Midnight Disaster | Harry Potter FanFiction

Capitulum Quattuordecim

Now that Christmas was over the library became a popular place again. Students were working frantically on their schoolwork that they had stubbornly put off. The events of yesterday seemed so far away. The fun the majority of the school had during the snowball fight was forgotten. The events at the Yule Ball suddenly seemed so unimportant although it seemed that there was more whispering and giggling from groups of girls whenever Harry passed.

Harry's table was covered in books and rolls of parchment. He had just finished his Transfiguration essay and was reluctantly moving on to Potions. Hermione was sitting across from him, buried in her Arithmancy book. Ginny was sitting next to her writing her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay while trying to ignore Fred and George who were sitting across from her and talking in hushed voices. From the excitement in their voices there wasn't any doubt schoolwork was the last thing they were discussing.

Glancing around, Harry saw Ron sitting at a nearby table with Dean, Seamus, Neville, Parvati and Lavender. The four boys seemed to be stressed beyond belief while Parvati and Lavender whispered to each other, letting out an occasional giggle every now and then. Harry let out a sigh as he returned his attention to his essay. This was his last piece of homework he needed to complete then he could focus on the second task. He had every intention of trying Cedric's advice. The only problem was he would it have to be done late at night when no one would see him sneaking into the Prefects' Bathroom. Prefects were fifth year or higher so Harry was a year shy of even being considered access to the bathroom.

Once Harry had finished his essay he packed everything up, catching the attention of everyone around him no matter how quiet he was trying to be. That was certainly different from before Christmas when he could even talk to himself without distracting anyone since no one was around. Okay, I may need to find another secluded place. I won't be able to work on the clue with the entire school around.

Hermione looked up at Harry curiously as she put down her book. "Harry, what do you think you're doing?" she asked. "We have schoolwork to do. Do you have any idea how long it will take us to complete of Defense Against the Dark Arts essay?"

"Two and a half hours," Harry recited quietly as he stood up, hanging onto his schoolbag tightly so it wouldn't rip open. "Hermione, what do you think I was doing before Christmas? I needed a break from working on the clue from time to time. I'm finished." He handed over a book he was about to return to the stacks. "This should help on the Potions essay," he added with a smile. "Have fun."

Hermione scowled as Fred and George desperately fought to hold back their laughter. Harry left the library, determined not to look at all of the students who were staring at Harry in disbelief. It was surly the sign of the apocalypse when Hermione Granger needed help on any sort of schoolwork and that was what Harry Potter had just done.

That night with the aid of his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map, Harry snuck out of the Gryffindor Tower with his school bag containing his golden egg, ink, quill, and a few pieces of parchment then headed directly for the Prefects' Bathroom. He reached the statue of a wizard looking lost with his gloves placed on the wrong hands and continued walking until he reached the designated door. After double checking to make sure no one was around, Harry whispered the password and stepped back as the door slowly opened.

As quickly and quietly as possible Harry entered the room and closed the door behind him, making sure it was bolted shut. He didn't want to take any chances. Certain that no one could enter, Harry pulled off his invisibility cloak and glanced around the large room. The lighting was dim but Harry could see the enormous swimming pool in the size of a rectangle built into the middle of the floor. Golden taps surrounded the pool, each one having a jewel on the handle that was a different color. There was even a diving board which Harry thought was a little over the top. On the wall there was a portrait of a blonde mermaid who was sleeping. Harry made a mental note to be absolutely quiet so not to wake her.