A cold breeze slapped Haylie's cheeks as she stepped into the middle of Hogsmeade's empty streets. Not a soul dared wander around Hogsmeade in the middle of the night, for fear that a nasty drunkard would stumble out of The Hog's Head and create trouble. The only lights came from the moon dangling in front of them, as if attached to a long string, being hidden and found over again by the moving clouds.

"Come on," Haylie whispered, glancing back at her friends who were searching around them for any indication of where they were.

"We're in Hogsmeade," Elvin finally acknowledged, sheltering his eyes from the bright glare of the moon's creamy glow. Eileen nodded her head in agreement and stepped in front of Haylie.

"Why are we…," Eileen stopped abruptly as Haylie whipped around urgently with a panicked glare in her eyes. Behind her was a tiny trail made out of dirt and small crushed rock that disappeared into the trees beyond it. The first years watched as a tiny rounded pebble rolled slowly down the small bumps in the dirt towards the group. Finally, the rock rolled all the way to Haylie's feet, where it stopped, spinning slightly before settling. Haylie peered down at the pebble and picked it up, rubbing it between her fingers. The rest of the group watched Haylie's eyes lift upward from the rock, back to the small trail entrance.

"Who's there?" Haylie yelled. Not even an echo replied her call. A few moments passed by before Damon clutched Haylie's arm and pulled her back toward the middle of the road.

"Haylie what are you doing here?" a voice snapped from behind them. Haylie turned around to see her sisters face, scrunched with disbelief and slight anger.

"What are you doing here?" Haylie snapped back, both sisters staring at each other with complete disbelief. Once the immediate shock wore off, Haylie gazed at her sister with slanted eyes, no longer wide open.

"I…um…had some business here to take care off," Hermione mumbled nervously, glancing behind her left shoulder.

"Well, I don't have time for this," Haylie said, trying to keep her voice soft, "We're here on some business as well."

"Oh really? And who gave you permission to roam around Hogsmeade in the middle of the night Haylie Brigitte Granger?" Hermione demanded, her fists taking their usual place on the sides of her hips. Haylie rolled her eyes and shoved past her older sister.

"Don't you walk away from me! "

"Keep your voice down Hermione!"

"I most certainly won't if you keep defying my orders! You are going against school rules young lady…"

"Hermione are you there?" a male's voice called from behind the trees. Haylie and Hermione both tuned to peer at the trail where a dark shadow was approaching them. Finally, the shadow disappeared and was replaced with Ron Weasley, red hair and all.

"Oh, Ron! I have been looking for you!" Hermione said, running over to her friend and wrapping her arms around him. Haylie, along with her group of friends, all stood quiet and glared at Ron and Hermione.

"So this was the business you had to attend to?" Haylie snapped. Hermione turned to look at her little sister with a confused expression. After a few seconds Hermione's eyes widened and she practically leaped a foot away from Ron.

"No! Not that! Me, Ron, and Harry all came here to gather clues about the Honeyduke kidnappings," Hermione glanced at Ron then back at the group of first years, "Then we got separated and I was starting to think something happened to the two of them." Hermione turned to Ron once again.

"Where's Harry? I thought you two were together!" Hermione said, her voice quiet but urgent. Ron shrugged his shoulders and it was apparent to all that stood before him, that he had no clue of Harry's whereabouts. A heavy wind suddenly swept through the main road of Hogsmeade, sending a chill through Haylie's bones. The air blew between her open fingers, which made Haylie realize that she still clutched the small white pebble between her fingertips. She briefly glanced over at the trail from which it came, but immediately turned her eyes away. Somehow the mysterious trail seemed to have a hold on her, which Haylie certainly did not like. Feelings of helplessness washed over Haylie as she started to think over her plans for this little escapade they were about to embark on. She realized she didn't have any plans, none at all.

"Come on, let's go," Haylie ordered the rest, trying to push those doubtful thoughts out of her mind. Somebody grabbed her arm and pulled her backward.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked, her eyes filled with selfless worry. Haylie took a deep breath and turned all the way around to face her big sister.

"We're also here for the Honeyduke kidnappings, only….we're here to save them," Haylie told her, her eyes drifting over to Damon's. He nodded his head and stepped up next to Hermione.

