Moonstruck Madness -Year One: Chapter 14

Mysterious Mysteries

"People who haven't red hair don't know what trouble is." Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables

The next morning, Hermione found herself alone in the girl's dorm as everyone else had seen fit to get up extra early. The boys were nowhere to be seen.

Hermione rushed towards the Great Hall and found Neville Longbottom tentatively asking Anne if she had found her way back to the common room all right the night before. Anne, utterly confused, had just been about to reply that she had absolutely no recollection of doing so when Hermione dragged her away by the arm.

After Hermione had explained everything to Anne in whispers, including the trapdoor she thought she had seen, Hermione firmly decided that they would put the incident behind them, though Anne seemed inclined to investigate further - she had not experienced the full horror of the three headed dog, having been asleep most of the time.

What they did agree upon, however, was that they were quite lucky that Anne hummed in tune.

After classes the next afternoon Harry and Ron found a glum Gilbert staring out of his hospital window. Eagerly, they filled Gilbert in on the details of their midnight adventure.

"You should have seen Malfoy's face at breakfast!" grinned Harry.

His mood slightly lifted, Gilbert still couldn't help but feel disappointed that his best friends had risked expulsion to throw colorful sparks at Malfoy—without him.

"Hermione ignored us all day, though," Harry said, remembering how Hermione had immediately pulled Anne in the opposite direction whenever they had tried to approach them.

"All the better," replied Ron, who had been flabbergasted that neither had the slightest interest in what else lay in the forbidden corridor. Hermione's refusal to speak to him had also made being Potions partners rather difficult.

"You'd think we'd dragged them along, wouldn't you? Not even a bit thankful that we rescued her from that dog. What's her name again? Ana - Annie, no, Ann?"

"It's spelled with an 'e'," Gilbert found himself saying involuntarily.

"Whatever." Ron shot him an odd look. "How can you tell the difference, anyway? It all sounds the same." Gilbert shrugged noncommittally.

Harry interjected, "But aren't either of you worried that a three headed dog living above our heads? I don't think Dumbledore's keeping it as a pet."

"Hagrid might know," said Gilbert, "He's the gamekeeper after all."

"I wouldn't really call that thing game, Gil, more like—"

"A monster?"

"Something like that."

The boys agreed to ask Hagrid about the dog that evening, since he had invited them over for tea. Harry and Ron promised to tell Gilbert everything if Gilbert wasn't out of the hospital wing by then.

All that was really left now was a way to getting back at Malfoy.

The three had just been discussing a possible plan that involved Chocolate Frogs when Madame Pomfrey burst into the room indignantly. "Honestly, I don't know what that man is thinking! Letting first years work with corrosive ingredients the first few weeks of school—I'm absolutely full to the brim!" Her eyes alit on the idle boys. "You—Potter! Pick up some Blood-Replenishing Potion for me from Professor Snape, will you? I'm all out of stock!"

"But, Madame Pomfrey—Professor Snape hates me!" said Harry, alarmed.

"Nonsense! When would he have the time to do that?"

Harry looked helplessly at Harry and Gilbert, but the both of them seemed too intimidated by the fuming mediwitch. Reluctantly, he headed towards the dungeons.

"And Weasley, visiting hours are over. Out of the Hospital Wing with you."

"But Madame Pomfrey –" Gilbert protested.

"No buts." She said with a note of finality. Her expression softened. "Don't worry, Professor McGonagall will explain everything in the morning."

Snape was a mysterious mystery.

The proper method of making a Boil-cure potion was also a mystery.

Anne was determined to get to the bottom of these two mysteries.

With that in mind, she meandered through the hallways and down several flights of stairs to Snape's classroom in the dungeons.

Upon opening the door, he had his usual sour expression and a stack of graded papers in his hands.

"How can I help you, Miss Shirley?" he said, in a voice that suggested that the way she could best help him was to leave immediately.

Anne mustered up her courage and asked her question. Something in his expression changed, as though she'd reminded him of someone he'd known a long time ago. He gave her another appraising look, taking in her red braids and gray-green eyes, and stepped back, allowing her into the classroom.

The way he explained the question to her made her think he'd explained that particular question to someone before, though it was an unusual sort of question to ask. He seemed less intimidating than in class. Though his first impression to her had been like another Mr. Phillips, she thought that really, they were nothing alike. Anne concluded that she should make an effort to get to know Professor Snape better and get to the bottom of the mysterious mystery.

The door opened, revealing Harry Potter, looking somewhat wary.

"Excuse me, Professor," Harry said, "Madam Pomfrey sent me -"

Snape stood and shoved an armful of potion containers into Harry's hands.

"Blood-Replenishing potion," he instructed, "And the potions she ordered yesterday."

Harry nodded and tried to slink out of the room - unsuccessfully, because the potions were about to fall out of his not so tight grip.

"Do you need help?" Anne asked, taking a few of the potions out of his hands without waiting for his answer. "Thank you, Professor Snape, I'll be sure to come back if I have any more questions."

As the door shut behind them, Harry saw a peculiar expression on Snape's face.

"He's really not that bad, you know," Anne said as they walked towards the hospital wing. "He's actually a very nice man. He's mysterious, of course, but lots of things are."

Harry gave her an odd look. Anne Shirley was very strange. Maybe it was because she was Canadian - but Gilbert was a perfectly normal Canadian, so that couldn't be it.

"What's really mysterious," Anne continued, "is that dog. Hermione noticed there was a trapdoor behind it. Isn't that strange? I slept through all of it, of course, but I'd love to go back and investigate. Wouldn't you?"

Harry made a noncommittal noise that Anne took for agreement.

They arrived at the hospital wing, at which point Anne, seeing Gilbert, put down the potions and dashed away.

"Oh good, Mr. Potter, you've returned," Madam Pomfrey said, collecting all the potions together with much more ease than Harry had. She put three down by Gilbert, told him to drink, and continued distributing them amongst the other hospital beds.

Harry and Ron made loud conversation with Gilbert about Quidditch and the incidents of the previous night to distract him from the taste of the potions. They looked incredibly unappetizing, but Gilbert seemed to look a little less pale by the time he had finished two.

Harry mentioned the trapdoor as Gilbert was starting the third potion.

"We should go and have another look!" Ron said. Gilbert nearly spat out the potion in his mouth.

"Why?" Harry asked. "I don't want to go anywhere near that dog again."

"Well, if Anya hums again, we should be fine, right? And she won't be asleep this time. She said she wanted to come, right? Even better, Hermione won't tag along..."

Gilbert groaned and buried his face in his pillow while Harry reluctantly agreed to the plan. He was curious, after all...

Hermione was not curious. She was furious.

"They'll get themselves killed!" she shouted to someone in the hospital wing. Gilbert cowered before her anger. He hoped she wasn't shouting at him.

She was. Hermione rounded on him and advanced on his hospital bed. For the first time, Gilbert was dismayed that Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen.

"You're going to come with me and make sure that they don't get themselves killed," she said, her eyebrows drawing together. "I can't dissuade Anne, and I can't keep those two boys in control by myself."

Gilbert nodded reflexively, unable to speak. Hermione left in a huff, her hair bouncing with every step.

Gilbert sat there, stunned for several minutes. What did I just get myself into? Gilbert thought.

A/N: YAY WE'RE NOT DEAD!
We have returned, the story has picked up, and we have planned out the rest of Year 1. There will probably be about 7 or 8 more chapters, counting this one, and we plan to post about once a month. ~junie and l00ny