Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related, of course.

I have to appologize in advance for this chapter. It's really serious and incredibly short. I decided to add something new into this story and this chapter is my way of leading into it. It's not my best but I really wanted to update because it's been quite some time. Try to enjoy!

You Shine Brighter Than Anyone

Chapter 11

Sitting at a small wooden table in the center of the kitchen was Albus Dumbledore. In front of his folded hands sat a small bowl of peppermints and a large, steaming cup of hot cocoa. He seemed to have fallen asleep in the middle of a midnight snack. Unable to believe her good luck, Hermione shot a look at Theo who was still frozen in place.

"On the count of three," she whispered urgently, "we get the hell out of here, okay?"

Theo nodded stiffly and followed Hermione's example of facing the portrait hole that they would soon be running madly for.

"One, two…"

A slight cough made the two friends turn with guilty expressions back towards the kitchen. Hermione focused her blurry vision towards the man sitting at the table while Theo opted to stare at the floor.

"Oh, Headmaster! I didn't see you there!" Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak but Hermione continued blabbering on. "Nice night, isn't it? Well, Theo and I will just be heading back to Gryffindor tower now, I'm awfully tired."

With that said she hooked her arm with Theo's and began pulling him back towards the portrait hole. Before they even got two steps towards freedom Dumbledore coughed again.

Hermione turned back around. "Yes, Headmaster?"

He cocked a finger in her direction, beckoning her closer. "Come here, Miss Granger, and bring Mr. Knott with you as well."

Theo gulped quite audibly and stared with deer-caught-in-the-headlight eyes towards Hermione. He was tripping balls and in no way wanted to get close enough to the Headmaster to get caught. Hermione gave him a slight glare and clasped his arm, pulling him towards both herself and Dumbledore at the same time. Together they walked to the wooden table but remained on the other side of it, opposite of their Headmaster, as if that few feet of space might save them.

Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles at the two young students in front of them. Hermione began to get nervous. She knew that it was obvious that she and Theo were under the influence of something illegal. After a few minutes Dumbledore pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and stood.

"I'd like you two to come with me." He said and in a flourish of robes he was across the room and out the door.

Theo and Hermione stood stone still, unable to believe the situation they had gotten themselves into. Theo was the first to snap out of it. He gently elbowed Hermione and they walked out of the door solemnly.

When they got into the corridor they saw Dumbledore patiently waiting for them. The trio walked down the hallway, their footsteps echoing loudly, until they reached a set of stairs that looked horrifyingly familiar to Hermione. Her eyes widened as she began to panic. Dumbledore saw this and raised his eyebrows.

"Ah yes, Miss Granger. I'm quite aware of your other friends late night outings as well. Go up and bring them down to me, will you? I'm much too old to climb all those steps."

Hermione nodded numbly and began taking the steps two at a time. When she reached the top she saw Blaise, Harry, and Draco still slumped against the wall just as they said they would be. As she grew closer Harry looked up.

"Hermione, look! I toooooold you we'd still ---"

With a crazed look Hermione silenced him. "Dumbledore is at the bottom of the stair case. He knows what we've been up to and he sent me up here to bring you guys to him! We have to think of a plan quickly!"

Harry reached out a hand, indicating to Hermione that he needed help up. After she pulled him upright he grasped her shoulders and looked at her with a dreamy look on his face.

"Hermione, look at me. Or better yet, look at the three of us. There's no way we can pass as sober. I'll just go down and take whatever punishment I get. If it comes down to it I'll take the blame for aaaaaall of this so you don't get in trouble."

With that being said Harry stalked over to the staircase and descended. Hermione tried to run after him but felt too dizzy to continue. She settled for walking and began going back down as well. She had only gone down a few steps before she turned around and went back up.

"Are you two coming?" She asked.

Draco opened one eye. "I'm not even sure I can get up, Granger, let alone battle it out with that crazy old man."

"That 'crazy old man' is going to have you expelled or worse if you don't get down there in the next five minutes! Now are you going to get up or not?"

Draco and Blaise looked at one another before slowly nodding. They tried to stand up by themselves but ended up falling back down to the ground with a sheepish look on their face. Draco stuck his hand out to Hermione and Blaise followed suit. With a sigh she helped both boys up. The three teenagers became unlikely allies as they walked down the stairs to the hallway together and tried to prepare themselves for what was sure to be their most frightening experience yet.

Once again, sorry for how short this was. I'm going to hopefully update with the new twist soon!
Reviews are appreciated as always. Thanks for reading!