Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and Company.
It's quiet over the next few weeks. Brown only maked one attempt at hexing a younger student. The unknown master none. A welcome letter from Remus explained more on how the map worked and that regrettably nothing else could be added to it. One function of the map did allowed them to single out individuals or track only a certain location.
With that information Ron highlighted Brown and the locations he was known to use as hexing points. Harry then had Dobby watch the map while they are in class. One thing they tried was to get the master who attacked Harry and Prof. Flitwick on the roof to show up. Unfortunately no one did.
With the three of them working on different things they have taken to using the barracks room near Gryffindor tower to hold Sunday morning meetings to bring each other up to date on everything. A couple of weeks before Easter Break Hermione at their Sunday meeting tells them about her research.
"I've got the transportation spells down to three methods. The one I like most is a variation on the Portkey spell. My understanding of the theory of the spell says its motive force is different even though the key is still an enchanted object. The main difference between the two spells that I can see is that a portkey is tied between two spots while this is limitless as to the locations possible. The bad thing about this one is that the user has to have been to location at least once before to set it as a location." Hermione explained.
"What about anti-portkey wards?" Ron asked.
"Ones like around the Ministry and Hogwarts I don't think it can get through them. Others I don't know. Using it does not count as underage magic. Just like portkey use doesn't. It's setting the spell for the locations that's going to be the main problem until we are of age. The user has to set the location." Hermione explained to them.
"So no spell to activate it then?" Harry said.
"A key word for the destination. However, the word or words doesn't have to be the actual places name." Hermione said.
"I could set it up for the Burrow. Mum usually turns a blind eye to small magics and with the ambient magic there the ministry can't detect really simple stuff like lumos. That still leaves you two with out a home location to go to." Ron pointed out.
"Field trips. The spell is simple enough. We have the trip to Great Yarmouth to see the underwater garden. Then there is that trip to Glasgow after break we can sign up for." Hermione commented.
"Possible." Ron agreed. "The next one?"
"Potion based. The key is a bit of dirt from the destination. The bad thing about this one is the brewing time is 6 months and the distance is only a 100 miles or so." Hermione told them.
"Can the dirt be sent to us?" Harry asked.
"Yes, and you can make specific destination batches and keep them on you." Hermione said.
"The third one?' asked Harry.
"It's called the Bifrost Bridge. It generates a rainbow to travel on. Distance wise it can get use anywhere on the island. It's not secret every one will know were you are going. That may not matter." Hermione said.
"I'll set up a meeting with Snape. Ron what about you?" Harry asked.
"Narrowing down the location for the capture. He's disappearing off the map once in a while though." Ron reported.
"Show me were and I'll see if there are any secret passageways or rooms around the location." Harry promised. "Would Monday during Snape's office ours be good for every one?"
With all in agreement they leave to pursue various other things.
After supper Harry set up the meeting. That Monday they meet in Snape's office. Hermione handed over her notes on the spells she choose. "The Bifrost Bridge is illegal. Muggles can see it. That leaves you two choices. My choice since you are under age is to use the potion. Advances in the last 200 years in potion making render the brewing time to 2 weeks. One of those advances is the commercial brewing of Sprat oil in standard strengths. A 50% dilution would give you sufficient distance to cover all of the British Isles. If this is your choice I will do the first brewing to make sure this is a truly viable method of travel." Snape commented.
"Good, I wasn't looking forward to trying to update a 200 year old recipe." Hermione said with relief.
"As to the remaining option. Given your age it is some what restrictive. I'll pass it on to Prof. Flitwick to go over. He may have more information on the motive force behind this spell. Mr. Weasley your report?"
"Prof. Sprout has secured the proper permissions for my choice of bait. I just need to make the arrangements with the seventh years as to who will be the official witnesses." Ron reported.
"Excellent, Mr. Potter your search?" Snape asked.
"I found a new set of secret rooms. It's not on any map I've seen of the castle. The location is that corridor of unused store rooms in the Hufflepuff territory." Harry explained. "I've placed that tripwire spell you taught me on the door."
"I'll arrange for Prof. Sprout and myself to accompany you some time this week to further investigate. Was there anything else?" He asked. When they said no he dismissed them.
Friday after supper Harry meet up with Professors Sprout and Snape in Prof. Sprouts office. While he lead them to the store room he explained what he found.
"I was checking for secret doors in the empty store rooms all except this one has none that I could see in it. If it wasn't for a Timmons mouse teleporting away I wouldn't of seen it. The key to it was a simple pressure point like the barracks rooms." Harry said.
"I take it you opened the door?" Snape commented looking for more information.
"I did. I saw a corridor with 5 doors down the right side, a single door at the very end and a set of double doors and two single doors on the left. By the middle door on the right there is a human skeleton. That was Sunday night." Harry said as they arrived at the store room.
Once in front of the secret door Snape began a series of spells meant to reveal spells of concealment. "Definitely concealment charms though they are beginning to fade." Snape informed them.
When Snape stepped back Harry moved forward and depressed the stone that opened the door. The corridor was as he described. They began with the right hand side. The rooms where either empty or half filled with old junk in need of repair. On the left side they started by going to the room closest to the entrance. That turned out to be a bedroom. The furniture was mismatched and in poor repair. The wardrobe contained some half rotted gowns of a century ago. A chest of drawers some underthings in the same state. A bedside table contained a couple of yellowed letters on cheap parchment.
They go to the next room on the left. This room had been turned into a kitchen. The preservation spells on the food had begun to fade and most of the food was gone. In one corner a simple potions set up drew Snape for a closer investigation. It was simply a student's set up and of no particular interest.
The room with the double doors proved to be a library. The books where shelved any which way. Most where fiction. There was a desk in the middle of the room. Sprout went through it as Snape went through the books. Diaries and notes and letters all of varying dates going back to 1634.
"This was a hide away for those rare students who if they found these rooms could stay here in the summers. That poor girl was the last to use these rooms for that purpose. Once she is removed I will be sealing these rooms." Sprout said.
"At this point Mr. Potter it would be best if you went to your dormitory." Snape ordered.
"What about the last room?" Harry asked.
"Likely the loo." Sprout said. "A 19th century Loo at that." Sprout shuddered with distaste. "No indoor plumbing in the Castle until 1907."
"Right, Good night then." Harry said as he headed out. By the skeleton he saw a small vial. "Professor Snape there is a vial of some sort by the body."
"To your dormitory Potter it's nearly curfew." Snape ordered.