A/N: Many thanks to Jocelyn for using her editing skills on my behalf. Also, thanks to Dr. Seuss for having written "Hop on Pop," the children's book from which I borrowed a favorite line.

Chapter Five:

"Regulus Arcturus Black"

Hermione moved quickly across the room and stopped in front of the door leading to Snape's quarters. If the note was real, then so had his presence in the room been real. She stood quietly for a moment, listening. No sound came from behind the heavy oaken door. Hesitating, she took a deep breath, reached out and gave the knob a determined twist. The door remained closed, locked, warded. She knocked, and waited. No response...still no sound of any activity from behind the door. Apparently, if he was in there, he wasn't going to show himself to her. With a sigh, she leaned into the door and called out, "Thank you!"

Returning to her work table, she hastened to bottle up the finished Potion, her mind working furiously. Who would know about Black? Probably her best source of information would be Remus Lupin. Surely Sirius would have had some awareness of what had happened to his brother and would have shared what he knew with his best friend. And Remus had returned from an Order mission only this morning. He should still be in the castle. Packing the filled and sealed bottles in a carrying basket, Hermione headed to the Infirmary, determined to see Remus as soon as possible.

Madam Pomfrey was in the process of treating Professor Sprout, who had been bitten by the Venomous Tentaculum. She responded to Hermione's expression of concern with exasperation.

"First time I've been bitten in years! I was watching Mr. Longbottom wrestling with a Rampaging Hun Vine and got so interested that I didn't realize how close I was. That beastly Tentaculum had my wrist before I knew it. It's teething right now and in a dreadful temper."

Hermione sighed sympathetically, deliberately avoiding the eyes of Madam Pomfrey who was trying hard not to burst out laughing. They both gave in when the Professor began to describe Neville's predicament.

"He had the vine by the roots; it had him by the ankles. They were rolling all over the shed."

"Who won?" Madam Pomfrey inquired with a smile.

Professor Sprout snorted. "The vine. I had to cut Longbottom loose with a pair of shears before I could come up here!" This time, she joined in the laughter.

Hermione giggled as she finished storing the Potion bottles. Calling good-bye to the others, she left the Infirmary and set out for the Library. She was going to have to be very careful to present the information as her own find. The table where she'd been doing her research with Neville and Luna was untouched, the Hogwarts rolls still in neat piles by year. It took almost an hour of searching through them, but she finally found the right one and confirmed the name of Sirius's brother. She considered, and discarded several explanations for her knowledge of the name. Her story would have to be believable, not only to Remus, but to Harry when she told him about Black. An idea presented itself, and she smiled with satisfaction. It would suffice. Eagerly, she headed off to Remus's quarters.

Worried at first that she might be waking an exhausted Remus from sleep, Hermione was pleased to hear voices in his quarters. She knocked, and gave a shriek of delight when the door was opened by Ron.

"You're here! I'm so glad...I knew you were coming back but I didn't expect you so soon." Hermione shrieked again as Ron grabbed her and twirled her around.

Behind them, an amused voice inquired, "Are you going to invite her in or just keep her in the doorway?" Remus was lounging on the sofa, and Harry was sprawled out in a chair next to him. Ron set her back on her feet, and she rushed in to hug Harry.

"Did you just get back this morning," she asked.

"Actually, we came in last night," he replied. "Aurors spotted a group of Death Eaters near Godric's Hollow, so they asked us to leave early. Wanted to take them out without any interference, I guess." He shrugged. Worriedly, Hermione noted that his eyes still had the same hard look that had been there ever since Dumbledore's death. She settled herself on the arm on his chair, while Ron took a seat on the floor in front of them.

"So, what brings you to my quarters?" Remus asked.

"I've come across some information, and I wanted to ask you some questions."

Remus smiled and nodded. "Go ahead."

"It's about the initials on the note in the locket. You know...R.A.B."

Harry sat up. "What have you found out?"

