Chapter title: Step Four: Let Others Know

Word count: 937

Disclaimer: Do I still have to do this? Look at me. Read my lips. I. No. Own.

In a matter of minutes, hell had risen. At least, in a manner of speaking. Every teacher loyal to Dumbledore (technically the light side, but to him it was one and the sane) were now awake and sitting bleary eyed in the staff room. Professor McGonagall was the first to break free of the sleep tangled silence.

"Why are we here Albus? It is 2:30 in the morning."

"You all are aware that the hospital wing has had a resident for the past week, correct?" At the nods and curious looks from the now more aware professors, Dumbledore continued. ''I'm sorry to say, that this person was a student; more specifically Mr. Potter, who-" a noise akin to that of a tea kettle whistling cut him off.

"The Weasley family, all of his friends, and nearly the entire bloody Order have been looking for him, and he has been here at Hogwarts?!" A mass of surprised eyes turned to Madame Hooch, whose outburst had shocked nearly all present, except the few who knew how attached she was to one of her favored students.

"It was necessary for the location of Mr. Potter to remain a secret, in case a message was intercepted and he was exposed to be in a vulnerable state. As I was saying, Harry has gone missing in the most recent hours, after being declared brain-dead by Madame Pomfrey.'' There was no twinkle to be found in the Headmaster's eyes. "We only need search the castle for him, as I've already set the Order to search elsewhere."

The room disbanded, some quickly, some hesitantly, still searching for answers in Dumbledore's piercing gaze.

*Mme. Hooch POV*

Madame Rolanda Hooch, Flying instructor at Hogwarts, was noticeably upset. Not only had Harry Potter been in the Hogwarts infirmary for 9 week, but Dumbledore had lied. She knew he wasn't the most… thoughtful towards others when it came to his "greater good," but to send so many members of the Order of the Phoenix on a wild hippogriff hunt was uncalled for. Molly Weasley was a close friend of Rolanda's from their own school days, and she had flooed the flight instructor in a panic when Harry had vanished. Between helping to look for the missing young man (she wasn't an order member, but Molly had asked for her assistance), getting ready for the coming school year (it was August 6th already), and trying to comfort Molly, Rolanda had been wearing herself pretty thin. Now, finding out the truth, she felt the sudden, almost overwhelming urge to clock Dumbledore in one of his too-twinkly eyes. If Harry was alive and not brain-dead G he was having trouble believing the old fool now), she wasn't sure she'd be returning him to Dumbledore's… care if she was the first one to find him.

*Snape POV*

The bloody Merlin-damned Potter spawn! He was already feeling enough like he had failed Lily without her child going missing. He hadn't wanted the old goat involved in Potter's healing in the first place, but seeing as Dumbledore is somehow still the Headmaster of Hogwarts, he really had no choice. And, seeing as how at that moment he was still regrettably in a bit of shock over the conditions he had found the boy in, Severus's mind had not been working at its normal Slytherin standard.

While he had been thinking (he would never admit to another Potter-induced rental rant), Severs had been completing his search of the dungeons for the missing Boy-Who-Lived. Having searched everywhere, (except his own quarters and personal potions lab, which are both heavily warded and thus unnecessary to search) the rather dower mar headed back to report to Dumbledore.

On second thought… he really was exhausted, and the lingering confusion over what he'd taken to calling the "Most Recent Potter Incident" had been making sleeping difficult the past week. There was no reason to head all the way up to the staff meeting room only to report failure. Altering his course to his rooms, Severs sent a Patronus to report to Dumbledore.

Nearly asleep on his feet, but mind still racing, the Professor moved through his main room after muttering the password to his guardian portrait. He headed for the attached private Potions lab, specifically the storage cupboard, for a Dreamless Sleep Potion so he could start the search as fresh as possible in the morning. Opening the storage cupboard brought a sight that only led to one thought, bred of the night's sleep lost needlessly, and the rather complex web of lies that now needed to be formed to fend off a manipulative goat.

"Bloody Potter-Spawn!"

*Change POV*

"Can you believe that old fool?!"

"Calm down, this isn't-"

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! Dumbledore lied to us! He said Harry was safe!"

"Yes, but-"

"Then, when Harry was proven unsafe in that hellhole-'

"Watch your language! But he's right; we should have been told where he was!"

"I agree, but getting angry isn't helping!"

"Angry! I'm furious! I'll KILL that old bastard!"

"I'll be perfectly has to help, as soon as we find Harry!"

"No one's killing Dumbledore! We need to focus on Harry, even after he's found!"

Growl

Huff

"Wait!"

Slam! Slam!

"-FILTHY MUDBLOODS IN MY HOUSE-"

"Bugger."

The twins looked at each other, detaching the extendable ears. "Bout time they realized what's going on, eh Gred?"

"My thoughts exactly Forge. Let's go find Harry."

A/N

So it took longer than I hoped, but I was faster than last time. I figured that if insomnia was going to be kicking my ass, I might as well use my extra awake time for something good. Hope you...enjoyed(?) this chapter! If anyone would be willing to either PM me or leave a review with more "steps" for my chapter titles, I will send out virtual candy!

Ja ne!