A/N: I'm not sure if I should hand out tissues for this chapter or not. It's not a sad chapter per se. but some people might find it so. also, to the one reviewer who also wanted to translate something into Latin for me, please send it within two days! i need it for the next chapter. Also, after this chapter, there's only five more left. The story will be finished once I post chapter 21.
thanks again to my beta: azntgr01.
Chapter Sixteen: Big problem
It was on a Tuesday morning a week later that things turned bad. Hermione had been waiting in the common room for the boys to come down, but they don't show up. Convinced that they overslept, she stomps up the stairs, while the other girls watch her in amusement. However, when she throws open the door to their room, and started shouting about 'Lazy bums, get up right no..." Then she screamed.
Dean, Seamus, Ron and Neville were all stunned and bound to their beds, with obvious signs of a struggle had taken place on Harry's bed which was empty. Hermione's scream had caused others to run up the stairs, and see the chaos inside. Hermione wildly told them to go and get McGonagall, Dumbledore and Pomfrey. She didn't want Petunia to see this. Hastily Lavender and Parvati did as she said. She kept the other students out of the room, to make sure no evidence would be lost, and set to unbind and enervate the boys. Just when they all woke up, the teachers came in. Hermione started sobbing in distress and said that Harry was gone.
Other students near the door heard her and the news spread quickly. The boys couldn't tell the teachers anything as they had been asleep when they had been Stunned. However, Remus stormed into the room, and after looking around wildly, he sniffed deeply, and growled "Wormtail". It was nearing the full moon so his sense of smell was much better than normal, and he would never forget the smell of that traitor.
McGonagall and Dumbledore started herding the students towards the Great Hall, were Petunia immediately hugged Remus and started sobbing. The other students didn't really know what was going on, but the rumours spread quickly and so did the panic. The younger students turned pale, while thinking about their big brother.
Dumbledore stands up to address the students and tells them "I'm sorry to say that this night followers of Voldemort managed to gain entrance to Gryffindor Tower. They have taken Harry with them. We will do anything possible to get him back. The most I can ask of you is to remain as calm as possible and not go anywhere alone right now, as we don't really know how the followers managed to get inside."
Several of the young students started crying, and quickly older students came to comfort them, but most wanted their Harry back to do the comforting. Some second year Slytherins walk up to the Head Table and go to Dumbledore. Surprised, he urges them to speak. Most other students are listening. "Please Headmaster, if you have found Harry, we wish to go out and help get him back. He's done so much for us, we wish to help."
Severus didn't know how he managed, but he kept his masks mostly in place, so he wouldn't be seen crying and smiling at his students, who were so bravely offering their help.
When the other students hear this statement, they start shouting they wish to help as well, and that they're with enough people to help and distract anyone hurting Harry. The shouting reaches such volumes, that it takes a couple of bangs from Dumbledore's wand to make them quiet again. Dumbledore looks over the desperate students, who are really united by now, but he just doesn't want them out there fighting.
"I am sorry, but right now we have no way of finding Harry, and even if we did, I would rather keep you out of harms way. I wouldn't be able to have to tell your parents or other family that something has happened to you too."
Most students do understand this, but they weren't planning on giving in, after all, Harry is deadly ill and he still manages to teach them, to comfort them and to love them, so why shouldn't they?
Then Hermione gasps in realisation, and sprints out of the hall. Remus follows behind her for her safety, and they run up to Gryffindor tower, where Hermione opens up Harry's trunk and starts searching through his belongings. She takes out the dusty big tome, a potions flask and a map of Britain.
Without explaining anything she sprints back downstairs with a bewildered Remus following behind her. She only stops when she is in front of the Head Table, with all students watching her, knowing she often can have very good ideas. She hands Snape the potion's flask, spreads the map on the table and lays down the book. Remus now sees she's also grabbed some of Harry's red hairs out of his comb. He really wonders what she is up to.
"Please Professor Snape, could you tell me if that potion is made correct?"
Surprised Severus opens the flask, and sniffs it, and then he looks at the colour and takes a tiny little drop on his finger. "This is a perfectly made tracing potion. How did you get this? It is one of the strongest and most difficult ones to brew. But it won't be of much help, since it can only trace the maker of the potion."
Hermione smiles and nods. "Well, I got it out of Harry's trunk. He's made it just to be sure, saying he wouldn't put it past Voldemort to take him away somewhere no spells could trace him. He's been looking for over a month to find this potion and make it. He knows it will be able to tell us his location even if there are wards surrounding the place."
Severus gapes lightly at her. "You mean to tell me that Mr Potter has made this himself, without blowing everything up?"
Hermione nods and then looks down at the map. "I'm sure, as is Harry, that Voldemort would keep him in Britain, so all we have to do now is add his hairs, and spread the potion out over the map. This way it will point us where he is."
Students were standing around the table in a half circle; keeping very quite as if making any noise at all could ruin the potion. Petunia hardly dares to hope to have Harry back.
Hermione adds the few hairs, and swirls the potion, until it becomes golden. Then she and Severus spread the potion over the map. Soon it starts concentrating in one area, and a picture forms of the place where Harry is kept. They are disgusted to find out he's been brought to Godric's Hollow, the place where his parents were killed.
Then Hermione opens the book and starts looking for the notes she knows Harry put in there. She is glad she asked him about this book last week, or else she wouldn't have known what to do to help her friend. In the mean time, she explains to the teachers that lately Harry has been very busy searching for ways to destroy Voldemort (not even realizing she is saying the name without hesitation). She explains Harry had thought the find the answer, but was disappointed as it needed many people to work. He had continued to look for a different solution. He had told her she would find out more when the time was right, and as she said, it couldn't be more right then at this time.
When she read part of the notes, she finally found in the middle of the book, she gasped and her eyes widened. The whole of Hogwarts (as well as Order members that had been arriving) was watching in tense silence. Hermione can hardly explain what she is reading, but judging by her tentative smile it can't be too bad. Severus reaches for the notes and reads them. When he also seems surprised, everyone wants to know what it is they have read. Hermione finally stammers out that it really is a way to get rid of Voldemort.
Surprised gasps fill the Great Hall.
