averygoodun42 | The Gray Nightshirt, part two

Part one is here.

The portrait hole was open, but when he moved it to talk with the Fat Lady, no one was there.

He looked around the hallway and then into the common room, but no one was there.

He wished he could know whether she was in her bed or not, but there was no one to ask save Minerva.

Hastily, he turned down the hall toward Minerva’s quarters. The fact that the portrait hole was open and unguarded was reason enough to wake her. He wondered if he might be able to avoid mentioning his reasons for being there at all.

-8-

Minerva searched the girls’ dormitories while he searched the boys’. He had just entered Potter’s room when a silver cat flew at him.

“Miss Granger is missing.”

His heart dropped, and he stared as the cat faded away.

“P-p-professor?”

Longbottom’s voice roused him from his panic.

“Everyone up!” he barked, making all five boys jump. Potter and Weasley were fastest with their wands, but he disarmed them easily.

“Gryffindor Tower has been breached, and a student is missing. We need your help finding her.”

“Hermione?” the boys asked in unison

He nodded and didn’t wonder why they looked so frightened.

-8-

When he returned to the common room, Minerva was waiting for him, mouth pinched with worry.

“Her roommates say she’s been sleep walking for months now, but she’s always come back before.”

He nodded curtly, trying to suppress his imagination. “Have you alerted Albus?”

She nodded. “You should go check your house – make sure she’s the only one gone.”

He turned to go, climbing through the portrait hole just as Potter and Weasley dashed down the stairs.

“Professor, wait!” Potter called.

He stopped to look at Potter, and scowled at a familiar looking piece of parchment in the boy’s hand.

-8-

“If she’s in the castle, we can find her with this,” Potter said.

Snape took a slow, deep breath through his nose, willing the anger away. His lips thinned, he climbed back through the hole as Potter spread the map out on one of the tables.

Minerva gasped when she looked down, but Snape already knew what he’d find. He was surprised, however, at the breadth of the enchantment. It even listed most of the Professor’s quarters. He wondered how they had managed that.

He looked to see if his own were listed and when he found them, he gasped.

-8-

The others looked at him and then back at the map to where his eyes were trained. They all gasped, too.

“What is the meaning of this, Severus?” Minerva asked. He raised his eyes to find himself the target of three wands.

“I do not know. I…” He looked back at the map and the girl’s dot on his bed. He frowned in confusion. “I am as shocked at her presence there as you are.”

Minerva flicked her wand and a silver shadow sped out in the direction of the headmaster’s office.

His mind raced, wondering what was going on.

-8-

Although his brain was mostly busy cataloguing possibilities for why Miss Granger was in his room, it wasn’t so busy as to not seethe at being escorted wandless to his quarters at wandpoint. Especially since two of the wands were held by students.

They met Dumbledore at his door, and he was relieved to see the wizard looked at him with concern rather than accusation.

“You may lower your wands now,” Albus said, casting a stern glance at Minerva over the boys’ heads.

Albus tapped his wand on the door and it opened as if it hadn’t been locked tight.

-8-

Albus led the way into the bedroom with Severus and Minerva close behind. The boys followed slowly, goggling at their scary professor’s normal looking quarters.

Even after seeing her presence on the map, Severus was still surprised to see the girl lying on his bed, wearing the same gray nightshirt.

Albus looked at him sharply.

“I swear I had nothing to do with this, Albus.”

“Hmm” was all the reply he got, though Albus looked back at the girl and waved his wand. He frowned when nothing happened.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked anxiously, looking between his friend and the headmaster.