Late Night Expeditions

Broken Enigma

Tygerlily

Angelusblood@yahoo.com

Chapter Eight – Late Night Expeditions

I'm going to kill him if he doesn't stop moaning and groaning about how all of this could have happened. What in Merlin's name did he think was going to happen? That Hermione would find out that he was practically shagging that harlot, Samantha, and she'd be fine with it? "Oh, yeah, go on Ronald, have at her! Give it to her good, then!" I don't bloody well think so. Gods, and I'm just as much of a moron for going along with it all. The second I saw Ron with her in the shed that day, I should've gone and told Hermione. Although that would've been betraying Ron, so either way I was screwed. I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't.

It was then Ron's whining penetrated his thoughts.

"Gulping gargoyles, Harry! Hermione was a real fright yesterday. I've never seen her so heated about anything. She's a lot angrier than I originally thought," he murmured softly to himself.

"Well, what on earth did you expect, Ron? You cheated on her, and I helped you... sort of, anyway. She's not going to welcome either of us back with open arms, and that's if she ever does," he finished sadly.

It was then Ron noticed just how Hermione's self-inflicted estrangement was affecting Harry. Crossing the room, he moved to sit down next to the boy and laid a gentle hand on the young wizard's shoulder.

"Hey, we'll get our girl back. It's just going to take a bit of time, that's all. Although, did something happen to bring all this on? I mean you weren't this upset about everything earlier today, or were you and I was just being too thick-headed to notice?" Ron asked jokingly.

"Yeah, something happened," Harry replied sullenly.

"Well, are you going to share? What happened then?" Ron asked, concerned.

"You know how I sort of disappeared after lunch? Well, I didn't exactly come back here to lie down for a bit. I came here to see if I could get Hermione to talk to me. Do you remember that charm she taught us back in our third year to get around Hogwarts' rule about no boys in the girls' dormitories? Well, I decided to put it to good use. It took some doing, but finally she invited me inside. We talked a bit but then..."

"But then what?" Ron asked anxiously.

"I don't rightly know. Suddenly everything just backfired. I said how she was some of my only real family and how I didn't want to lose her. She didn't take too kindly to that statement, asking me how I could have lied to her the way I did if she was supposedly so important to me. Then, the next thing I know, Crookshanks is hissing and snarling at me, and before I knew it, I went flying out the door," he finished sadly.

"You mean that mangy cat of hers attacked you? And what do you mean, 'you went flying out the door'? Please explain that one to me... or do I not want to know?" Ron asked.

"I think Crooks was just protecting her. We were having quite a bit of a row. I think he was just making sure that I didn't raise a hand to her or something. As for flying out the door, I mean just that. Something really... odd happened, and the next thing I know, I was careening out the door and sitting on the stairs. Then, the door just slammed shut."

"Whoa," Ron said in awe.

"Whoa is right."

"Bloody hell. What are we going to do? I've never seen Hermione this angry... and we've really upset her in the past, but this is decidedly different. I really have no idea what to do to make it right again. I've even thought about owling Mum about all this."

"Please tell me you didn't," Harry whimpered.

"'Course not, I've only thought about it. I have every intention of getting Hermione back; the way I see it, Mum never has to know that this ever happened," Ron reasoned.

Harry merely nodded in agreement, and they lapsed into a comfortable but contemplative silence. Sighing tiredly, Harry noticed a book on a nearby side table, the title causing his eyes to widen and full blown panic to set in.

"Oh, no! How could we have been so stupid?"

"Oh, c'mon Harry, we've been through this. I know that..."

"What? No! Our potions assignment. Remember that essay Snape gave to us in advance so that we wouldn't have anything to worry about during the Halloween Feast? Although the release of it early probably had to do with Dumbledore, he did give it to us almost two days early. If we don't have it for him tomorrow morning, you know he'll have an absolute fit," Harry explained frantically.

"Oh, damn! I remember now... well, can't we just do it now?" Ron asked reasonably.

"C'mon, let's have a look at the actual assignment."

The boys then dashed up the stairs to their rooms and began rummaging through their books as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake the other occupants of the room. Harry let out a small yelp of joy when finding the assignment stuffed idly between two of his Potions texts.

"C'mere, Ron, I've found it."

"Alright then, what's it say?" Ron asked anxiously.

"It's a six inch essay on...Jobberknoll Feathers and their basic uses in potions."

"Well, six inches isn't all that much to write. I'm sure the books we've got here will be enough to get what we need. Besides, it's only one assignment. Even if we don't get the best mark this go round, we can always pull it up on the next one."

"I guess. Pass me that text over there," Harry asked quietly.

Flipping directly back to the index, he quickly skimmed the pages listed to have information on Jobberknoll Feathers. After a few minutes of blatantly copying down the information directly from the text, they realized they came up two and half inches short.

"Argh, you've got to be kidding me...isn't there anyway we can, I don't know, stretch it out some more?" Ron whined.

