Chapter 51: Somno Exhaustio

The next morning, I was awakened to the sound of my roommates leaving for the holidays. I stayed in bed until they had all gone so that I wouldn't have to endure any awkward goodbyes and then I rose and stretched, looking around at the empty room. I rejoiced, knowing that for two weeks I would have my dorm entirely to myself.

I threw the curtains of the windows open, letting the sunlight stream into the room, and began to get ready for the day. I took a long and leisurely shower, glad I didn't have to worry about leaving time and hot water for the other girls and then danced around the room as I gathered my books.

When I descended to the common room, it was to find that it was filled with students milling around and saying last minute goodbyes to their friends. I found Ron sitting off to the side and joined him, setting my book bag down next to me.

"Ginny just left," Ron said when I arrived. "She asked me to tell you goodbye. We weren't sure when you'd be down."

"Oh, so your family's all gone?" I asked. "Are you sure you didn't want to go home with them?"

"Are you kidding? I get enough of Percy's attitude already, thanks. And Ginny's just going to whine all holiday," Ron replied.

"But what about your parents?" I asked. "You haven't seen them in months."

"Neither have you," Ron pointed out.

"It's different," I said, feeling my cheeks turn pink. I turned my head away and decided to change the subject.

"So how many students are staying?" I asked.

"I don't know. Not many," Ron replied. "I don't even think anyone from Hufflepuff is staying behind."

I nodded, thinking about how empty the library was likely to be over the break. I would probably have the whole thing to myself. It was an enticing prospect and if it weren't for Harry and Ron I'd likely be planning to spend the whole two weeks holed up down there.

As the students slowly filtered out of the room, more and more chairs became available. Finally, when Ron and I were the only ones left, we moved to the armchairs by the fireplace – the best seats in the room – and I pulled out my books and began to make a list of everything I had to do over the break.

"Hermione, it's the first day of Christmas vacation and you're going to ruin it by doing homework?" Ron asked, appalled.

"If I get it done now, I won't have to do it later," I replied, almost mechanically. I had had this conversation with Ron one too many times. "Do you really want to be writing an essay for Snape on Christmas day? Or worse, have to practice spells the day before classes start and miss out on hearing about everyone else's holidays?"

"I'll get it done before then," Ron said. "I just don't need to start right now."

"Well next week, when you're up to your ears in assignments, and mine are all done, I don't want to hear any complaining," I said.

"I don't complain!" Ron protested.

I rolled my eyes but didn't respond. My to do list now complete, I decided to start with astronomy. I pulled out my notes and began to spread them out on the table. When I discovered I didn't have enough room, I dragged over two more tables and spread my star charts out over all three. It wasn't as though anyone else needed them, after all. While I measured angles and circled around the tables, Ron laid down on the couch with a bagful of candy and began to snack.

A few hours later, when Harry finally descended, I was still working with my star charts and Ron was rubbing his belly, clearly full after eating too much candy. The bags under his eyes indicated that he probably didn't sleep much last night, and his demeanor indicated that he was still upset about yesterday.

Gently, I attempted to bring up the events of yesterday, just to gauge how Harry was dealing with everything. Ron as usual had significantly less tact and outright asked if he was planning to go after Sirius Black now that he knew the truth.

To the horror of both Ron and I, Harry displayed a great deal of anger and desire to kill Black. It was scary. He didn't outright say whether he was going to chase after Black or not, but I could tell that there was a part of him that wanted to, and a part of him that knew it was suicide.

We sat in awkward silence for a while, and I looked everywhere but straight at Harry. I could understand his anger, which was perfectly normal. I just couldn't accept his blatant disregard for his own safety. Going after Black wouldn't be revenge, it would be offering himself up as a sacrifice.

As we sat there, I realized the downside of having the common room all to ourselves. There was nobody to distract us, nothing going on to mitigate the silence. It was just the three of us in an otherwise large and empty room. I looked to Ron, pleading with him to help me come up with an idea, anything that would get Harry thinking about something other than Black.

Ron suggested that we pay a visit to Hagrid. At first, I was hesitant. Harry really should stay inside the castle, for his own safety. But Harry wanted to go, and it would be better than staring at the common room walls for another few hours. And since there was nothing I or Ron could think of to say to get Harry to change his mind, I hoped that maybe at least Hagrid would be able to get through to him if he continued to insist on dwelling on Sirius Black.

When we arrived at Hagrid's, we knocked on the door, but no one answered. We were preparing to leave when we heard strange noises coming from inside the house. We called out to Hagrid again and he appeared at the door, disheveled and attempting unsuccessfully to hide the fact that he was crying. His eyes were wide and red and there were tears all over his face and vest.

All conversations about Sirius Black were immediately put on hold as we ushered Hagrid back into the house and began to comfort him, asking what was going on. It turned out that Buckbeak was going to be put on trial for attacking Malfoy. With Lucius Malfoy heading the prosecution, I knew Buckbeak didn't really stand a chance on his own. There was even an entire class full of witnesses who would probably be on Malfoy's side.

