Seventh Time's the Charm

Chapter 6 - Search and Destroy

Harry walked down to the common room, holding his invisibility cloak. He made his way over to the fireplace.

Hermione was seated in an armchair, library books spread around her while she furiously wrote in her notebook. She looked up from her work as Harry drew closer.

"Time to go?" she asked, snapping her notebook closed.

"I'm ready," he said, holding out the cloak for her to see. "Bathroom first, right?"

Hermione nodded as she stood and stacked the library books on the table next to the chair. Whipping out her wand, she placed the notebook on the chair and shrunk it with a flourish.

Slipping the miniature notebook into her pocket, she gestured to the portrait hole.

"Shall we?"

As they walked towards the portrait hole, they heard footsteps coming from the stairs to the boys' dormitory. They turned to see Ron peeking his head around the corner, dressed in his pajamas.

"Harry! I knew I heard you leave the room," he said, stepping down into the common room. "Where're ya going?"

"Harry's going to practice for the next task," Hermione said quickly, before Harry could even open his mouth. Playing along, he nodded in agreement.

"Isn't it a bit late for that?" Ron asked, yawning. "What're you practicing anyways? The second task isn't for a couple of months?"

"Just doing some research in the library," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Reading books and such. Rather boring."

Ron frowned. "Sounds like. Well, goodnight then. Enjoy reading your dusty tomes."

"Night Ron," Harry said, as the redhead made his way back up the stairs.

Hermione grabbed his arm. "Let's go," she said, pulling him through the portrait hole.

Shaking out his invisibility cloak, Harry draped it over both of them and closed the Fat Lady's portrait quietly.

"It's too late to be out, don't you think," she complained, rubbing her eyes.

"Shhhh!" Hermione hissed at her as they crept away.

____

Harry pushed open the door to the second-floor girls' lavatory, the door creaking. As he shut it slowly, Hermione shed the invisibility cloak off them and rolled it up lengthwise, trying it around her waist.

"I forget exactly which sink is the entrance," Harry said, turning to Hermione. "We're looking for a faucet with an engraving of a serpent on the side."

Taking opposite sides of the row of sinks, Harry knelt to get a better look as they began examining the taps for anything resembling a snake.

"Found it!" Hermione exclaimed after a minute, standing up and pointing to a sink roughly in the middle of the room.

Harry walked over, leaning to take a look at the tap. Sure enough, there was a small engraved snake on the underside.

"Right then, allow me," he said, as Hermione took a step back.

He stared at the snake, willing himself to believe it was alive.

"Open up," he said.

Silence. Harry looked at his reflection in the mirror.

He tried again, leaning closer. At this angle, light seemed to ripple across the engraving, making it appear as if the snake was slithering along the faucet.