Chapter 23

All canon characters belong to JKR.

Thanks to June for doing the beta work for me.

Chapter 23

Back in Hermione's rooms, Crookshanks was pacing. She had not come back since yesterday afternoon. He knew her well, and it wasn't like her to disappear like this. Osiris popped in next to him, and tapped him on the back. Crookshanks jumped and quickly turned around.

"Jumpy, aren't we?" said Osiris.

"She didn't come home last night, Osiris," said Crookshanks.

"Maybe she went to her friend Ginny's house," noted Osiris.

"No, she would have said something, or taken me with her."

"Do you think we should go look for her?" asked Osiris.

"I don't know. I suppose she could have gone to see her friend. If she's not back later, we'll look for her. Come on, let's get to Harry's place and see if we can get anything out of him."

Osiris hopped on Crookshanks' back, and they Apparated.

* * * * * *

Hermione was sitting on the floor, next to the Mirror of Erised. She could not bear to separate herself from the images she was seeing. She didn't know what time it was, nor did she care. She closed her eyes, and leaned her head against the mirror. Hermione remembered the first night Severus and she had spent together. They had never proclaimed their love for one another, not in the usual way, but that night she had felt an understanding between them. She wrapped her arms around herself, tightly. How could she have been so wrong about his feelings?

* * * * * *

Severus, in turn, sat in his room wondering about that same night. He closed his eyes, and remembered how soft her skin was, and how the two of them whispered sweet words of devotion into each other's ears. Could he have been wrong? He played that night over and over again in his mind. Her eyes had looked so full of love. He shook his head; how could he have been so wrong? She had not seen her friends for weeks before she came to Hogwarts; he knew that. She had told him they were on some sort of assignment for their Auror training; and she had spent months studying for her final exams. Could he have misunderstood what he heard that day? While she was young, he had always felt that she had a great sense of what was right. For the first time since he had broken off their relationship, he truly wondered if he might have accused her of something she had no knowledge of.

* * * * * *

Harry sat in the living room at Grimmauld Place. He was studying for his next assignment. Tonks had written to him from Romania, where for three weeks she had been on the trail of Peter Pettigrew. The Animagus rat had escaped the final showdown, and it was thought he had faked his death yet again, several weeks before the war broke out. Tonks had followed a lead, which apparently had proven to be worth the time she had spent traveling the Carpathian Mountains. Harry had requested special permission from the Ministry, and just that afternoon he finally got word that he would be able to join the hunt. As he looked over his papers, he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. When he turned his head he saw Crookshanks sitting next to the fireplace, and next to him was a very large black raven. Harry set his papers down and looked at both animals.

"Hello, Crooks. What are you doing here?" Harry made a motion to pet the cat, but retracted his hand when Crookshanks hissed at him. He then looked at the raven next to him, who was now fluttering his wings.

Osiris flew onto the table where Harry had been sitting.

"Okay, four-eyes, spill!" Osiris said as he narrowed his small black eyes. He waited for Harry to say something, but was met with a blank expression. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" he asked Harry. Osiris looked down at Crookshanks. "I thought you said this numbskull would be able to talk to me. He does know Legilimency, doesn't he?"

"I think so. I remember him telling my girl that Severus was teaching him that. At least, I think that's what it's called. I remember the mency part. Isn't that what Severus was teaching my girl?" Crookshanks approached the desk, as he looked up at Osiris.

"Severus taught her Legilimency, but are you sure it's the same thing Harry knows?" asked Osiris.

The scene playing out in front of him enthralled Harry. There was some type of an exchange going on between the two animals. Crookshanks was now shaking his head as though saying "no" to something.

"Shit, now I'm not so sure. That word isn't sounding so familiar." As Crookshanks tried to remember back, Osiris had a sudden realization.

"Please, don't tell me it's Occlumency." Osiris looked down and saw Crookshanks nodding.

"That's it! That's what he knows," said Crookshanks, nodding.

"Great, just great. We'll never get anything out of him. He's got his mind blocked. No wonder I can't get inside. His mind is as tight as a sparrow's asshole."

Crookshanks tilted his head as his tail shot up. "Excuse me?" he exclaimed.

"A moment of weakness. Please, just don't ask." Osiris began to pace Harry's desk, as Harry watched the scene in amazement.

"Umm, can you two understand me?" asked Harry.

Osiris walked quickly to Harry and spread his wings.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I am! Open your mind, you twit, and maybe I can get you to understand me!" Osiris began to jump around wildly, as though his actions might catch Harry off guard and he could get into his head. Nothing! He looked around the desk and noticed a small drawer. He tapped on it, and Harry opened it. Luckily there was a bottle of ink inside, which Osiris tapped with his beak.

"You want this?" asked Harry. Osiris nodded, and backed away. Harry uncorked the bottle and set it in front of the bird, and was flabbergasted when he noticed it dipped its beak inside the bottle.

Osiris knew he would not be able to speak to Harry in any form. He could but only hope to write a few words, and get him to Hogwarts. If Osiris could get Harry to Hermione's room, then he could talk to Hermione, and talk about the day they were at Hogsmead. Then, with any luck, he might be able to get Severus to Hermione's rooms. Osiris wasn't sure how he was going to pull it off; right now, he could only concentrate on getting Harry to Hogwarts. Severus' incessant harping on the game of revenge, had been nagging at Osiris. The only thing that made sense to Osiris was that his cousin overheard something, and misunderstood it.

Osiris wrote out Hermione's name, and then scrawled a few more words. Harry looked at the paper in front of him, as the black bird stepped back.

"Her mini?" Harry looked at the note, puzzled.

Osiris shook his head and looked down at Crookshanks. "I can't believe this is the same guy who defeated Voldemort," said Osiris.

"Well, he did have help," said Crookshanks.

"Thank the gods, or we would all be knee-deep in snake shit." Osiris turned and continued scribbling, hoping Harry would understand what he was writing.

Harry then lit up. "Oh! Hermione!" exclaimed Harry.

"Finally! Sweet Nimue's knickers, if I had a canary creme I'd shove it in his mouth," said Osiris as he looked down at Crookshanks.

"What's wrong with her? Has something happened?" Harry looked at the paper again. "Sad, help," he read aloud. He looked down at the bird, then at Crookshanks. He sat back in his chair, and thought back. Hermione had been out of sorts the last few times she had come to see him. He recalled her being quite happy that day the three of them were at the Three Broomsticks, just before the argument with Ron. But after that day, it seemed every time he spoke with her, she was distracted and melancholy. She had also looked incredibly pale and tired as of late. Harry surmised that something had been going on between her and Severus, and now she was upset about something, most probably involving him as well. Whatever was wrong with her was big enough for her cat to show up at his home, with a large black bird he had never seen.

Harry got up and grabbed his traveling cloak. As he turned to say something to the two animals, he noticed they had gone. He looked around the living room but couldn't find them. He shook his head, wondering if he had just imagined the whole thing. No matter, he thought; imagined or real, Hermione needed him. That much he was sure of. He grabbed his wand and Apparated to Hogwarts. Today he would get to the bottom of what was going on with his best friend.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry to the rescue! From here on things will start to unravel.