The Second Note

Harry and Hermione left the silent, snowy graveyard in Godric's Hollow, following the figure of Bathilda Bagshot. As they passed a gap between the quaint, snow-covered houses, a man in a giant, patched coat rushed out, colliding with them, and stumbling to the ground.

The stranger jumped up and thrust a book into Hermione's arms.

The man rushed off before Hermione or Harry could say anything, mostly because they were still in a bit of shock. It had happened so quickly, Bathilda was still in sight, ambling up the road in front of them.

"Um," Harry said, "Did a hobo just give you a book?"

"It would appear so," said Hermione, and she flipped it over to look at the title. "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore by Rita Skeeter? What sort of hogwash is she putting out now?"

Hermione opened up the book. She'd meant to open to the front page, but something in the middle had weighted the pages down, causing them to flop over her hand to the page it was affixed to.

It was another folded note. Harry groaned. Hermione (again) performed the unsticking charm and opened it.

"Potter- or more likely, Granger, seeing what I've left this in-

Leave, it's a trap. What do they teach muggles these days? Don't follow strange old women. Especially if they smell weird. That's Nagini. Don't believe me? Have Potter talk to her in Parseltongue.

-DLM"

"I'm not sure I trust him," Harry said.

Hermione sighed, and stuffed the note back into the book.

"Honestly, I'm not sure I do either, but I don't have a good feeling about this." She gestured at Bathilda, still shuffling ahead of them.

"Right," Harry said as Bathilda turned in to the gate of a little house. "I'll ask her something in regular old English, and then in Parseltongue. We'll see which she responds to."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

Ten minutes later, gasping from exertion, they were back at the tent.

"Okay, okay, dammit, he was right, Hermione," Harry gasped, collapsing back on the forest floor, hand to his scar as he saw Voldemort's displeasure.

Hermione looked down sadly at Harry's destroyed wand in her hands.