"I was looking through the Hogwarts roles with Neville and Luna the other night. We only found a few names, but one was a witch from four years ago by the name of Regina Annette Brown." She explained.

"Who's Regina Brown?" Ron asked.

"No one important." Hermione continued. "But I was thinking about her name...Brown. And that led me to think of another color name...Black. I was wondering if the "B" could be Black. Maybe Sirius might have known something about the Horcruxes during the first war."

Now Remus and Harry were both sitting up, focused on her.

"Go on," Remus urged.

"It didn't make sense at first, because I thought that the knowledge about the Horcruxes must have been pretty closely guarded. Not many people outside of Voldemort's inner circle would have known about them. But then I thought...Sirius had a brother."

"Regulus," Remus replied. "He was a Death Eater. But I'm not sure of his middle name."

"I've found it in the Hogwarts roles," Hermione replied. "His middle name was Arcturus...R.A.B."

"Sirius had broken off from his family, and didn't have any contact with his brother," said Remus. "But when we heard he'd been killed, Sirius's reaction was strange. He didn't seem to be surprised. It was almost as if he'd expected it."

"If Regulus was loyal to Voldemort, then why did he kill him?" Harry asked.

"And you think that Sirius knew something about his death?" said Ron.

"To answer both your questions, Voldemort would have killed Regulus if he'd failed in a task, or if he suspected him of disloyalty. And I've always suspected that Sirius had been in contact with his brother shortly before Regulus was killed."

"What if Regulus was the one who took the locket, and Voldemort found out?" asked Hermione. "Wouldn't that have been reason enough to kill him?"

"It's a good theory," Remus replied.

"But we don't know whether Voldemort recovered the locket before he killed Regulus or if it's still hidden," said Harry. "And if he did hide it, where is it?"

Ron grimaced. "That's the question, isn't it?"

Remus rose from the sofa and began to pace back and forth across the room, deep in thought. Looking at him, Hermione was struck by how truly wolf-like his mannerisms were. Eyes narrowed, he resembled nothing so much as a creature intent on his prey. The others seemed to recognize this as well, and they all kept a respectful silence while they watched. Suddenly, he stopped in mid stride.

"Sirius hadn't been in the Black mansion in years, but Regulus was in good standing with his family because of his service to Voldemort. I think the there is a good possibility that he would have secreted the locket somewhere in Grimmauld Place."

Hermione arranged to have the boys meet her in Snape's laboratory, and returned there to check her brewing schedule. She needed to start a batch of Headache Potion. It would have to simmer for a full twenty-four hours before it could be bottled. And every six hours it would have to be stirred. She went over the process in her head as she began to assemble ingredients. Clockwise times three full stirs, then one minute of mild agitation in the center of the cauldron, then anti-clockwise for seven full stirs. She reached up to an adjacent shelf to pull down a smooth wooden spoon, made of oak. Certain potions could only be touched by specific elements, and the shelf held a variety of stirring instruments in glass, different woods, and a number of metals.

Chopping up a ginger root into minute slivers, Hermione pondered the puzzle of the locket. It seemed highly likely that Voldemort would have killed Regulus Black for the removal of the locket. Looking for it in Grimmauld Place certainly seemed a logical place to start. They would have to get back in there somehow and hunt for it. The vast mansion with its innumerable nooks and crannies would take a considerable amount of time to search. Not to mention that it was in the hands of the Death Eaters, who might not be inclined to stand aside while the Order searched the place.

A commotion in the hall heralded the arrival of Harry and Ron. They came in and settled themselves at a nearby table. For several minutes nothing was said, both boys knowing better than to interrupt her concentration. She added a small amount of water and the last of her assembled ingredients, then lowered the flame to a simmer.

"There, that's it for at least another six hours." Joining the boys at the table, she noticed that Ron had that peculiar look on his face again as he observed her. "All right, Ronald, what is it?"

Ron shrugged. "I was just wondering what it was that made you hook up 'Brown' with 'Black.' Funny that - it has to be more than just coincidence."

