Courage - Harry Potter

-102-

Book: Courage
Chapter 102
Word Count: 4043

Layla stirred awake the next morning, wrapped in a sleeping bag on the drawing room floor. A chink of sky was visible between the heavy curtains. It was a soft, clear blue. The sun had risen high into the sky.

Everything was quiet except for Ron and Hermione's slow, deep breathing. Layla glanced to her right where she expected to see Harry's sleeping form, only to be met with an empty sleeping bag.

Frowning, worry took over. Layla's mind drifted to the worst possible places when she saw that Harry was no where to be found. She was quick to shake Ron and Hermione awake.

"Guys? Guys, wake up!"

Hermione was the first to stir, slowly sitting up.

"Layla? What time is it?"

"I don't know. Did you see Harry leave?" asked Layla worriedly. "He's not here."

"What?" Hermione frowned. "Ron! Ronald, wake up!"

Ron soon jumped awake, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He shot a glare in Hermione's direction.

"Why'd you wake me?"

"Harry's gone," said Hermione. "He's not here."

"He has to be," Ron stood up, along with the two girls. "Harry?"

"Harry?" Hermione called out, her voice growing louder. "Harry? Harry!"

"I'm here!" a voice soon called from upstairs. "What's happened?"

Ron, Layla, and Hermione hurried towards the stairs, clattering up them and entering the room where Harry's voice had been heard.

"We woke up and didn't know where you were," said Layla.

"Harry don't just disappear, please, we were terrified! Why did you come up here anyway?" asked Hermione. She gazed around the ransacked room. "What have you been doing?"

"Look what I've just found."

He held out his mother's letter. Layla took it out and read it aloud while Harry watched her. When she reached the end of the page, she looked up at him.

"Harry..."

"And there's this too."

He handed her the torn photograph, and Layla smiled at the baby zooming in and out of sight on the toy broom.

"I've been looking for the rest of the letter," Harry said, "but it's not here."

"Did you make all this mess, or was some of it done when you got here?" asked Hermione.

"Someone had searched before me," said Harry.

"I thought so. Every room we looked into on the way up had been disturbed," said Hermione. "What were they after, do you think?"

"Information on the Order, if it was Snape."

"But you'd think he'd already have all he needed," said Layla. "I mean he was in the Order, wasn't he?"

"Well then," said Harry, keen to discuss his theory, "what about information on Dumbledore? The second page of the letter, for instance. You know this Bathilda my mum mentions, you know who she is?"

"Who?"

"Bathilda Bagshot, the author of—"

"A History of Magic," said Hermione, looking interested. "So your parents knew her? She was an incredible magic historian."

"And she's still alive," said Harry, "and she lives in Godric's Hollow. Ron's Auntie Muriel was talking about her at the wedding. She knew Dumbledore's family too. Be pretty interesting to talk to, wouldn't she?"