The Gift From Death Year 2

Chapter 20: Second year Part 13

8th, August, 1998...

"Right this is once I've told Ron and Hermione everything." Harry explained.

"Do you think we should go and ask Hagrid about it all?"

"That would be a really cheerful visit." Sirius muttered.

"That'd be a cheerful visit," said Ron. "'Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'"

"Sounds more like you're describing Hagrid then a monster." Cissy said.

"Or me around the full moon. I would about go insane around that time, then I would get all hairy when the full moon came up." Remus said.

"I loved the time before the full moon. You were always crazy and came up with insane plans and did a lot of crazy stuff." Sirius grinned. "It was great."

"And really funny." James added.

"Well thank god I don't have to go through it ever again." Remus muttered hugging Dora and smiling at Harry and Ginny who smiled back.

In the end, they decided that they would not say anything to Hagrid unless there was another attack, and as more and more days went by with no whisper from the disembodied voice, they became hopeful that they would never need to talk to him about why he had been expelled. It was now nearly four months since Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified, and nearly everybody seemed to think that the attacker, whoever it was, had retired for good. Peeves had finally got bored of his "Oh, Potter, you rotter" song, Ernie Macmillan asked Harry quite politely to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Herbology one day, and in March several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy.

"The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," she told Harry. "Then we'll be able to revive those poor people in the hospital wing."

"Were skipping a little." Harry announced. "This is after a really good Quidditch practice and I had felt cheerful." he explained

But his cheerful mood didn't last long. At the top of the stairs to the dormitory, he met Neville Longbottom,who was looking frantic.

"What happened?" Lily asked nervously.

"Harry - I don't know who did it - I just found -"

Watching Harry fearfully, Neville pushed open the door.

The contents of Harry's trunk had been thrown everywhere. His cloak lay ripped on the floor. The bedclothes had been pulled off his four-poster and the drawer had been pulled out of his bedside cabinet, the contents strewn over the mattress.

Harry walked over to the bed, open-mouthed, treading on a few loose pages of Travels with Trolls. As he and Neville pulled the blankets back onto his bed, Ron, Dean, and Seamus came in. Dean swore loudly.

"What happened, Harry?"

"No idea," said Harry. But Ron was examining Harry's robes. All the pockets were hanging out.

"Someone's been looking for something," said Ron. "Is there anything missing?"

Harry started to pick up all his things and throw them into his trunk. It was only as he threw the last of the Lockhart books back into it that he realized what wasn't there.