Harry shot her an inquiring look, and in spite of having mentally rehearsed the explanation, she blushed. "I'll tell you, but you can't laugh at me."

"Laugh at you? Why?" Harry asked.

"It came to me from a book my Mum used to read to me when I was small. The book talks about Mr. Brown and Mr. Black. I still remember the line, "Brown came back with Mr. Black."

Now both Ron and Harry were looking at her incredulously.

"Don't look at me like that. It's a very popular children's' book. Most Muggle children grew up knowing that book."

Ron considered it, his expression skeptical. "Makes sense in a weird way, I suppose."

Harry slid off the table. "If you don't have to do anything else here for awhile, let's go to Hogsmeade and get some lunch at The Three Broomsticks." Without waiting for them, he headed out the door.

Hermione turned to Ron. "He's not doing well being back here, is he?"

Ron shook his head. "He hates it. He doesn't say much, but I know he's angry at the Order for insisting he leave Godric's Hollow."

"Surely he understands that for security reasons..."

Ron snorted. "Understands, sure. But he doesn't like it." They hurried out the door after him.

The trip to Hogsmeade was uncomfortable, as Harry wasn't talking. But once they got to the village, they ran into Fred and George, who accompanied by Ginny, were making a business call on Mr. Zonko. They were making arrangements for a new line of Wheezes to be carried by his shop. Since Ginny's presence wasn't necessary to the negotiations, they were able to pull her away to join them for lunch. Harry began to relax as they placed their food orders with Madam Rosmerta. The tavern mistress seemed ill at ease, and Hermione wondered if she was blaming herself for having nearly caused Ron's death by delivering the poisoned mead to Hogwarts while under the Imperius Curse.

Ginny soon had them all laughing with her stories about the twins' latest escapades. "And George bounced, literally bounced, everywhere he went for a day and a half before Fred figured out what antidote to use."

"How's the inventory going?" Harry asked. "Pulled anything off the shelves yet?"

Ginny sobered. "As a matter of fact, yes. The twins had a number of items that could easily be used to create diversions during an attack. They've been removed and turned over to the...you know."

Harry nodded. "We have a lead on R.A.B. We think it was Sirius's brother, Regulus, and that he may have hidden the original locket in Grimmauld Place."

Ron shook his head. "Then don't you think we would have run across it? Mum had us cleaning from top to bottom in there for days. Surely we would have seen something."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Don't you remember? The cabinets next to the fireplace in the drawing room. They were full of all sorts of junk and there was a locket – a heavy old thing, and I tried to open it, and it wouldn't...open that is."

Madam Rosmerta approached the table and set down their food. Hermione gave her a smile, and she returned it with a wan smile of her own. As she turned away, Hermione leaned in to the group and continued, her voice lowered.

"But what happened to it? We threw away a lot of what we cleared out. Does anyone remember what was done with the locket?"

Around the table, they looked at each other and shook their heads.

Harry grimaced. "If it was disposed of, it could have ended up anywhere. But would your Mum have thrown away anything that looked to be of some value?"

Ron suddenly attempted to speak, choked on his mouthful of sandwich, and they had to pound on his back before he recovered. He swallowed, drank some butterbear, then managed to talk. "Bloody hell, Harry! Mundungus Fletcher was in here with a load of stuff he'd taken from the house. He's been stealing from Grimmauld Place; he might have the locket or know what happened to it!"

"Brilliant, Ron." Ginny exclaimed. "There's a real lead for you. If 'Dung' doesn't have it, or know about it, then it's likely to still be in Grimmauld Place."

"But how will you get to 'Dung'?" Hermione asked. "He's in Azkaban for burglary, isn't he?"

"Easy," Harry wrapped his sandwich in a napkin and stood up. "Remus can talk to Tonks, and she'll arrange to see him. Let's get back to Hogwarts."

The others followed suit, picking up the remainder of their lunches, and following Harry out the door. Ron and Hermione walked on ahead to give him time to say good-bye to Ginny. He caught up with them a short time later, and they all Apparated back to the edge of the Hogwarts' grounds.

