry!. Why are you in there? And why was your little friend creeping out of the window?" interrogated Tonks hastily.
"We got trapped," explained Ron, who was eager to get out, "Dolohov, well it was Percy at first…but then he transformed into Dolohov, and…"
"What he means is," began Hermione, standing upright, "Dolohov used the Polyjuice Potion to turn into Ron's brother, Percy, and then he brought us here, and locked the door."
"He ran away, and we were stuck here for forty minutes," whinnied Harry, talking to Tonks through the broken window.
"What is all this mess?" inquired Tonks, stepping on the remnants of the broken glass.
"Hermione made it explode," continued Ron, "and then she enlarged its size so that she could get through first, and then open the door for us."
"I see," began Tonks in her gloomy voice.
"And then you showed up, weirdly," added Ron, still surprised by her sudden appearance.
"Oh, I came here on the Order's order," chattered Tonks, smiling at Ron, "they told me that they have tracked you escaping the castle."
"How did they ever know?" asked Harry, mystified.
"Well, the Order has its own ways, just like the Ministry," spoke Tonks, beaming, "and then, old Madam Rosmerta contacted us through mail, telling us about some people who broke into her pub."
Ron looked at Harry, bewildered.
"She said that she saw a broken jar of Butterbeer," explained Tonks earnestly, "and then we figured out that it was you three who did it."
"Did you send Percy here?" inquired Ron, still confused.
"Percy? Your brother, dear?"
"Yes,"
"Not at all, why would he come here at such time? I heard he just got married," discussed Tonks humorously.
"That's what we found weird," explained Hermione, behind the door.
"I just don't get how he tracked us…I mean Dolohov," prattled Harry, trying to solve a puzzle.
"Did you see your brother Percy when you first came in here?" asked Tonks, looking directly at Ron through the broken window.
"No," he responded.
"Hold on," began Harry, as if he just remembered something vital, "last night, I was having a nightmare. When I woke up, I heard a noise from the door. I saw the door opened a bit."
Hermione sighed, shocked.
"That's it," she mouthed right away, "Dolohov must've come to Honeydukes cellar after he saw us at night, just to see where we were staying for the night. And then, he brought on Percy, took his hair, and brewed a Polyjuice Potion. Maybe that's how he managed to find us in Fred and George's shop."
"He had a perfect plan drawn in his head," muttered Harry, "he decided to show up late in Percy's physical form to make him look innocent. But then we saw the truth."
"My dears, didn't you see which way he went?" inquired Tonks, moving some broken glass away with her feet.
"All we know is that he left," declared Hermione solemnly, "and he said our clock was ticking."
"Ticking?" wondered Tonks. "For what?"
"We don't know," replied Hermione, annoyed by Tonk's curiosity.
"Would you mind getting us out of here now, please?" asked Ron, staring at the clumsy woman.
"Oh, nearly forgot," giggled Tonks, and she took out her wand to open the door.
Fast as they were, Harry and Ron got out, careful not to injure their legs with the long sharp broken glass.
"Fancy place your brothers have got here," pointed out Tonks, gazing at the Thinking Room.
"Right, about my brothers, what are we going to do with them?" interrogated Ron, bringing on the major reason the three of them came here.
"Oh don't worry, Mr. Weasley," laughed Tonks, "they'll be fine when we take them to our headquarters."
"No, not Grimmauld Place," moaned Hermione, refusing the idea of returning to such a messy dirty house.
However, Tonks ignored her, and shut the door to the Thinking Room.
"Ouch!" came Hermione's voice, and they saw her stare at her leg.
"What's wrong, my dear?" asked Tonks quietly.
"Nothing…it's just my leg," cried Hermione, her eyes watering. There was a big wound that she just realized was there. Although it was shallow cut from the ankle to the knees, it stung like ice.
"Ron, you go with Tonks to get Fred and George; I'll stay here," talked Harry, sitting down beside Hermione.
