Chapter Twenty-Two; The Snitch's Secret

Thanks everybody! And guess what? We're getting closer to the end! By the way, Muroch you're welcome that you got a mention (looks like you're getting one again LOL) but you still have failed to mention to me whether you're a boy or a girl. So yeah, PLEASE tell me! I really want to know if we are sisters in God's family or brother and sister! Anywho, on with the next chapter! Really hope that you enjoy it!

After classes were over later that afternoon, Tobey followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione down to Hagrid's hut with Cowboy running alongside them. "What are you doing here? I thought that Ginny was supposed to help you with your homework." Harry said.

"She was, but McGonagall gave her a detention for writing that note to Malfoy." Tobey replied.

"Yeah tell her that here's a tip, if she doesn't want to get caught next time, she shouldn't sign it." Ron told him.

"I tried but she wouldn't listen to me. Gee you're really lucky Harry, she really loves you a lot. I hope I'll get a girlfriend that loves me that much someday." Tobey told him as Harry turned over to look at him and grinned.

"Really? I thought you weren't interested in girls." He said.

"Hey, a guy has the right to change his mind doesn't he?" Tobey questioned him back when suddenly Cowboy and Chance caught sight of each other and started wagging their tails and racing towards each other barking excitedly.

"Hey, there's Hagrid." Hermione pointed out with a proud grin while catching sight of him sitting on top of the front steps and grinning and waving back at them. They walked over closer to them while Tobey collapsed on the ground and allowed both dogs to jump all over him filling his face with doggie kisses while he broke out into a fit of squeals and giggles.

"Hullo Hagrid." Ron said.

"Ah hullo there, I thought that you three would be busy doing your homework or something." He said.

"Yeah right," Ron began. "besides we don't have all that much to do. The most important bit is Hermione's." he told him.

"He asked me to research about Voldemort." She explained as Hagrid winced.

"Oh." He said.

"Hey Hermione that reminds me, I completely forgot to ask you about it." Ron said.

"Yeah, what exactly did you find out?" Harry asked her.

"Well, interestingly enough I found out that his mother was from Hufflepuff." She replied.

"Why is that so important?" Ron asked her.

"Because I think that whatever was stolen out of Bellatrix's vault had to do with Hufflepuff." She told him.

"But what would be in Hufflepuff that someone would value so much to try and steal it?" Ron asked her.

"Honestly Ronald, you've spent enough detentions in the trophy room." She said but both boys just stared at her blankly. "Oh c'mon it's obvious isn't it? The fourth horcrux is the Hufflepuff cup." She told them.

Later on that evening after supper Harry, Ron, Hermione, Tobey, and Cowboy returned to the Gryffindor common room. Once they got there they met Ginny and Neville. "Hey sis, I heard you got in trouble with McGonagall." Ron said.

"Yeah, well, it was worth it." She began with a grin. "You should have seen the look on Malfoy's face when he thought that I was going to hex him. I don't think that he'll be bothering you anymore Harry." She said.

"Thanks, but I still have to deal with Voldemort." He told her. "By the way, have you talked to Luna yet Neville?" he asked him.

"No." he responded sadly.

"You better do it before it's too late then, otherwise you'll regret it." Harry said. "Well c'mon we better go to bed. Have you got all your homework done?" he wondered as he turned over to look at Tobey.

"I tried to, but whenever I started that stupid Snitch of yours kept fluttering around my head." He told him.

"Well c'mon, I'll go help you get it finished." Harry told him.

"Thanks Harry, you're a great brother." He said as the two boys said goodnight to everyone else before they started climbing the staircase up to their dormitory. Just as soon as Harry opened the door Cowboy darted inside and barking.

"Cowboy no! Quiet!" Harry scolded before the tiny dog took a great leap inside the air and caught the little golden ball that had been soaring around the room inside his mouth. "Bad dog give that back!" Harry yelled as he started chasing him all over the room until another boy managed to catch him and hoisted him up inside his arms before removing the Snitch from his mouth that was now covered in doggie drool.

"Here you go Harry." He told him as he handed it over to him.

"Thanks Jake." He said as he started blowing on it and rubbing it dry with the hem of his robes. That's when suddenly an idea occurred to him. "Oh my gosh!" he cried.

"What?" Tobey asked him.

"I just thought of something. Hermione told me that Snitches have flesh memories but there's only one problem. I didn't catch it with my bare hand." He said as he turned to walk over to his nightstand and pulled out one of his Qudditch gloves before putting it on his right hand and grabbed ahold of the Snitch. That's when suddenly a bit of writing appeared on the back of it.

"I open at the close."

Tobey peered over his shoulder and looked at the words. "I open at the close." He read aloud. "What does that mean?" he asked him.

"No idea, but it was worth a shot." Harry said as he put his glove and ball away. "C'mon, I'll help you with your essays. Then I have to go to bed." He told him as he plopped down on his bed and got out a quill and a piece of parchment as Tobey sat down next to him. "Alright, why don't you go ahead and tell me all the properties of the boils potion and I'll write them down. Then you can use my notes to write your essay." He said as Tobey started listing them but Harry suddenly couldn't hear him.

He looked up and saw a sudden vision of Slughorn inside his mind telling Voldemort about the Elder wand and that by the next full moon all of his powers would be destroyed. "What?" Harry inquired not realizing that he had asked that question out loud.

"Harry what's going on, aren't you listening to me?" Tobey asked him as he quickly turned his head and looked at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry Tobey. You were saying?" he asked while Tobey continued on listing all of the properties and Harry started writing them down. He knew that the next morning he would have to talk to Slughorn. Did this mean that Harry was going to come out victorious in the end? Was his vision true? Harry wasn't sure but he just hoped and prayed that this wasn't another one of Voldemort's tricks to make him think that. After he finished helping Tobey with his homework he made sure that his own was correct before he said his prayers and went to sleep.