AN: This is my third attempt at writing this chapter. The first went up in a small fire which was not my fault and the second was on a hard-drive that ate itself…

I've been mentally writing my updates out for all of my stories and you should see them soon.

Grimmauld Place was a mad house. From attic to basement had been turned inside out in a matter of a few hours.

"Where could she be?" Ron asked the group assembled in the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley was once again near tears as another she though as her own had vanished. Remus was missing from the table as he had tried pick up traces of her leaving the house. Ginny didn't seem worried but she hadn't done much of anything other than worry about Harry since he had disappeared. With his new-found sense of isolation she seemed to close in on herself.

The dark imposing figure that was Kingsley shook his head before walking from the room.

They had come to breakfast this morning and were unsurprised to see no Harry present but when Hermione hadn't showed Ron went to rouse her…Only to find her room empty. Her wand was gone but the rest of her stuff was there.

He looked through the rest of the house before telling his mother. A rampage through the house had resulted. No wand, no note, and no Hermione. Even Harry's room had opened to show the fitfully sleeping young man. They couldn't enter but they could see enough to tell that he was alone.

Molly had tried to contact the Headmaster but neither he nor the Deputy Headmistress could be located.

Harry knew he was dreaming again. Of clouds and stars but there was no moon to entrance him.

The concrete jungle was once more below him but he couldn't bring himself to care. If he looked down he feared the dream would be over.

The sky…Something pulled him there. In these clouds he felt a freedom that he believed to good to be true.

A tug pulled at his mind and for an instant Harry heard the voice of Ron saying something intelligible. It was quickly over and he resumed his scrutiny of the visage of eternity.

Tonks was tired. That was an understatement. Tonks was exhausted to the point of collapse. The demon that she was let free from Grimmauld Place had not stopped moving in almost 18 hours.

They had gone everywhere that she could think of. Their first stop was Flourish and Blotts and Hermione immediately grabbed a single book and was on her way to the entrance of Knockturn before Tonks could catch up to her.

Before the older witch could even say anything she snapped at her.

"Do you really think I was looking for would be completely legal?" Her eyebrow slightly raised in query.

Tonks rolled her eyes at the little witch before replying.

"I was only going to say stay close." She winked at Hermione causing the girl to huff slightly and walk faster.

"You wish," graced her ears lightly enough to know the girl meant her to hear but not be noticeable made the now black haired woman laugh lightly.

That had been around 4 the previous evening.

They hit almost every shop that was passed. Ever after most stores had closed Tonks would cast a summoning spell on the owner that was know to the less desirables. It was meant to be used when something stolen need to be gone in a hurry but the opportunity to make money quickly quieted any protests.

Halfway through the night when Hermione gave one particularly interested keeper 50 galleons to have free reign of the place Tonks stopped the disguised witch.

"Okay," she said. "That's it. Where the hell are you getting all this money?"

Hermione stared at her uncomprehending as she continued to pick through the stacks in front of her.

Finally she seemed to snap back to reality and gave the older woman an appraising stare.

"Well…My parent's are dentists and both came from fairly well off families of their own. Being only children they both received full estates from their parent's. With this and having their own practice I was gifted with a college fund for any number of top placing schools and…Well…I wouldn't be the smartest witch of my age if I didn't know how to make money myself, now would I?"

"But you've spend close to 3000 pounds already! How much could you possibly have?"

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Oh…I've spent roughly 1/32nd of what my parents gave me."

Tonks noticed the lack of anything that she claimed to have made herself and decided to go back to browsing.

It was almost midnight when the Weasleys heard the door open. They rushed to the entrance hall only to find it empty. Thinking that they had been mistaken they turned once more to the sitting room. They had almost made it when they heard a bang and a squeal from the kitchen.

They ran in to find Hermione facing the stove. The commotion drew her attention from what they could smell was a meal being cooked. Ron looked angrily at her.

"Where have you been?" he demanded.

Mr and Mrs. Weasley seemed to want to rush forward but waited to hear her response.

A groan from the floor made them realize that Hermione wasn't alone.

Mrs. Weasley saw the pink hair sticking out from behind the table and turned red.

"You did this!" she exclaimed. "Making us worry about poor Hermione like this! No note! You kidnap the girl and…and what were you doing? Out getting her drunk again?"

Mr Weasley looked at his wife in shock at her statement. He thought that such things were below the intelligent young witch.

Another groan came from the floor.

Hermione just shrugged before going back to her food. She was worn out too and needed sustenance.

"I told you not to pick it up," was all the family heard from her.

They walked around the table to see the ex-auror with a box on her stomach. She was wheezing and trying feebly to move it off her.

Ginny knelt beside her and held her hand up to it for a moment before grabbing the handle on one side.

It wasn't very big at all. About the size of her Hogwarts texts and twice as thick…but it wouldn't budge.

"It won't move," the young redhead said.

Arthur cast the levitation charm to no avail. Tonks seemed close to passing out when Hermione came around the table with a plate in her hands.

"Oh dear," she said mildly. "You should've said something."

She disinterestedly reached down and plucked the handle from Ginny's hand. The box moved as though it weighed a feather to the bushy haired girl.

The woman on the floor was gasping for breath while trying not to pass out.

"I hate you," was all she managed to say as Hermione took a seat and dug in.

"I told you," she said. "You can't pick up my box."

After years of piecing the stars together, Harry finally turned to the city below. It came rushing to him like before but for a moment it seemed to be a fraction slower than last time.

Harry stumbled into the kitchen to see Tonks passed out on the table and Hermione halfway through a plate of food. The Weasley were still standing trying to get Hermione to say where she had been and what her box was.

He sat at the table and quirked an eyebrow at his best friends and they knew he was asking for an explanation.

Hermione continued to ignore him and continued to eat.

"She's been gone all day and won't tell us where she's been or what this thing is," he said while pointing at rough dirty brown wooden box on the table.

"We found her down here cooking and Tonks being suffocated by this thing setting on her." Ginny added.

Harry's sorrow-filled face managed a wince.

"Honestly Ron," Harry said. "It's her box. You've seen it a hundred times."

"No one touches it," he said as he reached over and drug it over.

Tonks head snapped up and she shouted, "Don't touch it!"

They all jumped slightly except for Harry and Hermione at her outburst.

Harry just shrugged off the eccentric girls outburst and opened the latch.

Ron stared at him as Tonks looked on in confusion.

"I thought you said no one could touch it?" she directed at Hermione.

The girl finished her plate and finally seemed to notice the people around her.

"Oh," she said. "Sorry. I didn't see you there."

Harry glanced at the box and then to the elder Weasley's before quickly shutting it.

"You've been busy," he said to her.

She snorted before grabbing the object of everyone's attention and walking out the door.

"What the bloody hell is her box?" Ron finally managed to say.

"Library?" Harry questioned him.

Ron looked on in confusion.

"You really don't pay much attention in there do you? She has it with her all the time when she goes to study. References all her books?"

Ron appeared to be angry for a minute before shaking his head.

"I've never seen it before," Was his only response.

"It's where she keeps her books," Harry stated before getting up himself and walking to the door. "The whiskey is a new addition though."

Mrs. Weasley turned red once more before rounding on the once more passed out Tonks.