I wanted to comfort Hagrid somehow, so I told him if he put up a good defence, he would have a chance. I knew it would have to be a really strong defence though, and somehow, I didn't think Hagrid would be able to come up with one. He would probably try bringing Buckbeak to the Ministry to try to show them how friendly he is, and then in the excitement, Buckbeak would probably end up going on a rampage through the Ministry of Magic.

I volunteered to help Hagrid with his case. I could at least try doing some research in the library and see where that would get me. Maybe there were similar cases that I could use. Thankfully, though the trip to Hagrid's was hardly the fun-filled visit I was hoping for, it did manage to get Harry's mind off of Sirius Black.

The next day, Harry, Ron and I started our research in the library. We practically took up residence in the Ministry of Magic archives aisle. Every night, we brought back as many books as Madam Pince would allow back to the common room to look through. Unfortunately, it seemed that all similar cases ended in conviction and brutal murders of the creatures in question. The only case I could find where the creature got off was in 1296, but it was only because the manticore was so dangerous, nobody wanted to get close enough to kill it.

All the research was becoming tiring and discouraging, even for me. We hadn't found anything useful for Hagrid yet, and Harry and Ron were becoming restless. I knew the library wasn't the place either of them wanted to spend their holiday.

Amidst the research we were doing for Hagrid, I also occasionally would meander over to the advanced charms section of the library in search of the spell that Professor McGonagall had been using to assuage my tiredness. Harry and Ron inquired as to what I was doing at first, but I just told them it was some extra research for my charms essay and they didn't pry.

I skimmed through The Standard Book of Spells Grade 7, Advanced Spellcasting and Complex Charms: Spells for the Superior Spellcaster. When none of them had any mention of a spell to get rid of exhaustion, I switched to the aisle with books about time turners. It wasn't until the fifth book I tried that I found some mention.

'Time turners must be used with caution. Frequent use of the time turner may result in exhaustion, dizziness, fainting, and could lead to death or a coma-like state from lack of sleep. If frequent use if unavoidable, the 'no-sleep' spell may be used.'

Excited with this breakthrough, I ran back to the spell book aisle and looked up the 'no-sleep' spell. Unfortunately, all I could find was a brief reference, saying it was too advanced to put in the book. With a sigh, I returned the book to the shelf and headed back to join Harry and Ron.

The day before Christmas, we were in the library as usual, and Madam Pince had just left, trusting me well enough to keep Harry and Ron under control. As we were the only ones in the library, it wasn't really necessary to enforce all the rules as strictly as during the term. It was almost time for lunch, and Ron was starving.

"Let's just give up, we're not going to find anything," Ron whined, slamming his book shut.

"We can't just give up, Hagrid's counting on us," I insisted.

"Come on, Hermione, honestly. Do you really think we're going to be able to make a case strong enough to beat whatever Malfoy's dad's going to say?" Ron asked.

"We have to try" I said.

"We are trying. We have been trying all holiday. I'm tired of reading. I want to enjoy a meal without having to run off to the library right after. I want to go outside and get some fresh air," Ron said.

"Nobody's stopping you," I snapped. "Do what you want. I however, intend to stay here and help my friend."

"Alright, fine," Ron said, standing up. "I'm going to the Great Hall for lunch."

Ron turned and stalked out of the library. After shooting me an apologetic look, Harry got up and followed him. With a sigh, I shut my book and walked over to the nearest window to look out over the grounds. I should have been used to it by now, Ron got angry all the time, but somehow every time he yelled at me, I ended up feeling terrible inside.

Once Ron gets some food in him, he'll be in a better mood. At least, that's what I told myself. He just needed some time away from the library. I have to remind myself that not everybody understands just how wonderful the library is and that Ron didn't find books quite as enthralling as me.

When I turned around to go back to my table, it occurred to me that I was completely alone in the library. Not even Madam Pince was there. I knew I was never going to have another opportunity that perfect, so I abandoned the archives and raced across the library to the restricted section.

It had occurred to me a few days ago that the answer to my search lay beyond those doors. And while I didn't want to break the rules and Madam Pince's trust by going into the restricted section, I really needed the spell. I rationalized that without the spell, I would get behind on my school work, and all my teachers would be disappointed in me. Plus, with the spell I would even have more time to help Hagrid with his case, and surely helping a friend is an honorable thing to do.

So, being careful to step lightly and eager to get this done quickly lest Madam Pince return, I opened the doors to the restricted section and entered, tiptoeing through the aisles, so that I would hear if footsteps were approaching.

I found what appeared to be the spell book section and gingerly slid a book off of the shelf. I checked the table of contents, and was disappointed to find that my spell wasn't there. I checked two more books before I found it. No-Sleep Spell, page 64. I felt my heartbeat speed up and I looked around to make sure I was really alone. I wiped my palms on my robes and then turned to the correct page. This was it.

The No-Sleep Spell: Somno Exhaustio.