It was another three days before Tonks came to Hogwarts to meet with them. Curled up on the couch with Remus, his arm wrapped around her, she wrinkled her nose in distaste as she described her interrogation of Mundungus Fletcher.

"He tried to deny having stolen anything from Grimmauld Place. I reminded him that he was seen with the goods by Harry, and he still tried to deny it. I had to threaten him before he'd cooperate."

"Threaten him with what?" Harry asked.

Tonks laughed. "He's fairly comfortable right now, in the section of Azkaban reserved for lesser offenses, like burglary. He's got plenty of comforts, food, and the occasional bottle. I told him that if I added obstruction of an investigation to his other offenses, he'd be moved to the next level. Nothing allowed in from the outside. He caved in pretty fast after that."

"Is that legal?" Hermione asked.

"Who cares!" Ron replied. "It worked."

"So, what did you find out?" Harry asked.

"Only that Dung doesn't seem to recollect having pinched a locket." She shook her head. "He keeps a pretty good record in his mind of what he's taking and selling, and he was clearly puzzled when I asked about it. So if he hasn't taken it..."

"Then it's still in Grimmauld Place." Harry said. "We've got to get in their and find it."

"That may not be possible," Remus reminded him. "Grimmauld Place is in Death Eater hands now, and the Order may not be willing to risk anybody going in."

Harry turned, a furious expression on his face. "I'm done waiting for decisions to be made for me. I'm going in there. Whether the Order decides to back me or not is up to them."

"You're not going alone, mate," Ron stated. "I'm going with you."

"Nobody's going anywhere yet," Remus was adamant. "Harry, you have to at least try to work with us. Let me address the matter with the Order," Harry's expression turned rebellious, and Remus held up a hand, "and I promise you that if they won't back you up, I'll go with you myself."

"That goes for me, too," Tonks replied.

For a moment Harry didn't respond, and Hermione reached over and squeezed his arm. "Please, Harry, give them some time. We can use it to draw up plans of Grimmauld Place and how we want to search it." She held her breath and watched him. Finally, he nodded, and she sighed with relief.

The next morning, having had breakfast and pocketed her morning post, Hermione met with the Headmistress. Professor McGonagall was looking tired, her features sharper than ever. Obviously, the running of Hogwarts as a shelter and makeshift school was wearing on her. She invited Hermione to sit and sank into the chair across from her.

"I think this is the first time I've taken a moment to sit in days," she said. "There's always something happening."

"If there's more I can do to help..." Hermione started, but the Headmistress stopped her.

"I appreciate what you have done so far, and I know that I can continue to call on you. What do you have to report to me this morning?"

"I've completed stocking the Potions that Madam Pomfrey requested, and we're acquiring stocks of bandage materials and the like to be stored until we need them. But I'd like your permission to work on a special project." Hermione hesitated, unsure how the Headmistress would react. "I've never done it alone, but I've assisted Pro...I've assisted with it in the past. It's the Wolfsbane Potion for Remus. I don't want to wait until the end of the month for my first attempt at it, in case something goes wrong. I know the ingredients are expensive, but I really think I'd like to try it now and make sure that I will be successful at it."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips while she considered the request. "Do you have enough of the ingredients at present to make two batches this month?"

"Not quite. I'll have to make a trip to the Apothecary in Hogsmeade to purchase some items before I can start," Hermione replied.

"Then it must be done. We have no one else who can even attempt it, so I'm inclined to accede to your request. Charge the items to Hogwarts and keep me informed as to your results."

"Thank you, Professor. I will." Hermione rose from her chair, and as she prepared to leave the office, stopped in front of Dumbledore's portrait. He regarded her gravely.

"Good morning, Miss Granger. You are certainly performing a service for everyone here at Hogwarts."

Hermione smiled, and glanced back over her shoulder. The Headmistress was already back at her desk, busily writing and not paying any more attention to her. "I'm happy to help out." She leaned in a little closer to the figure in the portrait and said quietly, "I need to speak to you."

