The grounds were dark as three figures sprinted across the lawn towards the front gates of the school.
"Hold on!" Katie called out to Pansy and Astoria, causing the two Slytherins to come to a stop.
"What?" asked Pansy, testily.
"We can't go out through the front gates," replied Katie "Dumbledore's people will be watching."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" asked Astoria.
Katie looked around and saw that they were not too far away from the first few trees of the Forbidden Forest.
"We'll climb a tree," she suggested "One from which we can see the front gates. That way when the Aurors arrive we'll be able to go to them."
"Assuming that the Weasel Twins haven't been caught as well." said Pansy.
"Do we have any other option?" asked Katie.
Pansy thought for a moment before shaking her head and replying "Tree it is."
"Ron, do you know where my seeker gloves are?" asked Harry as he rummaged through the clothes that he had been wearing during their impromptu Quidditch training session.
"No idea mate," replied Ron without looking up from his comic book which was entitled The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle.
"I must have left them down by the Quidditch pitch," muttered Harry to himself. He walked over to his trunk, which was now seated at the foot of the bed, and opened it.
After a few moments of rummaging through the trunk Harry turned to Ron and asked "Have you seen my invisibility cloak?"
"Not recently," replied Ron, scratching his nose as he continued to read the comic.
Harry continued to rummage before saying "Well, it's not in here."
"Haven't seen it mate," replied Ron.
"The Marauders' Map is gone too," said Harry.
"I'm sure it'll turn up." said Ron.
Harry glanced down at his watch "Well, there's still twenty minutes until curfew. Reckon I can get down to the Quidditch Pitch and back in that time?"
"You could if you flew," answered Ron as he turned a page.
"Good idea," said Harry before pulling his firebolt broomstick out from underneath his bed and marched out of the dormitory.
A few moments later Dean stepped out of the bathroom that adjoined the dormitory.
"I wonder where Neville's too?" he wondered aloud as he used a towel to dry his hair.
"No idea mate." replied Ron.
Harry stepped out through the front doors of the castle and took a deep breath of cool night air.
There would probably be a frost the following morning.
He swung a leg over his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. It was tricky to navigate in the dark, and the crescent moon did not help matters, but thanks to a combination of light emanating from the castle and from the stars shining in the cloudless sky above, Harry was able to navigate his way down towards the Quidditch Pitch.
He landed at the foot of the stands and got off the broom. Then, after drawing his wand, he cast a lumos spell in order to help search for his gloves.
However, rather than reveal the location of his gloves, the light emanating from the tip of his wand illuminated a face belonging to a person standing directly in front of him.
"Hullo Harry Potter," said Luna Lovegood, kindly.
"Um… hello?" replied Harry, who no longer had any memory of having ever met Luna Lovegood.
Luna tilted her head to the side and said "You know, you shouldn't wear expressions like that on your face, Harry Potter. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were a victim of a Wrackspurt infestation."
"Um… ok?" said Harry, a little unsure of how to respond "Have you seen my seeker gloves around here?"
He felt something tugging at his sleeve. Harry looked down and saw that it was another girl, a second year Gryffindor whose name he thought was Natalie Macdonald, though he wasn't certain.
With her right hand still holding on to his sleeve, she held out her left hand which held both of his seeker gloves.
"Thanks," said Harry taking the gloves from her. He shoved them in his pocket and said "Well it was nice meeting you, but I really need to get back up to the castle now."
He turned to leave, only for Natalie to grab onto his left arm with both of her hands, clamping down with a surprisingly strong grip.
"You can't go!" she exclaimed.
Harry gaped at her before turning to Luna, hoping for an explanation.
"It is very bad to go to the castle Harry." said the Ravenclaw girl who, Harry noticed for the first time, was wearing a necklace of butter beer bottle corks and earrings in the shape of radishes.
McGonagall turned to Dumbledore and said "We are missing seven students. Luna Lovegood and Stewart Ackerly of Ravenclaw, Kevin Whitby of Hufflepuff, Katie Bell and Natalie Macdonald of Gryffindor and Pansy Parkinson and Astoria Greengrass of Slytherin.
Dumbledore nodded before replying "Send word to the others and have them block all exits from the castle. I will use the map to locate our wayward charges."
"What are we going to do with them?" asked Flitwick, gesturing to the assembled students in the room.
Following another attempted escape the staff and Order had resorted to stunning all of them.
"We will have to wait for Severus to return before we can take the appropriate action," replied Dumbledore "All of the potions that he brewed were used up during today's mealtimes. I must confess that we did not anticipate any student missing all three meals. Severus will have to brew some more."
"Very well," said McGonagall "And regarding the letter?"
"Once Severus returns I will question the twins, Miss Bell and Miss Bones under veritaserum. It is unfortunate that we must resort to such measures, but sometimes the difference between what is right and wrong must be overlooked for the greater good, no matter how distasteful."
Neither one of the Professors argued.
.....
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