"Hagrid!"
shouted, running towards the giant. "Have you seen Harry?"
"No,
'Mione.
I haven't seen 'im. But if I do, I'll tell 'im you're
lookin' for 'im." Hagrid
replied talking the first years towards the boat.
"Thanks
Hagrid!" Hermione said giving the
giant a hug.
After asking
everyone she could possibly think of, Hermione decided it would be
best to give up for a little while and head down to the Great Hall
for something to eat. It would probably take her mind off of Harry's
disappearance anyways. She looked for Ron the second she set foot
into the Hall, and, failing to find him, sat down at the Gryffindor
table. She wasn't alone long, as Ron soon came to sit at her side
in just a few seconds"Where's
Harry?" Ron asked after kissing his girlfriend on the cheek.
"I
don't know Ron. I honestly haven't seen him since before we left
for the prefect meeting on the train. I'm really worried about him.
Do you think something happened? Oh god! Do you think it was… him?"
Hermione
said, getting worked up over the issue.
"No,
he's probably snogging Ginny in some unused corridor or something."
Ron replied.
"Kind of hard for him to be doing when I'm right
heredon't
you think Ronald?" Ginny said, whacking her brother upside the
head.
"I've looked for him everywhere. I'm going to
Dumbledore." Hermione said swinging
her leg over the bench.
"But
Hermione! The Sorting
is about to start!" Ron protested.
"No,
Ronald. Now! Harry's life is more important than laughing at the
scared first years. You were a first year once!" Hermione said
walking along the wall to the head table half dragging, half carrying
the the struggling red-head behind her who grumbled something about
women being evil the whole way up.The three snuck around the Great
Hall
doing one last overview in hopes of seeing Harry's messy raven hair
sticking out of the crowd. Not finding himHermione motioned for Ron and Ginny
to stay against the wall while she went to talk to Professor
Dumbledore."Headmaster,
may I talk to you?" Ginny said
tapping his shoulder.
"May
it wait, Miss Weasley? The Sorting
is about to start…" Dumbledore said
acting just as Ron
had.
"No,
Professor, It can't. It's
sir."
Ginny replied doing her best to stay calm.
"I
see, one moment." He said then whispered something to Professor
Snape who was sitting in the chair next to Dumbledore. Snape nodded
and Albus stood up.
"Follow me." Dumbledore said leading themRon and Hermione had now joined
Ginnytowards
the room behind the head table that the Goblet
of Fire Champions gathered in after
being selected two years prior.
"Now, what is this about?"
The headmaster said after shutting the door behind the trio.
In unisonthe
three started explaining the problemeach saying something different. The
headmaster would have none of this. He held out his hand for silence
and the three abruptly stopped talking.
"Miss Weasley, since you brought this matter to my attention,
please explain to me..."
"Well sir,
Harry has gone...
well, missing. He hasn't been seen since we got on the train.
Hermione thinks that the Dark Lord has gotten to him or something and
Ron thinks he's
off… never mind. My point is, Harry is missing and we're worried
about him." Ginny said finishing with a sigh, the tears she had
been fighting to hold back finally breaking through.
"Thank you Miss Weasley, I'll call Tonks to
come search the train. Now if you three would go back to the table
and enjoy the feast… I will call on you when I have further
information."
Dumbledore saidopening
the door for the three to exit.
Quietly Hermione, Ron, and Ginny
walked along the wall back to their table and sat down.
When the feast started
the three picked at their food; all
worried about Harry, still
hoping that he would walk through the door laughing at how he just
crashed a car into a tree again or something.
Meanwhile…
Dumbledore took the back door out of the room.
Walking to his office on the second floor he spoke the password to
the gargoyle and rode the winding staircase up. The man waved at
Fawks, his phoenix on the way to his office. Dumbledore retrieved
his wand from his pocket and opened a communication with one of his
Aurors.
"Nyphadora. I need you are Hogwarts as soon as
possible.
"What is it Albus?" Tonks asked, a teeny
bit of fear in her voice. For even
though she cared for the boy dearly, she knew that he could handle
himself in almost any situation.
"Please
meet me at the train station in Hogsmeade, I shall explain when you
arrive."
"Right." Tonks said before she broke the connection. Oh
Harry, what have you gotten yourself into now…
When I find out who did this to you…they'll have me to deal with!
I swear it! Tonks kept thinking
thoughts like these as she grabbed her wand and a jacket and as she
walked out the door and Apparated
to Hogsmeade.
Tonks met Dumbledore at the train station
drop off.
"Albus," Tonks said acknowledging his presence.
"Where did he disappear at?"
"On the Hogwarts Express, he
was last seen at eleven o'clock just before the prefects were
called to a meeting. Hermione, Ronald, and Ginny say that he didn't
get off the train. Or if he did, he never made it past where Hagrid
always stands." Dumbledore said
looking around.
"Alright, have you called the train back?"
Tonks said looking up and down the track.
"I have. Here it comes
now"
The man said as the train chugged around the corner. "Well, let's
get on and start searching."
"I am sorry Nymphadore. I will
not be joining you on this search. I need to attend to the students.
If you need any help, just send word up to the castle. Now, please
excuse me." With that, Dumbledore left Tonks to search the train
and headed back towards the castle
"Well," Tonks said out loud
to herself. "No place to start like here." Stepping on the train
she started
searching cabin after cabin. Searching from the prefect cabin to the
first
year cabins in the very back, under the seats, in the luggage
racks... No such luck.
After an hour of searching she conjured her patronus to send word to Dumbledore that she may need some help in finding Harry as she had been unable to locate him so far.
Five minutes later, Snape walked down the path followed by Hermione and Ron. Dumbledore would not let Ginny come do to the fact that she was not yet of age and the fact that she had a strong emotional attachment to Harry.
"Sevy" Tonks said as the group
approached.
"Please, Nymphadora.
This is not the time. We're dealing with a serious matter here.
Potter feels the need to attract attention." Severus replied
snobbishly using Tonks' birth name.
"For the last time, my
name is Tonks.
And Harry has gone MISSING.
That is why I have been out here for the last hour looking for him."
She said in reply.
"What have you found out so far?" Hermione
interrupted.
"An empty train. No one in the cabins at all.
Unless an invisibility charm has been cast on him. But I don't have
the strength to cast the counter on the whole train. That is why I
called for help. Hermione, Ron… I assume Professor Flitwick has
taught you two the invisibility charm and its counter charm"
she asked,
looking at each in turn.
"Well, actually that would have been
fifth
year and we weren't allowed to learn anything that would aid us in
any battle against the ministry. You remember how the Minister
thought that – …"
"We know the spell." Ron said
interrupting Hermione's speech.
"Good, now Hermione you come
with me and we'll start at the back of the train. Ron, you go with
'Professor Snape' here and start at the front. If you find Harry,
send a patronus down the train. Severus, you remember how to do that,
don't you? It's been so long since I've seen yours. I can't
even remember what form yours
takes.
Ah well, off we go." Tonks grabbed Hermione's hand and led her to
the back of the train.
Taking turns casting the visibility charm on
the cabin roomsTonks
and Hermione searched the train. It was slow, but it was thorough.
There was no sign of Harry in any of the compartments. When they had
gotten half way down the third car a distorted figure slinked down
the corridor carrying a message for Tonks.
:We've found Harry."
Snape's voice said laughing. "You may want to hurry. There's an
umm... situation that us guys cannot deal with." Once the message
was delivered... the image disappeared.