"No, not unless you know anything other than what the book has told us. The only person I know that would have more information other than the book itself would be..."

"Hermione, I know... Well, it's not like we can just walk up to her door and ask her for help with this assignment. Normally, we might get a stern talking to and then her help with the answers, but not this time. So what are we supposed to do now?" Ron asked.

"We need to finish this... so I guess it's off to the library," Harry said reasonably.

"Uh, Harry, it's nearly ten o'clock, and the library closed up at eight. It's two hours after closing and it's curfew. We might be Prefects, but we aren't the only ones, and it's not our night to be patrolling the halls. I really don't like to be the voice of reason, and I may not want to hear that greasy git's mouth tomorrow, but I sure as hell don't want to end up in detention tonight."

"Look, we need to get this assignment finished and don't worry so much. We won't get caught... I just think it's time to break out my father's cloak; I think this qualifies as an emergency... don't you?" Harry asked, a sly smile curling on his lips.

"Alright, mate... let's do this. But if we get caught, I'm never going to let you hear the end of it."

Harry quickly collected the two rolls of parchment and charmed quills. He then motioned Ron to join him underneath the cloak, and the two silently made their way out of the dormitories and Gryffindor Tower. Although on the seventh floor, both boys made it through the gauntlet of staircases and to the fourth floor without incident. Once inside, they removed the cloak and slowly moved about the large space.

"So what are we looking for, exactly?" Ron asked.

"A book..."

"I figured that much."

"If you'd let me finish, we're looking for a book that is about birds and how they're related to potions. Don't forget, the essay is on Jobberknoll Feathers," Harry said, slightly irritated.

"Well, Mister I-Know-It-All, lead the way," Ron bit out sarcastically.

"What bug crawled up your arse? I don't want to be doing this just as much as you, but without Hermione, this is our only option. It's not like it's going to be a regular thing. We won't forget our assignments again, and hopefully, we'll both be able to patch things up with Hermione soon enough."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. C'mon, let's get this finished."

Splitting up, the boys quickly went to work scouring the isles. After coming up empty, Ron came across a small and rather old looking leather-bound book. Extracting the small book from the case, his eyes lit up happily when he caught sight of the title, Fowls: Possible Magical Properties.

"Hey, Harry, come have a look at this!"

"What is it?"

"Fowls: Possible Magical Properties. This book has to have something."

"Well, let's have a look then," Harry said, taking the book from Ron's hands. He then flipped to the index and quickly scanned the pages with information on Jobberknolls and their feathers. His eyes practically lit up at the plethora of information he found. Both boys quickly copied down the information they needed and returned the book back to its rightful place.

They cast a quick drying charm on the inky parchments and folded them back up to place in their pockets. Another small charm could be cast before class in the morning to smooth out the creases. Both knew from past experiences that Snape was about both presentation and information. Making sure that they left nothing behind, Harry reached for his father's cloak. Once they were both safely underneath, they then headed back out of the library and into the empty halls. The boys easily navigated their way back toward the labyrinth of staircases before encountering a very serious problem.

The gentle scuffling of paws hitting against stone sounded throughout the corridor just before Mrs. Norris rounded the corner. She let out a low mew and trotted toward the boys hidden underneath the cloak. Ron's eyes widened at the sight of the cat, knowing that Filch wouldn't be too far behind. With a pitiful whimper, he turned to tug on the hem of Harry's shirt only to find that the boy was already a few steps ahead of him. He let out a horrified gasp as he realized that the invisibility cloak was slowly slipping up over his back and his head, leaving him partially visible. Letting out a muffled curse, Ron tried to scurry forward and back up underneath under the cloak, only to stumble over his own feet and fall gracelessly to the floor.

Harry whipped his head around at the sound of scuffling behind him, only to find Ron laying flat, face down on the floor. He quickly turned around in an attempt to get Ron back up underneath the cloak when Filch's oily accusation caused him to pause in his steps.

"Well, what do we have here? A student out of bed after hours, and a Gryffindor Prefect no less. C'mon then, I'm sure Professor Snape will have a fitting punishment for you."

Sighing heavily, Ron climbed to his feet, and with his head hung low, he listlessly began to follow Hogwarts' caretaker down into the dungeons. All Harry could do was watch helplessly until the two were well out of sight. Cursing himself for not paying closer attention, he slowly began to make his way back up to Gryffindor Tower. Slipping out from underneath his father's invisibility cloak, he carefully folded up the priceless object and placed it back into his trunk. Harry then looked around the room, noticing that only Neville's bed was occupied. It seemed as though Seamus had once again abandoned his own bed for that of another. Shaking his head, Harry let out a frustrated curse. Normally, he and Ron never got so careless while out after hours. Although, now, with the end of the war, everyone had slowly but surely began to relax, let alone his own distraction with his falling-out with Hermione. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his Potions assignment and muttered a quick charm to smooth out the creases. He then slid the parchment into one of his Potions texts. Kicking the foot of the bed half-heartedly, he knew that Filch had probably taken Ron to Professor Snape and knew that there was nothing else he could do.