"I think we need to split up," Damon told everyone in a loud whisper, "It'll probably be safer."

"How will that be safer?" Corinne asked, looking between Hermione and Ron, "They lost each other when they split up!"

"Yeah, but we have a huge group! If we run around Hogsmeade in a group of eight people, we'll for sure make a lot of noise. Plus, it'll take longer to find where the kids are."

"There's one problem Mr. Know-It-All," Eileen cut in sarcastically, "Then it'll be two against this evil person! How are the two that are unlucky enough to find him going to survive? Plus, we won't be able to communicate with each other! So who's gonna come to our rescue if we do get attacked?" Silence followed Eileen's comments. Even Damon seemed a bit uneasy, knowing that she had good points. Corinne was biting her lip so hard that Haylie thought she would actually make it bleed, while Elvin nervously started to draw pictures with his shoes in the dirt below his feet. Suddenly Haylie realized her own capabilities.

"I have the rings!" Haylie told them excitedly, pulling them out of her pocket, "These are the Ringer Rings we got from the silver store! They're kind of like walky-talkies!"

"But you only have two, there would have to be more groups than that," Damon said, receiving a glare from Elvin.

"We have three!" Corinne exclaimed, reaching into her coat. She shuffled around in her pocket a little bit before emerging with a bright green ring clenched between her fingers.

"It's Natalie's. She let me have it, since green is my favorite color and she didn't want it anymore," Corinne told Haylie, reaching her hand out to give it to her friend.

"You'd send us out with less than four people in a group? We'll die! I don't wanna die," Elvin whined, bowing his head sadly.

"No one is going to die Elvin," Haylie reassured him. Every person in the group stood in thought, trying to think of what to do.

"Let's set up the groups first and see how many we would need," Hermione suggested, thinking, as usual, logically. Haylie agreed and turned to her friends.

"Ok…. " Haylie stood on her tip toes, counting each person with her fingers. There were a total of eight people, counting Harry, who Hermione was set on finding before they continued their dangerous mission. As it turns out, Hermione didn't have to wait long.

"Harry!" Hermione ran up to him and gave her friend a hug, Haylie just kept on thinking, not stopping her train of thought to greet Harry.

"Ok…we'll have three groups," Haylie told the group, glancing around her shoulder to make sure she didn't forget anyone, "The first group will be Harry, Ron, and Corinne. Then the second group will be Hermione, Eileen, and Elvin. The… me and Damon will be together."

"Maybe we should make two groups of four, since there are only two people in your group," Harry suggested to Haylie, looking between her and Damon. Haylie shook her head violently.

"No! We need to be quick, and the more groups we have, the faster we will find Cora and Brandon. I figure that each group should have a sixth year in it, so I split you three up," Haylie explained, pointing to Ron, Hermione, and Harry, "Plus, me and Damon were the ones receiving the letters, so I think we'll be fine."

"What letters?" Elvin asked from behind the darkness. Haylie glanced nervously around the group. She could see Hermione's blue eyes flicker in the moonlight, surprisingly not with shock or anger.

"We'll explain later," Damon said suddenly, realizing that time was ticking away as they stood contemplating the stature of their groups, "Each group will get a Ringer Ring…Corinne, just keep the one you have… Ok… are we all ready?" Haylie looked around at each group of three and nodded her head, signaling for them to push forward. Harry, Ron, and Corinne headed the main street, as Hermione, Elvin, and Eileen walked across the road toward the opposite forest behind Zonko's. Haylie watched them disappear into the pitch blackness, before following Damon's lead onto the dark trail beside her. Between her fingers, Haylie caressed the small, smooth pebble, trying to forget its mystery as her and Damon walked down a small trail deep within the Hogsmeade Forest. Neither of them even noticed the small crooked sign made out of Birch wood posted beside the trail entrance, clearly stating:

Pebble Trail

a.k.a. The trail of a hundred Muggle-Born tears.

Historical Location of more than one hundred Muggle-Born deaths.

SAID TO BRING BAD LUCK TO ANY MUGGLE-BORNS.

NOT OPEN TO PUBLIC!