Disclaimer: Unfortunately, all this stuff does not belong to me. Everything that is in any way related to Harry Potter or the Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling.
A/N: Ok, so this is the first part of their little expedition to find out about Lupin. I promise this is NOT the end of Lupin's series of trials. I just had to kinda do something new, that's all. J. BTW, despite the questionable beginning, this is not going to turn into some crazed Harry/Hermione fic. :P
Chapter Five: The Expedition
The night was quiet. There was very little wind ruffling the trees in the Forbidden Forest; Neville wasn't even snoring tonight. All was still until-
"Hey--Hermione, wake up!" someone hissed in Hermione's ear. Her eyes flashed open. It had been a low-pitched voice, a guy speaking. And yet she noticed something familiar….
She rolled over to meet a pale face, green eyes sparkling even in the darkness, kneeling beside her bed.
"Harry!" she whispered. "What are you doing?!"
"Waking you up, of course," he replied.
"WHY??" she demanded as quietly as possible.
"To go find out about Lupin, why else?" Harry said impatiently. "Now come on…" He grabbed her hand as if to just pull her out of the bed, but Hermione yanked it back.
"But Harry--I'm not dressed!" Harry looked at her, eyes glittering with mischief.
"Why not?"
"Wha--oh, nothing like that, shame on you! I meant that I was in my pajamas!"
"Well what's wrong with that?" he said. Hermione looked at him with a what-isn't-wrong-with-that look on her face, but simply muttered, "Guys…"and got out of bed. Harry goggled at her black-with-pink-hearts pajamas before muttering, "Girls…" and standing up. He was fully dressed in blue jeans, a striped shirt, and a large black jacket.
"C'mon," he said quietly. He had a flash light in his hand. Hermione followed him, but grabbed his arm before he got to the door.
"Wait a minute," she said, her voice still a bit groggy from sleeping, "how did you get up here?"
Harry turned to look at her, grinning devilishly, but didn't say anything. She smiled.
He opened the door and stepped aside, bowing her through. "Ladies first," he whispered. She began descending the stairs, but Harry stepped on before she could get halfway down and consequently, it turned into the giant ramp. Her feet slipped out from under her and she slid the rest of the way, landing softly and delicately at the bottom. She was just about to stand up when Harry came slamming into her from the back, knocking her forward an inch or two. He looked around, shrugged, and gave her a close-to-rib-crushing bear hug from behind. "Fancy meeting you here," he said, letting go and standing up. He held his hand out for her to help her up.
"Harry, I've just realized something," she said as they crossed the common room to a squashy armchair.
"Me too; look before you leap," he said, reaching the armchair and turning to face her.
"No, seriously. I don't have any shoes on." Harry looked down at his own feet. "No, Harry, I am not wearing your shoes. You're a size thirteen, for goodness' sake. I'll just go get a pair," she finished.
"The staircase is a ramp. Would you mind walking barefoot?" Hermione sighed heavily.
"I suppose not," she said. Harry turned back to the chair and held up the Invisibility Cloak. "Just an added precaution," he said.
"All right, we're ready to go. C'mon," he said, leading her through the portrait hole. The two of them walked down seven floors to reach the front doors of the school. Harry pushed one door open slightly, then shut it so fast Hermione could've sworn he'd seen a giant man-eating monster right outside. Her guess was close enough. Harry grabbed her wrist and sprinted over to a broom cupboard nearby. The door was left open enough to see Lucius Malfoy walk through the one Harry had just shut. He strode purposefully across the Entrance Hall, glanced carefully around, and started walking down a narrow staircase: the one leading to the dungeons…and the Slytherin Common Room….
Harry listened to the footsteps, looked over at Hermione, who had been clutching his arm breathlessly, and pushed open the door. He followed Lucius Malfoy's echoing steps down the staircase and stopped just behind a curve in the hallway. Hermione came up right beside him, gripping his wrist. The pair of them heard Lucius address someone they couldn't see and then a new, more familiar voice spoke.
"I was beginning to wonder when you would arrive, Father. However, on to business…" came the response of their least favorite Slytherin, the son of the man whom they had followed here,
"Yes, Draco. Business," Lucius Malfoy said. Harry and Hermione could hear the frown that they could not see, imagine the words Mr. Malfoy was refraining from saying to his son. "What is this 'urgent news' you told me of in your last letter?"
"I moved the book. It's under the trapdoor in the drawing room floor. I hope you can find it," he finished, and Harry and Hermione recognized the sarcastic, condescending tone so commonly used in Draco's voice.
"I should be fine," Lucius said, impatiently, coldly, bitingly. " Was that it? That's what was so urgent?"
"Er--yes, Father," Draco said, a little uneasily, but still arrogantly defiant at his father's mockery.
"Very well. I have wasted my time here tonight," Lucius snapped shortly. Harry, who had been concentrating on the Malfoys' conversation, suddenly felt a hard tug on the wrist Hermione had grasped earlier. He bent down a little to hear what she was whispering in his ear.
"Harry! Lucius Malfoy is about to walk right down this passage and see us here!" she said. Harry thought quickly and came to the conclusion that would have been obvious had it not been an urgent situation. He threw the cloak over them then lowered himself so that it touched the floor. As was inevitable, Lucius came strolling right down the corridor, past them. Hermione let out a very stifled gasp, but Lucius apparently did not notice.
As soon as Harry was sure he had heard both Malfoys leave the area, he took off the cloak and went with Hermione back to the front doors muttering, "Trapdoor…drawing room floor…."
Hermione froze as Harry again opened one door and checked outside. "Harry…you're not planning on going…to the Malfoys' manor…are you?"
"Yup, I am," he said cheerfully. "C'mon!" Hermione sighed , but nevertheless walked out onto the cold hard ground and into the chilly night air, Harry right behind her. She shivered slightly in the now-existant breeze.
Harry eyed her spaghetti-strap pajama top in an odd way and took off his overlarge black jacket. He put it around her arms and said quietly, "You're gonna need this more than me." She whispered thanks as the warmth of the jacket surrounded her; having been too big for Harry, who was considerably larger than Hermione, it hung slightly above her knees. Harry smiled and left off down the path that led to Hogsmeade.
They arrived in the small wizarding town a short time later. Finally, Harry turned to face her again.
"Okay, listen. I'm going to let you make the decision. Would you rather we Apparate or authorize an illegal Portkey?" Hermione gave him an exasperated look.
"Harry! I can't believe you would make an illegal Portkey! For goodness' sake, let's just Apparrate!"
"Just asking…Okay, come on …."
Harry put his arm around her shoulder and with a crack!, the two of them were gone.