Hermione looked up at Myrtle with a guilty expression on her face and didn't bother hiding the letter she held in her hands, "Um, yes it is Myrtle."

"Well," Myrtle gave Hermione a questioning nod. "What does it say?"

Hermione was about to answer the ghost when she looked behind Myrtle and noticed the black cat approaching them from across the room. The cat was shaking her head at Hermione and narrowing her dark eyes as if she wanted to tell Hermione something.

"Woe, that's wicked." Ron poked Harry in the ribs and said with wide eyes, "That cat looks like she wants to talk to us, doesn't she?"

"Where did she come from?"

Hermione shrugged at Harry's question but then everyone, including Myrtle looked at the mysterious creature who kept nodding her head in the direction of the door leading outside the Great Hall.

"She wants us to follow her," Hermione pushed away from the table and motioned to Myrtle and the boys, "Come on then. Let's go."

They followed her through the halls of Hogwarts and didn't stop until they stood in front of a solid door. When the cat suddenly transformed back into the form of their teacher, Ron stumbled into Harry and Myrtle gasped out, "Professor McGonagall!"

"Yes, it's me Myrtle." The professor wore a stern expression of disapproval on her face as she turned to Hermione, "I see you have some explaining to do Ms. Granger however I will let you tell your story of why you took a letter containing vital information from the Ministry to the professor himself, Since Dumbledore is in his office now, you may go in. He is waiting for you Ms. Granger and Ms. Myrtle. Boys, you may follow me to the common room, I am sure you can afford to put in more study time for some of your classes especially you Mr. Weasley."

Hermione felt decidedly ill at the thought of telling Dumbledore that she took the letter from his office without asking. Ron leaned over and in a hushed tone braved the glare McGonagall gave him when he said, "Sure you don't want us to stay with you Hermione? We could lose McGonagall and tell Dumbledore you meant no harm."

When Harry nodded at the idea Hermione felt instantly more at ease even though she shook her head at the boys and gave Ron one of her rare smiles, "No thank you. I think you'd better do as McGonagall says and follow her. I have Myrtle with me here, and I will be fine."

Ron gave Myrtle a slight frown but then nodded to Hermione, "Just remember whatever punishment he gives you, Harry and I have probably already gone through it before."

Hermione laughed and gave him an easy shove in the direction of McGonagall, "I'm sure you have Ron, you two go ahead. I'll catch up with you later."

"Wait," Myrtle watched as they turned around the corner and left. She glanced down at Hermione nervously as if she had just noticed their disappearance for the first time. "They're leaving us to enter Dumbledore's office by ourselves?"

"We will be fine you have nothing to worry about Myrtle." Hermione's assurance seemed to make Myrtle feel somewhat better since she sighed when Hermione went to knock on the door.

Before Hermione could proceed to let Dumbledore know of their presence outside his office, the professor called out to them through the door, "You may come in Ms. Granger, Myrtle, I've been expecting the two of you."

"Professor, I'd like to start out by saying that it was my idea to take the letter from you without asking. Myrtle had nothing to do with it, and I don't think she should-" Hermione began to stand up for her friend. But then she spotted Dumbledore standing in the corner of his office watering a plant that looked very much alive. She stopped talking and watched as the plant which had the appearance of a normal Anthurium Andraean with elliptical leaves started to shake when Dumbledore fed it an ounce of water, Hermione gasped. The leaf of the plant then started to move and rustle about on the shelf and when Dumbledore stepped back from watering the plant, the large leaf reached out and slapped the professor directly across the face.

"Dumbledore," Hermione stepped forward and Myrtle moaned, "Are you alright professor?"

"What," Dumbledore asked dazedly. Then he pointed a disciplinary finger at the plant and said, "No more water for you, that's enough for today!"

When he took a step forward Hermione reached for her wand preparing to help the professor but then the plant shuddered, trembled, and moaned, much like Myrtle beside her. Before Hermione knew it, the plants large leaves shrank in size as it retreated back into the shelf at Dumbledore's side appearing harmless once again.

"This is an interesting office professor," observed Hermione putting away her wand and thinking of the last time she'd been in here. The professor only nodded and smoothed over his reddened cheek before he turned to her and demanded, "Ms. Granger, you took the letter from my office. Why?"

"I uh-I just wanted-"

Hermione paused in front of the professor searching for the right words when Myrtle approached Dumbledore at her side.

"She did it for me professor," Myrtle went on with her explanation even though Hermione knew it wasn't the truth. "I asked her to bring me the letter because I wanted to see what the Ministry had to say about me, I wanted to see if they'd say anything at all."

Dumbledore held up his hand in a motion for her to stop talking and looked at the two girls, "I don't condone thieves Ms. Granger, but I can see that you were only trying to get word to your friend about the news concerning her sentence here at Hogwarts." He paused and motioned for Hermione to give him the document. When she did he placed it in front of him and added, "I will let it pass this time Hermione as I have some important information to tell Ms. Myrtle."

When he turned to Hermione he gave her a gentler smile than he'd shown to her before and asked, "Would you like to tell her what the Ministry has to say about her sentence?"

"Yes professor, gladly."

"Myrtle, the Minister left it up to you to decide." Hermione smiled at her friend and added, "He gave you a choice, you can choose to leave Hogwarts and go wherever you want after that, or you can decide to stay here and this could be your home. Either way, your sentence has been revoked you are free to do as you wish."

Myrtle stood floating in front of Hermione in her ghost's form and said nothing. Her expression was that of stunned silence as Hermione and Professor Dumbledore waited for her response.