Moonstruck Madness: Year One

Chapter 13: The Importance of Humming

"A little opposition gives spice to life."

~Gilbert Blythe, Anne's House of Dreams

It was about half-past eleven, or maybe a little earlier, when Hermione woke up and realized that Anne wasn't in her bed.

Parvati and Lavender were fast asleep, so Hermione didn't bother waking them. She crossed the room to pick up her bathrobe, checked the bathroom quickly, then slipped silently down the stairs.

"Anne?" she asked the empty common room. Anne definitely wasn't here. She was a light sleeper.

Hermione looked at the clock. Midnight was soon - oh, those stupid boys! They'd probably be down soon, if they were silly enough to listen to Malfoy. She'd been planning to come down here at about this time anyway, but her alarm clock appeared to have a problem.

She walked over to the portrait and tugged it open. There was a dark figure in the hallway, moving away somewhat slowly.

Hermione hesitated, then said, louder than a whisper but not a shout, "Anne?"

The figure turned around and saw the open portrait hole. It rushed over.

"Neville?" Hermione said anxiously. "What are you doing?"

"Thank goodness!" He looked relieved. "I forgot the password, and I was just pacing up and down this hallway, since I couldn't get to bed."

"Well, come in," Hermione said irritably. "Have you seen Anne? Did she walk by?"

"I don't know," Neville said. "I sort of fell asleep, and I think I saw someone who looked kind of ghostly. It might have been her."

"Well, isn't this a fine kettle of fish," Hermione muttered, using her friend's favorite expression. "Go to bed, Neville."

Neville obeyed, shuffling across the room and up the stairs.

Hermione began to pace the dark room. Where could Anne be?

She heard someone coming down the stairs. Quickly, she sat down in the nearest chair. For some reason, she was anxious not to be discovered - there was something illicit about being up so late.

As the people came nearer, she recognized them as Harry and Ron. Stupid boys!

"I can't believe you're actually going through with this, Harry," she said without meaning to. She reached over and flicked the lamp on, standing up. They jumped. "Go back to bed, both of you."

"You go back to bed," Ron said. "This isn't any of your business."

"I'm going out with you," Hermione said. "At least I have a good excuse." She sensed that arguing with them would be rather difficult.

"You have an excuse?" Ron said. "Wait - you're leaving the common room at night?" He started laughing.

"Be quiet!" Harry hissed.

Ron shut up.

"Anne's missing," Hermione said. "I can say either that I was looking for her or I was trying to find McGonagall to tell her. You have no such excuse. Good night." She walked over to the portrait and yanked it open, sliding it shut behind her.

After marching down the hallway for five seconds, Hermione realized how ridiculous she looked, and assumed a more normal posture. If the boys were following her, well, she didn't care.

"Anne?" she called softly as she turned the corner.

No response.

She meandered along hallways, then up a staircase to the next floor. Maybe Anne was sleepwalking again?

Hermione turned and spotted Harry and Ron sneaking up the stairs at the other end of the hall. The trophy room was just at the end of the corridor. "You idiots!"

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."

Everyone recognized Filch's voice.

Harry waved at Ron agitatedly, who scurried to follow him. Hermione rushed after them. Her excuse had entirely slipped her mind.

"What are you doing here?" Ron whispered as they caught up.

Filch kept muttering. Hermione remembered her excuse, but realized how flimsy it was now that she was running away.

Ron stopped suddenly. Harry bumped into him, and Hermione tripped over Harry's foot and careened into a suit of armor, knocking down three more in a domino effect.

"RUN!" Harry shouted. They ran until Hermione had absolutely no idea where they were anymore, through hidden passages and around doorposts.

Finally, they came to a stop. Everyone was panting. Hermione slumped against the wall.

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "As quickly as possible."

Hermione realized something. "Malfoy tricked you," she explained. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you - Filch knew someone was going to be there, Malfoy must have tipped him off."

"Come on, let's just go," Ron said.

Before they even moved, Peeves came hurtling out of a nearby classroom.

Hermione's brain froze. They were doomed.

Her brain unfroze about when Peeves started shouting. Ron grabbed her by the arm, and they half-sprinted, half-slid down the hall as fast as they possibly could - straight into a locked door.

A ghostly figure came around the corner, with blood-red hair and a white nightgown - "Anne!" Hermione gasped.

She did indeed look frightening, and extremely pale in the dark. She also seemed to be humming, her eyes half-shut.

There was only one thing to do. Ignoring the strange noises Ron was making, Hermione grabbed Harry's wand and pointed it at the lock. "Alohomora!"

Everyone nearly fell through the door - Hermione yanked Anne in by the arm - and Harry slammed it shut behind them. Ron pressed his ear against it.

There was no sound except Anne humming, and some noise she couldn't identify -

Hermione turned around slowly.

It was a dog.

A really big dog.

With three heads.

Oh dear.

Hermione whimpered.

"What is it?" Ron said irritably, turning as well and freezing midway.

Harry also turned at the same moment.

They were all staring at it, except Anne, still happily asleep on her feet.

That was when Hermione realized something.

The dog wasn't attacking. It was bobbing its head slightly, as though in time to music, its eyes half closed, in fact - it reminded her of something.

"Don't move," she whispered.

Then she listened.

It was indeed bobbing its head in time to Anne's humming.

What on earth was a dog like this doing here? Hermione wondered to herself. Then she saw it. It was standing on a trapdoor. She pointed. Both boys followed her finger and saw it too.

"What - " Ron cut himself off. Luckily, the beast didn't notice, still absorbed in Anne's thankfully on-key song.

"Anne," Hermione said involuntarily.

Harry poked her before she could stop him. He'd misinterpreted her - curse all boys. Idiots, the lot of them.

Somehow, that one poke woke Anne up, when pulling her by the arm and the drooling dog had failed to do so.

Anne opened her eyes fully, and screamed. Naturally, screaming meant that she had to stop humming.

All four of them grabbed for the door as the dog growled and swiped its giant paws.

The only thing Hermione remembered after that was running for her life.