At once, Ron joined Tonks upstairs. Of course, she tripped over some left over Extended Ears, and began laughing at herself again.
"Does it hurt that much?" asked Harry calmly, staring horrifically at Hermione's wound.
"It sure is painful," admitted Hermione, trying as hard as she can to hide her pain.
"Let me see," spoke Harry, and he lifted her trousers a bit higher. Blood was oozing out of the flesh, which heightened Harry's anxiety.
"Wait here, I'll get a first aid kit," pointed out Harry, and left to the back, heading to the storage.
Within minutes, he returned back with a kit that had pictures of Fred and George on it.
He gently took Hermione's leg, and placed it over a little cushion. She was weeping terribly, for the pain was so sharp.
Carefully, Harry wiped the blood off with thick towel paper. Although the bleeding subsided, it came out again.
"Finite Incantatem!" mouthed Harry, as he stopped the bleeding process. That was one good use of the magic he learned.
After that, Harry rubbed the large wound with some alcohol.
"Ow!" shrieked Hermione, as it stung even more.
"Its' ok, you can handle it," talked Harry, blowing gently on her leg. Momentarily, he wrapped her injured leg with some kind of pink wrapper that belonged to the two jokers. Harry made sure he secured the wrapper well around her leg, and covered it from knee to ankle.
"Try to stand up now," instructed Harry.
Hermione pushed against the cushion, to stand up. For a moment, she was staggering, losing her balance. Then, she almost fell, had not Harry grabbed her in the right timing. He placed her arm around his shoulder, and provided support.
"How does it feel?" he inquired nervously.
"Better…at least I can walk," pointed out Hermione, smiling at him. "Thanks Harry…I'm so grateful to you."
A grin appeared on his face, and he sympathetically kissed her on her wet cheek. She giggled for a moment, and then with Harry's aid, moved forward.
Ron and Tonks appeared from the stairs, but not Fred and George.
"Where are your brothers?" asked Harry, looking curiously at Ron.
"Right behind us," he spoke.
Harry waited to see Fred and George walk downstairs, but instead, they were hovering in the air.
"Don't get freaked, Harry, dear," giggled Tonks, "I used the locomotion charm."
Here, Harry and Hermione understood.
"Say, what happened to your leg, Hermione?" interrogated Ron, looking at her leg, which seemed fatter at the bottom.
"It's covered with a wrapper, Ron. My leg's not that full of fat," she grinned at him. "Harry mended it."
Ron's eyes shifted to Harry, who looked innocent.
"Such a faithful friend," pointed out Ron. "So, what are we going to do about Dolohov, now?"
Tonks magically placed Fred and George on a wide table.
"For now, let's just get back to Grimmauld Place, and hand your brothers to a specialist that would end their enchanted sleep," spoke Tonks, her hair suddenly changing purple.
Ron and Hermione had their eyes wide open.
"What?" she asked curiously.
"She's a Metamorphagus," explained Harry, "she can change her appearance at will. She nearly scared me last year when they came for me at the Dursleys."
Ron slightly understood, but Hermione remembered right away an article she read in a book about Metamorphagi.
Shortly after that, the four of them stepped out of The Golden Wheezer Jokeshop, with Fred and George hovering secretly under Harry's cloak. There were many people by now that were awake, all heading to their shops. None of them had noticed the four come out; everyone was busy. It was amazing how they got out for routine work although they knew Dolohov was present at Hogsmeade.
"Now, how do you suppose we'll get out of here? How are we going to travel to Grimmauld Place?" inquired Harry, looking around at the crammed Hogsmeade.
"We haven't got broomsticks, and we can't Apparate," added Ron.
"No problem, my dears," giggled Tonks happily, "here, have some chewing gum."
She took out three pieces of chewing gum from her messy pocket. The three were reluctant at first, but then they put out their hands to take the chewing gums. Tonks pulled Fred and George's hands from underneath the clock, unobtrusively. As soon as the tip of their fingers touched the wrappers, they were all swirling in the air…