A week later Ginny received another letter from Hermione. She smiled – clever Hermione, wait until no one expects another letter then send one full of information. Aithne had been able to land discreetly, unnoticed by anyone else as they opened their mail and this time the parchment was a long, informative note.

Ginny –

You can hex those brothers of yours! I think you were right – they did put some of that sickness powder in my juice last week, I've not stopped throwing up since! If you could ask them how long this powder of theirs lasts then please let me know. I'm getting sick of it. Pardon the pun. I suppose you can tell them that they need to work on it taking a more immediate effect, and if they can get it to wear off faster it'd be far more popular. After all, who wants a powder to help them skive a certain lesson when it kicks in so belatedly and then works for so long? So in return for that feedback on their new product, I'd like the countering stuff.

Well I've started my new job and it's all going well. Sorry I can't tell you more details but I'd hate for this to reach Harry. I hope by sending this so much later he'll have given up watching your mail – I'm guessing he did read last week's letter?

Here's my address – I thought I'd charm it so only you can read it. Just in case! Send a reply back with Aithne so I know you received this.

Love, Hermione xxx

Quickly Ginny scribbled a note back to Hermione, promising to find out the counter for the powder from Fred and George and reassuring her that neither Ron nor Harry had realised that Hermione was in contact with Ginny since last week. She smiled to herself, Hermione really was very perceptive – and knew Ron and Harry extremely well.

"A counter?"

"Yes! As in something to stop the effects of it!" Ginny clutched her wand, ready to hex her twin brothers.

"Ohhh. Now you see Ginny, we don't have one."

"We didn't make one."

"Because it's not needed."

"The effects wear off after 2 hours."

"And anyway, it's impossible our powder made her sick."

"Why?" Ginny asked, annoyed at having to keep looking from one twin to the other as they spoke alternately.

"Because in order for it to work…"

"… She had to have been given it!" The other twin finished. Even Ginny couldn't tell which one.

"So – you're saying that you didn't give Hermione any of that stuff?"

"Bravo! Hey Fred, looks like our baby sister has finally got it!" George hit her playfully on the arm and laughed as he and Fred walked off, leaving a confused Ginny in their wake.

Hermione read Ginny's reply impatiently, feeling momentarily guilty at suspecting the twins. She sighed, realising that her fatigue and sore stomach was the combined stress of the exams, seeing Harry with Lavender, and the move. Plus the Knight Bus' erratic behaviour hardly helped. It was enough to make anyone feel under the weather and give her a touch of 'flu. Conjuring her wand, she summoned the small vial of Madam Pomfrey's Pepper Up! Potion which had been metered out in weekly allowances during the NEWTS month and emptied the contents down her throat.

"Where is she? Have you seen her?" Harry was desperately asking. He and Ron were rushing around Hogsmeade on their last weekend before term finished and they officially left Hogwarts. Hermione had been gone about six weeks now, and Harry was becoming frantic. He had thought about doing what Hermione had done and leave Hogwarts early to look for her. But he didn't need Ron to point out the flaws in that plan. Hogwarts was his home, where he was happy, safe and protected. Since he had to return to the Dursleys that summer he wanted to make it as short a time as possible. And that meant staying at Hogwarts. So instead he had to content himself with dragging Ron full speed through Hogsmeade, interrogating everyone from Madam Rosmerta to any possible Animagi that might be hiding out in the Shrieking Shack. But all he met in Hogsmeade were sympathetic shaking of heads accompanied by apologetic smiles, and the wide-eyed crazy shakes of Ron's head – "Mental, that one!" As he trudged after Harry, hoping a certain Miss Lovegood of Ravenclaw didn't misinterpret his quest to find Hermione.

"That's it. As soon as term's over you and I are going to Diagon Alley. That's next week Ron." He added as Ron frowned.

"Hey! I know when terms ends!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry ignored him and continued. "She's obviously not been to Hogsmeade so where else is there?" Harry ranted, a blue spark jumping out of his wand, a sign Ron knew well. It meant Harry was angry.

Ron sighed. "Yeah whatever mate. Listen, Harry, do you seriously think Hermione will be in Diagon Alley somewhere? I mean, if you were trying to hide from someone isn't Diagon Alley just too obvious?" He paused, waiting with bated breath, hoping Harry wouldn't take that the wrong way.

To his relief, Harry relaxed. "Yeah, I know. But she's probably had to go there – how else will she have sorted everything – you read that note she sent to Ginny-"

"Er actually mate no I didn't. You grabbed it." Ron pointed out slightly put out.

"She's got a place somewhere. That's all it said. So she must have been to somewhere like Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. And since we've tried here, she must have gone to London."

"But she won't still be there-"

"Ron! I know that! But someone must have seen her, talked to her, known where she went!" He glowered at his best friend, wishing Ron wasn't quite as dense as he seemed.

Ron just held his hands up in surrender. Please come back Hermione, I can't stand him like this!