He nodded. "Perhaps you might consider calling on our mutual friend, Murphy, this evening. He's always glad of company."

"I'll be there," and slightly louder, "Good-bye, Professor." The Headmistress gave her an absent-minded wave, and Hermione left the room.

Trying hard to suppress her anxiety over the upcoming meeting with Dumbledore, Hermione decided to concentrate on getting the ingredients for the Wolfsbane Potion. She prepared a list for the Apothecary in Hogsmeade and sent it off by Owl. If they had everything on hand, she would be able to pick the items up within the week. The two things remaining on her list, she felt sure were available from the Hogwarts greenhouses. With that objective in mind, she made a side trip to the Gryffindor common room and sought out Neville Longbottom. He was slouched in a chair in front of the fireplace, a Herbology book opened on his lap. Hermione couldn't help but smile at how absorbed he was in the subject. She walked up to him, tapped him on the shoulder, and seated herself on the arm of the chair.

"Hey, Neville. I'm hoping that you can help me out with something."

Neville smiled. "Sure. What do you want?"

Hermione produced the list and the two looked it over together. "I need these two plants, roots and all, for a potion. I know that Professor Sprout grows the Perfidiorum Sporum, but what about this one?"

"Echinacea? That's pretty common around here. Are you coming down with a cold?" Neville asked.

"No," Hermione laughed. "I'm going to try and make Wolfsbane Potion for Remus. So I can't just take any plant from the roadside. I need to make sure its this exact species, and that it has been cultivated under specific conditions. I'm assuming that it's been grown in the greenhouses here, since Professor Snape must have had access to it when he was making the Wolfsbane."

"Yes, we've got it." Neville closed his book and looked at her earnestly. "I never got the chance to say how glad I was that you were okay after what happened at Grimmauld Place."

Hermione wondered, not for the first time, why Neville hadn't been sorted into Hufflepuff. He was such a good and loyal friend. She smiled at him. "Thanks. I really appreciate you having worried about me."

Neville blushed slightly. "Um, if you just let me know when you need the plants, I'll harvest them for you and bring them to the laboratory."

"That would be great. I..."

The door to the common room opened and Harry and Ron came through. Harry raised his eyebrows, seeing her perched on Neville's chair. Hermione flushed, in spite of herself, and started to greet them self-consciously. Ron cut her off before she could speak.

"What's this, Hermione?" His face was red and he glared at her and Neville as if they'd been caught openly snogging.

"I-I was asking Neville to help me with something, and..." Hermione stammered.

"And asking Neville meant you had to drape yourself all over him?" Ron snapped.

The injustice of his remark started her temper boiling. "And since when do I have to explain my actions to you, Ron Weasley?" Hermione yelled.

"You don't explain much of anything anymore," Ron was losing his own temper now. "You're all over the castle and we never know what you're doing. You've got real good at keeping secrets!"

"Ron!" Harry tried to head him off, but it was too late.

Hermione was on her feet, outraged to the point of tears. "How dare you say that!"

Neville had stood up as well. Though not as tall as Ron, he faced him and stated in a firm voice. "You're acting like an idiot. Don't talk about her like that."

Ron looked from Neville to Hermione and said nothing, his face still furious. Unwilling for him to see her cry, Hermione ran from the room. As the door shut behind her, she heard Harry say, "That was really stupid, Ron."

Reaching the Head Girl's room, Hermione flung herself on the bed and cried. She'd been so sure after Ron broke up with Lavender that he'd finally realized how she felt about him. Instead, he been acting like a suspicious prat ever since she'd returned from Grimmauld Place. She slammed her hand into her pillow. It wasn't as if she'd wanted to be caught by Snape and terrified out of her wits. She hadn't asked Professor Dumbledore to involve her in an undercover operation that prevented her from being totally honest with Harry and Ron.