All Harry could do was climb up into his bed and wait until Ron returned.

... ::: ...

Down in the dungeons, Filch was practically giddy at the prospect of the punishment the Gryffindor boy would probably receive. It was already weeks into the semester, and the detentions he so looked forward to were few and far between. He turned to look back at the Weasley boy dragging his feet behind him. Catching the young boy's eye, he sneered in response and continued to trudge through the dimly lit corridor. Argus Filch never did care for any of the students, with the minor exception of Slytherin house, and this redheaded Gryffindor was no different than the rest.

Stopping in front of a large wooden door, he lifted up his lantern before knocking heavily. It wasn't long before a muted "Enter" could be heard. The hinges of the heavy door squealed and creaked in protest as Filch entered the darkened classroom.

"Professor Snape, I'm sorry to be botherin' ya at such a late hour, but I've got a student here for ya; found him wandering about near the seventh floor," Filch rasped.

The furious scratching of a quill against parchment, the three occupants' steady breathing, and Mrs. Norris' soft mews were all that could be heard throughout the classroom before Professor Snape looked up from the assignments he had been grading.

"Thank you, Mister Filch; I have plenty of work around here that needs to be done." With that, Filch was dismissed. Severus' eyes couldn't help but widen fractionally at the sight of Ronald Weasley hovering nervously near the door. He felt the corner of his lips twitch as he quelled the urge to smirk at the frightened young man. The Potions master hadn't realized that he'd be able to play with the young Weasley boy so soon. Normally, he would've been less than pleased at the interruption of his quiet evening. However, in this case, he was more than willing to make an exception.

"Ah, Mister Ronald Weasley... I can only imagine what asinine purpose had you out and about after hours. However, you may save your excuses for your own Head of House. It is still rather early yet; only a quarter to the hour. As you can see, there are numerous cauldrons that could use some cleaning... Although, all can be scrubbed up with a quick Scourgify; no, I think an impromptu trip into the Forbidden Forest for some potions ingredients will be quite the fitting punishment," Severus said enigmatically.

He then swept down from the raised dais and headed toward the closet, which held many of the instruments needed for his classes. When he emerged, clutched in his hands were a pair of thick dragonhide gloves, an old worn-out school robe and a basket. Severus dropped these items into Ron's hands as he swiftly made his way past him and toward the door.

"Are you perhaps waiting for an engraved invitation?" Severus asked silkily.

This prompted Ron to scurry past the Potions master and into the hall. Severus merely rolled his eyes before pulling the door shut and warding it behind him. Then, without a word, Severus soundlessly made his way up and out of the dungeons with Ron scrambling to keep in step with him. Once outside, the chilly night winds nipped at their cheeks.

"I suggest you put on that robe and pull on those gloves, Mister Weasley. I did not give them to you just so you could hold them in your arms all evening," Severus advised as he made his way toward the Forbidden Forest.

Ron nodded to himself and quickly pulled on the threadbare robe before pulling on the dragonhide gloves while running to keep up with the swift-paced professor. They silently made their way past Hagrid's hut and through the trees. Soon enough, they arrived in a rather large clearing filled with greenish looking plants.

"Here you will carefully collect as many of these plants as I deem fit. I have given you those gloves with good reason; we are now surrounded by Atropa Belladonna, or Deadly Nightshade as it were. As you can see, it is not exactly all that esthetically pleasing, but it is also quite poisonous. However, it's a key component in a number of poisonous potions, one being known as Belladonna; obviously named for the plant from which it's made." With that the Potions master fell silent.

Looking around the large clearing, Ron sighed heavily before sinking to his knees. He then began to gently pluck the plant and place each branch into the basket with care. If too many of the leaves were damaged, he knew that the greasy bat would probably have a fit and have him out here until sunrise.

Severus just continued to observe the youngest Weasley boy silently. Although he had given the boy the gloves to protect against the poisons within the plant, it wasn't a one-hundred percent guarantee that he'd walk away unscathed. Even if the barest minimum of contact is made between the plant's natural oils and a person's skin, the end result is quite grotesque. Hopefully, the boy wouldn't heed his warnings and would end up spending at least a week within the infirmary. Though Nightshade was a poisonous plant, it wasn't in anyway deadly... not in its pure plant form, anyway.

When Severus looked up from his musings, he couldn't help but smile as Ron brushed a few fallen locks out of his eyes.

Oh yes, if only all detentions could be so amusing.

End Chapter Eight

Author Note: As for the mentions of Belladonna – it is an actual plant but I don't know too much about it. So if any of the minimal information I provided is inaccurate in anyway, I apologize to all of you botany experts out there.

Next: We catch up with Hermione...