The Adventure Continued
Chapter 14: Where's My Cloak?
A/N: To life! What a gift, eh? So are midterms. Anyone else feeling the pinch? I hope not! That would be a bummer. Anyways, here's the next chapter! It's a bit of a filler…a bit not. To those who think this story has gone long enough, guess what? The Christmas chapter will come just in time for Christmas! Yay! Just kidding…well, kind of. Please don't give up on me! I'm working as hard as I can! I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and a give a big "thank you" to those who reviewed and wished me a "Happy Halloween." I did have one, thank you ). I had candy!
Harry awoke the following morning to see more gray clouds and rain splattering his window. Although his team did win the Quidditch game against Slytherin and a few of his players had spent the night in the hospital wing, Harry couldn't bring himself to think about anything else that previous day except McGonagall's promise that the Ministry would take care of him. However promising that might sound, Harry had little faith in the Ministry's decisions.
A peck at the window brought Harry back to earth, and a rush of wind and rain raced into the room before Harry could close the window. The Ministry owl landed on his bedside table and held out its left foot.
"Couldn't wait until breakfast, could we?" Harry grumbled while untying the letter.
The owl hooted impatiently and snapped at his fingers as if it knew Harry's aggravation. After the owl dove back into the storm, Harry opened the letter. "A hearing has been scheduled for eleven o'clock this morning. Please be on time. Tonks," Harry read out loud.
"So you have a hearing?" a quiet voice came from his right shoulder.
Harry jumped in alarm, pulling out his wand in defense. He could almost laugh when he recognized Hermione's brown hair. "Knocking might save your life one day," Harry advised, tucking his wand back into his robes. "What are you doing here at this time of the morning? Don't you have to do your rounds?"
"They're already done, Harry. I did those ages ago," Hermione answered pointedly. "But that's not what I came here for. I wanted to know what happened with you."
Harry shoved the piece of parchment in her hands and sat down in an arm chair in the corner of his room, concentrating on keeping his heart rate down. Hermione grunted after finishing the short letter, handing it back to Harry. "Well, you brought this on yourself."
"What?" Harry looked flabbergasted at the girl in front of him. "What do you mean me? I didn't exactly start this whole thing."
Hermione sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore, Harry. Just don't put too much blame on Ginny, Ok? She cares about you just like Ron and I do, maybe even more. We were just trying to keep you from doing something stupid. You could have gotten hurt, you know."
"I wasn't going to do anything stupid!" Harry shouted, but Hermione had left the room before he could finish his sentence. Something stupid. The letter! After all that had happened, he had forgotten about his meeting with the mysterious person! "I've got to find out who it is..." he mumbled while leaving the room to spend another breakfast with Dobby.
"Harry Potter, your presence has been requested by the Committee appointed by the Auror Department and Magical Law Enforcement. You have been charged by Professor Minerva McGonagall for engaging in illegal dueling with another teacher, hexing an unaware individual, and terrorizing a Muggle. Do you contest?"
"Do I- what? Terrorizing a muggle?" Harry responded surprised. "I never terrorized a muggle!"
"Tonks, Harry never terrorized a Muggle," Professor McGonagall answered sharply from next to Tonks. "He might have terrorized me, but I never claimed-"
"I'm sorry, Professor, I got caught up in the moment," Tonks smiled apologetically, turning her hair electric blue in the process. The Committee around her gave her disapproving looks as if they would never have appointed her the spokesperson. They had no choice, however, as she was Harry's direct supervisor. "However, there is still some gravity in this situation, Potter. Do you realize that you could have hurt another student, besides Professor Weasley or yourself?"
"It was self-defense," Harry argued. "Gin-, I mean, Professor Weasley was moving to hex me!"
"Potter!" Professor McGonagall cried. "Since when do we allow anyone to fight in a duel?"