Hermione rolled on her back and stared up at the ceiling. How could things have changed so much in just a few weeks? Dumbledore dead, Snape gone, the school closed, Harry acting so closed up and remote, and Ron acting like a child. Yes, a child! She sniffled. If he weren't such an immature...always jumping to conclusions and getting mad...honestly, he was so juvenile sometimes! Sighing, she pulled her pillow into a ball against her chest. Maybe he wasn't the one for her after all. Maybe she'd believed he was, just because he was always around and no one else had seemed interested. She sighed again, and tossed the pillow to the end of the bed. Come on, Hermione! Do you really need this from him? No way! Hermione sat up, having come to a decision. No more romantic ideas about anyone until this whole mess was over. Better to leave her mind clear and uncluttered. And as for Ronald Weasley...well, he could just hope that she'd be willing to take another look at him in a year or two, when he'd grown up!

Hermione took a roundabout way to the third floor corridor this time to make sure that she wasn't being followed. At least twice, she stepped into alcoves and watched the way from which she'd come, looking for anyone who might be tailing her. The castle was quiet, and she saw no one.

When she reached the door that led into the hallway, she braced herself for the screech of hinges that had so startled her the last time. To her amazement, the door swung open silently. Taking a moment to ponder the situation and examine the hinges closely, she realized that someone had cast a Silencing Spell on the hinges of the door.

Obviously, it couldn't have been done by Dumbledore from his portrait, so someone else had to know that she was coming up here. The thought made her skin prickle with uneasiness, and she cast another long wary look around before slipping inside and closing the now-silent door behind her.

Dumbledore was waiting in the portrait. He beckoned her closer, and spoke urgently. "What do you have to tell me?"

For a moment Hermione hesitated. This was it. If she told what she knew, then that information would go to Snape. She would be betraying people who trusted her, giving aid to a man that they perceived as one of their greatest enemies. Stomach churning, she considered running back out of the hallway.

Dumbledore spoke softly. "I can see that you are frightened. Believe me when I assure you again, that both Professor Snape and I are doing what must be done to destroy Voldemort. We need your help."

Hermione nodded. She did believe him. Forcing herself to speak over the sick feeling in her stomach, she began, "I received a note with the name Regulus Arcturus Black on it.

Dumbledore's nod indicated he understood the significance of the name. "Go on."

"We think the Horcrux is still in Grimmauld Place. Remus Lupin is meeting with the Order to request backup for us so that we can search the building. If the Order won't agree, we're going in anyway with Remus and Tonks to back us up."

"Perhaps it can be arranged that the Death Eaters are gone from Grimmauld Place when you make your search."

"I was hoping something for something like that. Can you get word to Professor Snape?" Hermione asked.

"I can. When do you plan to enter Grimmauld Place?" he asked.

"I don't know yet. The Order is meeting tonight, so we'll probably have an answer tomorrow. Do you want me to come back here when I know?"

Dumbledore frowned in thought. "No, my dear. Wait to be contacted."

Hermione nodded, then as the thought occurred to her, "The door at the end of the hallway doesn't squeak anymore. How..."

He chuckled. "It was taken care of, that's all you need to know. Now you'd better go before someone chances on you here."

"Good night, Professor. Oh, and thank Murphy for me." Hermione turned to leave, then stopped. "Is...is Professor Snape doing all right?"

"As well as can be expected. Good night, Miss Granger." And Dumbledore was gone from the portrait.

The following afternoon, they met again in Remus's quarters. Ron was coldly ignoring her, and Hermione refused to be the one to speak first. Harry glanced at them both, then shrugged. Obviously, he had other concerns at the moment.

Remus cast a silencing spell on his quarters, and they gathered round him.

"Well?" Harry asked impatiently. "Are they backing us up or not?"

"Yes, they are," Remus replied. "Tonks and I have been able to convince them of the importance of finding these Horcruxes if we're to have any chance of permanently defeating Voldemort. The Order will guard the building itself, while we search the place for the locket."

"I've drawn up a search plan," Hermione stated. "We can go through the place a lot faster if we're not covering ground that someone else has already searched."

"That makes a lot of sense," Remus agreed. "Once the locket is located, if we locate it, it will be turned over to the Order to be disposed of."

"No," Harry stated.

"Harry," Remus spoke sternly. "This is an item of powerful and terrible magic we're talking about. You saw what happened to Dumbledore after he destroyed the Horcrux in the ring. This is not something to be handled by a group of kids."

"I don't trust anyone enough to just give up the locket. If I find it, I'll destroy it myself."

"Harry," Hermione shuddered. "Something awful could happen to you if you try to do that on your own. It almost killed Dumbledore."

Harry snarled at her. "Snape killed Dumbledore. I'm not giving the locket away to just anybody."

"Then give it to me," said Remus. "I'll personally oversee its destruction."

Ron spoke up for the first time. "You can trust Remus. We'll give it to him."

Harry and Remus gave each other a long look, and Harry finally nodded. "Okay. You'll get the locket, but I want to be there when it's destroyed."
"Agreed," Remus didn't appear entirely satisfied, but had apparently decided that Harry wasn't going to back down any further. "We'll go into Grimmauld Place just after dawn tomorrow morning."

"Wouldn't it be better to be there after dark?" Hermione asked. "Less chance of being seen, I mean."

Tonks shook her head. "We'd have to use light, and that could be seen from the outside. If we go in the early morning, it won't be quite so obvious that someone's inside."

Remus continued. "We'll Floo from the Headmistress's office as soon as I receive the word that the surrounding area is secure."

"Wasn't the connection between Hogwarts and Grimmauld Place sealed after Hermione got back?" asked Harry.

"It's still open on their end," Tonks replied. "We've checked. So once we open the seal from the office, we can Floo right back into the kitchen."

Hermione had gone a little pale, and Remus observed it. "Okay there, Hermione? Sure you want to do this?"

She nodded.

"All right, then. We'll meet in Professor McGonagall's office at five a.m. tomorrow morning." Tonks said. "Be sure to cast Silencing Charms on your clothes and shoes so they won't make any noise as you move through the building."

As they headed towards the door, Remus stopped Harry. "Listen, don't be too disappointed if we don't find it. It could be long gone."

Harry shook his head. "It's there. I'm sure of it."

The evening came on with a brilliant sunset, and Hermione left the castle to go outside and watch it. She found a seat on a low stone wall some distance from the building and settled there. Reds, corals, and golds seemed to have been splashed haphazardly across the sky, and as the sun sank, the colors deepened and blended into a dark purple. She sat quietly and watched until the last of the gold was gone. With a satisfied sigh, she headed back towards the building. The wall meandered around the grounds and the small entryway she chose was fairly dark as she entered. The long hallway stretched ahead of her, poorly lit by a small number of sconces on the walls. The absence of portraits in this area of the castle made it seem deserted.

Beginning to feel a little nervous, Hermione picked up her pace, anxious to get into the better lighted areas of the building. Something creaked behind her, and she glanced around. The sound wasn't repeated, but it was enough to start her running. Rounding a corner, she raced down an adjacent hallway past a row of deserted classrooms. Ahead of her, she could see the stairway that would take her up into the center of the castle, where light and activity could be found. With the stairway in view, she slowed her pace and tried to catch her breath. As she passed the last classroom, she was almost pulled off her feet by the hand that yanked her inside. Another hand was firmly clamped over her mouth before she could scream. The classroom door slammed shut.

Whoever had her was holding her in a grip from which she couldn't break free. Desperate, Hermione slammed the heel of her shoe back into the leg of the person holding her, and almost pulled away. With a muffled oath, the grip restrained her again, and a deep voice spoke into her ear. "Do not make such a nuisance of yourself, Miss Granger!" The hand moved from her mouth, and a deep voice commanded, "Lumos!"

Squinting her eyes against the sudden glare, Hermione looked over her shoulder and into the face of Severus Snape.

Coming Next: Grimmauld Place – and frightening consequences...

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