Kingsley coughed from his seat next to Tonks. "Minerva, please, we will handle it," he declared. He stood up in front of Harry and looked at him solemnly. Through the years that Harry had known the man, he had almost never seen Kingsley look this distressed about anything unrelated to Voldemort. Behind the older man's eyes, Harry recognized an expression he knew very well: disappointment. Harry winced as the older man continued to stare at him, and sunk down into his chair a couple of inches. If only Harry had his invisibility cloak…
"Harry," Kingsley continued, "because this is your first offense in the Ministry, we will not terminate your position. However, in light of this event that you fail to get along with a colleague, we have concluded that after the school year is over, you will be relocated from Hogwarts. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded slowly, not looking Kingsley or Tonks in the eyes, but looking at the grim faces of the other Committee members. Most of them he didn't recognized, but he could guess that they worked from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (which is where the hearing was located). At the end of the meeting, Professor McGonagall rushed off, complaining about Peeves getting into the girls' bathroom that morning and terrorizing a group of Ravenclaw first years. Kingsley and Tonks went back to the Auror Department whispering excitedly to each other, almost ignoring Harry on their way out. Harry, on the other hand, strolled slowly outside the room and apparating down a few levels where he found his best mate snoring over this months' copy of Quidditch Magazine.
"Sleeping on the job," Harry thought to himself, while taking out his wand, and touching Ron's red hair ever so lightly. The latter jumped as if an electric shocked had coursed through his body.
"Harry! What are you doing here? It's Sunday," Ron tried to stifle a yawn.
Harry forced a grin. "I should have known you would be snoozing. After all, that's the most you learned in school."
"Oh, don't try to tell me you thought Professor Binns' lectures were actually interesting!" Ron returned, turning a light shade of pink. "Really, Harry, what brings you to the Ministry? Do you have another assignment?"
"Not exactly," Harry sighed, realizing his best friend was going to find out sooner or later.
A cup of tea and some biscuits later, Ron sat wide-eyed at his desk, a few crumbs still on his chin. "I'm going to murder that sister-of-mine! Now, she's gone too far! What is she playing at anyways?"
"It's not all that bad," Harry shrugged. "I get to leave Hogwarts and work on my original assignment and she gets to live away from that evil Harry Potter."
"But what does she have against you?" Ron bit into another biscuit. "You two dated ages ago and it only lasted a few months. Why is this all coming out now?"
"I don't know, but can we forget about it?" Harry answered. "I'm sick of getting the cold shoulder from her. It's almost a dream come true for me. Almost."
Ron tossed his head back. "Alright, but my mum is insistent that you spend Christmas with us, Harry," Ron informed casually. "When I told her you had other plans, she wouldn't hear of it. She insists that we are your real family. After all, you could have been..."
"Look, just tell her I'm going to be spending it with Remus and Tonks," Harry pleaded.
"Harry," Ron answered seriously, "Remus and Tonks will be spending Christmas with us. You have to be there! It just won't be the same without you!"
"I just have other plans, Ron! You and Hermione have a good time with the family. Tell them 'Merry Christmas' and give your mum a hug for me. I'll send your gifts by Hedwig. 'See you later," Harry apparated quickly before Ron could protest and the next thing he could see was the snowy village of Hogsmeade. With heavy steps, Harry made his way back to the warm castle, his mind blank and his feelings numbed. When he entered his office, an owl stood on his desk with a letter attached to it. He opened the letter and immediately recognized the handwriting:
Dear Mr. Potter,
I am sorry to have missed you yesterday, but let me inform you that the information that I desire to pass on to you is confidential. You would be wise to meet me this afternoon at the Three Broomsticks at 17:00. Again, I believe I can be of great service to you.
Sincerely,
Your Faithful Friend
Harry's heart skipped a beat. Although he had no idea who this person was, he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew this person...in some way. "I am going to be there," Harry thought to himself and went into his room to find his invisibility cloak.
Hermione was helping a student who had been cursed to bounce off whatever he touched when a disheveled Harry barged into the room. "Harry, are you Ok?"
"Hermione! My cloak! It's gone!"